Inheritance of the Hidden

Chapter 1

A moving truck rumbled into the quiet suburban street, its engine humming low as the golden sunset bathed its dusty sides in warm, honeyed light. Inside the truck sat a mother, her hands calm and sure on the wheel, her long blondish-white hair cascading down her shoulders like a silken waterfall. Her most striking feature was long, elegant, elf-like ears peeking through the strands, their tips catching the last rays of sun as if touched by magic.

In the back seat, her twin daughters leaned against the windows, watching the unfamiliar neighborhood roll by with wide, curious eyes.

"Sereen what do you think the house might look like? Like a 2 door house with an open ceiling where you can see the beautiful chandelier! Would we both finally have our own rooms!"

She turned to Sereen with hopeful eyes, a soft smile playing at her lips, the kind that hides a thousand dreams just waiting for a place to grow. Watching kids her age walk down the street, laughing and carefree.

"You might be expecting a little too much, Madison," Sereen said with a gentle smile. "But hey... that would be nice. You should ask Mom — maybe she'll surprise us."

She leaned against the window, her gaze fixed ahead, not on the passersby but on something distant.

She wasn't expecting anything, just another moment of quiet observation until she saw them: a group of six friends walking along the sidewalk, their laughter barely visible through the glass, like echoes trapped in a snow globe. Each one stood out in their own way through their movements, their clothes, their energy but her gaze caught on one in particular: a brown-haired boy. She couldn't make out his features; the truck was moving too fast, and he was gone before her mind could fully register what had drawn her attention. Yet something about him — the curve of his shoulders, the subtle tilt of his head mid-laugh — stayed with her, etched into memory while the others faded into a faceless blur. He stood out to her like a single note held in silence. Sereen said nothing, her face unreadable, but her fingers slowly curled in her lap, as if trying to hold onto the moment that had already slipped away.

"I think... I just saw someone really.... Nice looking?? Handsome, I just can't put my finger on what to call it.," Sereen whispered, her voice barely audible as she leaned slightly toward her sister, careful not to alert their mother in the front seat.

"Where?! Did we already pass him?" Madison hissed back, twisting in her seat to get a better look out the window, her eyes scanning the street as if she'd somehow spot him in the blur of everything they'd already left behind.

The truck slowed down coming to a halt in front of a house that felt modest, quiet, and well-loved — nothing extravagant, but exactly the kind of place someone like us could call home. It wasn't huge but it was acceptable. There was a front porch, garage, a nice place to sit in the front and a decently sized back yard.

"Yeah Madison I don't think you're getting that chandelier or the high roof.." Sereen says nervously looking at the downgraded home

Our old home felt like stepping into a magical field every morning. The sky peeked gently through the trees, and wildlife moved quietly around us, keeping us wrapped in a world apart from the rest of society. Whimsical flowers bloomed around our porch, each petal holding a memory, a story of everything we had been through there. It was a place filled with both beauty and history, a home that had shaped us in ways we hadn't fully understood until now.

"Alright girls, come help start bringing stuff in the house please." she says taking the keys out of the truck

Madison and Sereen both jumped out of the car, stretching their limbs after the long ride. As Sereen scanned the area, she noticed a group of people approaching her heart quickened. Without thinking, she speed-walked to the back of the truck, pretending she hadn't seen them. She grabbed a box next to Madison,