"How bad am I?" Shelly asked, then held up a hand to stop her from answering. "Wait. You said my brother is fine? How can that be? He had to be a lot closer to the blast."
Sonia gave her a quizzical look before answering. "He can't be harmed. I thought we explained that to you. The fairy sacrificed herself to make him permanent."
"The fairy? You mean Arethusa?" Shemhazau interrupted. He shook his head and spoke the rest in wonder. "I had heard something like that was possible, but never heard of it actually happening."
"I guess I didn't know what you meant by permanent," Shelly placed her head in her hands. "There were a lot of other things to worry about at the time, and I forgot. How is my dad and everyone else?"
