Chapter 25

Savannah's POV

Finding the section was easy. I believed that in one book we'd find only one year. I was wrong. It covered the entire decade. I quickly flipped to year ‘92 and saw that the names were in chronological order. Then I found her; Elizabeth Martin. On the margin there were three dates: 1710, 1711 and 1748. Next to the first date was a symbol that resembled a marriage. Next to the last one was a cross. The year of her death.

“Maddie, can you look at the year 1711?”

“Sure. What am I looking for?”

“Elizabeth might've had a child that year. There should be the name of the parents'.”

“Here. I found the book. Any more information about the month?”

“Nothing, just the year.”

“Here, Mary Barker; parents Elizabeth Baker (Martin) and Thomas Baker.”

Searching for all the names and dates was a nuisance. Eventually we had to move to the open section. We locked the door, but kept the key for a just in case scenario. I wrote down every single name and the dates. Then it was blank. 25 years ago there wasn't a child born for Christina and Oliver Benett. They haven't registered me as their daughter. They were my parents, yet on paper they weren't.

“So, what now, Sav? It's clear that they're your parents, but it's also clear that they don't live here.”

“Now comes the online search. If they're still alive they've left a trace.”

“Okay. Let's do a separate search. It'll be faster.”

Searching for them was a disaster. The only thing we discovered was that they apparently had no children and moved away 25 years ago.

“Let's try the police station tomorrow.”

“And what are you going to tell them, Sav? Excuse me, I'm looking for my parents Christina and Oliver even though my birth certificate says otherwise.”

“No! I haven't figured out that part.”

“I think they'll need a valid reason why you are looking for them.”

“Long lost relatives?”

“No connection listed between the two families.”

“Family friends?”

“Your adoptive parents left you. Why are you just looking for those family friends?”

“I want to buy their house?”

“Is it even up for sale? Where did they live?”

“On Dinwiddie Ave and I have no idea if it's up for sale or not.”

“Then let's figure it out. We might not need to involve the police after all.”

It was already past 8 pm, so we decided to head home and look for some clues there. We locked the door and soon we were home. I didn't even realize how hungry I was until the takeout arrived. We sat on the couch with a laptop and started browsing for houses on sale. I don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but the house was up for sale. Nobody's bought it for the last 25 years. There was contact information for Monica Allen. I picked up my phone and wanted to dial the number until I saw the time and the note. She wouldn't accept calls, only texts with information about the potential buyer.

“Don't you find this strange?”

“I don't know, Sav. She must have a reason for that request. Send her a text, let's see what comes out of that.”

“Fine. If she says yes, I'll figure something out to refuse buying it in the end. I don't really have money for a house.”

“We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

After I sent the text I wasn't expecting a reply within five minutes.

*“Dear Savannah! I'm not the owner, just a middleman. I contacted the owners and they agreed to your request. They live quite far from Balckstone, in Jackson, Wyoming. They can show you the house on Wednesday the earliest. Is that okay for you?”

*“Yes, Ms. Allen, it's perfect. Can I ask who owns the house?”

*“I'm sorry, I cannot say. The owners like their privacy. They'll contact you on the number you're sending the texts from when they arrive and are ready to show you the house.”

“Okay, she's not the owner. Do you think the house still belongs to Christina and Oliver?”

“I don't know, but I don't want to get my hopes up. I think I'm going to my room now. I need to think about this.”

“Okay, good night!”

“Night!”

I couldn't sleep no matter how hard I tried. My thoughts were constantly drifting to Christina and Oliver, my parents. They probably had a reason for giving me up, just like Iris did with Elizabeth. No matter what, I'll get to the bottom of this. Now I know who I'm looking for. Something will be revealed on Wednesday.

Wednesday arrived quicker than I anticipated. Zamyr arrived last night and we've been talking. He answered my questions and now I had a clearer view. He explained this whole soulmate thingy. I wouldn't say I was as chill as a cucumber, but I haven't freaked out too much. He gave me the choice to decide what I wanted. The part about being a Queen got my head spinning. I was nowhere near ready for that. Hell, I wasn't even ready to lead the witches. Leading another race alongside someone was not on my to do list.

I was still at school, checking my phone every other minute. Still no text. Even if the students noticed something was off, they didn't say anything. Who in their right mind would? Nobody would tell their teacher that she's acting like a lunatic. I was having my lunch when my phone pinged, indicating I got a message.

“Dear Savannah! I'm the owner of the house you're interested in. When can we meet?”

“Hello! Who am I talking to?”

“I can't tell you my name, yet for safety purposes. I hope you understand and are still up for a meeting. You can bring someone with you if you're more comfortable with that arrangement.”

“Okay. We can meet anytime.”

“What about 3 pm in front of the house?”

“Sounds good. Meet you there.”

I still found it odd that the person refused to tell me his or her name. Something had to be really wrong here. If they're my parents they must be afraid of someone or something. If not, this might be some kind of trap. Given the circumstances, I couldn't rule anything out. After I talked to Maddie she assured me that she'll be there with me. When Zamyr heard the news, he wanted to come along too. I was hesitant. He told me that humans cannot see him. That was not my concern. Those people told me that I could bring someone with me, but I didn't want to go there with two other people. They might not appreciate being outnumbered. Sadly, Zamyr couldn't be reasoned with and insisted on coming. In the end I gave in, but told him to stay in the car unless we told him otherwise.