Hey, Butterflies! I'm back with Chapter 16! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter! So, without further adieu, here's Chapter 16: On the Doorstep

Disclaimer: The Secret Saturdays belongs to Jay Stephens and Cartoon Network.

Trigger Warning: Child abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and verbal abuse mentioned.

Today is the day. We have to let Anonymous know our answer by the end of the day today. I still have no ideas, and the others are at just as much of a loss as I am. What in the world could the clue possibly mean? How is Mom known by her opposite? She and her sister are opposites, so she might be using her sister's name, but I doubt that is what Anonymous means. Anonymous, this is so unfair! The clues for finding Drew were so much easier, and we had longer to figure them out. One day is not enough, especially considering the fact that there is nothing substantial in this clue. I know I should be grateful for Anonymous's help, but I am very annoyed with xe right now.

Leaning my head back against my headboard, I close my eyes and try to figure out what the clue means. Mom is known by her opposite. Her opposite what? Does she have an alter ego I don't know about? Is she secretly a vigilante who seeks to rid the world of evil? I sigh. If nothing else, this clue has opened my eyes to the fact that I actually know very little about Mom. I know only what I can recall from my early years, what was in her file at WeirdWorld, what others have told me, and what she has told me. Truthfully, though, most of the information has been the same. I really wish I had not spent nearly half my life at WeirdWorld. I missed so much because of it. I missed having a mom. I missed spending time with my parents. I missed friendships and life lessons. Most of all, I missed a healthy environment to grow and develop in. For six years, I was a prisoner, a servant, a tool- all for any evil creature. I was abused emotionally, physically, and verbally by a vile monster. I was robbed of my childhood by that wicked beast. And I will never recover from those six years no matter what I try. I have PTSD because of those six years, and there is no cure for that. For the rest of my life, I will battle this mental illness among others. I swallow. I have to find Mom.

Komodo sits with me by the window overlooking the courtyard. Snow covers the ground in a thick blanket of white. I can see Fisk, Zak, and Zon playing outside. They appear to be having fun. I smile weakly. What must that be like? Being carefree and happy? They all seem so innocent. They don't know what it's like to grow up too fast, to be so cynical about everything. Zak may have some understanding from the war, but he will never truly be able to understand. I may be almost fourteen years old, but I am much older than that mentally. I have seen things, experienced things, known things that no one should ever have to endure. Argost owes me a great debt. But he can never repay it. How do you return a childhood to someone? How do you undo six years of abuse? How do you take away someone's PTSD? You can't.

I feel Komodo's tail wrap about my leg. I look down at him and rub his head. He makes a low growl-like sound to let me know he's happy. I'm not sure if he knows this, but I can feel us growing apart. I don't want it to happen, but there is nothing I can do about it. I am slowly losing my one confidant, and it is a terrible feeling. But I have to be strong, if not for me than for Komodo. All of a sudden. Komodo growls in a rather hostile manner. I look out at the courtyard and see not only that others have come inside but also that a tall figure in a dark purple coat is standing at the gate to the courtyard. Munya?

Racing out to the gate, I throw it open and look at the man before me. It is in fact Munya. Overjoyed, I throw my arms around him and hug him. He returns the hug. Then we head inside the house together. The others are not happy to see Munya, but they do their best to hide it, probably for my sake. Munya and I do a fair amount of catching up. He tells me that he has been busy researching Derek Grey and that he is almost certain that Derek is who he used to be. Munya says that he would like to have a DNA test done to confirm it but is unsure how it would work given the fact that Argost injected him with Papuan Giant Spider DNA. I nod sympathetically.

"Munya," I start, "if you really were Derek Grey, that would mean you're related to Dr. Grey, right?" Munya nodded. "You'd be her brother." Again he nods. "Munya, do you think you could help us with something?"

"What is it, Lily?"

"We're trying to find Mom, and we got a letter from an anonymous person with a clue about where Mom is. The problem is, we have no idea what the clue means. Do you think you can help?" Munya nods, so I run to my room and grab the letter before returning to the living room. Munya reads it carefully and thinks for a moment.

"Her name. People are known by their names. Miranda has probably started using an alias if she hasn't changed her name. I can't help much in the way of first names, but the opposite of gray is bright or colorful. The closest last name I can think of to either of those is Albright." A lightbulb suddenly goes off in my head. Of course!

"Thank you, Munya!"

"De rien, ma fille. You're welcome, my girl." I start writing my thoughts down on a piece of scrap paper. "Lily, if Miranda is my sister and your adopted mom, doesn't that make you my niece?" I nod.

"Oui, mon oncle. Yes, my uncle." Then I wrap up my ideas and show them to Munya. He looks them over. Mom's name is Miranda, which means worthy or admirable. The opposite of those, generally speaking, is unworthy. Mom also knows some French and that I'm fluent in the language while Dr. Beeman speaks Spanish instead of French. Likewise, in history, the English and French have not gotten along at times, but they have also allied together. It makes sense that Mom would choose a French name. Of course, the simplest way to combine both the opposite of her name's meaning and French is to translate unworthy into French. That is the word indigne, which sounds like a woman's name.

"Indigne Albright?" Munya asks. I nod.

"I think this might be Mom's new identity."

That concludes Chapter 16! I hope you all were able to follow Lily's thought process in trying to figure out the clue. It seems scattered, but I hope it at least made some sense. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I'll have Chapter 17 up soon. Thank you all so much for reading! You all mean the world to me! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review! I love you!