"So, what did you and Lucilla talk about?" I asked Laiechen as we took the route to her grandmother's.

Laiechen's face noticeably lightened up as she talked about Lucilla.

"She's timid but really sweet." She cheerfully told me with a grin.

"It was quite a honor to get to know her." She added.

I wasn't surprised. Lucilla was known to be the most likable of her sisters, even the crankiest people I know are fond of her.

That's when Jemma's home came into view. I gasped out of amazement.

I had no words for the house standing in front of me. It was two stories high, made from stucco of neutral brown, tall arched windows and doors, and a high spired roof. The front included a large porch with a small table and four chairs.

Laiechen nodded at my amazement.

"This home was built by my great-grandfather himself in 1855." She explained, unlocking the door with the rented key and proceeding inside.

Laiechen gave me a tour of the first floor which included the drawing room, the dining room, the library, the kitchen, the scullery, and the bathroom. The interior was a balance of art nouveau and old world with warm toned walls and dark trim, bamboo and wicker furniture, pictures on hooks everywhere, fabric lampshades with frills and tassels, and highly polished wood block floors.

Once Laiechen finished, she directed me towards the stairs.

"Well I'm packing, you can take the chance to look at my room." She told me quietly.

But I didn't respond. I was too busy looking at a wall of hanging pictures.

One particular picture had a young man around what appeared to be in his late teens who looked too similar to Shoren. Down to the dark bronze hair, the olive skin tone, and even that same sharp gaze shining in his eyes, excluding the fact they were grey.

The teenaged girl sitting in a chair close by had, on the other hand, an uncanny appearance to Laiechen. She had the same sandy blonde hair and delicate doll-like features.

She was beautiful. She didn't even look human, she looked cannier to a porcelain doll.

I looked more deeply, trying to scout more photos of this couple but instead, a different picture caught my attention. This one was of the same teenaged girl but this time she was cradling a infant in her arms. The infant had little tuffs of brown hair and big aquamarine eyes that resembled the color of the ocean.

Suddenly, Laiechen waved a hand over my transfixed gaze. "Hello? Still alive?" She retorted impatiently.

I turned away from the photos and snapped back into reality, hanging my head in shame.

"I apologize Laiechen. I was just looking at-"

"The pictures?" Laiechen finished my sentence bluntly. She had a very disturbing look in her eyes. I felt fear start to creep into my veins like rapid fire. It was as if her eyes were pure powerful sorcery.

"Come with me." She demanded, grabbing me by the arm roughly.

"O-ok but can you let go of my hand first?" I asked.

But she ignored me.

After Laiechen nearly forced me into her room, she closed the door.

I looked around her room. It was exactly what I'd expect from a fourteen year old girl. Fresh cheerful looking wallpaper with a design of floral wisteria and trellises, a gramophone in the corner, a white wood paneled bed, a small fireplace, and postcards of silent film stars hanging on the walls. But despite all the decor, it had a sense of loneliness to me.

"Say, does anybody ever come into your room?" I mustered up all the courage I had left to ask.

For just a small moment, Laiechen relaxed.

"None other than my brother, grandparents, and few other relatives." She curtly said.

She deeply signed and sat on her bed.

"I might as well tell you our little secret." She said, her eyes clouded with an intenseness that I have never seen before.

"A secret you say?" I inquired nervously.

Laiechen nodded.

"Yes, but you mustn't tell nobody."

"Unless you want me to give you a torture much more ruthless and painful than your worst nightmare?" She threatened, giving me another one of those slasher smiles of hers.

I had doubts about her claims of a torture more ruthless and painful then my own nightmares. Given the fact that was what my brain went through on a daily basis. But who knew what Laiechen was capable of? She obviously wasn't fooling around here.

"Laiechen, you can trust me." I meekly said, staring her straight in the eye. Her gaze noticeably softened.

"I knew I could." She grinned, breathing in deeply like she was about to run a mile.

"You'd understand what I'm about to tell you if I gave you my parent's backgrounds." She explained.

"My mother, Minnie Breisacher was a German immigrant born in Erfurt, Germany on March 28th, 1875 as the third surviving child of 12. She was said to be very practical, mature and direct in character."

"When she was eight, her family immigrated to this town called Devonaclair but it wasn't until she was thirteen when she actually immigrated to Pearlrock City."

"This was how she met our father, Gioacchino Arrighetti who immigrated from Cefalu, Italy." Her face twitched with dismay at the mention of her father's name. It made me wonder how she managed to go on.

"And of course, they fell in love." She rolled her eyes before continuing which made me have to stifle my giggling.

"But later on, our mother found out she was pregnant. This wouldn't have been a problem had it not been for the fact they were unmarried. It was and still is frowned upon so their families solution was to have a shotgun wedding." She revealed.

It hit me then. She meant that Shoren was technically considered by his own family a bastard. I now understood why she was acting so serious. Bastards were practically ostracized by society. It was one of the biggest taboos in society yet all my life I've had failed to understand and agree with it. It's unfair to judge somebody for something they had no control over. It reminded me of my situation growing up. How I was ostracized by everyone else for something I had no control over.

"So by society's standards, Shorens considered illegitimate by birth?" I inquired. For once in my life, I was hoping I was wrong.

Laiechen nodded regretfully.

"You never give yourself enough credit intellectually, do you?" She cleverly said, crossing her legs casually.

I didn't deny it because she was stating the truth. I needed to be more self-reassuring and have more faith in myself.

But I still had many questions lingering in my mind that needed answers as well. I wonder how he felt about it and whether or not he puts it against himself.

"I have to know, does he disrespect himself over it?" I inquired.

Laiechen gave a sad smile.

"That's the exact reason why I never told him about it."

"I mean why me, our grandparents, or any of our extended family gave him that information." She counterclaimed.

How could they bear to keep that from their own grandson? I'd feel too guilty.

"So you're telling me you've all been lying to him for thirteen years?" I challenged, very discontent with just thinking about it.

And perhaps Laiechen picked that up from me because an impish smile started to form on her lips.

"Ha! You seriously thought I'd just tell anybody I didn't trust? What do you take me for? A fool?" She lectured.

"And to top it off, you're always asking me questions about him. You think I haven't noticed?" She said in a sadistic and brutally honest manner.

I knew she was clearly talking about Shoren. My cheeks started to flush with embarrassment as Laiechen laughed ruthlessly and teased me.

Within minutes, I was such a deep crimson that if I wanted to, I could've effortlessly cooked an egg on my forehead.

"At this point, you're just giving it away even more." She pointed out.

I was cowering down on the floor of her bedroom until I finally decided to get her back.

I grabbed a giant teddy bear that was to the left of me and proceeded to hurl it at Laiechen.

"Goodness gracious, you're nothing but infernal, I swear!" I screamed playfully at her.

Laiechen proceeded to finish packing up some of her clothes but not before sticking her tongue out at me, for extra measure.