The Ties that Bind As the sun started rising, the Clan Leaders reactivated the elevators to let the Jewel Summoners that had escaped back into the compound. Due to the disruptive effects of the Array, everyone that had escaped through it got horrible sunburns. However, with the power of quartz, their sunburns were easily cured. The morning progressed and the Jewel Summoners opened the French bakery, going about their daily lives as if the attack on their headquarters that night had never happened. As the Jewel Summoners were setting up shop for the day, a group of police officers entered the bakery. Upon seeing the police there, the manager promptly walked up behind the counter. "Can I help you, officers?" he asked. The police chief replied in a friendly, yet interrogative tone of voice, "We have heard reports of strange noises last night coming from this vicinity." "What kind of noises?" the manager asked. "According to descriptions," said the chief, "it sounded like metal and glass. There were only a few that were awoken by it so we don't have much more to go on than that." "Metal and glass you say?" said the manager. "Well, our door was unlocked when we arrived this morning. It's our guess that a burglar picked the lock and found his way inside." This statement puzzled the chief. "Why did you not report anything?" "Our safe and cash machine are secured sufficiently. All we have in this bakery besides money is bread and dough. There's nothing much of any value for someone to steal." There was a brief pause as the police chief sized up the situation. "Would you like an officer stationed to make sure it doesn't happen again?" he asked. "Oh, don't bother," said the manager. "We'll get a better lock soon." "Okay," the chief said with a smile. "Have a nice day." "You too, officers," said the manager as the police exited the bakery. As soon as the police had left, everyone in the bakery gave out a loud sigh of relief. "That was a close one," the manager breathed. "Sometimes I wonder if it's really worth the trouble hiding the fact that we're Jewel Summoners," one of the bakers said. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen if people found out about our abilities?" The manager explained, "They would want to learn more about it, they would hound us for the secret, and it could distract us from possible dangers." "It's a good thing we didn't have any distractions last night," said another baker. "If we did, I don't think any of us would have survived." "Why did the elf attack us anyway?" another baker wondered. "And why did she give herself up so readily after Johan escaped?" another one wondered. "Lord Felix will find out eventually," the manager said. ---------- "Do you really think a burglar broke in?" one of the officers asked the chief as they walked on the beat. "It is a bit unusual for a burglar to knock over pots and pans in the search for something of value," the chief answered. "But, we have no reason to disbelieve what he said." "He could have been looking for expensive silverware," said another officer. "Any place that carries pans like a bakery possibly carries--" "Oh my God!" the chief cried, looking several feet in front of him. There was a man lying in the street, his skin completely black. The police rushed to the man's side. "What the hell happened to him?" one of the officers inquired. "It looks like he was burnt in a fire or something," another officer observed. "He's alive!" the chief cried as he touched the side of the man's neck and felt a pulse. One of the officers promptly got on his walky-talky and called for an ambulance. The police were so concerned with the man's blackened body that they failed to notice the glowing red crystal that the man held in his hand. ---------- Felix, Pierre, and Sam approached the cell that Arine was being kept in. They found Arine curled up with her knees against her chest, sitting in a corner of the cell. Although she was facing away from the outside world, the three Jewel Summoners could tell that the blonde was in severe emotional and psychological pain. Felix looked at the guards and nodded to them, indicating that he wanted them to unlock the cell door. Felix, Sam, and Pierre entered the cell and approached Arine. "Miss Sylven," Felix said. There was no response. "Arine," said Sam, "please talk to us." "What do you want?" Arine asked, her voice rife with sadness and extreme guilt. "Information," Pierre answered the blonde. "We want to know what happened last night." "You were there," Arine said pitifully. "You saw what happened." "We want to know why." Arine looked at Pierre, her eyes overflowing with tears. "I don't know why," was the only answer she could give. "That can't be right," said Felix. "You had a reason for doing what you did. How can you not know why?" "I DON'T KNOW!" Arine screamed, punching the wall in front of her, creating a large dent. "I don't know!" Arine buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Despite the destruction that Arine had caused the night before, Pierre and Sam still sympathized, clearly able to see the turmoil that their friend was in. Pierre knelt down beside Arine and put his hand to her chin, tilting Arine's head so that she was looking at him. "I can tell you're upset," said Pierre. "How would you feel if you knew you were responsible for the deaths of twenty-two people?" asked Arine, her voice now no more than a whisper. "It doesn't take elfin powers to know how I feel." "You weren't responsible for their deaths," said Sam. "I know you, Arine. You would never do something like that." "But I did!" said Arine, her voice beginning to rise again. "I was there! I helped Johan kill them!" "Don't blame yourself for what happened, Arine," said Pierre. "How can I not?" the girl sobbed. Pierre answered, "That's what we're here to find out." "Arine," Felix said, being as articulate as possible so that Arine could understand perfectly what he said, "I want you to think very carefully about what happened. I know it's going to be painful to talk about it, but it is necessary for us to understand why it happened. It is necessary for YOU to understand why it happened." Arine sniffled as she allowed the leader of the Doulin Clan to begin his interrogation. Sam, acting as a good friend should, handed Arine a handkerchief to wipe her nose with. "Now tell me, Arine," asked Felix. "What happened right after Johan abducted you?" "Well," Arine answered, "he used the power of the Ruby to freeze Mia in time for a moment." Just then, Arine's expression changed from one of guilt to worry. "Mia. Where's Mia?" "Don't worry," Sam said. "She's in the infirmary." "She had an attack," Arine remembered. "She's stable," Sam reassured. "I was responsible for her attack." Arine was becoming emotional again. "But you were also responsible for saving her life after her attack," Sam asserted. "If you hadn't used your elfin powers to give her strength, I don't think that Mia would be alive now." "Please do not worry about Miss Mia," Felix said reassuringly. "She is safe under our care. Now please, continue." Arine continued, "Well, Johan froze Mia in time with the Ruby. He took me to a hideout in the outskirts of Paris where he showed me some pictures. They were paintings and photographs made over the course of fourteen hundred years. All of the pictures were of a woman named Olivia. She was the only pureblooded elf to survive the Jewel Summoners' massacre fifteen hundred years ago." Felix, Pierre, and Sam were taken aback by Arine's statement. "There was a survivor?" Felix exclaimed. "Only one survivor," the girl replied. "Johan gave the Sapphire to me. When I took it, a vision came to me. In the vision, I saw what happened through Olivia's eyes. Olivia was the daughter of Alvara himself. Olivia, Alvara, and the rest of their family were hiding in some kind of cave. The walls of the cave were all lined with different-colored rubies and sapphires. It was probably in that cave that Alvara found the Red Ruby and the Blue Sapphire. Anyway, the Jewel Sorcerers were working their way into the cave from the outside. Alvara used the power of the Ruby and the Sapphire to send Olivia up through the roof of the cave to the surface. It's a process similar to the Array, but with the use of only Alvara's crystals. Alvara had told Olivia to make her way south and to get to the European mainland, so Olivia started running south." Arine's expression then turned melancholy. "It was probably at about that time that Alvara and his family were being slaughtered by the Jewel Sorcerers." "Is that what they were called back then?" asked Sam. "Jewel Sorcerers?" "The word 'Sorcerer' must have deteriorated into 'Summoner' over the centuries." Arine continued her tale, "Olivia eventually made it to the mainland, at the cost of cutting off the points of her ears. She used some medicinal herbs and her own elfin powers to help herself heal quickly, but it took about a hundred years for the points on her ears to grow back. Olivia had already started on her journey by then." "Journey?" Felix asked. "To find other survivors of the massacre." Arine's expression became even more mournful. "There weren't any." Arine looked at Felix and asked, "Do you know how long Olivia searched for others of her own kind?" Felix shook his head. Arine turned to Pierre, who shook his head as well. Sam, in turn, shook his head in response to Arine's inquiring face. "Fourteen hundred years, she searched," Arine said. "Olivia searched, and searched, and searched for fourteen hundred years." The girl's composure was beginning to crumble. "She was the only surviving elf. She was so lonely." Arine started crying. "You couln't imagine the sorrow that Olivia felt. All of her grief and sadness are still inside me." Arine sobbed for several moment before she managed to regain her composure. "But still," she went on, "after fourteen hundred years with no other elves to keep her company, she still continued living. She knew that she had to fulfill the prophecy that her father had: the Prophecy of Awakening." Arine continued, "She was living in Normandy when the Nazis invaded France, the village of Ranville to be exact. The Nazis treated Olivia kindly because of her Aryan characteristics. However, by staying in Ranville, Olivia was attacked by British soldiers in 1945 during the liberation of France. Because of her blond hair and blue eyes, the British perceived Olivia as an Aryan and thus their enemy. Olivia was raped by the soldiers, and a child was conceived. Olivia gave birth to a baby boy in Paris after World War II had ended. Not wanting to be reminded of the horrible night that she was raped, Olivia gave away the baby. All that Olivia gave to the baby after his birth was a name: Avery. Olivia left the hospital shortly after. Olivia then came across a large house. As it turns out, it was the household of the Doulin Clan." Sam was interested by the fact that the Doulin Clan had encountered this pureblooded elf. Pierre and Felix however, being of the Doulin Clan, were much more surprised by Arine's statement. "She came across the Doulin Clan household?" Pierre said. "Arine," Felix demanded, "tell me the date. Tell me the exact date that this happened!" Although confused by Lord Felix's excitedness, Arine still answered, "January fifteenth, 1946." The Clan Leader had a look of absolute stun on his face. "That day!" "That's right," Arine said. "I remember now. You were there, Felix! I remember a woman named Michelle referring to a young boy as Felix!" "Aunt Michelle," Felix mused. "It's been so long I almost forgot. It's been more than sixty years!" Just then, memories of his childhood flooded back into the Clan Leader's mind. "I remember now. A woman broke into the house, looking for the Blue Sapphire of Alvara. She looked exactly like you, Arine!" "Michelle was the one that killed Olivia when she took the Sapphire from its pedestal," said Arine. "I think that was when I started harboring feelings of revenge. I told Johan about what had happened to Olivia, and he convinced me to turn against the Jewel Summoners." "All because of one elf?" Sam inquired. "Not just any elf," the blonde stated. "Do you know who the doctor was that delivered Avery? His name was François Sylven." The three Jewel Summoners were dumbstruck. "My father's name is Avery Sylven. Olivia was my grandmother." "My God!" was all that Pierre could choke out. Arine continued, "After convincing me to take revenge on the Jewel Summoners for the death of my grandmother, Johan injected me with some kind of hypnotic drug in order to awaken my elfin powers. He allowed me to remember what was going through my mind when I had inadvertently used my powers in the past, which allowed me to access and use my powers. It was after my powers had awoken that Johan and I drove to Zurich to launch our attack on the Jewel Summoner headquarters." "It must have been the hypnotic drug," realized Felix. "It must have not fully worn off." "Then how did she overcome it at the last minute?" Sam asked. "It must be her elfin powers," said Pierre. "Now that they've awoken, her power of biological strength must have metabolized the drug, rendering it ineffective against her." "No," said Sam, "that can't be right. If that were the reason, she wouldn't have attacked us in the first place." "I had a vision," Arine suddenly remembered. "During the attack, I had a vision of Mia. I sensed the danger that she was in, and that was when I stopped the attack." "Back at Oceanside," Pierre noticed, "your powers only seemed to activate when you were with Mia or when you sensed that she was about to have an attack. Maybe I was right in the first place. Maybe love IS the key to your powers." "Love was the only thing I WASN'T feeling when I killed those people," said Arine, her voice filling with guilt again. For a moment, the three Jewel Summoners looked at Arine. "Lord Felix," said Sam after a long moment of silence, "I don't think Arine needs to be kept under guard. She wasn't responsible for her actions, and she's feeling horrible about what happened. And if I wasn't sure about that much, I would STILL be sure that she wants to see Mia." Sam and Pierre looked at Felix, waiting to hear the elderly Jewel Summoner's response. After a moment of careful thought, Felix eventually said, "Arine, you're free to go." "I don't deserve to be set free," Arine uttered. Then, Sam spoke up, "Arine, get off your ass and go see your beloved! You owe her that much." Arine looked at the boy with a surprised look on her face. Sam winked at Arine and gave her a thumbs-up. Her spirits beginning to raise, Arine slowly stood up. The blonde walked out of the prison cell with Sam, Pierre, and Felix following behind. ---------- The burnt man was taken to an intensive care unit for the doctors to treat his burns. "My God!" one of the doctors said as he inspected the man. "He has burns all over his body! One hundred percent of his body area is burned." "I can't understand how this man is still alive," said another doctor. "The burns look like they were caused by radiation," a doctor observed. "How can they be radiation burns?" said the first doctor. "There aren't any radiation labs nearby and there DEFINITELY wasn't a nuclear explosion nearby." "Look at this," said one of the doctors, taking a close look at the man. In his hand was a crystal that was the most brilliant shade of red. "What do you make of this crystal?" "He had it when he came in," said the second doctor. "He's never let go of it." Just then, the crystal started glowing. "What the hell?" the doctor cried. As the crystal glowed, the blackness of the man's skin slowly started to disappear and turn a deep shade of red. "He's...he's healing himself," the doctor exclaimed. "How is this possible?" said one of the doctors. Just then, the doors to the intensive care unit opened and a group of people entered, led by a blond-haired man, probably in his early fifties. "I'm sorry," said the head physician," you can't be in here." "My name is Odin Mustanen," the group leader said. "I am a relative of this man." "I don't care if you're his twin brother," said the doctor, "but nobody besides experienced medical personnel are allowed in this room!" "We have a large family, many of which are experienced physicians," Odin said in a suspiciously calm tone of voice. Glancing at the man on the medical bed, Odin then said, "But, from the looks of things, I don't really think this man needs serious medical attention at all." The middle-aged man walked to the bedside and looked down upon the man lying there. "You were away from home too long, Sir Johan," Odin said, "so we came to pick you up." Unable to open his eyes, the man asked in a weak, very raspy voice, "Lord Odin? Is that you?" "Yes, Sir Johan," answered Odin. "We tracked the Red Ruby of Alvara to your location." "You must take me away from here," Johan managed to croak out. "It seems that Johan does not wish to stay here any longer," Odin said to the confused doctors. "Therefore," he said, picking up Johan in his arms, "I will be taking him with me now." "Now wait just a minute!" the head doctor said, rushing toward Odin. One of the Mustanen Clan Members jumped in front of the doctor, holding a glowing white sapphire. A powerful force came from the sapphire, throwing to doctor away from Odin. "I said we are taking him," Odin said sternly. The doctors could only look on in awe as Odin and the rest of the group exited the room, Johan still clinging to the Red Ruby of Alvara. ---------- Mia was still unconscious when Sam, Pierre, and Felix returned with Arine. Yvette, David, and Julia were standing around Mia when Arine arrived. It brought tears to the blonde's eyes to see her beloved lying there, hooked up to a ventilator. Arine knelt down beside Mia and held the shorter girl's hand in hers. "I'm so sorry I caused this to happen, Mia," Arine said. "Please understand, Johan manipulated me. I wasn't in control of my own actions. Please forgive me, my love." Arine kissed Mia's hand and then stood up to look upon her with the others. "She's in very bad shape," Arine knew. "This attack hit Mia hard," Yvette stated the diagnosis. "Her blood was stagnant long enough for a clot to form. She suffered a stroke as a result of cardiac arrest. The Jewel Summoners have treated the stroke, but--" "But her condition is still critical," Arine finished Yvette's sentence. Yvette was surprised by how well Arine was able to assess the situation. She replied softly, "Yes." Arine could not hold back the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. "Arine," Sam said, trying to free Arine from her guilt, "you saved Mia from death using your elfin powers. Couldn't you help Mia by giving her more strength?" "I hope so," the blonde said. "Because if I can't, I don't think Mia will survive much longer." Arine brushed Mia's hair back and put her hands on Mia's cheeks, putting herself in physical contact with the brunette. Arine concentrated with everyone else looking on intently. "It's not working," Arine said. "Felix, I need the Sapphire." "The Sapphire?" Felix asked. "Why?" "It enhances my elfin powers," the blonde explained. "My abilities will by multiplied by its power." "I will retrieve the Sapphire," said Felix. "Keep trying." Felix left the room and Arine continued trying to revive her love. ---------- 'So,' Felix thought to himself as he approached the vault that the Blue Sapphire of Alvara was being kept in, 'that elf was Arine's grandmother. It certainly explains a few things. It explains how Arine could have the elfin powers that Mia doesn't.' Felix rotated the combination lock on the cault. 'But still,' he thought, 'Mia is obviously a descendant of the elves if not the Legendary Elf.' The vault opened and Felix took the Blue Sapphire from it. 'I am sure Miss Mia still has some part to play in all of this.' Felix closed the vault and proceeded back to the infirmary. ---------- "Arine," said Felix as he approached Mia's bed. "I have the--" Without even looking at Felix, Arine reached toward the Sapphire, causing the blue crystal to fly from Felix's hands to her. "Did you see that?" Julia cried as Arine went back to concentrating on Mia. "It just flew straight out of Lord Felix's hands!" exclaimed David. The Sapphire in Arine's hand started glowing blue and her blond hair started sparkling. "What's happening to Arine's hair?" Yvette said, noticing the sparkles in Arine's golden locks. "This must be a sign of Arine's powers," Felix said, "sparkling of the hair." Then, Mia's hair started plarkling. "Now Mia's hair is sparkling as well!" exclaimed Sam. "What does this mean?" wondered Pierre. "Mia isn't the elf. Why is her hair sparkling as well?" Felix was too amazed to even want to come up with a suggestion. He simply smiled and said, "I don't know any more." "Come on, Mia," Arine said as she did her best to give her strength to her beloved. "Come back to me. I'm still here. I'm not going to hurt you ever again. I promise. Please. Come back." Although she was still unconscious, Mia opened her mouth as if to say something. "Yes," said Arine, her hope rising rapidly. "Say it, Mia. Just say it." Almost inaudibly, Mia murmured, "Kiss me." Arine leaned in and pressed her lips against Mia's, kissing her with all her might, wanting to express nothing but passionate love for the brunette. Arine's and Mia's bodies were suddenly engulfed in a bright blue glow, their hair sparkling much more brilliantly. The others stared in awe at the heartfelt scene before them. "Just like I said," Pierre mused. "Love is the key." After several moments, the glowing of the Sapphire and the girls' bodies died down and their hair stopped sparkling. Arine rose from Mia's body and looked at the girl lying below her. Slowly, Mia's eyes opened and looked into the sparkling blue eyes of Arine. "Mia..." said Arine, tears of joy forming at the corners of her eyes. "Arine?" Mia asked weakly. Arine completely broke down and embraced Mia, powerful feelings of love and thankfulness overwhelming her. "I love you Mia!" Arine cried. "I love you! I love you so much! I love you! I love you." "I love you too, Arine," said Mia, managing to wrap her arms around her girlfriend's body. "Thank you for saving my life." ---------- Meanwhile, Johan was recovering in the infirmary of one of the many hideouts of the Mustanen Clan, this particular hideout in the outskirts of Zurich. Lord Odin was regarding Johan's recovery, which was extraordinarily fast. All of the blackness of his skin was gone, the burns having diminished to only a slight redness. "Johan," asked Odin, "what happened to you?" Although Johan's voice was still a little raspy, anyone who had heard his voice before could clearly make out that it was Johan's voice. "I attacked the Jewel Summoners last night, Lord Odin." The older Mustanen Clan Member was astounded. "You did what?!" he cried. "I tried to take revenge on the Jewel Summoners for the destruction of our ancestors fifteen hundred years ago," explained Johan. "You assaulted the Jewel Summoners and survived?!" said Odin in a state of complete astonishment. "That's impossible, even if you were the elf." "The elf was with me," Johan said. "With the elf beside me, I thought that we were finally going to have the revenge that we deserved." A look of slight confusion then appeared on Johan's face. "But then something happened, the elf turned on me. I barely managed to escape the compound. I used the Red Ruby of Alvara to escape through some kind of array of crystals that the Jewel Summoners used. I only barely remember climbing down the fire escape into the street before I passed out." "Is that how you were burned?" Odin asked. "By passing through this Array?" "Yes. The Array deconstructs and reconstructs matter so that a person passing through the Array can pass through solid matter. Because I only had the power of the Ruby and not the Sapphire, my body was solid enough to interact with the matter in the walls of the compound. It was like being bombarded with a blast of ionizing radiation, like someone standing too close to a nuclear explosion." "Sir Johan, how are you healing so quickly? Those burns on your body were so severe that you should have died within minutes." A large grin appeared on Johan's face. "I'm glad you asked that," he said. Much to Odin's amazement, Johan managed to stand up and walk around the room. "Before our attack on the Jewel Summoner headquarters, I found the gene sequences that gave the elf her powers." "The elfin gene sequences?" said Odin, his face become full of intent, "While the elf slept after the procedure, I replicated the genes and injected my cells with them. With the gene of biological vigor, my body is healing itself." "You have this power, Johan?" "Yes. As well as the powers of empathy and telekinesis. The power of foresight I was born with." Odin cried in excitement, "You have the gene sequences that are able to save Lord Blake!" "Ever since the genetic disorder reemerged in our DNA a hundred years ago, our clan has been plagued with the curse of the weak heart. Men died in the process of conceiving children, women with the disorder weren't able to have children at all, and many others have fallen to the curse of the disorder. Now that all of the elfin genes are in my possession, I can cure EVERY member of the Mustanen Clan that has the disorder!" Suddenly, Johan remembered that during his raid on the Jewel Summoner headquarters, he had seen that Mia Carver had the pointed ears that were indicative of that very disorder. "Lord Odin," he said, "I need a computer." "A computer?" Odin asked. "What for?" "I need to get online. There is something that I have to look up." "Yes, Sir Johan." Odin left the infirmary to fetch a laptop and Johan lied back down on the medical bed. 'Mia Carver,' Johan thought to himself. 'Is it possible? Could she really be...?' ---------- Just as floor B2 of the Jewel Summoner headquarters was used for Jewel Summoners to train, it was also used for Mia to train herself how to walk again after her stroke. A pair of railings were set up running down the room for Mia to steady herself as she slowly made her way across. Arine stood behind Mia, ready to catch her if she fell. All the while, Sam and Yvette were watching Mia's progress. "Mia's recovery is phenomenal," said Yvette. "That's the power of the elves for you," stated Sam. "Their powers of healing are far greater than that of quartz. "I just wish that Mia had these powers herself. Nobody should be so dependant on someone else, even if it is the person she loves." "I know," the boy agreed. As Mia made her way toward the other side of the room, she fell to her knees. "Easy there, Mia. Easy," said Arine, catching Mia. "I never thought I would have to teach myself to walk again," said the brunette. "Hey," said Arine. "Just be glad you didn't forget anything else." "Right." Suddenly, as Mia started reaching for the railings, she was overcome by a fit of coughing. She covered her mouth, unable to bring her coughing under control. "Mia?" asked Arine," becoming worried. "What's wrong?" "I don't--" Mia coughed, "I don't know. I've never--" Another cough. "I've never had this happen before." It was at that moment that Arine sensed that something was terribly wrong. "Mia..." she said slowly, "...uncover your mouth." Mia removed her hands from her mouth and was horrified to find her hands covered with blood. Yvette and Sam gasped in horror. Mia's eyes were wide with terror as she looked at the blood on her hands. "What...?" was all that she was able to choke out before her words ran dry. "Yvette, Sam," Arine ordered, "help please." Arine and Sam draped Mia's arms over their shoulders as Yvette held Mia's body from behind. "What's wrong with Mia now?" Yvette asked as they helped the brunette to the infirmary. "It's only the latest symptom of her underlying condition," said Arine. "I don't think her heart is strong enough any more to effectively pump blood away from her lungs." "Arine," Mia pleaded. "Don't worry, Mia," said the blonde. "I'm right here. I won't leave your side, no matter what." ---------- Arine, Sam, and Yvette looked on as one of the doctors examined Mia. "It's her heart condition, isn't it?" said Sam. "I'm afraid so," said the doctor. "Mia's heart becomes weaker with every attack she has." "What can be done?" asked Arine. "There's not much that we can do," the doctor explained. "You see, Mia's blood type is O-minus. Only six percent of the population has that blood type. And O-minus patients can only accept blood and organs from O-minus-type donors. And unfortunately, none of the Jewel Summoners that were killed in the attack were type-O-minus, which means that a heart transplant is out of the question." Arine approached the doctor and whispered into his ear, "How long down Mia have?" The doctor looked at Arine, surprised by the blonde's prognosis. "Did you elfin senses tell you that she's dying?" he whispered into Arine's ear. "Yes," replied Arine. The doctor explained, "As her heart continues beating, it uses up more and more of its energy. Eventually, it will no longer have sufficient energy to keep her alive. A rough estimate? Ten years." "Ten years?!" Arine cried. Arine covered her mouth, realizing that she had not restrained her voice. "What's this about ten years?" asked Yvette "Arine," asked Mia, "what's going to happen in ten years?" "No," said Sam, realizing that he might already have known what was going on. "Please God, tell this isn't what I think it is!" "You're not saying...?!" Yvette trailed off. Arine fell to her knees and started sobbing. "This is all my fault," Arine cried. "If I hadn't gone along with Johan, this wouldn't have happened to you." "Arine..." Mia sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Mia!" Arine wailed, embracing Mia. "Oh God, I'm so sorry!" ---------- Johan was sitting up in bed with a laptop computer in his lap. He logged on to the Oceancide Academy website and logged into the faculty section, which had information about the students that only faculty members of the school had access to. "Rikhard died on December 29th, 1986," Johan said to himself, going over the facts in his head. "I caught up with Erika Dagomar on October 14th, 1987. That's more than ten months, a reasonable amount of time." Johan opened Mia Carver's students record. As he looked over Mia's personal information, he came across what he was looking to find, Mia's birthdate. It read, 10-14-1987. "Ten, fourteen, eighty-seven," Johan said. "The day I caught up with Erika." Johan's theory was now confirmed. "So it's true then. Mia Carver is Erika Dagomar's daughter...Rikhard's daughter!"
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