and as you leave there are children playing at your feet

Thoery closed her eyes and tried to push the tears down deep. Poem was suffering so much, she didn't want to lay her own burden at her sister's feet. One of them had to be strong right now, even if it was only pretend. Theo pressed her forehead hard against Poem's, nuzzling her sister's face briefly. "After this, will you be allowed to visit?" Theory didn't think her heart could take it if Poem was going to be sequestered for the rest of the year. Would she be able to make social calls? Even if not as an alpha... just as her sister. She didn't want to complicate Poem's situation by adding unnecessary tension.

"Well, I guess you'll have to show me what you learn when you come home," Theo said hoarsely, putting additional emphasis on the word home. This was where Poem belonged. Together they could stand vigil with Motif next year at Shaye's grave once a year had elapsed. "And... it's no one's fault," she added fiercely. Shaye's death was unavoidable, even if she wished that the powers that be had chosen an easier fate. Why couldn't she die quietly in her sleep? Late at night Theory pictured her struggling underground, gasping for breath and finding only dirt. The alpha hadn't slept a full night in weeks.