"I never thought I'd be thankful for an immortal's curse," Archie said.

He dodged around Jay and ran for the net. He tossed the ball into the air and it went through the hoop.

"Why do you say that?" Jay asked as he caught the ball.

The Leader and Warrior were having a one-on-one match at the park's basketball court. It had been the only quiet place they could find.

"I'm not the only one who has dark secrets," Archie pointed out, blocking Jay's path to the net.

Jay threw the ball in the air. It hit off the rim of the hoop and strayed off course.

"Everyone has some form of dark secret, Arch," Jay answered.

Archie walked over to where the ball lay in the grass and picked it up. He stared down at the orange and black rubber in his hands.

"Archie?"

"Why would Heather be jealous of me?" Archie wondered aloud.

Jay frowned. "Come again?"

"When people found out about my abilities they said that my parents must have done something wrong to bring a curse up on the family," Archie explained.

"They don't know about your ancestry," Jay told his friend.

"Even if they did, would they have treated me different?" Archie asked, turning to face Jay. "Be honest. Would they?"

"I honestly can't tell you that," Jay confessed. "I guess we'll never know."

"I guess not," Archie agreed. He tossed the ball lightly in his hands. "Oh, well."

Jay was almost knocked off his feet as the Warrior zoomed past him. He jumped into the air and forced the ball through the hoop.

"It's fun being the odd one out," Archie said.

Atlanta drummed her fingers against the armrest of the chair. She stared at the clock with a bored expression. Three hours in a bridal shop was enough to make anyone crazy. Theresa was fast asleep in the chair next to her. Mrs. King and Lena were in the chairs opposite them. Heather was in another room trying on different dresses.

When will the torture end? Atlanta thought.

As if to answer her question, the doors to the fitting room opened and Heather walked out. Atlanta hit Theresa in the arm, effectively waking the Fighter up.

"I'm up. I'm up," Theresa announced, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing much," Atlanta muttered.

"What about this one?" Heather asked.

Lena's bottom jaw tightened, indicating that she was clamping down on her tongue. Atlanta and Theresa looked at each other. No one had explained what had happened that morning before breakfast. Archie had disappeared before Atlanta had the chance to talk to him. Jay had also vanished. Odie, Neil and Herry had left for the track without telling the girls, leaving them to fend for themselves dress hunting with Mrs. King and her daughters.

"Lena, what do you think?" Mrs. King asked.

Lena bit down harder on her tongue. She shifted uncomfortably.

"Are you all right, dear?" her mother wanted to know. Lena nodded. "Then, offer your opinion."

Heather felt her heart drop. "Uh...Mother, I don't think Lena's opinion really matters," she said.

"No, because everything you've tried on so far has made you look like an elephant," Lena blurted out. She gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth.

Though she knew the cause of the comment, it didn't make it hurt any less. Mrs. King looked from one daughter to the next with a shocked expression on her face. Theresa got to her feet and walked over to Lena.

"Maybe, we should go for a walk," she suggested.

The two girls headed out the door. Lena gave Heather an apologetic look before she left.

"I'm sure she didn't mean that," Atlanta told Heather.

Heather looked at her reflection in the mirror. No, Lena was right. How could she not be?

"Is it really that bad?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Maybe a different design," Atlanta offered. "All the dresses you've tried have been...poofy...for a lack of a better word."

Heather and Mrs. King looked at her in amazement.

"Theresa and Neil are always giving fashion advice. It was bound to rub off," Atlanta explained.

Meanwhile, Theresa and Lena were looking through the different stores that dominated the mall.

"I'm such an idiot," Lena moaned.

"No, you're not," Theresa argued.

"I shouldn't have said that," Lena continued. "But, I couldn't stop myself."

Theresa found the chance to ask the question that had been bugging her all day.

"Lena?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened this morning?"

Lena looked at the psychic. "What do you mean?"

"What was with all the yelling?"

Lena swallowed. She was afraid to say anything, in fear that the truth might slip out. But, Archie had said that the spell was only between the five of them. So, they could get away with lying to everyone else, except their siblings.

"We always fight," Lena finally replied. "It started when we found out that something was wrong with Archie."

"Archie is perfectly normal," Theresa defended.

"You call not being able to get sick normal?" Lena asked.

Theresa bit her bottom lip and looked away. Lena didn't press the matter.

"Anyway, it just got worse as we grew older. Soon, it came as naturally as breathing. We couldn't go a full day without having at least one argument. Sometimes, they escalated to full blown brawls. That was the reason why Father had Archie's brace re-enforced."

"What happened?" Theresa asked.

"Duke crushed Archie's ankle. He said it was an accident, but the way he snapped it..." Lena shuddered. "It wasn't an accident. He did it on purpose."

Theresa's eyes went wide. "What kind of brother would do that?"

"A jealous one," Lena pointed out. "We were all jealous. Archie was the perfect one. The only thing wrong with him was his heel."

Just then, Lena's cell phone rang. She took it out and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

Theresa walked over to a bench and sat down to wait. She must have zoned out because she jumped when Lena tapped her on the shoulder.

"You okay?" Lena asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. You just startled me, that's all."

"Well, Mother wants us back at the bridal store," Lena said.

Theresa stood up and the girls made their way back to the store.

"What do you think?" Mrs. King asked when they walked in.

Heather wore a strapless dress that flowed gently to the floor. The bottom half of the dress glittered whenever she moved.

"It's beautiful," Theresa and Lena said in unison.

Heather beamed. "Atlanta picked it out."

Theresa looked at the Huntress. Atlanta just offered her a shrug.

"So, you really think it's nice?" Heather asked.

"You look beautiful," Lena told her.

Heather's smile grew wider. "Do you think I should get it?"

"Yes," all the women in the store answered.

Heather leaned over to her sister. "Maybe this truth spell isn't such a bad thing, after all," she whispered.

"How so?" Lena whispered back.

"You're a lot more easier to trust," Heather joked.

What do you think? Worth continuing? Reviews are welcome, flames are worthless.