She was in a room full of glaring lights. There were strange montiers and other devices that were foreign to her. The man who had taken her introduced himself as John Visly. He had brought her on a machine that flew using spinning blades.
"I want answers," she said to him now. She had been here for ten minutes and he hadn't told her anything. "What happened to my sister?"
"It might be best if we start at the beginning," John Visly said. "Sophie, as you know, elves are far more advanced than humans. Humans deal with problems every day, while the elves have an easy life. So we were formed, to try to negotiate with elves and work out a peaceful solution. That's when we stumbled on a group called the Black Swan. They felt the same way, and wanted to help us."
"What are they going to do now?"
Visly ignored her and continued talking. "They created a girl they called the Moonlark. She is an elf who has lived among humans her entire life, and is now back with them. While you are the opposite. You are a human sent to live with elves. Together, with both Moonlarks, we can achieve peace."
"Then why can't you?" Sophie asked.
Visly frowned. "While the Black Swan aan us are very similar, there are also two opposing groups. There is an elven group called the Neverseen who wants to wipe the humans out, and a human group called the Neverknown, who wants to wipe out all the elves."
"But the elves would never want to wipe away humans-their minds would break," pointed out Sophie.
"Generally that is true. But the Neverseen act like they have no conscience. They are quite a formidable foe."
"What about the Neverknown?"
"Even worse."
Sophie looked into his eyes and decided not to pry further.
"So the Neverseen and the Neverknown have been ripping at each other, probing for weaknesses. The Neverseen started all those fires. They are using Pyrokinetics. They have summoned Everblaze, an unstoppable flame. That is how your sister died. She was invited to the house of a Neverseen agent, but he lost control, and the whole house burned down."
"The Neverseen killed my sister?" Sophie couldn't believe that. To kill someone was unthinkable for elves.
"Yes. But now we have a dilemma. She wasn't actually your sister. They weren't your parents. They couldn't have been- you're human."
Sophie had guessed at this at the cave, but it hurt to have it spoken out loud.
"Now the Moonlark, is your twin. Yes, you are twins with an elf, but your DNA has been changed to allow this to occur. Her name is Sophie Foster, and she has been scheduled to live with Mr. and Mrs. Reuwen."
"But how?"
"Because you are needed with us. Sophie, we need to save the world, and people's lives. Will you stand with us?"
Sophie squeezed her eyes shut. There was so much to think about, but she knew this: she was a good person. And a good person would save lives. "I'll help you," she said.
Visly looked delighted. "Now, we have a problem. It would be suspicious if you just disappeared, and we can't have that. We will need to erase their memories."
Sophie started to panic. "No, you can't, I'm all they have left! They won't remember me!"
"How would they feel if you disappeared, and they never saw you again?" John said calmly.
Sophie hated it, but he was right. They deserved better than to go through that pain. "What will happen?"
"We will erase every memory of you, from your parents to the school. We have already destroyed every document about you. But since you look exactly like your twin, and have a similar personality, your friends and family will feel like they already know her, and may try to be friends with her. They will also experience deja vu from time to time."
"What do I do?" said Sophie. She couldn't let her twin help, and not join in.
"You are going to help us if you wish. Remember, it is your choice if you want to help us. If you do, then we will rally human support. We will start small, and then we will raise the number of humans we teach. Speaking from someone who has lived with elves, you would be influential. You may also help us on raids, against the Neverseen and the Neverknown, but for that you must be trained in combat and weaponry. Do you agree to these terms?"
"I do."