Secrets, Letters, and Lies

====== **Spoiler Warning: Plot details follow.** ======

Celia is back for her fourth year at Renasci! She starts taking Independent Studies, working alone with two professors on incredibly hard combination gifts, along with her normal classes two years above the grade's curriculum. Tension soon arises between her and her advisors as they keep witholding certain information from Celia. A certain Miss Marcella Bellona writes, amidst all the fan mail, to Celia as a very nice, lonely, old lady, throughout the course of the year. Over Christmas break, Celia goes to Havensmoor, Higby's home and learns some shocking information.

## Plot

Celia goes to Maddie's house for the summer, at the end of which she learns why Maddie's grandfather has been so callous towards her all summer. She also has an incident with fans/people/press at the Mercat when she goes shopping for back-to-school. It is her first public appearance and, albeit brief, talk to the press. It is all over the front page in the newspapers the next morning. When she finally gets back to RAGS, she finds out she will be taking fifteen classes, and, in addition, IS (Independent Studies) with all her professors.

Her past experiences with dances are the reason she doesn't want to go to the Fall Dance- until Gage asks her. He's sweet, and fun and it's the best dance Celia has attended (which isn't saying much). A few days later, Gage asks Celia out and she says yes. He's the first boy she's maybe felt a little something about.

Before Thanksgiving Break roles around, Celia is asked to do an interview with *TAG Teen,* a magazine in the demesne. When she's asked questions about things she doesn't know about, it only provides to stir up her already formed frustration at her advisors for refusing to tell her anything.

For Thanksgiving Break, Celia is invited to go to Castalia, her parent's home, with Higby, Professor Legaspi, and Mr. Morven. While there, she finds a letter from Charles, her uncle, to Jacob, her father. It talks about transference, the act of completely and fully giving your gifts to someone else willingly. It insinuates that maybe her parents gave Celia their gifts which, while it would explain a lot, would leave her parents vulnerable and defenseless against Casimir, assuming he had anything to do with their dissappearance.

Again, Celia is invited to go with Higby, Professor Legaspi, and Mr. Morven over Christmas Break. This time, to Higby's place, Havensmoor. While everyone else is snowed in and can't get to their homes for Christmas break, Celia veherates with Professor Legaspi and arrives at Havensmoor. This is when she learns about the Commission and gets to meet them as well. (no comment on Emin Kingsall here). Over Christmas break, she also learns that Higby is actually Sebastain Hilleman, her grandfather. The shock and anger overwhelming her, Celia runs out to Havensmoor's courtyard and sobs. This is when she first meets the Kynoseur.

Her anger towards her advisors and Higby for not telling her causes her to only talk to them when completely necessary and avoid them. Also as an act of rebellion, and partly because she is scheduled to be princep that summer so she feels entitled, when Celia goes to Bellville with Maddie, she spends three thousand konigs with her special card, around $1000 worth of clothes and accesories for the dances and just to have. Professor Legaspi and Mr. Morven are furious with her when they find out and force her to meet with them. It only leads them to an argument that gets them nowhere and Celia storming out.

This is all mostly resolved when Celia gets tricked into going with Miss Marcella Bellona (actually one of Casimir's followers), who has been writing to her all year under the guise of being a lonely old woman who has information on Celia's grandmother. Mis Marcella Bellona leads her to Huperpetra, where she stays captured for a day, where she finds Quiroz and Mr. Bazemore are working for Casimir. Luckily, she manages to escape with the help of the Guild.

The relationships with her advisors are finally settled, although she still has yet to speak to Higby, and Celia can enjoy the rest of her short time at Renasci for the year. The Commission has decided to cancel her coronation until further notice as they believe Celia is too immature after her trip to Huperpetra.

Gage breaks up with her (because he is uncomfortable with the new security measures) on Celia's birthday. She has a gut feeling that things won't turn out great until a very, very long time from now but we'll have to find out in the next book.