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Chapter Thirteen: My Old Life

I stared up at the huge mansion looming over me. "We live here?" I squeaked.

Aunt Laurel smiled. "Yes you do. My house is several houses down but I'll be staying with all of you tonight."

Dad turned to Aunt Laurel with a questioning look. "Where's everyone else? Daniel, Mom and Pops...."

Aunt Laurel's face turned to stone. "I'll explain everything once all of you are settled. Go on in."

Dad opened his mouth but closed it again, deciding it would be a better idea to ask later. My uncle, aunt, my parents, Brett and I stepped inside, while everyone else went to watch the gates. I spun in a circle, not wanting to miss a single detail of my new home. Well technically my old home, since I apparently lived here as a small kid.

Mom took in a deep breath and smiled. "It's been so long since we were last here." She said softly, then faced Aunt Laurel. "No one's touched anything in here, right?"

Aunt Laurel shook her head. "I made sure no one even set foot on the grounds."

Mom smiled in gratitude. "Thank you. I hate it when people touch my things." Then she went upstairs, her younger brother following behind her. Brett and I hadn't really talked to him yet. I guess we would have time later.

Aunt Laurel led us through the hallways, letting Brett and I look at our childhood home. The couches were sleek yet comfy at the same time, and also worn with age. The other furniture and show pieces had the look of antiques and I almost felt like we were in a museum. I didn't want to touch anything, afraid it would just suddenly break. The bottom floor was all reds and browns and blacks; almost modern looking. The second floor was a whole other story. Every room was a different color, bright and cheerful. All the furniture were black but I swear, it was like were in a packet of M&Ms.

"What is this floor?" Brett asked in wonder.

Dad's lips quirked up into a smile. "This was the children's floor. Your mother and I made it just for the both of you. We even painted everything ourselves." He seemed lost in fond memories. "Kaya was just three at that time. I think you were just about to be born."

I brushed the walls with my fingers, wanting to remember playing here; a whole other world. But nothing came back to me. "Why is it that I can't remember anything from when I lived here." I murmured.

Dad gazed at the colorful walls sadly. "You were too young. If only we were able to stay here longer."

"But then we heard word of the invasions coming our way." Aunt Laurel said grimly. "And all of you had to go or else there would've been no hope."

I frowned at her words. "Who was this healer anyway? The one that said I would bear the next most powerful person in the world?"

Dad exchanged a look with Aunt Laurel. "Dr. Anitha Kumar; a professional doctor in the normal world and a healer with powers in ours."

"Is she still here? I want to talk to her." Maybe talking with this woman would clear up a lot of the confusion I had.

Aunt Laurel looked away from our questioning gazes. "She still lives." She said, avoiding the real question. Dad watched her suspiciously but before he could say anything, Aunt Laurel interrupted him. "That's your room Kaya."

That distracted me for the moment. I slowly walked in, kind of afraid to see this side of my past. The room was a bright sky blue, painted with clouds everywhere, as if I slept in the sky. There were glow in the dark stars stuck onto the ceiling so that at night, it seemed like my room turned into the night sky as well. My bed was a small, poofy one, with frilly dark blue sheets. There was a small bookshelf next to it, with a couple of framed photos and some picture books. I sat down on the bed, which sank under my weight and took one of the photos on the shelf.