Keelia heard the shouts of her parents and the Howell’s when they swiftly left the hall during the Break. They came to a halt in the middle of a courtyard. All the motion around them stopped and Keelia struggled to see where her concentration and memories had taken her. She and her friends were still dressed like royalty and the ran into a building to cover themselves up. “Keelia, where are we?” Everie asked. Keelia remembered where they were. This was a college that her family had visited when Samuel was searching for a place to go.

                “We’re at a college in Tennessee that I think my older brother goes to,” Keelia exclaimed. Maybe she could find his room and see him. The weight of what had happened took over her excitement and she sunk to the floor in tears.

                “Keelia, it’ll be fine. The King and Queen can only restrict us, but they can’t banish us. Besides, the Guardians are stern sometimes, but they can be super friendly. Plus, we’re just teenagers, they’ll go easy on us,” Alvis knelt beside her. Keelia wrapped her arms around herself and stood up. She walked over to a classroom.

                “It looks like they’re just finishing,” she whispered, not wishing to disturb anybody doing homework. The class ended and students filed out, gawking at the fancily-dressed teenagers. Keelia and her friends entered, and the professor looked up. 

                “May I help you…” the man asked, looking the group up and down.

                “Yes. Do you know of a Samuel Cobell that goes to this school?” Alvis asked, and Keelia looked at him in surprise when he answered the question.

                “Samuel Cobell? I believe so, he may have been in my class last semester… Oh! Yes, he lives in that building!” the man replied and pointed to a building across the campus.

                “Thank you so much, sir!” Delisa added as they ran out. Keelia led them across the campus swiftly. She burst through the door, and stairs were the first thing that she saw.

                “Which level?” Jililian asked, her eyes wandering up the many flights of stairs.

                “I don’t know,” Keelia muttered. She put her ear up the first door and heard two girls yelling at each other, and she shook her head. It was a Friday evening in Tennessee, and Keelia hoped that nobody had any more classes that day. They climbed up a level and heard more women’s voices, and so continued to climb. They froze when a door opened and a boy stepped out. It was Samuel. Keelia couldn’t believe her luck! She had found him; she pushed her way toward the front of the group and stood by Everie. Samuel stared at the group for a moment, and for a moment, Keelia had the awful thought that he had forgotten her, or didn’t recognize her.

                “Keelia?” he stuttered. She ran forward and he lifted her in his arms, causing her feet to dangle in the air. She cried with sadness and happiness into his shoulder for a minute or two. “What are you doing here? I’ve missed you so much!” he said softly, and she pulled away, wiping her eyes.

                “We got in trouble at a wedding for the now King and Queen and so we had to get away and there are these people who want to kill us too, and everything is awful,” Keelia stammered. He opened the door to his dorm and motioned them in.

                “Don’t worry, I don’t have any roommates yet, so nobody else is here. Do you want some water?” Samuel asked. She nodded and he got several glasses out of a cabinet. He filled the glasses up and sat down at the large table.

                “So…” Delisa said awkwardly, and Keelia realized that none of her other friends, except for Alvis, had met her family.

                “Well, this is Samuel, but you guys already know that. Samuel,” Keelia addressed, “this is Alvis, who you’ve met, Jililian, Delisa, Rachel, Brinely, and Everie.” She motioned to each of her friends as she named them. Samuel nodded and stared at Alvis for a moment.

                “I never realized how similar you and Alvis look, Keelia,” he murmured and Keelia noticed that Alvis went slightly pale when Samuel finished. No one said a word, but looked at Keelia and Alvis.

                “Oh, he’s right! You do look similar; you guys should totally go and see!” Delisa giggled, pointing at the mirror. Keelia stood up and looked inside the mirror, but she didn’t see why Delisa was laughing at the similarities. Whoa, she isn’t joking, Keelia thought cautiously. Alvis had turned even paler, but Keelia didn’t notice until Delisa asked, “Alvis, you should go lie down. You really don’t look good.”

                “What?” Alvis stuttered, “No! I-I’m fine! That’s cool, Keelia!” He had a forced grin on his face.

                “Guys. Would you go outside please? I want to talk to Alvis, alone,” Keelia emphasized. Samuel got up and left, and the others followed. Delisa lingered for a moment.

                “Keelia-” she started.

                “Delisa, go!” Keelia said. Delisa muttered something about being Alvis’s sister, but didn’t object any further. Keelia sat down at the table and stared at Alvis.

                “What’s going on with you?” she demanded. Alvis didn’t look up at her, and all he did was sigh. “You’ve been avoiding talking to me. Avoided being around me, and moreover, you haven’t even told Delisa. You’re the same way about Laurelin and Jian! Did something happen?” Keelia knew that the last question was obvious, of course something happened. Alvis looked at her, his eyes welled up with coming tears.

                “I-” he sighed again, then continued, “I-found out who my parents are…” Keelia knew that was really big, and was definitely hard for Alvis, but something tugged on her memory.

                “Wait, didn’t you say that your parents are dead though?” Keelia clarified. Alvis shook his head.

                “They’re alive,” he whispered.

                “No,” Keelia whispered, realizing coming to her, “are you serious?”

                “Yes. I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. I just know that-”

                “No. You never had to tell me. That’s your business, and I shouldn’t have intruded. But please tell me who they are, I want to see if I’m right,” Keelia murmured.

                “Laurelin and Jian Alie,” his voice choked off near the end.