Aru inhaled sharply. She closed her eyes and she breathed out. "What?"

"She looked a little like you"

"You're crazy" Aru opened her eyes. "She was pretty. There's no way she looked similar to me"

"You're pretty too. And the skin, the eye color and something about the hair's texture. They're both kind of thick and heavy. You guys look pretty similar" Aiden said.

"There's a lot of people who look kinda similar to me." Aru said, turning away.

"Not really" Aiden replied.

"And also, how could you even tell?" Aru asked.

"I'm literally majoring photography. Using observation skills and distinguishing features and similarities is a big part of that. And I still don't need to major in it to see that there are clear similarities between you two"

"What are you trying to say?" Aru demanded.

"Nothing. I'm just thought you might want to know" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the tissue. "Take this"

"Could you guys hurry up?" Rudy called.

Aru took the tissue and went to the car. She snuggled into her bed set up and closed her eyes, but she couldn't sleep.

Who could it be? I mean there was that myth, but Aru didn't believe it. Even Mini said she didn't. So who? A cousin? And aunt? No not an aunt. She looked too young for that. Or...a sister?

Aru refused to believe it was Kara. Kara would have talked to her. Would she though?

'If she would've, she would've called you already' The dark part of her conscience added. But it would make sense how Kara looked similar to her. They didn't look to similar when they were younger. Kara literally looked like their mother in a small version and Aru was kind of a mix between her mom and dad. But later in the years, Aru started to look more and more like her mom.

Lara sounded like Kara, and Kara wasn't that creative either. Oh and her voice, they sounded similar too.

It was Kara. It was definitely Kara.

Her stomach started hurting. How could this be? She was in New Jersey, alive and working but she didn't think to call.

But now...

Aru looked at the tissue that was balled up in her hand. Now she could call her.

Maybe Kara knew where their father was. Maybe she could help them to find him. Or was she sided with him?

All of these thoughts made Aru's head hurt, and she closed her eyes. She fell asleep, and for the first time in a while, she had a dream.

"Aru! Aru!"

Aru turned to the noise but she couldn't see the source. She looked at her hands. It was the same size which meant she was around the age of 16.

"Aru!" A small kid came running up to her. It was Kara.

"Hi!" Kara said, beaming.

"Why did you leave us?" Aru asked to the small child.

"Leave?" Kara asked.

"You went with dad, remember?"

"Oh. That" Kara seemed to grow a little older. Maybe now she was 6? "Come. Let's walk"

They walked. "Why didn't you come with us?" Kara asked.

"Mom was home"

"So?" Kara grew. She was now 10.

"What do you mean, so?"

"Did you know she cheated on dad?" Kara asked, now 13.

Aru's breath became shallow. "What?"

"We're half sisters" Kara said, turning 16. "But I still want to see you."

"What?" Aru asked, frantically.

"I'm sorry. This is where we say goodbye."

Kara hugged her. They turned older together until Aru turned 19 and Kara was 20.

"This is the present. But think about your future, Aru."

And with that she vanished.

"Aru! Aru!" Someone called.

Kara?

"Shah! Wake up!"

She opened her eyes. She felt something damp and wet under them. Was she crying?

What did Kara mean? Her mom wasn't loyal? But then why didn't she tell Aru that Kara was her half sister? It was just a dream, she couldn't be sure.

She sat upright and wiped the tears away.

"Are you okay?" Rudy asked. "It's your turn to drive, but-"

"I'll drive" Aru interrupted.

She got out and her and Aiden switched roles.

"Mind if I use your set up?" Aiden asked.

"Nope, go ahead" Aru replied as she started the car.

The car drive was a long one. Rudy kept on watching TikTok and asking Aru about it. They stopped somewhere for lunch. They kept on going.

And finally, they drove into Atlanta.

"Ahhhh the roads! These roads! I missed how smooth they were! It's been 3 months of New Jersey roads!" Aru moaned.

"I remember these roads" Aiden smiled, looking outside.

"I lowkey wanna stop by Augustus and say hello" Aru said. "They said we could."

"Why not?" Aiden said.

"Alright then I'm stopping there."

"Do you want me to change the destination?" Rudy asked.

"Nah. I remember the route." Aru smiled, making a turn. She drove and she found Augustus Day Middle and High school. The middle school was a separate building than the high school, but they were close.

She spotted the principal closing up. "Aiden, you go talk to her, I'll park the car."

Aiden got out and Aru parked the car. She got out with Rudy and ran over. The high school and middle school principals were different but they basically worked under the head of the school. The middle school principal was fine, but Aru never really liked him. He did nothing to stop the bullying. But the high school principal, Mrs. Shingcore, was actually really good. She was pretty close to Aru.

"Well, look at this! Ms. Shah, Mr. Acharya and Rudy" She gushed.

It was basically a joke. In Aru's sophomore year of high school, Rudy joined the school. Unlike Aiden, Aru actually talked to him and became friends with him. Her and Mini were having a sleepover, due to being hours apart, Mini could only come when her parents had business. They had went to the Night Bazaar mall and Aru saw Rudy. Rudy winked at them and Mini...

Mini walked into a pole.

Anyway, in Sophomore year, Rudy yelled at everyone "I'M PRINCE RUDRA. BOW DOWN TO ME PEASANTS."

And then she remembered Aiden sighing, slapping Rudy's back and saying "Call him Rudy"

Since then, Rudy was the only person that the teachers called by their first name.

Mrs. Shingcore pulled them all into a hug. "My, you've all grown! How is college treating you? I've noticed Ms. Shah has now met Mr. Acharya? Make any other friends?"

'My apartment got wrecked and my creepy, scary, and gang leading father is the cause of it and wants to kidnap me. How's your year been going?' Aru wanted to say.

"College sucks. And anyway, we have our own little group now" Aru said instead.

"Amazing. I reckon you want to look around and reminisce? I can give you keys to the high school building, but not the middle school. You can still look around both buildings though. Is that okay?" Mrs. Shingcore asked.

"Of course. That's more than okay, Mrs. Shingcore " Aiden smiled.

"Always the polite boy, aren't you Mr. Acharya?" Mrs. Shingcore gushed.

"More like a suck up" Aru muttered.

"What was that, Shah?" Aiden asked, giving a deadly smile.

"Nothing that concerns you, Acharya" Aru shot back.

"Children, children. No need to fight" Mrs. Shingcore laughed. She handed the keys to Aru. "See you now. Visit me, why don't you?"

Then she left.

They headed to the middle school building first. They rounded the place until they reached a familiar spot behind the gym. Aru groaned and she saw Aiden grinning.

"What am I missing?" Rudy asked.

"Remember this place, Shah?" Aiden laughed.

"Don't. Remind. Me" Aru gritted out. This was the place itself where Aiden, Drew and Navdeep had saved her that one time.

"Oh remember what you told us?" Aiden asked.

"What did she say?" Rudy asked.

"She said to Drew 'Get your sister on a leash and have better pet control. It makes sense why you keep losing her' and then to Navdeep 'That is the ugliest hoodie I've ever seen' and then to me 'Stop being emo, it's not cool. You're not cool'"

"Those were really bad insults. I could've done better" Aru muttered. "Poppy never bothered me again, though"

They walked around some more, talking about old times. Then they decided to go back home.

"That was nice" Said Aru, single handedly driving.

"Yeah it was" Rudy replied.

Aru pulled up into their street. She sighed as she saw her beloved museum. She parked their car into the Acharya's driveway and got out.

"Kay. See y'all tomorrow?" Her old southern accent kicking in.

"Yep. See ya" Aiden said. He went inside along with Rudy.

Aru turned back to her museum and headed toward it. She took a deep breath and opened the door using her key.

She caught up with Sherrilyn, the receptionist, and went to the apartment floor. She flung open the door.

"I'M HOME!" She yelled.

It echoed. And no one answered.

"Oh"



Okay. That's that. I think I like this chapter.

Tell me what you think.

-Loife