My apologies for everyone getting chapter one in their inboxes twice. So many of you spotted my epic fail in chapter one, so I took it down to redo it. That's all for now…

Next day

Álvarez House, SoHo

(Melissa's Point of View)

I have to say that my twentieth birthday—which was yesterday—was definitely one of my best birthdays ever. (True, it was the second birthday I celebrated without my parents, but I didn't dwell on that part too much because they would want me to remember them in happier times) Everybody came to the house, and we had a very large dinner potluck in means of celebration. As soon as LJ arrived with her family, she zeroed in on me and wouldn't give me a moments peace until I wore the princess tiara that she picked out for me because she was already wearing a matching one to celebrate her own birthday, too. She already thinks that I'm cool for so many reasons, but ever since I told her last year that we have the same birthday, she adores me even more. Since LJ actually knew when her birthday was this year, she badgered me for ages about having a combined birthday party like the little kids did, since all five of them had the same birthday, as well.

Personally, I had no objections to sharing a birthday party with my best friend's little sister, even of she was turning five and I was turning twenty. (It's not like I could say no to that face, anyway) I ran the idea by Madison and Nicolas, and Kate and Rick, and they all said yes right away. The potluck was loud and chaotic—especially with all of the little kids running around—but that was all right with me because everyone in the room was a family member of mine in some way, shape or form. After the hell I went through last year with watching my parents bleed out in front of me while being violated by a stranger in Central Park, I've come to realize that while love is the glue that holds my whole family together, I've also realized that friends really are the family you choose.

(If not for the love shown to me first by Alexis and then Ashley last year, I don't think I would've ever known what it was like to be truly happy again. I definitely know that my transformation from a shell of a person into the person I am now. If not for Calvin coming into my life when I did, I'm pretty sure I'd still be having a hard time even thinking about being in a romantic relationship because I'd still be hung up on believing that my scars on my arms, back and abdomen make me ugly. And if not for Jessica Rose, I wouldn't have learned what it's like to just be myself. Unlike Alexis, Ashley and Calvin, Jessica Rose has also experienced torture at the hands of pure evil. (True, Alexis did see three murders, but she hasn't ever been tortured and violated) Jessica is a lot like me in the fact that she is crazy and all over the place with the things she does, says and wears, but she is also a very sweet and gentle person at heart, as well. She has shown me that it's possible to go through hell, still find a way to heal and still manage to fit back into society. If not for the love of my friends, I would be absolutely nothing right now)

The party was fun, but so were all of the events leading up to it, starting with Calvin waking me up and bringing me breakfast in bed. I was very surprised to see him, especially since he lives in Astoria, and I live with my oldest sister and her family in SoHo, but I didn't question it. When I was done with breakfast, Calvin took my tray away and presented me with one of the best gifts I've ever gotten: a set of my favorite story arc in the classic X-Men comics. It moved me deeply because I had once told Calvin in confidence that my dad had collected the comics when he was a kid in Australia, and later on got me into collecting the comics, too, and ever since I could remember, reading those comics were one of the major ways that dad and I bonded. (What made it even more special was that since neither Madison nor Emily had ever shown interest in the comics before, it was something for just my dad and me) So to get a set of X-Men comic books, especially once that I didn't already have showed us all just how thoughtful my boyfriend is…and it made me fall in love with him even more.

Thomas and Emily stopped by after breakfast, and they had presents, too. Knowing that I love to shop, they both loaded me down with gift certificates to my favorite stores at the mall. Madison and Nicolas presented me with a new messenger bag and upon further inspection, I saw that every compartment was filled with presents, much like a Christmas stocking. I squealed like a little girl when I saw that one of the front pockets contained a nice wad of cash, a new case for my iPod, as well as a hundred dollar gift certificate to iTunes. (I do love shopping, I'll admit that, but I do love music just as much) Ezekiel and Moses presented me with two boxes, the first of which contained a brand new outfit. (Amid squeals of joy from the twins—and Lucy, who just wanted to add to the noise—they informed me that that they had helped Madison pick the outfit) The second box revealed a new pair of ballet shoes, and two new pairs of Converse All Star shoes, one of which was a glittery pair. (Other than loving the X-Men, I'm not ashamed to say that I love shoes, too)

It was a little while before I was able to get out of the house with Calvin, but we eventually did and Calvin drove us out to the mall, whereupon he took it upon himself to carry all of my shopping bags. After a few hours of shopping, Calvin led me to my favorite restaurant on the second floor, and I was pleasantly surprised to see Alexis, Ashley and Jessica sitting at a table near the window, waiting for us. Gabriella was also at the table, but she was to busy with keeping Tobias from opening a large stack of presents at one end of the table to greet us properly.

Juliana stopped by when we were done and told me that she had arranged with Madison and Nicolas beforehand to take me to get henna tattoos done since I had expressed interest at the ones that she had had during Kate and Rick's wedding last year—that is, if I still wanted to go. Apparently, the others knew about this idea, too, because they urged me to go with her, insisting that one of them would take care of my bill and bring my newly unwrapped presents around to my house later on.

The process of getting my tattoos done was very time-consuming, but so worth it because I was mesmerized by the beautiful designs on my arms and trailing all the way down to the bases of my fingertips. When Juliana told the tattoo artist that it was my twentieth birthday, the artist made a really big deal about how a girl's twentieth birthday was a monumental occasion, and she insisted on going all out for that reason alone.

Juliana and I left for my house two hours later.

Of course, that all happened yesterday.

Back to reality now.

I woke up and lay around in bed for a few minutes, relishing in all of yesterday's memories. After a quick glance at the clock, I reminded myself that I didn't have too many more lessons left to complete before getting my online degree and heaved myself out of bed, stumbling across the floor to my bathroom. After a quick shower, I went over to my closet and took my time with choosing an outfit, eventually settling casual knee-length dress, neon pink in color, along with a set of chocolate brown stockings since they matched the color of my tattoos, and my new pair of tall pink glitter converses. Deciding against wearing make up, I thought about what to do with my hair, but eventually ended up running a comb through it to get the tangles out, and grabbed my black fedora hat—which I had 'borrowed' from Calvin yesterday—from my hat tree in the corner of the room and set it on my head before heading downstairs.

When I got to the kitchen, I already knew it was going to be quiet because the twins were at school and Nicolas already at work. Ever since Lucy was born Madison decided to start working from home more often to be with her and the twins. (God only knows my sister brings in enough money on her salary alone as a restaurant owner to work from home every day) I enjoy spending quiet mornings with my oldest sister and my niece because in a way, it reminds me of the quiet mornings I had with my parents, since I had been their only child in the house for most of my life.

I expected this morning to be just like all the other ones, but it wasn't meant to be because Emily was sitting at the kitchen table, feeding Lucy while Madison moved around in the kitchen. Both of my sisters looked up when they heard me enter, greeting me warmly, complimenting me on my outfit. I nodded in acknowledgement as I sat down at my spot and Madison bustled over to put a bowl of hot oatmeal in front of me.

"What's going on here?" I asked in a confused voice, stirring my spoon around in my bowl absently. "Am I in trouble, Maddie?"

Madison laughed and turned to Emily, holding her hand out. "I told you she'd ask! Fork it over."

Emily grumbled good-naturedly, and fished out a five dollar bill from her pocket to give to Madison before she resumed her previous activity of feeding her (our) niece. Little Lucy had been banging on her highchair tray, upset that she wasn't being fed.

"No, Melissa, you're not in trouble. I promise." Madison reassured me as she pocketed the money. "Emily is here because she has something for you."

Seeing as my mouth was still full of food, I said nothing but turned my attention to my other sister. She was now cleaning up a fully fed Lucy and letting her out of her highchair. Emily didn't speak until she was done with that and had wiped her hands clean of the baby cereal.

"I found this package when we were sorting through mum and dad's things last year." she pushed a small but slim rectangular-shaped package wrapped in butcher paper across the table to me that I hadn't noticed it earlier. "It has your name on it, Melissa."

Curious now, I pushed my bowl aside and picked it up. The brown paper was worn, as if the package had been wrapped up for ages already. That's when I saw a line of words across the top, written in unfamiliar handwriting, reading To Melissa Paisley on her twentieth birthday.

"My birthday was yesterday, Emmy." I remarked as I began to undo the paper.

"I accidentally left it at our place before we left for the party yesterday. Sorry about that." She apologized.

I rolled my eyes at Emily and her constant forgetfulness and ignored hers and Madison's voices egging me on to unwrap the package a little faster. Lucy, meanwhile, wanted to be in my lap to watch, so I pulled her up and told her to keep her hands to herself before resuming the process of undoing the paper.

When I had picked up the package earlier, I guessed that it was a picture frame, and it turned out that I was half right. I finally undid all of the paper and saw that it was a double picture frame, made of silver and containing two black-and-white pictures, one for each frame.

My eyes grew wide when I saw the picture in the left frame: it was me, probably around age three or so and my head was resting on a hugely pregnant belly, with one of my hands resting on a spot near my head, being held there by the hand of the woman in the picture. (Too bad I can't see the woman's face…) There was an undisguised grin of delight on my little face. The second picture was what got me. I was still three, but I was in a hospital bed, leaning against whom I assumed was the woman from the other picture, and we were both looking down at the two newborn babies in her arms. In the picture, my thumb was in my mouth, but there was definitely a smile on my face. There was a beautiful (and distantly familiar) smile on the woman's face, and even for a black-and-white picture, it was obvious that she had been crying.

An engraving that ran the bottom length of both frames read Mama Joey, Melissa, Jeffery and Sophia.

Feeling even more confused than I had earlier, let Lucy down and passed the frames to my sisters.

"Is the name 'Mama Joey' supposed to ring a bell?" I furrowed an eyebrow. Because it does…"

Madison and Emily didn't respond right away, and I was startled to see that they both had tears in their eyes.

"That's the nickname we gave to Kate's mom…" Madison answered, wiping her tears. "It didn't matter how old any of us were, or that you, Emily and I weren't her kids. Johanna always loved us like we were."

"God, I miss her…" Emily sighed, handing the pictures back to me. "I don't think that Katie was ever the same after Mama Joey died."

Madison's response was dark. "She wasn't."

A sudden light clicked on in my brain and I put the pictures back down on the table.

"Madison, Emily," I addressed them in turn, using a serious tone. "When you say 'Katie,' are you talking about our Kate, as in Alexis' mum?"

(I do have the habit of addressing her as 'Catalina' when she's around, but sometimes I just keep the whole conversation in English to make it easier for everyone else present)

"The one and only." Emily confirmed.

"Then that obviously means that the lady in this photo is her Kate's mum…" I realized.

"Yes," Madison nodded. "But I don't remember those babies." She turned to Emily. "Do you?"

"I don't." Emily shook her head and she spoke thoughtfully. "They must've been born when I was in Switzerland, and you and Katie were in Kiev. If they aren't here now, that means that they must've been given up for adoption. But why, I wonder?"

"Katie obviously doesn't know she has a brother and sister, otherwise I'm sure they would be with us now." Madison continued to put the pieces together. "And this means, Em, that if you, Katie and I were out of the country when the babies were born, there's only one person here who knew who Jeffery and Sophia were—for however short a time they were actually here, and that person is…"

Madison's voice trailed off and she and Emily arrived at the same conclusion at the same time. They faced me, speaking in unison.

"You…"

Setting my oatmeal aside for a minute, I held my hands up in surrender. "You lot may have been out of the country at the time, but let's not forget the part where I was three!"

My sisters both agreed that I had a point and went back to sharing memories of Kate's mom. They were both still crying, but Emily was blaming most of her tears on her pregnancy hormones. (Yes, Emily is pregnant, and what's more is that she is completely over the moon that she and Thomas are finally going to have their first child together. I was there when her test came out positive and she made me swear then not to say anything about in until she was three months along. Being the good baby sister that I am, I kept my word. She and Thomas revealed the pregnancy at exactly three months, and she is now four months along, and has a very cute baby bump to show for it) While my sisters cried and consoled each other, I ate my oatmeal and allowed myself to get lost in thought.

…I don't remember the twins at all—it's obvious to anyone that that's what Jeffery and Sophia are—but I must've really loved them if I now have two pictures of very intimate interactions with them before they were born and shortly thereafter…

…Where are they?…

…Why aren't they here now?…

…Why do I suddenly feel like I should be out there looking for them?…

…If Kate doesn't know about the twins, then I think we shouldn't tell her at all until we have more information on them because the last thing we need is a hysterical Kate…

…Maybe Jim knows about the twins…

…I really should go see him…

…Yeah, that's a good idea…

Standing, I put my now empty oatmeal bowl into the sink and collected my picture frames from the table. Finding my new bag from yesterday, I made sure I had everything I needed before gently tucking the frame into the front pocket.

…I really have no idea what I'm about to get myself into, but I suddenly feel compelled to get answers, no matter what this whole thing is. And with each passing moment, I can't help but feel like it's my responsibility to find out what happened to Jeffery and Sophia, and to bring them back, if it's possible. It doesn't help matters much that this sudden revelation could have something to do with all of the drama that happened during Alexis' pregnancy last year because given all of the connections that I have, there is no way that any of this is a coincidence—even if these pictures were set aside for me by someone who is now dead. (Okay, it's really creepy to think about it that way…) If there is no way that that is a coincidence, then I'm sure it's no coincidence that that my parents' deaths could (and probably do) have something to do with all of this…

…Crap! Whatever is going on here, it means that I am directly involved with it, and I have been since I was three! It's not like I have much of a choice to back out now. I'm in it all the way until I find Jeffery and Sophia. Finding them is my duty now…

…Is it just me, or did I just walk into a conspiracy of some sort? What the hell is going on? I wish I knew…

Madison's voice brought me back down to Earth.

"Melissa Paisley," she spoke in a warning tone as she got to her feet and picked Lucy up. "What are you planning? Don't bother denying anything because I can see it in your eyes."

Both of my sisters were watching me with the same parental gaze that mum had fixed me with many times over the years.

"Something is going on here." I told them as I adjusted the shoulder strap on my bag. "I don't know what it is yet, but I will find out."

Emily's voice was wary. "Where are you going now?"

"To see Jim." I answered promptly. "Don't try to stop me. Johanna was his wife, so I'm sure he has to know something, especially like why I'm in the pictures, too."

Madison sighed heavily in resignation. "Okay, Missy, we won't stop you." Emily nodded in agreement. "You're twenty years old, anyway. Just…don't forget that you have your computer course down at the library later on."

I smiled, knowing that she had just said yes without really saying it. "Thanks, Maddie! And don't worry: I haven't forgotten about it."

"Good girl." My oldest sister praised. "Now go ahead and go."

I looked from her to Emily and back again. "Not a word of this to anybody outside this family."

"Not a word." They chorused for the second time in one morning.

Satisfied with this answer, I quickly left the family brownstone house and exited to the street, heading in the direction of the subway.

I still don't know what's going on here, but I do know that today is the day in which everything changes.