Forty nine

I chance a glance at Mason who is following Timeea with his gaze as she moves from one wall to another. The walls are partitioned, to differentiate between two different stages or ages. It is hard to tell, with so little detail available.

At my right, Graham is the first to make a move. He steps towards the wall and reaches for a portion depicting a river with flowers on the banks and a girl sitting in the tall grass, gazing into the distance. No discernable features from where I'm standing, the only indication that the person in the mural is a girl is the fact that she has long hair. Only a few shades darker than Mason's and Timeea's.

" Don't touch that," Timeea snaps abruptly and turns her sharp eyes and features towards Graham. Frozen in place Graham glances at me and then at Mason, slightly concerned at the sudden shift of attitude.

Thankfully, Mason is the one to take charge," We understand that this place holds a certain meaning for you. It would be helpful if you could tell us why is it that you brought us here, if we are not allowed to do anything," At the surface Mason is calm, his voice is even, but he is not the type of person to display explosive anger. No, his anger is the quiet kind, the most dangerous kind.

" You are allowed to observe. Do not touch anything," Timeea says quietly with an undercurrent of anger in her voice. It took us less than half an hour to stir trouble. It's a new record.

Timeea squares her shoulders, regaining her composure," And listen," She adds as an afterthought thought.

" Very well," Mason concedes, " You may proceed. Whenever you're ready," Mason waves at the wall, encouraging Timeea to speak.

" Whoever is responsible for teaching you manners, should be disposed of immediately, " Timeea adds with a touch of snark in her tone and expression. Clearly, she is not dealing very well with this situation. That was not what I expected and at the same time, I did. Funny thing, intuition. After all, as it turns out it does work.

" I'll be sure to let her know," Mason smirks when Timeea turns back to the wall, scowling.

With a deep breath, Timeea starts, " I have a sister...or had. I don't know. She disappeared years ago. We never found out what happened to her. She just vanished, thirty years ago. One day she was....and then the next she wasn't anymore. We searched for her everywhere. I gave up after a decade of pointless searching," How old was she when she disappeared? Because Timeea looks in her early forties. So that means the girl vanished when she was still a child.

" How old was she when she vanished?" Mason asks, sharing my line of thought and curiosity. If the similarities between them are more than coincidental, then that means that there is a good chance that the missing sibling might be Mason's mother. A tad far-fetched, but it's better than what we had so far.

" She was twelve," That adds up. So that must mean that they are either twins or born very close together.

" A lot can happen in thirty years. That is a lifetime. Is there a possibility that she could have run away?" I don't dare to speak, afraid that I'll end up in trouble, just like Graham did. Angering Timeea even more, wouldn't solve anything. He needs answers, we both, and for now, is best to play it safe. If she feels cornered or senses that we are proving more than she allows to, she might end the conversation. And then we would have to grovel for information.

" I don't mean to be insensitive, but people go missing all the time," Mason glances at me, and I can't help but shrink a little, " I don't understand how all of this has anything to do with me," Exasperation bleeds from Mason's tone. He is right though. No matter how sad this story is, it is a common occurrence.

" I believe you are her son," Timeea says with the outmost certainty. I figured that might be the case, but why would she abandon Mason? If Gallasos was her home, she had plenty of resources at her disposal to raise an army, not just a child. Why would she abandon him at fate's mercy? When all she had to do was come home.

I let all of that sink in for a moment. Unless, she couldn't. Another, mystery we don't need on our hands.

It stands to reason that our connection is intentional. If my mother, and Micah were telling the truth, then, how does Timeea's sister fit into all of this? Clearly, they are not your everyday plebs.

" What are you?" I decide to speak. Not the most tactful approach, but it will have to do for now. We do not have time to go about it the long way.

Timeea looks at me over her shoulder for a long moment before turning her gaze back to the damn wall. I get it, it has sentimental value, but she can come down any time she wants, and stare at the wall all she likes. It would be nice to have this conversation face to face, rather than face to face. Silence.

" You are not what I would call normal. I won't pretend to be knowledgeable, but Takkara is unlike anything I've ever seen. At first, I thought- when I visited Meza- I thought that its geographical position must greatly impact the climate which is milder than it should be for this time of year. Also, the vegetation is thriving. Not entirely unnatural, but the cold doesn't seem to affect plants that only thrive during the milder seasons. Also, Takka seemed oddly clean- from what I've observed- the fruit, and other legumes were perfect, even though there is no agricultural land surrounding the valley. I haven't seen much of Gallassos but, I'm willing to bet that the same applies here. You live like royalty. Even though, any form of monarchy was abolished hundreds of years ago in the Thellios treaty, circa eight thousand seventy-four. So..., " I trail off while Mason watches me with a raised brow, a small smile playing on his lips.

Timeea hasn't moved, I think she has stopped breathing at some point because she remains statue still.

" Whatever you are, he deserves to know. He has a right to know. The resemblance between you and Mason isn't easy to overlook. I have no doubt, that your assumption is correct. Your sister might still be alive, but you have to give him more than, a few incoherent sentences," I keep my tone levelled, doing my best not to snap, but her silence is irritating.

" Send the thief away," She says after a few moments. Graham sucks in a breath and looks at me wide-eyed. They know who he is, and if anything goes missing, they will know it's him. Better keep those long nimble fingers safely tucked in his pockets.