It felt good to finally shake her sister. In a way Cosimia pitied Geneva, but she knew her sister wouldn't like that at all. Cosimia didn't hate Geneva but she was starting to become increasingly annoying. She almost understood her older sister's pain. Mother had the capability to be sweet to you one moment but forget you even existed another. Being a disappointment was not an option because Mother would toss you out.

Cosimia jumped up and down, rolling her shoulders and stretching her muscles. The Final Trial was going to begin soon and she had to win. Things she had dreamed of since she had her first tutoring lesson was just within reach. She only had to fight to do it. When she was younger, Cosimia was not a big fan of combat. In fact, she dreaded it. But now it felt like a part of her. She knew the urge to fight also played a part in making sure she woke up every day. She knew she could beat the other competitors, for sure. She knew that all along but she hadn't been willing to pull it out. She flashed back to what Mother had told her a few weeks ago about how to access that inner strength and power.

Reach deep inside, Cosimia, to the very core of your soul. Find that spark, that light, that keeps you afloat. When you find it, and grab it, you will feel an electric shock, pulsing through your veins like a current. Embrace it, don't fight it. You should feel a sense of calm, and you should be able to clear your head of everything other than your goal.

Winning.

I know this from the inside out, my star, because it was what my mother told me.

She had walked away, back ram-rod straight. She had tried for a while to harness that light, but she ended up unsuccessful.

Cosimia let her eyes close softly and tuned out of the metal, chatter, and baited gasps of the audience. She only saw blackness. She searched, desperate for something. Then, in the darkness, she saw light. Barely lit, but there. As she drew closer, it burned brighter and brighter until its brilliance could rival that of Solis. She imagined her hand, snaking its way towards the light, fingers outstretched. In a lightning-fast movement she grabbed onto the light and closed her fist around it. Tendrils of the light tried to slip away through her fingers but she held steady. The light was burning her until she felt like sobbing. But she slowly, calmly, brought the light out of the darkness and felt the sharp shock, like a slap. She gasped, not in pain but in surprise at this feeling. It was almost calming but it lit her up. And when she finally opened her eyes, she felt the fire in her, become a part of her, meld itself into her. Feel the fire in you. Cosimia smiled.

She was the fire.