"First thing's first." Skylar stated as she paced around Adriana's room the next day while the princess sat on her bed, "You need to fix your attitude."

"Excuse m---"

"No. No inturrupting." Skylar snapped, but not unkindly. "We're going to get you friends and life and it's gonna take work from both of us. Unless you don't want that."

Adriana rolled her eyes. If there was one thing she hated, it was being bossed around.

"Fine." she agreed after a few pointed stares from Skylar. "But I don't have to like go beg people to talk to me or anything, right?"

"Of course not. By the time I'm done with you, people will be begging to talk to you. I'll even ignore all your negative thoughts if you'd like."

"Yeah, that would be preferable."

"So I'll ignore your thoughts and make you more sociable in exchange for you cooperating with me?"

"Deal."

"Good." Skylar grinned. "Then let's get started."

She sat down in the desk chair across from Adriana.

"In my experience as both a mortal and a Fairling, your attitude determines a lot about the people you attract, or if you attract any at all. It's common sense that people don't like being friends with people who bully them. But in the same sense, people don't like being friends with people who bully themselves either. It's too much baggage and drama for most people." she stood up again. "Pretend I'm a girl you see while walking along the streets. I'm friendly, nice, and so I come up to you and say hi. What do you do?"

"Wonder why the heck you'd want to talk to me in the first place." Adriana answered automatically.

"See, now there's your first problem." Skylar jumped at the opportunity. "Why do you think no one wants to talk to you? Why are you so hard on yourself?"

"Because no one ever does talk to me. Dawn is the one who everyone loves. Even when my father brings in possible suitors for dinner, they're mesmerized by Dawn. Not me."

"And why do you think they're mesmerized by Dawn?" Skylar felt like a therapist. But hey, whatever worked to get Adriana happy and friendly.

"Because she's perfect. There's not a person on this earth who likes me more than Dawn. Except maybe Aunt Rissa. But that's only because Dawn openly hates her."

"I like you more than Dawn."

"You've never met Dawn."

"True." Skylar admitted, "But Dawn seems a little too goodie-two-shoes for my taste. I guess I hang around so many Fairlings, I get tired of the perfection all the time." she laughed quietly. "But you don't have to be a Dawn to have people like you. Dawn was blessed with the gift of being naturally friendly. You were made naturally secretive. But that doesn't mean that you have to stay that way. You just have to work a little harder than Dawn at being friendly and open and willing to form new relationships."

"And I'm grateful that you're here to help me with that. I really am." Adriana told Skylar. "It's just that it's always been so hard for me to do anything on my own, constantly living in Dawn's shadow."

"Well, forget about Dawn!" Skylar exclaimed in exasperation. "You're not defined by her! You are Adriana, Princess of Gregoria, and that's how people define you! Do you really think people look at you and automatically think, "Oh, that's Adriana, Sister of Dawn"? No! So snap out of this funk you're in and stop thinking about Dawn. You can be your own person without her."

Adriana looked up at Skylar, her eyes brimming over with tears.

"Oh gosh. What did I say?" Skylar asked worriedly, sitting down next to Adriana.

"It's just..." Adriana sniffled, tears falling freely now, "It's just that no one's ever said that to me before."

"Said what?"

Adriana smiled slightly through her red nose and tear-streaked face.

"That they like me better than Dawn."

***

What am I supposed to do? Rissa thought, her mind whirling and her eyes half-closed from lack of sleep. I let that thing into the castle, with Adriana. No one can know why I'm worried, but no one will be able to take the right precautions to protect Adriana and the kingdom. No one knows that that Fairling will be the downfall of our kingdom. Unless... her eyes widened suddenly as she realized that the boy was in the castle as well. That boy could be the one to save us all. I have to make sure Dawn stays with him...he has to be the one.

She ran off down the hall in search of Dawn. She had to tell her, discretely of course, that Kabos was good. That he was someone she should get closer to, someone that her parents would approve of. Dawn was a people-pleaser; if she heard that, she would stay with the boy just to please her parents. Not Rissa...but her parents.

She ran into the front hall just as Dawn was opening the door to leave.

"Dawn!" Rissa called out, rushing to catch her before the door closed. Dawn stepped back into the castle, her eyes narrowing as she saw her aunt.

"What do you want? And might I ask why you're still here? You should have left right after the ceremony two days ago." Dawn sneered, her eyes narrowed as she stared daggers at the sorceress.

"Yes, I know, but I have som business." Rissa waved off her insult like a bothersome fly. "Are you still friendly with that Kabos character who was here yesterday?"

"Yes." Dawn answered shortly.

"You should keep him, Dawn. He's someone your parents would approve of and encourage you to become close with."

Dawn's gaze softened as Rissa mentioned her parents. "I'm actually on my way to meet him for a date right now. Thanks for the encouragement." there was no hint of sarcasm in her voice as she left the castle.

Rissa stayed there, staring at the closed door, for a long while after that. Whatever that boy was destined to do to save Gregoria and her nieces, he had better hurry up. She didn't even want to know what things that Fairling had planned.

***

"Not tonight." the voice whispered through the fog. "It's only beginning. No one can know of the plan quite yet. Once the girl loses this, she'll be well on her way. No matter what anyone else is trying to help her with."

"Of course master." the child replied, eyes gleaming in the dim light cast from the torches lining the dark street. "And what if it does nothing?"

"Oh it will. No girl of that state of mind will be ready for this. You'll see. Just do as I say, and we'll see Gregoria plunged into Darkness before you know it."

---

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Sorry, this was kind of a filler chapter until the drama starts. (except the last part...that part's important. >:) Make sure to vote, comment, and keep an eye out for the next update!

-Katherine