"Do you want to?"

The sentence rings in the air for a moment, leaving Sol speechless at his sudden act of courage - even if it is molecular.

She blinks for a second and opens her mouth to speak before fully responding, "Sure." She watches him now, studying his reaction.

He smiles at her warmly as he keeps his gaze set on her. "How about dinner then? I don't know of many places around here... but I can find something." He suggests.

Sol's curious smile soon fades, "I, Uhm... I'm sorry, I can't. My sister's coming to town today. I'm having dinner with her and my father tonight." She gives a half-hearted smile. "Maybe another time."

He returns the half-hearted smile, "That's alright." He sits up straight once more. "Your sister... the elite?"

She nods, placing her clasped hands in her lap. "Mmhm. Her name's Blue."

"Blue?"

"After Neptune."

"Like the planet?"

"What else?"

"Hmm." Miguel made a dumbfounded face, mentally facepalming at the fact it was so obvious. "What's your sister like?" He finally asks. He already partially knows her answer, at least from what Diego told him. But he figured that hearing her side of the story would be best, and, of course, he couldn't tell her what he already knew about her sister.

Sol blinked, "Blue? Oh. Uhm..." She pauses as if she's trying to piece it together herself. "She's... determined." She took in a breath while nodding, "She's um... yea. Determined." She then clears her throat and makes it a point to change the subject. "Do you have any siblings?"

He looks up as if he didn't expect a question from her. "No. Just me and my parents."

"Do you like it that way?" She asks, now finishing her coffee.

"It's peaceful, but sometimes I wish I had someone to grow up alongside with. Not just a friend, yanno?" He gestures around with his hands, soon finishing his coffee as well.

The two exchange a glance as if asking one another if they are ready to leave since they've finished. They exchange a small nod. The two stand in unison and clean up their table together, stacking their empty cups and wiping away the small coffee ring stains with spare napkins before walking towards the exit side by side.

He holds the door open for her as they leave, she quietly thanks him in return and he follows after her. A small tradition of theirs now.

As they walk alongside one another, Sol looks straight ahead. He decides to speak up first. "So, what's your Friday's usually look like?"

Sol looks up at him, "Usually I tutor Kira for a couple of hours, but today's session was a bit short." She shrugs before tilting her head. "Do you mind me asking you something? It's more personal."

"Sure." He responds without thinking too much about it.

"Are you single?"

He blinks widely, his face growing hot. The feeling in his chest from before coming back for just a moment. "I- what?"

Sol blinked, not quite understanding his response, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

He quickly shakes her head, "No! No. It's just... sorry. It caught me off guard." He clears his throat, "But, yes, I'm single." He studies her face now, "Why do you ask?" He asks, his curiosity now piqued.

Sol shrugged, "Kira, she was curious."

He furrows his brows together, "Kira?"

She nods, "Yeah, the girl I was tutoring today? She was in the library when you asked me for coffee."

"Oh." He slowly nodded at the information, he tried his best to picture what Kira had looked like but had no luck putting a face to her name.

There was a pause of awkward silence before Miguel began to stumble over his words, realizing it was proper to return the question. "Are.. are you single?"

Sol met his gaze once more and nodded, "Yea, same here-" She cut herself off as their hands brushed against each other as they walked alongside one another still. "Oh- Sorry." She said in a rushed tone before clasping her hands in front of her.

Miguel blinked and glanced down at their hands that brushed against one another, "That's alright." He gave a small and kind smile. The two continued to walk until they stood in front of the dorms.

"Sorry to cut this short, but I should start getting ready for dinner tonight." She gives a small smile, "But, thank you. For today, for coffee." She kept her words polite.

Miguel smiles at her and shoves his hands in his pockets, "Of course, anytime." He gives a kind smile, "Um... next time I see you, maybe after tutoring you can tell me about how the dinner went?"

Sol gives a small smile, a half-hearted one. "Sure." She gave a small wave as she began to turn to walk towards the dorms. "I'll see you later, Miguel."

Miguel returns the small wave and watches as she begins to walk towards the dorms, "Bye, Sol." He says his farewells just under his breath as he watches her leave.

As she walks to the door entrance, he notices how the only patch of sun on the cloudy day follows her. In the middle of fall and on this cloudy day, it seemed just as if she was the only object that caught the sun's attention. Once she finally stepped foot into the establishment, the patch of sun that peeked out was covered by the gloomy clouds. Seconds later, it began to rain.

-

Proper, perfect, picturesque. All things that were required Sol to be for her dinner with her family. She had mixed emotions about her older sister, Blue. Blue was 5 years older than Sol. Blue had never cared for her younger sister. Seeing that Sol was what 'took' her mother away from her, she could never forgive her for that.

Once Sol was born, their father, Grey, slipped into a deep depression from losing his wife of 14 years. Though, he was conflicted with the joy of his new daughter. He made an effort to be there as a father for his newborn daughter, but the more he spent time with Sol, the more she resembled her mother as a child. He couldn't stand to see her.

He sought help from his good friends, Jon and Odette Sage. At the time, they had a one-year-old son, named Diego. Grey realized that taking care of his depression, Blue, and Sol was just too much for him to handle. Sol was raised by Jon and Odette until she was 6.

After turning 6, her father decided it was best for him to begin raising her, the best he could now. Blue always knew of Sol, even if they didn't live together until later on. Blue knew her as the "mistake". She knew Sol as the enemy, she was what took her mother away. This is what she learned to understand through her father's midnight drunken words and learned it to be the truth.

Once Sol moved back in, Blue didn't give her a chance, not once, to be friendly or kind to her. It was like she was born with this type of tragedy, to be neglected.

Every time that Sol saw Blue, she took it as a new opportunity to get close to her sister. Each time, she'd hope for a hug - at the least. Though, she was growing tired now. Her hope hanging on by just a thread, she was slowly coming to terms with the fact that her sister didn't like her. She knew this much, she was a smart girl after all.

Perfect, picturesque, proper. That's what Sol was tonight. Dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a black square neck top. Her hair fell in place perfectly, her gold jewelry had the perfect accents on her, and her makeup was just enough to make her look awake. Picturesque, proper, perfect.

Sol grabbed her bag and an umbrella as she left her dorm. Walking down the corridor by her lonesome, she glanced at a group of girls who were laughing and gossiping amongst themselves. She felt a wave of envy wash over her, she wished she had a group of friends like that. Or at least a friendship like hers and West's, though West lived entirely too far. She let out a small sigh as she continued to make her way to her father's house.

Grey Lee lived in the city of Pembrook. He resided in the same house he bought at 19 with his late wife, Hazel. To everyone who met her, Hazel was an angel. She was kind, sweet, and gentle. She always wanted to be a mother, no matter what it took. The two grew up alongside one another and got together at 13, had Blue at 16, and moved into their house in Pembrook at 19 with her husband.

At the entrance of her father's home, there was an altar for Hazel and Salali, side by side. It was expected for anyone who entered to touch the small sun emblem at the front of the altar, to honor their mother and Salali. Sol had to take a deep breath before doing this each time, and each time she did, she felt a surge of guilt run through her. She was the reason that altar was there after all, even if it may not have been her fault.

She takes in a deep breath and sets down her coat and umbrella. She began to walk down the hall and to the dining room area. "Dad?" She called out, looking around for him.

"He'll be back."

The voice made the hairs on her neck raise, she turned to face the direction of the voice. "Oh. Hi Blue." She gave a small but polite smile. "You're early." She says in a matter-of-fact tone.

"It's good to be on time, Sol." Her sister gave her a judgemental look up and down. "You should take my advice."

Sol raised a brow and set down her bag on a nearby table, "I am on time." She gestured towards the clock on the wall.

Blue kept her judgemental gaze set on her, "Ah, ah, ah, on time is late. Everyone knows that."

Sol rolls her eyes and looks up to see her father walking in, she gives a small smile and opens her mouth to speak. "Hi, dad."

Grey looks up and smiles at his daughter, he walks over and gives her a brief hug before kissing her temple. "Hi honey, how was the train ride?"

Sol opened her mouth to speak but was soon interrupted by Blue, "You're still taking the train around, Sol?"

Sol blinked as she and her father let go of the embrace, she turned to look at Blue. "I- Yea. It's how almost everyone gets around here."

Blue squinted her eyes at her, "Dad mentioned how you're so much above your class, shouldn't you be teleporting places by now? Flying even? Why don't you fly?" She asked in a pointed tone.

Sol frowned, "I can teleport and fly." She shrugged slightly, "I just don't feel the need to. Plus, it's part of Pembrook's sorcerer history to take the train."

Blue couldn't help but laugh now, "That old thing? Sol, c'mon. Do you know what family you're in? You should start living up to the name and fly around on your zips. Show the other kids what you're made of."

Zips were a magical item. A small pin that would be inserted into the bottom soul of one's shoes. Only the more powerful sorcerers had the ability to perfectly manipulate the magic to make them work. The spellwork done on 'zips' would manipulate them to make the user levitate or fly, a wand is not needed for this type of magic.

Sol sighed and shook her head, now brushing off her sister's comment. She turned to their father, "Do you need help with anything?" She asked him.

Grey took a minute to respond, as he always did when it came to Sol. It was as if he heard her, but forgot to verbally respond. He blinked and looked up at her, "No honey, just take a seat. It's just finished."

The two girls stood and walked over to the dinner table, quietly taking their seats across from one another. Their father then came and set down both of their plates before sitting at the head of the table.

"Thank you, Dad." The two girls said in unison before exchanging glances. There was a moment of silence amongst the three as they began picking at their food. Blue decided to speak up.

"Sol. Dad was telling me you're on track to receive a mentorship from Mrs. Sonne." She glances up at Sol while picking at her food. Receiving a mentorship was usually for students who were on track to become an Elite, though this isn't what Sol wanted to do, she still took the opportunity to learn more about the Sun Kingdom.

Sol looks up at the mention of her name, she sits up more straight in her chair. She seems to have brightened up at the fact that her sister is interested in her life for once. "Oh, yes. She wants me to train to be an elite." She gives a small nod.

Blue keeps her straight posture, her sharp eyes remain on Sol's for a moment. "So, what awards have you received?"

Sol feels herself smile slightly. Maybe this is what she's been waiting for, her sister finally showing some interest in her life. Even if it was about her academic endeavors, like usual. "Well this semester just started but I received a badge for merit-"

She cut her off while she still picked at her food, "You know Sol... you should just stop trying so hard. Like... in life."

Sol frowns and stares now, the comment catching her off guard. "I... What do you mean?"

"I mean, everyone knows you're just trying to cover the fact you're a murderer." She raised her brows as she spoke pointedly, continuously picking at her food.

"Blue."  Their father said in a tone of warning.

Sol's slight smile completely faded, now frowning deeply. "Blue, we've talked about this a million times. I didn't kill mom."

Blue kept her eyes on the food in front of her, her wavy black hair completely pushed behind her shoulders. "Yes, you did. And I've told you this a million times." She takes a sigh and looks up at her little sister. "I just think you should stop compensating for the fact that you're a killer." She raises her brows sarcastically.

"Blue." Their father repeats.

Sol put down her fork beside her plate and furrowed her brows together, "You know, maybe you should just let that whole idea go. Huh? That I killed Mom. Isn't that just immature at this point? I mean, you're 26 now and quite literally one of the smartest people in your field, and yet you're too dense to see that this wasn't my fault?" She asked in a desperate tone, her voice growing louder.

In the blink of an eye, Blue stood angrily. "It is exactly your fault, Sol! Don't you see that? You're the one who spends all her time reading and her nose in a fucking book instead of waking up and realizing you're the one who cost this family everything! " She shouted, now louder than Sol.

Sol stood after Blue finished speaking, her expression suggesting bewilderment. "Everything? I cost this family everything?"

Blue began leaning slightly forward on the table, in an effort to get in Sol's face. "Yes! Everything! Do you even have an idea of how peaceful everything was before you came along? Before you killed mom?" She emphasized her points while pointing at Sol.

She frowned deeply, sighing loudly. "I didn't kill mom!" She shouted back in desperation.

"You're full of shit." She spat, slamming down her cutlery on the table. She began to get out of her chair before turning to her. "You're blind to think otherwise, Sol, honestly, grow up." She scoffed.

Sol blinked widely in disbelief and threw up her hands in defense, "You've got to be kidding me. Blue, I don't know what I could possibly do to be on good terms with you. I have been trying practically my whole life to be at least friends with you."

Blue turned to her angrily, her frizzled black hair whipping behind her. "Nothing! You're fucking dead to me! I don't care how much you achieve in your pathetic little life, I don't care what career you choose, what friends you make, I...don't...care." She spat out her acidic words, "And you know what? I never will. You were the reason why Dad was depressed for years. Guess who had to help him out of that... huh? I did. I helped him. You didn't do shit for him, you still don't even care for him." She rolled her eyes after.

Sol gave a laugh of disbelief, "Are you serious? When mom died I was a newborn. What the hell was I supposed to do? And as for talking to Dad, at least I make an effort to visit, even if we just sit in silence the whole time."

Their father kept quiet with his hands clasped, resting his head atop them.

Blue gave a sarcastic laugh, "Silence? Aw, c'mon, Sol. Do you think he sits in silence with me? He doesn't love you." She gestured towards their father.

Sol frowned deeply and turned to their dad. "Dad, that's not true." She paused, doubt now filling her mind. "Right? Please tell me that's not true." Her voice of desperation was on the verge of pleading.

Grey stayed silent with his hands clasped in front of him, staring down at the wood of the table.

"Dad! Can you answer me? Please." She begged.

He stayed silent for a few more moments before standing finally. He set his napkin down on the table that resided on his lap and began walking away from the table.

Blue laughed, clearly amused. "See?"

Sol's jaw dropped and began to follow after her father, "Dad, please... please don't let her be true about this." She put a gentle hand on his arm in an effort for him to acknowledge her.

Grey stopped abruptly and turned to Sol, ripping her hand off his arm. "Don't you know anything?" He yelled loudly and looked down at her angrily, his voice echoing through the empty halls for a moment.

Her face fell flat and just stared up at him, pure shock washing over her.

He stayed quiet for a moment, "Don't you know..." His voice became quieter and he let out a small sigh, "Do you know how much you remind me of her?" Tears began welling in his eyes, but looked away and straightened his posture. "If you'll excuse me." He cleared his throat and walked off, leaving the dining room.

Silence fell over the room as Sol stared in disbelief, she watched her father leave the room with a certain type of sadness wash over her that could only be described as betrayal.

Blue gave a small laugh and soon followed suit by leaving the room. In her eyes, she won the argument.

-

Soon after the argument that broke out at the dinner table, it felt right for Sol to just leave. She didn't say her goodbyes. She grabbed her bag, coat, and umbrella before silently leaving. Once she boarded the train, she sat by a window seat. It was like her whole body had experienced whiplash. Shock, disappointment, abandonment. For once, Sol couldn't place the emotion she was feeling in her mind.

She felt her eyes begin to well with tears, she held her breath for a moment as she felt a lump in her throat. She wasn't going to cry, not now, not here. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm herself.

The train soon came to a stop, the wheels screeching as Sol reached her stop at the entrance of the school. She got off the train with her umbrella in hand and began walking back to her dorm in silence.

Sol went to her room and tossed aside her belongings, she let out a loud groan and plopped down on her bed. She hugged her pillow tightly and shoved her face into it, just about ready to cry.

Then her thoughts were interrupted once more, there was a knock at her door. Who could possibly be bugging her at this hour? Everyone is expected to be in bed by now.

Sol huffed and forced herself to get out of bed, she opened the door and looked up at the figure. She gasped loudly and hugged him tightly, closing her eyes tightly. "West!" She exclaimed.

West chuckled and stumbled back slightly, he hugged her back tightly with a grin. "Hey, Sol." He rubbed her back and smiled widely as the two embraced.