"Now then, Lirssa," Arabella began as she closed the door to the library on that bright Saturday, "let us see what we can do." The light of the sun and its accompanying happy warmth were blocked from that room by thick curtains hanging blue cascades of cloth like dark waterfalls. Thick scents of leather, paper, and lemon oil mixed with the tray of after luncheon tea.

Arabella dressed as she typically dressed, in a trim waisted blouse of lace collar and cameo pins with the bustle skirt in a deep chocolate that day. Lirssa had been permitted her more comfortable split skirt, though the blouse of a miniature to Arabella's will still more confining than she would like. She had rather stay in her nightgown and just stuff its tail end into her pants to be comfortable, but that had been several and sternly overruled from the very first morning she had stayed there.

One full week of staying with them, and they had kept to their word. Lirssa had returned to her visits of the foster homes, which had been so glad to see she had not truly left town. Some of the foster parents had wanted to ask questions, but after the first rebuff had given it up and just professed their pleasure in her return. The work at Miss Aja's had also been reclaimed as had her lessons with Professor Jolyon Gardiner.

Those lessons had been difficult to get through. Mister Jolly was not a stupid man, and while on the outside he accepted her glossing over details and the elements of truth she was able to offer, she could see he knew something more lay beneath. The man was a terrier, but a patient one. She would have to be careful around him.

He and Mister Lucky, who had certainly been more keen on learning her secrets than sharing any of his last night. It was typical of adults to think their problems were something she could not understand or handle, but her problems were something they could manage. The very thought wrinkled her nose and brought a bitter taste to her mouth.

"Honestly, Lirssa, that look you have. I should think you would find the bargain unsuitable. Have we not kept our word as we said we would" Do you not think it is time for you to hold up your end of the bargain?" The woman sat down across from Lirssa, but she did not pour the tea and instead reached for a necklace on the edge of the oak desk. At the end of the necklace was a stone of blue, perhaps a sapphire, though Lirssa could not be certain of that. The stone was cut in the shape of two pyramids stacked base to base and was as long from one tip to the other as Lirssa's thumb.

Shaking herself a little from the thoughts she had, concerns over Mister Lucky, she attended Arabella's question. "Yeah, sure. I'm ready. What're we doin'?"

Arabella looked less ready, the way her lips had a rim of paleness and the freckles began to stand out a little more across the bridge of her nose. The opal eyes definitely had a fire to them, though, glints of red and green that flashed with each blink. "This week we took some initial steps in you learning to direct your talent so you can link it with another. Just rudimentary steps, but today we are going to search for an item. Just an item in the house that I had Jasper hide so I do not know where it is nor do you." The woman licked her lips. "Let us think of today as a game."

"We could just use our eyes, ya know." Lirssa huffed. "He isn't that clever. I bet it's in the pantry with the biscuits. Have you seen how many of those he eats" Where does he put it?"

"Lirssa," Arabella snapped then tried to regain her calm, "that is not the point. Sometimes the things we are going to try and find have ways to be unseen to the eye. So, let us play the game."

It was a struggle not to just burst out laughing. By midweek, Lirssa had learned how easy it was to tweak Arabella by the merest bit of, what she called, chattery. Lirssa had discovered a evil bit of glee in time to time exercising her considerable ability in chattery. Having tweaked Arabella enough for the moment, Lirssa gave a nod and let the woman take her hand.

"Now then, I know what to look for, all I need is for you to link your talent to mine like that chain we spoke of earlier, and see if we can find it."

"Well, what is it?"

"A key."

Lirssa stiffened and her free hand went to her pockets. She had it last night. She had shown Mister Lucky that she always kept it, but this morning she had slept late and then left it by her nightstand. He had said for her to always keep it with her. A fire pit of anger began to glow inside. Lirssa's fingers tightened around Arabella's and she felt the strange pushed aside feeling. It was not as powerful as when Elliot had done it, but she knew someone was working through her. This time she knew what the purpose was.

One heartbeat, she had heard it loud as a drum in her head, and the key was located on the top shelf of the pantry next to the biscuit tins. Arabella was as pale as her eyes that had widened to extremes. Lirssa tossed the woman's hand away and jumped to her feet. "Don't you ever take my key again!" She ran from the room and down the hall to the kitchen, startling the cook and several other servants, as she climbed the pantry shelves and claimed her key.

She had to keep it safe. Slipping it into her pocket, she made a plan to make sure that never happened again.