The others did not notice the heaviness in Soren’s eyes. But Sienna did. So, after putting the children to bed, she did not go to sleep. She did not even search for Elias, who was apparently in his study. Sienna went to Soren’s bedroom.

The school package was sitting on his desk, admission form on top. The cloak was draped over a chair that had been pulled back. Its arm was carelessly thrown over a set of gaming headsets.

The hologram brochure was active, showing the schedule of classes and optional subjects which one could take or drop if they lost interest.

Soren was sitting outside on the balcony, staring at the moon.

"Couldn’t sleep?" she asked, plopping down beside him.

He startled, then forced a grin.

"Staring at the moon like a fox." She threw her arm across his shoulder. "Should I be worried about you howling any moment from now?"

He laughed. "You should be in bed, Sis. Tomorrow, you will be leading the team that is on beach clean up today. You will also have to wrangle bees, children and your husband’s temper."

Sienna snorted. "Don’t distract me. I saw your face when grandpa Corven said all that stuff about responsibility. Your excitement died a little and you started looking at the school package as if it contained a death sentence."

Soren’s smile faltered. He fiddled with the academy badge in his hand, tracing the falcon insignia in the middle which represented his tribe. "Corven Junior was right, it’s so much....pressure. Expectations. Our grandparents, uncles aunts, mama...everyone will be watching. Waiting to see if I can prove myself worthy. And I__" He hesitated, then blurted, "I don’t want to disappoint anyone. I don’t want to end up like our father."

Sienna’s jaw fell open. "Wait. Father? That absentee bastard. What about him?"

Her brother let out a dry laugh. "Apparently he was an underachiever in school. He dropped out."

Sienna laughed. "Dropped out?!" She slapped her knee. "No wonder he dropped out of our lives. It turns out he drops everything. They should not have named him Paris. He should have been named Butter fingers."

Soren gave a weak chuckle. "It’s not funny."

"Oh it’s hilarious," Sienna insisted, though her eyes softened. "Our father was a beast man with no sense of responsibility. I wonder if he had any common sense at all. If the falcon tribe had a wall of shame, his portrait would be hanging there with a dunce cap."

Her brother laughed and groaned at the same time.

She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Listen. You are not Paris Rocland. You are you. And you are already better than he was at your age because you actually care. You want to make something of yourself. That man ran away from all responsibility at the slightest pressure. You won’t run, will you?"

He shook his head.

"See." She smiled. "You are facing it head on, even if you are scared. That alone makes you a million times better than he ever was."

He stared at her, uncertain. "But what if I fail? What if I embarrass us all?"

Sienna waved her hand dramatically. "Then you will join me in the grand club of family embarrassments. Our mother is already there because she had a pathetic love life. I joined her for the same reason. One more addition will not make a difference. We will print membership cards.

Maybe we can get Numia to join us...she can even be president. I will be vice president. You will be the treasurer, responsible for counting how many times Elias and Eli sigh because I am doing something that embarrasses them. See? Failure is not so bad." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Soren burst out laughing despite himself. "You are nuts."

"That is my charm, just ask my mother-in-law and she will tell you all about it." Sienna said smugly. Then she grew serious. "But truly, you won’t fail. You’ll stumble, yes. But so what? Everyone does. Even our grandparents, uncles and aunts who were raised in a tribe trip over their talons sometimes. School is not about perfection, it is about persistence. You practically raised mom after I left. You have got plenty of persistence in you, kid."

He looked down at the badge again, his fingers tightening. "I just want to prove I am not irresponsible. That your investment in me is worth it. That I can carry our family name with pride."

Sienna nudged him with her shoulder. "Which name, Miller or Rocland?" She continued before he could respond, "Bah, who cares anyway? What matters is that you do this for yourself, not for any relative or me. Impressing relatives is like feeding bees nectar. No matter how much you give, they will always buzz for more. But if you study for your own future, your own dreams, then every achievement will taste sweet."

Soren;s eyes glistened. "You really believe that?"

Sienna grinned. "Of course. Just see how far I have come. We were poor, but I had a dream to dance. So, I trained like crazy and followed very strict diets for years. Then I made it to this city and qualified for a big dance competition. Even though I didn’t win anything, it doesn’t negate my efforts.

I continued to dance and work in the entertainment industry until I discovered that I was pregnant. I got married, lost my way for a while and then turned around and made a come back as a livestreamer.

So, if you ever feel crushed, look at my experience. You can always make a come back. Look at Paris Rocland’s drop out story. Imagine him sneaking out of class, tripping over a cloak like yours, and being chased by professors with scrolls. That image alone should give you strength."

Soren laughed again, louder this time. The tension in his shoulders eased. "You are ridiculous."

"And effective," Sienna replied. She reached out, ruffling his hair. "You will be fine. And if you are not, just come home and take care of the bees. I will pay you a heavy salary to be my expert bee keeper."

He shook his head, smiling "How heavy is that salary?"

"Thousands of beast coins per month. And when I start selling my pans in a few days, I will open an account for you and deposit your royalty fees that you have earned for being a sweet little brother.

So, don’t worry about how much money you will be earning from your job in future. It should not influence what you study. Focus on what interests you, and what you are best at.

Whatever you decide, I, your sister will always support one hundred percent. As long as it is not dangerous."

They sat together in companionable silence, the moonlight wrapping them in silver. For the first time that night, Sienna saw hope flicker in her brother’s eyes instead of fear.