Okay, I only got one review. Thanks to miragekoase for that one. Well, anyway, here it is. Had a bit of trouble uploading it, but finally got it.
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"Do you have any undeniable way to prove you are who you say you are?" Lance asked. Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath as they waited for her answer.
Finally, taking a deep breath, Chira said, "I do."
They let out a collective breath, and Lance asked impatiently, "Well, what is it?"
Slowly Chira extracted the picture from her backpack and set it on the desk. She then proceeded to retrieve her contact case as well. She slowly took her contacts out, careful not to let them see her eyes until she was done. She then looked up at them, looking at them each in the eye. They couldn't help but stare. Chira grimaced. This was why she always wore her contacts.
Chira's eyes were pure white.
They didn't even have a visible pupil. They were also exactly like the woman's in the picture.
Chira had never had any problems with her vision; in fact she had perfect vision, something no eye doctor could ever explain. This was why she had had to get specially made contacts; most didn't give the person pupils.
"I've dyed my hair since I was five, otherwise that would be the same as well."
The woman's hair was a silver-blue.
Lance's wife was the first to speak. "Well, I guess that proves it," she said at last. "Lance, you have a cousin that you didn't know about before."
"We both do," the other man said. He reached across the desk and shook her hand. "Name's Drake."
The woman gave her husband's arm a squeeze. "And I'm Nichole."
Chira stared at them. Somehow she couldn't figure out how they had accepted her as their cousin so easily after being so difficult, even though she knew it was hard to contradict the obvious. She blinked, fighting tears. Some tears slipped down her cheeks, and she wished desperately that Cami or Insight were there with her. Cami especially would be able to help her sort things out.
"Are you okay?" Nichole squatted down beside her. The two men were staring at her, confused.
Chira nodded, biting her lip.
"Oh, come now," Nichole said. "Why are you crying?"
"I've never let anyone know about my hair and eyes outside of my parents, except for my best friend."
"And that's why you're crying? Because you have finally told a secret that you've kept for…" Lance paused, trying to calculate her age in his head.
"Eleven years," Chira said. "And that's not why." She paused. "I actually don't know why…"
"Well, then dry your tears," Nichole said, standing up. "You three have a lot to catch up on."
"You're leaving?" Drake asked.
"Nichole, stay. You're a part of this family just as much as Drake and I."
Nichole shook her head. "I have to get back to work. I've taken too much time off as it is. Besides, I should probably tell Chira's friends that she won't be back for some time."
She left, leaving the three cousins alone.
Drake scratched his head. "Well, she's right. Where do we start? Who should start?"
"When I was four," Chira began, but stopped. It hadn't occurred to her until now that her birth family might not have her talents. "How are you my cousins?" she asked instead. "How are we related?"
The two exchanged glances, then Lance answered. "Your father was our uncle, my mother's brother, and Drake's father's brother."
"Where does my father's family live?'
"Most live in the Orange Islands, that's where he was from." Drake said. "Lance is really the only one of our family that lives outside of the Islands."
"What are they like?"
"It will be hard to say in an unbiased way," Lance smiled. "You will just have to wait until you meet them to find that out."
"What about my mother's family? Did you know them?" Chira had to force herself to only ask one question at a time as she thought of more and more. She had to remind herself there was plenty of time to get all of her questions answered.
Chira was surprised to see them look uncomfortable. Drake was the one who finally answered.
"We weren't very close to your father, either one of us. But we can tell you this; no one knew her family. Your father told everyone that she was an orphan; that her parents were killed when she was a child, and she was raised by a kind soul. I'm sorry, but that's all we know of your mother, other than the obvious," Drake finished, gesturing to the picture.
Chira nodded. Finally, she started to tell them about her life. It took a while, but she finally worked up the courage to tell them she could understand pokemon word for word. They didn't believe her until she had a conversation with Drake's ditto. Fortunately, it was one of those times that Chira actually spoke in the pokemon's language. She forced herself at one point to speak so that her cousins could understand what she was saying.
The conversation covered many topics, ranging from favorite things to phobias, and many things caused at least one of the three to laugh. It didn't take long for them all to form a friendship with each other, or with those they didn't know before. Chira's smile soon became a treasure the other two strove to call forth, and Chira soon found out the trick to causing her new found cousins to blush.
Drake finally yawned, and looking at the clock, was surprised to see how long they had been talking. "It's nearly midnight!" he said, whistling. "It doesn't feel like we've been talking that long."
Chira yawned as well. "You're right." She sat bolt upright. "I haven't even thought about Cami or Insight! I hope they aren't mad at me."
"I doubt they will be, once you explain to them what you have been doing. They sound understanding." Lance stood up. "But it would probably be good if we all turned in. We can talk again tomorrow."
"Why don't we meet back here around nine tomorrow?" Drake asked. "Does that work?"
Lance nodded and Chira smiled. "That works for me, but you're going to have to show me how to get back to the main hall from here. I got all turned around when Nichole brought me earlier."
"Will do," Drake opened the door as they headed out.
"Aaah!" Two boys ran right into Drake, knocking him down, and an eevee jumped over them into Chira's arms.
"Insight!" she cried, hugging her tightly. She then turned to Chris and Jordan. "What are you two doing here?" she asked.
"You still weren't back at supper, and we were starting to get worried," Jordan supplied, standing up and dusting himself off.
"I think Jordan just wanted to see that lady again," Chris told Chira confidentially.
Jordan blushed furiously, and hit his cousin over the head. "I did not!"
Chira laughed. "That's okay, Chris. It doesn't matter anyway. She's married."
Jordan looked at her strangely, turned to her companions, and his mouth dropped open.
"I guided them here," Insight told Chira proudly.
"Really?"
Chris handed Chira her pokeballs as Drake asked, "So, are you going to introduce us?"
"Oh, yeah!" She motioned to each in turn. "These are some friends I met shortly after I got my license. They've helped me a lot already. That's Jordan, and his cousin Chris. Chris, Jordan, these are my…" she debated for a millisecond. "Friends, Lance and Drake."
"Hi," Jordan said weakly, looking at her incredulously.
"Hiya," Chris said, as always chipper.
Lance studied the two boys. "Have we met before?" he asked Jordan.
Jordan could only shake his head.
"Really? I could have sworn I've seen you before. Have you ever been to a competition here before?"
Again Jordan just shook his head.
"You probably saw him on the TV," Chris piped up. "He was the winner of the Johto League competition last year."
"Chris!" Jordan scolded, embarrassed.
"Really?" Chira said. "I didn't know that."
"I thought you looked familiar," Drake said. Jordan looked down, his dark brown hair covering his eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Chira asked, curious. She wasn't mad, she had too many secrets to be mad at him.
"Why should I have?" Jordan said, scuffing his shoe on the floor. "I had no reason to. Plus, I haven't known you long enough for you to be in my confidence."
Chira winced, and Chris seemed to really notice her for the first time. He gasped.
"Chira! What happened to your eyes?!" he asked, staring at her.
"My eyes…" Chira stopped, her face paling. "My eyes!" She turned back into the room, Insight jumping to the ground. "I forgot to put my contacts back in!" She swiftly put them back in, then faced her friends again. "Sorry," she said, looking away from them. "I didn't tell you I have naturally unusual eyes… You understand why, don't you?"
Chris nodded, and Chira looked to Jordan pleadingly. He finally nodded. "We all have our secrets," he said.
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Oh, that one was fun. Bet you didn't see her pure white eyes coming, did you? Finally that's out in the open for the readers. What do you think of that twist?