Calion watched as the first light crept over the horizon. His hands gripped both bags tightly as he and Jerome waited. The world shimmered as if it were suffering a heat haze. Lines skewered the land, creating a mirage effect that many could not focus on.

Cal let out a sigh.

"Okay, let's go."

"Very good, sir."

In addition to the two heavy bags that Calion was carrying, Jerome pushed a luggage trolley similar to the ones in airports. Calion had considered purchasing two, but Jerome assured him that one was more than enough. Calion was inclined to disagree.

It didn't matter anymore. He knew how things would be once this farce was over.

A woman would be selected, and they'd begin the preparations for getting married. Elwin would state that they could remain at the family estate while they were doing that, which meant that at the end of the winter season, Calion would not be returning to his pretty townhouse or his life on Earth.

It would be debatable if Elwin or any of the other siblings would remain, aside from Aleph, Corwen, and Johan. They were too young to be out on their own and would be with their mother.

When spring emerged, and the world began to blossom, they would still be there. The wedding would probably be set for the following spring, with the time in between used to get to know each other in greater detail as well as their respective families.

It would be expected that they'd integrate into the social circles and form a group of acceptable friends. Their calendar for the year would be full of get-togethers and soirees. For that to happen, Calion and his future bride would have to select a place to live. The family estate was open to them, but it came with a lot of rules, and Cal was not a fan of them. He'd prefer to have his own place.

Calion watched as Jerome started to let the haze engulf him. There was hope in Calion's heart and mind that Elwin would indulge him just a little and let Jerome join them on Merah. It was not common. The preferred choice was having staff for their houses in each plain. Except, Calion was sure that Elwin would politely demand that he remain in Merah, which meant that he would not return to Earth.

Calion wasn't sure which way Elwin would lean. If anything, Calion thought that it was a good bargaining tool. If Elwin demanded that Cal and the new wife remain in Merah, then he needed to give just a little.

"I hope that we haven't forgotten anything."

"I can always pop back if you think of something, sir."

Cal nodded as he turned to watch Jerome pushing the trolley through the haze. From the outside, it appeared to be thin and barely a problem, but it was not the case. Disorientation was common, and Calion had heard of many who needed to be rescued. The warning of always walking forward was given freely but sometimes not listened to.

As Calion thought about what Jerome had just said, his mind burned with the sting of realization.

"Damn it," he grumbled.

"Is something wrong, sir?"

"I think that my brother played me for a fool. I'd wager that Heather was born on Earth."

"Well, you don't know for certain, so perhaps she might surprise you."

Jerome had no idea who Heather was but assumed that she was a lady friend of his master.

"No. Elwin was too agreeable. The entire time he was going on about how long he's spent on selecting these women, and then I demanded that Heather be added. He argued but agreed in the end. I know, Elwin. He would have been annoyed that all that effort was wasted."

Calion's mind churned with the thoughts, growing angrier by the minute. He knew that by the time he made it through the gate, his blood would be boiling, and he had to calm down. Otherwise, he'd storm his way to the estate, and the argument with Elwin would not be pretty.

Calion considered this whole situation ridiculous and wanted to turn around to go home. It was not possible to do that while they were in the gate. If he turned around, Calion might become lost. Then one of the gate guards would have to find him, which would be a spectacle for everyone at the landing. The house of Rochester would be ridiculed for one of their own not being able to navigate the area, which would make Elwin even madder at him.

In the thick of it, Calion and Jerome were surrounded by a white fog that neither could see through. As a boy, Calion often thought that it felt like they were walking through clouds. They felt cool against his face. Sometimes he'd exit the fog with droplets of water on his face.

Emerging from the haze, Calion stepped out onto a gantry. Hearing a rattle, he turned and saw that Jerome was struggling. The bags in his hands were dumped, and Calion helped lift the trolley onto the gantry.

When they were entirely through the haze, Calion stepped to the edge and gripped the cold metal rail. They could not move until the ledge lowered to the ground. Locked into their little cage, they waited.

Calion didn't mind. The view was always incredible. At least at this height, it was. The cages were all over the place, and no one could predict where they would land.

At this height, Calion could see the mountain range in the distance. He wasn't sure, but he believed that the little gray blip halfway up the mountain was the family estate. It could also be a shadow.

An attendant walked along the outer gantry, reaching them. With a silent nod as his hello, the fae man checked the gate and then gave the signal. The cage started to descend, rattling its way to the ground.

Waiting for them was a fae that stood out in the crowd. It might be the uniform, but Calion believed it was the uptight attitude. He reeked of arrogance, and Calion was nowhere near him yet.

The cage shuddered as it hit the ground. A deep and loud beep echoed, and jets hissed.

As the hot water floated over them like a thin veil, Calion grimaced. His lips tightened, and his eyes narrowed. Everyone thought it was just water, but he knew differently. It was a mixture of water, disinfectant, and pesticide.

They were all minute traces but effective. It stopped the contamination, and while Calion knew that it had value, he thought it was annoying all the same. He was just grateful that the pesticide was not harmful to the fae or hybrids.

Another attendant walked to their gate. This one unlocked it.

When they were free of the cage, the servant approached.

"Good morning, Master Rochester. Can I take your bags?"

Calion nodded at the man. He was wearing a uniform that bore the family crest. Embroidered in gold against the heavy black material, the jacket was warm while functional.

"My brother sent you, did he?"

"When he last visited the estate, Lord Rochester advised that on the first day of winter, the family would be returning to the estate for the winter festivities. We were asked to collect all of your siblings, sir."

The servant and Jerome passed the bags over to the waiting attendants. Calion looked around the transfer station, seeing a few of the fae passing into the mirror world.

Many called it Mirror because it was almost a complete copy of Earth, but it was not the same. What happened in one world did not occur in the other, nor did it reflect upon it in any way. Calion knew, thanks to his extremely antiquated and strict teacher, that the name for this world was from the old tongue. It was called Merah, but over the years, it had become mispronounced, and the true name was slowly fading into the past.

Merah and Earth were parallel plains. When Calion was a teenager learning about the two plains, he grew curious. He often laid on the roof at night, staring at the sky and wondering if there was more than just the two plains.

When he questioned his teacher, the old crank merely replied that there were two plains, and they had existed side by side for many centuries. No other plain has ever presented itself. No creature has come forth. It was his opinion, like many others, that nothing else existed. They were alone, aside from the humans on Earth.

Calion did not believe it at all. He'd always thought that there was a strong chance that life existed everywhere and not just two little blips in the universe. The argumentative teen was not admired for his stance. Instead, he was told to not waste his learning years on a foolish subject. It had already been proven, and that's all there was to it.

It was then that Calion lost his passion for the stars and the universe. Trodden on and scolded, he no longer saw the point in going any further. Naysayers would only be in his future. He didn't need the ridicule or the arguments that would follow. His father would have words with him if he'd caused a scandal with his ramblings about other plains.

So, Calion put the books aside and began to favor the approved pursuits.

Accessing Merah was not easy, and only those born in this world were allowed in. Jerome was an exception because he was a hybrid, he had fae blood in his veins, but he was human. It was a technicality, and traveling to Merah had to be approved by the council. If he were to live in Merah permanently, then Calion would have to ask Elwin to apply on his behalf.

A fae could leave Merah to travel to Earth, but it didn't mean that they would be able to return. Calion knew that many of the fae had become stuck and decided to make a new life on Earth. As a master, though, he would always be able to access the place.

Calion often wondered if it was an elitist world. The thoughts were soon squashed. Those who went to Earth for a holiday and intended to return, always ensured that it was possible. Only the foolish traveled without planning it first.

It was a rule that the fae were not permitted on Earth, but it was obvious that rule was ignored. As for humans and hybrids like Jerome, they were not allowed. Jerome was the only servant that Calion had, and as such, the council had granted him access so long as he was traveling with Calion and stayed at the family estate. There would be no popping back at the change of the season to get anything they'd forgotten. Jerome might not make it back.

The difficulty in accessing the plain was why another stood on the street waiting for the letter in her hand to open the access point. With the luggage in her other hand and one tucked under her arm, Heather waited with growing frustration. It wasn't working, and if it didn't happen soon, she'd lose the chance for another day.

The risk was high that the gate would be closed ahead of schedule. At the changing of the season, the gates would open with the rising sun across the two plains for one week only. Once that week passed, a fae would have to wait until the new season.

Dread filled Heather as she watched the silvery sky glow with the rising sun. It was too late. The gate would have passed. She could try and chase it, but her feet were not fast enough, and the luggage weighed her down.

There was no one that she could approach, no one that she could ask if she was doing it right.

This was not an airport or train station.

Heather began to walk, hoping that the letter would do its job. The cold morning burned against her skin as the snow drifted slowly to the ground around her.

Something was wrong.

The letter should be a key to the gate. It should open it for her.

She'd been given information. The person told her that she needed a key to access the gate. It didn't matter where she stood so long as it was outside, not in a building.

Heather was born in this plain. She was not a native of Merah.

She could not access the gate without a key. At least, that's how she thought they did it. Heather had no idea because every fae creature she found said that they'd never been. She didn't know anyone aside from Elwin. He was one of a few that she could find who had actually been to Merah. She'd tried to be casual when talking about it, but he offered little information.

There was only one who was able to give her something, and it now seemed as if it was wrong. Heather couldn't understand why. She was so sure that this person was telling the truth.

Frustration set in, and she opened the letter to read it.

Brother,

It is time to come home.

Heather stopped walking. Something was more than just wrong. She'd read the letter just after Cal got out of the elevator. Heather hadn't gone into any great depth, but she knew that there were more than the seven words in this letter.

Angrily Heather screwed up the letter and tossed it into the trash.

"I don't know how you did it, but I know that you were responsible, Elwin. This is not over. I will make you pay for this."

Dumping her bags, Heather shifted the satchel bag to her front and opened it. Dragging out the book, she felt a wave of relief hit her until she opened it.

"No," she whispered.

The pain in her voice was real. Raw emotions filled her as she slumped to her knees on the snowy sidewalk. The cold soon found her as the snow wet her knees.

The book looked real. It was a brilliant forgery, but Heather knew it was a fake. She'd created the book. She had collected every single piece of information in it. Heather knew that this was not the book that she'd made. Aside from her gut instinct, Elwin's name was wrong.

Heather didn't know how Elwin had managed to find out about her book and was able to make a brilliant copy. It even looked like her handwriting. Some of the pictures were slightly off, and others were completely wrong.

Her thoughts turned back to the days over the past few years. For Elwin to make a copy of this, it meant that he had easy and regular access to the book. She could not recall a time when that was possible, but clearly, it was.

Heather turned her mind back to yesterday in the lobby. The look of superiority was strong. He was smiling but on the inside. Now she knew why. He'd played her, and he'd done an incredible job.

Closing her eyes, Heather calmed herself down. When she'd found her tranquil place, she opened her eyes and stood with determination.

"Fine. You win this round."