Only 1,554 words. I do hope tomorrow looks up. Then it is Monday so.

Sara said. “It is fine, and perfectly fit. I knew you had help so wasn’t worried just trying to guess what he sent. Joe does have some odd ideas about what you should wear. Yes put that way it does make sense to under dress some. I didn’t consider that they would even think you were looking, but you are right. The dress does help make it clear, for all your age should do so. Now then in that case you just follow what Sally does and ignore me. I am out to flatter, but you don’t need to. That is you are able to help these first couple of days right? I fear I never thought of this.”

Sally said. “As I told Idrias I will bet her introduced to my friends. She is likely going to relate to them better as we are not interested in being in court. I am not saying that there is a thing wrong, or that you haven’t been preparing her. Just not everyone needs the same things. You are wanting to be a part of it all, so the way you intact is far more formal then those of us on the edges do. I can show here how to navigate it and not worry about offending anyone because you can’t keep the titles straight. You however are like my sister in that you don’t see how I can’t remember such things, how I find them unimportant.”

Sara shook her head. “That is true. I just don’t see how you can’t care or how you mange to mix them up. Yet all of you do. Yes that like will be better. I likely have been stressing her out more, and that isn’t good. Thank you, it will help both of us. Seth is fine, he knows the others from prep school, but Idrias has just been lost. You are right my set isn’t a fit, but yours could be a bit closer.” Not that she can ever fit in, but the crowd you are with is just strange enough that they just might. “And that will help with the other as well, come to think of it. Yes that is just what is needed.” She looked at Idrias and said. “Just breath, it will be fine. Forget everything I said and just copy Sally. Her house is slightly higher, but we are close enough that you can use the same greetings without a problem, and that will be a lot easier on you then trying to remember the curtsey without tripping over your feet. Here they come, just relax.”

Sally was frowning a bit not liking the way that whole exchange sounded. It wasn’t right the way they just took it for granted that Idrias needed to be managed, that she couldn’t be trusted. It was worse by the fact that she just accepted it. If she had of been upset in would be slightly less troubling, but it was clearly just what she expected. She truly was more at ease when being told what to do then when being asked to share her thoughts. It was past time she was around others, that she saw there was more than one way. She needed to find her place, and if she wanted this than fine, but they are trying to force it. They are treating her like she is a child when is of age to be an adult and she needs to be given a chance. She is not impaired and should be dealt with like she was, yet she isn’t able to see that. Sally made sure she was smiling as she greeted each person and noted that just as Sara had said Idrias was copying her, which was making her a bit stiff. Well that could just be that everyone here was a stranger to her. They shouldn’t be, but her family had seen to it that few ever saw her.  It was clear they were trying to hide her and Idrias knew it so now did her best to see that she wasn’t noticed, even when she was present. That has to change, but how without scarring her off?

Chapter 4 after the ball (and everything before ball that I skipped)

Idrias was glad to get to her room and out of that maroon dress. They had made it look better, but it still felt horrible. She could get out of it or away from it fast enough. Once out of it she tossed across the room, not caring where it landed, the under slip soon joined it in a crumpled heap on a chair. She knew her sister would be horrified, and likely it wasn’t what she should do, but she truly couldn’t find it in her to care. It wasn’t as bad as it was before they altered it but it was still smutty and even with Joe’s help there had been no way to make it feel right. Normally it wouldn’t have been as much of an issue but for all the moon didn’t force her to shift it did make her skin sensitive and they just had to hold the ball on the eve of the full moon. At least it hadn’t been the night of, for she knew that her skin would be burning, the way it is itching is enough. She was very glad that the ball had ended at last, it was stressful enough to be there knowing that Lady Glenda was watching her and complaining about every little mistake without it feeling like the dress was eating her.

The under slip had helped some, but it didn’t fully cover, for it was just a slip, and the long the dress was on the less good it did. Whatever that fabric was, it clearly wasn’t something she should wear this close to the full moon. That made her pause for a bit and wonder if it was just her of any shifter would react to it. If it was some kind of attack. She shook her head at her foolishness and reached for one of her nightgowns, pulling it on with a sigh of relief for the coolness of it was soothing. Why would it even be an attack, assuming it wasn’t just an oddity of hers, which she had no way of knowing? There was no point to it, it wasn’t like it was any big secret that there were shifters. Granted those in the first gen did try to hide it, but that was because for them it was necessary. They lost all control and literally became enraged when they changed. Luckily it only happened under the full moon after a clearly unmistakable illness, that involved the first appearance of fur, so they could safely see to it they were locked up for the night. That night was the only time that they showed the effects after they recovered. The second and third gen typically couldn’t hide it, for there was seldom any warning at all the first shifts. Therefore it wasn’t necessary to pull a stunt to find out who was a shifter, you just had to ask. Even if the person was trying to deign it there would be those that knew the truth.

As Idrias well knew there was no point in running from the truth. She had never lied about what she was, just didn’t go out of the way to point it out. Not like she needed to, for shifting was such a part of her. She had to think to keep her eyes from changing to fit the light and so any that were around her for more than an hour were likely to notice them change. Try as she did, it was just too hard to keep them the same. It was small, but it was enough to tell them she was a shifter. Anymore everyone knew to watch the eyes, it was common in all the shows. Then that was a third gen trait. Come to think of it, I don’t know that second gen has such a marker. Save that they will get trapped in their other form at least once do to running into that limit on shifts they have. Yet if it was when they were young and they had moved far enough away. If they are not moon called, which some are not, they just might be able to hide. Still what was there to gain by outing them if they were already established? I mean if it was someone unknown, then yes it could cause problems for they would find it harder to prove they were capable, but even my Father accepts that shifters do which adulthood and are capable of holding jobs. It is just that we age slower do to our extended lifespan so it follows that it takes us longer to reach that leave of thought.  Therefore there is no reason to see an attack. I have been reading too much about government spy work lately and am starting to see a conspiracy in everything. She looked at the heap in the chair and knew she should do something before it was found, but just the thought of touching it made her hands burn. It would just have to wait.