Everlasting dream (18+)

Chapter 87 — A good daughter

[Nivalis Silverfrost]

The sun was setting on the horizon, painting the fluffy clouds above in warm hues of orange and pink as Nivalis carried an unconscious Aster through a grassy forest, her daughter clinging to her side. Their cloaks rustled quietly against their naked bodies and the soft grass beneath them as they made their way down a gentle slope toward a large, shimmering lake ahead; the sky above reflected beautifully in its waters.

Pine trees swayed gently in a soft breeze at the water's edge, surrounding the lake in its embrace as if protecting it from prying eyes. How Silvia spotted it from so far away was both a mystery and a miracle as it took Nivalis quite some time to notice it as well—back on that small hill where she had taken a small nap and only because her daughter kept pointing it out. The lack of sleep still weighed heavily on her mind, and her eyelids drooped constantly. Two hours of rest wasn't nearly enough. Her body ached all over from the constant carrying of Aster's limp form in her arms. She felt so tired.

Insects and birds filled the air with gentle melodies, and butterflies flitted about in graceful dances above them as the girls walked through the grassy land, surrounded by lush forests stretching endlessly in every direction. Wildflowers dotted the landscape around them, adding splashes of color to an already breathtaking picture. It is perfect for them to stay here until Aster gets better, as long as he needs—weeks, if necessary. It also would be a good opportunity for them to replenish their food supplies as there should be plenty of fish in these waters.

— "Finally," Nivalis said softly, glancing down at her daughter with a tired but warm smile on her lips, adding gently, "It's beautiful." She carefully placed her unconscious son among the flowers, his head resting comfortably on a patch of soft grass.

"Hehe... you're welcome," Silvia chirped happily before sitting beside her brother and looking down at his sleeping face. She gently stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers, noticing beads of sweat rolling down his temple. "Poor Asty," she mumbled quietly as she glanced at her mother. "Is it okay for me to do the mana thing right now? He needs it, Mom..." the girl asked quietly.

— "You're right, we can't wait anymore. We're far enough from that forest, so it should be fine," Nivalis responded with a tired nod before sitting beside Aster's limp body, feeling an incredible soreness in her arms. Her blue eyes met those of Silvia for just a second before looking back at her boy. She carefully removed his cloak, revealing his naked, hairless body to the orange sunlight, the flowers around making him look even more innocent and pure than he already was. "Don't look at it," she quickly added, placing her soft palm over Aster's little penis and ballsack as a protective gesture against her daughter's curious eyes. A moment later, however, she regretted that decision, feeling his shaft twitch ever so slightly against her hand; a sigh escaped from between the woman's lips.

"...okay..." Silvia responded with a shy nod before looking away from her brother's lower half. Removing two backpacks that she carried on her tender shoulders—one hers and one Aster's—she slowly lifted her cloak, revealing her youthful, petite body, so small compared to her mother's well-shaped, mature one. Getting on all fours, the girl crawled on top of her little brother's limp form, cradling his hips with her thighs before pressing her flat chest against his. Their pink nipples brushed against each other.

Silvia felt her mother's hand still covering his privates and how her public bone gently pressed against it. She ignored it, understanding her mother's concern, considering how close her pussy was to his thingy right now. She briefly glanced down at Aster's sleeping face before closing her golden eyes and focusing on her mana. Her little, still-unspanked butt faced her mother, who sat at the boy's legs, watching them closely.

Nivalis frowned at how dangerously close their privates were, separated by just her hand. She wondered how she hadn't noticed this sooner as they did that mana thing almost daily for the past few months, except for the time at that forest. 'What if they...?' Nivalis thought with an audible gulp as a cold chill ran down her spine. Her blue eyes shifted to her daughter's little slit and pink anus right above her hand, which now started sweating in between their bodies. Silvia kept preparing her mana.

'No... surely they...' she told herself but couldn't finish the thought. It was too terrifying even to imagine her sweet children being so intimate with each other. An image of Aster's tiny penis penetrating his sister's hairless slit flashed before her eyes, causing her to shiver at that mere idea. 'I should pay more attention to them...' Nivalis told herself as the little girl started panting softly atop the boy, indicating that she began pushing her mana into him.

Silvia's spine curved gently while her little bottom started wiggling ever so slightly, softly rubbing against her mother's hand with each subtle movement. 'There absolutely no way I will let them sleep together anymore... Only with me in between,' Nivalis decided before closing her eyes and listening to the heavy breathing of her children. 'Should I make some sort of chastity for her? Occasional checks for virginity?' she pondered, seriously considering it as an option.

'I can't believe I haven't noticed this until now... This is so obvious! They are both young and curious,' Nivalis thought with a deep sigh, feeling like a failure of a mother. Opening her blue eyes, she glanced down at the little pink, hairless slit of her daughter as the mana invasion continued, her thoughts going wild in the meantime. 'I need to pay much, much more attention... To make sure they don't do anything inappropriate.'

Suddenly, Nivalis felt her son get bigger against her palm as a soft gasp left his lips. The shaft raised her hand slightly up and Silvia's little butt along with it. "Done..." the girl breathed out, getting all limp on top of Aster's chest before rolling off to the side, landing on the soft grass with a quiet thud. Her legs parted slightly while her chest heaved up and down as she caught her breath, golden eyes still closed.

— "Y-you... did good, sweetie..." Nivalis whispered, looking down at the now erect penis of her son beneath her palm with a frown. It twitched violently against her hand, oozing precum from its tip in little spurts. "You alright?" she asked after a few seconds of silence, glancing up at her daughter.

Silvia nodded, glancing at her mother with a tired but content smile. Wearing nothing but boots, she stretched her pale, slender legs before asking a shy, "He... got big again, isn't he?" She noticed how Nivalis kept covering his thingy with her hand.

Scratching her head, Nivalis reluctantly nodded tiredly in response. "Mhm..." she hummed, covering the boy's member with his cloak. A tiny bump was visible beneath it, attracting the girls' attention. "Let's just... ignore it for now," she said, looking away from the ominous bump. "Now that you've finished, why don't we set up a camp over there?" Nivalis pointed at the spot near the lake's edge. "He needs a warm place to rest."

Following her mother's gaze, Silvia nodded in agreement. "Okay..." she whispered, getting up and picking up their backpacks from the ground with her thin arms, still wearing only boots. Nivalis also stood up, taking the cloaks and her little boy into her arms with a tired sigh.

...

The occasional crackling of the wood in their small campfire could be heard amidst chirping crickets and leaves rustling in the calm evening air. Its warm glow illuminated a small clearing by the edge of a large lake, shooing away the night's embrace. Stars twinkled above, half-moon shining down on the family's cozy camp.

Nivalis finished setting up their makeshift bed—just a nest of blankets similar to the one they had back in their cave. On it, freshly washed and covered with green paste, slept Aster on his back, chest rising and falling gently with each pained breath. Now and then, pathetic whimpers escaped from between his slightly parted lips. Nivalis hoped the boy would wake up after the mana invasion, but he didn't; maybe the pain was still too much for his mind to handle, she didn't know.

The girls, their long hair wet and wavy from recently swimming in the lake, sat together on soft grass beside him—Silvia on her mother's lap. All three were naked, save Aster's bandages covering his ugly wounds and a cloak to cover his shame. They watched as small flames flickered and danced merrily before them, quietly enjoying the gentle sound of a lake's shore in the background.

Nivalis took a long, satisfied breath, hugging her daughter gently around the waist from behind. "It was... quite nice, wasn't it?" she whispered into Silvia's ear, still staring into those flames as she rested her chin on the girl's delicate shoulder. "Though I liked our hot spring much more," Nivalis added quietly with a tired chuckle.

Silvia nodded in agreement, "Better than a swamp, that's for sure..." she mumbled quietly, hearing another pathetic moan from her brother beside them. Her golden eyes darted towards his face again; it was scrunched up in pain as Aster whimpered and squirmed around on their makeshift bed. "He was much better this morning... and during the day," she added, leaning back against her mother's bosom, feeling her heart beating steadily against her back.

Nivalis gently rubbed her little daughter's tummy with one hand while shifting her gaze to Aster. She didn't say anything; she just watched him quietly as he suffered in silence, face twisted in pain and teeth gritted.

Silvia continued after a few seconds, "Could it be that... what I did last night with my mouth... helped?" she whispered as quietly as possible, looking up at her mother's blue eyes with an innocent look in hers.

Nivalis glared down at the girl as if about to scold her just for thinking about it, let alone mentioning such an awful idea. But before she could answer how ridiculous it sounded, Aster whimpered again... louder than before, interrupting her thoughts. It was heartbreaking to watch his suffering, making Nivalis' chest ache as well as she stared at her boy.

She carefully lifted the edge of Aster's cloak on his groin to check on him, revealing that little troublemaker to the warm firelight. It stood tall and proud, throbbing angrily with a shiny, wet tip; both shaft and balls looked swollen. Why did it sound logical? It shouldn't make any sense, but it somehow does... considering how much pain it caused him in the past. 'He always felt better after our... night sessions,' Nivalis thought with a heavy sigh as she stared at that tiny member. Silvia, too, gazed at it intensely as her little butt shifted on her mother's thighs ever so slightly.

Noticing where Silvia's golden eyes were glued, Nivalis pinched the girl's little nose between her fingers, turning her head to look up at her. "What did I tell you about staring at him down there?" she asked sternly, wiggling the girl's nose slightly. "You, young lady, should be ashamed of yourself after last night... Do I really need to spank you to keep your curious eyes off your brother?" Nivalis added in an accusing whisper, letting go of Silvia's button nose.

Silvia blushed furiously and lowered her gaze as she mumbled, "I don't mind getting spanked... If you promise me not to be all that quiet again like yesterday..." She looked back up at her mother with an apologetic smile. "And you kinda promised to do it after waking up, but you didn't because of the lake..." she shyly mumbled, scratching her cheek awkwardly.

Not that she wanted that, but if it would make her mother feel better after what she had done, so be it. Silvia was ready to take a hundred slaps on her bare behind over that at any time. Anything to not see that look of disappointment and sadness from her mother again.

Nivalis couldn't help but roll her eyes at her daughter's words, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her fingers in frustration. "Gods... I wish this day would end," she mumbled under her breath, glancing back down at Aster's erection that still twitched lightly as if begging for attention. It reminded her of her childhood when her nanny used to spank her, forcing her to look at the broken vase or torn paintings as if trying to hammer into her the fact why she was getting spanked.

As a girl, Nivalis loved breaking expensive stuff around their mansion. It was incredibly humiliating and made her pissed at the nanny for quite some time... but it worked miraculously. She never broke anything after that, having learned that lesson. 'Would it help?' Nivalis wondered, looking down at the little girl in her arms with a frown before whispering a menacingly firm, "On your belly, honey..."

Silvia bit her lip and nodded, staring back into her mother's stern blue eyes with a nervous gulp. She shifted herself around on top of Nivalis' soft thighs until she was lying face-down on them, presenting her delicate behind. Her little butt cheeks were pale as the moonlight above and smooth as a baby's bottom; her hair cascaded down her shoulders and back in silver waves. However, she did so in the wrong direction, away from her brother.

Without saying anything else, Nivalis gently lifted the girl by the waist, turning her petite body around to face her little brother Aster as if she weighed nothing. A cute yelp of surprise escaped Silvia's lips before she landed on her mother's soft thighs again. "W-what are you doing?" the girl asked nervously.

Nivalis didn't answer, only shifted closer to the boy, getting the girl's face as close to the throbbing member of her little brother as possible. Silvia could smell it—that sweet scent of pre-cum that filled her nostrils. "I want you to keep staring at him down there, darling," Nivalis ordered, resting one hand on the girl's smooth behind, giving it a gentle shake. "Don't look anywhere else. Remember this moment whenever you have naughty thoughts in the future..." she added as her palm slowly lifted into the air above that soft butt.

Silvia gulped nervously, glancing at her mother over her shoulder with a deep blush. "Are you sure this is a good—" she started to ask, only to yelp loudly as she felt the impact of her mother's soft hand on her even softer ass. A loud slap broke through the quietness of their evening camp. Her little cheeks tensed under the pain as a large, red imprint of a palm appeared on them. "Oww-mmm..." Silvia whimpered quietly, her little toes curled involuntarily in response.

— "Look forward," Nivalis ordered firmly. "And don't you dare look away, or I'll double the number of spanks I'm about to give you," she added while raising her arm again, her blue eyes watching her daughter turning back to look at the boy.

"Mhm..." Silvia hummed with a sniffle, biting her lip as she stared down at her brother's twitching member. She wanted so badly to look away but feared making things worse for herself. Thus, she continued staring straight at it, her golden eyes following each vein and bump along its shaft. Another impact came down on her bottom again—a second loud slap that echoed throughout the quiet forest. "Ahh!" she yelled, her breathing growing heavier as the stinging pain spread across her tender butt cheeks.

Another slap followed immediately, and another, each one stronger than the last. Silvia whimpered softly under her breath, feeling her mother's large hand connecting with her soft buttcheeks repeatedly, leaving burning sensations across her behind. Tears welled up in her golden eyes, but never once did she look away from her little brother's throbbing erection. "I-I'm sorry... I'm really sorry..." Silvia sniffled quietly between sobs, her little butt squirming in her mother's lap.

Nivalis ignored her daughter's pleas and continued to strike her defenseless rear with heavy blows. Her hand came down harder each time, turning Silvia's once-pale bottom, now bright red under her palm. Silvia's legs trembled from the impact, her little toes curling tightly from the stinging pain. Her tiny hands clenched into tight fists as she tried to keep her golden eyes focused on her little brother's penis, but the tears kept blurring her vision, making it hard to see anything. She had to move her head even closer, her ragged breaths caressing Aster's shaft.

The woman finally stopped after giving Silvia a few more powerful strikes that left both cheeks burning hot against the cool evening air. Her handprints were visible on each side of the girl's behind. "That should be enough for now," Nivalis said softly, resting her palm on her daughter's sore bottom.

Silvia's head dropped onto Aster's hip, right next to that little thing she kept staring at, still twitching and throbbing before her eyes. Even now, she did not dare look away as her mother commanded, inhaling its musky scent with each ragged breath while tears streamed down her flushed cheeks. Sweaty strands of silver hair clung to her forehead, damp from the intense spanking her tender bottom had just received; her toes kept curling involuntarily.

— "Now repeat after me..." Nivalis said in a firm voice while her hand gently caressed the girl's poor bottom, trying to soothe away some of the pain. "I will never touch my brother's penis again," she said in a gentle whisper.

Silvia sniffled weakly but nodded in understanding before repeating what she was told through trembling lips: "I... I will never touch his penis ag-again..." she cried out softly, wiping away her tears with the back of her tiny fist.

— "One more time," Nivalis ordered, patting her red bottom with the utmost care, but even that softest of touches caused the girl's hips to jerk involuntarily.

Silvia took a deep breath, composing herself as best she could, and did as told, "I w-will never touch Aster's penis ever again..." she repeated with a sob in her voice. "Never, ever," she quietly added, still looking at the shaft right in front of her face, her eyes puffy from crying.

— "Come here," Nivalis whispered softly while taking the girl by her armpit and gently pulling her up into an embrace. She wrapped her strong arms around the petite form of her daughter, helping the girl bury her teary face into the soft bosom, pressing her tightly against herself. "Shhh..." Nivalis hushed, stroking Silvia's hair tenderly like one would a scared kitten. "I'm sorry that I was too harsh on you, my love," she whispered into her daughter's pointy ear. "I just needed for you to understand how serious it is..."

"I... I know," Silvia sniffled quietly while rubbing her tear-stained eyes with her tiny hands. "What I did with my mouth... siblings shouldn't do it. I-I... understand. I'm sorry, Mommy."

Nivalis sighed tiredly before cupping Silvia's soft cheek and tilting her head so they could look into each other's eyes. A gentle thumb wiped away a few remaining tears that clung to her long eyelashes. "Have you ever put it in... places other than your mouth?" she asked quietly, staring deep into the girl's soul with those piercing blue eyes. "I need you to be honest, sweetie," she added.

Silvia blushed heavily and lowered her gaze briefly before returning it to meet her mother's intense stare. "Of course not, Mom..." the girl replied just as quietly, shaking her head lightly at her mother's words.

Nivalis continued staring intently at Silvia's face, searching in her golden eyes for any hint of deceit or trickery, not saying anything for a moment. But then, she finally broke eye contact with a soft sigh before giving her daughter another tight hug. "Alright..." she whispered, a sigh of relief escaping past the woman's lips as she returned to soothingly caressing the girl's long hair. "That's good..."

"I knew it was wrong to do, but... I just thought... It wasn't THAT big of a deal," Silvia said with another sniffle.

— "Isn't it obvious, honey? It's a big deal. How did you even come up with such an awful idea in the first place?" Nivalis questioned with a light frown, still holding her daughter close to her chest.

Without thinking, the girl answered. "Well, you let him hump—" but immediately stopped as soon as those words left her mouth, realizing what she just had admitted. She looked up at her mother's face, noticing how her expression changed from tired into something else altogether. Shame. Embarrassment. Regret.

Nivalis opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. Instead, a heavy sigh, full of exhaustion and disbelief, came out. "You... knew about it?" she asked with a tremble in her voice after quite some time had passed since the girl's confession. Without waiting for a response, she continued, "Oh gods, no wonder..." Nivalis added quietly more to herself than to her daughter, covering her face with both hands briefly, only to look at Silvia again. "How? When?" she asked, staring into those golden eyes.

Silvia gulped nervously before answering, "Ehm... I once asked Asty how he made it go away as it kept poking me in my sleep," she said, rubbing her arm shyly while trying not to meet her mother's gaze. "He said that he can't, something about a strange illness of his... down there... and that it hurts for some reason when he tries to... make it small. Then I pressed further until he finally told me what you let him do during the night..." The girl added quietly. "He also said that you are really shy and embarrassed about it and that I shouldn't... tell you that I know..."

— "Oh dear gods," Nivalis groaned, feeling so very tired all of a sudden, even more than before, if possible. She leaned back on the soft grass, covering her eyes with one arm as she let out another deep sigh. The past two days were just one big mess. Witnessing her sweet daughter pleasuring her little brother with her mouth, now learning that it was her fault... Nivalis didn't know what to think about herself anymore. Was it even possible to fail as a mother more than this? She felt like she wanted to die right then and there.

"I guess it's my time to spank your butt," Silvia tried to lighten the mood with an embarrassed chuckle.

Nivalis groaned in response as she realized how harshly she had punished the girl, even though she was just as bad. Her eyes shut even tighter behind her arm, trying to block out the world for a little longer.

Silvia giggled quietly at her mother's reaction before carefully pulling herself closer to her face, still on top of her. "Hey," she whispered, tapping her mother's arm gently with a finger.

Nivalis uncovered her face and stared into the little girl's golden eyes. Tears began to well up in the woman's tired blue gaze, threatening to spill over at any moment.

Silvia's little forefinger started tracing along her mother's soft lips without saying anything while she looked deep into those watery eyes. Her little butt, still incredibly sore and red, was bathed in the warm glow of fire as she lay on top of Nivalis. "I love you," the girl said gently, giving the sweetest smile she could muster. "It won't ever change that, even if I know about something silly like this..." she added quietly, "I won't tell anyone... ever."

Nivalis sighed deeply and nodded lightly before wrapping her arms around the petite form of her daughter again, holding her close to her big bosom. "I feel terrible for spanking you," she whispered against the girl's silver hair, gently caressing her reddened behind with both palms, parting her soft butt cheeks slightly as she did so. "I'm sorry, my sweet snowflake. It's all my fault..."

"Meh, don't worry about it. I still deserved it," Silvia replied, giggling cutely while wiggling her sore bottom under the woman's touch. "I was curious and did what I wanted without thinking..." she said quietly, resting her chin against her mother's big breasts, her golden eyes staring at the beautiful face above. "Though if you still feel sorry... there is one thing that might cheer me up," she smiled mischievously, slowly moving her head forward to place a gentle kiss on those soft lips of her mother.

— "You're impossible... Only for a little, okay?" Nivalis mumbled before returning the kiss, closing her blue eyes and wrapping her arms tighter around the petite form of her child. Their soft, pink lips moved against one another slowly, giggling occasionally at the sound of each other's breathy exhale or wet slurp.

The little girl's tongue soon slipped inside her mother's mouth, exploring every corner with her wet muscle while moaning softly. A cute yelp escaped Silvia when Nivalis began to suck on it, making her wiggle her sore bottom against the woman's palms. The campfire continued crackling merrily in the background as the mother and daughter lay together under the starry sky, wrapped in each other's arms.

...

[Silvia]

With her tongue all tingly and numb, Silvia lay sleeping deeply beside her little Aster, their nest of blankets soft beneath them. Even though Nivalis was initially against it, Silvia insisted on sleeping with him, making a little scene over it. After all, it was how she always slept—with her brother always nearby. The idea of not doing so, especially when he's hurt, made the girl quite upset. But after promising to keep her hands and mouth to herself, Nivalis finally agreed. Hesitantly, but did.

True to her word, she had been well-behaved, holding the sweaty boy in her arms all night long. The gentle light of the fire played across her youthful face, pressed against Aster's rhythmically rising and falling chest. Her long hair spilled across his small shoulders as a peaceful smile graced her lips.

But a strange sound kept echoing in her dream, again and again, disturbing her deep sleep. It sounded like... squelching? It made her wake up with an inaudible groan. The first thing she felt was a pain in her petite buttcheeks; even now, hours later, they still felt raw and tender as she shifted in place.

The girl slowly opened her heavy eyelids, blinking the blurriness out of them. The first thing she saw was her mother sitting nearby, still not sleeping, for some reason, even though it was already so late into the night and she had been so exhausted earlier. But then, her golden gaze lowered... only to find her gently stroking her little brother's erect shaft with two fingers. Her pale breasts jiggled slightly as her hand moved back and forth in a slow but steady rhythm. Her blue eyes watched the thing twitch and throb under her touch, too focused on it to notice that her daughter was already awake.

'What the...' was all Silvia could think while staring at her mother pleasuring her son's penis with her forefinger and thumb, making that weird skin move along the shaft. The way Aster panted beneath her ear made it clear he enjoyed it, the same sounds he made when she put his thingy in her mouth. She didn't know what to make of this scene before her. A little pang struck her young heart at the thought of someone else touching and pleasuring her brother, but she ignored it. It was her mother, after all. Asty was her boy, too.

A confused look spread across the little girl's face as she silently watched her mother doing wonders with her hand on her brother's shaft. The next few minutes passed in complete silence, with only their soft breathing, squelching, and the crackling fire filling the otherwise quiet night air. More of that liquid oozed out of Aster's tip, making things even messier for Nivalis. 'Huh... she doesn't eat it?' Silvia wondered, staring at the shiny shaft between her mother's fingers, her eyes following each movement. 'I wish I knew how to do this yesterday...'

Only now noticing that something had changed in the corner of her eye, Nivalis' gaze shifted, and her blue eyes met her daughter's wide, golden ones; both froze as their gazes locked onto each other, neither saying anything for several long, incredibly awkward moments. "I-I... I'm just trying to make it small again, sweetie," Nivalis stuttered, her fingers stopping dead in their tracks, wrapped around the base of little Aster's penis. "He kept moaning in pain, so I thought... maybe..."

Silvia gave her mother a look that almost screamed, "You made me promise never to touch his thingy again and even spanked my butt hard because of a simple glance at it, and yet here you are, touching it yourself," without saying a single word—a cute pout formed on the little girl's pink lips.

"I... know." Nivalis sighed quietly, adding, "I just wanted to see whether your idea works. What you said earlier... about 'helping' him... made sense, so..." Her chest moved rhythmically with each deep breath she took, partially covered by her long, silver hair. The firelight played across her naked body.

The girl's expression changed from pout to curiosity as she nodded slowly. It did make sense that her "special treatment" from yesterday helped him with the pain. His thingy is super weird, after all. "Can I... watch?" Silvia asked hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper. Her golden, hopeful eyes stared deep into her mother's blue ones. "Asty told me how guilty you feel about it, so maybe it will be easier if I—"

"Absolutely not," Nivalis replied immediately, cutting off her daughter before she could finish. "Go back to sleep. Now," she added firmly.

— "But Mom..." Silvia started, only to be interrupted by a stern look from her mother, who clearly was not having any of it. "Fiiine..." the girl sighed deeply before rolling over and facing the other way. "Still love you, and I think what you're doing is right, even though I am quite pissed," she added, snuggling her face into Aster's neck with a huff.

Nivalis rolled her eyes at that comment before looking down at the little erection she held between two fingers; it kept oozing more precum, making her digits slick. A deep sigh escaped her lips as she resumed her gentle stroking, slowly gliding her fingertips up and down that tiny but stubbornly hard shaft, trying to do so without a single wet sound so Silvia wouldn't hear what she was doing.

Silvia did hear it, though—each stroke of her mother's fingers on her brother's thingy; the squelching noises were unmistakable. She pretended not to notice anything and remained still like a good daughter.