"Yes, why?" Emily answered with her spiritual sense. Maxine felt a shiver go up her spine.

"Before I answer that, can I see it first?" Maxine asked tentatively with her spiritual sense, "You don't need to even take your shirt off. I will look at it with my spiritual sense."

"Alright, but you better only look at that one spot. I want to hear why you need to see it so badly afterwards," Emily replied.

"I will. I promise," Maxine answered with her spiritual sense while simultaneously scanning Emily's shoulder blade. She had the exact same birthmark that Jane had. I must have subconsciously recognized her when I first saw her. Tears started forming in her eyes and streaming down her face. She wasn't sad, but extremely happy as she swiftly hugged Emily tightly.

"Maxine?! What's wrong? And why did you call me Jane?" Emily asked curiously. Maxine went ridged and quickly released Emily. She realized that she must have said Jane out loud when she saw Emily's birthmark. She decided to tell Emily about Jane, but under the premise that it was from her earlier visions.

"Because that is what someone called you in my visions," Maxine answered.

"What?! Who was it?" Emily asked, "And how did he see my birthmark? Were me and him lovers?"

"No, you two weren't lovers, but don't worry his intentions were noble when he saw your birthmark. He was wrapping your wounds up in bandages. You were hurt pretty bad," Maxine answered, "As for who it was, it was the same person that I saw the future through."

"How bad was it?" Emily asked. Maxine hesitated for a moment, but still told her. Emily shook with terror after hearing all of the gory details. "Why didn't he take me to a hospital?!" Emily asked.

"Because the essence beasts had already destroyed nearly all of the hospitals he could take you to," Maxine answered, "The few that were left wouldn't have wasted the resources on someone as badly injured as you were." 

"Did that other me survive?" Emily asked.

"Yes, she did. It was mostly due to the gentle care of that man, but it didn't matter. She was killed by a sneak attack while she was trying to heal someone," Maxine said, "None of that that shouldn't happen this time. You are much stronger than she was and you have me." Maxine smiled reassuringly at Emily. Maxine was determined to never let Emily suffer that kind of fate a second time.  

"Why didn't you tell me or my grandpa about this before?" Emily asked.

"It didn't seem important and I didn't even consider that you were that Jane until a few minutes ago," Maxine answered with her spiritual sense. 

"You still should have said something," Emily told Maxine. 

"Mama? Why are you and Emily looking at each other and not watching the movie with me?" Silky asked. Maxine glanced at the TV and noticed that Silky had paused the movie at some point.

Maxine quickly retracted her spiritual sense and answered, "I am sorry, Silky. Me and Emily were talking with our minds. Like I do with you once in awhile. Remember?"

"Yes, I remember," Silky said cheerfully and looked at the both of them, "What were you talking about?"

"Private things," Maxine answered while hoping Silky would leave it at that.

Silky looked at the both of them curiously for a few moments as if working something out in her head before she blurted out, "Am I going to have two mamas now?" That sudden question made both Maxine and Emily recoil and blush feircely. Maxine hadn't realized that Silky had known about relationships of that nature. Although Maxine wouldn't mind that kind of relationship with Emily, but she wasn't certain if Emily was okay with it. However Emily didn't say a word. Her mouth only opened and closed a few times as if she wanted to say something before she fled to the bathroom. After giving Silky a scolding glare, Maxine chased after Emily.

 Maxine thought for a moment before she gently knocked on the bathroom door and asked, "Emily are you okay in there?" Am I an idiot? Of course she isn't okay after that question.

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"No!" Emily answered with both anger and embaressment from within the bathroom, "Why did Silky even ask that anyways?"

"I am not completely certain," Maxine replied, "But it may have something to do with how I have been talking about you around her alot for the past few weeks and my mother might have told her that I like you. Those two things plus the fact that I told her that we were talking about private things and that was probably why she felt the need to ask that." Those weren't the only reasons. There was one more that she knew, but didn't say. Silky had used the spiritual mark that Maxine had placed in her mind to read her thoughts to a degree. Silky had clearly sensed the love that Maxine had for Emily and that is why she asked that question. However Maxine couldn't tell Emily that. It would be hard to explain why Silky had a spiritual mark placed in her mind.

"I almost thought you told her to say that in order to tease me when I first heard it," Emily said, "I am happy I was wrong." 

"I wouldn't use Silky to tease you about something that," Maxine said, "Anyways we are too young to worry about things like that. Afterall we are only thirteen." Maxine knew that they had enough to worry about without adding on to it. The essence beast hordes were a big enough weight on Emily's mind. 

"Your right," Emily said, "Go back and watch the movie. I will be out in alittle bit."

"Alright," Maxine said as she walked back to the couch and sat down to watch the movie with Silky. However Silky asked that question again before Maxine could resume the movie. Maxine realized that she couldn't get away with not answering it. This was clearly very important to Silky and it was very likely that she would keep asking that question until she got an answer.

Maxine let out a sigh and answered, "I don't know if you will or not."

"Why not?" Silky asked innocently.

"I don't know if she loves me like I love her," Maxine replied softly to Silky and was secretly thankful that the walls around the bathroom were rather thick. 

"Why don't you just ask, mama?" Silky asked curiously. Maxine wanted to ask, but to Emily they had only known each other alittle more than three months. Due to Emily's inexperience, it was very likely that even if she felt that way, she wouldn't know what those feelings were. Anyways, the likelihood that she had those kind of feelings for Maxine were dismal.

"It's not that I don't want to. It's that I am afraid of what her answer might be," Maxine said and paused for a few moments before continueing, "For now let's just wait and see. Okay?" Fortunately Silky nodded and said nothing more. Maxine resumed the movie.

Emily came out of the bathroom after about ten minutes. While they watched the movie, Maxine snuck five bronze and ten copper stage Shadow Wolves into Emily's shadow with orders to protect her. She wanted to ensure Emily's safety when she wasn't around. After the movie was over, they talked about random things and played a few card games. It was fun.

Just before dinner time, General McKenzy arrived to take Emily home. Maxine said goodbye to the both of them and went to the kitchen to make dinner. She pulled out some venison that she had harvasted from the Crystal-Antler Deer that had been caught in Silky's webs yesterday. It's flesh was far more filling than any normal meat and it saved on the food bill due to Silky's immense appetite. Silky still ate three times more of the dinner than Maxine had. 

Maxine started to play a game involving making shapes with essence with Silky. It was an excellent way to improve their essence control. The game lasted for hours as Silky could always make the same shapes as Maxine. It wasn't until Maxine made alot of tiny of performers doing various tricks that she finally won this little contest with Silky. However it was late and she needed to put Silky to bed.

After putting Silky to bed, Maxine made ten more copper stage Shadow Wolves and had them enter Silky's shadow. Even though she knew Silky could defend herself, Maxine still felt better knowing that her adoptive daughter had some bodyguards.

Maxine pulled out the three bronze essence cores that she had and suddenly got an idea. What would happen if I combined three of my Shadow Wolves? She summoned three of her bronze stage Shadow Wolves and ordered them to merge into one being. They lept at each other and fused together. The result of that fusion was a Three-Headed Shadow Wolf that was at the peak of the bronze stage. For some reason, she thought it would be at least iron stage and shortly after realized why. She could only control creatures that were weaker than herself. It worked the same way with any essence beasts that she might tame in the future. Unfortunately the room was quite cramped in her room since the Three-Headed Shadow Wolf was almost three times the size of a normal one.  She quickly ordered them to split apart and to return to her shadow. If I have enough of those Three-Headed Shadow Wolves, I may not even have to fight an iron stage essence beast myself again. I could just unleash a group of those things at it. She made some mental notes to go on a lengthy hunting session tomorrow to acquire all the bronze essence cores that she could.

Maxine turned off the light and laid down on her bed to cultivate. She cultivated for four hours as she normally did every night and opened her eyes. Silky was laying on top of her again. Maxine didn't have the heart to ask Silky to get off of her and tried to get some sleep. Although Maxine didn't need as much sleep as a normal person, she still needed some. Even with her iron stage cultivation, she needed at least two hours a night to function properly. Maxine hugged Silky and finally drifted into sleep..