Prologue:
"Hey there baby brother." I crept closer to my brother's crib. Wyatt looked up at me and smiled. I brought my hand down to caress his soft cheek. "No force field huh?" I got bold, I picked my brother up and cradled him in my arms. Wyatt cooed and part of me felt bad for hating this part of myself. I blamed my parents for abandoning me. For sending me away at such a young age.
"Who are you and what are you doing with my son?" I could hear the frantic outrage in her voice. I looked up into a face that nearly mirrored my own. She seemed stunned to see a duplicate of herself in front of her.
My father orbed in behind her. He gave me a fierce look. "You shouldn't be here." His voice was calm but also very scolding.
"Why not? This is my home as much as it is anyone else's." I placed Wyatt back into his crib.
"Leo ... who is this girl?" Tears pricked my eyes after being referred to as this girl. It wasn't her fault really. Her memories had been erased shortly after my birth. I was a stranger to her.
"Piper, this is Nevaeh." Leo introduced me. "Our daughter." His words weren't as powerful as I expected them to be. I guess in my mind I always pictured fireworks and instant recognition.
"Leo ... I don't understand." She was as confused as I was.
"Let me handle this one Father." The way I said the word made it sound like a curse. "As you know Leo has been watching over you and your sisters your whole lives. Well one night about sixteen years ago Leo's resolve crumbled and you two slept together. I was conceived and you gave birth to me. Shortly after my birth Grams and Leo decided that it was too dangerous for everyone involved and I was sent to live at Magic School. Your memory was erased and that is why you have no recollection of me." I gave my father a forced smile. "Did I miss anything?"
"Nev that is enough." Leo's tone was gentle yet firm.
"How is this possible?" My mother looked faint. I guided her over to a nearby chair. I moved a few inches away to give her some space. Part of me still wasn't sure if I wanted to let her get to know me. I still felt so alone and abandoned. I was cast aside by the people who were supposed to love me the most. "Uncle Leo" as I had been raised to call him tried his best to explain to me why I needed to be kept away but it didn't make sense to me at all. Maybe I didn't want it to make sense. Maybe I wanted to remain mad in order to keep them at arms length.
She looked at me with conflicted honey colored eyes. "I can't do this right now." She shook her head sadly.
It felt as if a dagger had been plunged into my heart. I orbed out without saying another word. So much for my home coming.