“Mine was not knowing where you were once we returned for you,” Fifer said. “I felt so helpless in that forest. Like I was failing you every moment. And then, when you weren’t in the catacombs and Alex died…” She shook her head. “You think someone is invincible, and they’re gone in an instant? It felt like I couldn’t catch my breath for weeks. Everything hurt. And I still didn’t have you. It was such a dark time.”

Thisbe thought about when she and Sky and Rohan had found Alex’s grave. She was still struggling mightily with how she felt, and all she could do was repeat a phrase she’d said before. “I’m sad I didn’t get to know him like you did.” It came out a little stiffly, but it was the best Thisbe could do on this topic.

“Me too. I think you would have liked him.”

Thisbe wasn’t sure about that.

They talked on, but they also listened to each other. They let each other speak, even when the words didn’t come out quite right. And they apologized and vowed to be better to each other. To not jump to conclusions. To ask more questions and listen more. To not always accept the surface response as the true answer, but to dig deeper until their vulnerabilities were exposed. That was how they’d been before. That’s how they wanted to be again.

“It’ll be different, though,” Fifer mused. “Before, we were two menaces in the eyes of Artiméans, united by being outcasts. Hopefully, they don’t see us like that anymore.”

“Ah,” said Thisbe, looking at her sister with a gleam in her eye, “but now we’ll be two menaces against the world, united in eliminating tyrants. So it’s still kind of the same.”

“Kind of,” said Fifer with a half smile. And even though they both knew that change was inevitable going forward—big, massive changes as they pursued their new roles—they agreed to do better in sharing their goals and desires with each other. Not to compete, but to support. They knew being twins was always going to be something most people didn’t have the luxury to experience. But they also knew that they had to work on their special bond in order to keep it.

Eventually they ran out of problems to fix between them, and the air felt clear once again. Both of them sat with their feelings for a moment, exhausted but content that they’d said all they needed to say to put the fights and hurts behind them and attempt to move toward a closer bond once more. It wasn’t going to be easy. But it was going to be.

“Let’s connect soon, like old times,” Fifer said to Thisbe. “Walks on the shore. I want to get to know you again.”

“I’m in,” said Thisbe. She stood up and went around the table. “Are you okay with a hug?”

Fifer nodded, and the sisters embraced. “I’m here for you,” Thisbe whispered.

“I’m here for you, too,” said Fifer. Things weren’t back to normal between them. But they were finally headed in the right direction.