“I can’t believe you Mazekien!” Her auntie shouted, her infuriated voice cutting throught the white noise of the shower. “All that prep and hard work just for you to mess it up for a game with your friend? You’re practically a princess, so you can’t be seen looking like that! Are you trying to hurt your parents’ reputation?” Maze flinched at her scolding. Not even her own mother had scolded her to this degree, and even if she tried to Maze could easily tune her out. But not her auntie.

Her words were harsh, but it wasn’t what hurt the most. No, what hurt her more was knowing she had made her auntie mad, and right after she warned her that her antics could cost her severely. Who cares what mom and dad think. I could go missing and they wouldn’t so much as bat an eye. Auntie on the other hand… Her thoughts paused as she imagined the pain her auntie would go through if she ran away.

“I’m sorry auntie.” She mumbled out, the guilt of her actions eating her up. With an exasperated sigh her auntie opened the shower curtain and closed the water.

“You’re annoying, brash, moody and a total klutz sometimes.” She wrapped Maze with a pink towel, her brown eyes locking on her onyx ones. “You have a good heart, but baby you need to know that actions have consequences. Outside of this job I am nothing but a Southerner. Not a lot of people get to make it out, so please. From now on, promise me that you’ll at least act like the princess you are.” She paused to dawn a warm smile on her lips. “Your brother is practically another person when in public, but you can be better than that idiot.” Baranda chuckled to herself. “No, you will be better than him!” Her auntie looked at her with a fire burning behind her brown eyes.

This stoked a flame within the little girl as tears threatened to escape.

She dived on her with a hug. Holding her as tight as her skinny arms could.

A slight seed of guilt planted itself in her heart. Why did she feel more with her than she did with her own mother? Why did she smile more, laugh more with someone she wasn’t even related to. With someone she’d only known for the awkward half of three years, than she did with her parents who she had known her entire life… her thoughts paused as her final question revealed something she had been trying to ignore.

Why do I love you more than my own mother?

Though the guilt persisted, being in the warm and loving embrace of her auntie almost swept it all away. For a moment Maze didn’t mind if they would stay like that the entire night. She was about done with the whole celebration and wanted nothing more than to stay by her auntie’s side.

A knock disturbed the moment the two shared. Breaking the hug, her auntie planted a kiss on Maze’s forehead before resting her own on it. Her caramel brown eyes lingering on hers for a second longer, a silent admission of what didn’t need words, before getting up to attend to the person at the door.

“Make sure to dry your hair properly you little twerp, I wouldn’t want you catching a cold on me.” Baranda said before closing the door behind her. Leaving Maze to her own thoughts.

Be better than my brother, huh? She wondered as she used the towel to dry her hair.

A few years from now I’ll also be a senior at Rosemary, so how would I go about being better than my brother? She thought, before the image of Headmaster Vander at the ceremony crossed her mind. Of course, that means I’ll have to deal with that creep for 2 more years, but being Head Girl is an obvious path since my brother was one too. So how do you best that? She raked her brain for an answer, thinking of the many paths she could follow to possibly outshine Marcus, but all of them seemed to pale in comparison to his achievements. How do you be better than the best? Maze groaned in frustration, swaying her head side to side as if trying to eject the thought through her ears. Her stomach churned at her admission of him being the best, but the objective truth cared little about her feelings.

She heard voices coming from the other side of her bathroom door, snapping her out of her mini tantrum. Is auntie still attending them? I wonder what’s taking so long? After wrapping the towel around her she peaked out of her door, her curiosity getting the better of her once again. Though, once seeing who it was, her face dropped in disappointment. It was her brother, still standing proudly in his pink suit and fur coat. Of course it’d be him. Speak of the devil and he shall appear, I guess. Still... Her gaze landed on her auntie who was blushing from ear to ear while talking to him, this was the same woman who called Marcus an idiot three seconds ago. Gosh auntie, you can show a little restraint. We were having a moment for Pete’s sake! Maze felt like she puffed steam through her nose with how heated she got, scowling at the older woman for being so weak willed around him.

“Anything I can help you with, big brother?” She asked, walking out of the bathroom to address him.

“Oh, I’m sorry dear sister, I was unaware that you’d be taking a shower this late.” He said with a condescending tone. Maze childishly let out a tongue at him in retaliation.

“I actually came to speak to you my dear sister, after you get dressed would you mind accompanying me to my room to receive the “Gift” I promised you.” His tone was formal yet she could still sense a playful undertone to it.

“Oh, shove it Marcus. What makes you think that I don’t have anything better to do than to go to your room for some weird “gift” you creep.” She needed him to leave, because as long as he was there she wouldn’t be able to have her time with her auntie.

“Oh. So I take it you forgot about the room full of sweets I promised you?” Maze nearly jumped at the mention of sweets, salivating at the idea of how many delicious and expensive chocolates all the women bought for him for his birthday.

“I-I-I can still take them tomorrow, so I don’t need to go anywhere.” She resisted the urge to fall for her brother’s obvious trap, mentally patting herself on the back for her resilience.

“Me and aunty were having a serious moment before you arrived, so beat it!” She stuck out her tongue in defiance.

“I’m sorry young master, but it seems that the young lady has made up her mind.” Baranda admitted with an awkward chuckle.

Marcus’s smile fell, and with it, so did the atmosphere around them.

“Maze, I’m serious. I need to speak with you, so get changed and then come meet me in my room. Okay?” Marcus turned to Baranda who was just as shocked as Maze seeing this sudden shift in character.

“Baranda, some of the other maids have been “requested” by our male guests. Can you see to it that the remaining guests are still served until they leave.” Marcus’s playful tone had completely vanished, being replaced by the more serious Marcus that only came out when addressing their dad’s associates. Though Maze didn’t want to admit it, seeing him like that was always scary.

“But Young master, what if the remaining guests “request” for me? I-I’ve never had… you know, and I don’t think---” Marcus reached for her hand and gently clasped it between his.

“Then tell them the Young master has already “requested” for you.” Maze felt relief looking at his eyes, although he had reverted to his serious self, the one thing that kept him separate from their father was the compassion he held inside his vibrant grey eyes. Maze didn’t know what they meant by requests, but she saw how much it made her auntie blush and assumed it was a good thing. Is Marcus proposing to her?

“No!” She said, separating their joined hands and standing in front of her auntie defensively.

“I will not let you take auntie away from me! She’s mine you hear!” The idea of her brother marrying her auntie made her spine shiver with jealousy. No man, not even her brother, was allowed to take her auntie away from her.

Baranda laughed at Maze’s defensiveness. She was about to tell Maze off, but then she saw something that shocked the both of them. Tears, large and unrelenting, flowing out of Marcus’s eyes. He was crying. Marcus was crying!

Before Maze could process seeing her brother in tears for the first time he quickly wiped his eyes.

“Oh shit,” he cursed, keeping his face covered with his sleeve. “Your pathetic display has seemed to bring a tear to my eye, dear sister.” His voice cracked. “But you have no choice in the matter, I will make your auntie mine.” He took Baranda’s hand and kissed her knuckles. Both of the girls were still trying to process what they’d just seen as now it was as clear as day that her brother’s façade of bravado had slipped.

“Hurry up and get dressed you little twerp, I will not be waiting long for you.” Marcus swiftly turned to leave. His shoes making hurried taps as he walked off, leaving the two girls astonished with the development. Maze did not know what to expect from that night anymore, everything ever since she saw that demonic figure had progressed in ways she’d never expected. From seeing actual magic for the first time from that mysterious boy, to seeing her brother cry. Something was coming, she had that feeling since the night started. Her questions needed answers, and she knew that the one person who held the key to those answers was her dear old brother.