Grandma blinked and broke eye contact. "I think they're from your mother's side. If I remember correctly, your grandfather had green eyes."

"I never noticed Jerry got his color from you. I always thought it was from Dad."

Grandma huffed. "Oh, Sam, the color is too different. I'm sorry Freider didn't inherit my color and rather his aunt's. I must say, you three... I mean you five, are wonderful combinations of your relatives." Her eyes became teary as she glanced from one to the other. "Though I'm amazed all of you got your grandfather's hair and didn't turn out redheaded."

Oh, so that explained the jet black hair. "Why would we be redheaded?" Sam asked. As far as he knew, no one in the family had red hair.

"My mother was a redhead and..." Her voice trailed again and tears brimmed from her eyes.

Sam frowned, wondering why his grandmother had turned so sentimental. Probably thinking about her long dead mother and husband. Was no conversation topic safe with this woman?

"Anyway." She forced a smile. "You should consider yourselves lucky, handsome boys. Few have the good fortune to be part of such a diverse family."

So they weren't adopted. Not that Sam had seriously considered that, but he'd had his fun with it. He opened his mouth to ask to be excused again, but he jumped once Kyle's phone started ringing, sending blaring rock music through the room.

Kyle looked at the screen and answered immediately. "Hey, Jess."

Sam straightened in his chair. Jessie? Why was she calling Kyle?

"Yeah, we're good." Kyle looked at Jimmy and mouthed, "Where's your phone, dumbass?"

Jimmy immediately started searching his pockets, but he'd clearly left it somewhere else. He and Tom weren't exactly used to carrying cell phones around seeing as they didn't have any before.

Kyle rolled his eyes and shook his head as though Jimmy was hopeless. "Nah, don't worry. I'll get it from him. Bye. Head's up!" He threw the phone to Jimmy who caught it with ease and left the room.

"Kyle, I don't approve of this behavior," Grandma said, swelling with indignation.

"You wouldn't approve of much of my life, I'm sure." Kyle said it with a smile that seemed to melt Grandma. Her eyes became teary again, and she stood.

"I think I'll retire for the rest of the evening." She threw Kyle one more glance and hurried away, sniffling.

Kyle frowned in confusion and looked to Jerry as if expecting to be told he'd done something wrong, but Jerry only shrugged.

"I wish Angie would call," Tom mumbled, stretching out on the couch.

"What's up with you?" Sam asked. "You seem oddly depressed."

Tom lifted his sunglasses on top of his head and looked at the ceiling. There was a swirl of emotions spinning behind his pupils: doubt, disbelief, sadness. Sam shuddered and wished Tom would put his sunglasses back on.

"I'm not depressed." Tom finally said. "I'm just confused. I'm not used to being part of something, of a family. It's weird. I feel strangely... caged."

"You feel caged. By your family," Sam said skeptically.

"Of course he does," Kyle said, stretching back on the armchair. "I wouldn't be forced to sit through this shit at Max's place. I could do whatever the hell I wanted whenever the hell I wanted. Now everyone's breathing down my neck. No offense, Jerry."

"Yeah, what he said," Tom said pointing to Kyle.

"Rules offer security," Jerry pointed out.

"Yeah, what he said," Tom said pointing to Jerry. "See why I'm confused? I feel great having a family, but I kinda miss my old life, too."

"You miss being a starving orphan," Sam said bluntly. He was usually pretty emphatic, but this felt way out of his league. He couldn't imagine preferring an uncertain life to having a loving family. Sure, grandma was pretty much a control freak, but their parents gave them enough space.

"I don't know how to explain it. And I miss Angie."

"Are you gonna say it now?" Kyle asked grinning.

"I said it in front of everyone, so I don't see the point."

Jerry and Sam looked at each other and Sam wondered if he felt the same. For the first time, he felt like an outsider in his own family. Kyle, Tom and Jimmy were very similar and now the majority. Was he a complete tool for liking the coziness of his house, the safety of his family?

Jimmy entered the room and threw the phone back to Kyle. "Jessie's been delayed. We should go, too."

Sam shook his head. "Wait, what?"

"We need to go back to Arizona and get our stuff. I also have to get in touch with our sponsor and tell them the whole thing's off and I can only do that through the orphanage."

"All right!" Tom sat up on the couch, his face lighting up.

"Your sponsor?" Jerry asked before Sam got the chance to.

Jimmy smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, how else do you think we can do all the things we do? He or she sent money together with a list of things to do with it. My martial arts training, piano and drum lessons, foreign languages... all because of this sponsor. Unfortunately, they never sent money for food, clothes and books, but I can't complain."

"No, we don't know who they are," Tom said when Sam opened his mouth. "Everything was done via email and their email has too many numbers in it to identify a name."

Sam swallowed hard, wondering if anyone else was thinking what he was thinking. For one wild moment he imagined that their parents were the mystery sponsor and actually knew about Tom and Jimmy, but it couldn't be. But who else would look after two random orphans?

"Want us to come with?" Kyle asked.

"Nah, no point." Jimmy waved Kyle away. "You need to hold the fort down here, continue training... stuff like that. We'll be back soon anyway."

"Hopefully, three of us," Tom said under his breath.

"Hopefully, five of you," Jerry corrected. He then heaved a sigh. "I don't like this much, I think you should wait for Mom and Dad to get back and they'll sort out your paperwork, but do as you please."

Jimmy smiled weakly and Sam wondered if he was uncomfortable in the family as well. Sam suddenly felt like a moody brat. Of course it was hard for Jimmy and Tom to get used to their new status. After all, they've spent their lives struggling to get by. Jimmy hadn't even signed up for college, being sure he'd have to work for a living. And now, they had all these possibilities. He'd feel weird, too. Maybe them going away on their own was best. This way they could find a way to connect their two worlds.

"We should get rid of grandma," Jerry said thoughtfully, his nose still buried in his book.

Sam did a double take. Everyone in the room stare at Jerry as though they couldn't recognize him.

"Jerry, did I hear right?" Kyle asked, stifling a laugh. "Did you just suggest we get rid of our grandmother?"

"Don't give me that look, you know I'm right." Jerry sighed and closed the book. "If we're going to do this secret agent thing, I don't want to have to lie every single day to do it."

Sam wholeheartedly agreed. "But how do we get rid of her?" He didn't want to upset his grandmother and make her rush out of the house in a huff. Because he cared about her feelings. And because his father would give them hell.

"I know." Tom hopped off the couch, seeming like his old self again. He picked up the landline phone and dialed.

The phone in the kitchen started ringing. Jerry got of his chair, but Tom waved to him to stop him from going to answer. Sam could hear the phone upstairs ringing, too, and their grandmother walking over to answer it.

"Hello, mother," Tom said all of a sudden.

Only that he didn't sound like Tom. Sam's eyes widened. His twin sounded exactly like their father.

"Yes, everything is fine. The weather is terrible down here," Tom continued as though speaking in Freider's voice was the most normal thing in the world. "No, we decided to come back tonight. You don't have to wait up."

They could hear their grandma protesting from upstairs. Tom yawned, obviously bored with the conversation. "No, mother, I've already called you a cab to come pick you up." He covered the receiver. "Quick, someone call a cab." He returned to the phone. "Yes, the boys will help you with your luggage. Yes, I understand, and I'm sorry, but things are a little difficult right now and I'd rather we sort them in private. Please don't ask questions."

Sam had a distinct feeling that if Grandma was ever going to face Freider about his rudeness, they'd all get into so much trouble. Fortunately, their father didn't really talk to his mother all that much about other stuff than her health.

"Yes, mother, I love you, too. Have a safe trip." Tom put the phone down. "Three, two, one..."

"Boys!" Grandma called from upstairs.

"How did you do that?" Jerry asked in awe.

"Oh, just a nifty little thing I do," Tom said, rubbing his nails on his chest. "I can also do this!" he said and it sounded like he was talking from the kitchen.

"You're a ventriloquist too?" Kyle asked, raising his eyebrows. "We gotta work on how to use that."

Sam had to agree that it was a crazy useful skill. But he also felt a small stab of jealousy. Had all the talent gone to Tom, leaving him with the geekyness? He wished he could say he was talented at something or had some special skill.

"We owe you big time," he mumbled to Tom as the five of them climbed the stairs to help grandma with her luggage. 

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AN: I know not much happens in this chapter. It's a breath of air from the action and the drama. There are a lot of hidden clues (very well hidden however) in here, which will probably make sense a lot later on.

Also, I'm rewarding all song suggestions with a dedication :)

Thanks for reading. And if you liked it, don't forget to vote and comment.