Electra Leontes was holding her bowl of half-finished cereal when she heard the knock. With a spoon in her mouth, she opened the front door, just to be greeted by two people she'd never met before. 

"Can I help you?" She mumbled before she realized she had to take the spoon out so she could act politely, or at least that what her mother would say. 

"I'm Dr. Artmidorous, and this is Ms. Desdemona." Introduced the clean-cut man who appeared to be in his late 50s. Standing beside him was a freckled, scrawny young woman, "We'd like to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Leontes."

"Bad timing, sorry." Electra acted as if she felt bad, "You see, my parents already left for work. You might want to come back later, or I can take a message?"

"I'm afraid it's a time-sensitive matter." Said Dr. Artmidorous in a brooding tone, "We'd appreciated it if you can ring them and let them know we are here."

Electra frowned. This man with a strange name didn't seem like he would leave unless she did what he ordered. She began to worry if her parents had gotten into legal trouble. But again, her parents were the most ordinary people she'd ever known. They both worked nine to five jobs, left and returned home at almost exact hours every day, barely had any activities over the weekends except doing the usual chores. 

"I hope you do realize it's a Wednesday morning." Electra leaned against the door, clearly didn't want to let the strangers in, "I do need to go to school. Please come back later. I don't mind taking a message though. And if you'd like to reach my parents, I'd be delighted to give you their numbers."

"Electra, we have to speak to Romeo and Isidore." Ms. Desdemona spoke before Dr. Artmidorous could. Electra was surprised how she knew her and her parents' names, even though she'd never met this lady before. 

"I need to go to school." Electra insisted and became more anxious. Seeing the looks on their faces, she sighed, "Fine. I'll call my parents. But please wait outside."

"Thank you." Ms. Desdemona sounded relieved. 

Electra faked a smile and closed the door. She went back to the living room and picked her phone up after putting down the cereal bowl. Sitting on the couch, she dialed her father's number. 

After a few rings, Romeo Leontes answered. 

"Yes? I'm about to go into a meeting, what's going on?" He sounded annoyed and stressed, which was a typical theme whenever Electra attempted to phone him at work. 

"I'm fine, thank you for asking, dad." Electra said sarcastically, but then she quickly proceeded before he could respond, "There are a Dr. Artmidorous and Ms. Desdemona at the door. They said they want to speak to you and mom. And they don't seem like they are planning to leave anytime soon until they get to see you."

There was a long pause before Mr. Leontes said in a concerned tone: "Did you get their first names?"

"No, hold on." Electra was confused by her father's reaction. She was expecting him to say something along the lines of 'I'm busy, tell them to call or come back later'. But she didn't feel like asking questions. All she wanted is to get this situation over with so she could go to school, to which she was already running late. 

She opened the door again and caught the strangers talking in seriousness. They were pleased to see her. 

"May I know your full names please?" She asked, holding her phone in her hand, "My dad's asking. Or maybe you'd like to speak to him, he's on the line."

"We are not particularly good with phones." Dr. Artmidorous said quietly. He didn't sound embarrassed, but rather, dismissive, "Please tell him this is Sigmund Artmidorous and Primrose Desdemona."

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"Thank you," Electra said before closing the door again. She was weirded out by them. She shrugged off as one of those things where people have unusual habits. Shen went back to talk to her father again, "Did you hear what they said? Sigmund Artmidorous and Primrose Desdemona."

"Yes, I did." Mr. Leontes said worriedly, "Let them in and be our guests. Tell them your mom and I will back as soon as possible. I'll talk to her about it. And I'll also call your school. I'm sorry Electra, but you have to stay home today."

"I don't understand," Electra protested, "not that I don't want a day off from school. It's just I'm very lost about what's happening here. Who are these people?"

"Just do what I said." Mr. Leontes said firmly, "I know we owe you an explanation. I promise you that we will explain it to you later."

Electra had no choice but to let them into her house. She guided them to the living room, told them to make themselves comfortable before she asked if they would like something to drink. 

Finally, Electra got to sit down to finish her cereal, with two strangers sitting in front of her, quietly drinking their coffee. Electra couldn't wish her parents to get back home any sooner, to which she also never thought she'd wish for. 

"I can't believe you turned sixteen." Ms. Desdemona tried to start a conversation, Time does fly, doesn't it? It was ages ago when I last saw your parents."

Electra smiled at her and continued to eat her cereal in silence. 

"I'm sure you get this a lot," Ms. Desdemona continued, "You have your dad's eyes, they are the same peculiar and unique shade of blue."

"Thank you, I do get people telling me how I have my dad's eyes, but not much about the blue part." Electra smiled again, slightly uneased by the comment. 'That's a very observant lady,' she thought. Then she continued, "Well, I do get people telling me – whether I like it or not – that my parents have very distinct features. I'd like to have my mom's grey eyes and my dad's blonde hair, but I ended up with brown hair and blue eyes. Nothing special at all."

"You are very special." Ms. Desdemona said. She then quickly realized it might no be a proper thing for her to say to the young girl she had never met before. She changed the topic by pointing at a photo on the shelf, "That one there, you see, was from years ago. That was me with your parents and our mutual friend."

Electra finally finished her cereal. She put the bowl down and turned to look at the photo. She never paid too much attention to the photos hanging around the house – her parents were very keen on framing photos – but she couldn't be bothered by it. 

In the photo, there were her parents, didn't look any younger than they were now. And neither was Ms. Desdemona. Electra looked back and forth between Ms. Desdemona in the phone and Ms. Desdemona in front of her, they looked the same. Not even a wrinkle had appeared on her face over the years. 

Electra had wondered why her parents looked younger than her classmates' parents. Whenever she asked about their secrets to retaining their youths, they just shrugged it off as genetics, regular exercises, and staying away from the sun. Though she knew it was all fluff – living in California, her parents loved going to the beach – she never bothered to ask anything more. The issue, however, had recently resurfaced. As she grew into a teenager, she looked closer in age to her parents. There were occasions where she was mistaken as her parents' younger sister, which made her more than uncomfortable. But when she asked them again, they would give her the same answer that they'd been giving for years. 

Other strange things happened around the house daily, to the point where Electra was so used to it that she no longer thought they were strange anymore. When she was little, she was fascinated by how quickly broken things got fixed or replaced in her hour. She remembered crying over her teddy bear, which she got as a birthday present, was damaged because she accidentally threw it in the washer to 'give it a bath'. Next thing she knew, her mother was smiling and brought out the same teddy bear and handed it to her. The bear was fluffy and looking brand new again. She had no idea how her mother fixed it. It was the same bear, it had the identical crooked sewing of Electra's name on its back, which she did it herself. Another example would be how her father kept a locked freezer in her parents' bedroom. No matter how many times Electra asked, he wouldn't open it for her, nor would he tell her what was inside. All he ever told her as he kept his medication in there, and it was not safe for her. 

Electra also wondered why her family didn't seem to have any relatives. Every year, when her classmates talked about Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings, she always kept quiet. She vaguely remembered she only met paternal grandparents once, when she was around five. She also remembered crying because her father had a heated argument with them, and she was terrified. That day was the first and last time she saw them. There was once she overheard her father talking about his older brother, or at least that was she thought she heard. And she never heard her mother talking about that side of the family as if they never existed. 

Electra loved her parents, but as she grew older, she began to feel her parents had been purposefully keeping secrets from her. Perhaps the arrival of these two strangers could solve some of the mysteries. 

She heard cars pulling into the driveway and stood up. So did Dr. Artmidorous and Ms. Desdemona.