Shayna wakes up and stretches sleepily. Throwing on a robe, she goes to the kitchen and starts the coffee before retrieving the newspaper from the front lawn. She sips her coffee and munches some toast while reading the paper and waiting for the rest of the clan to wake up.

*Sam walks in and sees Shayna* Good morning! How're you doing?

*Graceful and silent, Dani pads downstairs on her tiny kitten paws. Trotting along into the living room, she jumps up onto the back of the couch and slowly makes her way across it as if it were a balancing beam. Leaping down onto the floor, her path continues into the kitchen. No one seems to notice her, and she quietly walks over to the refridgerator to inspect it. And...

... EW! What is that? It's a dead mouse, which Dani picks up in her mouth by the tail. Giving a yowl, she takes it over to Sammi and drops it at her feet. She mews happily and looks fondly upwards at her owner's best friend.*

Aww, how sweet, a dead rat *Sammi is actually disgusted, but she picks it up using a rubber gloves and takes it to her lab, sealing it in a tight container* Not sure what I'll use you for yet, but I'll find out.

*Dani mews again and pounces on your foot. Then she looks up at you with her big kitten eyes, hoping for some breakfast.*

(OOC: Isn't it strange that we're pretending it's morning, when it's almost midnight?)

[This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

Shayna: Dani must really love you, Sammi. Have you met Pindara? (Indicates the extra-dimensional mongoose perched on her shoulder.) Auri sent her to me.

Pindara: Hello, Sammi, I'm pleased to meet you.

Shayna: Auri sent you something, too. It's on the counter: that very interesting box that the other gifts came in.

(OOC - It might seem odd that a day in "family time" has no relation to "real" time, too. Until you remember that this is an alternate universe, that is. )

Sammi:Hello Pindara!!! Hold on, I have to get Dani some breakfast *puts food in Dani's bowl and Midnight crawls in* You hungry Midnight?

Midnight: -mew- *Sammi pours Midnihgt food too and takes the gift* It was really sweet for her to think of us. *opens box* Aww, how sweet!

-comes up from my room, yawning, but smiles brightly at everyone- Hello, Shayna. Hello, Sam. Good morning. -sees the cluttered counter- What's all this?

Sparky: *falls through the ceiling from the attic* WASSUP EVERYBODY
Chibis: *jump up and down all spazzy like*
Sparky: you guys calm down an go see your aunty Shayna
*chibis glomp Shayna and her mongoose*
Sparky: What goes on here?

Sammi: Hello Elise, Hi Sparky, Auri sent us these things. Watch where you step, Dani and Midnight are on the kkitchen floor

-stops short from my walk to get the milk from the refrigerator and steps over the two kittens as they eat- Good morning to you two, too.

-glances at the counter- Presents? From Auri? That's great? Did she send a note with them? I've been wondering how she was doing.

(OOC: Okay, let me try and remember all of this. I'll do my best. Also, the gifts may have changed a bit. Shayna put the letter on the refridgerator for others to read, and the gifts on the table to be claimed. I'm just letting you know what was said and what the gifts were, exactly.)

*Resting delicately on the counter was a lovely yet diminutive chest. It was made of an unidentified material; it appeared to be crystal, but the crystal was a deep, dark obsidian. Shadows flitted through it, and stars twinkled in its depths. It sparkled gently and gorgeously as Sammi gazed at it. She noticed that there was, as well, a golden lock on this chest; it was unlatched at the moment.*

Dear family,

I'm afraid that I will be gone longer than I expected. I promise to return as soon as possible, but I do not know exactly when that will be.

To ease your worries, I am happy to report that my eyesight is completely healed. We visited a local healer while in Wehinickle. He knew exactly what was wrong, and he fixed it quickly and easily. I'm seeing better than I ever have before!

It seems that Valeria has learned a few new powers on our travels. Elly would be proud, because she's learned to orb -- though only short distances. Among other things, she's also taught herself to become invisible and to walk on walls, ceilings, and water. It makes her a hell to find, believe me. First she's in front of me, then behind me, then nowhere in sight, and then she's stuck to the ceiling! Jeez... I may be sending her home to stay with you all. I know she's rather busy with her own children, but I hoped that Elly could care for her. If not, I'm sure Sammi wouldn't have any trouble. As long as you keep her occupied, she's an angel.

That's why I may be sending her home in the first place. My current... er, project requires much travel and research, and poor Valeria simply isn't enjoying herself. She would be better off at home.

My project itself is going rather well, or at least as well as it can go. What I am attempting to do is to prove a theory, a theory on the existance of... something. Once my research is finished, I will be mailing it to Sammi for her to have a look at. It is extremely important that no one except for Sammi see this information. It is of something which should be guarded from the human mind. Sammi, being a ghost, is perfectly fine. Ember or Elly could see it too, but I prefer they not. Sammi alone has both the inhumanity and scientific knowledge that I require.

I've sent a box of gifts along with this letter. A few of them are rather pricy, but others I collected while on my travels. Nevertheless, I hope you will all treasure them.

Love,
Aurora

*When the crystalline box was opened, there was a fantastic sight awaiting. Within the miniscule box was a space of enormous proportions, enough to hold any object possibly imaginable and more. Each of the gifts were there, and they were as follows.*

*Firstly, inside of the chest was a section of aged parchment, just a tad yellowed, pale off-white. It was rolled and bound with a silken red ribbon; a small tag reading, "For Arcel," was tied through the ribbon. The parchment itself was extensively long, so whatever it was, it was abundant. Indeed, it was a handwritten and illustrated page of information. Knowing how naturally curious Arcel was of the otherworldly places she was currently travelling to and from, Aurora had deviously thought up the perfect gift: a long, handwritten document on the eight dimensions and what dwells in them. Most of this information was collected from books at local libraries along her path, but the illustrations were drawn by Aurora from what she saw with her own two eyes. She could only hope that Arcel would like it.*

*Secondly, there was another tiny box inside of the chest. This one, however, was made of glimmering silver, intricate designs carved into it. It gave off a sweet scent, a smell of chocolate. It was more than simple, with that little factoid, to reckon whom this belonged to: Elise was a major chocoholic. The box was tied shut with another silken ribbon, though this one was purple. (Aurora happened to remember it was Elise's favorite color.) There was a tag, also, through the ribbon, and this one bore not whom the owner was (as it was painfully obvious), but instead a warning to any other. "This is very special chocolate, and I advise no one except Elise to dare even lick it. You see, it is otherworldly chocolate, known for its taste and richness, but it has been blessed with a spell by the same healer who fixed my own eyesight. Elise's aniridia problems pain me, and this chocolate will cure her. Only God knows what it would do to anyone else." Aurora had faith that it would work the way it should.*

*Thirdly, a necklace. Not just any necklace, but a rather uncommon-looking one. It had a chain of dark links, and a pendant was hanging from it. The pendant seemed to be made of bleached bone -- wolf's bone, to be absolutely precise -- and was in the shape of a human skull. It was polished beautifully; the malevolent eyes were inset with rubies, deep red as blood. The entire trinket gave off an emanation of power, but it was something to be ignored. The tag read, "For Ember." Aurora knew the eccentric Goth would love to wear something like this.*

*Finally, there was a tag which read, "Sammi, you can keep the chest!" around a golden key.*

(OOC: Shayna, Elly, Elly's children, Midnight, and Dani have already claimed their gifts, so I'm too lazy to describe them. Sorry.)

Sparky: *cries* WHY CANT AURI BE HOME NOW?!?!?! I MISS HER! *sobs and runs to attic (which now has a huge hole in the floor) and eats peanut butter*

-sips my milk quietly as I read Auri's note before moving to the counter, notices the parchment is for Arcel and puts it to the side, planning to bring it down to him as I slide the box closer, reading Auri's note- ........My aniridia will be gone? -delicately unties the box and picks up a chocolate hesitantly, taking a small bite, eyes closed in bliss at how wonderful the chocolate tastes-

-eyes open hesitantly and gasps-

Arcel: -comes up, yawning also, but notices my astonished look- Elise, what is it?

Oh my............Oh my gosh!

Arcel: Elise? What's wrong?

-tears are pricking at the corners of my eyes- I never realized how much I really wasn;t seeing.............

Arcel: What?

-rushes into the bathroom, Arcel following in a stupor, and looks at myself in the mirror- I don't look any different.........was my skin always this blotchy? I'm still unnaturally squinting, but I guess that can't be helped......

Arcel: Elise, what is going on!

ARCEL! -hugs him- Arcel, it's gone!

Arcel: ...........That's nice. What exactly are we talking about?

My eyesight! My aniridia! Auri sent me chocolates and they cured me!

Arcel: Really? That's wonderful! Wait, what about Auri? She isn't here, is she?

No. Here, let me show you. -grabs his hand and pulls him out back into the kitchen- Look! -shows him the note and his present-

Arcel: -reads the note and then opens the parchment, skimming it to see what exactly it is before smiling broadly- Wow!

(OOC: Yay. ^_^ But the original plan was that Elise needed to eat all of them for her eyesight to completely heal... er, because if just one heals her, what's she supposed to do with the rest? I guess it's your story, though... that is, you're the one who's continuing it, so I shouldn't be too nitpicky... sorry. Nevermind. I just thought it was a... plothole. I dunno if that's the right term. Anyways, methinks I forgot something. So, here it is.)

*Unfortunately, one gift had passed over Shayna's keen eye. It was... a turtle? Yes, a turtle. But not just any turtle; it was a rather comical-looking turtle. It was a bright neon green, covered in lemon yellow pinstripes. Over that were vibrant hot pink polka-dots. The tag read, "For Sparky, Queen of the Chibis. Pancakes!"*

(OOC: Also, I forgot to mention that Angie has already claimed her gift as well.)

(Oh. Sorry. I think I got confused that you mentioined in your note and no one else should dare even lick it. Some how I figured that was because who knows what would happen to someone with perfect eyesight. And if one lick could change their eyes like that than I figured one bite would be enough to cure me. Sorry I misundersstood.)

(Oh. Sorry for not being clear. Aurora said that because:

1) Each lick does something. Not a whole lot, though, and that's why Elise needs the entire box.

2) If it's supposed to be the best chocolate ever, do you really think someone would lick it and then leave the rest alone? Probably not. They'd eat the rest. And then comes trouble.

3) It's for Elise. People should not be licking Elise's chocolate. That is not cool. XD Elise might massacre them... plus, it's just plain rude.

Okay, well, I apologize for the confusion. Now you know.)

*thinking* I wonder what Auri's research is and why it is important that no one sees it, and it's so cool that I get to see it (guys, shes still 14, she isn;t grown up so she thinks like a kid)

I'll take care of Valeria for Auri, it sounds like fun!!!

(OOC: Nada, I don't know if you're aware of my current family story's plot, so I'll clue you in. There's an ancient villain by the name of Cian Delano, and he's the main bad guy of the story. Aurora's research currently involves Cian's existance, as long ago Cian was banished to an unaccessible dimension and forgotten about. The mere knowledge of Cian -- that is, a human with the knowledge of him -- would allow Cian control of that human's mind, so that makes it crucial to keep, per se, Shayna or Jeremy or Arcel or Elise from learning of him.

... But the only information you're actually going to be allowed to see, in reality, is something else I've cooked up to help make the story more realistic. It involves exactly how we all ended up in this household as a family. It's a cross between a timeline of our arrivals and a family tree.)

(Ah, so we're slowly starting that up again the, Auri? Cool! I had been wondering what this research was on...........)

(OOC: Actually, Dani... I figured that I'd prefer to write the story on my own. It was lots of fun to do it with you, but I've got everything planned out rather meticulously... it wouldn't be easy to do a roleplay with you, because you don't know the little plot twists and turns that I've made up. And plus, I love the ending. *pokes the ending* This is, er... something that comes way before the start of the story... 'cause Arcel supposedly finds a book about Cian in Aurora's library. Aurora is writing that book now.)

Ding-dong! *There went the doorbell. I wonder who's there?*

Oh! Well, okay. I understand. Continue on, I'll just sit here anticipating what you come up with.)

-lifts head, quizzically- Someone's here? -gets up from her book and heads over to the door, opening it and looking outside-

*Perched precariously on the very edge of the top stair is... goodness, what is that thing? Inside your mind you searched for some term to describe what it was, but you ended up surrendering and drawing a puzzled blank. It looked like a cross between a goat, a dinosaur, and a chicken, put together like a very ugly puzzle. What's more, it was a sickening shade of green.*

Creature: Hi.

(OOC: Don't ask me why I did that. I just felt like it. I'll think of something. I like being strange.)

(OOC: No, I wasn't aware, thanks for filling me in!)

-stares slack-jawed at the creature- Um......Hello.

Creature: Something wrong?

*The creature suddenly seems to morph from ugly to stunningly beautiful in mere seconds. Now standing before Elise was a gleaming white unicorn, nearly as tall as she was, with a long, sharp, spiraled horn.*

Creature: I thought I should let someone know, and I smelt magic lingering around this direction... there's another parallel dimension portal a short distance from here, and if someone doesn't close it then I can gurantee trouble.

[This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

Creature: ... *sweatdrop* I'm a shapeshifter. Haven't you ever seen one before?

(Sorry, accidentally posted twice somehow. I'm weird like that.)

Oh, a shapeshifter? Um, well, then excuse me for staring. I'm not.........accustomed to a lot of this magical stuff. But what were you saying about a parrallel dimension?

Creature: Not a parallel dimension, a parallel dimension portal. And it's not good. In your home, there are two magical beings whom are able to open and close the portal at will, thus keeping magical creatures from running rampant in your house. Also, they could easily rid the house of any stray creature should it be required. But there is another portal which has opened somewhere around here, and there is no such person to control it in this world without magic. As you stated, humans are not accustomed to the beings that lay on the other side of the portal, and bad things could happen if those beings came over here. Something needs to be done about the portal. I came to warn you of it, but I myself don't have the magic to close it.

I see.....Well, thank you for the warning. I'm afraid that no one inside at the moment is able to close it that I know of. Auri has gone on a long trip and we're not sure when she'll be back, and I haven't seen Elly in a long time. I don't know how we could help.

Creature: Of course there's someone magical here. Otherwise, I wouldn't be seeking out this house.

Valeria: *comes tottering down the stairs, rubbing sleep from her eyes, dragging a blanket, and wearing a pair of pink footie pajamas*

-hears the soft thuds and turns around, slamping a hand to my mouth in surprise- Valeria!

-rushes over to the little girl and kneels down in front of her, hugging her tightly- Valeria, what are you doing here? I know your mommy said she would be sending you over, but I didn't realize it would be so soon! When did you get in!

-sighs- I'm being pushed off by my dad now. He says he has something important he needs to do on my computer. I'll try to get on later. Sorry.

Wait, is Valeria the one who's supposed to contol this portal?

(OOC: Not control. Close. And yes, but no one knows that yet.)

-looks over at Sam and then at the shapshifter, aghast, as I hug Valeria- What? You can't be talking about Valeria. She's only two! And she can only do a few things like orbing or turning invisible. Definitely not closing parallel dimensions!

(OOC: Hey, I'm here! Don't leave! Let me type a reply.)

(Aye, aye, Capt'n! Type away!)

(OOC: Okay, first, I'll explain why Valeria is here. In OOC, since Valeria can't explain herself... okay, it's not "so soon." Shayna found the letter on the doorstep, read it, and put it up on the refridgerator. Elise read it a while after that, and who knows how long it was taken for the letter to be found? So it's been plenty of time. Also, I thought of something than better than having Valeria close the portal.)

Valeria: Mommy sent me to stay with you and Auntie Sammi and Uncle Arcel. *sniffle*

Creature: No, no, the little girl doesn't need to close the portal. But if she could contact her mother, then Aurora could close the portal.

-continues to hug Valeria- Oh....well, I suppose that's possible. Valeria? Honey? Do you know how to get in touch with Mommy?

Valeria: *nods slowly but then begins to cry* I want my Mommy! I want my Daddy!

-hugs her tighter- Oh I understand that, sweetie, but your mother thought it was for the best that you stay here with us. We missed you and your mommy very much, Valeria, and we'll be happy to take care of you. But if you really want your Mommy then you have to help us contact her. Understand, sunshine?

Valeria: *sniffle* Where's my Daddy? Isn't he going to take care of me?

(OOC: Yeah, sorry... I'll stop being difficult in a minute, but I wanted to ask that question. I haven't spoken to Jeremy in a ridiculously long time. >.O)

I.....honestly, Valeria, I don't know where Jeremy is, but I'm sure he'll pop up sometime.

(I havent seen him around either. Maybe he didn't get the note about this blog or something. I don't know, Bree. Sorry.)

(No, he got it... I spoke to him a while ago, but it was only for, like, a minute or so. He had somewhere to go. But he was online, so that means he must have noticed that he had a PM.)

Valeria: *another sniffle* Okay, I'll get Mommy... *rubs her watery eyes and begins to trot back upstairs to retrieve a book from Aurora's library*

-watches her sadly, finally turning around when she's out of sight- So.........are you a unicorn? Or something entirely different?

Creature: I am a shapeshifter. If I am constantly changing what I am, is it possible to be? We should follow the little girl. Answer that question on your way. *proceeds up the staircase very carefully*

(OOC: *gigglesnort* Elise has to answer that question. Just 'cause.)