Mattie spent most of the next few school days practically bouncing off her seat. It was only a few days until she was allowed to go back to the place she only thought she could dream of. She had been worried that her plan of seeing those creatures again would be crushed by her parents and it almost was. It wasn't until they had a few dinners at the Blake residence and Jean had convinced them that Mattie was no trouble and would in fact be a delight to have over. She could even play with her nephew who often came over after school, they were about the same age. Lucien had thrown in a few helpful comments about helping her with school and teaching her new things to get ahead (although Mattie knew she didn't need the help she was excited to learn all she could). With this her parents conceded, after all she needed a place to go after school while her parents were running errands.

She had a secret that no one else could know and that made her feel special. But there was one boy in her class who made her feel both annoyed and more recently suspicious.

Danny Parks was the first person in her class to tell her about the rumors of the "offices down below". She knew what he was doing, flaunting his story telling skills to gain popularity, and she found him to be a mild irritation. She didn't know why anyone would believe his stories of the otherworldly creatures who were secretly located just under their noses. She would merely respond to him with a raised eyebrow and an eye roll. That was until she had found herself in The Center surrounded by the creatures he had described perfectly. That left her feeling suspicious. How did he know about all this and if he really did know then why was he telling everyone?

Determined to find out, Mattie dragged him by the wrist behind a tree before class one day.

"How do you know about everyone at the Center?" She whispered conspiratorially, half afraid someone would hear

"What Center?" He yawned, feigning indifference, "I'm just a really good story teller," he added, giving her a smile before he turned on his heal and strutted away. Mattie glared after him but decided he wasn't worth her trouble. She knew the truth and she wasn't going to be the one to give it all away. Especially not on the day she was supposed to finally visit Jean and Lucien and their bizarre shelter.

It was that day she found herself face to face with Danny once again.

Upon seeing him discussing kangawomp care with Lucien in the kitchen, Mattie couldn't hold her words in, barely allowing Jean to finish her introduction of her nephew.

"I knew you knew!" She declared with a heavy load of satisfaction, sitting across from Danny at the table while he laughed, quite amused with himself.

Jean sighed and gave her nephew a pointed look, feeling like her oncoming reproach was going to go unheard as it usually did.

"Danny Parks how many times do I have to tell you? What we do here isn't a game and it isn't okay to put it in jeopardy to impress your friends" she scolded.

"Aw, come on Auntie Jean!" Danny all but whined, "it's funny and it scares all the girls." He finished looking rather smug.

Mattie rolled her eyes and Lucien hid his grin behind his newspaper. He couldn't help but feel amused at the boys antics, he barely even kept the secret himself as a boy. Sometimes he believed that was half the reason his father sent him away, a dark thought he kept under lock and key. But nonetheless if it weren't for Jean, Lucien was sure he would have slipped and informed the whole town of their secret world.

Jean for her part was slightly exasperated. Mattie and Danny already knowing each other had saved the awkwardness but she had raised two bickering boys before and she recognized the patterns that were already beginning to form. She could tell that Mattie and Danny would constantly be giving each other a run for their money. With that she gave a slight smirk. She missed having that youthful energy in her care. Most of the joy of her own children had been lost when they lost her Christopher and then they grew up and left. It warmed her to see these children fuss at each other, completely unaware of the weight the world brought on.

"Alright, I'm sure you're both excited to go down and see everyone," Jean started, sitting at the table and resting her chin on her folded hands. Mattie's eyes grew wide with excitement and Danny sat up straighter. "But first lets discuss some rules," she said with a false sense of excitement.

Danny looked at Lucien with an incredulous expression. He chuckled, putting his newspaper down.

"I'm afraid Jean's right on this. Your safety is most important."

Mattie hung on every word they said. She now knew to avoid the éin solais who resembled finches with glowing wings but had sour dispositions. The idea that they were thought of as faeries in their native home intrigued her but not enough to go near them. She supposed she would grow grumpy too if she lived her life being chased and tugged at by children.

Among others that stuck in her mind were the creatures Danny had referred to as "ugly mud sprites". Mattie thought the name was appropriate when she saw them but unlike Danny she kept her mouth shut. Against Lucien's warning that they had terribly fragile egos, Danny made jokes of their appearance and found himself caked in mud.

"Serves you right," Mattie shouted, safely hiding behind Jean, laughing with Lucien at Danny's expense.

Mattie felt like her eyes had opened for the first time and as she dragged her feet back home all she could think about was her next visit.