Who is Julie McDuck?!

A Hidden Clue

That night, I was getting for bed and decided to check on the boys.

"Hey guys!" I greeted, poking my head through their bedroom door. "How's it going?"

"Awesome! This room's so much bigger than the one on the houseboat!" Dewey replied.

I chuckled. "Yeah, Uncle Scrooge does have a lot of living space. I'm glad you're living with us now."

The boys engulfed me in a tight hug. "We're glad you're here, too," Huey said. "But I have a few questions."

I smiled. "Fire away, kid."

"Why didn't you visit us before now?"

"Well...Uncle Scrooge wouldn't really let me."

"Really?"

"Don't get me wrong, I WANTED to see you guys, but...Uncle Scrooge said it wasn't a good time."

There never was a good time.

"What's up with your hair?"

"Oh, that? I don't know, really. It might just be because your grandmother is my great-aunt. Or because I'm your uncle's and mom's first cousins. Either way, I try to make sure people know I'm an individual, not just another McDuck."

"You said you've lived in the mansion your whole life, right?" Dewey piped up suddenly.

"Right."

"So...where are your parents?"

"I-I..." My hands began to shake.

"Julie? Are you okay?"

"I..just need to talk to Uncle Scrooge!" I said much louder than I intended before getting out of that room as quickly as possible. I wanted to curl into a ball and cry my eyes out, but instead I trudged over to Uncle Scrooge's study and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

I slowly opened the door. "You wanted to see me about...my necklace, right?"

Scrooge nodded and held out his hand. "May I?"

I unclipped the necklace and deposited it in my uncle's hand.

"Hm," he muttered, turning it over in his hands. "Do you remember anything about this? Anything at all?"

"Not really," I admitted. "All I know is that I had it since I was left here. I don't know what it means when it glows. What do I do?"

"What's this?" Scrooge asked, pointing to a small clasp. He flicked it upwards, and a compartment opened with a little folded piece of paper in it. Unfolding the paper, he flatted it out on his desk, and he motioned me to come see.

"No. Way."

There, laid out in front of me, was a picture of a man holding a little baby girl and a woman with a young boy standing beside her, but...the man's face was obscured. I squinted at the young girl. Her eyes, her smile...

"It's me," I gasped, pointing to the baby. "That means..."

"Those are your parents, lass," Scrooge finished, hugging me against his side.

"That kid, though; I...I remember him!" I said, now tapping the little boy. My uncle looked at me, awestruck that I could remember something from such a young age.

"That's Josh! That-that's..."

"That's my older brother."