Hey everyone! Here's chapter 2! Let me know what you think of the story in the comments!

"I have some stuff to share too!" I told Mei, "I have a passport! I just have to get the old one from the witch's safe! We don't have to stay here if I have that! We can go anywhere in the world!"

"Sure," Mei laughed, "With what money?"

"We can make some!" I smiled, "I just... I know I might sound like a hopeless little dreamer right now, but I think hope might be the only thing I have left to run on right now. If I stop hoping then the possibility of my dad being alive will just start to feel impossible."

"Well, keeping the faith is good, but don't let that be the only thing you have. If that becomes the only thing you have left then who's to say you won't break at some point in the journey. I have your back until we see all this through. You're my best friend and I don't want to see you get your heart broken by all of this." she put a hand on my shoulder.

"I promise not to let it break me! Now tell me about this relative!" I peaked over at the screen and saw the name. "Victoria McCaffrey?"

"It says she's your great-grandmother. She's from Cape Cod in Massachusetts. We can scope out the archives at New York Pres later today and tomorrow we'll grab the diaries and stuff from the witch's safe." she smiled.

"I can't get into the safe though," I frowned, "I don't know the pass code. I've tried every important date in our family."

"Don't worry about that! My cousin can crack a puny safe like that! I've seen him do it a million times. We'll just borrow him tomorrow, he won't mind doing me a favor. Besides he owes me one." Mei smiled, "Now come on, let's go check the hospital and then we can crash at my place. My mom is making hot pot tonight."

"Okay." we walked side by side out of the library, but I paused just outside the doorway at the top the stairs. I could have sworn that someone was looking at me. I looked back to search for someone suspicious and didn't find anyone, so we continued. Sooner or later, I was going to know everything.

The hospital was a bust. They showed me the records since I had my notorized birth certificate, but there wasn't much there. I asked if anyone who worked there then might still be at the hospital but that was information they couldn't reveal. I was hoping that maybe my father had been there when I was born or his name had at least been mentioned. I took photocopies of all the paperwork, but there was nothing that could really help.

We arrived to Mei Lin's house at around 6:30 and the chaos began. I always loved her house despite the ruckus. I never had siblings so this was always a nice change of scenery for me.

"Ellie!" Mrs. Chen smiled as she greeted me, "It's good to see you! Welcome, welcome!"

"Hi Mrs. Chen!" I gave her a hug.

"Come sit, we're just getting ready to have dinner." she ushered Mei and I into the dining room, yelling at her in Chinese for being late, or at least the few words I picked up sounded like that.

"Hey mom," Mei asked later that night while she helped her mom with the dishes, "Is Soo-ling in town right now?"

"He should be! Nadia will kill him if he left for anywhere with the anniversary coming up!" she continued cleaning the dishes then started mocking Mei's method of cleaning the pans.

I listened to them bicker and wondered if that was what a familial relationship was supposed to be like for the millionth time. I never had a good relationship with my grandparents, never knew my parents, but for the many years I had known Mei Lin, she had always been this way with her family. It was never in a genuinely mean spirited way either, despite how it may seem to an outsider. Calling each other names was one way of saying they loved each other. I wanted that with someone.

"Ellie!" Mei waved her hand in front of my face.

"Sorry!" I laughed, "I got lost in thought."

"Let's go, we have an early day tomorrow. I called Soo-Ling, he's going to meet us here tomorrow morning." she took my hand, pulling me up off the floor and off to her room. We got ready for bed and soon fell asleep.

"Ellie!" she threw a pillow at my head and I groaned as I pulled the blankets over my head. I had never been a morning person. I wonder who I got it from.

"If you don't get up, I'm leaving." I heard a voice say. I sat straight up and looked at the man in front of me. He looked so young for a man well into his twenties and quickly approaching thirty. I started to wonder if Mei was pulling my leg when she said he was 28.

"Good morning." I mumbled, pulling the blanket around my shoulders.

Soo-Ling seemed taken aback as he looked at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing." he turned and left out the door to the kitchen where I heard Mrs. Chen already cooking away at 7 am.

"What's his deal?" I gave Mei a look.

"I don't know. Get ready to go, I'll talk to him." she left the room and I started getting dressed.

When I got to the kitchen, Soo-Ling was drinking tea and when it wasn't raised to his lips he was not looking up at anyone, just down into it. Mei saw beside him and elbowed his ribs when I entered the room.

"Ah-" he looked up at me, "I'm sorry about that. You just looked a lot like an old friend of mine for a second. It was unnerving. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"Don't worry about it!" I smiled, "I've never had anyone say I looked like someone and it not be a bad thing. My grandmother says I look like my dad but I never met him. I don't even know his real name."

"I'm sorry." he looked back down at his tea.

"Don't worry about it!" I smiled, "Just consider you helping Mei and I this morning as your penance."

"Okay," he smiled back at me, but he seemed a bit lost in a memory.