Later that afternoon, Moreno and I walked out to the portal and back into the human world. The ranch was hot and dusty as we walked between the grove of giant sequoias and the house. I was glad I'd swapped my gear for a T-shirt and jeans even if the body armor under the shirt was making me sweat.

We walked into the house, where a party seemed to be in full swing. Granmam had put together a large buffet of food in the kitchen and various members of the family mulled about. My brothers Geoff and Nath ran up and down the stairs and Jilly sat at the kitchen table chatting with my two aunts. I hadn't even realized Suzie and Bex had flown to America, but it made sense. It was their skill as lawyers that emancipated Kira.

Dylan sat on the couch nursing a cup of coffee. My cousin had actually cleaned up for once and wore a button-down white shirt and neat slacks. His hair was gelled back, and he didn't look like the rancher he usually did. Still, despite his polished look, something was hollow in his eyes.

I plopped down on the couch beside him. "You okay?"

"My dad is here," he said.

I bit back one of those Welsh swear words that Granmam saved for special occasions. Dylan hated his father. Uncle Chris couldn't be here. Still, Kira was his daughter.

"Want me to punch him?" I asked. "I know a few good fighting moves now."

"No, you're still on rest after this morning," Moreno said from where he was leaning on the wall. "You aren't supposed to overexert yourself, and I think punching your uncle qualifies."

"Or Moreno can knock him out cold," I said.

"He wouldn't," Dylan said.

Moreno raised an eyebrow. "If my princessa asks, who am I to turn down a royal command?"

"I don't hate my dad that much," Dylan said. "Besides, he'll be bored in an hour and out of here. He's already hit on every woman his age here and not a blood relative. Bex told him to get lost and Elise nearly kicked him."

"Did you talk to Kira yet?" I asked.

"Jilly took her on a tour of the house," Dylan said. "They should be back soon. Honestly, there's not much to see here. The fun stuff is all hidden."

Jilly and Claire, Suzie and Bex's adopted daughter, walked into the room. I always liked Claire, even though we didn't see her all that often. She was tall like me, but only thirteen. Her pink striped top went well with her dark skin and her braided hair was styled into a ponytail.

"Where's Kira?" Dylan asked.

"Bathroom." Claire's Welsh accent was even stronger than Granmam's. "Heard everyone finally let you in on the family secret, Terri. It's cool being a halfant, isn't it?"

My eyes widened. "You're a halfant?"

"Sometimes when halfant babies are abandoned by their human parent, they get placed with adoptive families," Claire said. "Doesn't always work though, which is why there are a lot of children at Half Circle. It's hard to find people the halfants trust, but my moms convinced Aunt Doc to let them take me at least until I decide to train."

"Next training cycle starts in less than a year," Moreno said. "Are you going to enter?"

"Still talking it over with my moms," Claire said. "They're a little nervous about letting their only daughter go. Still things will be easier if I train and the pay is good. It's always a little hard being half giant in a world meant for humans."

"I know," Moreno said. "This world isn't meant for us. That's why we have our own."

Claire nodded. I didn't think that the human world was only for humans, but it certainly was hard for us to be in this world. I completely understood why the halfants had created their own communities and I appreciated the place to belong.

I looked over Claire's shoulder at a figure walking in the room. It had to be Kira. She was six feet tall and her long Oakeley brown hair had bright blue tips. She resembled all the pictures I'd seen of Kira and her mother, but Kira had Uncle Chris's big pouty lips that stretched into a crooked but charming smile.

Kira looked at us with nervous eyes. She wasn't used to having her family around. I understood that. We were an intimidating bunch around here since we were all so close knit. She wore a pair of checkered pants with a neon pink shirt and a leather jacket. It was a strange combination that almost made her look like an anime character, but she pulled it off.

"Oh, good, you found us," Claire said. "I was just telling your brother how good your American accent is."

"I've been practicing English since I was a toddler," Kira said. "It comes naturally, and I had an American tutor in school. I think having all my classmates make fun of me for years for being half American made me just want to embrace it all."

"We wanted you here sooner," Dylan said. "But Dad—"

Dylan looked at his shoes with guilt. Uncle Chris had never prioritized either of his children. He hadn't even cared much about his marriage to Dylan's mother in the year that it lasted. If Uncle Chris had cared more, maybe it wouldn't have been so difficult to let Kira come to the United States.

"Who cares about Dad?" Kira said flippantly, but her jaunty smile didn't reach her eyes.

It was hard to write off a parent completely. Even when I was a kid, I wished that my biological mother would come racing in. Now that I knew who she was, I just wished that she'd stay as far away from me as possible.

Jilly slipped into the room behind Kira. Her expression was one of complete worry. She held us in her arms to mime something, but I shook my head, not understanding. She tried again, but I still didn't have a clue what she was trying to say.

Footsteps sounded in the hall. I could hear my father's voice mixing with another. My heart sank. Then Uncle Chris waltzed into the room with my father on his heels.

I hadn't seen Uncle Chris in a while, but he hadn't changed. He dressed like a much younger tech bro with a plain t-shirt and jeans, even though both had to be at least five hundred dollars each. His new Air Jordans oozed money, and his brown hair was tousled. He held up a hand flashing a Rolex and smiled at his children.

Dylan was completely frozen. I always forgot how much he looked like a blonde version of his father. Uncle Chris looked Dylan over and wrinkled his nose in disgust. He didn't even glance at Kira. His daughter tried to shift in his line of sight, but Uncle Chris ignored her.

"Dylan, my boy," he said. "Too lazy to say a hello to your old man. I came all the way out here in practically the middle of nowhere. You can't even get a decent cup of coffee around here."

"It's your childhood home," Dad said. "Maybe try acting like you haven't outgrown it, Christopher."

"Oh Charles," Uncle Chris laughed. "It's so silly that you still love this backwater place. When I inherit it one day, I'll make sure the developer I sell the land to cut you in on the check."

"You're not getting this place," Dylan stiffened. "Not now or ever, Father."

"Well," Uncle Chris chuckled, like his son was silly. "At least he has a backbone. And when he's done at whatever Ivy League I'm getting him into, he'll make an excellent vice president of general operations for Oakmore Tech. Have you decided where you're going to school yet, Dylan?"

My cousin started examining his shoes again. Dylan didn't care about college. The ranch was his life. He didn't need more than the portals and the cattle. His world was so much bigger than simple money. That was all Uncle Chris cared about.

"I'm applying to early admissions to MIT," Kira said.

Uncle Chris didn't even look in her direction. I watched as Kira's face completely fell as Uncle Chris discussed all the things that Dylan could do in college. I wanted to give her a big hug and tell her that Uncle Chris didn't matter to any of us, but I wasn't sure that would help.

Dylan slowly looked more and more frustrated the longer his father talked. I half-wondered if he was going to take my advice and deck his father. Instead, when Uncle Chris turned to take a breath between stories about his frat days in college, Dylan interjected.

"You know this party is for Kira, right?" He crossed his arms. "And you're lucky we even invited you."

"I'm your father," Uncle Chris said. "Why wouldn't you invite me?"

"Maybe because all you've done for the last twenty years is desecrate our family's mission," Dylan said. "I don't care about college. Our family is what matters. I won't abandon them. This is Kira's party. It isn't about you."

"Come on Dylan," Uncle Chris said. "There's so much more to the world than this place."

"That's what you've never understood," Dylan said. "This place is its own world, and I'm lucky to be a part of it. If you don't like that I'm staying here, you can get out."

"Dylan," Uncle Chris frowned, as if he couldn't comprehend what was happening. "You don't know what you want. You're only eighteen. When you see the world—"

"Get out!" Dylan shouted. "Get off this ranch, out of my life and unless you're going to do some soul-searching, stay out!"

"Your son has spoken," Dad said. "And we both know Chris that our father left Dylan the property when he passed. He's the caretaker and his word goes."

"You can't do this to me," Uncle Chris said. "Dylan—"

"Suzie," Dad called. "Who had thirty minutes?"

"You made bets on how long I'd be here?" Uncle Chris backhanded Dad.

Aunt Suzie and Aunt Bex hustled into the room. They each grabbed one of his arms and the two lawyers frog-matched my uncle out of the house. Dad followed, presumably to make sure that Uncle Chris actually left.

I turned to Dylan. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"I'm the caretaker," he said. "And I protect the realm."

Kira gave him a strange look. "What is going on?"

"I'll explain it all soon," Dylan said. "There are just some things that our father doesn't understand. This ranch is more than just a farm. We are a family."

Kira nodded, but I didn't think she understood. She would in time and hopefully she'd accept the strange and supernatural world that was a part of our lives. We didn't need another Uncle Chris plotting to sell the land and denying actual magic.

I was proud of my cousin. He'd been trying to get his point across to his father for years. Maybe this time it would actually stick and Uncle Chris could fade from our lives forever.

Hey everyone!! This week was crazy but I finally got time to put this update together. I know this chapter is a little slow but I really wanted to wrap up Terri's journey with her family. Let me know what you think. Until next time!