Corvin, filled with unease from not visiting his mother’s grave, met with his father that morning. He unwillingly pushed the thought down, so he could focus on seeing what important things his father had to say.

When Corvin entered the living room, he tilted his head in confusion at the two people standing next to his father. He first looked towards the little girl.

“That little girl looks to be around my age… huh? She has pink hair with purple eyes… and her skin is like my favorite caramel candy! She’s very cute!”

Then he looked towards the woman, “She looks a little scary, like she’ll get mad at me if I make the smallest mistake… She has dark hair and the same purple eyes as the girl, but her eyes look so sharp that it could cut me and she’s so pale that she looks dead… she’s very intimidating.

Corvin and the woman's sharp eyes filled with scorn, even though she was smiling, meet then he quickly looks away, afraid she might scorn him for looking into her eyes too long.

“My dear son, I want to introduce you to your new mother, Rowena and big sister, Aveline!” Edgar excitedly says, while holding the mother. 

“Wait, big sister? She looks to be around my age.” Corvin raises his eyebrows in surprise.

Aveline clears her voice and stands confidently, “Yes, you’re right, but I’m older by two big years. Aveline smiles a big happy smile. “So call me big sister.”

“She’s short for someone that’s older…”Corvin thought to himself. “Alright… Big… Big Sister.” Corvin blushes in shyness.

Aveline runs to Corvin and excitedly gives him a big ol’ hug. “Thank you, I always wanted a younger sibling.” Then Aveline pinches Corvin’s baby-like cheeks, “He’s So cute with his big golden eyes!” Aveline thought to herself.

“Oush, dat kinda hursh.” Corvin says while Aveline is still pinching his cheeks.

Aveline quickly lets go, “Oh, I’m so sorry… I couldn’t help myself, hehe.”

Corvin rubs his now red cheeks, “That’s alright, my mothers used to… do the same.” As he sadly smiles.

Aveline softly smiles and pats his head, while slightly standing on her tiptoes. 

Edgar sweetly watches their interactions, “Rowena, it seems that the children will get along just wonderfully.” Edgar smiles sweetly. “I was worried about how things would go, Corvin needs a Mother and a playmate… so he could eventually live beyond his mother’s grave” Edgar silently thought in relief.

Rowena, with her eyes sharpened, looked at Corvin. “Yes… I agree.” She smiled so coldly, that Corvin felt a chill from her lifeless gaze.

As months went by, Aveline noticed a pattern to Corvins behavior and soft nature.

“Every single morning he quietly goes to his mothers grave, and sits and talks to the tree for hours… instead of playing around like me.” Aveline says while she is watching Corvin at the Juniper Tree.

“Next all he does is study in the old, creepy, library, he doesn’t read children’s books like me…” Aveline watches Corvin studying from afar.

“But, he does take some time to play picnics or house with me.” Aveline thought as she smiled while playing with Corvin.

Aveline, now sitting at the dinner table, “Mother and Corvin mostly eat in silence, and every time Corvin and my mother's eyes meet… Corvin always looks away scared… which is strange to me, since my mother is nice and warm.”

“After dinner, we prepared to say goodnight to our parents, but as my mother stretched her arm to pat Corvin’s head like she did mine… he started trembling with his golden eyes filling up with water… I really don’t understand why? My mother is so gentle.” Aveline was so confused by Corvin’s reaction, that she almost asked him “why?”.

Now laying in her bed at night, “I don’t know what’s going on between mother and Corvin, but I want to get closer to him…”

Aveline closes her eyes and ponders about how she can get closer to Corvin. “Aha! I can just join him in his activities like he does with me!”

The next morning after an awkward breakfast, Aveline grabs Corvins hand while he was on his way to his mother’s grave.

“Let me join you today and from now on!”

“You… want to visit with me?” Corvin's eyes filled with surprise.

“Yes, yes!” Aveline grabs both of his hands and shakes them up and down.

Corvin smiles hugely, “ I always wanted to introduce you to my mother! Thank you!”

“This is the first time I’ve seen him smile this brightly before!” Aveline excitedly thought.

Both of them, hand in hand, went to the Juniper Tree where his mother is buried. And they played and talked with Corvin’s mother and the Juniper Tree for hours. Then they went to the old, creepy library where Corvin read the children’s books Aveline was into. But, while they were reading, Aveline noticed a dark mark on Corvin’s arm.

“What is this?” As she pokes it.

“Ouch!” Corvin yelped.

“Oh my goodness, I’m sorry I didn’t know it was a bruise!” Aveline tries to console Corvin.

“It’s ok, I know you didn’t mean any harm.” Corvin held Aveline's hand.

Aveline holds the arm with the bruise gently, “ What happened…?” 

Corvin looked down and had a flashback to a moment of him and Rowena… Alone.

“Whack!”

“Whack!”

“Ahhh! Why are you hitting me!”

“Whack!”

Rowena’s face filled with scorn and coldness, continued to his Corvin in silence.

“Whack!”

“Those golden eyes that look right through me… I hate them… His red hair…  Reminds me of the blood I’ve shed… I hate it… the thought of this thing being the next head of my house… I despise it.” Rowena hits harder.

“Whack!” Blood spilled.

Corvin started to cry, “ I’m going to tell father!”

“Go ahead… and while you're at it… I’ll severely hurt my precious daughter, and it’ll be all your fault.” Rowena’s smile was so sinister, that Corvin believed her words as the sparkle from his eyes disappeared.

And so, almost every other 2 weeks, Rowena would beat Corvin when they’re alone.

Back to the present, Corvin made up an excuse to protect Aveline from the truth. “Oh, I just… Uhh… fell off the bed… hehe.” He said softly and timidly.

“He fell off his bed? But it looks more like a hit mark… who hit my Corvin…?” Aveline filled with doubt..

“That's it! I’m going to sleep in your room from now on!” Aveline confidently proclaims.

“What!” Corvin's eyes widened in surprise.

“As your big sister I must protect you from all forms of harm!” Aveline softly pats Corvin’s back.

“I see…” Corvin looks down. “I wonder if she can protect me from her mother…” Corvin sadly thinks. 

Determined to find out, “Ok, you can sleep in my room!”

For the next couple of days, Corvin and Aveline slept in Corvin’s room which had its own little library, gothic style furniture and a huge bed at the head center of the room. Aveline always held Corvin in her arms as her way of protecting him from falling. 

But, one night, Rowena walked into the room, her footsteps filled the silence, her shadow looming over the children, as she stared at them in the dark with her sharp purple eyes filled with scorn at the thought of them getting close.

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.”