Kayla couldn't comprehend what just happened. She was just in the woods with Naito, and yet now she was in Zart's bedroom. Zart sat at his desk, waving his wand while chanting something that Kayla didn't understand. He hadn't noticed her yet. Unsure what to do and not wanting to disrupt him, she backed up slowly.
The floor creaked.
Kayla held her breath, hoping that he hadn't heard, but he spun his chair around and saw her.
Zart pushed his reading glasses up. "Hm? When did you get here?"
"I'm so sorry, it was an accident! I-I mean, I have no idea how I got here! I was outside and then next thing I knew, I just appeared here!" she rambled, feeling the sweat trickle down her neck.
"Did you? That shouldn't be right, I know I set the Apparatus solely to wizards."
"Apparatus?"
"It's a trap. Any wizard that steps within a two-mile radius from my house will apparate directly to me."
Kayla gulped. She hadn't heard anything about that!
Zart pulled his glasses down. The serious look her gave her sent chills through her veins. He looked like an entirely different person compared to the fatherly figure he usually presented himself to her as. "Makayla, you're a wizard, aren't you?"
Kayla fidgeted and picked at her nails. Her cover was blown. What was she supposed to say? That this High Mage messed up his trap? Even if she did say something like that, how would it be that no random citizens appeared in his house? She knew there was no way she could get away with lying to him. With another gulp, she said, "I am."
Zart groaned and rubbed his temples. "I knew there was something special about you."
Kayla's phone vibrated in her pocket.
"Go ahead, answer it," Zart told her.
She pulled it out. It was Naito calling her. She wasn't surprised, he had to be wondering what on earth just happened to her. As soon as she answered his call, his voice rang out in her ear.
"Kayla! Where are you? Are you okay? What happened?!"
"Naito, I'm fine. I was sort of...teleported back to Zart's house."
"Teleported? What are you talking about?"
"I don't really know how to explain. Can you bring my bike back? We can talk when you get here."
"Alright..."
Kayla hung up the phone and put it back in her pocket.
"You two have been spending a lot of time alone lately. You're not dating, are you?" Zart asked with furrowed eyebrows, his expression still just as serious.
She felt her face turn the color of a peach. "W-What? No! Don't be ridiculous!"
"That's good."
"Huh? Why is that a good thing?"
Zart folded his leg over the other. "Never mind that. I have a lot to ask you right now."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you..." she hung her head.
"Why didn't you?"
Kayla swallowed. "It's hard to say."
"Let me ask something easier then. Where did you come from?"
"I don't know..."
Zart raised his voice, "Don't you play with me, girl!"
Kayla cowered back. "I-I-I'm not! I really don't know where I came from, my mom wouldn't tell me anything!"
"Tell me everything you do know then." He crossed his arms. It was clear that he had no intention of letting her go without a concrete answer.
Kayla choked up a sob and proceeded to tell him everything she knew and what happened to her mother. By the time she started to tell him how she thought that they were the ones behind it, she was crying. "I...I was af-afraid to tell you. You've done so much for me, h-how could I accuse you of something so horrible? An-and...what w-would happen if I was right? I..."
"That's enough." He handed her a tissue.
She blew her nose.
"Allow me to apologize, I shouldn't have been so stern with a young lady."
Kayla hiccupped.
"Do you need a moment?"
She nodded.
"Meet me downstairs when you're ready," he said before disappearing out the door.
Kayla stood there sobbing until she regained her composure. She went into his bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Her tear-stricken, snot covered face looked pathetic. After washing her face, she went downstairs. In the living room, Kayla saw someone asleep on the sofa. It was a girl with violet hair.
"Who is that?" she asked Zart, who stood by the front door with his shoes on.
"You haven't met her yet, have you? That's Alile. She just got back a few hours ago," he told her as he placed his purple bowler hat on his head and buttoned his tan overcoat.
"Oh. Uhm, are we going to work now?" she asked, "I need to get ready."
"No. We're going to the hospital. I need to see your mother for myself."
"What about the shop?"
"It's not going to hurt anyone if I don't run it today."
"Can Naito come with us? He's probably rushing back here to make sure I'm okay. I'd feel bad if we left right before he got back."
"Of course he can."
They went outside and waited by Zart's car until Naito showed up. He huffed and puffed as he pushed her bike. "Kayla!" He slugged off the backpack of heavy books, sat her bike aside, ran up to her. "What's going on?"
"Well, I..."
"I'll explain." Zart said, then proceeded to tell him everything.
"An Apparatus?" Naito asked, "But, shouldn't that have affected us?"
"I'm able to set exceptions. I made sure it wouldn't work on any of you. But of course, I didn't know Kayla was a wizard, so I hadn't made an exception for her."
"Where are you going now?"
"To see her mother."
"You'll come, won't you?" Kayla asked.
"Yeah."
"Let's get moving then." Zart said as he got in the car.
Kayla and Naito both got in as well and once they were buckled up, Zart drove off. After just a few minutes, they arrived at the hospital. Zart took his hat off before entering the hospital room, and when he saw Kayla's mother, his posture stiffened.
"So, it really is you, Claire..." he said in a soft tone.
Kayla splayed her fingers out against her chest and swallowed hard, feeling a clump in her throat. "Y-You know my mom?"
"Is she a wizard too?" Naito asked.
"Yes and no," Zart answered. "Naito, do you remember Zephan?"
Naito wrapped an arm around his stomach as if he felt sick. "You mean the High Mage that attacked my father? Zento's father?"
"Yes, him," Zart turned to face Kayla, "Makayla, let me ask again for certainty. You really don't know anything about your heritage?"
"No....well, I know that I had a brother, but he and my father are both dead. I have a picture of them," she took her wallet out of her pocket and pulled a small photograph out. It was of her mother at a younger age, holding a little boy. A man with fiery red hair stood by her side, both of them smiling brightly. Kayla handed the photo to Zart.
Zart nodded as if this confirmed his thoughts. "Naito, take a look." He handed it Naito. Naito's eyes went wide. "Wait a sec...isn't that Zephan?!"
"Indeed. Kayla," Zart placed a hand on her shoulder. "Your brother is not dead."
Kayla felt the thumping of her heart, her body getting hot all over. "H-he isn't...?"
"Come to think of it, you and Zento do look very similar..." Naito said while looking her up and down.
Zento? That was the tall, muscular one, the one with the car. "Wait, he's my brother?!" Her lips quivered. She didn't know what to think. The brother that she thought was dead all this time was currently living with her under Zart's roof, and she hadn't even known? Was this truly real? Now that she thought of it, she and Zento did share the same eye color and close skin tones and hair colors. But it had never once crossed her mind that they were related, much less that he was her brother! She stumbled back, her vision blurry.
Naito caught onto her shoulders. "You don't look good."
"I feel woozy..." she placed a hand to her forehead. It felt like she had just used a bunch of her mana.
"That's natural. This must be a huge shock to you," Zart said.
"Oh!" Naito exclaimed. He held his wrist out. "This bracelet, did you make it yourself?"
"No, my mom said it was made for her by my brother. She said that it was one of the few things that she had to remember him by, and she wanted me to have it so that I could have something to know him by."
"That explains it."
"Explains what?"
"Zento. The other day, he noticed me wearing it and got pretty angry. Casele told me that he made it for his mom when he was little," Naito explained. "Why would you give me something like this?"
Kayla sunk into one of the chairs. "It hurt too much. When I wore it, I couldn't stop wondering who he was and what happened to him. Why would she give me his bracelet and a picture of he and my father, and not tell me anything?"
"Makayla," Naito spoke her full name in a raspy tone that gave her the impression that she had made him angry for the second time. He gripped his necklace. "I can understand how you must have felt. My father gave me this necklace to have something to know my mother by. I would never give it away."
She felt a clump forming in her throat. "I guess I'm a pretty bad person..."
He took the bracelet off and placed it in her lap. "I know you said this is a token of our friendship, but this is not something I can accept from you. Do you understand?"
"Yeah..."
"Zart," Naito asked, "Why do you think Kayla's mother would lie about Zento being dead? Why is she keeping so many secrets from her? If she survived that car crash, why didn't she ever return to the empire?"
Zart had his back to them as he placed his bowler hat back on his head. He turned around, his hat's brim covering his eyes. "These are questions I wish I could answer. Kayla," he said.
"Yes?"
"You being Zento's sister is going to come as shocking news to the others. There's no telling what your brother will do if he finds out that his mother has been alive all this time. Are you ready to let them know?"
Kayla shook her head. It was almost funny. All this time, she wanted to know about her family. Now that she knew who her brother was, and that he was alive, she felt too nervous to tell him.
"Understandable. Why don't you put all this aside for now? Cosena's surprise party is tomorrow, after all. Relax and enjoy your youth!" Zart gave Kayla a fatherly pat on the head. "Speaking of which, you youngsters will have the house all to yourselves tomorrow."
"You're not going to be at Cosena's party?" Naito asked.
"I wish I could, but I must inform Volzar and Sartur of this situation at once. Make sure you tell her happy birthday for me though! And I know my old self doesn't need any sugar, but save me a piece of cake, would you?" the High Mage pat his belly.
"Uh, sure. I can't promise that Alsen won't eat it though."
Zart chuckled, then pulled the brim of his hat down. He turned to the door and put his hand on the knob. "I'm heading back to the car, but if you need time with your mother, please feel free to take as much as you need," he said it in a sympathetic manner.
"I'll go as well."
Kayla wanted him to stay, but he was already gone. She was now alone with her mother. Kayla had so many emotions she wanted to feel right now, but she didn't know which was right, leaving her with a sense of unease. "Mother...what really happened?" Was all she could ask before burying her face in her hands.