I'm the daughter of an actress and a construction worker. I still remember the day my life changed. It was the eighth of January. I lived in a small city in the state of Michigan. The life I led before was a quiet and peaceful one. On the day it all changed, I found out who I was, and where I came from. I also found a new family. I remembered who I was before I came to this world. Most importantly, I was bound by a prophecy that was written. There's no escaping it. Soon enough, I was sucked into another place, another world, and from then on, I had to fight to see another day.
I had to fight to see my new family live. My heart, soul, and my body had taken many batterings. It's tattered and torn. But it still works. My heart can still love, my soul can still live, and my body can still move.
My name used to be Lin Zhang, a quiet girl from a small city in Michigan. When I met my new family, I'm Calissa Julien, sister of a nindroid.
Now? Now, my name is Calissa Zhang, a warrior. Soldier.
A survivor.
This is my story.
. . .
"Lin? School's canceled!" my mom yells, as I brushed my teeth at the sink in the morning. "Why don't you go outside and shovel the snow?"
I rinsed out my mouth, allowing me to talk.
"I'll get it done!" I shouted back downstairs.
Yes! I loved the snow. It was cold, beautiful, and it was quiet. I walked back into my room and threw on a coat, my earmuffs, and warm socks. I hopped down the stairs and put on my boots.
I opened the garage door and waited for my parents to leave for work. My mom and dad kissed me and each other goodbye. My mother was holding her laminated script in her arms, and I glimpsed the title of the project she was working on. "Warrior of Ice," I muttered. My mom smiled.
"Isn't it amazing? My first real movie."
"Sweet. Can't wait to see it."
"I'll see you later. Don't open the door for anyone, and if there's a package for your father, don't open the door until the mailman is gone. Make sure the sliding glass door and the windows are locked and the blinds are down if you go into your room. If there's anything you need, call your father, then me. Love you!"
I waved, as they left and I grabbed a shovel. I looked around, admiring the smooth sheets of snow. I looked up at the roof, to find icicles hanging from it. I smiled to myself. I stabbed the thing into the snow, scooping it up. I dumped it onto the sides of the driveway, and a cold wind blew past my face. I loved it.
I kept working and working until the entire driveway was cleared up. Then, I stared at Hannah's driveway, and my neighbors'. No problem. It was late afternoon by the time I finished with all of it. I walked back into my garage and left my shovel there.
Then, I shut my garage door with the keys and walked down the hill on which my house and many other homes were perched on. Snow starts gently falling so I took off my ear muffs, folded them, and stuck them in my pocket. I don't bother putting on my hood. I liked it when it fell onto my pitch black hair. It looked amazing.
"Hey, Linny!"
My ears seemed to have perked up at the sound of his voice.
"Brent!"
"Where are you going?!" he shouted from his driveway.
"I'm going into the woods!"
He looked at me weirdly, with a sloppy sort of smile. "Can I join?"
"Sure!"
He went back inside his house, and I see him grabbing his camera.
Brent is an aspiring photographer. He loved taking photos of anything, and when he does, it's always beautiful. Usually, he photographs scenery and animals. Today, when he came out with his camera, he snapped a photo of me. I hadn't noticed until he tapped my shoulder, and held up a picture of me.
Snow littered my hair, and I looked off to the side, seeming to be staring at something. I wasn't posing. I was literally staring at a pile of dirty snow, daydreaming.
"You look pretty in this one," he comments.
"Thanks." I messed up his tousled hair, which shook the snow from it. He laughed a little.
We kept walking, letting a peaceful silence hang over us. Then, he breaks it. "I can't believe it. After this summer, we'll be sophomores."
"I can't believe it either. For now, let's just let our high school baby us. The chocolates that the juniors give us are too good to give up."
"They give it to you because you're pretty," he says.
"And they give it to you because the girls think you're hot."
"Maybe because I am," he says in the most stuck up way possible. He struck a weird pose and did a duck face. "Photograph me like a model, and put me on the cover of a magazine!"
"Oh, heck no, you look hideous!"
He lost his pose and burst out laughing.
When we reached the bottom of the hill, we made a right, then continued walking until we were at a dead end. We walked behind the wooden fence, and I began climbing a tree.
"Lin, what are you doing?!"
"I'm going to space," I yell back down sarcastically. "What does it look like I'm doing?!"
"Why are you climbing a tree?!"
"Because the view is amazing from up here! C'mon!"
"If I slip and die, it's your fault!" I heard scratching from below. I climbed higher and higher until I reached a big branch where I sat down. I looked down, he was struggling to get up, and I couldn't help but laugh a little.
"Be careful!" I shouted down to him.
"Don't distract me!" he yells through gritted teeth. He shuffled up and I watched as he did his best to get up here. I held out my hand to him, and he took it, grateful to be relieved of something that he wasn't prepared to do.
He sat next to me, hugging the tree and I could see him trembling in fear. He still had his camera with him though.
"Snap a few pics so you won't have to do this again!"
I put a hand on his shoulder and he slowly moved one hand to grab his camera. Those were probably the fastest snaps I've ever seen him take. "Okay, C'mon, let's go down!"
"Wait! Hold on. Look!" I pointed at the scene that was laid out before us. Slowly, his fear slipped away from him, and he gazed at out at the image, taking it all in.
"Woah," he says, breathlessly.
"Yeah."
No trees obscured our view, and we remained silent as we watched our city come to life, as more and more cars started coming into view. Some were going to work, while the others were going to school. But every car had a destination, somewhere they need to go. Doors to stores and cafes opened up, and the lights flickered on. A trickle of customers was coming in one by one, and the snow kept falling gently. There wasn't much wind, and the weather seemed perfect...for a day in winter.
In other words, it was absolutely stunning and beautiful.
"I guess it really is kind of pretty."
We stared at the picture from our little perch in the tree, for a little while more, then, climbed down.
"Lauren's coming over soon."
"Sweet. Unfortunately, I'm kind of busy, so maybe next time."
"Yeah."
"Also, a blizzard is due to happen this afternoon. Stay inside, and don't go anywhere. Remember the last time you were outside?"
How could I forget? I had run outside when the snow started falling and the next thing I know, I was stuck in a storm. My mom and dad had been out working that day, and fortunately for me, Brent had heard me shrieking my head off. He managed to dig me out and bring me to his house and the first thing I said was,"Now that I think about it, I could have made a small igloo."
"That snow was piled up all the way to your chest, Lin," he says, suddenly serious. "You could've gotten hurt and/or died out there!"
"You're right. But you know what's really strange? I didn't feel cold at all. Like, I wasn't freezing like I should have been."
"Which made me worry even more. Seriously, you had no idea about the panic I felt the moment I saw you like that trapped in the snow."
"Okay, Brent, I promise you, you won't find me trapped in the snow like that again. Okay? I don't want you to worry about me. And besides, I'm not nine anymore."
"I know. I'll see you tomorrow."
"See ya!"
If we had known what was to come that day, we would not have let go of each other that easily. We would have never waved goodbye for the last time before this whole ordeal began.
And by the time we make it out of it, we would never be the same again.
When we waved goodbye that day, we didn't know we were waving goodbye to everything that we had ever known.
I did not think of any of that when Lauren's car rolled up in my driveway. She stepped out and slammed her car door shut.
"Make sure you make it home safely! Don't drive too fast, and stay on high alert! There'll be a snowstorm, and I want you to be home by the time it hits!" she says.
Her mom laughs. "You're more like a mother than I am right now, Lauren."
"Bye, mom!"
We headed inside and took off our boots at the entrance. We hung our coats on the coat rack, and I turned the heater back on.
She had black hair like I do, and was a year younger than me. She was also shorter than I was.
"So, how's high school? Is it like those cliches in the movies?"
"No, actually. I thought it was going to be like that too, but I was wrong. Way wrong. Netflix?"
She nods. "What do you want to watch?"
"Either drama or documentaries on anything. No insects, no bugs, and no spiders."
"That's literally what everyone is afraid of."
"So?"
"Documentaries on alternate universes?" she asks, hopefully. Stuff like this always gives her a sense of wonder. She loved to read about space. Anything was fine with her, and she now sat on the couch with both her legs up.
For a while, we watched and snacked on the sweets I had stolen from the pantry.
"Wow, these are really good!" she exclaims, munching on one of those cookies that we buy at Meijers. I loved those too.
"They're called Lofthouse cookies I think." I took a bite from a white chocolate chip cookie, as we kept watching.
No matter how many differences there were between the two of us, there was always one thing that would bring us together; sweets. We both had a sweet tooth and would crave anything with sugar in it. She loved mint chocolate, and I always liked white. We both liked cookies, and cake more than anything. I baked a lot at home, so we had an endless supply of sugary things but my parents always bought those soft cookies, Lauren was munching on, at Meijers.
Then, I remembered that Costco pizza was left out on the table because my parents forgot to put it away.
We ate all of that too. It was like heaven.
After we ate nearly everything, she helped me clean up, and we continued watching...until the tv conked out.
At first, I tried to fix it, but then, the temperature in the house started to drop. There was no electricity, and the storm blocked the sunlight. It was dark.
We headed to the kitchen to find some flashlights and turned those on.
"Hey, you want to do something stupid?" she asked.
"Sure." There wasn't much to do anyway.
"You want to go to the attic?"
. . .
"Ready? You push me up first, and I'll pull you up."
"Alright." I lifted her up and threw her into the ceiling, and she barely made it. Her legs dangled from the trapdoor and she pushed until they were out of view.
"It's dusty in here!" she says.
"I'll jump."
"Don't break my arm."
"I probably will."
"Hurry up."
I jumped, and she catches my arm, yanking me up. She was strong, being on the swim team and weightlifting in her free time. When I got up, she handed me my flashlight, and I turned it on. The room was dusty, and my heart hammered a little in my chest. We swept our flashlights around the silent room. Then, we started walking.
"I think this might call for the knives," she mutters silently.
I nodded, and I pulled it out. "Hold it tight, and don't let it go."
We continued walking down, and the floor creaked. I swept my flashlight in front of me. What I saw nearly gave me a heart attack. It was a door. I tried not to let the panic show on my face. I could hear both of our heavy breathing.
"We've made it this far, Lin."
I nodded. No turning back now. My hand trembled as I went to place it on the doorknob.
"Count of three...One..."
We steeled ourselves, and she grabs onto my arm in case anything happens.
"Two..."
I dug my heels into the floor.
"Three!" I flung open the door, not knowing what to expect, and scrambled away from it.
A burst of white light flooded into the attic, and I stumbled back. The temperature in the room suddenly dropped, and for a moment, Lauren and I were speechless.
The white light swirled around inside the door, and there was the sound of cold wind blowing around.
"Is that outside?!" she yells.
"Lauren, you've lived here for thirteen years, and you still don't know that snow doesn't work like this?!"
"It's a possibility!"
"What the hell is it?!"
"It's...a portal!" she says, trying to believe what she was seeing. I can't blame her. Was I hallucinating? I blinked and rubbed my eyes, but there was no drawing out the sound. This was real.
I looked at the swirling vortex, wondering if we should turn back. But in the back of my mind, I felt calm. Something was drawing me to it. It was like someone was reaching out their hand, waiting for me to take it. The feeling was stronger as I stepped closer to it.
"I think we should go in."
"What?!"
"Lauren, come on!"
She hesitated, shivering.
"How will we know what's on the other side if we don't find out for ourselves?"
She huffs. "Fine! Just...just hold my hand and don't let go," she says, childishly.
I gripped her hand hard, trying to reassure her.
"Ready? Go!"
I pushed myself off from the floorboards and towards the portal. As quickly as we had jumped, we exited on the other side, and fell flat onto the ground, knocking the breath out of both of us.
The floor was stone cold, and I pushed myself up onto my knees and looked around.
Cement walls surrounded us, and there were red pillars that divided them evenly. Perched on top of the pillars, were the wooden heads of golden dragons with their mouths open as if ready to spit out fire. In front of me was a huge building that looked very much like an ancient temple, and there was a front porch that was painted red. Made sense. Red was painted for good luck. Behind was a huge red wooden door, with rings for handles.
"Where's the snow?!" was the first thing Lauren screeched when she looked around.
I shushed her. "We could be in someone's backyard!"
"But the snow!"
"We'll figure that out, once we get out of here!"
"Fine! Speaking of which, where are we?!"
"Just help me with the handle!" I pulled on one of the rings, expecting it to open, but it didn't. I tried the other one. It didn't budge. Locked. "It's locked."
"What do you mean it's locked?!" she yanked on the handle, but it didn't move.
"You're here." A voice startled us, and we whipped around.
An old man with a long white beard and a straw hat held a staff, as he walked towards us.
"Who-who are you?" Lauren stammers.
"You're curious, are you? That's good."
"...Thanks?"
"Come inside. We've been expecting you."
"Who else is with you?" I ask.
"That question will be answered later. For now, come inside."
"Hold up, we don't even know who you are!" says Lauren.
"My name is Sensei Wu. Now follow me," he says again, patiently.
"What if we don't?" she snapped.
"Lauren!" I whispered to her angrily. "Stop trying him!"
The old man merely laughed. "I can see that you're the more mature one."
"Excuse you?" Lauren says.
"Let's just follow him inside, okay?" I told her, not wanting to anger the old man. When he turned his back to us to lead us into the temple, I glared at her.
He slides open the door, and I slide it shut behind us, as we walked down a hallway. It looked like the inside of the temple, and everywhere, it smelled like incense. It reminded me of my home.
"This place is beautiful," I say out loud.
"Thank you. My father built it all by himself."
"That's amazing."
He slid open another door and stepped inside. There was a table, and two benches on either side of it. There was another boy who had black tousled hair that stuck up in every possible direction and looked like he could be a sophomore.
"Stay in here while I go get your rooms ready."
"Thank you for your kindness, but we could really do it ourselves," I say.
"No, no. It's okay. I'll get it ready. In the meantime, just stay in here."
He slides the door shut, and we slump into the bench on the other side of the table. As soon as it slid shut, the boy speaks up. "He got you too?" he says rudely.
"You sound bitter," I commented.
"You would be too if your little sister got kidnapped by a bunch of skeletons."
"Skeletons?"
"I knew you wouldn't believe me. Anyways, how did you get here?"
"Lauren had the great idea of going into our attic when the electricity conked out because of the snowstorm. So in the attic, we found a door. We opened it, and stepped inside."
"Smart move."
"Shut up. Anyways, here we are."
"Curiosity kills the cat," he mutters.
"But satisfaction brought it back!" I finished.
"Touche."
. . .
Lauren was in her room, dancing and lip syncing to the music that she was listening on her phone with her earbuds on. I sat in my room wondering if it was all real. Was it? About seven hours ago, Lauren and I were still gorging ourselves on snacks in my living room. It's wild how things can change so fast. I had gotten used to the smell of incense now. At least that was one thing that reminded me of my home.
Kai was the boy's name. He had lost his sister, Nya in a fight that had ensued in front of their blacksmith shop. The only thing he could remember anyone saying as they took her was, "Lord Garmadon."
I swear, I heard that somewhere before.
Someone suddenly cried out, jerking me out of my thoughts.
I rushed outside, wondering what was going on, and slid open the door. "Oh-oh my god."
Kai and about three other ninjas were rolling around on the floor, fighting.
I swallowed hard, as I tried to contain my panic. Who were they?! And what would they want?! Don't panic. Don't panic. I cleared my mind only a little, allowing me to think. Maybe I should get that old guy! "Sensei!" I yelled.
That was the first time I saw an old man come running outside. "Enough!" he shouted, his voice bouncing off the walls. And I never knew he could yell that loud too.
Almost immediately, the got up and bowed down. "Yes, Sensei," they all said in unison.
"They're with you?! How come you never told me?!"
"That was part of your final test, Kai."
"How long have you been here?" I asked.
"About a week."
My mouth dropped open a little and glanced one of the ninjas staring at me strangely and they all took off their masks except for the one looking at me. I stared back, noticing his icy blue eyes. They looked even more familiar to me, and I tried to remember where I had seen that. The one on the far right looked a bit like me. Dark eyes, black hair. The rest of him completely different. He had bushy eyebrows, a strong, athletic build, broad shoulders, and the most serious face I have ever seen. The one next to him was different. It was his complete opposite. He was a bit short, had brown hair, brown eyes, looked small, and childish.
"You four are chosen to protect Ninjago."
"What about my sister?!" Kai hissed.
"Ohh, is she pretty?" the brown haired one piped up. He had a light voice like a child.
"What did you just say?!"
"Nothing. Nothing," he says timidly, backing off. Then, he looked at me and whistled. I glared at him.
"Jay!" the one with the black hair scolded. "You can't just whistle at her! You barely even know her!"
"Sorry, but she looks really pretty!"
"I'm flattered, but that was really childish," I snapped.
"Quiet." Sensei's words were like authority to them and we both obeyed. He walked over to them, then paused, looking at the one nearest to him. The one ninja still had his mask on.
All of a sudden, the Sensei transformed into a tornado. I jumped and backed up against the wall. The tornado was golden, and it passed by all four of them, leaving them with different colored ninja suits. There was a white one, Kai was red, Jay was blue, and the guy with the black hair had black.
"Zane, Kai, Jay, and Cole," he says, introducing me to them. Somewhere, somehow, the first name sounded familiar to me.
"Everybody, this is Lin."
I waved a little, and Jay waved back, smiling. The white one waved at me but it was a small one. He shuffled his feet and kept looking at me. I thought I heard him whisper it. "Lin..."
"Cole will be your leader when I'm not there. You will all listen to him," he says, pointing at the ninja in black.
I nodded along with the other four. The white one kept staring at me. "That is all for tonight. Kai, Jay, follow me. Kai, you will explain to her what I've said tonight. We'll get your sister as soon as these two are trained. About a week. Like you. Jay...it's about time you met her. The rest of you, are dismissed."
Kai, Jay, and Cole sauntered back inside, and Sensei was about to follow.
"Wait. Sensei." The white one finally spoke, and now, I was the one staring at him. He had a quiet, and misty voice. I was beginning to get a little frustrated. I have heard that voice before! But where?!
"Yes?"
"Is...is that her, Sensei?" he says quietly, pointing at me.
"Me?"
"Yes. I will let you have more time alone. You can go to bed at midnight, and tomorrow, you can train her."
He nods, but still, that wasn't enough to satisfy him. "Was Lin her name in the other world, Sensei? It wasn't Calissa?"
"Yes. This is her."
"Wait, hold up...what are you guys talking about?"
"I will let Zane explain everything to you."
I nodded hesitantly, and he walks inside. Not knowing what else to do, I sat down on the porch. He walks over to me, and that's when I noticed that he was really tall. He was quiet, and he kept looking at me. "Take off your mask." He pulled down his mask and slid back his hoodie. "Who are you?" I ask.
"I'm Zane."
"No, I meant like...nevermind."
He looks at me for a moment. "Your eyes look pretty."
"Thank you."
We stared at each other awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. "Come sit down." I patted the spot next to me. He hoists himself up and sits next to me.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
"So...where did you live before you got here?"
"I lived in a small town. Michigan. It's nice there, with all the snow and stuff."
He looked at me blankly. "What's a Michigan?"
My mouth dropped open slightly. "It's...a place. You know, in America."
He looked at me, still confused. "America? What's that?"
I tried to hide my shock. "It's...a country. Where I live."
"Oh."
"You don't know what America is?"
"I do," he replies.
"What?"
"Didn't you just tell me that it was a country?"
"Oh, yeah, but... nevermind."
"Why do you always say that?" he asks.
"What?"
"Nevermind."
"I said it only twice."
"Oh."
An awkward silence hung over us. "So, how did you get here?"
"It's...kind of a long story."
"Well, we've got until midnight, so you can fill me in."
He hesitated a little but began. "I woke up on the side of the road...I didn't know where I was, or how I got there...I was bleeding, and coughing blood...I remembered that it was freezing that day. That's all I can remember. I heard someone screaming my name inside my head. That's how I knew my name. A kind fellow had rushed outside from his house. He got me up and brought me inside his house where he fixed me up. He told me, I had gotten into a fight."
"A fight?"
He nodded. Then, his voice went quieter. "He told me that I looked like I was trying to protect someone. A little girl..." He looks into my eyes, as he tries to describe me. "A little girl with black hair, brown eyes, and an innocent, gentle face."
I stayed silent, listening to him.
"But this wasn't just any fight. There was...magic involved. One of them had thrown something deadly at you. I...I jumped in front of you...that's when I got hit, he said...I couldn't get up after that..."
"Me."
"Yeah, you."
"So you've met me before..."
"Yeah."
"But I don't remember you at all."
"Of course you don't. I don't remember meeting you either," he says, shrugging.
"Then how?"
"I guess...our memories have been erased."
"Erased," I repeated, unable to believe this guy.
"To be honest, I'm still trying to work through this. It's going to take some time. I'm still trying to connect all the dots."
"Okay...Keep going."
"He watched as they opened the portal. You ran to my side, as you screamed and cried. Then, one of them tore you away from me. He said that he shoved you into a portal. Just like that, you were gone, and I was left bleeding on the ground. I've been searching for you for years ever since."
"You've been searching for me for years?!" Somewhere, somehow, I felt concerned for him. "Are you alright now?"
He just pulls up his shirt, and a bandage stained with blood was visible on his abdomen. I tried not to panic.
"You've had that for years?"
"What? Oh, no. This was just a little accident from this week when I wasn't fast enough to dodge an ax. It didn't cut too deep. Still, it hurts a lot."
"Oh my gosh."
"I'll be fine...don't worry." He looked at me in confusion for some reason, and I could almost see his mind reeling.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah...it's just...I've never really had anyone care about me like this before."
"What? What do you mean?"
"I've never had a father or a mother, or at least I don't remember having one. So no one really...worried about me. But the thing is, I think after all these years, I think...that I've finally found someone who cares about me. You."
I couldn't help but feel horrible knowing that I would say that to anyone and that he wasn't anyone special to me. I didn't remember anything about ever meeting him. I've always lived in Michigan. I lived there my whole life! "I don't remember you though."
"Me either!"
"Then why did you want to find me? Was I like your girlfriend or something?"
"No!"
"Then why?! Why did search for me for years?!"
He sighs, frustrated. "Because-because you're my sister!"
I scooted immediately away from him. "I'm your what?"
"My sister!"
I got up, from my spot heading for the door, having no intention of staying on the porch any longer. "I'm sorry, but I think you've got the wrong girl."
"No, wait!" He gets up and grabs my hand but doesn't pull me back.
"I'm not your sister!" I shouted at him.
"Yes, yes you are!" he yelled back.
"I don't even remember you!"
"I don't either, but it is you!"
"How do you know?!"
"I just...I just do!"
"You didn't even remember what I looked like!"
"I know I didn't, but I know it's you! I know it's you, Lin!" he says with a pleading look in his eyes.
"Prove it then! Prove it!"
He hesitated to let go of me as if he was afraid I was going to leave him there if he lets go. But he does anyway and shoves his hand into his pocket hurriedly. He pulls out a piece of laminated folded paper. "H-here!" he says, fumbling with it.
He hands it to me, and I unfolded it. It was a drawing of a girl. Black hair, brown eyes, and a gentle and innocent face. It was a drawing of me. Okay, I'm not going to lie when I say that I was thoroughly creeped out. It was the younger version of me.
"When did you draw this?!" I yell at him angrily.
"I didn't draw it!"
"Who?!"
"It was the guy that took me in! He's-he's a writer, inventor, an artist! I asked for a picture of what the girl looked like, and that's what he drew!"
"He drew this of me," I stated.
"Yes!"
"And you've been carrying this thing around for years?!"
"Yes! I've been waving that picture at people's faces ever since I left to go find you! Do you know how many miles I walked? How many times someone mugged me because I didn't have anything to defend myself-"
"You got mugged?!"
"Yes! I spent countless nights sleeping in the streets, sometimes, I starved. I was all alone and you know what kept me going? Knowing that I have someone out there in the world that if I-I somehow met, then they would care about me, and I would take care of them. I would protect them with everything I had. And you know who that person is?" He pointed at the picture. "This girl. You. You're what kept me going. If that guy never told me I had a little sister, then I don't even know if I would be here right now!"
I stared at the picture, not believing what I was hearing.
"Zane, is that your name? I have doubts." I sighed and sat back down.
He sits down next to me but this time, he's closer. "I know you do. I was a bit skeptical at first too. I laminated it because I was afraid. I was afraid I was going to lose it. I hung on to it like it was made out of gold. And I guess the only things I had with me, was my name, and that picture."
I handed the picture back to him, and he puts it back into his pocket. "You said that you were skeptical too when you first heard the news. So how does this prove I'm your sister?"
"There's something else the man saw and heard that day. He said that one of them had shoved you so hard, you landed in a snow pile a good distance away. I screamed something. He told me I screamed, 'Don't mess with my sister!' then, someone started for you...with a knife. He said that I also screamed something else; 'That's my little sister! I said, don't lay a finger on her!' And, that's how I knew."
"How do you know if that guy is telling the truth?"
His face fell, and he grabbed my hand, holding it firmly, almost as if he was begging me. "I don't know if he's telling the truth. But I need someone...I've spent years without that someone, and that's you. I just...I just had to hang on to that hope, that there's someone out there, waiting for me. If the truth drops, and I find out that there's no one for me, then...I'll be kind of...lost."
"Zane, I know where you're coming from. But I just...can't believe this."
"Please. Do I at least look a bit familiar to you? Anything at all?" he pleaded.
Slowly, I nodded, and his face lit up with hope. "When I saw you, your eyes looked a bit familiar. And when you took off your mask, your hair and your face were familiar, I guess. And then your voice too."
I could see the hope building up inside of him, and noticed that we were sitting very close together. I yawned a little, and my eyes felt a little heavy. "I'm going to bed."
"Can I carry you?"
"Excuse me?"
"Jay says that you carry someone somewhere they want to go if you care about them. I care about you."
"Umm. Okay-" Before I could finish my sentence he scooped me up with one swift motion, and carried me inside. "You don't have to do this you know."
"Yes, I do. I...love you. You're my sister. And I care about you."
"We don't really know for sure yet."
He manages to slide open my room door and sets me down on the mattress. "Thank you."
"No problem. Can I sleep with you too?"
"What?!"
"Jay says that I should sleep with someone I care about because I want them to feel safe and protected. I want you to feel safe and protected."
"And so I've noticed. But no. Not yet. Not until I get to know you better and find out you're actually my brother."
"Alright. If you need anything, my room is across from you."
I nodded.
"Oh, and what name do you prefer I use?"
I thought for a moment. "Calissa. Use that one. It's for this world."
"Can I call you Callie?"
I shrugged. "Sure."
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Zane."
He left the room, and I immediately fell back onto the mattress, exhausted. Sleep came to me not too long after.