I arrived at the back door, completely out of breath from running. The journey back was all I needed to confirm what I had already thought of: there was something strange going on with the backyard. The distance from the back door to the tree suggested that the backyard was way bigger than it looked from the outside. I mentally added that to the list of things I was planning on asking my grandparents about.

"Did you like the garden?"Alice asked as she passed me the potatoes at dinner. "It was pretty cool," I replied, wondering how to ask them about the tree. "Did you see the Venus Flytrap?" my grandfather asked. "Thomas!"Alice hissed, glaring at him. "Don't mind him, dear," she said. "He just reads too many books and it all gets in his head."

In my mind, I laughed. It was a hastily made excuse, and couldn't cover the stink eye she had given her husband. There was something they didn't want me to know, and I had a feeling that it had something to do with the tree. "Yes," I said, pasting on a smile, "I actually saw a Venus Flytrap in the garden. It's quite strange. I thought the weather here would be too cold for it to grow." From the corner of my eye, I saw Alice and Thomas exchanged a quick glance. Alice seemed to make up her mind. "Selene dear," she said, "when you're done eating, could you come with me? I want to show you an old family heirloom." "Sure!" I replied. This was going to be interesting.

Two crème brulés later, I headed upstairs with my grandmother. Together, we went into the master bedroom. I watched curiously as she tapped along the side of the headboard of the bed and pushed a hidden button. A panel in the wall slid open. "Damn..." I said. "What is this?" Alice took my arm and quickly pulled me inside the opening. "Our family has always been a little...more protective of our heirlooms than others," she said with a wry smile. My mouth dropped open as I looked around. The room was designed like a library, except there were more objects than books. As Alice led me through the maze of shelves, I spotted pendants, rings, staff and other strange things. "Is this some sort of voodoo magic place?" I asked, looking around. "Nope.' Alice replied as she led me past another shelf and to a less cramped area.

"Whoa..." I said. In the middle of that area was an oval mirror. Looking more closely, it had the same markings as the tree. The mirror seemed to be brand new, without a scratch on it. Before I had the time to understand what was happening, Alice pushed me in front of the mirror. I shut my eyes and tensed, preparing for something to happen. Nothing did. "Open your eyes," Alice said softly. "Everything's fine." I opened my eyes a tiny bit and gasped. A girl was staring back at me through the mirror. She had dark obsidian hair that was tied up in a ponytail like mine was. Her eyes were a stormy grey and her eyelashes were dark and lush. The girl's creamy skin and body would put models to shame. She was beautiful.

"Is that..."I said unable to complete my sentence. "Yes," Alice said. "That is you, but in your ultimate Form". "Form?" I asked, confused. "Your grandfather and I weren't sure until today if you were one of us," she said. "Come with me downstairs. We'll explain." I was still in shock as she put a hand on my shoulder and steered me away from the mirror and out of the room.