I paced around the room for a bit. I didn’t know exactly how to start the conversation. I knew how it would sound to Alex. Hell, it still sounded crazy to me, and I heard it for myself. Alex looked as confused as ever as I continued to pace.

            “Michala, what is going on? I have never seen you this nervous. Just tell me already,” Alex said. I guess she was getting tired of watching me walk back and forth. Sighing, I sat down next to her again. Taking her hands, I looked her in the eyes.

            “I don’t know how to say this, so I am just going to say it. I overheard my aunt talking, as you know. But what I didn’t tell everyone else was that My sister was now going to this school,” I said. She looked at me with confusion and then shook her head.

            “That is awesome, Michala. I don’t understand what that has to do with me. Why is it a big secret for everyone else? And when can I meet her?” Alex asked. This wasn’t going exactly how I had planned. I was hoping that she would get that I was talking about her, but then again, I was kind of vague on the details.

            “Alex, she said that my sister was going to this school now. As in, she just started recently. And the only one who started school recently was you,” I said. She sat there for a moment, expressionless. Then she looked at me, and her eyes widened.

            “Are you saying that I am your sister? But how is that possible, and how would your aunt know that?” she asked. I could tell that she was taking this information hard. It was a lot to process, even for me. I wish I had the answers she was looking for, but the truth was, there was still a lot I needed to find out. I would get to the bottom of this if it killed me. With the way things have been going lately, that looked like a very likely scenario.

            We both sat there in silence for a while. I wondered what Alex was thinking, but I felt that she needed to process this information independently. Whenever I got this all figured out, I would make those responsible for all of this pay. I know they were supposed to be my family, but what they did was beyond forgivable. I was stolen from someone, and my sister left to be raised by vampires. I wondered if the council that governed the races knew about this, and if they did, why did they allow it.

            “So, you were stolen from our parents, and somehow I ended up abandoned? Why do you think that is?” She asked. I knew that this was going to come up eventually. I had hoped it wouldn’t, but I didn’t kid myself into thinking that would just blow over. It wasn’t like I was in danger for telling, considering I heard my supposed aunt say it was all a lie.

            “My parents took me because I was a hybrid. I guess. They had some big plans for me. I don’t know the details, just what I heard. I also think that they knew that I possessed magic. I am starting to think that the spell that they had that angel place on me was some way of binding my magic. The more I learned to use magic, the more it faded. This whole time they have been controlling me in one form or another,” I said. When I was finished talking, she went quiet again. I could see the anger painted on her face.

            “We have to do something about this. I mean, who’s to say that I am not a hybrid? Was I not good enough?” Alex asked as tears started to well up. I pulled her into a hug. We sat there for some time as she cried into my shoulder. This made me want to cry along with her. This was worse than having my parents be dead. Everything I thought I knew was a lie. But now, I have my sister. Now, I have a mind of my own, and I know what is going on. I will find all the answers, and then I will make them pay.

            When Alex finally stopped crying, she looked up at me, embarrassed.

            “Sorry about that. It was just too much. But we really do need to do something about this. We can’t let your family get away with this.” Alex said as she wiped her face.

            “We can’t let them know that we know right now. We need to find out the truth behind all this. For now, we have to act like everything is normal. Besides, whether the reason I am being hunted is true or not, the fact remains that someone did try to kill me. We need my aunt’s protection for as long as we can. I will try to figure out how to talk to my mother again and see what we can do. In the meantime, it has to be all smiles and rainbows.” I said reluctantly. I knew how she felt about wanting to get to the bottom of this. I wanted to get to the bottom of this as much as she did.

            After a while, there was a knock at the door. Ariel peeked in. She looked at both of us curiously.

            “Hey Ariel, you can come in now. When we can get everyone together, we need to talk about something. I won’t say what it is right this moment, but it is just as big as the information you all heard earlier.” I said. Ariel came and sat on her be. She looked at us as she picked up her blanket and wrapped it around herself.

            “Well, if it is something that you are worried about someone hearing, we could always go to the fairy realm. Unlike most creatures, the fairies made a realm for themselves since many discriminate against them for being so small,” Ariel said. Tilting my head, I looked at her.

            “Is that allowed? It was my understanding that we weren’t allowed to leave the school grounds, other than to go to the town just behind,” I asked. She smiled wickedly.

            “Of course, it is allowed. You aren’t technically leaving school. You see, as I was told, it is a place that is like in between worlds. Think of it like a Hot-Pocket. On the outside, you have two crusts that are sewn together but not touching. And in the center, you have all the filling that makes it taste so good.” Ariel said. This was just a little too complex for me.

            “But how would we get to the fairy realm? It isn’t like we are fairies,” Alex pointed out. This made Ariel laugh.

            “Don’t you remember me telling you that I have a fairy in one of my classes? We became fast friends. I am sure that if I talked to her, she could help us get there. I will see what I can do tomorrow. You all just sit tight,” Ariel said confidently.

            After a while, Alex left the room. It was nice to have a sister and have her know that she had a sister. It made my life feel a little less lonely. I just hoped that she could keep this between us. I wouldn’t know what to do if my supposed aunt found out that we knew something we weren’t supposed to. Plus, there was always the chance that there was a good reason for them taking me. I was so upset about the lies and the secrets that I never stopped to think if there was a good reason. I would have to find out before I did anything irrational. This would be the start of finding out the truth.

            I laid there for some time, thinking about what I was going to do. On the one hand, what my family did was wrong, even if it was for the right reason. On the other hand, I was lied to for so long that I didn’t know if anything was real. This was not an issue that was going to be easily solved. I really needed to find out what was going on. I had a hard time falling asleep that night.