Moonlit Shadows

The blizzard started ten minutes after the bell rang.  It had been snowing all day, but now a ferocious wind picked up, carrying even the fallen snow into the air.  It was impossible to see two feet in front of you.

Diana staggered through the deep drifts, aware of the bus lights a dozen feet away.  She felt like she was making no progress whatsoever.  Gasping, the girl held her backpack in front of her face, but the snow was coming from all directions.

Suddenly there was a hand on her arm.

Diana startled, and slipped on the icy ground, a yelp escaping her.

The person who had startled her grabbed her just before she hit the ground, and helped her up, also nearly slipping himself.  “S-s-sorry about t-that,” he said.  It was Vesper.  His teeth were chattering so hard he could barely talk.

“S’okay,” Diana said, abruptly aware of how close together they were.  Vesper let go, blushing.  “Y-you must be freezing,” she stammered, concerned, looking him over.  He wasn't even wearing a coat.

Vesper shrugged.  “C-c-can we just g-get to the b-bus?”

Diana nodded, taking his hand (PLATONICALLY), and together (PLATONICALLY) they made their way through the blizzard and to the bus.

It was already packed full of students.  The windows were completely fogged up from the body heat and the heaters going full blast.  The bus driver looked weary and the students restless—not a good combination.

The sudden change in temperature made Diana's fingers, nose, and ears hurt, frozen from the blizzard outside.  She rubbed her suddenly steamy face.  Vesper drew his hand away, and Diana blushed, as students around gave half-hearted catcalls.

They found an empty seat in the back and sat down, listening to the howling storm outside and muffled idling of the bus’s engine.

Vesper sighed, leaning back against the damp seat.  Diana was definitely not watching him out of the corner of her eye.  She definitely wasn't thinking about his hand in hers, or the way they were crammed so close on the seat.

And she was for sure 100% positive that he wasn't thinking about the same things.  No matter how much she wished—

“I wish some heroes would show up and save the people still out there,” came a voice from the front of the bus, sounding high-pitched and close to tears.  It was a girl, apparently 13, with her face pressed to the window.  Diana, jolted out of her thoughts, wondered if she had a friend who was still out in the blizzard.

It might be the death of them.  They could vanish and freeze and not be found for days.  Diana began to get up, knowing she had a duty to do as Lightwing, but Stella poked her from inside her coat pocket.

“You’ll freeze out there,” she muttered.

Someone else spoke, voice bitter.  “You know the only heroes fitted to this weather are the ones who are more likely to kill innocent children than save them.”

The girl burst into tears, head vanishing below the seat as she presumably curled into a ball.  Diana clenched her fists.

Vesper looked angry as well, fingernails digging into the bus seat’s faux leather.  “Polar Breeze,” he snarled under his breath.

Diana silently agreed with him.  There had certainly been conversations about the heroes and Ferals (and villains) at school, and lots of them were fear-stricken rants about how nobody was safe when psychotic superhumans existed.

Unfortunately, they weren't wrong.

“Can't you just give it a rest?”  Said a boy two rows in front.  He sounded tired.

The storm howled outside, getting louder.  The windows rattled.  A few other young students began to cry, quiet and hopeless, and Diana clinched the seat.

I have to do something, she thought, glancing over at Vesper.  His jaw was set, and he was glaring at his feet.  Further up, a few kids had started another conversation about rescue.  “Maybe Arctic Snow will save us,” a boy said.

“She doesn't care,” snapped the angry girl from before.

“Maybe the government will save us,” said a different boy, grasping at straws.

A few kids nodded, eyes brightening.  “They could send in those army vehicles and rescue us!”

The angry girl snorted, laying back against the window.  Diana wondered how many other heroes there were on this bus, that she hadn't seen—how many of them felt trapped.  She wondered where Elizabeth was.  Probably hanging out in the snow as Polar Breeze, laughing at the children freezing to death in snowbanks.

The bus sat idling in the snow for what seemed like hours.  Nothing could drive in this weather, no matter what everyone was hoping for.  Diana hoped her friends were fine.  At least Vesper was here, and safe.

Diana closed her eyes, tempted to lean against Vesper’s shoulder.  She was so tired.

The howling wind, suffocating heat, and thrumming of the engine acted as a lullaby, and soon Diana was fast asleep…

~#~#~#~

“Diana. Hey. Diana.” Someone was shaking her shoulder. “Wake up.”

Diana groaned, wondering where she was and why her mom sounded so strange. “Is it morning already?”

There was a muffled snort. “The storm is stopping, Diana,” the someone said.

Diana opened her eyes, and saw the roof of the bus, illuminated with artificial yellow light. She felt stiff and sore. Groaning, she remembered the storm, and…

… Vesper.

Diana sat bolt upright, head swimming from her nap. Mortified, she looked over at the boy. “Did I… uh… fall asleep?”

Vesper was also trying to play it cool. “Yeah. Right on top of me.”

Diana blushed furiously, staring at her feet. He must not have minded—wouldn't he have woken me up? The girl tried to distract herself by looking around the bus, still bleary-eyed. The bus driver was trying to keep people inside, but it was clear he would loose the battle soon. Students desperately wanted to look for lost friends.

“Come on,” Vesper said, standing up. “It's still dark outside, but it's not snowing. We can… help people.”

Diana nodded wordlessly, rubbing her cheek where the imprint lines from the boy’s jeans were. Stella sniggered softly from her coat pocket.

Finally, the bus driver relented (or else the doors would've been smashed down), telling everyone to stay close. He knew they wouldn't listen.

Diana and Vesper rushed outside, the sky dark with clouds. Snow crunched under their feet as more, tiny flakes drifted down, speckling Vesper’s incredibly inadequate clothing. “I’ll go this way, you go that way,” the boy said, taking a few steps away.

Diana nodded. She knew perfectly well why he wanted to split up.

As soon as Vesper and all the other students were out of sight, she ducked behind a snowbank and transformed into Lightwing. Better late than never. Diana wondered how many people had gotten lost and frozen, and how many had found shelter in the school or the other busses.

This snow is really hard to hide against, Diana thought, grateful it was still dark. Her suit was already covered in snowflakes.

Shivering, Diana climbed to the roof of the school using a drain pipe, and looked out across the snow-covered parking lot. Drifts four-five feet high were piled against the busses and cars.

“Fancy seeing you here, Lightwing,” came a voice from behind. Diana jumped and spun around, only to see Arctic Snow leaning against a heater vent. The other hero was smirking.

“So you finally showed up,” growled Diana.

“I was helping a bunch of ducklings cross a street,” Arctic said, mock-offended. “Where were you? Locked up inside the school? A bus?”

Diana glowered, kicking a pile of snow at her feet. “Bats don't do well in the snow. It's not like I would've been any help, killing myself out here in a blizzard!”

Arctic shrugged.

Silver Rat appeared, climbing over the edge of the roof. He spotted Arctic Snow and scowled. The hero, seeing Diana’s expression, turned around. “And your boyfriend, too! I suppose you two were snuggled up somewhere while all those innocent children died?” She laughed, obviously making fun of Diana’s melodrama.

Bit too true for my liking, Diana thought, glancing at Silver Rat and blushing.

Silver Rat looked even more grumpy, if that was possible. “No,” he said.

Diana spotted the young girl from before, looking lost and alone in the snow. “She hasn't found her friend,” the hero murmured, taking a step to the edge of the roof. Silver Rat came up next to her.

“Lots of people are probably missing friends and family,” he remarked. “We should help find them, at least….”

Diana nodded. “I’ll go help her.”

Arctic Snow coughed. “I’ll come with!”

Silver Rat and Diana both turned on her, glaring. “No, no you won't,” the rat boy said. “You’re likely to spend your entire time flirting with/killing Lightwing.”

“Well, if you go, you’re likely to just spend the entire time staring moonily at her,” Arctic Snow retorted.

Silver Rat rolled his eyes.

Is that true? Or is she just trying to rile him? Diana blushed again, looking down. Arctic Snow smiled at her in a rather creepy way.

“W-we should go. Silver Rat, I mean. I-if you want to.”

The boy looked at her, narrowing his eyes abruptly, like he had just realized something. “Sure. Come on.”

They climbed back down off the roof, Silver Rat still staring at her suspiciously. The lost girl, the one looking for her friend, came stumbling over. “Oh god, I'm so glad you’re here, please help me! My friend Sarah is missing… I couldn't find her anywhere…” the girl choked back a sob.

There were tear streaks down her pale face, her dark red hair and huge black overcoat contrasting sharply against the white snow.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Diana said, wondering what it was about her face that made Silver Rat keep glancing at it. She tried to put it out of her mind. “What's your name?”

“Emmy. Emmy Smith.”

It got darker and darker as they searched for Emmy’s friend. Finally, they came across a dark gray parka—buried in a snowbank. Diana got down on hands and knees with Emmy. The awful feeling of dread filled her—there was no way Sarah could be alive.

Silver Rat stood off to the side, kicking snow. He looked like he wanted to help, but didn't know how.

Diana lifted Sarah’s body out of the snow bank, and Emmy started to sob, gut-wrenchingly and hopelessly. Diana stood up and stepped back, shivering from the cold and from the feeling of seeing a frozen girl. She felt tears well in her own eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said, voice cracking. I can't do this. Emmy didn't reply—Diana didn't even know if she heard her.

Sarah was out there, suffering a long and painful death, while I was sitting in a heated bus with my… friend.

Silver Rat touched Diana’s arm, and she turned around. There were a couple other students there—the angry girl from the bus, someone who looked like her little sister, and a boy she thought she recognized from some sports event. They all looked horrified.

“We should go,” Silver Rat said. “Uh… let you mourn your loss and all.” He backed away. Diana gave a half-hearted attempt at a comforting smile before following him, feeling hollow and raw.

The two heroes made their way through the drifts, silently. Finally they came to an empty lot behind the school, wiped free of snow by the wind. Diana was shivering violently. “I-it’s horrible, what h-h-happened to S-Sarah,” she chattered, and Silver Rat turned around.

“Oh, you followed me.” He sounded surprised, and perhaps a little… pleased? Happy? It was probably just wishful thinking on her part. Diana blushed, embarrassed.

“Was I not supposed to?” She asked.

“No, it's fine.” Silver Rat looked up at the sky, the clouds were beginning to part. “It was an awful storm, yeah. Where were you? I was surprised to see you here, so soon…”

Diana bit her lip. “I was in one of the busses.”

Silver Rat narrowed his eyes. “Which one? Was… Emmy on your bus? Is that how you knew about her friend?”

Diana shook her head. “No, just a lucky guess.” She knew she couldn't fool Silver Rat for long… but hopefully she could hide her true identity for now. Hopefully she could hide the fact she knew his true identity, as well.

Hopefully, she wouldn't get in trouble for being too close to one of her enemies. They don't feel like enemies, she protested to herself, but her mind rejected that thought. You are here to take their Miraculouses. You cannot be their friend.

“Lightwing? You okay?” Silver Rat looked almost worried. “You’ve been acting strange. I suppose seeing a dead girl does that to a person, though.”

Diana shrugged, giving a brave attempt at a smile. “I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” She rubbed her arms, breath clouding in the cold air.

Silver Rat took a step closer, intently studying her face. Diana felt self-conscious. “Mind telling me what’s wrong?”

He frowned. “Answer me honestly. Are you Di-”

In a strike of extreme fortune, Tigress chose that exact moment to come tumbling down from a nearby snowbank.

Diana leapt back, heart skipping a beat. “You! What’re you doing here?”

Tigress awkwardly waved. “Um, hello. Sorry to interrupt, it looked like you were doing something important…”

Silver Rat scowled. “No, not particularly.”

Diana wanted to hug the Feral. Perfect timing, she thought in relief. “So?”

“Um, I'm here because I was gonna help find people, but in case you haven't noticed… Ferals aren't taken kindly to much.” Tigress shrugged, looking lonely and extremely uncomfortable.

She probably realized she could do more good as a civilian, and came here to transform, Diana realized. “We can… go, if you like.”

“I need to leave anyway,” Silver Rat said. “I just… need some time to think. Sorry, Lightwing.” He started to walk away, and Diana felt her heart drop to her stomach, though she tried to ignore it.

“Bye, I guess,” Diana said.

Tigress was silent for a moment. “You really like him, don't you?”

Diana glared at her.

The Feral held up her hands, retreating back into the mountains of drifts. “Sorry…”

~#~#~#~

The next few days, everything was closed. School finally started up again the Monday after the storm, and Diana reluctantly returned, exhausted from her nearly 24/7 time as Lightwing. She felt like her mission wasn't being completed. She needed to spend less time helping people, and more time—

“Diana!”

Vesper walked up, and Diana’s heart skipped a beat, as she tried to put on a casual expression. Unfortunately, like every time anyone has ever tried to do that, it ended up looking more like she was in severe pain.

“Are you okay?” Vesper stopped a few feet in front of her as Diana hugged her binder to her chest.

“Um, yeah, fine,” the girl said, quickly changing the subject. “It’s nice to see you a-again, you know, after the blizzard.”

Vesper narrowed his eyes. “Yes, of course,” he said. Doubtfully. Diana winced as she realized he had figured out she was Lightwing—or at least suspected it.

She supposed it was only fair. Diana wondered if he suspected she knew his identity as well.

“You look tired,” Vesper said they continued to walk down the hallway. “Doing a lot of work digging out your house?”

He was obviously fishing for confirmation. Diana didn't know how to feel about that. “U-uh, I live in an apartment complex…” She spotted two people having an argument up ahead, and Vesper stopped.

Diana recognized Amaya and Nova, whom she knew were heroes as well, but didn't know very well or who they were. Diana looked back quizzically at Vesper, who was looking at Amaya with a rather… strange expression.

Diana found she didn't like it. At all. She almost backed away, wanting to say something snarky like “do you want some time alone with her?”

Amaya angrily stomped away from Nova, who was wearing a long-suffering/slightly worried expression. Clearly there was something going on here… something that just as clearly didn't involve her.

“Amaya,” Vesper said, pretending to be annoyed at her existence.

That was when Diana made herself absent. It doesn't matter, she told herself fiercely. That is not why you’re here. Remember your purpose. Remember who you serve.

Math class was a blur, Diana barely registered the teacher droning about interval notations and negative numbers. Incredibly tired, she lay her head down on her desk and closed her eyes.

The next thing she knew, she was dead.

Well, probably not.

Everything was darkness, however, and Diana frantically sat up. Still half-delirious from her nap, the girl clawed at her eyes, sure she had gone blind.

A scrap of fabric fell away, and Diana could see again. The few students left in the classroom laughed. “The bell rung already, you’d better hurry to lunch,” one of the nicer girls said. Diana vaguely recognized her, but she wasn't sure how.

Flustered, Diana packed up her own binder an stumbled into the crowded hallway. What else can go wrong today?

~#~#~#~

“There have been three confirmed casualties as a result of the massive blizzard that struck Forumville last week. Countless people are hospitalized and medical experts suspect long-term damage and frostbite to hundreds.”

It was just reaffirmation of what Diana already knew. Groaning, she clunked her head down on the table, making the coffee mugs around her clatter.

-How much more of this do I have to take?- Diana sat up again, blearily rubbing her eyes. She had pulled another all-nighter, trying not to think of her job, Vesper, Amaya… unfortunately, she was unsuccessful. And in trouble.

Her mother, Sofia Nix, knocked on the door. “Diana? Are you awake? It's time for school.”

Somehow, Diana managed to clean up and get ready. She needed to continue doing her duty.

The walk to school was a short, but bitterly cold one. Diana hugged her coat to her chest, breath making clouds in the air. Someone else fell into step with her, and the girl looked up to see Ochame.

“Hello, Diana,” the other girl said cheerfully. “You don't look very comfortable.”

“I’m not,” Diana puffed, mind caught up in… other things. She fumbled in her pockets for her phone, and held it out to Ochame. “Here, I wanted to show this to you…”

Ochame stared at the screen. “What?” As Diana watched, the girl’s face grew slack and her eyes unfocused, and she began to nod mindlessly. Diana waited, emotionlessly, the whole routine familiar to her. When the message was done, Diana took the phone back.

Ochame frowned, eyes coming back into focus. “I… what? What was that?” She looked momentarily confused before her face finally settled. “Oh, hi, Diana! Nasty weather, isn't it?” Ochame shivered, and Diana smiled chillingly.

“Yes, quite nasty indeed.”

The two walked to school, and Ochame bid Diana goodbye as they headed to classes. Diana's heart sped up as she spotted Vesper, looking extremely cold in his tattered jacket. She walked over, unconsciously checking her hair.

“Hi, Vesper… you look really cold. Don't you have… something warmer to wear?” Diana fiddled with her phone in her pocket, but something deep inside protested. Vesper looked up.

“Oh, hi again.” He sounded exhausted as well. “No… not really.”

“I-I could bring something? If you want it? I'm sure my dad has something old you can have?”

Vesper looked like he was going to reject her offer, but then it started to snow again, a few flanked drifting down from the sky. They both looked up worriedly. “… Sure. Go ahead.”

Diana leaned against the school wall, out of the way of the crowd. Closing her eyes, she tried to clear her mind—but then Vesper was there, floating in her mind’s eye, making her grin goofily. Again.

The boy poked her. “You look really tired. What's wrong?”

“I haven't gotten much sleep lately,” Diana said, and emotion caught in her throat. -I just want an easy life… no complicated loyalties and emotions…- “Y-you look tired, too…”

“Mhm.”

Diana opened her eyes. Vesper was so close he was almost touching her, shivering from the freezing air. The girl wanted to hug him, but that would be an extremely awkward thing to do. -He doesn't have a home, either,- she thought, wincing. Guilty. -He must be freezing all the time…-

“H-hey, Vesper, do you want to… come over… to my house…”

Vesper stared at her, and Diana trailed off, blushing furiously. “You don't have to come if you don't want to! I just—”

“No, that would be nice, thanks,” the boy said, blushing as well. “Just as friends, though.”

“O-of course!” Diana said, tugging awkwardly on her coat.

They went inside the school, where it was marginally warmer, just as the snow began coming down hard. Diana felt her anxiety rising. -Oh god, not again, please…-

She thought they had all had enough blizzards to last a lifetime. Vesper looked concerned as well. Diana looked up just to see a familiar figure outside the doors sneer at them, loitering at the entrance of the school in the storm.

Elizabeth.

“What is she doing here?” Diana exclaimed, alarmed. “She was expelled!”

Vesper spun around, snarling. “Again?? Hasn't she caused enough trouble already?”

Elizabeth vanished back into the swirling snow, and Diana felt the unsettling feeling of dread. Surely she didn't come here in the middle of a snowstorm just to glare at Vesper. What is she up to?

“Now she’s off to flood the heating systems with poisonous gas,” Vesper snorted.

She's the one I need to—

Suddenly Vesper grabbed her, forcing her to the ground, and Diana yelped. There was a half-second where she wondered what the heck he was doing—and then the doors exploded, sending glass flying everywhere.

Diana screamed, and so did everyone else.

Glass hit everywhere, cutting into Diana’s clothes and skin where ever Vesper wasn't covering. There was panic and shouting. Diana squeezed her eyes shut, hyperventilating. Oh god, why, why do so many people have to get hurt?!

As the screaming receded to crying, and the yelling of teachers trying to organize injured students, Vesper sat back up, wincing. He looked shocked and furious. “Are you—are you okay?”

Diana tried to nod, and felt a sharp pain in her neck. She lifted up a shaking hand. Her fingers felt blood, and a shard of glass, buried deep in her skin.

Vesper stared at the cut, eyes wide. He clenched and unclenched his fists. “Elizabeth did this,” he hissed. The boy stood up, his own arms and back covered in cuts from the glass, and helped Diana up.

The girl felt like she was going to pass out. -So much blood,- she thought dizzily, staring as her red-stained hands. “Vesper… thanks for d-doing that. You got hurt…”

Vesper shrugged. His jacket was bloody and even more tattered, along with his jeans. “I don't care. I'm more worried about you. That's a really bad slice.” He reached out, and Diana winced.

“It isn't… that bad.” She looked around the school commons. Snow was swirling everywhere, she was beginning to shiver.

“Diana, Vesper, are you two badly injured?” It was a teacher, looking exhausted and terrified. She was holding a first aid kit. “The ambulance will be here in a couple minutes, I promise.” -If it gets through the storm,- were her unspoken words.

Vesper nodded, Diana shook her head. The boy pointed at her. “She’s got a bad cut on her neck… it’s bleeding a lot…”

“I’m fine,” Diana murmured, swaying on her feet. Vesper held her arm as the girl closed her eyes against the vertigo.

“No, you aren't.”

The teacher led them to a nearly-empty classroom, where she made Diana sit down and have her cut cleaned. The teacher also made Vesper take off his jacket and shirt, so she could check his wounds—they were bad, even though he protested.

How could Elizabeth have done this to so many innocent people? Was it just to get revenge on Vesper? Diana watched the injured people limp past the classroom, a second disaster in as many weeks.

Vesper tugged on the makeshift bandage the teacher had made out of his shredded jacket. He was looking supremely angry and uncomfortable.

Diana leaned against the wall, still feeling light-headed. The numerous cuts all over her body were stinging like mad. Vesper glanced at her and scowled, and Diana wondered what she’d done wrong. Groaning, she put her head between her knees. Vesper walked over.

“That girl needs to go to jail.” He sat down next to her painfully, his own cuts obviously hurting.

Diana nodded, wincing.

Vesper sat against the wall with Diana for what could've been an hour, the same bitter expression on his face. He looked like he wanted to get up and chase someone—maybe he was worried about his girlfriend.

Diana squeezed the phone in her pocket, suddenly furious at the world. -I could make him change his mind,- she thought, but everything inside her rebelled against that.

The girl looked over again, watching Vesper restlessly tap the linoleum. He had put on his tattered t-shirt over the bandage—apparently he would rather wear it than go mostly shirtless—and his jeans were tattered as well. Diana winced again, feeling guilty about letting him protect her from most of the blast.

“The ambulance isn't here yet,” Diana whispered. Vesper took her hand and squeezed it, and Diana bit her lip, blushing.

“We should do something,” Vesper said reluctantly, looking her over.

Diana’s breath caught in her throat. “W-what? We can't do anything. We’re just ordinary people.”

“… I know who you are, Diana.”

The girl sighed, tilting her face to the ceiling. “I know you know.” She felt Vesper’s stare on her, but don't look back at him, even though she wanted to. She was such a traitor.

Vesper didn't draw his hand away, and Diana took guilty pleasure from the warmth and fact that he still liked her. Maybe even in a different way than just friendship.

She turned to look at him, and realized that they were only a few inches apart. Vesper was half-smirking. “U-u-uh, and you don't hate me? How did you figure it out?”

-It would be really awkward if he thought I was someone other than Lightwing.-

“Well… you fell asleep on my lap on the bus during the blizzard.” Vesper blushed, running a hand through his hair. “And I saw the marks on your face when you had changed into… Lightwing.”

-Of course. Idiot.- Diana mentally kicked herself.

“Hold on.” Vesper narrowed his eyes, staring at her suspiciously. “You do know who I am, right?”

“Y-yes, of course,” Diana stammered. “Silver Rat.” She gave a sheepish grin, and Vesper returned it. A warm feeling, like her heart had turned into a firework, rushed through Diana, making her feel like she wanted to… well, do more than just sit in an empty classroom holding hands.

The distant sound of sirens interrupted her thoughts. “Finally something goes right,” she muttered, slowly getting to her feet and helping Vesper up. The boy stayed next to her, their arms touching. There were the sound of footsteps down the hallway.

Amaya—and the teacher—turned the corner into the classroom. “There you are!” The girl said, and Diana felt the firework inside her chest abruptly turn into a hard, shriveled ball. Amaya noticed how close Vesper was to Diana and narrowed her eyes.

Vesper stepped away. “Here I am,” he said, looking embarrassed. “Were you looking for me?”

“Yes,” Amaya said coolly, glaring at Diana. “I guess I interrupted a special time with your… girlfriend.”

“Of course not,” Vesper said quickly.

The teacher seemed amused, but she got the heck out of there. Diana followed, flinching as her cuts opened up again. Vesper barely glanced at her as she left. Scowling, Diana sat down in the hallway, fiddling with her bandages.

She tried to ignore the awful, crushing feeling in her chest. -Oh, so he likes the edgy, angsty, pointlessly cruel girl more than me. Wonderful.- Diana stood up despite the pain and paced, back and forth, back and forth. She wanted to punch a wall.

- Why do you care so much?-

- Why did Amaya have to come in at that exact moment? Things were going so well. -

Diana felt tears well in her eyes, and she furiously rubbed them. No. This doesn't matter. Vesper doesn't matter.

The cold, emotionless feeling swelled up from the pit that was her heart, and for once, Diana was glad. Her emotions slipped away. Comforting familiarity.

Diana smiled, feeling powerful again, knowing she was a part of a greater whole. She didn't need Vesper. She didn't need friends, she just needed to complete her mission.

[Author’s Note: Keep in mind that events are skewed to Diana’s perspective, so most things are not factually correct… but Amaya is still pointlessly cruel to the point of psychopathy. That was an opinion I had before I even shipped Silverwing.]

[I hope I'm still writing Vesper well + longest chapter yet + new way of writing thoughts + tOO MANY SPOILERS GAAAAH]

~#~#~#~

(Yes, I am perfectly aware that the tile is an oxymoron, it was supposed to be like that :P)