Author's Note: Hey everyone! It's me again, Firechick. I am seriously boooooooooored right now, so I felt like working on this. By the way, this chapter is going to show what Rainbow is really about! Also, I can't wait for Sunday. Me and my friends are going to hang out at our town's local festival! Yes! I don't get to do that very often, so that's a plus for me. Well, I better start working on this chapter! I shouldn't be slacking off, now should I? You have all waited for it, and now you shall have your delicious cake in the form of Oria of Araceli chapter 20! Read and review nicely please! NO FLAMES! Bye-bee!

CHAPTER 20: Spreading My Wings To Freedom

A dreadful morning this was, indeed! The entire house was in an uproar, in both shock and worry. Lavinia, of all Esthers, unconscious on the kitchen floor! After Margery sent Oria and Yoko to fetch Raballo, she and Luljeta carried the unconscious girl to her room. They were quite shocked upon feeling how hot Lavinia's little body is. Hot as fire, it was! It was absolutely dreadful. She sure wasn't looking very robust or salutary today. No she wasn't. The other Esthers worried and paced around, wondering what was going to happen to her. Of course, Margery yelled at them to do whatever they could in order to help Lavinia. Clover and Anne made some nice, hot soup even though in this weather soup would normally be extraneous. Pence and Espina both washed Lavinia down with two small bags of ice, hoping to cool her burning body down. But it didn't seem like anything really worked. Lavinia's breathing was quite labored, and the sound she made when she coughed was dreadful. It wasn't croup, but she was still painfully sick overall. After a few minutes of waiting, Oria and Yoko successfuly arrived with Raballo by their side. Raballo came with all of his medical tools and examined Lavinia, going from checking her pulse to looking into her mouth to see if she had swallowed something she shouldn't have. She wasn't choking, but Raballo could tell from looking at the poor, forlorn girl that she is certainly very, very ill.

Nobody could do anything except watch, their hearts heavy with worry, fear, and anticipation. Espina clutched herself tightly, as she is the one who is the most worried about Lavinia. The two are best friends, even though Espina didn't take very kindly to Lavinia's complex about playing with others and doing nothing but housework when she would be better off just being a normal little Esther girl, flying through the sky, frolicking through the fields, making little flower wreathes, and embracing the summer breeze merrily and happily like a little sparrow. Not only that, Espina also noticed something else quite queer, something that others had been suspicious of for quite a while: not once did Lavinia EVER, EVER use her wings. Espina knew of only one time Lavinia's wings were present, and that was when they first sprouted out of her back! Not once did Lavinia ever use them after that! Espina has been on Araceli for a year and a half-soon to be two-and Lavinia has been here for 9 months, so Espina could tell right away that Lavinia neglected her precious wings. Not only did Espina know the color of her wings, she also knew what her jewel crest is: a silver spoon. A perfectly clean, pristine silver spoon on the top of her left shoulder. Many Esthers wondered why her jewel crest was a silver spoon of all things.

Their question was about to be answered by Raballo.

He put something in Lavinia's mouth, and looked everyone with a calm but solemn expression.

"Alright. I have bad news and good news. The good news is Lavinia is not as ill as we thought she'd be. She'll be just fine after a few days of well needed rest," Raballo told them with a solemn smile.

Everyone both sighed and cheered with relief.

"Oh! How wonderful!" Anne exclaimed.

"She isn't going to perish! What joy!" Espina yelled happily as she hugged Oria.

"Thank the lord!" Oria herself cried out.

"What an immense relief!" Luljeta said with a sigh.

"I thought for sure she was gonna perish in the next hour or so!" Raven piped in.

But Raballo wasn't done yet.

"Hold on. I'm not finished yet. The bad news is...I apologize for sounding rather rude, but look at Lavinia's hands here," Raballo explained as he took one of Lavinia's small hands and showed it to everyone.

Much to their surprise, they look quite dirty and red. They looked as if they had been used for a great many tasks and not given even one minute of rest. Not only that, parts of her fingers have lines on them and looked much redder than her palms. They felt very hard, too.

"Ouch. That's gotta hurt," Raven said finally.

"I'm not blaming you for anything, but I believe that Lavinia has been overworked. Her heart is beating very fast and her toes and fingers have been hardened very slightly," Raballo told them calmly.

Everyone became crestfallen.

"Overworked? How is that so?" Yoko asked.

"I have no idea," Clover replied.

"Forgive me if I'm being kinda rude, but I'll have you know that Luljeta, Raven, and Margery NEVER make the children work and work until they drop! Our daily chores alternate every day! There has to be some kind of different reason for this!" Pence edicted.

"I'm not accusing anyone of anything. I'm just simply saying what I feel has caused Lavinia's sickness," Raballo told them.

It was Luljeta who finally told.

"I...I've suspected this."

Everyone turned their heads to look at her.

"What do you mean?" Oria asked.

Luljeta looked very pained, but she gathered her mettle and decided to tell everyone why she suspected that Lavinia had been overworked.

"Lavinia...has this complex where she feels she has to do every single chore and duty in this house. I have no idea why. I've tried to make her play with the other Esthers and to teach her that everyone is assigned a different chore every day, but she wouldn't listen to me no matter what. I'm sure she has her reasons, but in this house there are no drudges or slaves or anything. That's not how we treat our Esthers. At one point I saw her working deep in the night scrubbing the floors. I tried to stop her, but she insisted that it was her duty to do so. I honestly and truly feel bad about this. I also learned that she is not one to complain about anything."

Luljeta knew very well the extent to which Lavinia's obeisant and slave-like traits and compulsions would reach, especially if they were allowed to completely take over her very being. She knew this extremely well. From experience. She couldn't help but remember incidents from the past. She is very cognizant of the fact that Lavinia preferred doing chores over playing with the other Esthers. She knew this well.

"Lavinia? You can stop now. I'll take it from here. Go and play with the girls."

"I don't play with the other Esthers. I don't like them. And I'm not finished with my work yet!"

"Lavinia? Why are you doing the laundry? This is Pence's task for today."

"It's my duty, not his! I'll do the laundry!"

"Lavinia! You're cooking the stew even after you burned yourself! Please, let Jacqui handle this for now!"

"NO! This burn is nothing! A burn is no excuse for me to slack off! I can't slack off! I have to earn my keep!"

She couldn't understand why Lavinia's obeisant personality would be so persistent and static. She felt horrible for not being assertive about stopping it.

"I should've seen this coming! I should've seen it take its toll on her! And she's so young!" Luljeta exclaimed, sounding like she's about to cry. Raven put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't blame yourself. We all didn't see it. She's probably really good at hiding it," Raven told her.

"I just don't understand! Not one bit! Why did she never tell me? Or anyone?" Luljeta said. Nobody could understand why Lavinia's personality and obeisant compulsions finally took their toll.

But it seems someone did.

It was Suzu who broke the silence.

"Ummm...this may sound really weird, but...does anyone else think that this could be related to why she came to Araceli?" Suzu asked quietly and innocently.

This question made everyone gasp with realization.

"Oh! Of course! Why did I not think of that before!" Luljeta exclaimed loudly.

"Me neither! We all came to Araceli because of something that happened in our previous life, and perhaps maybe our personalities and our qualities all come from that very reason!" Margery exclaimed.

"That could be it! Maybe Lavinia's like this because of stuff that happened when she was human!" Raven edicted.

"Maybe this could be part of Rainbow too!" Oria piped in.

Everyone began talking amongst themselves while Raballo tried to calm them all down.

"Now now everyone. Please, calm yourselves. Think what you want, but for now the best thing is to help Lavinia get better. I believe my time here is finished," Raballo told them.

"Oh! Yes, indeed. We apologize for getting carried away. Thank you very much for your help. I'll be sure to send you some freshly made blueberry bread once her fever breaks," Luljeta bobbed a polite courtesy in front of Raballo.

"I'll look forward to it. Good day, everyone!" Raballo smiled as he parted with the Esthers and decided to return to the city, leaving all the other Esthers behind him.

The only problem was that he didn't get a chance to leave. Why? Because Lavinia began to wake up and was stirring in bed. Raballo immediately stopped once he began to hear her moaning. Lavinia is trying to get out of bed.

"No! I...I can't rest. Not once! I...I have to go work..." Lavinia murmured as she struggled to get out of bed. Pence was the first to run to her.

"Oh, no you don't! You're too sick to do anything! You have to get some rest!" Pence told her as he tried to put her back into bed.

But she wasn't having it.

"I can't rest! I just can't! I can't slack on my duties!"

"You're not slacking! Your body can't handle the stress of working right now! You have to rest!"

"Yes it can! I can't rest! I have do work NOW!"

This time she was starting to become hysterical. She wriggled and writhed, trying to get out from Pence's grip. Raven finally decided to help him out.

"Lavinia! Listen for once! If you push yourself too hard, your sickness will get stronger and you'll perish!" Raven yelled angrily. Some of the young Esthers ran away once the scene began to become quite the uproar, so she didn't notice.

"NO! I have to work! I have to! I have to!"

"Are working and doing chores really more important to you than your own life!"

Young Lavinia finally snapped.

"YES! YES THEY ARE! WORKING IS MORE IMPORTANT TO ME THAN MY LIFE! I'M YOUR SLAVE, AREN'T I!"

Practically everyone (except Raven and Pence) gasped, shocked with what they just heard. It all made sense now! Lavinia's constant need to do chores to the point where she'd get sick. Her complex about not letting others do their assigned tasks. Her distaste for playing with the other Esthers. Her distaste of using her own wings, which Lavinia often said she had no use for. Luljeta realized it immediately: she's morbidly convinced that she's nothing but a slave, whose sole purpose is to work and be scolded with beatings and starvation! Luljeta simply couldn't comprehend Lavinia thinking of herself as a lowly drudge. Even the thought of it made her fall to her knees. It was at this point that Lavinia began to get violent. She screamed and wailed while Raven and Pence tried to subdue her. One second later she slapped Pence square in the face as she tried to get out of his grip, which scared Suzu to the point of crying loudly. This made Raballo leap into the scene with a needle in his rugged hand.

He leaped into the fray, grabbed Lavinia's arm, and very quickly stuck the needle into her. Lavinia gasped a big heap of air, and then she felt drowsy and woosy. A second later, she finally fell unconscious into Raven's arms. A lot of the Esthers that watched the brouhaha were scared to death. Suzu clung to Oria and cried and cried. Raven put Lavinia back in bed. Margery faced the rest of the Esthers and clapped her hands once.

"Everyone! What are you standing around for? Freshen yourselves up and get to the dining hall for breakfast! I don't want any more sick children in this house! Suzu! Stop crying right this instant! Go on! Get to it!" Margery edicted. Everyone ran to their rooms and began getting ready for the day. Suzu continued to cry incessantly, which of course angered Margery, but she felt no need to stop him since now she could barely hear it. She looked down at Luljeta who is on her knees, trembling.

"Luljeta...come down to our room. I'll have Raven take care of Lavinia today. Please," Margery told her quietly but rather unsympathetically. Luljeta did force herself up and followed Margery out of the room, leaving Raven, Lavinia, and Raballo in the room.

"Dr. Raballo...I'm sorry all this happened," Raven told him with a worried look on her face.

"It's quite alright. To be perfectly honest, a lot of Esthers are getting sick lately. Lavinia's is just caused by her working too much, but I'm starting to see something more. I don't know all the details yet, but I'm going to do some research. I'd best be leaving now. Good day, Raven," He explained calmly and finally left the room.

But even so, everyone, including the young Esthers, couldn't help but worry. Even the young kids, who are always so energetic and playful and carefree, worried. The entire meal was silent. The only sounds that are present in the room are the chop-chop-chop of the knife, the flipping of the spatula, Suzu's quiet sobbing, and the fire crackling and burning in the Waterloo stove. Everyone ate their meals without a spec of sound. Finally, Oria couldn't take the silence anymore. She stood up, walked away from the table, and approached Raven.

"Umm...Raven? Can I ask you something?" Oria asked softly, with worry making her voice tremble.

"Sure. What is it?" Raven said.

"Could...could I take some breakfast to Lavinia's room? I'm sure she must be hungry by now," Oria asked. Raven could see very well her blue green eyes trembling with worry and fear. But she feared that Oria could also get sick if she were to get into contact with Lavinia. She kneeled down in front of her and sympathetically put a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry, Oria. I know you're worried about her, and that's nice of you, but she's real sick right now. I don't want you getting sick too. I'll give her some breakfast, though I highly doubt she'll eat it. But we're doing what we can to help her. Just sit tight, okay?" Raven told her softly. She knew that Oria would not be satisfied by this answer, but what else could she do? Raven did, however, smile a bit at the fact that Oria is so worried about her. She admired that side of her. But she also needed to consider the consequences. What if Lavinia's sickness got to Oria and then the other Esthers? She didn't want to even think about it. Instead, she decided to take some breakfast to Lavinia's room.

So, the next few days were quiet, uneventful, and strangely idyllic, even with all the tension in the air. The children continued with their lessons and their leisure, though their minds were still wracked with worry over Lavinia. It hindered their desire for leisure and time for play, which they usually always wanted. But it seemed Oria was the most worried out of all of them. She couldn't help but wonder about a great many things regarding Lavinia and her obeisant personality. To Oria, Lavinia always had been a decorous, impartial girl who always displayed propriety and revered authority as if they were omnipotent Gods. But it seemed her viewing adults as omnipotent Gods who ruled over the weak is Lavinia's biggest, most fatal flaw. Could that be it? Could Lavinia's overly humble respect for adults, tendency to do chores, refusal to play with other Esthers, and forbidding usage of her own wings be preventing her from doing what she truly wants? Oria figured, no, knew, that what Lavinia REALLY and truly wanted was freedom. But perhaps maybe she thinks she will be scolded dreadfully for even wanting freedom? She couldn't help but wonder.

Yearning for answers, Oria decided to ask Luljeta about Lavinia's arrival on Araceli. Lavinia was born 7 months before Oria, in a patch of Luljeta's orange lilies. Her wings, Luljeta said, are a beautiful rosy pink color, like the color of one's cheeks if they were to blush. But Luljeta noticed that Lavinia began to stop playing with the young Esthers and instead watch over them and make sure they didn't cause any trouble. It was as if she wanted to grow up and be an adult quickly. Lavinia always acted mature, even to the point of being a little vain about it. But she always revered the adults and respected authority. But what shocked Luljeta, and a lot of other Esthers, the most was when Lavinia, one day, suddenly said this:

"These wings are of no use to me. I am not worthy of them."

Luljeta kept wondering why Lavinia would never use her wings, as to Esthers, the wings are their most prized and most cherished gifts. Wings represent freedom, and they're used to fly in the sky, towards endless possibilities. Nobody understood why, but it seems now everyone did. Lavinia prefers being a slave over being allowed to embrace freedom. She is chained by her strange, eccentric behavior (perhaps related to her past life, everyone began to wonder) and her wings have been forsaken. Oria felt awful hearing the story. She felt bad for poor Lavinia, such a sweet and decorous girl to think of herself as a slave and not an Esther like she truly is. Upon hearing her tale, something stirred inside Oria. Oria humbly decided to help Lavinia use her wings and shed her obeisant behavior once and forever. Perhaps maybe this is what she needs in order to be reborn!

As for Lavinia herself, over the past few days her fever has broken and she began to feel better, but each time she slept she seemed to be having nightmares. Raven was given the job to take care of her, so she could tell quickly that something is wrong. Each time she visited her or tended to her, Lavinia tossed and turned in her bed endlessly, even talking in her sleep! She said things like, "I-I'll do whatever you say," and "No! Please! It's my fault! Blame me!" and "I'm the one...who has to support them. They're my family," and "They're right. I have no say in anything. I'm nothing but their slave!" and even "Will I ever...be free? Free of this wretched life? Everyone expects me to do whatever they want and give me nothing back. I have to earn my keep just like they say. I have to be...perfect!" Raven was shocked upon hearing these words. But she also suspected that they came from her past life. No, not suspected. She believed it. Thankfully enough, Lavinia did respond to whatever Raven did. She ate her food, she took the medicine, and she didn't even bother to beg for work to do. Her body simply did not want to live up to her childish and unrealistic expectations right now. Perhaps she finally realized that she needs to regain her strength before doing anything again.

Then, on the fourth day, Lavinia was locked in a dream.

(dream)

Lavinia, dressed in nothing but a ragged cobalt blue dress, a dirty light brown apron, black stockings and brown shoes, trotted along a dirt road, trying to carry a large bucket full of water with her skinny arms. She struggled to keep it in place so the water would not fall out of it. After a few painstaking steps, she finally arrived at a small wooden house, where she was greeted by the sound of screaming children running around and hitting each other with toys, and a large woman with a very incensed look on her face.

"Where have you wasted you time!" The woman yelled in a raspy voice, which scared Lavinia.

"I-I'm sorry, Aunt Ingrid. The bucket's so heavy-" Lavinia tried to explain, her voice and worn out arms and legs trembling with pain and exhaustion, but she was interrupted by Ingrid's voice, full of anger.

"You wicked, wicked girl! Don't ever make excuses and tell falsehoods in this house! You should know by now! I brought you up by hand! You should be grateful that I was kind enough to give you a home! Now, start earning your keep! Go get the laundry out from the back!" Ingrid yelled angrily as she tended to a crying baby. Lavinia put down the bucket, ran out into the back yard, and decided to take the folded clothes off of a line in between the trees. She couldn't help but feel anger stirring in her heart.

'I've been working and trying to earn my keep for years and years, and yet I haven't gotten it at all! Is this...really going to be my life? Am I destined to be nothing but a worthless, thankless slave, whose sole purpose is to work and work and work and be scolded and starved and yelled at? I don't want to do this anymore, but I have to! For...the sake of my brothers and sisters!' Lavinia thought as she folded the laundry and put the clothes in the basket.

She carried it all throughout the house and into Ingrid's room. She could feel her body about to break down any moment. Her hands were tired, her arms were tired, her legs were tired, her feet were tired, every bone in her body grew more and more tired every day. She didn't even notice how cracked, bruised, and red her hands and feet were becoming. Her eyesight began to blur, she walked more slowly, and she began to totter and lose her balance. She had a stinging headache which grew worse and worse. Ingrid's yelling didn't exactly help in making it go away either.

"Lavinia! Get down here this instant! The kitchen's a mess and I've got my hands full with the kids! Stop lazing around, you little witch!"

Poor, weakened Lavinia didn't even care that she heard Ingrid yell angrily and raspily. All she did was walk across the room and attempt to walk down the stairs and tend to the unkempt kitchen, with all its dirty dishes and unwashed potatoes.

That's when everything went wrong.

She couldn't see anymore. Her eyesight began to blur and blur until she couldn't see at all. She began to become unsteady and lose her balance. Soon, her eyes finally closed.

Everything went black.

She could feel herself falling.

Then...

THUD!

(end dream)

"AHH!"

Lavinia gasped as she awoke from her nightmare. Wanting to make sure that she truly is awake, she looked around the room. She saw nothing but wooden walls, the window next to her bed looking upon the meadow, a tall bureau full of clothes, a little night stand with an oil lamp on it, and her blue muslin rug sitting on the floor. The house in her dream certainly didn't look as clean, neat, and tidy as Lavinia's room is now. But her dream was so lurid she couldn't help but think that she actually thought that the dream, at one point, really felt like reality. Like she could actually feel all of her energy draining away from her body, the heaviness of the bucket of water, the ear-splitting yells of the children and the strange, cruel woman named Ingrid, and the exhaustion she felt from working so hard. Lavinia did not feel any of these now. Her room is dead quiet and she felt ready for anything. Her fever finally broke and she felt better. But it seemed her servility is still taking over her as she attempted to get out of bed and do whatever duty she felt she needed to do (or steal from someone else who is assigned that particular duty), but she stopped when she saw Oria enter the room.

"Oh! Lavinia! You're awake! How are you feeling?" Oria exclaimed sweetly.

Lavinia snuck back into the bed and looked at her now folded hands. "I...I'm feeling better."

"That's wonderful! I brought you some treats that Pence got from the city's sweet shop. They're delicious!" Oria said as she gave Lavinia a small brown paper bag with some sweet treats in it. But Lavinia did not look at the bag, nor did she touch it. She kept her dejected look on her face as she stared at her hands.

"...Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you treat me so kindly?"

Oria knew what she was talking about, but she gave her her answer anyway.

"It's because you are an Esther, just like I. We Esthers never divide people and put them in social classes. It's wrong."

Lavinia didn't buy it. She squeezed her hands.

"I...I am nothing but an indolent little scullion. I have no right to be a little Esther or eat sweets or gambol or play or lollygag or do anything! I cannot be free, and yet...why don't you, or the others, ever scold me! I deserve to be scolded and starved and beaten and told I'm wicked and indolent!" Lavinia explained sadly, with her dark blue eyes trembling.

Oria kept calm. She knew that being hysterical would not help Lavinia. But she did know that her servility is taking it's toll on her, and she vowed to help her. She is cognizant of the fact that she shouldn't force herself on her. Forcing Lavinia to change will not work. She wanted to help her, but not in a strict way. Perhaps strictness is what brought Lavinia here to Araceli. After a short pause, Oria finally decided to answer. She smiled sweetly at Lavinia and put a hand on her's.

"Lavinia...in this house, everyone is equal. We are all Esthers living on this cloud called Araceli. Do you see people yelling and scolding and beating and starving every single day?"

"No."

"That is because Luljeta and Margery treat us all equally. There are no drudges, slaves, or scullions. There's not to be a line in between all of us classifying what we should and shouldn't be. Don't ever think of yourself as a slave or to do lots of extraneous work. And besides, the Lavinia I see in front of me is not a girl who works until she drops and deserves to be scolded and starved."

"Then...what do you see?"

The thing Oria said now finally said it all.

"The Lavinia I see in front of me is a kind, munificent, decorous person who likes helping people and knows what's truly important. But I want you to ask yourself something. Ask yourself...who am I? And what do I really want? What do I wish to do for the rest of my life? Is all that I'm doing now really worth it? Lavinia...can you do that for me?"

Oria made sure to be tender and kind in saying this to Lavinia, who became quite mystified by what Oria just told her. Right when Oria finished her sentence, Lavinia noticed something different. She felt...different. She felt something stirring inside of her. Something soft and gentle and tender. It seemed to come from Oria, who always treated everyone kindly and tenderly, possibly even the cruelest of people. She no longer felt the desire to overwork herself and succumb to her servility. Those thoughts got drained out of her mind. Oria looked at Lavinia for a minute, then took her hand off of her.

"I'll leave you alone for now. I have to finish my lessons. I hope you enjoy those crepes!" Oria said with a bright smile as she attempted to leave the room. But she didn't.

"Wait! Oria!" Lavinia stopped her from doing so. Lavinia looked down at her folded hands, blushing a little bit.

"Your wings...they're beautiful. I...sometimes I...wish I could fly freely, like you do..." Lavinia murmured.

But Lavinia wasn't at all prepared for Oria's answer to her statement.

"You can fly too! You also have wings, just like all the other Esthers! And I'm certainly sure yours are beautiful too!"

Right then, Lavinia finally froze. Oria didn't quite notice this.

"I have to go now. I have to finish my lessons. But you're more than welcome to eat the treats!" Oria said as she finally trotted out of the room and back to the classroom.

Lavinia was now left alone in her own room, staring down at her folded hands listlessly. She drowned in her mind, going into a pensive state. Her mind drained away all of the thoughts of her going back to work and absorbed what Oria said to her. Lavinia ruminated and ruminated and ruminated. Lavinia didn't seem as though she comprehended what Oria said to her. Flying? Asking herself what she truly wants? Being a normal Esther like everyone else? Lavinia NEVER pictured herself that way. She always thought, no, believed, that she was never anything at all. Nothing but a slave whose sole purpose is to work, do chores, be scolded, be beaten, be starved, and be deprived of everything, especially thanks and freedom. Even at birth she felt obligated to do things for others. Not once did she think she did these things in order to help others and ease their stress. She simply did it because she felt obligated to do endless chores and receive nothing back. That kind of lifestyle was all she ever knew. She didn't think she had any rights at all. No right to be a little girl. No right to have fun. No right to say anything against others. No right to pretty much do anything at all. She never expected gratitude or thanks. She always felt like she had been deprived of those things, even though the grown ups always thanked her when she did her chores. She simply thought it was because they were too polite and silly to scold someone like her. It was as if they didn't know how to be harsh and cruel.

Ever since Oria came to Araceli, Lavinia always saw that she never treated others cruelly or harshly. She always treated them kindly, gently, and tenderly, even toward the cruelest of people (not that she ever met any totally cruel people). When Oria said those things to her just now, something stirred inside Lavinia. Something she had never felt, nor expected to feel, before. She was cognizant of the fact that Oria treated her just the same as everyone else, even though Lavinia always felt she should be treated like a slave and scullion like she feels she should be. She never expected to be told that she had rights, that she too could fly with the other Esthers and spread her wings to freedom. She deemed her own wings useless and vowed never to use them. After a while, Lavinia finally realized what's stirring inside of her fragile heart.

It's the desire to be free.

Although at the back of her mind she wanted to go back to being a self-proclaimed scullion, she looked at the bag of treats, opened it, and ate them. She never ate anything sweet, so the taste is very new to her. But she felt happy eating them. She liked how soft and tender they felt in her mouth. She especially liked the rosy pink chocolate truffle with honey inside of it. After she ate, she got out of bed and got herself dressed. She put on a little navy blue stress covered with stars and puffed lace sleeves, something she had never worn before, her white socks, brown shoes, and red ribbon in the back of her long dark brown hair. She always keeps her hair down, even with her prized red ribbon. She finally walked out of the room. Her sudden newfound desire seemed to be completely taking over, pushing her obeisant thoughts far into the back of her mind. She wanted to lock those thoughts into that little titanium vault in her mind, even for just a little bit, and see what it feels like to be free. She finally made it outside the house.

She watched the children playing. She observed their merry smiles, their endless supply of energy, and how much they enjoyed playing. Lavinia watched and watched closely, while standing on the porch quietly. 'Is this what it's like to play and gambol and have fun?' she thought to herself silently. Nobody seemed to notice her on the porch. But she didn't mind. She walked off the porch and decided to take a little stroll in the woods. It led to the church. She had been to the church once before, when she had been baptized. Not once did she ever venture there again. She heard other Esthers say the church is a nice place to relax and recite orisons and thank God for the lives that he gave them. She decided to go to the church and see what it's like. She didn't think anybody bothered to notice her.

Lavinia had no idea that someone had been watching her.

It was Suzu, who had been playing with Oria, Clover, Espina, and Rocio, who saw her walk into the woods.

"Huh? Lavinia's going into the woods," Suzu said.

"Lavinia? She's feeling better?" Rocio asked innocently.

"Indeed she is! But what would she want to do in the woods?" Clover replied.

"Let's go follow her. I'm sure she's realizing what she wants to do," Oria said.

"Okay! I'm with ya!" Espina said.

The five young Esthers decided to follow Lavinia and see what she's up to. Perhaps this will be a good opportunity to invite her to play with them.

Wanting to make sure they didn't get noticed by her, they decided to fly and watch her from the tree tops. The only one who didn't was Suzu, as he has an animosity for flying. Lavinia gazed at the woods she walked in. She let her small mind absorb the scenery around her; the tall trees with their long black bark and green leaves, their gnarled branches, the small mauve mayflowers and yellow daisies sprouting and blooming from the soft, moist soil, the birds singing and chirping their little songs, and the leaves crackling and rustling underneath her shoes. Her midnight blue eyes got brighter, wider, and more curious, interested. She no longer felt somnolent and weary from when she worked herself ill. It was mostly becayse of what Oria had said to her.

"You can fly too! You also have wings, just like all the other Esthers! And I'm certainly sure yours are beautiful too!"

She never imagined herself being able to fly, let alone allowed to. She always regarded herself as a useless little scullion whose sole purpose is to work and be scolded every day, thanklessly and obeisantly. Lavinia did remember other Esthers saying that her wings were indeed beautiful, but Lavinia never did see why other Esthers held them in such high regard. She always thought of the other Esthers as people who only praised Lavinia in order to manipulate her into thinking she was worth something and then tell her that she's wicked and lazy and ungrateful and should do whatever she was told and to earn her keep. Even Ingrid's words echoed in her head every day, even before Oria was born. Lavinia declined some Esthers' kind offers and turned to doing chores and working to distance herself from the others. It was all so she wouldn't be hurt by people's unkind words.

But Oria is a different story. Right when she first had her first conversation with her, she could see, and feel, right away that Oria's words and actions were, in fact, unfeigned and truthful. She did not know why. Not at all. The more she watched Oria interact with others, the more she began to see that not only were her words and actions were unfeigned, but the others Esthers as well. This had put her into a quandary, one in which she had never felt before. She always doubted the other Esthers, thinking that they only displayed false kindness to her as a way to manipulate her, but now she began to doubt her own actions. 'Was it all really worth it?' she thought as she finally arrived in front of the church.

Although she had already seen it before, it was so long ago. The church, with it's plain, simple, white house and small flowers surrounding it, seemed to placate Lavinia with it's unfeigned plainness. Lavinia somehow felt this strange sense of serenity stirring in her heart. She couldn't help but lock her midnight blue eyes onto the small house, not noticing the figure cloaked in a dark green hood practicing archery and shooting an arrow at a target taped to a small tree with red leaves. But Abd-Al Rahman certainly saw the girl once he prepared to put his bow and arrows away.

"Excuse me! What are you doing here?" Abd-Al Rahman called out suddenly, causing Lavinia to jump and gasp a little with shock.

"Ah! I...uh..." Lavinia yelped, her heart pounding and eyes widening with shock. Abd-Al Rahman flung his sack of arrows over his shoulder.

"Unless you have important business with Father Caspian, you cannot be here while we Luthers are around. if anyone were to see you, a pure Esther, with me, a corrupt Luther, all Hades will break loose. I mean it. I suggest you leave this instant if you want to avoid trouble," Abd-Al Rahman told her without the smallest crumb of sympathy. Although he was aware that Lavinia is quite the ingenuous Esther when it came to the outside (he too knew of her obeisant and slave-like personality), he knew that Esthers and Luthers are forbidden from making physical contact and wanted to prevent other Esthers from breaking that ancient law. Right as Lavinia was about to leave, he looked up at the tree tops.

"That goes for you all, too!" He yelled. Lavinia looked up and, to her surprise, she saw Oria, Clover, Espina, and Rocio high on the tree tops watching the two of them from above.

The group sighed and flew down to the ground, in front of Lavinia. Suzu, who walked the whole way here, followed suit.

Lavinia couldn't help but feel surprised by their presence.

"What in the world? What are you all doing here?" Lavinia asked.

"Suzu saw you walkin' through the woods, and we wanted to see what you were up to," Clover said. "We don't mean anything bad by it. Honest!"

"Yeah. We...also wanted to ask if you want to play tag with us by the river. It's lots of fun over here," Espina backed up Clover with her testimony.

A very short pause creeped up among the six Esthers, but Abd-Al Rahman quickly and suddenly broke it.

"Well? Go on! Go play with your Esther friends here! Go on! Scat!" Abd-Al Rahman quickly shooed them off in a dour manner while making sure he didn't touch any of the Esther children. They finally retrogressed to the meadow, out of Abd-Al Rahman's sight.

It was Clover who suddenly grabbed Lavinia's hand.

"Come on! The river's this way!" Clover exclaimed as she dragged Lavinia away from the spot, in the same manner she did with Oria when she was first starting to walk, and toward the river. All the other Esthers chased after them happily.

So, the six little children played tag. At first, Lavinia was reluctant to play, but after seeing the happy smiles on everyone's faces, she decided to join them. She never felt so free, so merry, so...happy. She smiled even after she got tagged by Espina. She felt happy while feeling the wind blow her hair around, the sun on her skin, the grass below her feet, and the sweet smell of the river ambling along. All the cobwebs tangling up her thoughts seemed to finally fade away after so long.

But then she slipped on a rock right next to the river.

"Gyaah!"

SPLASH!

She fell into the river! Everyone saw it.

"LAVINIA!" Everyone screamed in unison. They could see Lavinia's head popping up from the water as she struggled to keep herself afloat. But Lavinia had never swam before and didn't know how. A few seconds later she clung to a big pointed rock in the middle of the river. But she knew she wouldn't be able to hold on for long. She's in danger.

"Oh no! Lavinia's gonna drown! We have to save her!" Oria exclaimed.

"I don't know how to swim," Suzu murmured worriedly.

"Come on! I think there are some tree vines around here we can use as rope!" Clover yelled.

Although Clover managed to find some solution for saving her, it wasn't going to help because Lavinia finally lost her grip on the rock and got pulled underwater.

"OH NO!" Everyone screamed.

Suddenly, Rocio saw something dash past them very quickly and leap into the water. She couldn't see it very well. All she saw was a sliver of grey and a silver circle above it's head. But she saw that it leaped into the river and headed toward Lavinia.

"Everyone! Look!" Rocio cried as she pointed her small finger toward the thing swimming toward Lavinia. Everyone decided to run after them.

As for Lavinia...it hurt to even breathe.

The current was too strong for her to resist. She could feel herself going deeper and deeper into the river. She couldn't swim her way out. She never did know how to swim because she always kept herself confined to the house. The water pounded on her harder and harder. She thought that all hope was lost...but she saw something swimming toward her. Something grey with a glowing silver circle shimmering underneath the faint, light yellow sunbeams going into the water. The figure got bigger and bigger as Lavinia finally closed her eyes. She didn't know who it was, but she could feel herself being carried out of the river by it.

Everyone saw this strange person successfully pull Lavinia out of the river and skulked onto the meadow. They didn't pay attention to the person who saved her. They wanted to check if Lavinia is okay.

"Lavinia! Wake up! Are you okay!" Suzu exclaimed, sounding and looking like he's about to cry at any moment.

"Don't you dare perish on me!" Espina yelled angrily.

"Dearest Lavinia! Please! Open your eyes!" Oria said.

"Wake up! Wake up!" Rocio importuned sadly, shaking Lavinia very hard with her little hands.

"You're not gonna leave Araceli on us, are ya!" Clover asked.

Finally, Lavinia coughed up some water and opened her eyes. Everyone exulted.

"Yay! Lavinia's awake!" Everyone cheered and jumped around happily. Lavinia struggled to get herself up.

"Wha...what happened? what did I-" Lavinia was about to ask what happened when her question got answered.

"You fell into the river," A small voice replied softly.

Once everyone calmed down, they finally got a good look at the person, the girl, who saved Lavinia. Much to literally everyone's shock, the girl who saved Lavinia is practically the spitting image of Lavinia! But this girl has slightly paler skin, much shorter and messier dark brown hair (Lavinia's hair is long and straight, going down to her back. The other girl's hair goes to her chin and is very shaggy), much lighter blue eyes, blue as the morning sky, compared to Lavinia's midnight blue eyes, blue as the night sky. The clothes she wore were especially shocking because compared to Lavinia's now wet midnight blue star dress, this girl wore nothing but a dirty and slightly tattered grey dress with short sleeves, black stockings, and slightly worn brown shoes. But the thing that really made this girl stand out is the shimmering silver halo on her head.

"Wow! You're a Jasper!" Oria exclaimed. Shyly, the girl pointed to her halo.

"Yes. I am. More specifically...I am this girl's Jasper," The girl replied softly again.

This time everyone gasped.

"You're Lavinia's Jasper! Wow! How cool is that! Oh, by the way, you saved Lavinia! Thanks a whole lot!" Espina cried out.

"Yes. Thank you very much for saving me," Lavinia said, thanking her Jasper for her chivalrous and valiant deed.

"Oh, it's nothing worth mentioning. I forgot to introduce myself. I am known as Laverne," The girl, Laverne, finally said.

"Laverne? That sounds a lot like my name!" Lavinia said.

"Yes. Oh! You should probably get dressed. I happen to have some extra raiment on me," Laverne said and pulled something out of a dark green sachel.

After a short while, Lavinia got redressed out of her wet clothes. Now she's wearing a sleeveless magenta and white shirt and a long white skirt. She still kept her red ribbon in her hair. Nobody looked while she got dressed so everything went fine. Laverne finally approached Lavinia with a small smile on her face.

"I would like to speak with Beata Lavinia in private, if you please," Laverne told the Esthers. Laverne took Lavinia by the hand and led her away from the river.

"I'm gonna go get some lunch. Be right back!" Suzu said as he decided to go inside the house and grab some food to bring outside.

While everyone sat near the river and talked amongst themselves, Laverne and Lavinia strolled a bit on the dirt path in the woods. Lavinia, as she watched Laverne, couldn't help but notice how similar she looked to herself in the dream, doing nothing but work for the odious and cantankerous Ingrid. Tattered clothes, dirty apron and stockings, worn out shoes, unkempt hair, everything. Even so, she kept her midnight blue eyes focused on her beautiful silver halo.

"Your halo's pretty," Lavinia said at last. The two stopped as Laverne turned to face her Estheran partner.

"Thank you," Laverne said.

"You say you're my Jasper, right?"

"Yes. I am."

"What exactly is a Jasper?"

"We Jaspers are illusions created by Luthers. Our sole purpose is to guide our assigned Esther and help him or her overcome the obstacle that brought them to their death so they can be deemed eligible for rebirth."

"Oh. I see. Umm...do you know what brought me to my death?"

"Yes. I do. I know all about you, Lavinia. You are my Esther, after all, and Jaspers know everything about their assigned Esthers. You were born among a path of orange lilies 7 months before Oria's birth. You have been given a good life here on Araceli. You have lots of rights. The right to play with other Esthers, be a little girl, and to fly in the sky just like them. But...you've denied yourself of all the freedom you've been given. You always feel as though you never had any rights and that your sole purpose in life is to work and be scolded and be everyone's slave. Am I wrong?"

"No. You're not wrong. But...all those things you mentioned. My doing all the chores in the house and constantly expecting everyone to scold me and yell at me...when I came to Araceli...that was all I knew! I never once thought that I wasn't a slave! I do wish to be free and to be a little girl, but something always kept me from doing so. I always believed that I could never be a little girl or an Esther! Or even to fly and use my wings!"

"You kept on pushing away people's kindness toward you. Is that right?"

"Yes. I always thought they were pretending to be kind to me...like it was all an act to manipulate me into thinking that I had a place in this world. I feared that after I believed I had a place in the world, they would tell me that I'm worthless and nothing but a knave living in a house and whose sole purpose is to work and be scolded and to earn a keep that would never come. Ever."

Lavinia began to feel tears swelling up in her eyes, blurring her vision. This is when Laverne turned solemn.

"Lavinia...now that you've confessed this much, I am obliged to tell you this now. Your obeisant and slave-like outlook on life, your desire to please people and do work until you drop, your constant rejection of kindness and gratitude...all of those things...brought you to your death."

Lavinia's eyes grew large.

All of a sudden, Lavinia began seeing a myriad of flashbacks. Ones where she saw herself with lots of little children screaming and running about, herself being ordered around and driven like a little slave by Ingrid, hearing nothing but screams and yells and angry voices, feeling nothing but the strength draining out of her body. It all swept over her small, innocent mind like a 50-foot tidal wave. Laverne finally took Lavinia by the hand.

"Lavinia...you came to Araceli because you wished to be reborn. To be reborn in a new life. A life where you will be given all the freedom in the world. Your wish will be granted. We can help you grant it. But I want to ask you this. All the pressure you've put on yourself, all the work you've done, all the rejections of kindness, your refusal to fly, your self-deprivation of freedom and happiness...was it all worth it?"

'Was it all worth it?' Lavinia kept asking herself this question. She silently began reminiscing. All her life she thought of herself as a worthless, thankless little slave who could only do work and receive absolutely no gratitude, breaks, or freedom. She was given lots of opportunities to be a little girl and an Esther here on Araceli, but she rejected them all. What did all that work bring her? Near death. She finally realized it. She knew that she was given wings, but she put chains on herself to prevent herself from ever flying because she thought her whole life was bound by chains of thanklessness and slavery. Her eccentric, obeisant behavior and her slave-like personality are the chains that prevent her from flying toward freedom. She could feel tears streaming down her face.

"No...it wasn't worth it. I always knew all the work I did would never be worth anything, even now. I've always believed that. I never did expect to get anything from doing chores and housework. None at all. That was all I knew. It was all...I knew..."

Laverne smiled at her softly.

"Lavinia...do you wish to be free? Do you wish to fly?"

Lavinia wiped away her tears and looked Laverne in the eye.

"YES! I do! I do want to be free and to fly!

Then she became crestfallen again.

"But I...I don't know...if I can do it..."

"You can do it!"

It was Oria who said that just now. In fact, she and the rest of the group looked at Lavinia with smiles on their faces.

"You have wings, so we believe you can be free! Free of all the troubles in the world! That's what wings are for! They let us reach heights we can never reach alone. Plus...you're one of us, Lavinia! You are an Esther of Araceli, Beata Lavinia!" Oria exclaimed with the sweetest of smiles on her face.

Lavinia dropped to her knees and cried a little.

"I...I...I don't know what to...say, I...can I really fly? I've...never used my wings, so..." Lavinia whimpered.

"We can teach you! But before that...would you like to play with us?" Oria said as she kneeled in front of her.

"I brought our kemari ball with us!" Espina exclaimed as she showed Lavinia the ball.

"I brought lunch so we can all eat together! Jacqueline made it for all of us!" Suzu said as he showed everyone the boxes of lunches wrapped in white cloths.

Oria helped Lavinia up and gently took her to the group. Lavinia finally smiled as if the weight of the world was finally lifted off of her at last.

So she, Laverne, and everyone else ate lunch and played kemari together. Lavinia finally realized that this is what she should really be doing. Playing with Esthers. Being outside. Smiling. Being a little girl. All of this she had supposedly been deprived of in her human life. She finally got to receive it at last.

Then came the moment of truth. Lavinia asked for flying lessons. Oria and Espina decided to teach her. Lavinia finally revealed her wings at last. Everyone became impressed by her rosy pink wings.

"Wow, Lavinia! Your wings are so cute! They're pink, like Oria's frock!" Suzu said, referencing the pink and red rose frock Oria is wearing right now.

"How pretty!" Rocio added cutely.

"Really? Oh, no. I...I never really used them. Can I really do it?" Lavinia said, feeling a little reluctant.

"Of course! Now do exactly as I show you. Okay?" Oria told her.

Oria remembered the flying lessons that Pence taught her, so she managed to teach them to Lavinia with aplomb. Of course, Lavinia wasn't succeeding at flying just yet. She flew a little bit, then fell to the ground each time. But she always got back up because everyone encouraged her.

"Come on, Lavinia! You can do it!"

"Yeah! Try again!"

"Fly! Fly! Fly!"

Lavinia didn't give up, even after a few hiccups and failures. She jumped off the tall rock in the meadow, then fell. Even with some small scratches on her clothes and body, she didn't flinch. Not once.

Finally, after so many unsuccessful attempts, she floated in the air at last.

Lavinia opened her eyes and saw herself flying over tree tops and the meadow, surprised at how big it is from above and how small everyone looked. Oria and Espina flew next to her on both sides.

"You're doing it! You're flying!" Oria said.

Even Lavinia couldn't help but scream joyously.

"I'm flying! I'm flying! I'm really, truly flying! Really and truly!"

She smiled and smiled, showing the biggest smile she had ever shown in her life. She spun around, did back flips, did little air tricks with Oria and Espina's help, everything. THIS is what freedom truly is. Lavinia finally realized that all she needed was to fly into the sky and spread her wings toward freedom. And she did so happily, joyously, and successfully. All those slave-like and obeisant thoughts finally faded away until they turned into nothing. Oria and Espina stayed by her side to make sure she didn't suddenly lose her balance and fall down and get hurt. Thankfully, she didn't.

She had finally spread her wings to freedom.

After a few more minutes, they finally descended onto the ground. Lavinia hugged Oria, and Oria embraced her warmly.

"Oria...thank you for flying. You were wonderful. Especially with those pink wings of yours," Oria whispered softly.

For the first time in her life, Lavinia finally received gratitude. Not just from Oria and Laverne (for different reasons), but from everyone who watched her fly.

"Yeah! You were awesome!"

"I wanna see you do it again!"

Oria and Lavinia embraced each other warmly and happily.

But then!

"Ah! Oria! Your wings! They're glowing!" Suzu exclaimed as he pointed to Oria's wings.

He's right. They are glowing! In all the colors of the rainbow. Brightly and almost joyously. Then, a small glowing rainbow feather slowly popped out from Oria's left wing, floated toward Lavinia, descended onto her arm, and dissolved into it. A flash of light appeared on Lavinia's arm for one second, then it disappeared. But what it left behind left everyone shocked. On Lavinia's arm read 'FREEDOM' in glowing rainbow colors. Everyone gazed upon it with awe.

"Wow! That's soooo pretty!" Rocio said.

"What just happened?" Clover asked.

"I'm not sure. What does this mean?" Oria asked.

But a second later they all got their answer.

"It means that Lavinia can finally be reborn."

It was Father Caspian who answered them. Out of nowhere he appeared before them, draped in his dark blue robe with a smile on his face.

"Father Caspian! What brings you here!" Oria exclaimed, shocked by his very sudden appearance.

"Why, to watch the very first Esther on Araceli in many many years be deemed eligible for rebirth, of course!" Father Caspian replied.

"Eligible? What do you mean?" Suzu asked curiously.

"The time has come for me to explain. In order for Esthers to be reborn, they must go through a test called Rainbow. In general, Rainbow itself consists of three special tests. The first test is to gain eligibility for rebirth, which requires overcoming the obstacle that brought an Esther to his or her death. Most Esthers require Jaspers to help them out in realizing it and overcoming it, but it mostly depends on the circumstances the Esther went through as a human. If an Esther succeeds in overcoming that obstacle, the guide's rainbow wings will automatically put a feather into his or her arm and brand it with the word that represents their obstacle. This is the guide's blessing. In Lavinia's case, her being bound by senseless duty and obligation is the cause of her death, and she overcame it by experiencing the feeling of being free. Lavinia, my dear, I am glad to say that you have passed your test with aplomb!" Father Caspian explained calmly while smiling the whole way through. Lavinia looked at the words on her arm again, FREEDOM, and immediately realized that this is what she wished for. This is what she wanted. This is why she came to Araceli in the first place.

"Often times, the Esther's obstacle is related to their reason for coming to Araceli. They wish to be reborn so they can change their fate and overcome the obstacles and hardships that they went through so they can triumph, and Lavinia here has most certainly triumphed thanks to your assistance, children," Father Caspian explained again.

Everyone exulted and jumped for joy.

"Hurrah! Lavinia can be reborn!" Clover exclaimed.

"I'm so happy for you!" Oria said as she hugged Lavinia again.

"Aww! You're so lucky! Why do you get to go first!" Espina said a little enviously.

"Sorry, Espina. But I'm sure your time will come!" Lavinia said.

But Father Caspian turned solemn.

"Now children. While this is a joyous moment, I wish to remind you all that this is a test that ALL Esthers need to go through in order to achieve rebirth. Lavinia will not be able to be reborn unless she, along with other Esthers, can successfully complete ALL of Rainbow. The first test is also the longest test. Of course, not ALL Esthers will be able to pass with flying colors. This is only the beginning. But I wish you all good luck. Beata Oria."

"Yes?"

"Lavinia is the very first Esther you have deemed eligible for rebirth. Now that you have proven yourself to be the guide for Rainbow, you will be given a place in the Rainbow Hall."

"Rainbow Hall?"

"It's underneath the church. It has all the names of all the Esthers who were chosen as Rainbow's guides. I will give you time to prepare. You must come to me in three days so I can record your name and picture in the Rainbow Hall. I believe my time here is done. Congratulations, Lavinia, and good day, everyone."

Then Father Caspian finally left.

It was Suzu who piped up.

"Come on! Let's go home and celebrate!" Suzu cried out. Everyone agreed and followed him...except Laverne.

Nonetheless, she walked into the woods smiling. But her smile was a very sad one.

Everyone seemed to forget that she was there...except Lavinia.

Lavinia kept thinking about Laverne all day. She felt bad for not thanking her for helping her realize what she was missing, but she knew she wouldn't be able to go out again until tomorrow. But she did see something very strange later in the night. As she, Espina, and Oria were playing in the backyard while helping Luljeta with her gardening, very far into the woods they saw a bright silver light shooting up into the sky. A beautiful, divine, opalescent light shimmering underneath the full moon. The girls wanted to check it out, but Luljeta said they can do it tomorrow. It was Luljeta who knew where the light came from. It shot up from a cliff a little further away from the woods. Luljeta had been there before, but she, or anyone else, didn't know what happened there...until now.

When the next day finally came, she, Espina, Oria, and Lavinia decided to fly to that area. The cliff overlooked an uninhabited part of Araceli. At the base of the cliff is a very very tall and pointed grey rock along with a few small pointed rocks surrounding a very small, flat, round, rock pedestal.

It was what Lavinia found on the pedestal that shocked her greatly. Once she saw it, she began to cry.

Lying on the pedestal was Laverne's halo, dark and worn, no longer shimmering. Laverne had disappeared into the silver light that shot up into the sky.

But something else caught Lavinia's attention. It was something written on the giant rock.

'Beata Lavinia,

The time has come for me to explain to you why you came to Araceli. Your human name was Lavinia Marie Siegel. You were born April 2, 1980, and you died November 27, 1999. Your parents, Claireece and Jonah, died in a house fire, leaving you and your four younger siblings orphaned. You were taken in by your aunt Ingrid and your uncle Carl, who were very angry and domineering. Carl drank a lot, lots many jobs, and beat his wife often. Ingrid became a sour and angry woman because of it. She made you into the slave of the house. She made you cook the meals, do the laundry, watch the kids, both her kids and your siblings, clean the house, everything. Whenever Ingrid would be angry about something, she would blame it on you, calling you things like lazy and wicked and naughty and constantly telling you to earn your keep because she was kind enough to take you and your siblings in. She worked you constantly. She didn't even let you or your siblings go to school because there was very little money for anything. Not enough food, not enough room, not enough anything. She didn't feel that an education was necessary. What she didn't know was that all the chores she made you do took its toll on you one day. You fell down the stairs, cracked your skull, and died on the spot. All because of overwork and exhaustion. This is why you came to Araceli. You wished for a life without having someone tell you what to do every minute of every day and for a life where you will be given thanks for your hard work. I'm glad that I helped you achieve your goal, and I believe very strongly that you will be reborn. I'm sorry our time together is short, but once a Jasper's task is done, he or she must disappear. It's one of the divine laws. I hope you will be reborn and happy in your new life.

-Laverne'

Lavinia knelt in front of the pedestal, took the worn halo in her hands, and cried.

"Laverne...you shouldn't have left! I wanted to spend more time with you! Be friends with you! You shouldn't have died..." Lavinia sobbed sadly as Laverne's work halo cracked within her hands. Oria, feeling sad herself, put a hand on Lavinia's shoulder.

"I'm sure Laverne wants you to be happy and to finally have the freedom that you've searched for. Perhaps it was for the best. Please don't cry so. Laverne wouldn't like that, I think," Oria told her in her dulcet voice.

"Freedom...Lavinia was born among orange lilies. In the Estheran language, the orange lily means freedom," Luljeta said.

After a short while, Lavinia finally decided that this was for the best after all. She dried her tears, put down the now broken black halo, and decided to leave.

"We're gonna play kemari when we get back!" Espina declared.

The four Esthers finally flew away.

When they got there, Lavinia spent the rest of the day playing kemari. She had a wonderful time.

But like Father Caspian said, this is but only the beginning of the Esthers' journey toward rebirth.

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I FINALLY got chapter 20 finished! Hooray! I'm sooooo happy! Man this was a tough chapter to work on, but I managed to put all those ideas down and bring them to life! By the way, I finally graduate from high school in about a few weeks! No more high school! Yay! I can't wait to get out and go to college and start a new chapter of my life! I better go now. I have to work on my homework for finals. Ugh! I'll see you all later! Read and review nicely please! NO FLAMES! Happy reading!