I awoke to the sound of Mot hissing. Not like a cat (although I did hear the hissing of cats as well). It was more like the hissing that TNT makes before exploding, which Mot often did, bring a half-creeper. But it was the thought of the cats that intrigued me. I loved cats, but was obviously not allowed to have one due to Mot's hatred of them.

I emerged from the castle to find that Mot had fallen into a trap that was set up. The hole he was in was full of hissing and growling cats, and Mot was imitating explosion noises. I was about to be horrified, thinking this was Dianite's doing, until I looked to the right and saw Jeriah laughing. Was this really a prank?

"What's going on?" I shouted, running over to the pit. Mot was literally throwing a hissy-fit, backing away from the cats.

"No need to look so upset, Alyssa," Jeriah laughed. "It's just a prank. Have you ever seen your dad around cats before?"

"N... no," I stammered. Looking at Mot's state, I decided that I didn't find it funny. My poor father wasn't enjoying this at all!

"Where are you going?" I heard Jeriah shout as I turned and dashed back into the house. I rummaged through a few nearby chests before finding a half-used diamond shovel. It was heavy, but I managed to carry it back out to the front of the castle and start digging up the ground.

Thank you!" Mot panted, climbing up the staircase of dirt I had made for him. To everyone's horror, the cats followed suit, desperately trying to escape. We suddenly had about ten loose cats on our hands, and Jeriah was going mad attempting to round them back up.

"What was this for?" Mot asked furiously. "I thought you weren't one for pranking! You were disgusted before when you heard how much your alter ego pranked people."

Jeriah suddenly froze. After a moment of stunned silence, he recovered and shrugged. "Dunno. Just felt like it." As he raced off after the cats, I saw Mot narrow his eyes, and I couldn't help but feel the same way.

It was late at night, and Mot still wasn't back. He had told me that they were going to practice night-fighting, just in case, and that I should put myself to bed. Now, mind you, despite my age, there was still something comforting about having my father tuck me into bed and tell me he loved me. It was a moment that warmed my heart every night, and I felt very out-of-place going to sleep without him.

It was late at night that the ignorant comments of the others really took a toll on me. Perhaps it was how the darkness mirrored my own dark thoughts, or maybe it was just that I got emotional when I was tired. Either way, I was sitting in my room alone, sobbing.

"It's so unfair," I whispered to the starry sky. "They call me a child who understands nothing. I should be protected and sheltered from the terrible outside world. They think I'm worthless." I squeezed a pillow for comfort, and tears streamed down my face. "Maybe... I am worthless."

"You really are different from the others, aren't you?" an amused voice said from the other side of the room.

I let out a muffled scream. "Dianite, why are you here? I figured you'd be snooping on the adults' plans."

He snorted. "Yeah, right. Those weaklings aren't accomplishing anything over there. Thought I'd at least take a look at the only one who has common sense around here."

"You think I have more common sense than them?" I asked, surprised. That was the first time anyone had complimented my intelligence in... as long as I could remember.

"Well, maybe not. But let's just say that, in many cases, you are more intelligent and more understanding than the rest of them. You are certainly more observant than the others. And less ignorant. And, in the heat of battle, could probably lead a battle much better than any of them. They're mostly brawn, with little brain to make up for it. And then there's you, the one person who won't be participating in the battle!" He laughed again.

Another tear slipped out. "Well I suppose that goes with what you said, doesn't it? They're ignorant."

I may not have been able to see him, but I could tell he was smiling. "That's right, child. Your father, see, is blinded by his past and his need to be the hero in every situation. I assume he had a significant past with my alternate self, so that affects how he acts around me. And that Spark boy? He's too caught up in emotions. Not very intelligent, at least not by my standards. Right away, he advanced on my sister, and he feels like he can keep her sane when I'm around. Ha! He is far from understanding gods, at least from what I've seen. And Jeriah? He's blinded by hate. He will do anything to get people to stop annoying him! Even annoy others."

The last thing Dianite said proved it. "You made Jeriah pull that prank on Mot, didn't you?"

The god laughed. "I don't know about 'made'. Wasn't forced. I just made him a deal and he took it. I'm impressed with how you figured that out, though. What else gave it away?"

I smiled slightly at the compliment. "I knew it wasn't like Jeriah. And I knew that you were the god of mayhem and mischief, so it made perfect sense. I just thought that Jeriah wasn't stupid enough to make a deal with the devil himself."

"Well, I guess you were wrong about him." Dianite sounded like he was about to say more, but Mot called something from the distance.

I quickly wiped away the tears that had been resting on face. "I'm upstairs, Dad! I haven't gone to sleep yet." I turned and whispered, "Bye, Dianite."

He let out a short laugh. "Goodbye and good night, Alyssa."