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He turned away Levana stared at his back, feeling not like a queen at all She was a stupid child, a pathetic girl, a fragile, destroyed thing

"I love you," she whispered "That much has always been real"

He tensed, but if he had any response, she left before she could hear it

"Co" Channary s Levana over excitedly

Instincts told her to be cautious, as Channary’s enthusiasm had turned into cruelty before But she was hard to resist, and even as Levana’s instincts were telling her to back away, her legs carried her forward

Channary knew better than to use her gift on soft- sister She’d been scolded by their nannies a hundred tiottenbefore the holographic fireplace of their shared nursery, the gentle wars in the illusion With the exception of celebratory candles, fire was strictly forbidden on Luna The s their precious air supply But holographic fireplaces had been popular for some time now, and Levana always liked to watch how the flas smoldered and crumbled and sparked She would watch them for hours, a into the logs, and yet never went out altogether

"Watch," said Channary, once Levana settled beside her She had set a s white sand on the carpet, and now she took a pinch of the sand and flicked it at the holographic fla with apprehension, Levana looked at her sister Channary’s dark eyes were dancing with the firelight

"They’re not real, right?" Leaning over, Channary passed her hand through the flaers cala to have lamour, but she did have a sense that it wasn’t exactly the saraphic fireplace

"Go ahead," said Channary "Touch it"

"I don’t want to"

Channary glared at her "Don’t be a baby It isn’t real, Levana"

"I know, but … I don’t want to" Some instinct made Levana curl her hands in her lap She kneasn’t real She knew the holograph wouldn’t hurt But she also knew that fire was dangerous, and illusions were dangerous, and being tricked into believing things that weren’t real was often the rabbed Levana’s ar Levana’s entire torso into the flaled to pull back, but Channary held firraph

She felt nothing, of course Just that same subtle warmth that the fire always released, to make it seem more authentic