◤ ❝I am nothing if not the daughter of death.❞ ― Andromeda Erebus ◢

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN:      LETHE

December 20, 1996

    "Going to hide in bed all day, are we?"

Andromeda's eyebrow raised a bit at the question, but she didn't look up to acknowledge Tracey. Instead, she kept her attention on the book in her lap, flipping absently through the pages when she realized that she had already marked off over a hundred spells in the last two months. Epps' Reparation book was thick, and most of the time she usually kept her library full of resources in the Room, but there was something dangerously disturbing about the place now―well, that wasn't completely honest. It was not the place that held any new level of disturbance. Draco, however, did. Now, it had come to be Mia's time to avoid Draco's questions.

The conversation in Snape's classroom two days ago ended quickly after she discovered the truth about the Dark Lord's plans. Why she was still alive, and how curious he was to see if she would choose the path of compassion or the path of infinite darkness. Snape hadn't tried to stop her quick escape either. He did not ask any more questions, nor did he search for any more answers. Snape had to have seen her freeze, the barbed wire circled around her soul constricting like a snake. She wondered if he saw the way she died in that room. That was, after all, what happened. If she were to keep living in the world, in an existing body, then she would have to sacrifice the very things that kept her alive in the first place. Since that moment, Mia began feeling a pinching in her chest, tightening the expanse of her heart. Hope. It was hope that she lost that day. Nothing had been the same since.

There were only three people, really, that represented any form of hope for her. Draco was undoubtably one of them, even in the face of their circumstances, because she knew that there was still a future left for him. Draco would always be the upset of her lifespan. He deserved more. So much more, and Mia was desperate to give him that. She had always known that he had a future after the War, but all it took was another person to say it aloud for it to become real. Because of this, she made the decision long ago that she would be the one to complete the third mission. Draco could not cope with the kind of burden if he murdered Dumbledore. Mia...Mia had the sickest of feelings that she would barely flinch―and that meant she would trade her soul in exchange for his. He was always the best of them.

Andrew Vaisey was the next sliver of hope that she had to afford giving up. His charismatic smile brought death to her heart because she could see everything that he was changing in her―he was kind, good, all things that she needed to let go of. The kind of person that touched one's soul and made it brighter without even realizing it. A true Hufflepuff heart, loyal to a fault and desperate to lead others. Andrew was her hope in any possible happiness. Loving someone, being in love with someone, and being loved in return. A month ago, he held the part of her that she knew she would have to destroy. Now, it was time. His hope, the brightest of all.

But if there was one person, only one singular person, that she could not bear the thought of losing...it was Theodore. Mia always knew that her cousin would be her downfall in the War. From the very moment he held her as she cried at her father's funeral, she could see the ways she was tethered to him. Far too stitched together, the two of them. Theo represented everything that she was fighting for, but he was just as much everything that terrified her. The only person who could bring her back from the decision she made. If there was one person that could get her to choose the light, to be the same mistake as her father, then it was her cousin―because Mia would do it. If it came to a situation like Alastiare and Sirius, she could never hurt him. She would gladly die, and gladly kill, in the name of compassion if it meant Theodore was safe.

So Mia did the worst thing her heart could think of, and she made the choice to start distancing herself from all three of them. Although none would be easy, Vaisey, she realized, would be the least likely to hurt. He always expected it in the end, didn't he? The real problem would be Draco and Theodore, the only two people in the world who could read her like she was their own personal novel. They could rewrite her missing pages just as quickly as she tried to tear them out.

Because of that very fact, she started to change things. Instead of spending the entire night in the Room with Draco, she started going in the mornings before breakfast when she knew he would be in bed. Rather than researching there, she brought a few books to her dorm to look at while the others went off to lunch. In Defense and Transfiguration, she ended up stealing a seat next to Blaise, forcing Draco and Theodore to sit next to each other with begrudged and confused looks on their faces. Only a day and a half had it been, and they could already tell something was wrong. Vaisey was the easiest to avoid; she just had to stay away from the Great Hall and common room. Thankfully, she had yet to run into him.

"Andromeda," the nagging voice continued, breaking her of her thoughts as she crossed off another spell. "Do you even know what today is or are you stuck inside that demented mind of yours?"

That caught her attention. Mia finally looked up in confusion, her eyes narrowing on Tracey for the first time. The curly-haired girl had her arms crossed at the foot of the bed, in her uniform with the hint of a green color on her right eyebrow from that day's Transfiguration class. They were still going over Crinus Muto―Theo and Mia had both been exempt from the lesson because their previous green-haired circumstances―but after seeing the way that the cousins' hair caught attention, McGonagall decided to stick to eyebrows instead of advancing to harder lessons. The reminder of Theo's frown when he looked her way in class, across the aisle, struck her heart.

"Is today supposed to be something important?" Mia asked, raising her brows expectantly.

"For you, it is," Tracey said, scoffing. "Really, you're lucky that Daphne is fawning after Theo down in the common room because she has been talking about getting you ready for the past week..." when she noticed that Mia's face was still blank, she scowled. "Merlin's beard, Mia. Where is your head recently? Today is the twentieth. Slughorn's Christmas party is tonight. Astoria was down there squalling about how Potter asked out Luny Lovegood today. She heard Peeves shouting it through the halls."

Andromeda's hands had gone still on the book, her fingers gripping tightly onto the edges. In actuality, the party that Slughorn was throwing had been the last thing on her mind. She completely dismissed it from the back of her mind, but now that it was so soon, nausea swept her like a gust of wind and she was moving to throw her legs over the side of the bed in panic.

A sound came from Tracey's throat. "Are you all right? You aren't sick, are you? I can go get Theodore―"

"No," she denied, quickly. "I'll be all right. Just not overly fond of parties."

"Really? I thought all you purebloods loved to party."

Mia turned her head sharply at Tracey. "Most of the parties I attended involved my mother dressing me up like a doll and my father pulling me along to meet followers of the Dark Lord, Tracey. Theo and I used to hide in corners because those people terrified us. He and I are the furthest thing from party-goers."

Tracey's lips pulled into a frown, but she only shrugged. Mia knew better than to expect an apology from her. Being a half-blood in a house predominantly centered around purebloods, Tracey had longsince stopped apologizing for assuming things about them. The others did and said much worse with her.

"You could always just tell Slughorn that you're not feeling well," she offered, changing the subject. "Vaisey would probably understand, as well. I think he has been feeling under the weather, too. Daphne says he and Theo haven't been out practicing the last two days."

Mia blanched, remembering that Andrew was supposed to her date to the party. Then, a deep and surrendering sigh fell from lips. There was no way she was going to get out of tonight, and even if she did, it wouldn't help anyone at the end of the day. She was going to the party because she needed to get close to Slughorn, and the black blook that haunted her nightmares was something that her fingers were itching to grab. The Christmas party was the perfect opportunity to do both. Suffering through the celebration was worth it. It was going with Andrew that worried her, knowing how easily she fell into his hands when she was around him.

"No, I'll go," she decided, standing up after a quick glance the time. It was already five, which gave her three hours to get ready mentally and physically before she had to be at the party.

Tracey waited, rocking on her heels a bit awkwardly. "Er...do you want help getting ready?"

Mia hesitated immediately, her shoulders tensing at the thought of her friends helping her get ready. Daphne and Tracey hadn't been the first on her mind when it came to pushing people away, but she knew she would have to. She needed to push everyone away, really. It would allow her the opportunity to get her mission done, but even more, if something did happen―if she was killed in this War―then perhaps it would be better if all of her friends hated her when they had to let go.

"No, thank you."

"Okay," Tracey nodded, pursing her lips. "Well, I know Blaise is taking that sixth-year...uh, Sylvia Groes tonight, and Pansy is off somewhere with Draco, I think. Millicent is in detention with McGonagall for trying to burn off Longbottom's eyebrow in class, so you should have the room to yourself."

Mia nodded, standing up and moving around Tracey to get to the chest at the end of her bed. She knew if she just went along with her business, the girl would eventually back off and go down to the common room. Just as she opened the chest, she heard the small clicking of their door close and the familiar silence of their dorm rested in her ears. Her hands filed through all of the different robes, trying to ignore the notice that every single one of them had thick, long sleeves. The material needed to be if it was going to hide the bold, burning Mark on her arm. The reminder made her hand go unconsciously to rub at it, unaware that she did that so often.

When she finally found what she was looking for, another long sigh caught in her throat. The dress robes were just as beautiful as they were in August, but the memory of that day felt like a century away. It was the crimson red, lace robes that she picked out with Narcissa after the confrontation with Potter. A thick belt separated the lace with the bottom half of the fabric, and Mia's fingers rubbed over it for a moment. The lump in her throat grew, and she tried to push back the words she said to Potter that day. She remembered them like they were permanently stuck to her tongue.

Expect no mercy from me. If only she had known at the time that it was mercy that would be her downfall now, and that Harry Potter was minuscule in importance when the entire world was fighting against each other to swallow her whole. If Potter was the one to get his hands on her, then she supposed it would be a better end to fall at an enemy's hand than the likes of the Dark Lord or the Order.

Mia was quick to set everything out and finish getting ready as quickly as possible in the small bathroom that the girls' shared. The door clung to its lock with a spell, just in case. With her Dark Mark exposed, chances were not something she could take anymore. She managed to cover up the dark shadows looming underneath her eyes with makeup that Daphne got her for her sixteenth birthday, and the tangled frizziness of her hair was contained into the sophisticated curls her mother always spelled for her.

Then, she stopped. Her hands lingered near her face as she stared at herself in the mirror, a reflection of a girl that she didn't even recognize. She could disguise the messiness of her hair and the self-deprivation under her eyes. What she could not hide, however, was the deadness that lay like a disease in her irises. Her brown eyes, Celicia's, had turned an uncomfortably gone shade. They looked black, dead. They held the same degree of disconnect that her mother's had her entire childhood, and that thought turned her body cold immediately.

Her eyes were not the only thing that Mia realized had changed in the last few months, and she cursed herself for not noticing sooner. Of course, now it made sense why Theodore was so heavy with his concern. The others, as well. She never properly looked in a mirror until now. Her skin was uncomfortably pale, almost translucent as she moved in the reflection. The weight that used to fill in her body was gone. Ribs threatened to poke out, and she could tell that skipping meals was impacting her appearance more than she imagined. Nausea crept upon her once again, fighting the urge to rip apart her own skin. Nothing about what she saw was beautiful.

An struggled gasp escaped her lips, the air getting caught in her lungs as she resisted the urge to sob. If there was one thing on her body that she hated most―even more than the malnourishment and the dark bags under her eyes―it was her arm. Always her arm. The left side of her body looked worse than her right. Her shoulder sagged down further, almost like the Mark carried a weight that burdened her whole body. The skull looked unusually large that day, the snake somehow slithering between the expanses of her veins like it truly was a part of her. Desperately, she wanted to cut it from her skin.

"Hey, Mia?"

The rattle of the door and the sound of a voice made Mia jump, going so high that she crashed into the side of the sink. Half of the products she was using fell to the ground, and she was not quick enough to think of any spell that could stop it. Her heartbeat thumped in her ears, a dryness coating her throat. But it was only Daphne. Slowly, she allowed her heart to calm down and pressed her right hand to her chest.

Mia breathed out a few more times before she replied. "Yes, Daphne?"

"It's nearly half past seven. Tracey told me to leave you be, but I just wanted to make sure that you were all right," Daphne called gently. "Vaisey is downstairs waiting for you whenever you are ready."

The time burned away at her skin in panic. There was not a clock in the bathroom, and some part of her was secretly hoping she would accidentally run past eight o'clock and say she couldn't go to the party. She was never that lucky, and she took a quick glance back at herself in the mirror before turning her back to herself.

"Everything is fine," she said, wanting to flinch at the way her voice sounded. "I only need to put on my robes, and then I'll be out."

Daphne must have perked up on the other side because she let out a sound. "Oh! Do you need help? Which one did you decide to wear? You have so many, and they are all so gorgeous―"

"A new one I got over the summer."

On instinct, she glanced over at the red robes and frowned a bit. Deciding that the longer she procrastinated against it the more she would hate herself, she was quick to walk over to where they lay and start fastening all of the material to her body. They did not cling tightly to her like they had in the summer, and the belt had to be tightened twice more than before. Still, she did not feel a hatred for it like she was expecting to. The dress was still beautiful, and with a glance down at her left arm, she breathed out in relief to see that her Mark was completely hidden. All would be well...until she had to meet Andrew.

After double and triple checking her arm, she finally lifted the spell that she put on the door. Then, she walked out with a few staggered steps.

"Oh, Mia! You look beautiful!" Daphne gushed immediately, clasping her hands in front of her. "I never thought red would suit you so well, but it does. Especially with your eyes!"

The burning self-hatred returned, and she frowned a bit as she resisted the urge to turn around to look in the mirror. "Thank you."

"Come on! Just wait until you see Vaisey!" she grinned, quickly grabbing hold of Mia's wrist to tug her along. "His tie needs to be fixed to match the color of yours, but I bet you or Theo will have no problem with that. Get this, Blaise is taking Sylvia! They've already left―her robes are this very pretty blue, kind of like the sea, and Blaise actually looked happy for once. Can you believe it? Oh, oh! You missed it, too. Tracey almost ripped off Pansy's head. Apparently, Draco upset her because she must have wanted to come up here to rest, but Tracey mentioned that you were getting ready and―"

Mia blocked out everything else that Daphne said on their way down to the common room, her ears ringing with a piercing sound as she readied herself for tonight. There were two things that she had to do. Two objectives. The first and most important was to grab the book from Slughorn's office. The sneaking suspicion that the diary of sorts was important grew every day. The second objective―the objective that made her chest tighten like a clenched fist―was to push Andrew away. And she wasn't entirely sure which thought was more terrifying to her.

"―of course, I love seeing her happy with him again, but Draco doesn't seem very happy recently, you know? Blaise thinks it is just because of his father since the two of them were so close..."

Daphne's rambling caught Mia's attention as they turned around the corner. Her head shot over to look at her friend in surprise, frowning. "Draco and Lucius were never close, Daphne."

"Wha―"

Daphne's question and confused stare got cut off before she could finish it, Mia moving through the door to the common room. Her anxiety spiked, but it leveled when she noticed that there were only a few people in the common room. Her friends were sitting in the center, closest to the fireplace. Well, really it was only Tracey sitting with a glower on her face. Parkinson already decided she had enough of the comradery, sending a scowl Tracey and Mia's way before pushing past her to go back to their dorms. Theodore and Andrew were standing off to the side, talking underneath their breaths. Neither one of them looked particularly happy, her cousin crossing his arms over his chest in a tense stance. That caught Mia's attention almost immediately, frowning.

She tilted her head in Daphne's direction, curious. "What's wrong with them?"

"I'm not sure," she said, her lips pursing into a straight line. Mia could see the concern in her eyes. "Theo has been acting odd the last few days...although you have, as well."

That conversation ended quickly too when Theodore's eyes caught with hers across the room. They softened, losing the coolness from before as he let his hands fall at his side. Mia wanted to rush over to her cousin's side right then, the instinct washing over her like a shower. She missed him. Desperately. It had only been two days, and the separation from her cousin was already unbreathable. His reaction caught the attention of Andrew, who turned on his heel to look behind him. 

For a moment, she forgot what she was even meant to be doing, but the dress robes that Vaisey wore reminded her. His were a deep-set black, the only indication of color a green tie that was wrapped securely around the expanse of his neck. His dark hair was slick, styled in a way different than its usual messiness. Green eyes pierced into her soul like a sword to her gut. Vaisey lit up just like her cousin, a grin stretching on his face that tore Mia to pieces. 

He quickly walked over, Theodore walking a careful few paces behind him. "My, my Mia! Well, honestly, I questioned if you would still want to dress up for this, but I am not disappointed with the final appearance."

"Hello, Andrew," she said, kindly but the smile did not reach her face as well as her words did. She did not make the mistake of glancing at Theo. "You look nice yourself. Although I'm not sure if we decided to coordinate with colors of Christmas or if it was merely a coincidence."

He shrugged, flashing his bright teeth. "Ah, I don't believe in coincidences. Festive at heart, you see?"

"I do," she quipped, halfheartedly.

Mia forgot that the boys in front of her were no strangers to her peculiar moods. Although there was clear tension between the two Quidditch players, Theo and Andrew glanced at each other. The urge to curse littered her mind, wanting nothing more than to dig a hole for herself and fall deep into it. Daphne was the only one oblivious to how odd she was acting. Mia would have scolded herself for the blatant obviousness in front of two of her three problems, but did it matter anymore? No, she supposed it didn't. Not when the alternative was much worse. Suppose she did end up keeping them close, and they were caught in the crossfire of things. That was a guilt that she would never be able to forgive herself for. 

"Mia, can we speak a moment?" Theo's voice intruded quickly, raising slightly in haste. 

She tensed, her bones going brittle. "Andrew and I really do need to be leaving, Theo—"

"It will only take a moment," he said, suddenly much colder. That made her look up at him in surprise, hurt spreading through her. His blue eyes were no kinder to her heart than the green ones of Andrew. "I won't keep you long." 

If she planned on protesting, the opportunity did not come for her because Theo was gently grabbing a hold of her left arm before she had the opportunity to make up another excuse. She glanced helplessly at Vaisey, but he was pursing his lips as he watched Theodore take her up the small stairs and through the door out of the common room. Mia could feel the sweat breaking at the back of her neck, fingers digging into the side of her dress. When they finally stopped, in the same small corridor off to the side that their last conversation was, the air felt colder. 

He turned to look down at her, finally doing a once-over. He sighed. "You look beautiful, Mia. I'm sure Aunt Cece would have loved to see you." 

"Theo, I really need to be going—" she tried again. 

"Andromeda," he finally snapped, his eyes fixated on hers with a steel grip. "Stop it. Have I done something to upset you in the last two days? Because this is the first moment since Tuesday that you have looked me in the eyes. I planned on speaking to you under better circumstances, but since you are hell-bent on avoiding me, this will have to do." 

Mia's jaw tightened. "You haven't done anything wrong, Theodore." 

"Then what is it, Mia? Because all I see is you pushing aside three people that notice every little behavior that you do. You think Vaisey and I have been arguing about anything other than you in the last two days? Bloody hell, I even tried to talk to Malfoy about you, and he seemed as confused by your sudden change of heart with us. I've given you two days, Mia...but no more. Why are you trying to take the people that care about your wellbeing from yourself?" 

The nausea returned for the third time that night, this time escorted by a tightness in her chest that was oddly similar to suffocating. Really, had she been so daft as to believe any of them would give in so easily to her sudden change? She was smarter than that. She played herself a fool by avoiding them the last two days, and her subconsciousness knew just as well. The criticism and the revelation that Theo, Andrew, and Draco could see so easily through her was not followed by any positivity. Instead, the nausea grew. 

"It has nothing to do with you," Mia finally decided, eyes stinging with unshed tears as she frowned at her cousin. "You promised me, all those months ago, that you would stop asking questions...that you would trust me. I need you to trust that this is the only decision I can make at the moment that ensures things will be okay."

 "And you promised me you would stay safe."  

"That is what I am trying to do."

"So that's it?" Theo's face twisted, no longer unkind but hurt. "We are putting you in danger?"

For once, she did not hesitate. "Yes." 

Because you distract me, she thought. Because you are the light.

"Andromeda—" 

"That day," she began, beginning to shift on her feet as she resisted the urge to cry. "That day at Father's funeral this past summer, you told me something that matters now more than ever. I need you to think about it, and remember it, and try to forgive me in spite of everything, Theodore." 

Mia had finally relinquished the very last ounce of what was left of her in those few sentences. The confusion in his eyes showed that he could not remember his words, his brows furrowing and causing a crease in his forehead. She remembered, though, just as she remembered everything from that day. Theodore was the one who set her in motion. Let them think you are cold, he said. Let them think you have no love. Give them loyalty if that is what they want, he urged as she cried. Give them loyalty, she had—but she had also just given Theo the answer to the very thing that he was searching for this entire time. It would only take a small memory for him to realize what she meant.

"Andromeda, it's nearly eight—" another voice interrupted, and Mia stepped away quickly from her cousin to breathe in fresh air. The tears dried immediately, and she turned to Andrew to give him a small smile. "I know you wouldn't mind being late, but I thought it may be best to head off...is everything all right here?"

Vaisey glanced between the two of them, frowning.  

How many times was that going to be asked today? she wondered.

"Everything is fine," Theo answered, his words a daze as he started to reel in the last five months. He blinked, turning to Mia with pursed lips before he nodded. "Enjoy the party, the two of you." 

Before anyone had the opportunity to speak again, the small shudder of the door to their House made their heads turn. Andromeda wanted to die right then. Draco walked up the short steps to the main floor, tossing a green apple in his right hand as he went. Her face flushed in irritation, knowing that the chances of having all three men in the same place at the same time was incredibly unfortunate on her part. Only when he caught the fruit successfully for the third time did he glance up, seemingly unaffected by whatever argument he supposedly had with Parkinson earlier. 

And he stopped in his place. His eyes met with hers, narrowing slightly before they flickered down to see what she was wearing. There was no look of scrutiny, merely recognition. Obviously, he realized that it was the same dress that she picked out that day in August when everything started. Before she could even discern the expression written on his face, he was glancing in between the two other boys on either side of her in the hallway. Whatever softness garnered in his gaze with Mia was long gone, replaced with a scowl when he met looks with Vaisey. 

"I hadn't been informed the party would be happening outside our House," Draco said, cooly. He slowly walked forward, his grip tightening on the apple until they were in a small huddle. "But then again, I suppose I wouldn't have received an invitation in the first place." 

Mia fought the urge to slip away as the three tall Slytherins looked at each other. She knew that this was the universe's way of finding some sick comedy from her life, a bitterness starting to rise in her chest as she all but glared at the ceiling. Maybe it was her father, rolling around in his grave as he sent the three boys to remind her to 'keep her compassion.' But would he really rather see her dead—see these three boys grieve—than just allow her to fall into the darkness she was so easily tempted by? Did he truly want her to make the same mistake he had?

Vaisey's stood up straighter. "Malfoy." 

A scurry of sounds made all four of them turn, Mia unconsciously tensing with her hand going to the wand hidden in her belt. Even though she favored without it, sometimes it was always better to have the reinforcement. However, none was needed because a sea of first-years, all giggling and grinning as they shoved each other ran by. Something was in their hands, though, that they were unable to see from the dim light of the Black Lake. One of the kids, Mia recognized, was Natalie Elias. The girl from the Sorting day. Mia was surprised to see that she was incredibly happy, a grin on her face that reminded Mia of herself when she was younger. The similarities between Natalie and Andromeda far too eerie for the older of the two.

Before any of them knew what was happening, one of them—Chace Fowler—attempted to shove something directly in between her and the others. To her horror, the small green plant barely made it halfway to her chin and the chests of the boys. Mistletoe.

"Gotta kiss someone, Andromeda!" he cheered. "We got Bulstrode to kiss Goyle earlier! He puked right after, it was hilarious!"

Natalie, further behind, twisted her face. "Guys! He's her cousin!" 

"The other two aren't!" Chace protested. 

Even though looking at them was the last thing she wanted to do, she did finally glance up to see that Andrew's eyes were staring intently at the mistletoe like it was a piece of insignificant ribbon. Theodore was constantly shifting his eyes from it to Vaisey, no doubt wondering what he was planning on doing about the predicament. Draco, however, was looking directly at her from his position across the small group of them. His grey was the most unkind of all. If possible, there was a darker scowl in his eyes as he shifted his attention then to the apple in his hand. 

Mia sighed deeply, and she went with the best option she had. Grabbing a hold of her cousin's wrist to tug him down, she placed a kiss on his cheek without much thought. The protests from the younger years was heard, some "boo'ing" loudly and others whining before there was a shuffling of feet. Like that, they were off again. The urge to roll her eyes was just too strong, and she did so as she released Theo. Maybe the familial affection wasn't the best time for the two, but Merlin forbid she was going to put her lips anywhere near Draco, and Andrew looked far too confused to be kissed.

Draco was the first one to clear his throat. "I'll be off then." 

He left quickly, causing a gust of wind as he passed. Mia fought the urge to turn her head, wanting to make sure that he was all right, and turned to look at Vaisey instead. "Now that we are without a doubt late, are you ready?"

Vaisey nodded, the distance still in his eyes as he finally stepped out of his frozen position. He moved closer, holding his arm out for her to loop hers around. He acted unnaturally odd, unlike himself, but Mia had to stick with the belief that it was just the discomfort of the mistletoe. Before they could start walking, another hand grabbed her left arm. The instinct to tug it away almost got a hold of her, but she turned her head to look at Theodore. But he didn't say anything. Instead, he just gently squeezed her arm and left without another word between them. 

Mia did not realize until she was halfway to Slughorn's office that it just so happened to be the exact place where her Dark Mark started—she recognized even later that this was not the first time Theodore had deliberately held her left arm.

No, because Andromeda had known the same reality that he did. At the end of the day, Theodore had known all along. Now, he was just left to accept nothing else but his worst nightmare.

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(Briefly edited)

Author's Note:

So this is currently standing in my Top 3 favorite chapters because I was finally able to get Mia to see herself. The subtle hints about the problems she is beginning to face is regards to her physical and mental health are brought up a lot in this. I would just like to mention that Andromeda is suffering from mental disorders. Not only is she beginning to develop signs of severe depression, but also anxiety and  body dysmorphia. These mental disorders will never be mentioned directly in the book, but I would like for them to be known as it is indirectly spoken of in this chapter. They will be mentioned again as growing consequences of Mia's trauma in this War.    

Do you think that Mia is making the right decision in choosing to distance herself? What do you think was up with Vaisey at the end of the chapter?

LETHE: SPIRIT OF FORGETFULNESS AND OBLIVION