Burn, Pine, Perish

Haightford College was a two-hour train ride from the city of Cerilleum. Elettra could see all the fine coats and new boots of the other train passengers: Haightford’s finest.

But while she was observing what everyone was wearing, Elettra was squished between her aunt Nerissa, her sister Portia, and her mother. Elettra always believed her mother was too good to see her daughters off-- at a train station of all places. Lady Valeria Tariel was wrapped in dark furs that were secured with a brooch: it was the Tariel emblem-- a gleaming black swan made of black pearl with a coral head. It was big enough to be noticeable. If it had been any bigger, it would have been a mortifying display.

When Elettra turned back to the crowd, a number of eyes had found their way to her. She nervously tucked dark, aberrant strands of hair behind her ear as she lowered her eyes.

“Stand straight,” she heard her mother whisper in her ear. “You’re old enough to take it.”

Elettra inhaled deeply and looked straight.

“Take what? The judgement?”

“The envy,” she could hear words from between her teeth.

Elettra had learned to look between the gaps of people’s heads whenever she entered a room: it was unbearable to make eye-contact with someone only to see their disappointment that the Tariels were real. Or worse: they were as magnificent and frightening as everyone had heard. And even though Elettra wanted to choke on the idea of “envy” she managed to straighten her mouth into a line.

She glanced at Portia, her younger and fairer sister. Even though Elettra was older, the heiress, the chosen one to carry the Tariel name, everyone knew that Portia was everything that the family name entailed-- poised, talented, beautiful, clever. Elettra felt like a larger, much duller shadow of her sister. In the bright morning light, Portia stared out into the crowd with lethal confidence.

Both sisters were arranged along the platform to have the best vantage point.

Valeria Tariel took Elettra’s chin between her fingers and looked her in the eye:

“Be truthful.”

Elettra’s eyebrows shot up.

“It’s like you don’t want to go,” her hand dropped from Elettra’s chin. “It’s like every little thing is the bane of your existence.”

“Maybe because it is...” Elettra had to turn her cheek completely away from her mother to look away.

But Valeria Tariel wasn’t easily daunted.

“You’re not a teenager anymore--”

“-- it’s not a teenager thing!” Portia leaned over to interject.

“Shut up!” Elettra’s eyes grew wide.

“It’s Laurtaro.” Portia persisted looking Valeria dead in the eye.

“He’s your favorite cousin!” Valeria turned back to her older daughter.

Elettra shook her head: “It’s not that--”

"--everyone knows." Portia tried not to crack a smile.

"You're such a piece of shi--"

But Valeria yanked on Elettra's arm: "About the marriage?"

Elettra finally buried her face in her hand.

"Shouldn't everyone know?" Valeria bent her knees a little to look at her daughter.

"It's embarrassing!"

"It's going to happen, Elettra!"

"I'm not saying it won't!" Elettra folded her arms and tried to twist away. "It's just..."

But her arms fell. It was a conversation they had dozens of times.

"She feels like a pariah at school," Portia rocked on her heels.

Elettra lunged toward her to smack her over the head, but Valeria caught her daughter's shoulders. Then she breathed, "It's tradition."

"Like I don't know?" Elettra tried to not wave her arms about.

"I know it's difficult--"

Elettra wanted to scream that it was outdated, but she had done that before and more than once. And she wasn't ready to see what would happen if she did it again.

"This isn't a prison-sentence."

"And yet..." Elettra sang under her breath.

Valeria dropped her hands. "At least Taro is your favorite cousin!"

Elettra scoffed and turned away. She started walking along the platform, and Valeria knew better than to demand that her daughter stay in her place. But no sooner had Elettra left her mother and sister, than she realized that it was a mistake to walk alone: she didn't have to be betrothed to her cousin for most people to give her a wide berth. Her name was enough to do that.

And everyone was drinking in the real-life Tariel up close as she moved through the crowd.

It was a sharp bark of laughter just ahead of her that made Elettra look up.

She spotted Taro Tariel-- her favorite cousin. And her betrothed. He was wearing a strange blue coat that matched the other five boys he was standing with; she could see that they were Starlings-- the ones that lived in Starling House next to the college. But before Elettra could retreat Taro's sharp, dark eyes had spotted her.

"'Lettra!"

The other boys slowly glanced over their shoulders as Taro broke from the crowd. He jogged up to her, and Elettra hoped that he wouldn't hug her-- hoped that he wouldn't make it a bigger spectacle.

But he did, and he scooped Elettra up in his arms. She was groaning into his shoulder until he put her down, which only delighted Taro more.

"Betrothed!" His eyes were filled with laughter.

Elettra rolled her eyes and pushed him gently away. "You know I hate that."

"Of course, my love!"

Elettra glowered at him, but this only made Taro's charming, mischevious smile widen.

Then Elettra nodded toward the Starlings: "Who's the new one?"

Elettra had counted the five that she knew lived in the House, but there was a sixth wearing a coat that was shade darker. It looked like an old coat, but from what she could see she didn't immediately recognize the sixth member.

"That's Lock Amory. Well... Castorlock Amory is his full name," Taro glanced over his shoulder at the boy.

"Castor-what?"

"Family name, apparently, poor man" Taro turned back to her, "he's finishing up the term with us."

Taro buried his hands in his coat pocket to look for cigarettes as Elettra continued to watch Lock over Taro's shoulder. He had a cold, blonde face that was at once clever and playful. He was broad-shouldered and confident, but seemed relaxed as he held court. It was hard to imagine that Taro wouldn't be the center of attention amongst any group of boys, but he glanced back at Lock and smiled.

"Crush?" Elettra poked Taro's arm and smiled.

Taro just shook his head: "Castorlock Amory doesn't sway in my direction, unfortunately."

No one in the Tariel family seemed to care that Taro liked boys or that Elettra would rather do anything than be married, but despite how much they hated their fate, Elettra and Taro seemed closer because of it. It was an unspoken agreement between that there were worse fates.

"You really need to put yourself out there this term," Taro said in one breath.

Elettra's face dropped: "We're graduating soon!"

"That doesn't mean you have to shut yourself away!"

Elettra opened her mouth to say more, but Taro raised his hand to her and persisted, "I can't be your only friend, and Portia is insufferable. You can't hang off us forever."

"I'm not going to be in college forever."

"Me either! Which is why I joined Starling," Taro proudly ran his thumb under his coat lapel.

"What do you propose?" Elettra cocked her head to the side.

"At least get to know the other Starling girls."

"The Starlings' girlfriends?!" Elettra gagged in indignation.

"This is for your own good!"

"No matter how pretty I look on your arm, Taro, everyone knows that you like boys!"

"I knowwww!" Taro sang back at her, "I'm not thinking of myself-- shocking I know! I'm thinking for your own good."

Elettra narrowed her eyes at him.

"Cross my heart." Taro made an X over his chest.

"That's not where your heart is," and with that Elettra turned on her heels back to her mother.