Author Note: I'm so sorry for the really slow update. I'm going through hiatus, writer's block and working on school. One day, I couldn't get into my account and had to report to a bug problem. It was fixed in two days. I almost rewrote the entire chapter. Now, back to Claire's perspective. This story is still going strong and Abuela is going to tell Claire about her family. I almost thought of not doing this. But I believe I could. Also, I modified this chapter.

I open my eyes as I hear a baby wailing in the dark. I hear a door open, and the light comes in. I see Mom. She passes me and runs towards a crib in the room. She leaves the crib and grabs a baby in purple pjs with dark hair and eyes in her arms. Mom shushes the baby and walks around the room.

"Shhhh! Shhhh! It's ok; you're ok, Chiquita. I'm here. The monsters are gone now. Don't be scared, Claire. It's alright." Mom says softly.

The baby keeps crying, and something starts glowing purple in the dark. The baby, who I believe is me, starts struggling in Mom's arms. Mom keeps shushing and rocking the baby in her arms. She walks over to an armchair. I watch as the baby keeps wailing and struggling. I see the glowing and get closer. One is on my chest, and one is on my forehead.

Mom grabs something out of her pocket. "Shhhh! Shhh! It's alright, Claire. You're safe in my arms." She says sweetly and waves a chain in front of the baby. It glows leafy green and looks a bit like my necklace. The baby keeps crying, making them shine brighter. Mom sighs and takes a deep breath. She opens her mouth and sings the lullaby. "My baby, you're in my arms tonight, safe from all harm. Life is strange, filled with twisty frights and wonders to behold. Look at the stars and moon tonight. You'll be great and take flight. You will travel so far to find out who you are. Go down deep to find what is lost. Listen to your heart and follow the sound."

The baby immediately calms down and starts to get drowsy. Mom drops the chain into my lap and kisses my head. "I love you so much, Chiquita!" She whispers and kisses them again. The baby falls asleep, and Mom keeps rocking in the chair, looking at her daughter lovingly.

"Claire, wake up! We're under attack!"

I open my eyes and see Half-troll Jim, panicked and worried. He looks up, and I hear screams and explosions. I get up, and Jim leads me somewhere. I see trolls running and screaming as the walls around us start cracking and dust falls on us. I have no weapons and am defenseless. I clutch close to Jim, and he wraps an arm around my shoulders, shielding me. We enter the woods, and I see Blinky and Merlin, who look ready to fight. Jim joins them in a back-to-back.

"Hullgar!" Merlin shouts.

"Claire, behind you!" Jim yells.

I turn around and see the Green Knight jump in front of me. I screamed and yelled Jim's name. The Green Knight raises his sword, but Jim gets before me and blocks his strike.

"Claire, run! Get away from here!" Jim screams, using his strength to push the Green Knight away. "Fight me! Stay the hell away from my girlfriend!" He shouts furiously.

I run away but stop and return to the fight when I hear Jim's reaction. His fight with the Green Knight is going well, but he loses. A blow makes Jim slide away from the Green Knight. Jim growls and runs up to the Green Knight with his sword in the air, but the Green Knight waves his sword, the onyx shard launching out and hitting Jim in his chest, making him fall, grunting in pain. "Jim!" I scream, running up to him, but unlike my dream in Camelot; he doesn't say anything. He looks at me and tries to say something, reaching to touch me, but he limbs down and closes his eyes, not waking up. Oh no! Not this horrible night again! I don't want to relive this again. Merlin defended us, and Blinky ran next to me. I hear the Green Knight say "Morgana" and disappear. I close my eyes, feeling the tears come to them. Blinky and Merlin calmed down the trolls while I stayed with Jim. His lifeless body made me feel sick, guilty, regretful, and hopeless. Jim did open his eyes once and tried to touch me, but the onyx shard glows, and he groans in pain, making me cry.

"Shhh, please don't cry, Claire. It's going to be ok." Jim moans, looking at me with concern.

I grab his hand and squeeze it. His hand's grip feels so weak. I can't deal with this again. I close my eyes and start sobbing more. This isn't real. This was in the past. Jim is a human now and has no shard in his chest. I remember Merlin taking me, Jim, and Blinky to a flying castle. He places Jim in a gem and says it's for his protection. I couldn't stand to watch him do that to my boyfriend, and I can't now. I run away and cry my eyes out.

"Open your eyes, Claire." I hear Jim say flatly—no groaning, moaning, or weakness in his voice.

Half-troll Jim stands before me with the onyx shard in his chest. I get up and run into his arms, crying softly. I wrap my arms around his waist and, despite his armor, grip him tightly.

"Claire, stop crying. It's fine. I'm alright." I hear him hiss harshly.

It sends a shiver down my spine. I never heard Jim give that tone to me. As a half-troll, he always talked to and touched me with kindness, composure, and gentleness. When he was angry, he would at other trolls, Blinky or Merlin, and when I came around, he calmed down. Even as a human, Jim never growled, snarled, hissed, yelled, shouted, or screamed at me.

"Claire, let go. You're squeezing me."

I obey and look up at him. "I'm sorry, Jim. I just saw you getting hurt, and I was so scared." I say softly, trying to wipe out my tears. I reach out my hand to touch his face.

Jim grabs my wrist and pulls it down. He starts to squeeze it, making me feel something is wrong. "I'm fine, Claire. Stop crying over it." He growls.

I look at him in shock. "Jim, what's wrong?" I ask with worry. I look into his eyes; no love, emotion, tears, or sympathy exists. This isn't my Jim.

"I'm fine, Claire. Stop worrying about me." He repeats.

I see the onyx shard and start feeling horrible again. "Oh, Jim."

Jim scoffs and lets go of my hand. He taps his chest where the shard is, making it glow. "This is your fault."

My eyes widen in hurt. No! That's not true. After being with Douxie, I know that's not true. Jim would never say that to me. "No, Jim. I didn't do that; that wasn't my fault." I say with sadness.

"This is your fault." He repeated, tapping the shard, making it go further into his chest. "You didn't help me; all you did was stand there like an idiot and not help me." He laughs.

I shake my head. "No! No, Jim! That is not true. You know that's not true."

"Stop lying. Everyone knows you're a worthless bitch and pathetic woman."

What? Jim would never say that to me. He walks closer but pushes me. Like his words and tone, Jim has never assaulted me before. His hit is brutal like a rock, as he's twice as strong as AAARRRGGHH!

"I don't know why I let you come with me to New Jersey or why I even fell in love with you. You're such a disgusting, rude, selfish, worthless, ugly, evil, and weak bitch. Merlin was right; you're everything like Morgana and nothing else." He says and pushes me again, this time harder.

"No! No! No! Jim, stop! This isn't you." I plead with him, hugging myself in pain.

Jim scoffs again. "You're right! It's you!" He replies and pushes me more aggressively. "You caused my injuries and didn't show any remorse. I risked everything for you, and you never reciprocated. You deserve to die in the 9th circle of hell! You're the most pathetic, worthless piece of shit I've ever met!" And pushes me again.

"Stop! Stop this, Jim! You're being delusional! I never did anything bad to you!" I cry, backing away from him.

Jim's eyes start glowing red, and the shard begins bearing down on him. He growls in pain and falls. I step forward to help, but he twitches, making me recoil. "Stupid shard!" He yells and pushes the rest of the way into his heart.

"No, Jim! Don't do that!" I yell in tears and horror.

But as he did a few months ago, Jim turns into a giant, scary creature, making me scream as he brings his fists down. "Look what you made me do! I'm this way because of you! You are the reason why everything and everyone are dead! Bitch! Bitch! BITCH!" He screams at the top of his lungs as he crawls toward me.

I back away, crying in denial. "No! No! Jim! I didn't do it! It was the Green Knight! Not me! Stop it! Stop IT!" I cry, screaming at him. I hear laughing behind me, which I know belongs to Skrael.

"Look at what you've done. You made everyone around you die or have a worse fate. You don't belong with them. They hate you, and they despise you. You belong with us. Your fate is to remake this world." I hear their slithering voice in my ear.

I shake my head. "No! No! No! That's not true! That's not true!"

I feel ice touch my skin and grab my chin, forcing me to look at Jim. "Look at Merlin's champion. He doesn't care about you; they all don't care about you. But you can eliminate all that by changing the world for the better." They hiss in my ear.

Despite the icy pain on my face and heart, I shake my head. "No! Never! I will never join you! I rather die than join you!" I scream, struggling to get away.

"We will find you! And you will join us!" I hear someone else hiss, either Bellroc or the Half-troll who came to the manor.

"I won't! I won't! I won't!" I scream, and the area starts glowing purple, blinding me.

I gasp and shot up in the bed. I shake and sweat in a panic. I feel my heart race 1,000 beats per minute. I frantically look around the room and see nothing from my dark nightmare.

"Claire! Are you alright?"

I look down and see NotEnrique, staring at me with worry. I take a deep breath and try to smile. "Yeah! I'm fine. I just had another bad dream." I reply softly.

"What was this one about?" NotEnrique asks as he crawls into my lap. I take another deep breath and tell him everything I saw in my dream. NotEnrique snuggled in my arms and hugged me. "Why can't my sister have a good dream once in a while?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know why," I mumble and hug him.

Today is the last day at Huntington before I and everyone have to go back to Arcadia, but we'll come back again here on the 18th for my birthday and the 21st for the ceremony. I don't want to leave. I love hanging out with my cousins, Abuela, and enjoy being here again, but I also don't want to stay here because of what I fear most of my family here want. I get up and get dressed for the day. We don't have any plans for heading to the beach, the town, or anything. This is a chill-out day, but I hardly believe anyone with me will be able to. It's 7:00 am and a Sunday. Some of my family members go to church, some sleep in, and some leave to go into town for work or to hang out. As I pull on a tank top, the memory of last night outside the manor causes me to shutter. Everything I heard, everything I saw. I still want it to be just a bad dream. It's not true; it's not real, but it is, and I can't do anything about it, but as I said to my parents, I can prepare for what's to come.

"Are you alright, child?"

"Get out of here, Witch!" I hear NotEnrique hiss.

I spin around and see Morgana near the bed. I feel both happy and concerned she's here. "Hi, Morgana!" I say flatly, but NotEnrique growls and buries his crawls on the bed. I walk between them. "Shhh! Calm down NotEnrique. I told you about Morgana; she won't hurt me." I explain.

"That's right, Changeling. I'm not here to hurt Claire." I hear Morgana clarify.

I roll my eyes but let it slide. NotEnrique and I look at each other. "It's alright NotEnrique," I whisper. NotEnrique looks at Morgana and me. He begins to relax and slowly crawls toward me.

He leaps on my shoulder and stares at Morgana. "Alright. But I still don't trust this and will look suspiciously at this." He says with hostility in his voice.

"That's fine. I understand." Morgana replies calmly.

I roll my eyes as NotEnrique hops off and on the bed. "Sorry about that. NotEnrique is just scared because of everything that happened yesterday." I explain.

"I bet. Yesterday wasn't the best day for you as I saw it; you had such a fun time with your friends and family, but you must've been so scared when you were lost out to sea and when the creature finally came."

"Yes. It was. I didn't know if I would see my family again. And as for the Half-troll, at least I know what it is, but I'm still worried and confused about who and why they came. I know they're working for the Arcane Order and threatened me, but I don't know what they want from me or what the Half-troll meant last night."

"What did it say?" She asks curiously.

I take a deep breath from the fear. "They said the Arcane Order will come for me by the end when everything began; I don't know what that means," I reply. I notice Morgana's eyes widen. "Do you?" I ask, raising my eyebrow.

Morgana bites her lip and looks away. "I don't know. I'm sorry." She says softly.

I sense she was the same way when she first saw my necklace. Does she know something about this?

"I suggest you get going. Your family and friends are waiting for you downstairs." Morgana adds before I can answer.

I hear some hurt, a sense of longing in her eyes. I find it odd and sad, but I don't show it. "Alright!" I reply flatly. Morgana smiles and wishes me luck for today before disappearing.

"Since when is Morgana nice and compassionate? I remember hearing her as ruthless and bloodthirsty back in the Darklands." NotEnrique says with confusion.

I roll my eyes and scoff. "It's a long, long story." I sigh, crossing my arms and shaking my head.

NotEnrique looks more confused, but he shrugs it off. "Well, enjoy your day with your family, and see you later."

I smile and thank him for understanding Morgana. I get on my shoes and open the door. I look down at the courtyard and see Olivia, Uncle Mateo, Lucas, Aunt Stella, Uncle Sebastian, Aunt Lillian, and Abuelo, all in lovely outfits, with my cousins, Zoe, Darci, Aja, Krel, and Eli. I walk to the stairs and down to the ground. But my stomach flipped when Elena saw me and pointed me out. Everyone turns to me, and Daniela runs up to me.

"Claire! Oh, my god! We didn't see you since you were found passed out on the sand yesterday. We were all so worried about you! Abuela, Tía Ophelia, and Tío Javier wouldn't let us see you." She says with concern.

I roll my eyes but smile sweetly at her. "I'm fine, Daniela. I just needed to rest and not be near crowds."

Daniela sighs and smiles back. "Oh good!" She says calmly and grabs my wrist. "We all want to hear about what happened." She adds and drags me to our cousins. They surround me and start throwing around so many questions. My head starts throbbing and spinning.

"What happened when you were out at sea?"

"What were you thinking?"

"Why couldn't we see you?"

"Were you scared?

"How did you feel?"

"Guys, guys! Relax! I just wanted to swim alone and was unaware of how far. I was scared but just kept kicking my legs to return to shore. It took a lot of energy and effort as the current, but I did it." I answer clearly.

"Claire, you could've drowned! You could've died!" Maria replies with worry. Then more questions vomit out.

I feel a hand grab my wrist and pull me out of the crowd. I see the hand belongs to Diego, and he pulls me to his chest. "Hey, hey, guys! Leave Chiquita alone! She already had been through enough from yesterday." He shouts at everyone.

"But Diego-"

"Enough, Emiliano. Claire has been through enough." I hear Abuela behind me.

I see her, my parents, and Enrique in Dad's arms, walking towards us. I can see Dad and Abuela look calm, but there's something different about Mom. When she approaches, she seems tense, really exhausted, and looks a bit pale.

"Are you feeling alright from yesterday, Claire?" Diego asks, drawing my attention.

"Yes! I'm feeling better." I reply, nodding my head. Diego let me go, but something comes to my mind. "Diego, I need to talk to you about something before I leave for Arcadia," I say solemnly.

Diego tilts his head and raises an eyebrow. "Funny, 'cause I was going to ask you the same thing."

I chuckle and shake my head. "Ah, Chiflado!" I scoff, remembering how we always said that when we were younger, but I hear someone else shout my name. I turn to the sound on the stairs and see Douxie, Jim, Steve, Mary, and Toby.

Douxie runs up to me and looks concerned. "Claire, we need to talk about what happened last night." He says clearly and a bit shaky.

"Last night? Claire, what happened last night?" I hear Diego ask with concern.

I tense up, turn to him, and back at Douxie. "Ummm, we... uh." I try to think of an excuse. Light bulb! I think about what Abuela said last night. "We need to talk about what to do about Alejandro and his gang if they ever come back for me again since last night," I answer, smiling at Diego without teeth.

Diego raises his eyebrow. I look to Douxie for help. Diego turns to him, and Douxie nods his head to him. Diego turns back to me and looks more suspicious but shrugs his shoulders. "Ok! Do you want us to talk later? I plan to head to the town with my siblings and our cousins. You and your friends can come with us if you want to or are not busy." He says nicely.

My smile brightens. "Yes! That's a great idea. How about I talk to you after going into town, and I can talk to Douxie now?"

Diego smiles and nods back. "Yeah! That will be great."

"Claire!" I hear Abuela call out. We turn to her and see her walk up to us.

"Yes, Abuela?" I ask calmly.

"I need to talk to you." She says sternly.

Why is everyone asking to talk to me?

I hear snickering behind me, and I turn around and see my cousins. "First Born protocol talk, I believe," Kyra says, crossing her arms, smirking.

I blush but scowl at her. Diego isn't pleased, either. "Kyra! Really? Don't tease Claire with that." He hisses to his sister.

Kyra rolls her eyes and frowns. "Oh, please! Forget about going to town or wasting your time talking to gringos, Claire. The first Born protocol is more important than having fun. Right?" She says sarcastically, walking up to me and raising an eyebrow.

"Kyra! Stay out of it!" Abuela calls out.

I tense up and bite my lip. I glance around, but no one answers or helps me. Instead, they all look at me for my answer. I look back at Kyra, and she smirks at me with pride in her eyes. I feel rage boil inside me and snarl at her. Kyra always has to use the "First Born" guilt trip on me. I look at Mom, Dad, and Abuela. Abuela gives me a slight smile and nods. I take a deep breath and stare at everyone seriously. "How about this? I'll stay here to talk with Abuela while you go into town. I'll catch up if I can." I reply clearly and firmly.

Everyone stares at me, stunned, and some widen their eyes, blinking. "I think it's a great idea! Thank you, Claire!" Abuela speaks up, smiling sweetly at me.

I smiled back at her but felt like I wanted to explore. I want to hang out with my friends and cousins before returning home, but I have to stay behind.

"Alright! That settles it, then! Children, get ready to go to town." Olivia says sternly, clapping her hands once.

Everyone starts moving around. I and some others tell my friends to get some money as they are getting food. Mary's parents and Barbara comes down. Barbara gives Jim and Toby some money. After five minutes, all of my friends, Olivia, Uncle Mateo, Lucas, Aunt Stella, Uncle Sebastian, Aunt Lillian, Abuelo, and cousins, gather near the door while I stand beside the rest of the adults. Usually, all of the cousins go with their parents to church, but since our visit, only the younger kids under 12 and the adults go, and the rest stay with my friends. I feel a tap on my shoulder during the commotion, making me jump. I turn and see Jim, who smiles but looks concerned.

"Are you going to be ok without us? You know...from what happened last night." He whispers.

I stare at him. The memory of my nightmare returns, but I settle it down to see and hear his worries. I smile at him and look at him sincerely. "I'll be fine, Jim, but thank you," I say sweetly. "And don't worry. I'll talk to you and Douxie as soon as I finish talking to Abuela and Diego."

Jim sighs and smiles back. We stare into each other's eyes. I want to hug him, and I want Jim's arms around me. I desire comfort, but we can't show it in front of the elders except for Dad, Mom, Barbara, and Abuela, but Jim quickly pecks me on the cheek before turning around and running over to our friends. They say goodbye and wave to me. I wave back, and they turn to walk out the door. I watch them leave and feel a giggle behind me. I turn around and see Enrique reaching out to me. I smile as Dad hands him to me.

"Sissy!" He says sweetly, making me giggle.

"Hello there hermoano menor!" I reply softly, tapping his nose and making him giggle. He sees my necklace glow and grabs it. He tries to pull it, and I gently pull it away. "No, no, no. This isn't yours. This necklace is fragile and a family heirloom; it was given to me by Mamá as a birthday present, but I'm sure she'll give you something great for your birthday at my age." I add, smiling sweetly at him.

"Alright, Claire, may I take Enrique off your hands?" Barbara asks sweetly.

I nod my head. "Sure! Thank you!" I reply and sigh in relief as she takes Enrique off my shoulders and arms. Barbara places Enrique on her hip and smiles at him. Out of everyone who held Enrique in front of me outside of my parents, I trusted Barbara, my friends, and Abuela the most.

"Claire, me, Dad, Enrique, and Barbara are going out and will return sooner than the kids. Have fun with Abuela, and be respectful." Mom instructs me.

I roll my eyes as she always tells me when I spend time with another adult but nod my head. "Of course, I will, Mom," I reply, reassuring her, but she still looks tense and worried. "Are you alright?" I ask curiously.

"Yes! I am alright, sweetie. I'm fine. Have fun!" She chirps with a fake smile and walks away. I can sense she's lying to me and is hiding something too.

Dad gives me a hug, a peck on the forehead, and tells me goodbye, have fun, and "no disintegrations." He says clearly, and I giggle and agree with everything. Dad doesn't seem tense or worried, but he does seem concerned for Mom.

"Don't worry, Claire, I'll watch them for you," Barbara whispers and winks at me.

I smile and mouth 'thank you' to her. I watch the adults walk towards the door. They wave at Abuela and me, and we wave back before they turn around and walk out the door. Silence fills the room, with Abuela and me being all alone.

We turn to each other, and Abuela smiles at me, but her eyes are stoic. "I'm sorry I pulled you away from your friends and the fun, Claire."

I shake my head. "Oh no, Abuela! I love hanging out with you." I reply cheerfully, smiling.

Abuela raises an eyebrow but shakes her head and chuckles. "Just like when you were little, you would always either play with Diego or spend time with me." She says kindly, but her smile disappears, and she looks serious. "But I know you want to hang out with your friends and cousins, and I can tell when you're not telling the whole truth."

I blink. "That's because you know me so well." I laugh, my smile getting more fake. How did she-

"Come! We have a lot to do." Abuela replies and gestures for me to follow her. She turns around and starts walking toward the stairs, and I follow her, and we walk to her office.

"Do you remember this place?" Abuela asks me as we enter the room.

Oh yes! I remember coming into her office. It hasn't changed a bit. Since I was four, I have loved hiding there when playing with my cousins, hiding from the elders, or just wandering there. I was pretty good at hiding. Mom thought finding me as I grew would be easier, but I always knew how to hide from plain sight. Abuela would always come in and see me. Instead of getting mad and scolding me as all the other adults did, she would calmly tell me to come out, and we would talk, read or draw something together if we had the time. The other elders noticed me going into Abuela's office a lot and thought I was warming up to becoming the Head of the family one day, but I never thought that. Abuela's office was a special place for me. None of my other cousins wanted to go in there, and they thought it was forbidden to enter, and I was the only one with the keys to it. Abuela didn't turn to me or say anything. She faces the wall-size bookshelf, looking for a book. I do the same and look at all the spines, touching them: hard and soft cover, thick and thin, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Classics, Horror. I read half of all of them. Abuela was the one who got me into Shakespeare. Ever since I was four and could read, I took one book every visit and read it. My fingers glide to a thick book I recognize—history of Magical Creatures Around the World. I grab it and pull it out to look at the cover. It's heavy and old. Its image is scary with dark blue trolls and red dragons with evil-looking yellow eyes, but when I turn to the back side, I see bright colors of fairies, mermaids, and witches.

"You loved to read that book repeatedly when you were little." I hear Abuela say sweetly. I turn to the right and see her standing beside me, smiling. "Even though it had scary images and hard words, you loved that book since you were six. You always thought there were real and wanted to find trolls, fairies, dragons, mermaids, wizards, and witches."

I open the book, flip through the pages, and see the detailed images of dark trolls, flying dragons, bright fairies, beautiful mermaids, and magical wizards, stating facts and information about them. I was curious about magical creatures: the mystery, the colors, and the power. But I see a sticky note sticking out of a book's page. I turn to it and see the image of a woman. She's dressed in dark, pure evil, and heartless colors, looking like she's planning something evil with dark magic flowing around her.

"Ah, Morgana La Fey. I remember you love asking me questions about her. I once read you a story about her in the Arthurian legends, and you told me you thought Morgana was a sad character who didn't deserve what happened to her and deserved better." Abuela adds.

Wait!? What?! I idolized Morgana La Fey when I was little? I turn back to the book. A tragic character? I remember hearing about the stories of Morgana in the Arthurian Legends when I was little. I thought it was a myth, but I saw her actions of destroying Arcadia Trollmarket Heartstone, almost causing the world's end, and making deals with dangerous creatures, but protecting magical creatures in the past saved me and my friends' skins more than once, killed the Green Knight, and helped stopped the Arcane Order.

"Sit down." I hear Abuela again, and I see her next to her desk. She gestures to a chair in front of it for me to sit in. I obey and clutch the book in my arms. Abuela sits in her chair, and I tense up, clutching the book tighter. "Don't worry, Claire. You're not in trouble."

"Then why am I here?" I ask suspiciously, narrowing my eyes at her.

Abuela takes a deep breath. "Remember when I told you yesterday that the world and fate hold many secrets? Remember to live in the present and think of the future. Don't dwell on the past, but it is good to look at it once in a while."

"Yes!" I reply, relaxing a bit. Maybe she'll tell me what she's hiding.

"It's time for you to know what's going on. What happened in the past, what's been happening recently, and what's to come in the future." She replies.

My eyes widen. "What do you mean?" I ask in confusion.

Abuela leans back in her chair. "Claire, do you know why the necklace around your neck is so important and why we care about the firstborns being the head of the family?" She asks and points to the necklace around my neck.

I look down at my necklace and see it glows a bit purple as I touch it. I look up and tilt my head slightly. "It's because the necklace is a Crown Jewel to the family-like; one is for the royal families around the world, and firstborns are like heirs to the throne," I reply clearly.

Abuela nods and smiles. "Correct, but also, the Circles of Veronica of Galot is important because it holds a secret that no one but the firstborns like us knows."

I raise an eyebrow. "What? Like a skill or word, no one is allowed to know?" I ask.

Abuela shakes her head. "No, but I believe Mom told you about how we came here and our 900-year-old history?" She speculates.

I nod my head. "Yes! I did that for a school history project about my family heritage."

Abuela sighs. "Well, let me say that what she told you wasn't the whole truth."

I feel more confused. How would she know what Mom did not tell me? "How?"

"She told me what she told you last night."

I lean back in the chair. "Oh." But it just gives me more questions. "Why wouldn't Mom tell me everything?" I ask even though I know the answer to my question.

"It's because Mom doesn't believe in everything in our family's history, but I believe that you would believe what you did this past year since yesterday."

I tense up. Does Abuela know what I've been doing in Arcadia? New Jersey? And what happened last night? I have always believed in Abuela since I was younger. I take a deep breath and smile. "Oh yeah! You know I always believe you, and I don't think you're crazy like Mom does."

Abuela gets up."Well, follow me and leave the book here." She says confidently and walks towards the door.

I obey and follow her out of the office without argument, wondering where we're going. Abuela and I walk downstairs to the second floor and down the halls without talking. We pass some of my second cousins, Mary's parents, and Nancy Domzalski, and I wave to them. Abuela and I get close to the back of the manor until we enter the Portrait Hall. The Portrait Hall is an area of the manor where every family picture is: paintings, black and white, and colored photographs. Most of them are family pictures in oversized frames of the firstborn, their spouse, and their first child in their arms, but there are also pictures of their other children and pictures of past First Borns as children or adolescents after the ceremony. This shows that our family idolizes each other but also that our family mainly cares about our firstborns. I see a picture of Abuela as a teenager. Abuela, Abuelo, and Mom as a baby, Great Abuelo and his wife and child, Mom as a teenager, me as a child, and Mom, Dad, and me as a baby. All of my pictures show a blue streak in my hair. I also see some pictures of Diego, Kyra, Olivia, Uncle Sebastian, Lucas, Daniela, and more of my family. Still, they're small, and, of course, the most prominent portrait is a painting of Veronica of Galot.

"Where are we going, Abuela?" I ask curiously.

"There is a room in this house that no one but the firstborns knows about. My office might be available to everyone, but this is only between us, and it can be only accessed by us." She answers clearly, keeping her back to me. We keep walking for another minute until we stop at a blank wall. "And you are wearing the key."

I turn to her and raise an eyebrow. "Ummm... Abuela? We're standing in front of a wall with no door." I state in confusion.

There's a moment of silence, and Abuela takes a deep breath. "Since that, you've seen out of the ordinary in Arcadia and Camelot, and I thought you won't react when seeing it here." She says flatly.

I blink. Ok, now I'm more confused and getting nervous. Does she know what happened in Arcadia and Camelot? "What do you mean?"

"Please give me the necklace, and I'll show you." She says, extending her hand out to me.

Ok. This is strange. What does Abuela want to show me, and how does it connect to my necklace and a blank wall? But I trusted her and gave her the necklace.

"You have been told all our family stories since you were born, but one." She adds.

A glow appears in the lower left-hand corner of the wall and catches my eye. Abuela presses the pendant into where the light is on the wall gently. She lets go, and the wall starts glowing yellow. Streams of white come out of the pendant and run across the wall to make beautiful Celtic designs and patterns. When I was little, Abuela once gave me a book about Celtic symbols, and I fell in love with them. The designs stopped at points in the wall, and a rectangle frame was taking shape. My eyes widen—a secret door. The glowing stops and shows a beautiful yellow steel door on the wall. Abuela reached out and pushed the door to a dark hallway. She grabs the necklace and walks inside a little. She takes something off the wall that looks like a stick. I hear something behind us, and I turn around. I don't see anything but hear Abuela say, "Incendio!" That's the spell Douxie taught me when I learned how to make fire. I spin around and see fire appear on the edge of the stick. My eyes widen even bigger. How did she do that?

Abuela turns to me, and I look at her in shock. She doesn't respond and looks into the dark hallway. "What is this place? What's in there?" I ask nervously.

"Come! I'll show you and tell you a tale." Abuela says kindly and hands me the necklace back.

I blink and place the necklace back around my neck. She always said that for me to follow her when I was little. I hesitate, take a deep breath and nod without argument to walk into the small, narrow passageway. I hear the door close behind us, making the space cold and darker. I feel something sharp hit my heel, and I grab Abuela's hand for fear of her falling or burning herself with the torch. We walk deeper and deeper into the hall with only the light from the fire guiding us. Thanks to what the trolls taught me during our journey to New Jersey, I can avoid the rock in our way without seeing them under my feet. After about five minutes of walking through narrow pathways and a crystal winding staircase, my mind starts spinning. What is going on? Why is Abuela leading me down here? How long has this pathway been here? Did I see the fire come out of thin air? What else does Abuela know? I feel we enter a vast room, but I can't see anything.

"You may want to duck and close your eyes, Claire," Abuela says. I raise an eyebrow, but I obey. I hear her say "Incendio" again. I scream and cover my ears from the noise of fireworks echoing in my ears. Soon, I hear the cracking stop and feel a hand on my back.

"Open your eyes, Claire."

I slowly lift my head, and my eyes widen as orange, red, yellow, blue, green, and purple come into my vision. I see different colored gems of all shapes and sizes on the walls. They light up the room, and it looks like an astronomy room. The floor lights up with white that forms constellations. The walls look like a cave, with a big purple gem growing out, and mysterious artifacts are around the room. Wow! This place is beautiful, but wasn't it dark before?

"Where are we?" I ask, getting up and looking around the room.

"Under the manor basement, and this is the secret room I was talking about." She answers.

I begin walking around the room and looking at some of the artifacts. "How is it here?"

"When my great Abuelo, your great, great, great Abuelo, and our family came to Huntington, he found this and decided to make it into a private space for the First Borns. It's the only place we can access and only know of in the manor. I first came here when I was your age with your great Abuelo. I brought your mother down here when she was your age, and now, I'm taking you here." Abuela explains.

I look around the ceiling and the crystals on the wall. "But why did you bring me here?" I ask curiously.

"Because I want to tell you a tale and give you something before you leave today," Abuela replies seriously.

This catches my attention, and I look at her. "What? What do you want to tell and give me?" I ask, more intrigued, and walk closer to Abuela like she will tell me a story about when I was younger.

Abuela chuckles and takes a deep breath. She turns, and I see a body of water shine from the gems. The room turns dark, and the constellations start moving and appearing around us. It shows a shape of a woman holding a purple bundle. "Once upon a time, 900 years ago and two days from now, a young woman has a daughter," Abuela explains as the constellations change to the woman handing the purple bundle to a different pair of hands. "Three days later, she gives her baby up to protect her from bad people but is given a necklace as a pardoning gift before the bad people destroy her." The shape shows the woman being surrounded by red figures. They jump on her, and a necklace forms from it, showing a pendant similar to mine around my neck. I look down and touch it, making it glow purple. "But also, on that day, two things happened." The shape disappears and turns dark and evil pictures that make me jump. "One, a curse that caused firstborns of the family to be lost and alone in the afterlife. Then, it turns into sparks and designs that relax me a bit. "And a beautiful gift that's been in the family for generations." Abuela ends while darkness covers the light, making a chill come down my spine, and I hear a whisper of Bellroc's voice in my ear. The curse sounds cruel, but the gift makes up for it. A girl in white emerges and defeats the darkness. I focus closer on the girl and see something purple glow on her chest and forehead; she is holding a stick that glows purple.

What is the 'curse'? What is the 'gift'? Is this symbolic or real? "Why did you tell me that?" I ask curiously, raising an eyebrow at Abuela. What was the meaning or message?

She turns to me, grabs my hand, and opens it to my palm. "Claire, there is a dark presence coming. I want you to be prepared and understand to pay attention to the past, present, and future. You must pay attention to what you see and hear and follow your heart. Stay true to yourself, and don't be afraid to ask for help." She says softly.

My eyes widen, but I nod my head. "I will, Abuela!" I reply but hear something behind me. It doesn't sound like Bellroc or Skrael, but gentle and whispers my name. It's a male voice instead of a female voice. I turn around but see nothing but feel a presence in the room, making my focus fade.

"Is everything alright, Claire?" I hear Abuela's voice, snapping me back to reality.

I turn to her and give her a fake smile. "Yeah, I'm fine." I lie convincingly. I glance down at my necklace and back to Abuela. "I have been hearing a voice lately," I admit hesitantly, squeezing my untaken hand.

"Really? What kind of voice? Who's following you? Tell me all about it." Abuela asks kindly.

I take a deep breath. "Well..." I try to think of something to say.

"Tell her. It's ok." I hear the female voice.

"I've been hearing the voice for the past few months. It sounds like a female, but it's getting annoying. I think it's trying to tell me important." I reply.

Abuela's eyes brighten. "What does the voice tell you?"

I bite my lip. "It doesn't tell me much. But I can hear it wants me to do something. It sounds gentle and non-threatening, sometimes singing the lullaby from our family. But it sometimes sounds like it warns me of something, and I don't know what it is. I'm so confused." I confess.

Abuela smiles and rubs my hand. "Aww, Claire! It's probably trying to help point out your path to you. Maybe you're destined to help someone or something." She says softly. "Maybe to save the world." She jokes and cups my cheek with her other hand.

I chuckle and shake my head, smiling at her. "That's probably a bit much, Abuela; we both know I can't do that."

"You never know what's to come in your path; that's what makes life strange, filled with twisty frights and wonders to behold." She replies calmly, winking at me.

I blink. "Do you think so?" I ask softly.

Abuela smiles sweetly. "I know so, my dear." She agrees. After a moment, Abuela leads me forward. "Come, I want to show you what I promised earlier." I follow her to a big box that is locked on a table. Abuela lets go of my hand and unlocks the box with a key. "I kept this locked just in case something happened down here, but I want to give you this before your birthday after I found it." She adds and finishes unlocking the box. "Open it!"

I do and find a beautiful book. It's yellow and grey with emeralds on the cover. I grab it and pick it up. The book is heavy, but I bring it closer to view it. It doesn't have any words on it. But it looks valuable and interesting.

"Do you like it?" I hear Abuela ask.

I turn to look at her and smile. "Yes! Yes, I like it!" I say with enthusiasm. "But what is it?" I ask as I turn to look at the book again. "Where did you find it?"

"It's a book; I found it a few months ago in Arcadia," Abuela replies.

I open the book and flip through the pages. There's nothing on them. Before correcting Abuela about it, the pages glow, and words start forming, but they aren't in English; they're in Wizard-else. While holding it, something feels awfully morbid holding the book.

"I found it in the rubble of a castle and ash," Abuela whispers.

My eyes widen. Wait! What?! Ash and a castle? Like human ash? Like Camelot Castle? I look at the book more and feel a strange growing attachment.

"You have been through a lot in the past year. Your parents, meeting Jim, Trolls, monsters, Aliens, time-travel, wizards, and war. It's a lot to take and hard for an average human to handle, but you're more than human." I hear someone speak.

It sounds like Abuela, but how would she know what happened in Arcadia? It also sounds like the voice that's been following Morgana and me, but I can't tell, giving me a chill down my spine. I turn to Abeula and look at her suspiciously, but she looks at me with a stern but sweet smile. I'm confused, worried, and wondering about Abuela. Is she crazy like Mom said, or is she telling the truth?

"Come on, Claire. Time to return, or someone would come looking for us." Abuela states and starts walking to where we came from. I hold the book close and rush over to Abuela.

Author Note: This was really hard to do without explaining everything, and it took a couple of tries, but I did it. I want this chapter to be like a Grandma Tala/Moana moment. Please review.