The chasm between them had erupted for a few different reasons. There were their positions, of course; where once Avery had been the Ten and Jack to Silas' Nine, she was now Ace, and Silas was King. And they were Diamonds; those positions meant that there would be a polite distance between them, a bit more formality. It made Avery sad that this was the way they were all indoctrinated to be.

But another part of the chasm was the loss and grief of the last year. Isaac, for both of them. Brennan for Silas, Sieben for her. And Wren and Tegan had left for London and Venice respectively - leaving Avery as the last girl of their teenage clique left. Addy had been a bruise on her heart since he'd left for that last tour in Afghanistan and come back a shattered man. All of it had left a hole in her heart, but what could she say? Isaac had left an even greater hole, but Silas had been unable and unwilling to speak about it, so she'd followed suit, burying down her grief for him the way she'd buried down her grief over Sieben.

She listened, leaning against the wall that faced the windows. Her expression was serious and sober. "Do you want to be happy again, Silas?" She asked. She knew he did, and that he was asking for help as much as he was able. "If you want to be happy," she added, looking away from him to gaze out at the gardens, "and you feel you can't be...perhaps you should think about talking to someone."

As alone as he might feel, he wasn't alone.