Little did I know that this day was going to be one of the worst days on my life. No one even gave me a warning when I woke up in the morning.

I didn't even bother telling anyone that I'm going home. I slipped onto my old pair of jeans and the shirt I wore on the day I left home (the nymphs had it in the laundry) and shirted home.

I didn't appear first thing in my room. It would have looked too awkward. Instead I appeared in the front yard in England. It must have been about seven in the morning. Then I took a deep breath before I knocked on the door.

No one opened it. It was strange. Mom didn't leave did early for work and she was always awake by seven. Then I turned the knob and opened in, only to find a colossal mess in the house. It was an utter disaster!

The pictures were on the floor, the vases were smashed and a window had a crack on it. And I was just starting on what I saw on the doorway. I went into the living room to find the sofa been torn by something like a knife and the table to be turned over. The TV screen was smashed and day a silvery spider web pattern on it. The kitchen was an even worse mess. Pots and pans were on the floor and the floor was flooded. Smashed bits of plates lay sunken on the floor which made the whole kitchen look like an epic battle field between pirates and the British Armada.

Someone had to be here.

'Hello?' I said out loud. 'Anybody home?'

No one came out.

At first I thought maybe mom went into a tantrum and smashed the whole house, but what about the fairies and the gnomes and the trolls? Surely someone had to be home. But what I saw in front of the staircase confirmed that it was definitely not mom.

There was a portal. A large portal which looked like a hole ripped in the fabric of the wall that separated the visible and invisible worlds. Something big happened here.

Then, to my outmost horror, I felt someone watching me. I turned back and found a dark shadow on the wall. I shrieked. But the shadowy figure raised an arm.

'It's me,' a silent voice rang.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the Bogart in the house.

'Where is everyone?'

He shook his head and pointed at the portal. 'I don't know. Maybe there... I searched everywhere. Something happened. I don't know what.'

I bit my lips. 'Stay in the house. I'll be back.'

Then I shifted back to Sightless.

After fifteen minutes of rampaging the palace. I found Andrew yelling. 'Wait a minute! Why must I come to your house?'

'Something happened,' I said impatiently. 'Please.'

'Please? I assure you if you take me, your mom will think you are a pedophile! Your best friend thinks so already!'

I stared at him for a good five minutes, 'You are joking, right?'

'No,' he gritted under his teeth.

'Well, if you are not coming then I will take someone else capable like_'

He agreed to come eventually. But he had never seen my home. So we had to shift to school to somewhere we knew, like the library.

The smell of old books made my stomach tinge. I took in a deep breath.

'The media is already calling you a Geeky Nerd you know,' said Andrew.

'Is that bad?'

'No, but it's embarrassing.'

We passed through the shelves. I wonder whether the door was locked since it was still eight and school started at nine but to our luck, the librarian arrived early. But then our next challenge approached; getting past the librarian.

We had to wait for another fifteen minutes just for the librarian to leave her table before the two of us could get out of the library and run past the hallway. School gave me this nostalgic feeling that made me feel really bad. Did I miss school really that much? We passed the lockers along the walls before I found a familiar face that almost made me wanting to choke and ran screaming both at the same time. It was eight in the morning for crying out loud! What was she doing this early in school!

But she saw me first.

'Amethyst!'

I gulped.

Andrew switched glances between her and me. No one spoke for a long time before Isabelle demanded. 'Where were you?'

She then pointed at Andrew. 'YOU! It's your entire fault. Where did you take her?'

The poor boy stared at her blankly. 'I didn't take her anywhere. She came instead.'

'You ruined my dear sister and you will pay for it!'

'Isa,' I snapped.

But she advanced at Andrew, almost about to punch him on the nose. Andrew's instincts of some sort took over and he pulled out his sword before she drew any closer to strangle/shake/smack him.

Before anything could happen, I stepped in between them.

'Isabelle! That's enough!' I turned to Andrew. 'Put down your sword.'

'She was about to kill me!'

'Never mind that! Just don't pull it out in public places.'

'I should have killed you quicker anyway,' mumbled Andrew.

'What now?' demanded Isa.

I glared at both of them. 'Could we just talk? For goodness sake I have to get home since mom is missing.'

'She must have gone everywhere looking for you!' said Isa.

'My thoughts exactly,' said Andrew.

I sighed. 'I mean suspiciously missing.'

Andrew sheathed his sword behind his back. 'You must have worried her a lot.'

I threw my hands up. 'I admit it. It was my fault. Now are the two of you happy now.'

'She must have gone to the police,' said Isa.

'The car is at home,' I said. 'The house is a mess like as if a burglar broke in. And the fairies are all gone... except the Bogart.'

'Fairies?' said Isabelle.

'Bogart!' said Andrew.

I sighed. 'Let's just go home.'

Andrew shrugged and walked ahead. I followed and found Isabelle following too.

'What ar_'

'Not a word,' said Isabelle. 'I'm coming too.'

'What are you doing so early in school anyway?'

'I lost one of my assignments,' she said. 'I somehow remember I left in it school. Better find it before everyone rushed in.'

We got on to the morning bus which passed our home. Isa and I sat in the front and Andrew in the back. Isa had to pay for the bus fair. Yet it was very awkward.

'Mommy! That boy is a ninja!' a small kid said from behind us.

Andrew's face soured.

'Why must you carry that thing anyway,' I said.

'I'm the Captain of the Guard,' he mumbled. 'I need a weapon. And you were the one who dragged me here.'

Isabelle turned back so that she can face both of us.

'First of all, what is going on?'

'I'm a queen on an invisible kingdom,' I said. 'This fellow here is my Right hand.'

'Bodyguard,' mumbled Andrew again. 'She always gets herself almost killed.'

'Whatever he says,' I said. 'He's a prince.'

'Wow-wow-wow-wow wait? Queen? Prince?'

Andrew sighed. 'I hate explaining.' He fished out a pair of glasses from out of his jacket pocket and handed over it to her. 'Put these on. You will be able to see the invisibles with this.'

'Where did you get that?' I asked.

'That was supposed to be for your mom, but she's not here.'

'You actually_'

'Don't ruin your relationship with your mom,' he said. He then stared at the window. 'You won't feel how much you need then until you lose them.'

There was a silence among us.

Isa shifted uncomfortably. 'For once, Amy. I agree with the kid.'

Saying that, she put on her new set of glasses, 'You still need to explain what you just said.'

It took the whole while for me to explain our situation to Isa. Her eyes widened the more she listened.

'I don't believe it,' she mumbled. She almost fainted when she saw Trevelyan waiting in our front yard. Then she believed us.

'Trevelyan! What happened here?'

He shrugged. 'I'm equally confused, your highness.'

Isa snickered. 'Your highness!'

I gave her a glare that made her freeze. 'He's a gnome by the way.'

I walked past him and went inside the house.

'Wow, your mom must have got a fit of rage,' said Andrew. I frowned. Then I showed them the portal.

By the way, Isa screamed after seeing the Bogart.

Andrew on the other hand stared at the portal with his mouth wide open. 'Wha_ why didn't you mention that there was a portal?'

I shrugged. 'It must have slipped my mind.'

'Whoa,' said Isa as she adjusted her glasses. 'Your home has a portal and ghosts...'

'Fred is not a ghost,' I said. 'He's a Bogart.'

Fred waved from behind us. Andrew shook his head as if trying not to go insane. Then he turned back to the portal. 'Only a Seer can rip through the veil. Are you sure your mom is not a Seer?'

I shook my head. 'I guess not.'

'You are a powerful enchanter, Amethyst,' he said. 'At least someone on your side of the family has to be a powerful Seer. Maybe your mom couldn't see because she didn't believe or she pretended not it.'

'Trust me Andrew. It's hard to pretend in this house.'

'So,' said Isa. 'You are a sorceress too?'

I shook my head. 'I don't know what category we belong to.'

'Well,' she said. 'I've seen enough crazy for one day.'

'We have to close the portal,' said Andrew.

'How?'

'Just pull it back together.'

'Ouch!'

In the living room, the TV flickered back to life. Isa was sitting on the couch and pulled out the remote from under her.

'Hay!' I said. 'It still works.'

Andrew's calm and cool expression paled as he watched the television screen. I squinted my eyes to see what was going on in the TV through the ruined screen.

'There seemed to be an army of armed harpies gathered in front of the city entrance with a request to have an appointment with the queen...'

'But there is the Queen? The prince has disappeared as well.'

'After the presence of the queen for a full day yesterday, maybe she has some business back home... but never mind that, she really is needed here in Sightless... She'd better be back soon. Back to you Sharpy.'

They showed a clip of the situation outside the city. I never had seen a real army in my life. I have imagined armies to be big. But this was ridiculous.

The army was humongous. There was even a swarm flying overhead.

'Um...,' said Isa. 'Is that your kingdom?'

I barely nodded.

'We have to back, now!' cried Andrew.

I pointed to the portal.' What about that?'

'Come-on,' said Andrew. He reached out to one of the ends of the portal and pulled whatever invisible fabric there was. I followed him. My hands gripped on some sort of a thin stretchable plastic and pulled it towards the center. Where the margins of the veil touched, they melted and merged.

'How you are going to reach that place, in Egypt?' said Isabelle.

'Teleportation,' I said.

'Okay... so... Can I come?'

'No,' I sighed. 'Could you look after the house a bit? Keep Trevelyan with you. He will explain stuff.'

'Keep the glasses,' said Andrew.

Isa blinked. 'So you two are just going to run off and solve a major invasion?'

The two of us nodded in unison.

'Good luck... and don't get killed or overthrown.'

'Thanks,' I said. I turned to Trevelyan. I think he understood what he must do.

But what about my mom? I had to think about her later. Sightless is a priority. The mystery of the portal and wait later... I hope mu mother is fine.

Then we shifted. Before that, I turned to Isa. 'I'm... sorry about these past few months. Can you keep this whole thing a secret?'

'Invisible kingdom which no one should know about,' said Isabelle. She winked. 'What are sisters for?'