"Eimaj!"
The girl jumped at the sound of her younger brother, Semaj, calling her name. She was right behind their small house, sitting at the base of the closest tree. Her brother couldn't see her once again. She sometimes thought that would be the only power she would have. No one could ever find her. She was quiet and always watching. She only spoke when spoken to or had something important to say. People tended not to notice her unless she made her presence known. However, this was no magic at work. It was simply from always being in the middle. She was the third oldest child and the third youngest. Her brothers and sisters always stood out more than she did for one reason or another. She really didn't mind, much. She liked being able to just watch. Sometimes it was good to seem invisible.
"I'm right here, Sem," she said, quietly.
"I need your help, Em. One of the sheep went into the cave at the end of the field. I can't see him any longer. It's too dark."
She stood up without a word and followed him. Her older brother, Bocaj, must not be home yet. Sem would have gone to him first if he was there. Ailuj wouldn't go near the sheep. Her older sister thought she was meant to be royalty or something. She had a crazy idea that the Prince would marry her someday, as if that snobby boy would ever marry a girl from a family of sheep farmers! Eimaj shook her head as she thought about it. Her younger sister, Einaoj, was afraid if the dark, even though no one ever mentioned it. If Sem had asked her, she would have come up with an excuse quickly once she heard the words "dark cave". Her brother was chattering away, basically saying everything she had just thought. "Bo isn't here. Lulu and Ina wouldn't have helped. I didn't even bother asking."
Eimaj was surprised at being asked first for once but realized her brother really hadn't had a choice. As they reached the mouth of the cave, Eimaj looked around until she saw a large enough branch she could use as a torch. Using the flint her father had given her for her birthday last year, she lit the torch and entered the cave. She quickly found the sheep and sent it back toward the entrance and her brother. However, she had noticed something else. There were carvings on the wall in the very back. She yelled back to her brother, "Go ahead back! I found something interesting in here I want to study!"
She heard her brother pulling the sheep away. Everyone was used to her habit of studying things. She went back to the carvings. It could only be a quick look because her torch wouldn't last much longer. In the dim light she could make out something that resembled a doorway carved in the stone. It was surrounded by arrows. Always two together pointing the opposite ways. She reached out to rub her fingers along one of the arrows. Suddenly everything was dark. Her torch had gone out.
Anna closed the book after a few pages. Even though Nelle's power made it almost like watching a movie, her eyes were getting heavy. It had been a long day. The story was interesting so far. It seemed like it took place in Snillotia. She recognized the reversed names: Jamie, James, Jacob, Julia, and Joanie. Deciding to read more in the morning to see if anything in the story was helpful, she turned off the light and went to sleep.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Tim woke the next morning, with the sun streaming through the windows of his room, surrounded by his mother’s journals. He had read the first one cover to cover, amazed at the things he was learning about his mother when was she was his age. Once his mother's power had surfaced, he'd become hooked. It was like he'd witnessed his parents meeting for the first time, through his mother’s eyes. He'd seen his father and Anna's parents all when they were just slightly older than him, in his mind’s eye, brought to life by what his mother had written. He hadn't, however, discovered anything that might be helpful to them. He decided to just flip through some of the other notebooks, in hopes that something stood out, but had no such luck. A knock at the door pulled him from the comfort of the warm blankets. Upon opening the door, he was slightly surprised to see Grandpa Cire standing on the other side. "Good morning, Tim. Did you sleep well?"
Tim nodded. "Yes, sir."
"No need to be so formal, my boy! I'd like to talk to you for a moment. Can I come in?" Grandpa Cire asked, gesturing inside the room.
Tim nodded again and stepped aside. He closed the door behind his grandfather, who had stopped in the middle of the room. He was staring at the books and journals that were left piled on the desk. Then he turned and saw the notebooks on the bed. "I wonder," he said, almost to himself, "did it present even in her journals?"
He reached out to pick up one of the notebooks then hesitated. "Do you mind if I…?" he asked Tim.
"Sure," he said, picking up the closest one and handing it to his grandfather.
His grandfather opened it at random and began reading. He slowly smiled. "It's wonderful, knowing we have this almost living memory of her. Her mother will be so happy."
Tim smiled awkwardly back at his grandfather. It was very weird for him to think about these people he
