21. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

" W hat? An–an–Ancient Heir?"

"I know this is hard to believe–but you said so yourself, that this feels special, right? It is, Emma; it is not something of this place–of this realm; it is Terran. People with melodies–strong ones like what you and I have are Terran."

"Terran?" I asked softly. "Okay, so that is where you are from–and my mother's magical fairytale world is real?" I trailed off, trying to understand what he was telling me.

"Yes–you must be from Terra also, at least on your mother's side."

"My mothers side? Terra is real?"

Am I just repeating things he is saying?

Yes.

It was hard for my mind to see the truth, even when my soul could sense it was true.

"I do not know for sure; I only suspect. My darling, wonderful Emma, do you know how desperately I have searched? How long I have waited for you–so many lifetimes–to arrive at this moment?" he said with a sweet smile, holding my face tenderly in his strong hands. He caressed my cheek, sending tingles rippling through me in the wake of the strokes. The way he looked at me made me melt, I leaned against him, and he easily braced me up against his body so I would not fall. His warm breath caressed my face as he leaned in closer. "So many lifetimes I have searched for you. I can't even believe, sometimes, that you are truly here–that you are here with me ," he held my face as if I was infinitely precious and I did not know what to do with the feelings coursing through me. "Sometimes, I believe it is all a dream–a dream that I will wake up from to see all that is all in my mind. But every single day, I wake up here–so close to you and hear your melody, and–" He paused as he ran his fingers through my hair.

I had never felt more special, or more cherished than right at that moment. How or why had he been searching for me? For lifetimes? What did that mean?

"You exist, you are real, bless the Ancients." He said as he pressed his forehead to mine, closing his eyes as he whispered: "Bless the Creator." His voice became deeper and more rumbly as I felt it vibrate as we stood so close. "I shall never let you go, Emma–ever."

"I–this is so much–" I whispered back.

"I know, and I am sorry. It is just that I have held back for so long, and now that I can finally tell you how I feel–" he moved his forehead from against mine and took my hands into his again, kissing my knuckles.

Was he speaking of love? Did he love me? It seemed from his words he had been waiting and searching for me. Why? Was it because he loved me, or was it something else? I dreaded the possibility of it being something–anything else.

"What does this mean? How have you waited for me for ‘lifetimes'? What do you want with me ? You live forever ? If that is the case, there is no way my parents are from the magical realm of Terra. They are gone. If they lived forever, they should still be alive."

"We age differently. Time is different. It takes us longer to reach a single Earth year. I am eighteen in Earth years, but on Terra, I am ten times that."

I shook my head. "So, you're an old man?" I scrunched up my face.

"Do I look like an old man to you, Emma?" he asked, walking backwards and holding out his arms with a smile.

"No–but why do I have this soul melody? I have never been to another land or realm like Terra. I would have remembered that. I mean why would my mom write stories about it, make me believe it was fiction when it was real?"

"That is the part we have to figure out. Perhaps, she believed you would never return to Terra, so she wanted you to have a little bit of it with you–even if it was just in stories."

"But, my parents–they–"

Died.

I couldn't say it outloud.

"Any magical being, or person, can die; we are not invincible. I wish you had not lost them. I'm so sorry," he said, caressing my cheek as a tear dropped. He had gotten close to me again without me noticing, and I was grateful for him being there–for his warm electric touch, making my soul light up.

"Is this why you cannot be with your family? They are back there? Terra?"

He nodded.

"They are there still, trying to help our kingdom stand against the darkness. Traveling here was not easy, and until I complete my task, I will stay here."

"So you will leave?" He looked sad for a moment, but then he looked up at me.

"You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You brought light into my dark world. I will never be without you again if I can help it–if you do not wish me away."

"You did that for me, too. I would never want you to leave," I responded in amazement. I pulled on his lapels, bringing our bodies closer again. "I never want to be without you–as long as you feel the same."

He kissed my nose, and his forehead rested on mine. The song, or melody, swirled around us as his touch sent electric waves through my body. I didn't know how long we stood there, but I loved every single second of it. I looked at Shad's digital watch. It was ten minutes past midnight. If I did not go inside, Mary would come out and start asking questions. With everything I just learned, I did not want to explain things to her yet. I wanted time to think everything all over.

"I have to go inside," I said, pulling away, blushing. "Can we talk tomorrow? I have a hundred questions."

"Yes, of course, we can. Thank you for going to the dance with me—" and for not being afraid of me, he spoke into my soul.

I smiled. "You're welcome—" I answered. He nodded his head, and I turned around. As I placed a hand on the handle of my door, it was cool to the touch–such a contrast from the fire I felt with Shad. I turned it, opened the door, and looked at him one last time over my shoulder. He was like a star, glowing in the porchlight. He was not a vampire, a witch, nor a fey. He was Terran. I turned and went inside, shutting the door softly behind me. I leaned against the door, feeling my heart race. My melody reached out to Shad. If I pinch myself, will I discover all this is a dream?

No.

Magic is real. Magical creatures are real. Other realms exist. My mother's stories were real. As hard as it was to admit it to myself, my heart felt the truth of it. I was Terran. My soul sang–sang for Shad.

But the amazing thing was that his soul sang for me, too. I knew the stories, and that was significant.

I had so much on my mind, that I didn't even take off my dress when I went into my room to contemplate everything Shad had told me. I couldn't even consider sleeping, not when magical beings and other realms were real, and somehow, I was actually a part of it. I looked at the box that held my parents' letters inside and sighed.

It is time.

I walked over to my dresser, picked up the box and went to my bed. I dumped it out, surprised to see a small stack of pictures. There were pictures of them on a picnic, at the beach, in a museum, on a hike, and many more. I went through the printed pictures, both laughing and crying, imagining the moments they had shared. The last picture in the stack was a picture of my mom and dad, side by side. My dad was looking at my mom. He looked at my mom as if she was everything he had ever wanted in life. My mom just looked at the camera, caught in a laugh. I held it closer to my face. My father had always adored my mother. I knew that, but that? That was something rare to catch in a photograph. He looked as if he would move the moon for her. I noticed then, for the first time in my life, that my parents looked the same there in that old photograph as they did the past year. I moved the picture closer to my face. I went through them all over again, more closely, and sure enough in every single picture, my parents looked as young and as youthful as the day they met. I flipped the picture over to the back and noticed a date written there in black ink:

December 2, 1920.

I looked at the other pictures and flipped them over; many of them were dated long ago, yet some were more recent, and they were all sprawled out in front of me.

How could this be? What does this mean? They were magical in some way–like Shad–like me? They had to be if they lived so long and looked so youthful, right?

I picked up a handful of letters, finding another stack of pictures, not only of my parents, but of me with them. Me as a baby, a toddler, a child, and a pre-teen, and in every single one of those pictures, my parents looked the same. That had to be proof. It didn't add up any other way. Shad said that having a melody wasn't something that normal humans in this realm experienced. Only people from Terra had them, Shad had explained.

I gathered up all the pictures. If anyone had answers, it would be Mary. She was my mother's sister after all. She had to know something. I found her in the guest bedroom, the one that she moved into when my parents–

I gulped and pushed the slightly ajar door open more to make room for my entrance.

I walked into the room, stopping directly in front of the flat screen and held out the picture for her to see. She was clearly ready for bed, her hair in a towel and her pajamas on.

"I took that picture," she said with a smile. "How was the dance? I did not even hear you come in; I just got out of the shower," she said as she unwrapped her hair from the towel and began to brush it out.

She took it? Was she also from Terra? Well, if she was truly my mom's sister and my mom was from Terra, then she would be, too.

"It was good, I can tell you about it later, but for now, tell me, Mary, please–why didn't my parents age?" I whispered.

She gasped. "What?" she asked as she paused brushing her hair.

"Why don't they, and probably you too, age, Mary? There is a date on the back of this picture. They never aged. Why?" I asked, spreading the pictures on the bed before her. I stepped back, placing my hands on my hips as she leaned over to look.

"We have very good genetics ?" she answered as a question without making eye contact.

"Am I from Terra?" If I thought she was shocked before, it was nothing compared to how she looked at that moment.

"Did Ryker finally tell you?" she asked, standing up, walking to me, and taking my shoulders in her hands. "Over the phone? I told him to be gentle," she muttered.

"Wait, so it's true? How does Ryker know about this, and I don't?" I was seriously expecting her to tell me that, of course, Terra was not real, neither were magical creatures and beings and melodies . They were all just stories. I was a normal human and a normal girl from California, with normal parents.

"Emma, I was trying to find the right time to tell you this. I didn't want to burden you before because I knew how hard things were on you, but you seem to be happy, so I thought maybe it was a good time the other day, but I could never say it because I did not know how to bring it up. Your parents said I would know when it was the right time." She took my hand and guided me back to her bed. I sat down in a daze and could only watch and listen to my life playing out before me as if I were some character in a book. She pulled open her top dresser drawer and revealed a locked black wooden box, unlike any I had ever seen before. It was made of a black wood, but there were silver lines in the wood grain that sparkled in the light of the room. She opened it, but there was nothing inside. It was barely the size of a tissue box.

"I need what Lamont and Ara left for Emma," she said to the empty box. After a moment of waiting she put her hand halfway inside and then pulled it out. There were two things she held: an envelope with the name "Emma" written on it in my dad's handwriting and what looked like a small shard of glass. She handed me the letter and closed the box.

"I will give you the other item another time." Before I opened the letter, she put her hand over mine. "Before you read this, Emma, there is something I need to explain to you." She motioned to the bed, and we sat.

"Is this—all real? It is really hard to believe, Mary," I whispered.

"I know, sweetheart. I am sorry." She had a tear, trailing down her cheek, and she quickly brushed it away. "I might as well spit this out because I will never get this right." She shook her head, held both my hands, and said it. "Emma, you are from Terra," she whispered, looking around as if someone might have been watching us.

"But, I was born here, I know I have a birth certificate from the hospital dad worked at–"

"No, Emma—I mean, yes, you were born here, but your parents and I are from Terra, you are Terran."

I stood up. "Mary, Shad is from there," I returned, looking out her window.

"Yes, I could hear his melody; I knew right away who he was. Ryker said that he is one of the good ones. There is so much to tell you. Your parents wanted to raise you here as a normal human for many reasons, mostly so that you would fit in and find a place here in this realm like they did. We are pretty much the same as the humans here, so they intended to never tell you, letting you go to college, find a husband, get married, and have your own family here.

"So I am a human," I said with shaky breaths.

"Yes, only slightly more magical than humans here in this realm–because you have a melody. People who have melodies, we call them the Heirs of Terra. All Terrans are heirs to that magical land. However, you specifically, are an Ancient Heir, and that will have more meaning when you understand more."

"I know from the stories in mom's book that Ancients are like–powerful beings, beings that lived with the Creator himself? Is that God? The God of Terra?"

"It is not all the same as it is here. Perhaps, ‘God' is a good way to describe it. Earth's realm, they would call the Creator God, I believe, or they do. We believe the Creator made all of the realms, not only Terra, both magical and unmagical."

"And Earth's realm is not magical?"

"It does not have magic embedded in its soil and core as Terra does, no, but magic can exist here. Many magical beings have found refuge here, and so there is magic here–only borrowed from other realms."

"Mary–" my mind was reeling.

"Perhaps that was too much too soon."

That is an understatement.

"You are also from Terra?" I turned and looked at her. I knew the answer; of course, she was, but I needed her to say it. I could not get over the shock of it all.

She nodded. "Yes, dearest. I am also Terran."

"What's it like there? Is it how mom described it in the fairytales?"

"Unfortunately, those tales are very old, and as time passed, an evil and a darkness corrupted Terra. So I never saw Terra at its best, only when it was falling apart again. Your mother loved the old tales about when humans defeated curses with true love and when magical beings and humans began to live in harmony, hundreds of years after The Great War."

"The Great War, it was real?"

Mom's tales spoke about the war, about a man–a traitor king who wanted great power and destroyed the world while trying to get it. An Ancient had trapped him inside one of the cold mountains of Haleston–where he was said to be imprisoned forever.

"King Falcon?" I asked, remembering his name from the stories. As a child, his story frightened me. But mom had explained that we needed to know the difficult parts of the past so we do not repeat them in the future.

"May he rot in the mountain," Mary whispered with a nod. "The traitor. We thought he had been defeated, but sometimes death brings a new life–an unnatural, horrible one."

"What?"

"There is much to say, but sorry, let me focus," she said, sitting down on the bed beside me, her hair still wet and dripping down her back onto her shirt. I tried to focus on that instead of everything surging inside me.

"How did you all, I mean, what happened to make you all come here? Mom, dad, and you?"

"Terra has, for hundreds of years, been as I said, changed ." She held a hand to her forehead; then she continued,"The darkness there that covers the land is not a physical darkness. It is a creeping darkness within many Terran souls. We believed in the law of the Ancients, you know, from your mother's stories?"

I nodded. My mother had read to me from her fairytale book each night when I was younger. She then gave the book to me, and I read it, myself, over and over. I knew the stories and the lore of Terra like I knew the back of my hand.

"The Ancients are the ones who have helped us all live in peace for so many generations," she continued. "However, those years of peace and strong melodies faded. When the Ancients foretold of dark and troubled times, no one realized just how dark things would become–darker, in many ways, than even during the Great War because no one could see it with their eyes until things were almost completely destroyed. The darkness was like a thief in the night." She shook her head. "Anyway, your father's brother, Tarick, was not a good man. He wanted the throne for himself; your father was next in line to be King."

"Wait? My father was a prince? A prince of Terra?" I looked at the ground. I knew many of the names of Terra's kingdoms. Many of them were so incredible, and as a child, I dreamed of venturing to them myself.

"Yes, he was."

"Of what kingdom, Mary?" I said, looking up desperately. Mother had more tales from one kingdom, more than from all the others, one kingdom that I had a gut feeling was where my father was from. But it was not a kingdom I would have chosen to be a descendant of.

"I think you know Emma–"

"No. Please, not Haleston," I said, standing up. Haleston was where the traitor, King Falcon, came from. It was the kingdom that started the Great War, killing thousands of humans and magical beings.

"It is a different kingdom now, but, yes , the traitor king is from there, but there is still goodness in those mountains and within the frozen lands." Mary said, pulling on my arm to look at her.

"I am related to the traitor?" I said softly.

"You are related to your father, who was a good man and who loved you," Mary said softly.

I sat back down on the bed.

"Where was mom from? Where are you from?"

"Sorra, and we are not royals. We were told that our family came from another kingdom long ago, which is why we do not look like a typical Sorran. They have beautifully tanned skin and black hair," she said with a soft smile.

Sorra was a desert kingdom, and it was not cursed. At least half of me was from a worthy kingdom. That is something , I told myself.

"So, your father's brother; Tarick, killed his father, your grandfather, and then he put your father into the dungeons within the mountain to spend the rest of eternity, to rot there, just as had King Falcon. Your father believed in the Ancients, too, you see, yet Tarick became corrupted by the darkness. Your father did not agree with what his brother was doing, but somehow, bless the Creator, your father made it here, to this Earth realm."

"Did you and my mother come with him?" I asked, realizing that surpassing all reason and doubt I had felt earlier, I believed that story, and I needed to know more.

"No, sweetheart. Your mother and I were sentenced here many years before your father arrived. Our family was blessed hundreds of years ago to have Ancient sight . Humans called us; keepers and seekers. We once lived to help guide the people. Sorra was one of the last kingdoms to stand firm with the Ancients. Still, corruption eventually took over our kingdom, too. After darkness and corruption had spread throughout all the lands and kingdoms, and after we, like your father and so many others, fought for the melodies and for the ancient ways, we were thrown into the dungeons after one horrible and gruesome battle."

"Just like in her storybook."

"Yes. However, we believed that because the Ancients had saved our ancestors from the darkness of the traitor from the past, they could save us again." She looked at me and a tear dripped down her face.

"I—Mary, this is so–so crazy."

"I know, dearest," she said, pulling me into her arms. "Terra is a beautiful place, even with the horror of the corruption, but many escaped over to this realm through a portal. The Ancients who remained on Terra in order to help us opened that portal, and Many Terran's came here to escape the darkness, but the prophecy foretold that Terrans would be called back someday, and that we would have to answer the call to save Terra. So your parents and I, we waited, went on with our lives here. Your mom and dad told me that if they ever died, you would be in great danger. Your melody is one of the strongest melodies that have ever been heard, Emma. It is like a beacon to everyone around you. Your parents heard a rumor, years ago, about a dark prince from Terra who has been searching for strong melodies and stealing them. Your father and mother were able to shield your melody and keep you from him, but Ryker and I don't know exactly who he is, but we believe this dark prince killed your parents to make it easier to get to your melody. If he was to ever find you–" She paused and cleared her throat. "Your father and mother did a wonderful job of shielding your melody, but without them, it is nearly impossible to shield it fully. And without them, you are vulnerable to the Dark Prince; he can find you."

"Find me?" I said, feeling terror ripple through me.

"Yes, you can save us all Emma. Your parents told me that I should show you this and tell you of your birthright if they passed," she said pointing to the letter she handed me still on the bed.

"Birthright—" I asked with a squeak, feeling the letter in my hands.

"Yes, Emma–royalty from your father's side. You are an Ancient Heir of Terra, and that has great power and meaning."

"Shad said that he thought I was," I whispered.

"What?"

"He said that he was an Ancient Heir of Terra, and maybe I was, too."

Mary moved from me and stood from the bed.

"No–no, it cannot be."

"What is it, Mary?" I asked.

"How can that be? It cannot be him, can it? Ryker said he had a melody, and I heard it myself. We would know if he were soulless." She started pacing the room.

"What's wrong?"

"If he is an Heir of Terra, Emma, what that means is that he is royalty."

"So–"

"So, the Dark Prince–he was not supposed to have a melody. It was said he was soulless."

"Shad has a melody; he cannot be this Dark Prince person," I said softly. "Right? The Dark Prince could not be as good as Shad. Shad is good, Mary. There is no darkness in him."

She stopped pacing and nodded. "Yes–yes, of course; that is true. You are right; I heard his melody, sorry. I am just–it's all terrifying that someone wants to hurt you."

"Mary–"

"I will let you read that letter now."

My head was spinning. While I was confused, there was a part of me that understood it because within my soul–it still, as unbelievable as it sounded, it felt true.

Me, a princess? That is just insane.

But it is true.

I unfolded the paper in my hands and smoothed it out. It was a short letter, which was a disappointment. I browsed over the page; then I read:

Dearest Emma,

I am sorry that we are not here to tell you this; we thought we were doing what was best for you in giving you a normal life without the magic of Terra being shown to you. You know some things about Terra from the stories in your mother's storybook. Those are not fairy tales; they are true stories, passed down by oral tradition for generations. We did not tell you all the truth about who you are and about your melody because we did not want you to long for Terra the way we do. Mary has told you everything, I hope, as we have asked her to do that. Ryker, also, I suppose, has told you.

I paused, Ryker? Yes–Mary thought Ryker had told me. I re-read that line, and paused again. Suddenly, all his worry over my safety over the years clicked.

He knew about me the entire time? He—Is he even really my friend? Or has he just been working for my father, the Prince, to keep an eye on me . Is that why he was mentioned in the letter my father wrote to my mother long ago? When he said that he cared for my father–that they were friends–he meant that more literally than I had thought. I felt sick as I continued to read:

If we have left you, it is most likely because our greatest fears were realized, and we were discovered and killed. I am so sorry that we are not able to be there with you, Emma. You are no longer safe in this Earth realm if we have been killed. No one can shield your soul's melody more thoroughly than your mother and I, which puts you in danger, now, of the Dark Prince who hunts down melodies and destroys them. Ryker and I, for years, have searched and searched for the portal back home, through which we traveled long ago to get to Earth. Ancients do not dwell on Earth, or we would have asked for their help. We simply cannot remember where it is. Ryker thinks he is close to finding it, so I hope that is true, and I hope that as soon as you read this, you can be back to where it is safe—on Terra. You cannot return right away to your kingdom, Haleston, but there are many other kingdoms on Terra that still fight for melodies. I hope there are, at least. Terra is a beautiful place, and I have always wanted you to see it for yourself. If you think about it, I know it will shift into place for you and not be so hard to understand and accept. The people are at war on Terra, and they may not even understand it. Corruption, for so long, has attempted to creep into the souls of our people, and eventually, it succeeded. Terra, currently, may not be the same as I remember it, but there is a chance for you to defeat the evil that has been slowly corrupting our people. I know your melody would not be so strong and so powerful for no reason, dearest. You are stronger and have more ability than you think. I have faith in you, Emma, and if you return home, I know that you will be an amazing queen one day. I truly believe that your soul is the brightest soul ever born, and it calls for home. I know that the Ancients blessed you with it for an important purpose—to heal our world. Let your soul sing, Emma. Ryker will show you the way.

I will always love you,

Father

I put the letter down on Mary's bed and sat there, staring at the ink. I was a princess. I was going to die if I remained on Earth. Ryker, my parents, and Mary have all known that, and they hadn't told me. Something resonated from within me, and I knew from the bottom of my soul that my father's words were true, and that scared me the most. I suddenly realized why Ryker believed that my parents' accident was probably not an accident at all. It was true; they must have been murdered by that Dark Prince, who wanted to steal my melody. I heard a knock on the door and realized that I had been sitting and staring at the paper for a long while. I wiped away my tears.

"Come in."

Mary poked her head in and then walked to me. "I am sorry it all happened this way."

"Ryker—he is Terran, too?"

She nodded.

"So, I was the only one who didn't know."

"You had no need to burden yourself with this information, unless something like this happened. We could only hope you would have a normal human life here in this realm."

"My head is just spinning–"

"I know; take your time, Emma, I know it probably seems too unbelievable," she said, sitting back down on the bed beside me, placing her hand on my knee.

"No, I mean—yes, maybe, but this actually feels right."

She looked at me in shock. "Emma?"

I looked back at her with a soft smile.

"Truly, Mary, I have always felt different. I didn't really fit in other than with Ryker, and lately, after my parents' deaths, I have been full of so many emotions and feelings, I have been afraid that I might burst. I thought I was going crazy. And I kept thinking Shad was a fey or vampire or something–"

"Those books will be the end of you and your imagination," Mary laughed.

"But I was right."

"He is something, just not some blood sucking supernatural, not a fairy."

"Fey, but yes," I corrected.

Mary laughed.

"Not to frighten you, but those, and other creatures, are here–in this realm, for different reasons."

"Shad mentioned something about that–so I was not as crazy as I thought."

"No, you are not crazy, Emma," Mary said, placing a hand over my shoulder and pulling me into her for a side hug. She kissed the top of my head and placed her cheek there as she began to speak.

"When your parents died, your melody, which your parents have shielded, or suppressed, since your birth was released. With its release came all the feelings and emotions we feel as human beings. Your memories are also connected with that shielding, and it may take a while for them, if ever, to return to you. Shieldings at birth are rare, and we do not understand all that results from doing it. They thought that by suppressing your melody, you would blend in better with the humans here on Earth, as well as hide you from the Dark Prince so he couldn't hunt you down. Earth does not have its own magic, like I said. Any magic here, now, is from another realm. It must have been so strange to feel it overwhelm you, all at once. Ryker and I both tried to suppress it like your parents had, but we were not able to do it in the same way. It is easier for parents and offspring to shield melodies."

"I felt like I awoke from a dream—like when my parents were alive, that was a dream, and after they died, I wanted to die, too, because the feelings of misery and sorrow were too much for me. But meeting Shad–hearing his melody, it filled a hole inside of me, and it pulled me from those dark feelings and emotions. Having a melody, and him having one–that explains so much. This, all this, it clicks for me," I whispered. "Although I'm still shocked."

"Your parents would be so proud of you, dear."

"I hope so."

"Ryker is looking for the cave with the portal back to Terra, and also for the Dark Prince who has heard your melody. That is why he keeps leaving. He thinks the man who caused the accident was the Dark Prince who has been stealing melodies. Ryker has been searching all summer, and I was here to protect you as much as I could, but Ryker is really better at that job. After all, he is a guardian knight. I am a descendant of the keepers–although I have never been fully trained."

"So, some evil prince is after me? Ryker is a knight?" I remembered some things about Terran knights. Was he from Torren? It was said that there were no better and no braver knights than those from Torren in my mother's storybook.

"Yes, and Ryker is a knight who is sworn to keep you safe."

"A knight from Torren?"

"Yes, good memory, Emma. He is from the Torren knight bloodline, descended from the great King Ronan himself, although a distant cousin. He is a noble turned knight."

"What is a keeper exactly? I do not remember it from the storybook," I asked, puzzled.

"A keeper is someone who keeps things safe for the Ancient seekers. I promise, I will explain everything to you in time; it is all very complicated, Emma."

"But why would he, this Dark Prince, not take me after the car crash? We were there alone, and he just gave me his jacket–"

"I don't know. We are confused, too. It made us even more worried, to be honest. So we decided to pick up the pace and try to leave as soon as we could. Ryker has been trying to find the portal home for a long time. This prince has been traveling around to different cities, taking melodies from Terran refugees, and no one has been able to stop him. No one knows for certain from which kingdom he came. Your father assured us that your melody was guarded well, so we didn't worry about it. However, once they died, that changed. Ryker and I were able to suppress your melody, somewhat, once we reached the hospital, but by that time, you had already broadcasted to the entire Earthly realm that you were here."

"Excuse me? Then shouldn't I have a little bit more protection than just from you?" I stood up, fear causing me to shake.

"Ryker has put up safe guards, and Shad is helping to keep you safe, too, I see," she said, pointing to the necklace I wore, which Shad had gifted to me—the crystal.

"This?" I held it up.

"That is a seeker's crystal—very rare; it suppresses your melody so that you are no longer a beacon. It is a shame that we did not have it sooner, because Ryker and I have been worn out, shielding your soul for so long. There is much to discuss. We can speak in the morning, but only after you get a good night's sleep. It has been a rather big day for you, with Homecoming—and then all of this."

I looked down at my homecoming dress. How different that night had been from what I expected. I nodded. "Thank you for telling me all this."

"I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was afraid."

"I can see why you were afraid; it's pretty crazy news."

"Don't take off that necklace, Emma. It's keeping you hidden, better than Ryker and I ever could."

I nodded and walked to my room, closed the door, and flung myself onto my bed with a grunt.

Are you okay? I jumped, not yet used to hearing messages inside of me.

Shad?

Yes.

Are you okay? You seem upset, and it's making me worry.

You can't read my mind and find out? I shoved my face into a pillow. So much for cell phones , I thought.

It doesn't work like that. I can only hear what you let me hear.

I then remembered what he had said earlier, and I opened up the memory of talking with Mary and of the letter. Speaking to him, navigating my melody and sending things over to Shad, was like breathing. Once I knew what it could do, what it was, it was as if I was set free, set free to be who I was always supposed to be.

You get that? I sent him my conversation with Mary, and her telling me that I was from Terra, that I was a Terran. The only thing I did not tell him, not yet at least–one thing at a time–was that I was, indeed, confirmed to be an heir, too, like him.

You—you are from Terra, then? I knew you had to be. Ryker doesn't tell me anything. Blast him. The emotion sent with that message was amazement, then irritation toward Ryker.

I guess so. I am magical, I guess–I think it is the coolest thing to be these days. Everyone I know is Terran–like literally.

I heard a soft chuckle, bouncing around inside me. Emma, this isn't too overwhelming for you?

It feels kinda like I have always known. I mean, yeah, I never knew all these things were real, but I always knew there was something—something I was missing. After my parents died, the hole I felt inside me was just too much, and it consumed me, until I met you, and you spoke to my soul—literally, it seems—waking me up from the confusion that was inside of me.

I am so sorry you never knew Terra.

I feel like I know some things. My mother told me about it; I will have to re-read all the stories again. My aunt told me that Ryker is trying to take me there, take me home. It isn't safe for me here. There is someone who wants my melody. Really, all ‘doom and gloom,' makes me feel like a comic book character.

Mary told you that someone is after your melody?

Yes, some dark prince is stealing people's melodies, and I guess Ryker got here through a portal in a cave, and if he can find that cave, we can go home.

Emma, I know where that cave is. I came here with Ryker.