We arrived at Uncle and Aunt Sarah's house at 10:30. I'd yet to eat today, because I didn't want to lose my breakfast during one of the most important conversations of my life.

Eni was holding my hand. He probably wanted me to feel better. My heart was hammering in my chest.

Ali pulled a key out of his pocket. He probably didn't want any of the staff to answer the door.

Ali's dad poked his head into the front room. "You could have just rung the doorbell."

"I figured the key would be faster." Ali looked around. "Where is the staff? They're usually around doing something. Surprised none of them came to the door when I got out my key."

"Your mom gave them the morning off. Think we're going out to eat sometime today."

Ali raised his eyebrows. He then something I couldn't understand, so he must have gone into Japanese.

His dad motioned for us to follow him.

Aunt Sarah and I sat on one side of the table. My brothers took the other side. Uncle decided to lean on the counter.

"What do you ladies have to tell us?" Uncle asked.

Aunt Sarah and I exchanged glances.

"Honey?" She looked at her husband. "Did I ever tell you that I had a big sister?"

"I don't think you had..."

Ali's eyes got big. We definitely had his attention.

"Her name was Cecelia and she was four years older than me."

If Ali had doubts before, he surely knew who Aunt Sarah and I were talking about.

"Oh. My. God." Ali put his hand over his mouth. "Your mama..."

"That's right, Lany." Aunt Sarah put her hand over his free hand. "She's your aunt."

Uncle raised his eyebrows. "You three need to explain yourselves. You might as well be speaking French."

"Didn't I tell you that I used to live in a faraway place?" she asked.

"You told me that you spent your grade school years abroad."

"And I never told you where?"

"No."

I jumped in here. "I came here from the same place as your wife. I lived in the town of Takiran with my little brother, Phoenix."

"And where is this town?"

"It's far away from here..." Ali had gone rigid. "It's very far away from here."

Aunt Sarah and I held hands. "Takiran is a town in a world called Engrada."

"Engrada? Are you implying other planets exist?"

"Yes." Aunt Sarah met his gaze. "I know it's real because I was born in Takiran."

Phoenix was listening but his priority seemed to be Ali. Ali still seemed to be in shock.

"You're going to have to tell me more, dear."

"I know this going to sound crazy, but I need you to listen to what I have to say." Aunt Sarah drew a long breath. "I am the second daughter of Queen Isabella and Duke Jedidiah. I was born at another property but raised in the palace of Norma Esther."

"Just let me get this straight." Uncle's eyes got big. "You're a princess? What even brought you to America? Why would you choose to live as a peasant?"

"Yes. I am a princess with the title of duchess." Aunt Sarah tucked a loose hair behind her ear. "I didn't really live like a princess, though. Sometimes, I had to be present at a public event, but otherwise, I lived a quiet life."

"But why come here?"

She averted her gaze. "I could've gone on a journey like other kids my age, but I didn't want to. I wanted to continue studying, so I could figure out how to help others. I had family here and their stories drew me to Artania." She smiled at her boy. "It was why I wanted Lany to come into the world here."

Ali had mentioned that he was born on this property, but I doubted that he knew about this. If Aunt Sarah never mentioned where she came from, I doubted she mentioned this.

"You gave up the chance to travel the world to study in another world? Why didn't you study in your world?"

"It's because of how far this world has come, isn't it?" Ali asked.

Aunt Sarah smiled. "This world is more advanced, which is nice, but it really was my family's stories more than anything else."

"But what about their stories?" Uncle asked.

"It was an ordinary life. All they had to do was go to work or school."

I raised an eyebrow. "But how did they get this property? It was in your family, wasn't it?"

"It was a wedding gift to my uncle when they decided to settle down here."

"Uncle Leo..."

"That's right, Lany."

Uncle raised an eyebrow. "You haven't mentioned him in a while. What ever happened to him?"

"He moved to France right before Lany started high school. We talk on the phone sometimes, but not as often as when he lived here."

The look on Ali's face suggested that he knew about this. Was this the reason he knew French? Never mind if he was comfortable with it, he was clearly exposed to it.

"So, these two are your niece and nephew? And you didn't know?" Uncle asked.

"I knew my sister had two kids their ages, but I never met them. My sister and I drifted apart."

Ali squeezed Phoenix's hand. "How did you find out?"

"Leon reached out to me after you arrived here. He was worried about them because he sees them as his own children."

"How come you didn't want to tell us before now?" Phoenix asked.

Aunt Sarah was redder than a tomato. "I was afraid to. I was worried you'd freak out. I also didn't want to distract you from finding Savannah and that little girl's parents, but I really shouldn't have put this off for so long..."

"I wouldn't have wanted to say anything, either," Ali admitted.

"How did you meet them, anyway?" Uncle asked.

Ali couldn't meet Uncle's gaze. "I don't know how to managed this, but I found the palace when I first turned five. That was how I met them."

Uncle crossed her arms. "You three are too close for that to be your only meeting."

"You're right... We've had other meetings." I felt small. I might as well been three feet tall. "Ali and I share a birthday. A terrible event occurred soon after my seventh birthday."

"A terrible event?"

I nodded. "There was a coup and my mother was overthrown. My brother and I survived because a mother couldn't bear to know our lives were taken. Instead, we were sealed in a place I call Limbo."

Ali had gone pale.

"Limbo?" Uncle asked.

"Time stopped in there, so we hadn't aged. And if you're wondering why we don't look like kids, I couldn't tell you. We just caught up after we got out."

Uncle looked at Ali out of the corner of his eye.

I couldn't understand what Ali had to say, but I imagined that he said he left home two years ago to rescue us.

"You seem to be taking this well." Aunt Sarah looked at her husband through narrowed eyes. "How come?"

"Our son has the ability to disappear into mirrors." Uncle crossed his arms. "There's really not a lot that could top how crazy that is. If he knew what happened to them, no wonder he was so desperate to leave."

Ali looked like someone shined a light in his face.

I got the feeling that Uncle was a perceptive man...

"As for why you never told us, you knew we'd be more likely to think that you were making the whole thing up because of your age." Uncle got up. "Anyway, I could use a shower."

Aunt Sarah scrunched her face.

Phoenix gave Ali a hug. "I don't care if you're my cousin or not. You're still my big brother."

"Love you, Eni."

"I love you, too."

***

And a truth came to light for Ain's family! Thoughts? Theories? Predictions?

~Shino out!