When someone is crying, of course, the noble thing to do is to comfort them. But if someone is trying to hide their tears, it may also be noble to pretend you do not notice them.

Lemony Snicket

USA – September 2017

"Is he alive, or was he involved in an accident? Athal, answer me!" I say.

"He is still alive."

"Good. Because the last thing, that you need now, is to be in jail. She needs you – now more than ever."

"I know." Athal says. He is clearly worried sick about Summer. She is the light in his life and in his world. She means everything to him.

"It is good to hear that you listened, when I told you about being someone´s soulfinder. I am very proud of you. More than you will ever know. And before you ask: Yes, you can stay here with Summer as long as you would like. Stay or go somewhere else… I will make sure that you have everything that you need. Both of you." I say and mean every word of it. Family means everything to me… Athal gets up from the chair that he is sitting in and gives me a big hug. He sits down and says, while looking at Summer: "Thank you, Angel. You have always been there for me just like a mother. Damn in some ways you are my mother. Truly…You have always been there for me in many ways… Way more than my parents and Lizzie… Damn I have two mothers and none of them… none of them were there, while I grew up. You were. My father… He was always too busy with his brothers. He was… is… will be always worrying about his beloved siblings. He of course loves his whole fucked up family, but his siblings means the world to him. He cannot see, how fucked up this family is… He only sees this perfect family without mistakes, which we both know does not exist. That perfect family is just a dream… or a nightmare. Most of father´s siblings are mad – one way or another. Mad for power, love, money and something else. They are so use to get things done their way. They only see themselves… and what others can do for them. But you are not like that. You, Angel, you are not like your siblings. You care about people, who are not family. You do things without wanting something in return." He has clearly been holding this in for a long time. Maybe even his whole life.

"Athal, go on." I say. He needs to get this out, before it eats him alive, which it will soon or later. Better he gets it out, before that happens, or before he decides to tell his father, what he truly thinks.

"Like I said… you are not like your siblings. You have made a life for yourself, which does not involve family. We all know that you love our family – not matter how fucked up it is – and that you would do anything for your family, but we also know that you need something more than just family. You are the one, who wants more. More than just living at the family house in Denmark with your family. You are the one, who I love the most in our family. And thank you… For helping me, whenever I needed help, you were here… even when I did not want the help, you helped me. You have helped me my whole life." Athal says.

"No, I am the one, who should say thank you, Athal. Thank you for letting me into you world and your life. Stay with her… She is a good girl, who has had a hard life. She will need and lean you on for support. And if you ever need help, you know how to contact me. But remember: Stay as long as you want to."

"Thank you, but I will need to talk to her about that. Maybe she will want to look for her mother."

"If that is what you pick, that is your choice. But send her my way, I have some knowledge about her mother that she will need." I say and leave the room. But before I leave, I hear Athal says: "Thank you. Thank you so much." I smile and leave. I just hope that I will never need to tell Summer, what I know… It will break her heart.

Today is the day that I have a date with Victor… I am nervous and looking forward to it, but there is still some time, before he comes to pick me up. I am hanging out with my children, Nadia, Martin, Lucy and Daniel outside since the sun is shining. Daniel and Jessie are inseparable, which is kind of cute. They are so young and yet so full of love and happiness. I hope that they will never know pain, but I also know that will not be the case. I look over my family here in USA. Cecilia and Martin – They are very cute together, but Martin is a human, so they are not soulfinders. I think it is brave of Cecilia to date a human, while knowing that he is not the one. But it is better than her looking all over the world for the one… and looking so hard that she forgets to live life till the fullest. Jessie and Daniel – Something tells me that they will be married the day that they turn 18. I smile to Lucy and Nadia, my two roommates, who also is Daniel´s mothers. They look at one other and laugh, because of Jessie and Daniel. Then I look at Valerie, who is playing with Deke. Juliet is sleeping in my arms. She looks like her mother… therefor it sometimes still hurt to look at her. She looks so much like her mother, but that is not her fault. Her mother was a great friend, when I needed one. And of course the twins – Hikaru and Kaoru. I smile as I look at them. When I adopted them, I feared that they would hate me, as they grew up. Hate me, because I took them away from their home. But they have never have shown any signs that they might hate me. After all I did adopt them, when they were 5 months old and they do have living relatives, whom they could have lived with after their 'real' parents were murdered. Murdered in cold blood by a person, who had other religious believes than their parents. How can that justify murdering two people? I have no idea, because for me nothing justifies murder… I have killed, but never murdered, but there is a difference between murder and killing. A big one.

"So Angel, are you looking forward to your date with Victor tonight?" Nadia asks. She has this Russian accent, which is kind of hot.

"Yeah, I am. I just hope that everything goes well... I like him a lot, but I am also scared, you know. Scared to fuck everything up."

"You will not do that. You love him, and he loves you." Lucy says. Lucy thinks that is enough. But is love always enough? I doublet that. Love is a great thing, it truly is, but to make a relationship you need more love, right? I am not sure, because I have never truly been in a relationship, which is kind of odd, since I have been married twice… But I better go get ready for, when Victor picks me up, which is in about two hours. I walk around in the house and smile. I truly have made a home for me and my family. It has not been easy, but it is a home none the least. I take a shower, get dressed and put on some makeup. I look in the mirror, and I do not recognize the person that I am seeing in the mirror. She is beautiful and truly happy. There are no signs of that she has had cancer or that she has a lot of children. Cecilia, Athal, Summer, Jessie, Daniel, Valerie, Hikaru, Kaoru, Deke and Juliet. I walk downstairs to hear Lucy and Nadia´s opinion, when the door ball rings, so instead of. I look at the clock. I have still half an hour, before Victor will pick me up, so who is it? I open the door, and the other side stands my ex-husband, Zuko… What the Hell?

"Hallo my little bird." Zuko says with his deep voice, which has not changed a bit, since I left him little over 4 years ago. He looks like, when I left him, and yet he looks sad. I wonder why.

"What are you doing here, Zuko?" I say angrily. I do not want him anywhere near my children. He may be their father, but there are some things, which you can never forgive… or forget.

"You sound like you are not happy to see me, my little bird. What a shame. You will be." He says, before the light begins to disappear… My last thought is about my children… and Victor.

'Victor.' is the last thing that I say, before I am unconscious.