Sioni stood in the doorway, agape at what she had just heard. Luckily, Ridda nor her father had noticed her. She darted just behind the wall as their heads turned to look.

Ridda gave Sioni’s father a razing glare, gathered her things, and marched out the door, not hesitating to slam the door so hard the rafters above shook.

Sioni opened the door to the back garden, hoping to get some fresh air whilst she cleared her mind.

Cursed? she thought, and suddenly, one thousand and one different scenarios surpassed the barrier in her mind.

Driving the impish thoughts out, she sat at a bench next to one of the red rose bushes.

She skimmed the plant over and over, and noticed something was missing. Sioni checked all the roses for the one with the ribbon around it’s stem.

Sioni’s mother always marked her best, most magical roses with a crimson ribbon.

But the prized one from this bush was gone.

Sioni’s mind screeched to a stop when she thought of her mother.

Gone to handle it alone?