"Where did you get this?" The grandmother recognized the locket but hadn't realized there were pictures inside.
"Momma gave it to me before she died. I know one picture is me, but I don't know who the other child is." Celtic looked at her grandmother.
"Yes, that is Nate." Abigail sighed. "No one can know who he is to you; it's not safe for either of you." Celtic nodded. She knew there had to be a big reason for her parents to give up a child but still, secretly, keep a picture of him.
"He looks like daddy." Celtic put the locket back around her neck.
"Yes, he does." Abigail looked up at Nate as he and Bane walked back into the room.
"She knows?" Nate asked. A little relieved.
"All four of us do, but not a word to anyone else. I've decided to send the children away until this war is over. They will 'disappear' when you two leave so people will assume they went with you to the Main Island." Abigail stood up. "We can discuss this tomorrow. Right now, I think we all need some sleep. Bane, will you help me get some blankets and pillows?" Bane followed Abigail.
"…" Nate was stretching when Celtic suddenly hugged him. After a moment's hesitation he hugged her back. "How did you know?"
"I wasn't sure at first. I wasn't even sure until Grandma confirmed it, but you look like dad. Except for the purple hair." She smiled. "I always wondered why Momma and Daddy waited so long to have me – they would also make comments here and there that made me wonder if I had an older sibling. Did you know?"
"I knew I was adopted but I didn't know who my birth parents were until today. My adoptive parents didn't know if I had any siblings." Nate took a deep breath. "It wasn't until a few hours ago that I found out that you're my baby sister."
"I wish Momma and Daddy had gotten to know you. I knew if they'd had another child before me, there had to be a good reason they gave them up. After what happened, I knew it was to keep you safe."
"Did you know about the threats?" Nate hated to bring this up but knew it would be good for her to talk about.
"No. I didn't know anything was wrong until they told me to hide. Momma had given me her locket and then placed me in the secret compartment under my bed. They told me they loved me and to not come out unless it was someone I trusted." Celtic looked out the window. "I heard voices I didn't recognize and then Snowmelt poked his nose through the window. I crawled outside and he took me into the forest. I didn't know Mom and Dad were gone until Snowmelt brought me back. Grandma was back from town with Heat and Frost."
"Snowmelt?" Nate asked. He remembered his grandmother mentioning a Frostfire dragon guarding Celtic.
"He's a Frostfire dragon." Celtic looked at Nate. "I knew there had to be danger for him to leave the forest like that. He is very shy and never leaves the forest."
"I was so worried that something had happened to you when I couldn't find you anywhere in or around the cottage." Abigail spoke up. Bane and she had returned right before Celtic started talking about the attack. "I was so relieved when I saw you with Snowmelt."
"You didn't see who it was?" Bane asked. He hated not being here to protect her but knew if he had been he would be dead now too.
"No, but I would know their voices." Celtic replied. She yawned. It had been a long day.
"We can talk about this more later. It's been a long day and we all need to get some sleep." Abigail said. She helped get Nate and Bane settled before taking Celtic to bed. "You can sleep in my room if you want."
"I'll be alright, Grandma." Celtic smiled. She hugged her grandmother goodnight and then crawled into bed. She struggled to fall asleep. After a couple of hours, she woke up breathing heavy. She laid back down and tried to go back to sleep. She tossed and turned but sleep wouldn't return. She let out a frustrated sigh and sat up. She quietly walked through the living room and outside. She took a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill her lungs. She headed to her parents' graves.
"Celtic?" Nate was already there, along with his dragon. "What are you doing up?"
"I could ask you the same thing." Celtic sat on the ground next to him.
"Couldn't sleep." Nate answered.
"Same. Well, couldn't get back to sleep." Celtic placed her hand on her mom's grave. "I keep waiting for them to walk through the door."
"I'm sorry." Nate placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight against him. "I will be here for you even when I can't be here physically. You are my sister and I will do everything I can to protect you."
"Just keep yourself safe too." She looked up at him. "I don't want to lose any more family."
"You won't." Nate squeezed her shoulders. "You have responsibilities here and I have responsibilities on the Main Island. We will meet again, I just don't know when that will be."
"But we have the next two days." Celtic smiled.
"And we will make the most of them." Nate replied. He stood up and pulled Celtic with him. "We should at least try to get some sleep." They headed back into the cottage but instead of going back to her room, Celtic laid down next to her brother. Feeling safe, it didn't take her long to fall back asleep. With Celtic's peaceful breathing, it didn't take Nate long to fall asleep either.
"Good morning!" Heat and Frost ran into the living room. They pounced on Nate and Celtic.
"Ow!" Celtic sat up and looked at the twins. "Morning." She stood up and stretched.
"Morning." Bane walked into the cottage. "Arbor and Iridium have been fed." He noticed Celtic wasn't in the room anymore.
"She went to get dressed." Nate acted like he could read Bane's mind. "How'd you sleep?"
"Good. You?" Bane sat on the couch.
"Okay, I guess. Not my most restful sleep." Nate stood and stretched. Heat and Frost had gone outside and were climbing all over the two dragons.
"I woke up once and noticed you were gone. What happened?" Bane asked, thinking it had something to do with Celtic.
"Couldn't sleep so I went outside." Nate didn't have to go into detail. "Celtic came out a little later. We were out there for about an hour before coming back inside."
"It will be hard to leave." Bane said. Nate nodded. "But we have to." Nate nodded again.
"But we will make the most of the days we do have." Celtic repeated what Nate had said last night. She, then, started breakfast.
"Where's Abigail?" Bane asked.
"She usually gets up early and goes for a walk in the forest. She's usually back in time for breakfast." Celtic answered. "Heat! Frost! Come set the table!" She yelled out the window. They did as they were told. Bane helped Celtic with breakfast while Nate went to get dressed.
"What shall we do today?" Nate asked as they were sitting around the table.
"Can we go for a ride on the dragons?" Heat asked.
"I don't see why not?" Bane replied.
"I have some errands to run in the villages, but I should be back in time for supper." Abigail needed to get supplies for the children for when they would be sent into the forest.
"Do you need any help?" Nate asked. She shook her head and they started clearing the table. Abigail grabbed her list and basket before heading into the Cold village first. The rest hung around outside with the two dragons.
"I'll take Heat and Frost with me on Arbor. You can take Celtic." Bane looked at Nate. He wanted to give Nate and Celtic some time together. Abigail was right, it would do both of them some good.
"I want to go with Natey!" Heat exclaimed.
"'Natey'?" Bane tried – and failed – to keep a straight face.
"We can take turns." Celtic said. She, too, had a smirk on her face from the nickname.
"That nickname better not get out." Nate said. He sounded annoyed but he had chuckled at the name too. Celtic climbed up on Iridium and Nate climbed up behind her. Bane helped Heat and Frost climb up onto Arbor before climbing up behind them. Once everyone was settled and secure, they took off into the sky above the Island. "What are you thinking about?" Nate asked his sister. They were flying a little higher than the others.
"How freeing this feels." Celtic leaned back against her brother. "I want a dragon of my own someday. A dragon that I can fly away with – escape reality for a time."
"Maybe someday you will." He replied. "What do you think about Bane?" He was curious to see if his baby sister had a crush.