Tam

Faye tried - and failed - to mask her surprise, but he didn't seem to notice, probably because his expression was similar to Faye's.

She stepped around him and he broke from his shock. Faye headed for her room and quickly realized he was following her. She ignored him and watched him make his way to the empty bedroom next to hers.

Great.

Faye slowly stepped into her room and made sure nobody had been in there. It was around dinnertime, but she wasn't hungry.

So she painted to get her mind off things, but also, to think.

Which one of the Black Swan had come to the Neverseen to protect the alicorns? Definitely not Keefe, or any of the girls. That left Fitz Vacker, who was too stuck-up and self-absorbed to worry about baby alicorns. Dex Dizznee didn't seem like he would volunteer himself either, from what Lady Gisela told Faye about him. It must have been Tam Song. Everything matched up. Dyed bangs, irritated look on his face, silence...

Faye woke up to Lady Gisela's voice coming from the room next to her's - the one Umber used to sleep in. "I'm not the enemy, Tam. But I can be if you insist on being difficult. You're here for a reason, and I will make sure you fulfill it."

What did that mean? What reason was Tam there for? Was it part of the Neverseen's plan - whatever that was?

Faye heard another voice coming from the room. "Looking forward to it." Was this what Tam's voice sounded like? Did he somehow try to mask all that previous trauma - that was obviously audible - with humor? How did he do that without breaking down all the time?

She had tried that, right after Umber died, but she gave up when Trix didn't show up for breakfast one morning. Faye held her tears in until she felt like she would burst, and then she did burst. Nobody saw her. Nobody knew, and nobody would ever know.

Faye saw Tam sitting in the study area, reading a book. It was time to put the plan of finding-out-why-Tam-Song-was-here in action.

She made sure her hood covered her face and plopped down into the bean bag chair across from him and did her best to act casual. After a couple of seconds, she began.

"So settle a bet for me," She said, probably not the best way to start a conversation with not-the-enemy, but she couldn't take it back, so instead she embraced it.

Tam's fingers went white as he clenched them around the book he was reading. Faye wasn't surprised he was mad at her. She was part of the Neverseen - she wouldn't leave even if she could. Right?

She took a deep breath in. "So the fact that you never wear your hood—is that a protest?" Was she doing this right? "Or because you want everyone to see your awesome bangs?" Faye added, hoping it would get on his nerves enough.

Nothing.

"You don't talk much, do you?" She tried. Still nothing. She racked her brain for something, anything to say that would get a reaction, then remembered a conversation she overheard where Gethen was complaining to Lady Gisela about Tam. Faye leaned towards Tam and whispered, "Gethen's mad at you."

Tam's knuckles turned white again as his face turned to anger.

"Be careful, Tam. I don't think you know what you're doing," Faye said. She needed him to say something. Even if she didn't want to admit it, she needed someone to talk to after Umber disappeared and Trix never left his room.

Tam just stood up and left, not saying a word.