Autumn passed, and Nell still couldn't believe he'd had the courage to kiss Alura. Luckily, that wasn't the only time. Though she didn't like public displays of affection, particularly if she had to remove her veil, she was happy to do so in private. And every time she did, Nell was reminded of how lucky he was.

He didn't care that Alura was a Delvalian. He didn't care that she was almost twenty-one, and he was eighteen. She was here, and she cared about him like no one ever had.

Today, he held Light Spinner's unnaturally warm hand as they sat in the garden, wrapped in thick winter garb. "Nell?" she said softly.

"What is it?" he asked, touching her hair. It was impossibly soft...

She leaned close. "How has your father been treating you? I've asked several times since we started courting, but –"

"He doesn't know," Nell said. "I can hide it from him."

"That doesn't answer my question," she replied stoutly.

Nell sighed, looking off to the side. His cheeks burned with shame. "Not well," he said quietly. "I slept in a hotel last night – I never know when Dad'll lash out."

"Where did he hit you last?"

"You can't see the bruise on my cheek? I'm flattered," he joked halfheartedly.

Alura pressed her lips tenderly to the site of the bruise. "Where do they think you are right now?"

"At the library, studying." He sighed. "It'll be alright. I know Dad – he never keeps up with what's going on. And if, um..." he blushed. "If things get serious between us someday, we'll talk about who to tell."

"Norwyn and Sarah know already," Light Spinner said, playing with his collar. "Only them. For your sake, less than mine. I'll be an outcast someday. All it takes is for my secret to leak..."

She hadn't discussed what she meant by that since they'd started courting. Nell ran his knuckle along her cheek as she looked off to the side. "Alura, what are you looking for?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well...what's your end goal here? Are we going to stay here, on the border of closeness, or will you...open up to me?"

After a long while, his girlfriend responded, looking him in the eye. "I want to get married," she said firmly. "Please know that eventually, if I cannot see you as my husband, I will leave. It is nothing against you."

"I know. I had the same in mind. Um..." Nell blushed. "But things can't start moving in any direction until you talk to me. I'll let you share in your own time, of course. But it might be healthier to tell someone who cares about you."

She sighed. "You're right. All my life, I've guarded secrets. It's the best way to make sure no one hates me. To make sure I don't get hurt..." She shuddered. "Even you keep me a secret."

"You asked me to. And it's a safety issue – it's different. I would never be ashamed of you. Okay?"

Long moments passed. "Very well. What do you want to know?"

Nell leaned back. "Why'd you lie about your parents?"

Alura's face flushed. "Nell!"

"You said you wanted to see them again when we were around Sarah. But when we went to Plumeria, you said you never wanted to return to Delvala. You've also said that they live there, so they couldn't have moved away."

Alura gaped behind her veil. "Moons above. You really are smart."

"Hey, don't sound so surprised!"

Alura chuckled, despite looking intensely uncomfortable. "If you want the truth..." she sighed. "They're dead."

"I knew it."

"I wish they weren't. Mother in particular. She...the way she died..." Alura's eyes glinted with sorrow. "I was their only child. They tried to have more – I have some six dead siblings now. The last one...it did her in."

Her voice trembled, and she reluctantly scooted to where Nell would hold her. "If you don't want to say more," he said, "it's no problem. A little at a time."

"No. You're right – I need to tell someone. You deserve to be informed about who I am." Alura sniffed. "Mother died...and Father became a monster. He never seriously injured me, but throwing your child against walls when she misbehaves – striking her on the cheek –" She shuddered. "I'm sorry. I'm so emotional..."

"Hey, me too. And you keep it together a lot better than I do. I'm supposed to be the guy in the relationship."

Alura dabbed at her eyes with her veil. "He disowned me. I came here. But I wish it wasn't so – I miss them both. I just want to see them again."

"You have no idea how much I relate to that."

She gave him a peculiar look. "Nell..."

"My father. I would do anything to bring back the man he was before the accident." He leaned back. "I reckon you understand me, then. What it's like to pretend your father doesn't hurt you. What it's like to have people not believe you when you dare to say something about it. What it's like..." he sighed. "What it's like to want the pain to end so badly, you delude yourself into believing it never happened...or that it happened to someone else."

Alura gazed at him with wide eyes. "You're...the only one who understands." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Norwyn blames me."

Nell's mouth dropped open. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "He...he thinks I'm a monster. Everyone who knows, they think I'm a danger."

"Why would they think you're a monster because of how your father treated you?"

Alura bit her lip, turning away. She gave a soft moan of pain. "I...I can't tell you. I'm not ready to let go of what we have. Not yet."

"Alura." Nell's voice was sharp. "Quit saying that as if you know the future."

"You don't even know what I've done. What I...what I'm capable of."

"Exactly. And I don't care. Read my lips – I'm not going anywhere. I wouldn't leave you because you did something wrong once."

"But this is a serious matter," Alura protested. "I could hurt you – that's all you need to know. I know how to contain it, though. For now, at least."

She wrung her hands. Nell frowned; whatever she was hiding, it was beneath her gloves. That was why they were so warm.

But she seemed too upset to talk about it. "Come here."

Alura looked at him suspiciously. "I won't take your gloves off," Nell said gently. "I swear, I don't know what you're talking about. But it seems you're doing a poor job at reading my lips."

"Oh?" Alura gave him a watery smile. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, for one, I haven't kissed you today. Maybe that'd make you more literate."

She gave a defeated sigh. "You're awful."

"And yet you're still courting me. Come, now."

Alura rolled her eyes; Nell kissed her gently as a final pair of tears ran down her cheeks, causing him to taste salt on her mouth. "You're a worrier. You know that, right?" he said against her lips.

"It's part of my charm," she replied in a murmur.

"Nah. Your charm is the fact that you're usually the most intelligent person in any given room, and others don't realize it because they're drooling over your pretty face."

"Flattering. Is this from personal experience?" she said coyly.

Nell grinned, kissing her again. "Perhaps."

✧✧✧

That night, they danced in the garden. Light Spinner resolved to teach Nell how to waltz – an essential skill for the partner of a proper Delvalian lady.

She stood, her feet side-by-side. "We'll be learning a simple dance first – the box-step."

Nell nodded. "Alright. So what do I do?"

"Right hand in my left," she said, holding up her hand. "Other hand on my waist. Like...this." She nodded as Nell slipped his hand down to her hip, and she set her right on his elbow. "Now, don't you move it any lower, or I'll perform an illegal self-defense move and banish you from my presence."

Nell's bespectacled eyes grew wide. "I wasn't thinking –"

"Hush, I know. I was kidding." Light Spinner loved embarrassing him. "Now, you step forward, and I'll step with you."

Nell nodded. But at the same time, both of them stepped back. "Nell, forward."

"Sorry. I warned you, I can't dance."

"Try again," Light Spinner coaxed.

Nell looked unsure of himself, but took a deep breath. "One, two, three." He stepped forward; she stepped with him.

"Good job, my dear," she said. "Now, step to the left. Good. Step up – exactly. Now, spin me around."

"Um...how?"

"Like this." She grabbed Nell's hand, spun him about, then dipped him down so she had him by the waist and head.

Nell blushed, gazing up at her. "I think I've got it. But..." he frowned. "Do I kiss you afterward?"

"Only if you feel like it," she replied with a wink. "Try it, now."

She lifted him back up; he spun her around and dipped her down, giving her a brief kiss. "How was that?"

"Decent. Put me down." Nell promptly dropped her.

Light Spinner landed with a grunt on the ground. "You know that wasn't what I meant."

"Oh, come on. You mess with me, I mess with you. That's how this'll go."

"Confidence! You're learning."

"Only from the best."

Light Spinner wished she could agree with that. "The key to dancing is to know your partner's body. Their gait, the way they move, the shape of their frame. All of this will create a strange cadence to your movements, almost as if your bodies...became one."

"Wow." Nell's eyes became curious. Light Spinner liked the way he looked at her, as though she was the most beautiful thing in the world. For the first time in her life, she didn't completely hate herself.

Nell checked his pocket watch. "Cripes, it's late. Do you need to go to bed now?"

She nodded. "I'll be seeing you. Sarah's got a barrelball game tomorrow – want to come?"

"Only if the weather's decent."

Light Spinner snorted. "If it's not, her team won't show. Well then. Goodnight."

"Night."

Light Spinner dashed into her house, cheeks flaming from the dance. A dance that left her full and happy after a distressing revelation. But as she exchanged her mittens for her usual silken gloves, and Norwyn gave a knowing smile from the couch, her heart dropped yet again. For her relationship with Nell was still built upon lies.

❂❂❂

Did you know...

- I worried a little about "filler" in the memories. I didn't want it to appear as though I was trying to spread Nell and Alura's story too thin, especially since I originally wrote it as a novella before spreading the chapters throughout Starwalker. I hope it doesn't mess with the pacing too much.

- I really, really wanted an excuse to use the "anime eyes" style from the show.

Tell me what you think...

- How would Nell react to the truth regarding Light Spinner's powers?