"Since when?" Abby asked. She walked through the forest following Dara. They were headed to practice; but, Dara insisted wanted to make a stop first. She insisted Abby tag along.
"Since always," Dara shrugged. "You know how my mom is...," she said. Abby nodded.
"I guess...," Abby said. "...but a whole sibling? Any other hidden family members?"
"My twin," Dara reminded her. "..kind of," she added. "But, no one else. My mom didn't keep her hidden from me, just the general public."
"When you say she's 'kind of' your twin...?" Abby asked as Dara turned off the main path. She led Abby to a dense cluster of trees.
"We started off as identical twins, but, she's been living with Fairies her whole life, so she looks a bit different now. And, she's a different Unique Soul, she's El Sol."
"Why are we here now?" Abby asked. Dara said her mom wanted Abby to meet her sister; but, Abby found it interesting that she wanted it to happen as soon as possible.
"According to the deal my mom made, my sister would be 'raised by fairies'. She passed the trials to become an adult; so, she's free to leave. We're just picking her up," she said.
"She's a Sol, can't she Traverse?" Abby asked as they went deeper into the forest. The afternoon sunlight could no longer pierce the dense canopy.
"Yeah, but, she's my sister...," Dara answered.
"I guess...," Abby shrugged. She still didn't see why she had to be there. But, she knew enough to follow directions she didn't quite understand. "..is she going to join the team?" Dara shook her head as she answered.
"She wants to do office work with our other mom, Melody."
"So... your mom just flat out gave your sister away??" Abby giggled. She knew Ms. Sharp likely worked out a deal that favored her; but, she found the thought amusing without any nuance.
"Of course not, she always knows what she's doing," Dara replied. Her voice was filled with the same quiet awe it always carried when she talked about her mother's impressive exploits. "It was a test more than anything. She wanted to see if the fairies accepted a child born like me; and, they did."
"Wait...," Abby stopped walking; but, she was obviously amused about something. Dara turned to see what was on her mind. "Your mom made two of you, specifically to give one away?" She laughed. Dara laughed too; but, she rolled her eyes as she started walking again.
"It sounds so bad when you say it like that," Dara chuckled.
"Your mom sounds awesome when I say it like that," Abby added.
"She is though...," Dara grinned as she squeezed between two trees. She stepped out into a wide open clearing with dozens of small hut-like buildings built on wooden risers. Wisps of green light flitted about between the huts and the surrounding forest. Then, Abby spotted a large, bright red wisp. It stopped in mid-air as soon as Dara and Abby found the clearing.
"DARA!" The red wisp flew through the air at Dara. It grew and changed shape seamlessly into a pale teenage girl by the time she reached Dara. She had long white hair that reached the middle of her back and her eyes glowed with faint red light. She wrapped her arms around Dara and squeezed.
"Hey, there's someone mom wanted you to meet," Dara said. She stepped back from the hug and gestured at Abby.
"Sis, this is Abby...,"
"An Araña?" she asked. Dara nodded.
"Abby, meet my sister, Rhapsody." The two teens exchanged waves, then Dara spoke up.
"Ready to go?" she asked. Rhapsody nodded. "Let's get some space...," she said. She turned and led the other two away from the village.
"Can I ask you something?" Abby lowered her voice and walked closer to Rhapsody.
"Sure," she nodded.
"You know... everything, right? You know your mom made an extra to give you away to the fairies?"
"Yeah," Rhapsody grinned. "It's not as bad as it sounds, but I know about all of that," she said.
"How do you not hate your mom?" Abby asked.
"Because both of my moms and Dara were still in my life. Fairies are very particular about their wording and my mom used that to her advantage. They kept me here and raised me; but, I still saw my family regularly. My mom was always honest and explained everything to me as soon as I could understand it."
"Oh...," Abby nodded with a faint sigh.
"Wow, feeling a little disappointed, huh?" Rhapsody asked with a smile. "Why would you want me to hate my mom?" She asked. Ahead of them, Dara had stopped walking and an open portal awaited them.
"No, not your mom specifically," Abby shook her head. "Your mom is amazing," she said. Then, she shrugged. "It just feels like I'm the only person that hated their parents."