Page 84 of The Amber Sunburst

“I was just thinking that it’s too bad that Xia isn’t here,” she says.

“And why is that?”

“Well, she usually takes me to play on the beach between classes. And look how pretty the sun is!”

Ophelia feels her brows fly upwards.

“What do you mean she takes you to the beach?”

“What, you think I just stay in here all day?” Arete says, laughing. “There’s a door to the ocean in the bottom floor hallway.”

That doesn’t sound right… But Ophelia supposes she’s never here during the daytime.

Just, Eudoxia is usually so protective.

But then again, how else would she know about the door downstairs unless she uses it?

“I guess it is too bad she’s not here,” Ophelia says. She hasn’t been to the beach in ages.

“But I was thinking,” Arete offers, “that you could just take me.”

Her whole air has changed, too sweet. Ophelia shakes her head. “Arete, you know we can’t do anything too risky without your sister here.”

“Xia lets Zeno take me too. She says I’m never allowed to go without an adult, which I wouldn’t. But you’re here and she trusts you as much as she trusts Zeno, right?”

“I know, and I believe you, honey. But we should ask her tonight and then maybe I can slip out of rituals tomorrow too and we can go play.”

Arete’s puppy eyes fill up with tears that don’t quite fall.

Oh, Forms, that is her greatest weakness.

If Eudoxia lets Zeno take her, Ophelia’s confident she’d let her take Arete too. They’ll just have to be extra careful.

Ophelia holds back a grimace at how easy she is to sway. “Fine, fine. Go get some clothes you don’t mind getting sandy.”

Arete’s face breaks into a grin, and she bounds straight to the closet, emerging in a ratty outfit.

She drags Ophelia downstairs, running with reckless abandon. Thank the Forms all of the Auxiliaries are in classes because they’re being very conspicuous.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Arete cries. When they reach the bottom floor, she sprints to the door at the end of the hallway. Ophelia reaches to open it, and Arete whoops in excitement. These field trips must not be a regular occurrence because she is way too jumpy.

Or, a little voice whispers in Ophelia’s head, she’s using you.

But Arete would never. She might be clever, but she’s not conniving.

The door leads right out to a small sand cove, perfect blue-green waves lapping at the shore. It reminds her of beach picnics with her girls.

She can’t help but whoop right back to Arete and stumble into the water, perfectly warm and clear.

“This is the best day ever,” Arete laughs.

Ophelia giggles as she falls back into the surf like she always did with Dora and Aika. “Best day ever!”

For the first time, she thinks of them with fondness instead of with grief.

They loved the sea, her girls.

It takes everything Ophelia has to not be swayed by Arete’s puppy eyes for the second time today. But they have to leave the beach before dinner ends, or else Eudoxia will come back to an empty room and lose her mind. The last thing Ophelia wants is to break her trust.