"Cecilia," Adeline called softly as she rapped on the ornate door to her daughter's room. "You haven't eaten in three days. Open the door."
From within, Cecilia's voice drifted out, clipped and defiant. "Will you send me to the East?"
Adeline sighed, already weary of the cyclical exchange. "No."
"Then no," came the sharp reply, a verbal drawbridge lifted against any further intrusion.
Adeline sighed. She had allowed Cecilia to go to the Tower of Magic to train so that her mind could be off that boy, and it worked. But she soon returned and began her protest at home by refusing to eat.
And now, Adeline had finally reached the end of her patience. Her finger hovered over the control panel of her smartwatch, overriding the lock with a sharp tap. The door slid open with an unceremonious hiss.
