My mother named me Margot because her great grandmother was called Margot. But I had never liked the name. For as long as I could remember, I had asked people to call me Margo. One less letter, but a much more pleasant sound. My father often said that he would have called me Victoria. Being named after the founder of our family would have been much more preferable than a random French name, but I supposed I would have made it my own in some way anyway.

The Balikova Family was huge in Budapest Citybase. To be honest, it was huge in the entire Protectors of Earth Community worldwide. I loved our difference to the world, a difference that Victoria Balikova had worked hard to secure. Her blood ran through my veins, even if it was three hundred years later. I had heard so much about the legendary story of her growing up, and I often wished I would grow up faster so my powers would manifest. I was sure that I was a telepath, just like Victoria. In fact, I was sure that I would be the next Legre-communication gene carrier after Louisa. She got all the spotlight for being the one who could communicate with Legres. But when I grow up, she'd be sidelined.

What I didn't expect was my mother being a de Silver.

They had a huge argument about it. They sent me to bed and locked themselves in the study, but they didn't know about the old key-hole gap that let me see through. True, it was locked with an electric field, but I could still hear them and see them.

Father was mad because mother hadn't told him about it. But mother couldn't have told him, because she didn't know herself. It was all very dramatic and stupid. I stayed for five minutes then headed off to bed. They could fill me in when I wake up tomorrow. Besides, father was over reacting. But it was also hard for me to process. I wasn't just a Balikova anymore, I was a de Silver, too.

This made me even more special.

Father wasn't at breakfast the next day. My maid helped me into a new dress and I wondered what the occasion was, especially since father wasn't here. The dining room seemed a little more empty than usual without him, the dark wood paneling giving a harsh glow in the sunlight. There was no food either.

"Come, Margot," mother said, dressed in her best dress suit, and reached for my hand. I noticed two small suitcase was beside her and a car was waiting outside. "The de Silver had arranged for us to visit their headquarters. Grandma and Grandpa would meet us there."

I nodded. Before their shouting match yesterday, they had told me as much. It turned out that Grandpa's mother was a de Silver who had been a Norm and ran away. How did you run away from one Citybase to another without being traced? That was beyond me.

Anyway, so they found them eventually when cousin Dahlia's power emerged and joined the de Silver. She was sent to this school called the P.O.E. Academy first, of course. She should have joined the Balikova, but none of us were telekinetics.

The ride to the airport was smoothed. I had been on one twice, more than the average girl, so I knew exactly what to expect. I would be traveling a lot more as I get older, so I leaned back and took the chance to rest like my mother.

My nose wrinkled as we drove down the tarmac of the airport. The plane de Silver sent to get us was an old model, a Class B Bumblebee. That was cheap of them. Maybe they redecorated it? I boarded, scanning the interior and letting my mother dragged me to the nearest seats. Nope, it was just a regular Bumblebee. At least we weren't flying commercial.

"Is father not coming?" I couldn't see father anywhere and mother shook her head. She looked a bit sad still and I knew it was because of their argument yesterday. Adults were so strange. They fought over stupid things and held silly grudges. I hoped I won't be like that.

"No, sweetheart." My mother liked to use endearing terms, and I indulged her. "But uncle Philip would be there."

I nodded. Uncle Philip might be a Norm, but he was a pretty cool uncle and family. I picked the nicest seat and plopped down. It would take two hours to fly to London Citybase; or was it Paris we were going to?

The flight was uneventful, although they did serve us food. I eyed the steak uncertainly and cut it. It was too well done and I put my cutleries down. I asked for some fruit, which surely couldn't go wrong. Mother tried to get me to do some homework after, but obviously I hadn't brought them along. Who would voluntarily bring homework on a "reunite with your family" weekend?

Mother twitched and hovered around me the entire flight. She couldn't sit down and seems to find pacing around a good way to pass time. I did some reading on my e-reader, took a nap, and woke up to find her still pacing. I sighed, smoothing the white lace dress I was wearing."Mummy, why are you so nervous? They are just people." I asked and she flashed me a quick smile. Still nervous. She kneeled down in front of me, righting the bow on my hair.

"You won't understand it just yet," she started. "When you're older, it'll make more sense. It's weird to know that I'm a de Silver..."

She trailed off and I huffed at her. I might only be seven, but many have told me that I was as wise as an adult. If she wasn't going to tell me, I would just have to find out for myself. We arrived before it turned dark and I could see Uncle Philip and Aunty Babara waiting outside. I hopped off the plane and smiled at them, looking around to see if Dahlia was there. She always gave me sweets.

"Welcome, sister." Uncle Phillip leaned in to kiss mother on the cheek, and Aunty Barbara hugged her. The three of them talked in a hushed voice and I was left to take in the scene. The tarmac looked identical everywhere but there was a car behind us. I couldn't distinguish which Citybase it was; I didn't have the time to count the sections. I knew that Paris had 12 and London had 16. Budapest wasn't so primitive; we didn't separate our city.

"Dahlia is waiting for us in the car," Uncle Philip told me when he caught me looking around. I wanted to see Dahlia, but that wasn't why I was looking around. Still, I had learned not to explain to adults. They never get it.

Uncle Phillip shepherded us towards the car, walking briskly and remaining silent the entire way. He has that weird crease in his forehead that let me know he was nervous, too. If we were being accepted to our new family, why did he need to be nervous?

Dahlia was inside the car as promised, and she immediately dropped her comm system and beamed at me. I let her pulled me towards her and hugged her back. She smelled like sweets and something else I couldn't put my finger on.

"Margo! I'm so happy you're here, you'll love London!" she exclaimed. So we were in London. The car was nicer than the plane, a kind of limo with plush leather seats that didn't look too wore yet. Dahlia quickly greeted mother, too, and she looked expectantly behind her, probably thinking father was coming. At least she didn't comment on it and let everyone get in the car.

No one spoke for a while and I clambered over my cousin to get to the window seat. I peered out of it, hoping to catch a glimpse of the city that had been one of the nine World Enders detonation sites. However, it looked pretty intact to me as we pulled into the main road and along a dead, meek-looking river. It was nowhere near as grand as the Danube. There weren't nearly as many buildings along it, either. I settled back to my seat, disappointed.

"We'll head to the London Chapter House first," Dahlia explains. "We'll be there to talk things over before they decide whether to take us to their headquarter."

Uncle Phillip and Aunt Barbara looked nervous, and mother fidgeted in her seat, soothing her dress suite. I didn't particularly care if we were to go to their headquarters or not. I was a Balikova, it was in my surname and I was only here because I had to be.

I must have fallen asleep at some point because Dahlia was shaking me awake in the car and all the adults were gone. I tried to rub the sleep from my eyes as my cousin coaxed me out of the car. It had gotten dark quick and the open door with warmth and light beckoned.

The house was nice. I nodded appreciatively as we shuffled from the well-lit marble atrium to a warm wood-paneled corridor. I could hear my mother's voice coming from one of the opened doors, but the conversation made me paused.

"...I won't have my daughter brought up away from me, or her family. Her father wouldn't allow it anyway," she said in her controlled voice. She only ever used that voice when she was really mad, like that time I accidentally broke the vase at home. It was father's gift to her before they got married. I felt horrible, but no one told her to put it in the living room where they knew I liked to run around.

"We are not asking you to send her here forever," a voice I didn't recognised spoke back. "We just want her to come and spend a few weeks with us each year so she can learn more about this side of her family."

I puffed my cheeks. Didn't they think that I should be the one who decides what I wanted to do. Adults could be so dense sometimes. I made a move to go into the room, my Dahlia held me by the shoulder and stopped me. She had a serious expression on her face, so I stayed quiet. She had always been the sensible one or so the adults said. I knew it was the code for boring.

"Let her make some friends here, it'd be good for her," now it was Uncle Phillip's voice I heard. "Besides, Dahlia would be here to look out for her. And you needn't worry about that little rascal other than her being a bad influence."

I puffed my cheeks even further out; Uncle Phillips had always said that I was his favourite niece (granted, I was his only niece). Was this how he really thought of me? Dahlia suppressed a laugh and I used this as an opportunity to sneak out of his grip and ran into the room.

"Hey sweetie, did you sleep well?" my mother immediately reached for me and asked. I nodded, looking around the room. It was grand, with a high ceiling, the same white marble walls decorated with portraits and furniture that looked older than everyone combined. There was a lone stranger next to Uncle Phillips and I glared at him.

"This must be little Margot," he said and smiled at me. I stared at him some more. He looked older than my parents but not as old as Grandfather with salt and pepper hair and electric blue eyes. He was wearing a stylish navy suit so I gave him a quick smile. For just a second.

"Margot, this is your, er, Uncle Harold," mother said. I took it that she was using the term uncle loosely, but nonetheless I greeted him. We had manners, after all.

"You must be tired from the journey. Let me show you to your quarters so you can rest for the night," Harold said and started leading us back out the door. He nodded at Dahlia as he walked past and my cousin smiled at him. If Dahlia liked him, he must be nice; nice but boring."I'll see you tomorrow morning," Dahlia kissed me on the top of my head and so did Uncle Phillip and Aunt Babara. So they weren't staying with us? I waved at them as I stifled a yawn, letting my mother dragged me along with her.

We walked down the corridor, the walls were only painted white now and I could feel the eyes of the portraits staring at us, accessing. I had read about the de Silver Family. They weren't as powerful as us Legacies, but they were one of the top Families. But they had no claim on me. I was a Balikova.

"This is your room. Let me know if you need anything," Harold said. No doubt it was one of those polite but untrue words. I peeked into our room, letting the adult be polite. It was more old fashioned than what I was used to with a four-poster bed and dated walls. But luckily no portraits. My mother nodded stiffly before closing the door. Then she collapsed on the bed."Mummy, it's okay." I went over and patted her shoulder. "I'll always be a Balikova no matter what."

My mother laughed and gave me a smile. Was that not what I was supposed to say?"That I don't doubt, sweety," she said, ruffling my hair. I scowled at her. She knew I don't like that. "They want you to come here every year for a few weeks, how do you feel about that?"I considered it. The house was nice; Harold didn't seem mean and we were in London Citybase. Staying at another Family's base was something that none of the others could, not even Louisa. Maybe this would boost my credits so that everyone would know that I was the next rising star in the P.O.E. world.

"I think it'd be fine," I answered. And fine it was.

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Hi all, I know I've been silent for way too long, so I'm back with a peace offering and a little side story to get my juices flowing. I hope you all still remember who Margo is! She's one of the two alternate timeline - or as we'd say: Multiverse - that could have been. And one of the thumb drive that was never watched.

She's fairly different to Abigail, and that would be reflected. I'm not sure how long this would be, but it'll probably be novella length.  Then, hopefully, I'll move on to Andre!