Author's Notes: Thank you to those who are reading/reviewing my story! It means a lot to me that people are enjoying this story as much as I do. As you can tell, there is a lot going on in this story and it's not just about Nightstar and Sparrow. The story is going to show different conflicts between characters at the same time and will eventually come together. I welcome any reviews about the story as long as they aren't Flames. Any comments or critiques are appreciated. If you find any particular errors, such as miss-spelling, please let me know exactly what they are so that I can easily go back and fix it. I do spell check and grammar check all my chapters, but we all know Word isn't perfect. I'm also opened to hearing your ideas on the story, if you have any. I won't be writing to fit someone's idea, but if I like it and it fits in with the story, then I may use it and of course give you credit for the idea. I just want to make this a great story that everyone can love. Thanks again readers and enjoy Chapter 6! :)

Chapter 6

Crow's POV:

"Why must I live with the most stubborn people in existence?" I mentally cursed.
"How dare that creature treat us like that?" Rage growled.
"I think she would benefit from a slap over the head!" Hollered Brave.
"Nightstar is just upset, because she fears what her father is going to say about all this." Stated Affection.
"The whole team needs to just calm down. A lot has happened today and it's only 10 o'clock in the morning." Replied Wisdom.
When I reached my room, I was surprised to see my mother floating above my bed in a deep meditation. "Mother?" I questioned before I remembered that I had given her permission to meditate here. She opened one eye and when she saw me she gently floated back down until she was sitting on my bed. "Sorry Mother! I forgot you were in here." She looked at me again, this time with two eyes. She was studying me for a minute before replying.
"It's ok, Mark. It's your room, not mine. I'm just your guest."
"Don't talk like that Mother! You know you're more than just a guest. What's mine is yours." She raised an eyebrow at that.
"Oh really? So I can borrow this too." Mother said while grabbing my meditation mirror off the night stand next to my bed. My faced paled and I quickly grabbed the mirror from her.
"Everything, but this!" I exclaimed. Mother only smiled a sweet, small smile. Then her face suddenly went serious.
"Why were you so angry when you came in here?" She asked, her voice hinting curiosity rather than anger.
"Oh, it's nothing, Mother. Just Nightstar, being well, Nightstar." I waved it off, hoping she would drop it. I could still sense her curiosity, but she pushed it away.
"Ok then. Just don't let yourself lose it, like your sister."
"I won't, Mother. I was actually coming here to meditate it off." That seemed to please her.
"Very good then. I'll leave you to it. It's time for me to have a heart to heart with your sister, anyway." I gulped, but didn't question it.
"Ok Mother, good luck!" I called out to her as she made her way to the door. Before she left though, she turned around and told me, "You're a good boy Mark. *pause* I love you." Her face was stoic, but I could sense quite a bit of affection and sentiment. Under that I could sense great turmoil, but before I could ask her about it the door slide shut and she was gone.

Sparrow's POV:

"Azerath, Mentrion, Zinthos." I hummed for what felt like the billionth time. I was trying so hard to focus, to clear my mind, as Mom would say, but nothing works. All I can do is listen to my emotions argue with each other.

"We were so close to defeating her!" Growled Rage.

"We totally would have won if Mom didn't show up." Agreed Brave.

"That's exactly why it's a good thing Mom showed up when she did! We could have hurt her, or worse." Squeaked Timid.

"For once, I agree with Timid. According to our memory library, this was the closes we have ever come to our primal instincts." Explained Knowledge.

"I told you we needed to mediate. You should have listened to me of all people." Stated Wisdom.

"You are not PEOPLE!" I shouted back.

"Emotions getting on your nerves, dear?" I opened my eyes to see my mom standing in front of me. With a scream I fell onto my bed. Once I recovered, I sent her a glare.

"Dad's right, you do need a bell." I retorted.

"Don't you start with me, young lady! Do you have any idea how dangerous it was for you to suddenly stop meditating? Have I taught you nothing about self-control and self-discipline?"

I let out a big sign before I spoke up in a depressed voice. "I'm sorry Mom, ok? I really am. I know I should have been mediating more, but it just doesn't work for me."

"What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is that just like a minute ago, I can try and meditate all day long, but all I hear is my emotions chatting away in my head. It's like living with a constant headache!"

Mom pondered this for a minute, and then she asked, "Do you still have that old mirror I gave you?"

"Yeah, it's in my old toy chest, in front of the bed." I pointed straight in front of me. She walked over to it and opened it up. After a second of digging through it, she finally pulled out the old mirror. I would never admit it, but the mirror did look very pretty. My mom has one just like it, and so do my brother and sister. The only difference can be found on the back of all our mirrors. We each have a different kind of bird on the back. Mine is a Sparrow, Mom's is a Raven, Mark's is a Crow, and Arella's is a Dove. I guess you could say our family has a thing for birds.

Mom walked back around my bed and sat on the end. She turned her body so that she was facing me, with my mirror in her hands. She held it like it was a baby, and thought to myself "How strange?"

"Do you know why I gave you this mirror?" Mom asked.

"Not really, why?"

"This is a meditation mirror. It allows you to enter your mind when you need to meet with your emotions."

"Enter my mind? We can do that?"

"Yes we can. The mirror is a portal to your mind. Once you create the portal, anyone can use this to literally get inside your head."

"What a minute! So all this time my brother and I have had a portal to our heads and you're just now mentioning it?"

"Well you two and your sister have this power and I've already told Mark and Arella."

"WHAT!"

"Don't yell at me like that! I am your mother!" she scolded me. "The reason I haven't told you yet is because I didn't think you would need it until now."

"How would you know if I'm ready for that or not? It's not like you guys are here all the time." I must have hit a nerve, because suddenly Mom's blank face turned into a heartbroken one. I could feel her sorrow, like a slap across the face. As quick as it came, it left, and my mom's mental shields went back up, blocking my empathy powers. "I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean it. I'm glad you and dad don't hover over us anymore. I like being independent." My mom's face returned to its blank default.

"It's quit alright, Marie. You have the right to feel what you feel. I can't tell you to stop being angry as much as I can't tell you to start being happy. But, I do have my reasons for not telling you sooner, and I stand by them. Your emotions weren't nearly as strong last time we visited. Now that they are, it's time for you to move on to the next step in your training." I nodded in response and waited for her to continue. "Tomorrow we will begin opening the portal, but for now I want you to be extra aware of your emotions. Today is supposed to be a happy day, so at least try to keep it that way. If you feel yourself getting angry, leave the room and go mediate. One more blow up, and you'll be spending the rest of this week in here." Mom said with a stern voice.

"Yes, ma'am." I replied in a weak voice. Mom stood up and placed the mirror on my nightstand.

"Lesson one; keep the mirror in a safe place where it has less of a risk of breaking." Mom stated. Then she made her way out of my room, gesturing me to follow. "If my senses are right, the rest of my old team has just arrived." Mom said as I followed her through the hallway towards the main room. My animal hearing could pick up the always booming voice of my Uncle Cyborg coming from the same direction. I smiled as I thought of playing video games with him, my dad, and Stinger. My mom must have felt my happiness, because I could just barely make out a smile on her face. Right as we were about to walk through the door, mom came to a sudden stop. I stopped beside her, and searched her face for a clue as to what she was thinking. "Marie, there is one more thing I need you to know." I nodded my head curious as to what else she had to tell me. "Do me a favor, and be extra kind to your sister for me. I don't want you two to fight anymore." Well that was random, I thought to myself. I tried to sense something from her, but as usual, she has me blocked out.

"Sure, Mom. I'll try my best." I promised. I was still baffled as to why my mom suddenly cared so much about my sister and I getting along, but I brushed it off as just her wanting me to keep my emotions in check. "Could today get any weirder?" I thought to myself as I followed Mom through the door.