EXCLUSIVE PHOTO: Kendra Laushire private plane at LCY??? unconscious, accompanied by Cinza + A.Ashe + unknown. @SirThomasLaushire picked up daughter. Related to @CMGMalton attack?

— Shared: 1.6m

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reply: Cinza just finished calling out Malton. Didn't name Kendra as a victim. Maybe she's been in a coma since Rallsburg?

reply: Speculation is useless until somebody gets an interview with her and her dad.

reply: If Cinza's keeping it quiet, maybe it's because they did it?

reply: you think her coma's caused by magic?

reply: can't rule anything out. she's been off the radar for months. rumors and paparazzi photo from august were obviously fake.

reply: why do you say "obviously"???

reply: yeah, definitely fakes. she must have been in a coma since Rallsburg blew up. jeez.

reply: brutal

reply: just another reason this shit can't go on. need to get control of this. where's our government when we need them?

reply: They announced a bunch of new initiatives a couple days ago. obviously the U.S. didn't know shit about magic, and if they didn't know in their own backyard, the rest of the world is gonna be playing catch-up.

reply: @SirThomasLaushire how about funding for investigating this shit? all these 'awakened'? since your daughter just got PUT INTO A COMA BECAUSE OF THEM!!!

reply: dude, the guy thought his daughter was dead this whole time, don't be a dick.

reply: lol, like a billionaire's gonna notice this guy with ten followers.

reply: hope she gets well soon. she's sexy af. #redheads

reply: great job being an asshole. she's in a coma.

reply: ---DELETED---

reply: holy shit that was dark.

The show was over, but her heart raced even faster. She'd been using the ongoing broadcast as an excuse not to get out of the car—to delay their meeting just a little bit longer. She sat in the roomy back surrounded by blacked-out windows, with a tinted shutter separating the driver from her. Not a soul could see or hear her, but that state could only last for so long.

The string tied around her heart went slack for a few seconds, then pulled taut once again.

Lily took a few deep breaths from the unexpected lack of oxygen. The gap in her life essence had stopped her breathing. Every time it happened, it was a stark, painful reminder of what she was—and what she could never truly be.

The gaps were rare. A steady river of energy flowed into her at all hours of the day, even while she slept. It kept her alive, but it was a tether. Lily was bound to that stream every waking instant of her life. She could never move too far away, lest the flow wither and parch her of her very existence. Lily took another deep breath, though she'd already cleared away the panic-filled breathless moment, and got out of the car, stepping out into the private garage of the Laushire mansion.

Lily wished she could hate the string that held her, but how could she? Could a puppet truly hate its master, if nonexistence was the only alternative? As much as Lily might wish otherwise, she only lived because Kendra had created her. In that terrifying moment, Lily had been born—a perfect copy in every single detail except one:

Lily Laushire couldn't survive on her own.

With every step toward the house proper, Lily felt the river grow a little bit stronger, a little wider and steadier. In that way, she always knew roughly how far away her sister stood. They'd never been able to quantify it, despite many attempts, and it gave her no real sense of direction, but it still served as a makeshift tool to find one-another—if only it worked in both directions.

Kendra could never sense her. It only worked for Lily, for whatever reason. They'd theorized about it endlessly—but how useful could her input be, when she had the same brain and education as her original? Lily felt superfluous, since Kendra was the one who maintained her, and thus the one who had to trace back the origin of the flow.

No doubt Lily's sister likely felt the same resentment—that her clone possessed a power she lacked. Kendra had never said anything, but Lily knew.

The elder Collins McCreary stood by the door. As Lily emerged, his ever-professional façade cracked. His eyes widened, his mouth opened slightly.

Lily swept forward, unabashed. After all, this was her childhood home. No matter the arcane nature of her birth, she had every memory her sister did. "Good to see you again, Collins," she said as she strode up the wide staircase. "I believe my father is expecting me."

"...Y-yes, marm," he spluttered. He quickly pulled open the door for her. "Welcome home, miss Kendra."

Lily halted in the portal, glancing sidelong at the old man. "I presume you're aware of the other?"

"I… I am, marm."

She extended one gloved hand to Collins, who'd always been something of a co-conspirator to her as a child, and someone she trusted wholeheartedly. "My name is Lily."

He knelt and kissed her hand, ever obsessed with protocol. "Miss Lily, it is an honor to meet you." Collins frowned. "But… I don't understand. How did I not know—"

Lily nudged her hand, prompting Collins back to his feet. She smiled. "In good time, Collins. We'll catch up. My deepest condolences for your son. I wasn't there, but I know that he fell helping others to escape certain death." Largely by acting as an involuntary distraction, if Hailey is to be believed.

"Thank… Thank you, marm."

"Please inform my father I've arrived. I'll be in the guest sitting room."

This was not part of the usual protocol, and both Lily and Collins were well aware. The old man raised an eyebrow, but knew better than to question an order from a Laushire in their own home. He hurried away. Lily proceeded into the sitting room, where another servant was quick to bring her favorite tea. Even after a good seven years exiled across the world, the house staff hadn't forgotten her.

Not that Lily had ever actually been there, of course.

The steady pulse of life flowing into her heart told her that Kendra was in the building somewhere, and close enough that they could coexist with little conscious effort. After the sheer trauma they'd both experienced during the Atlantic crossing, feeling her sister so close was a welcome relief. Lily had never known such gradual, all-encompassing pain as she had when Malton's plane took off—when she'd been pulled further away from Kendra than ever before.

She assumed that Kendra had lost consciousness. Lily hadn't—she'd endured every agonizing second as she struggled to breathe, brain operating on nearly nothing, kept functioning only by the faint stream of life cast across the ocean itself by her sister.

Why did you keep me alive?

A rumble of footsteps. Fine shoes on polished wood floors. Lily sipped her tea nonchalantly as her parents burst into the room, legs crossed and an airy expression on her face. If Lily had to go through this confrontation, she was at least going to enjoy it a little.

Thomas stopped dead as he entered the room, eyes wide. Lily had never seen her father speechless in her life. Her mother wore a similar awestruck look, as if she'd seen a ghost.

"Hello mother, father," said Lily, leaning back in the chair and setting aside her tea. She wished she'd at least had something else to wear than her dressing gown and a jacket from the plane, but her abductor hadn't exactly given her time to dress appropriately. "It's nice to finally meet."

"...I don't…" Mary started, trailing off yet again. She sat down in her usual armchair. The nearest servant—Halestrom, as Lily recalled—nervously provided another cup of tea, and one for Thomas.

"Thank you, Halestrom," said Lily, and was rewarded with a flicker of recognition. She'd gotten the name right. "Please, give us the room?"

Halestrom nodded, retreating with Collins and closing the doors behind them. As soon as the room was sealed, Thomas was back on his feet again.

"What are you?" he snapped.

"Your daughter," said Lily mildly, taking another sip of tea just to irritate him. "I daresay you're familiar with the concept."

"But Kenni's upstairs…" Mary shook her head. "This can't be happening."

"Is this some magic thing?" asked Thomas.

Lily nodded. "In a manner of speaking. I assure you, I am real, and I am your daughter. For the sake of clarity, you may call me Lily."

Mary glanced up at the ceiling, where Kendra was presumably sequestered away. "But… but—"

"Kenni created me," said Lily shortly. "She and I are linked. I assume she was quite ill when she arrived?"

"Coma," whispered Thomas, steadying himself on the back of the nearest armchair. "She hasn't woken up."

"Ah." Lily nodded. "That would explain it."

"Explain what?" he asked.

"Why she didn't return my calls." Lily got to her feet. "Take me to her."

"Now wait just a minute," said Mary, rising to match her daughter. "I still don't know who you are, or what you're doing here."

Lily sighed. "Mother, I'm here to make sure your daughter doesn't die today. What proof do you require that I am who I say I am? Honestly, the name alone ought be enough."

"...Excuse me?"

Thomas gasped. "...Lily," he murmured. "Her imaginary friend."

"You're not saying—" said Mary, frantically looking back to her pseudo-daughter.

Lily smiled. "Nostalgia crossed with an ironic joke, nothing more." She glanced up in the vague direction she assumed Kendra must be. "If she's here, you must have summoned Doctor Niabe?" she asked, referring to their family physician.

"Yes," said Thomas, clearly past the trust barrier by now. "We were discussing whether to move her when you arrived."

Lily nodded. "It would not have made a difference, but I appreciate the thought. Please, take me to her?" she added, more politely than before.

Thomas hurried to open the door. Mary still looked suspicious of her, but Lily could hardly fault caution given the events of the day. They walked as a family up the wide staircase and straight to Kendra's old room. With every step, Lily felt her life grow a little bit stronger, her connection to magic more powerful, her sense of Kendra steadier. By the time they opened the doors to her old room, Lily felt like she'd been brought back to life from the brink, rejuvenated and renewed.

"Sir Laushire!" said Doctor Niabe, looking up from Kendra's bed as the door swung wide. "I didn't…" She trailed off as Lily swept into the room impatiently, moving to sit by her sister's bed. "I'm sorry," she added. "I think I might be hallucinating."

"Indeed," said Thomas weakly.

Lily took her sister's hand, squeezing it. Kendra was still unconscious, despite the steady flow of energy between the two of them. "Kenni," she murmured. "You're giving me too much. You need to wake up."

"...What?" asked Niabe.

Lily glanced up at her. "Doctor, you have my gratitude for your care, but there isn't any more you can do here. Please excuse us."

Niabe nodded. "Sure." She retreated from the room, leaving the four Laushires alone.

As soon as she was gone, Lily grasped Kendra's hand with both of her own, and began her work. She opened the stream of magic once again, creating a loop. As soon as Kendra's magic reached her, Lily sent it right back out to her sister, letting it build up between them.

This has to work. She needs to wake up.

"...Lily," asked Mary unsteadily, "what are you doing?"

"Kenni lost herself trying to keep me alive," said Lily, gasping a little as she felt her life draining out of herself. Compared to Kendra or any of the other awakened, the effect of Lily's magic on her own body was very direct and pronounced. As a being created by magic, she only survived by its constant input, so any drain was immediately—and painfully—felt.

Lily kept pushing, but it didn't matter if Kendra never actually accepted what she offered. She squeezed Kendra's hand tighter, trying to will her sister awake.

A pull on the energy pooling between them. Kendra's eyelashes fluttered. Her mouth moved. Her other arm snaked up to brush fiery-red hair out of her eyes. Lily smiled as Kendra's eyes refocused and found her.

"It's about time," Lily muttered.

Kendra coughed. "You might have mentioned your travel plans," she murmured, barely above a whisper.

Lily smiled even wider. "I felt homesick."

Kendra's blue eyes flicked around the room, trying to figure out where she was—without the contacts she should have been wearing. Lily grabbed the spare glasses from the bedside table drawer, where they'd sat unused for nearly a decade. She helped Kendra put them on, bringing the room into proper focus.

"Home," Kendra murmured. She finally spotted her parents over Lily's shoulder, still standing by the doorway. "I see."

"We've introduced ourselves," said Lily.

"To what degree?"

"As your creation."

Kendra nodded. She started to pull herself up to a sitting position, but coughing quickly overtook her. Lily forced her back down again, wrapping her in blankets and checking to make sure the IV drip was well-secured.

"I apologize for the inconvenience," said Kendra. Lily wasn't quite sure if she was speaking to her sister, or their parents.

Neither, apparently, was Thomas, who answered first. "Kenni, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For everything. For what I said, for—"

"Please," said Kendra. Lily smirked at her sister, since their parents couldn't see her from their angle. Neither were particularly surprised by this turn of events—and both found it rather tedious. Ancient history, which neither felt a particular need to revisit. "We have more important business to attend to."

"Such… such as?" asked Thomas, taken aback.

"I trust you know the identity I've been operating under the past four months?" asked Kendra mildly. Lily wondered if she could appear so confident and well-spoken mere minutes after waking from a coma. "You invited me here."

"What is she talking about, dear?" asked Mary, glancing at her husband.

"...Wilmore. L Wilmore." Laushire glanced at Lily. "You're Wilmore?"

Lily glanced at her sister. "We both are."

"Honestly, father, this will go much quicker if you simply presume us to be the same person, at least for the moment," said Kendra. "Lily is me, and I her."

"So… you're not sisters?" asked Thomas, confused. "But, she—"

Lily sighed. "It's difficult to explain."

"Quite," said Mary dryly.

"We both conduct business as Lily Wilmore," said Kendra. "That is all which matters for our discussion today."

"Which is?" asked Thomas.

"Well, you invited us," said Lily. "I presume you had a particular agenda in mind."

"That is—" Thomas spluttered. "I don't— I didn't expect you to be my daughter!"

"Daughters," corrected Kendra mildly. "Nor did you plan the negotiations to take place inside our childhood bedroom, I'd imagine."

"It's nice to be home, though," added Lily, glancing around. They haven't moved a thing. Everything right as I left it… or as she left it, I suppose.

"I wish it were under better circumstances," said Kendra, "but sadly, events conspired against us."

"Having two unrelated attempts on one's life in two days puts a damper on the mood," said Lily.

"Two?" asked Kendra, glancing at her sister in surprise.

"I included the prowler from Mr. Hendricks," said Lily with a shrug. "I've no doubt he would have killed us given the opportunity. If Mr. Ashe hadn't been there..."

"Hendricks," Mary cut in. "He's the one that girl just named on telly—the man responsible for everything that happened in that awful town, yes?"

"It wasn't awful," said Lily.

Kendra nodded. "Awful things happened there, but the town was rather lovely, all things considered."

"He wants to kill you?" asked Thomas, outraged.

Lily sighed. "Not personally, I believe. It's more of a general homicidal intent."

"Genocidal, really," added Kendra.

"How can you… Kenni, please, how are you two so calm about this?" asked Mary weakly.

"Months living in hiding," said Lily.

Mary gasped. "The Winscombe girl," she said.

Kendra and Lily exchanged a surprised look. "...What about her?" asked Lily.

"She said daughters. Kendra and Lily," Mary added, glancing between them. "She knew. You were in hiding with her all along."

Lily nodded. "Not together, but yes, Hailey Winscombe is an associate of ours."

"A troublesome one, I take it," said Thomas.

"A valued friend," Lily shot back. "She saved Kenni's life, more than once."

Thomas shook his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend." He frowned. "She was here yesterday. We made a deal with her."

"What sort of deal?" asked Kendra, sitting up slightly. She was recovering, to Lily's relief. Lily leaned back to help fluff her pillows into their favorite arrangement, making sure she was comfortable before continuing. "Hailey Winscombe is now an international fugitive."

"Financial assistance," said Thomas. "I promised to fund her upcoming legal battle with Cornelius Malton."

"Ah," said Kendra.

"A noble cause," Lily agreed. "If it will assist the case at all, I am willing to testify on her behalf, as the abductee in Malton's recent venture."

"But…" said Thomas, glancing at her with obvious concerns.

Lily sighed. "My existence is bound to come to light sooner or later. The rumors have already begun to spread."

"We'd appreciate your assistance in that regard," added Kendra, adjusting her position on the bed again. Lily leaned in and helped her move to a more comfortable position. "Lily will soon be impossible to conceal, but her nature must remain private. I intended to discuss this very topic with you over our negotiations, before we were so rudely interrupted."

"Cornelius never did understand proper etiquette," said Mary with a faint smirk.

Thomas nodded. "She is our daughter."

"Of course I am," said Lily, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "But you'll have to produce sufficient documentation to support that claim. I'd suggest some particular reason of concealing your twin daughters for so long—perhaps at our request, to mitigate the scandal somewhat."

"The public already assumes I hated Kendra," said Thomas.

"Nonsense," snapped Kendra, sitting up straight against the headboard. "That was a family dispute. I've never felt anything amiss."

"But—"

"I haven't thought about it in years," said Kendra dismissively. She really hasn't, mused Lily. Once we left England, we didn't care at all about the family business anymore. "As soon as I'm ready to make public statements, we should put this gossip to rest. Agreed?"

Thomas looked like he might cry. Mary spoke up as he turned away. "Yes. We'll talk more later. Your father and I have something to attend to, don't we dear?"

"...Yes," said Thomas. The two of them hurried from the room.

Lily shot a significant look at Kendra.

Her sister smirked. "What?"

"Laid on a little thick, didn't you?"

"Hush," said Kendra. "Besides, whatever happened to playing the part of the rebellious, outspoken twin?"

"Honestly, my heart just wasn't in it," said Lily with a sigh. "As fun as it was for a few months, it's actually quite exhausting to carry on with."

"You're the expert," said Kendra mildly, twisting around. "Where's my laptop?"

"I don't think anyone thought to bring it," said Lily. "I could fetch it—"

Kendra took her hand, holding her tight. "Stay, please?"

"Of course." If I were her right now, I'd want someone to actually comfort me. It's not undignified if it's myself, in absolute privacy. Lily got into the bed, laying down next to her sister and hugging her. "Is this—"

"Yes," said Kendra.

"You were out for nearly a day," said Lily quietly. "Why didn't you—"

"I told you," said Kendra firmly. "It's out of the question."

"But—"

"Lily, please."

"Kenni, if you're going to die, I'll die anyway," said Lily irritably. "What does it matter then? Just let go of me."

"I won't."

"We were lucky. If something like this happens again…"

"We'll be smarter." Kendra shook her head. "Did you close the Mettis deal?"

"You asked me that already," said Lily. "With Agent Ashe."

"Ah." Kendra nodded. "Right."

"Are you certain you're well?" asked Lily, brushing her sister's hair to get rid of the tangles from her hectic day. "You just woke up from a coma. That can't be easy for a woman your age."

"Watch it," said Kendra.

Lily smirked just out of Kendra's sight. "What do you think? We're far outside Brian's reach here. Should we stay in London for a while?" Kendra didn't reply right away, so Lily kept thinking aloud. "It'll be a little more difficult to coordinate our business in the Northwest, but with our father's operation, we can start to work on other markets. His R&D division will be invaluable in exploring application of pocket dimensions."

"Dangerous," murmured Kendra.

"As all technology," Lily reminded her, their usual justification. "Better that we put it to proper use and control its growth appropriately."

"I'm tired…" said Kendra. She closed her eyes, but Lily could tell she wasn't actually trying to go to sleep yet.

"Kenni, we should decide on this now, before I go back out there."

"Remember when we decided to teach?" asked Kendra.

"Of course I do," said Lily.

"Because it was more fulfilling. Because we could shape fresh new minds and help build a better world."

"Horribly optimistic."

"We failed, didn't we?"

"Our prime student is world-famous," Lily pointed out.

Kendra laughed as they both considered the paradox of Hailey Winscombe—the perfect student who'd practically vanished from their classes over the past year—now exploding onto the world stage. The reasons for Hailey's current prominence sobered them. "I can't help thinking we could have done more."

"We planned to. Our goals were cut short by factors far beyond our control." Lily sighed. "You must stop this cycle. Magic couldn't be predicted. You can't blame yourself for failing to keep everything in line."

"He was one of our students too," said Kendra. "He chose genocide. What does that say about us?"

"Jackson was before my time," said Lily, taking the easy way out.

Kendra sighed. "We failed him, we failed Hailey, and we failed Natalie."

Lily winced. "...I agree with you on the latter."

"I'm sorry," said Kendra.

"We were so distracted," said Lily quietly. "Self-obsessed."

"You saw her at the funeral," said Kendra. "She's as strong as she ever was, and she still has the money and the bag you made her."

Lily didn't say anything. She still felt bad that their surrogate daughter had vanished right under their noses, so to speak. If anything, it was Lily's fault. On the night that the Diaries had been announced, Lily had panicked. After seeing one of the excerpts contained their name, she'd locked down the house.

At the same time, Kendra had enacted several spells to protect herself at the office, which they ended up maintaining. Between the two of them, they'd used so much magic in one burst that it left them drained and weak, barely able to move. Neither could answer Natalie's fearful messages—or the far more surprising message from Rachel. By the time they'd recovered, Kendra had little time to set lawyers in motion to prevent the publication of the Diaries, which also necessitated swift verification that they were, in fact, still alive.

It was a hectic weekend, to say the least.

"We'll do what we're best at," said Lily finally.

Kendra nodded. "We shall."

Lily brushed her hair a few more times, before finally getting up. "Go to sleep, Kenni. I'll get to work."

"...Lily?" said Kendra, just as she was about to leave.

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you're here."

Lily nodded. "Go to sleep, Kenni."

Kendra's eyes slid closed. Lily turned and left the room, closing the door and walking as swiftly as she could—so that Kendra wouldn't hear her begin to cry. The realization had been settling in slowly over time, as Lily realized just how much Kendra valued her.

After all, their spells didn't just stay up. Every dimensional rift, every pocket void had to be maintained. If both sisters were asleep, the voids collapsed. They constructed them in such a way that the interior could be rebuilt easily, but nothing was permanent. Even the bags they made had to be fed with energy constantly, but their latest innovation included a gold lining gave them a sort of battery which stored enough magic to stay intact through any typical night's sleep, if the user was either too weak or unfocused to maintain it themselves, or simply unwilling to drain that much away each night.

Yet Kendra—every single night while she slept, and even through a coma that threatened her life—had kept Lily alive and breathing. Every single beat of her heart, every breath, every blood cell rushing through her veins was thanks to her sister's unfaltering dedication.

Lily dabbed at her eyes with a cloth. She hurried to the nearest guest room and put on the clothes she'd retrieved. Finally, well-dressed and clean-faced, she emerged back into the house. For the rest of the day, she would be Kendra. She'd conduct their business and set in motion the plans the sisters had spent months preparing.

It's time to come out now, Lily.