The breakfast table was quieter than it had been in months. Mom and Dad had left for work quite some time before and Len and Michael had already left for Texas. This left the house feeling abnormally empty. I didn't have to leave for the airport until noon, and Justin had a day off from school because of some kind of teacher training session. This resulted in the two of us sitting across from each other at opposite ends of the massive table, staring awkwardly at each other's faces.

I nibbled on the edge of my cold bagel between sips of orange juice, not having developed much of an appetite. I watched my brother do the same, absentmindedly tapping my fingernail on the engraved edge of the wooden table. The sound echoed through the room, completely unobstructed due to the complete absence of any other noise. It magnified itself to the point that it sounded like a load of stomping feet.

"Hey," Justin smiled weakly in an effort to break the tense silence. He barely moved his lips as he spoke, slouched over in his chair as he poked his bagel with a fork. His hair was even messier than usual, and it seemed like each strand had been combed in a different direction. You didn't have to be his brother to be able to tell that he was unbelievably tired.

"Hey," I replied. After that strained greeting, the two of us fell silent once again, clearly contemplating whether or not it would be wise to bring up the elephant in the room. Before I could gather the courage to broach the topic of WGO, my brother beat me to it.

"When you get back from Texas, we're going to have to exhaust all the resources we have available to us in our search for the answers."

"What do you mean?"

"This house is huge," Justin explained. "There's some parts of it on the third floor that we rarely ever go to. We could easily have missed a big clue, even if it's in our own home. We need to make sure we have all the pieces of the puzzle before we start trying to put it together, if that makes any sense."

"How would you suggest that we go about...searching the house?"

"I could take care of the groundwork while you're gone," Justin shrugged. "Just cleaning out old desks and cupboards and things, and making note of anything significant that I might find. Dad's no expert criminal; there's no possible way he could've managed to destroy every piece of evidence."

I placed my half-eaten bagel down in the plate in front of me, staring at my brother with widened eyes.

"You would actually do that? For me?"

"You've stumbled upon what could be a worldwide conspiracy. Or, rather, they've stumbled upon you," Justin grinned. "You can't expect me to just ignore that."

"You don't believe in my powers, remember?" I laughed. "They don't make logical sense. All of this time, I've been expecting you to say that you think WGO and Glitches are all one big scam. It sounds an awful lot like something you'd say, after all."

Justin gave me a long look, before shaking his head. "I never thought I'd admit it...but you might not be as phony as I thought you were."

"Are you saying I was right all along?" I smirked victoriously.

"Of course not," my brother scowled. "I'm just saying that the whole WGO thing has given your case some credence, and I'm willing to consider the fact that there might be more to your powers than I originally thought. And, if my sister's going to be part of some top secret organization, I'm not about to be left out."

"Fair enough," I rolled my eyes. I should've known better than to think that Justin had finally accepted the fact that I was gifted with powers that he would never possess. Still, this was definitely an improvement over his previous unmoving opposition to the fact that my psychic abilities even existed.

Glancing at the tall clock that hung from the wall, I rose from my seat, pushing in my chair.

"I have to leave for the airport in half an hour. I should probably go and get dressed now," I said. Seeing Justin's nod of acknowledgement, I headed toward the first flight of stairs. Just minutes ago, I had been feeling very nervous about leaving Justin alone with my parents, my biggest secret, and the media. However, the significant changes of opinion he had expressed in our most recent conversation left me feeling much better about the situation. I would be able to leave home with confidence.