Chapter 5

The dream I had last night was so real. Even though I sat in bed wide awake the next morning, I went through a sense of confusion, wondering if I was Aleli or Alena. I've dreamt about her again. My so-called twin. The one Tahti and the others were looking for. Without wasting another second, I went to the kitchen and told Jorgie about it.

"Describe it to me again Aleli," Tahti said. I was lucky that she was still in the house when I recounted my dream. She'd usually leave early.

"In my dream," I said automatically. "Alena was with a male specimen whom she called Niko, and a girl named Chloe."

Jorgie slammed her fist on the table. It wasn't that hard, but it was enough to topple her bottled water over. "I knew it!" she said. "I knew she went with Alena."

"Who?" I asked Jorge.

"Chloe." She frowned. "Chloe is an alien like us. She's a scientist. Months ago when Alena disappeared, Chloe vanished without a trace too. We were worried about her, but didn't know where to search. I suggested that she might have joined Alena and Niko." She turned to Gina with a smirk. "See? I won our bet. I'll bottom you so hard."

"What is that?" I asked before Gina could say anything.

"Something you don't have to know until you're one thousand years old," Tahti said. "Go on with your dream and ignore Jorge."

"She'll know it eventually," Jorge said matter-of-factly. "And she'll love it."

Ignoring her like Tahti instructed, I dove into the tale. "So Alena, Niko, and Chloe talked to another girl and made friends with her. Then they went to a huge castle together. There are statues of people with pointy hats. Oh and wands." I scrunched my nose, trying to remember. "I think there's a broomstick too."

Jorge was disinterested. "Maybe it's just a weird dream. It seems far-fetched to me."

Tahti raised a hand to silence Jorge. "That's possible. But you've forgotten that Aleli hasn't seen pictures of Niko and Chloe before, and her description of how they look are uncanny. If she was able to say what they look like, then the dream must be connected to real life. Let's figure why she was able to see it later, after we've gone to the said place."

"But where can we find a castle with broomsticks, people with pointy hats, and wands?" Gina asked. "You think they have that in Germany?"

"I know where that is, and it's not in Germany." The four of us turned to the doorway. A little girl with a pink bunny headband walked in with a huge smile on her face. "Hi auntie Alena," she said casually to me. "How's it been?"

"Who are you?" I said.

"Let's talk outside Mimi," Tahti said almost at the same time.

The child stared from me to Tahti questioningly, shrugged, then proceeded to the doorway with Tahti. Jorge and Gina were all over me when they were gone.

"You remember what we told you about Alena being adopted on earth?" Gina said. I nodded. They've explained to me previously that Alena was raised by a woman they called Mother in the countryside. "Well that kid is Alena's niece," Gina continued. "She doesn't know that her aunt is an alien, and what's more, she has no idea that Alena is missing."

I frowned. "How were you able to keep the information from her from months?"

"Lies," Jorge said simply. "I told you about this thing called lying right? People do it all the time in this planet. All we had to do was lie to her about how Alena was busy studying for this big midterm, so she could get to a good college. Worked like a charm. The only problem is Mimi can't stay away from her aunt long enough, and now she's here visiting."

"But isn't lying bad? I saw it on the afternoon drama. This girl Mars was so hurt when someone lied to her."

Jorge shrugged. "Think of it as careful editing. Good writers do it."

I nodded. That made sense. Jorgie was the expert. I should listen to her. "What do I have to do?"

Her eyes gleamed mischievously. "Do us proud."

Tahti and Mimi returned to the kitchen after a few minutes. They were smiling at each other as if they had a good talk. They stopped in front of me. "Aunt Alena," Mimi said seriously. "Tahti told me that you're sick."

"I am?"

Jorge put her arms around me. "Of course you are. You have what we call licktomania. It's the desire to include girls in your meal plan."

"Jorge," Tahti warned. "We have two children in the house."

"I'm not a kid anymore," Mimi and I said at the same time.

"You both are," Tahti said. "Back to our original conversation before Jorge stepped in. I've told Mimi about your recent sickness. On how you have forgotten about some things and you're trying to recover your memory." Tahti kneeled in front of Mimi so they were eye-level. "You won't tell Mother, right? I will give you candies and ponies."

"Justine Beaver?" Mimi asked hopefully.

"Yes, I will give you that animal, as long as you don't tell Mother what's going on. She will worry about Alena. And if you can, call her Aleli for now."

"Why?"

"Because that's what she wants to be called."

"Sure. You can count on me Tahti." Mimi glanced at me. "And you too Auntie Aleli." I breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn't confuse me with my twin, though technically she didn't understand anything. Tahti helped Mimi sit on the counter by lifting her. They were cute together. Did Tahti and I look good together too?

"As I was saying earlier, I know where you can find a castle, wand, pointy hats, and things like that." Mimi was excited as she said, "Universal Studios."

With Gina's fast driving, we arrived at the location shortly. After buying what they called tickets, which I found to be a piece of paper you'd have to give the people in admission, we were finally let in. Note to self. Humans loved to collect small things like tissues, tickets, and whatnot. I'd have to ask Tahti and the others later why they did it.

"Is this the place in your dream?" Jorge said.

I glanced around the area. No doubt about it. Alena and her friends came here. The entrance was the same. So were the roads and signs. Except now there were a large number of people walking and talking to each other. There were also long lines. "This is it," I said to them. "They went to a smaller building first before heading to the castle."

"In the dream," Tahti said. "Was there anything that they were doing in particular?"

"They befriended a girl named Sapphire. Then they searched for a stone."

Mimi, who was barely paying attention when we arrived, was now looking at us with a puzzled expression on her face. "Who are you guys talking about?" she asked. "Why did we go here in the first place?" The child insisted on coming with us. Now she was asking questions that I didn't know how to answer.

Gina was quick to say, "We went to this place because Niko got a job here. We're going to look for him and have fun. Yay!"

"That's right," Tahti said with an even expression. During the days that I've come to know her, I've observed that compared to Jorge, Gina, and Mimi, her expression was always the same. Rarely would she change it, unless we were talking about Alena. It made me curious with their relationship. Was this what love was? My stomach turned. I would get a funny feeling when I thought of them together.

"It would be easier if we split-up." Tahti signaled to Jorge and Gina. "Take Mimi with you. Find the building that Aleli described."

"What about me?" I said.

"You are coming with me. We will check the castle."

Tahti and I rode a bus. We sat side by side silently in the middle part. As the bus moved forward, someone spoke to all of us in front. Said she was a tour guide. The seat was big enough for Tahti and me, but somehow I could feel it getting smaller as time passed. Imagination, the books said. It was a comfortable trip with her beside me. She always gave me a pleasant feeling.

I checked the tour guide in front. She was saying something about movies and effects. I decided to listen to her later. It was my chance to talk to Tahti. It wasn't everyday that we were left alone like this without Jorge and Gina. I smiled to myself. Maybe I could find out something new about her.

"What do you do in our planet?"

She stared at me. "Why did you ask?"

"Because you know about me, but I don't know about you. In the books I've read, when two people meet, they usually tell something about each other. It only seems fair that you give me an information about you."

She continued looking at me with the same unreadable expression. Tahti was sitting by the window, and though the sunlight played with her hair and face, it wasn't my imagination when her eyes briefly changed to an orange color. It was in passing because it changed right back. By now, the look was familiar to me. She made no attempt to hide it in the house. Outside I knew that she had to be careful as not to scare the humans. No other being in the universe had orange eyes except for her.

"In your lessons with Gina and Jorge, did they tell you about leadership roles on earth?"

I recalled about the presidents and all that. "Yes," I answered.

She shifted so she could look at me from a better angle. "In our planet, the ranking is as follows. There is the normal citizen. They are the workers. They do great things to make our life better. Then there are the guards. There are two groups of guards, one for the citizens, and another for the royalty."

"Royalty? Like a king?"

"You can say that. Anyway, after the citizen and the guards, there is the counsel. They are voted by the citizens to establish and enforce laws. But you know what's even better?" I shook my head and her face brightened a little. "The royalty has the last say. They can change the laws easily."

"Anytime?"

"Anytime," she answered. "Of course the new law should still benefit the citizens because our planet operates on a symbiotic ecosystem. Always remember that. Each action triggers something else Aleli. Nothing is coincidental when it comes to our species."I took in the information like a sponge. It was really the first time that I'd be hearing more about our planet. Jorge and Gina's teachings were focused on earth. They said that our lessons regarding our planet was up to Tahti.

"Tell me more," I said. "What comes after the counsel?"

"There's the royalty of course. But we also have a ranking on that. The Queen takes the highest seat. She's the ruler and can live for many millennia. They said our first Queen came to be when the universe was created. Our species are old."

"Does the Queen die?"

I sensed a shift in her mood. It wasn't obvious in her face. But her aura suggested that she was bothered by something. "Unfortunately, everything in the universe ends eventually," she explained. "In time, the Queen will join our ancestors, a dust in the stream of life. We are now in the third cycle of Queens."

"Tell me about our queen," I said with apt interest. "Is she beautiful? Powerful? What does she look like?"

Tahti's unreadable mask faltered. For a second, I saw worry on her face. It was gone just as quickly. "The present queen is a selfish ruler. A brat. She cares too little for her own species and doesn't mind anyone but herself." She slacked on her seat. "But for all her shortcomings, the queen has one trait anyone can be proud of. She loves deeply and truly."

"Oh. . . How can you say that?"

Her eye color turned fully orange. "Because she escaped her guards and left her own planet after she was just crowned to search for her bride."

"B-but." I gasped. "That means you are. . ."

She glanced out the window. "Yes. Alena doesn't know it yet. I haven't told her because I wanted her to be comfortable with the idea of her true nature first. But time is running out. There's a few months gap between our planet and Earth when you travel using the wormhole. By now, the guards back home must have taken several ships to scout for me. Gina and Jorge should have stayed there to control the situation. They were my second in commands."

"They're royalty too."

"Yes. We grew up knowing our place in the planet and the universe."

"But if Alena is your bride, then why is she on earth? Why am I?"

She shook her head. "My intention is to answer the same question myself before coming home. But before we can do all that, we must first retrieve Alena. There's no other way." The bus stopped. People were starting to get up from their seats, filing in the middle aisle to get down from the vehicle. The tour must have ended without us realizing it. "There's our destination," Tahti said as she pointed to the castle outside. "Let's go."

I trudged behind her and the other passengers. A large castle loomed upon us. "Look, there's a statue of a dragon on a stone building." I turned to another corner. "There's a weird alley down that road." I circled around. "There's so much people. Wow! Humans, I want to pinch them all. It's like the mall, only better." I glanced at Tahti. "Aren't you impressed?"

"There is a dragon in our planet too. A real one and not made in stone. Gina has the power to control it, including any animal." She started walking towards the alley.

"What about Jorge?"

"She's connected to nature."

I moved ahead of her and made a pivot so I was walking backward while looking at her. It was a good way to continue the conversation. So I could see her comforting face. "And what about you?"

"As I said, the Queen is selfish. Now walk properly or you might get hurt Aleli." I turned around with a scowl. The three of them treated me like a kid. Granted that I was days old and nowhere near their age. However, my body was just like theirs. They baby me too much.

We continued down the alley. The further we went in, the lesser people we encountered. We walked until Tahti paused by a wall. She squatted on the floor. "What are you doing?" I asked as she swiped her finger on the ground.

She sniffed her hand. "I can smell traces of a mineral. I don't know what it is."

"Let's circle the place. Maybe we can find the main source of minewal somewhere." I felt disappointed when I realized that I pronounced the word wrong again.

Tahti noticed my scowling face and stood up. "You'll get used to speaking this language. Don't worry so much about the one in our planet. It's easier to learn because you're a child who hasn't been taught much about the universe. Though I doubt Alena will find it as easy."

"Do you miss her? Alena I mean. You make the habit of comparing me to her. Do you find it hard to look at me?" I was a kid for them, but I knew how to think. I could put two and two together.

Her eyes narrowed before she glanced on the floor. "I don't miss her. I'm completely broken." She sighed. "It cracks me up when I think about it because our species have supposedly forgotten how to use our emotions, yet here I am, feeling everything at once."

I was in front of her in a few steps. My heart pumped twice as fast. She smelled good. Like sunshine and flowers. "Then please look at me more. I wouldn't mind if you pretend I'm her." My hand was shaking when I reached out to tilt her face to me. "We all live in the same house, and you all found me together. But somehow you're different from Jorge and Gina. I wonder why that is."

"Stop," she whispered, closing her eyes. The orange threatened to come out again.

"Stop what? I'm not doing anything."

Her eyes opened. "Just stop."

I dropped my hand. "As you wish."

Jorge suddenly materialized beside us. It shocked me to see her like that. She came out of nowhere. "Leader," she said. "Gina spotted Alena seconds ago. Let's go." Tahti and Jorge didn't linger around. Both of them disappeared, leaving me standing alone, not knowing what my place was on earth. In the universe. With Tahti.