For a few moments, everything was incredibly quiet as Flora poured a cup of tea for me. “Phoenix, dear. You’re here to find your mother’s family, are you not?” She asked me.

“Yes! I am! Do you know them? Are they near by?” I asked hurriedly.

“Calm down sweet one.” She said with a smile. “Yes, we know them, and they are indeed near by, but first, I want to talk to you a bit about your family. May I?”

“Oh yes! Please, ask me anything, I’ll answer whatever I can, but please, please help me find my grandparents!” I begged.

“What do you remember of your grandparents?”

“Oh, nearly nothing. I know the last time I saw them I was two. My father won’t allow them to visit me though, not even for my birthdays. That’s why I want to see them. I will be eighteen in a few weeks and I want to invite them.” I explained.

“Well then, what of your mother? Do you remember her?” She asked me.

“Oh! Mommy had the most beautiful smell. She always smelled of wood smoke and ginger bread. And she had the most beautiful long dark hair; it was as long as yours, I bet. And she was always so soft. Nothing ever upset her either. Oh! And her laugh! It would tinkle like the softest little bell, but still as soft as velvet. And she loved to”-

“Calm now sweet one. You remember your mother quite well, it seems.”

Sheepishly, I smiled. “Yes, at least, I think I do. I dream of her quite often. Father never talks about her anymore, ever since she passed, so I may just be imagining her.”

“Do you remember your mother’s name dear?”

“Of course! Raven. Raven Rose. I always thought she had the most lovely name.” I told them.

“Well, your imagination seems to be quite accurate my little love.” Said Flora. “I’m sorry to ask so many questions, I just need to make sure you are the right person before I tell you how to find your grandparents.

“Syle, love, will you go get the box?” She asked her husband.

“What’s ‘the box’?” Asked Kayde, trying to protect me, as Syle rose from the chair he had been sitting in.

“Don’t worry. It’s just a small wooden box that we use to hold important papers.” She explained, not insulted.

We sat and enjoyed our tea for a few moments as questions flew through my head. How do these strange people know my grandparents? How do they know my mother? Why did they look so odd? As the questions floated in and out of my mind, Syle came back from retrieving the box and sat back down in his chair. He pulled a small laminated card out of the box and then passed the box to his wife.

Flora rifled through the box for a few moments and then pulled out a card, similar to Syle’s and then two sheets of paper and handed me one of them. What I saw was shocking, an official sealed copy of my own birth certificate.

Kayde leaned over, reading the sheet. “How did you people get this?” He asked. “What the hell is going on here?”

“Kayde, wait, please.” I asked him with begging eyes. “I can’t lose this. You know how important it is to me.”

Protectively, Kayde draped his arm around my waist and sat quietly as Flora handed me a second piece of paper, identical to the first. Only this time, my name was nowhere to be seen, nor was my fathers. There were however three names I was familiar with. Raven Rose, Flora Rose, and Syle Rose.

“This can’t be! You two? You can’t be my grandparents! You’re not old enough. You’re not normal enough.” I shouted, standing up. “What kind of people are you? How could you do something like this to me?

“Kayde, we’re leaving. These people are frauds!” I said, turning toward the door.

“Phoenix, please wait. Just let us finish.” Said Syle, calmly. “You are a spitting image of your mother at your age, you know.” He said, smiling. “The same temperament too. She would never trust anyone unless she had known them her whole life. She didn’t even trust Albert enough to tell him what and who she really was until after she was pregnant.

“Would you like to see a picture of her on her eighteenth birthday?” He asked kindly.

“Oh Syle, you can’t show her that. She very obviously isn’t ready.” Said Flora.

“No, I’d very much like to see it, please.” I answered. “Kayde, will you come with me?”

“Come this way with me you two, Flor, you might as well come with us.” Said Syle.

We walked back into the hallway and down the hall. About halfway down there were two doors, one on each side of the hall.

“That’s the bathroom, by the way.” Said Syle, pointing to the door to our left. “And this is our stop.” He said, opening the door to our right.

Behind that door was a bedroom, which had obviously been changed into a storage room at some point.

“Please, have a seat on the bed.” Offered Flora as Syle dug through a box next to a desk.

Finding what he was searching for, he stood up and sat between Flora and I. “This used to be your mother scrap book when she was younger. When she married your father, she left it here for us.” He said, opening it to the last page.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I know that you don’t want me to be with him, but I’m in love. He’s asked me to marry him and I said yes! I’m leaving this scrap book for you so that you always remember how sweet and innocent I once was. I hope that you aren’t taking this to mean that I love Albert more than I love you, just that I finally found my soul mate, just as you two did. You’re wonderful parents, and I will come and visit as much as I can.

Love Always,

Your precious Raven

Syle turned the page back one and there she was, just as beautiful as I remembered her, her long black hair over her right shoulder, straight and shiny as silk. Her skin pearly, and although it took a moment, I saw that certain places the flash hit her skin, it seemed to glimmer.

“Is that your mother?” Asked Kayde.

“Yes, it was.” I answered, smiling.

“She’s… she’s lovely. You truly do look just like her.” He told me, holding me close.

“Wait. This isn’t right.” I said, an epiphany forming. “This can’t be my mother. She may look like Mommy, but this girl can’t be much younger than Mom was when I turned two!” I said, confused.

“Phee, your father should have told you by now. I don’t know why he hasn’t.” Started Syle.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed that my husband and I don’t look like you, or anyone you’ve ever met.” Said Flora. “It’s because we’re not. Neither was your mother.

“I know this is going to sound completely insane, but you’ve had a strange night, so I’m just going to come out and say it. We’re not human, Raven was not human, and you, dear Phoenix, are only half human.”