"No sign?"

"None at all," Shep said with agitation, running a hand through his hair. "Not a sign!"

Cara collapsed in the chair, burying her hand in her hands. "She's gone. My daughter's gone!"

"No note, no nothing?" Joel asked, wiping his sweaty brow.

"Nothing at all," Cara whispered as the family sat in their house a few days after Mel's disappearance. When they returned from their trip to Aldera, they discovered the house to be empty, without any sign for their daughter. For the past few days they have been searching relentlessly for some sign of her.

"We have to keep looking. Cara, she couldn't have gone far," Kel assured her, even though his own face betrayed his words.

Then the door opened and everyone looked up with hope. It sank when Cyrus was standing there instead.

"Hi, Cyrus," Joel mumbled. "Have you seen Mel?"

"Mel? No, why?" Cyrus asked innocently, his heart starting to race. He began to curse himself for responding to Kel's call to visit the Valara household.

"She's gone."

"Gone!" Cyrus exclaimed, slamming the door. "Where? Where'd she go?"

"We don't know! That's why we called you," Cara said, standing up and looking at him with agitated eyes. "Do you know? Did you see her at all?"

"Anywhere?" Kel added.

Cyrus stared at them all.

"I…"

"You know something?" Kel asked suddenly.

"I…I saw her in the hangar," he said solemnly. "She…she was kidnapped."

"KIDNAPPED?" Joel yelled. "Who…what…where…"

"A group of people, I think they were from the outer rim or something, I don't really know. I was instructed to prepare their ship. She was forced onboard. She told me to tell you that she was going somewhere, but I didn't hear it because they shoved her onboard."

"Kidnapped! Oh!" Cara exclaimed, dropping back into the chair. "My daughter's been kidnapped…"

Cyrus resisted the urge to laugh, but his lips twitched.

"I'm sure we'll find her. We can probably send out the message around," Cyrus assured her. "I'll be back." He walked out of the house quickly. When he was outside he leaned on the door, exhaling shakily. He composed himself and then kept walking.

Joel watched him leave. His green eyes narrowed. "He lies."

"What?" Kel muttered.

"He's lying. I read his mind. He knows where she went."

"Where?"

"She went with someone named Alex. They boarded a ship. She told him to tell us that. He doesn't know where they went, but he does know she went through of her own free will."

"She did it!" Kel whispered. "She ran away!"

"She was probably confused and upset. Maybe she'll…" From the looks her husband and Kel gave her, it was obvious that she purposely ran away and never will come back. Thus, Cara burst into tears.

"My daughter's gone!" she wailed. "Why?"

"Cara, you kept her under this house like a trapped animal! Look at her!" Kel exclaimed. "She's always home because you're afraid of keeping her here! And she's devastated by Sela being gone!"

"We all are!" Cara snapped, wiping her teary eyes. "Why is she an exception?"

"Because she loved her more than you!" Kel snapped.

Cara stood up angrily, her red furious.

"Out of my house! Out!" she shrieked.

"That's just fine with me!" Kel yelled back, waving his hand and causing two bags to come to him with the Force. "I came here to tell you I'm leaving anyway!" He quieted down. "I am to be married to Saldana. We are engaged."

Cara's mouth dropped. "Is she with child?"

"Of course not," Kel snapped. "Saldana and I are to be married because we love each other." Saldana Storm is Kel's fellow teacher at the Belleau-a-lir Aviation Academy. They have been dating for the past year and a half. Saldana is tall, golden-skinned, and exotic. Kel also described her as witty and compassionate. On top of that, she's beautiful.

"I came to tell you of my leaving. I'm moving into Saldana's flat. I will call when I am settled," he said curtly, walking to the door with his things. He walked out.

"Everyone's leaving," Cara whispered, dropping her head into her hands. "Everything's changing!"

"Cara…" Joel said soothingly, but his wife jumped up and ran upstairs, sobbing, leaving Joel alone.

Joel looked up to the sky, searching. "Sela, what have you done to us?"

--

I blinked in surprise when Alex walked into the back. "Wow."

"Um…"

"Ok…"

"Alex?"

All of us stared at Alex's head, dumbfounded. She looks…pretty.

And just like me.

"Holy crap!" Devon exclaimed, glancing from her to me. "You guys are twins!"

"We're not twins," I laughed. "We just have the same hair color is all," I replied, standing up and walking over to Alex. I fingered a strand of her hair. "Wow. The exact same hair color."

"Odd, huh? Well? What do you think?" Alex asked, grinning at me.

"I think you look amazing, Alex, I really do," I said honestly. "I feel so inadequate now."

"Why? You're younger than me, you're prettier," Alex shrugged, walking over to the chair and sitting down. She exhaled loudly, smiling widely. "I feel different."

She looked up at me suddenly, her eyebrow raised. "Your name's Mel, right?"

"Yeah," I said uncertainly.

"Just wanted to make sure I didn't forget is all. Lee is kinda a guy's name, isn't it?"

"That's what I thought," I shrugged, walking over to my seat and sitting down. "What do you think, Lily?"

"I barely recognize you anymore," Lily admitted honestly with a faint smile. "You look so different, Lexi."

"Thanks," Alex grinned. Lexi?

"Are we making any stops along the way to Coruscant?" Devon asked absently as I played him in Sabaac.

"I doubt it. The Empire's probably looking for us if those TIE fighters got a tag on us," Alex replied.

"Brilliant," I sighed. I leaned back with a smirk. "I win."

"Gods!" Devon growled, his dark eyes flashing. "How do you do that?"

"I played myself when I was locked up back home. Now…" I grinned at him mischievously. "You get to teach me how to put those streaks in my hair."

"Not green!"

"No! Green, ew!" I laughed. "I want black. Or really dark blue."

Devon rolled his eyes. "You're something else."

"Wouldn't it look cool, though?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"I suppose," he said indifferently. "I'll help you tonight."

"Sweet," I grinned.

"How old are you again?" David asked me.

"Nineteen."

"You're still a teenager?" he laughed.

I glared at him. "Is that a problem?"

"I thought you were older."

"Well, I'm nineteen." So there. David laughed, shaking his head.

I leaned forward and grinned sneakily at Devon. "Let's play again. I want your earrings."

"Hell no. I'm done with you," Devon snapped, standing up and walking over to Alex and sitting on the floor next to her.

"Any takers?"

"I wouldn't play you for crap," Devon muttered, suddenly sullen. "I hate Sabaac. Don't ever ask me to play again."

I grinned playfully, ignoring his mood. "Wanna play?"

Devon walked out without a word, and we watched him go with confusion. David rolled his eyes with disgust. I shrugged and grinned at him. "How about it, handsome?"

He grinned hugely and walked over to me. "I'm game."

"How cute."

"Shut up, Alex."