It didn’t take us long to make it back to the house after Emery finished saying her hellos and introductions. Her siblings seemed pretty excited at the prospect of food after their travel, and didn’t complain when we started making our way to the main house.

Seeing how quickly my family all but disappeared when Emery’s arrived left me feeling some kind of way. I honestly wasn’t sure, and felt like I would need time to process some of it. Seeing more ‘normal’ families had never really bothered me before, despite knowing basically all of my life that my family wasn’t exactly a loving one.

They had supported me, sure, but it felt more like an obligation they were duty bound to fulfill, or perhaps even upfront payment to get use out of me later on. Aside from when I was actually very little, I had never felt something I would have considered as ‘love’ from my family. Not that I had really put that together until much later.

I walked behind Emery and her siblings as we made our way down the familiar walk to the front door of our house, watching them interact with a feeling akin to melancholy. I wasn’t really listening to what they were talking about, just lost in my head instead. Kota had apparently said something funny, and the others laughed. I dipped my head to walk, intent on watching the stones in the dirt pathway slide by as we moved.

I had taken about four steps when an arm slid around my shoulders and pulled me forward into the group. I looked up, expecting to see Emery smiling at me and trying to keep me included.

Instead, I found Demi grinning at me instead - not that I couldn’t also see Emery smiling warmly at me from down the line. I smiled back a little awkwardly. Even internally, the smile felt a little out of character for me. I wasn’t used to feeling weirdly out of place like this, even if only for a little while.

Demi snorted; I was pretty sure she could see right through the forced smile. “You’re gonna be our sister too, in a few days. No sulking behind us like that, got it?”

“I wasn’t sulking.” I muttered defensively before I even thought it through. Demi looked at me, clearly calling me on my lie. Emery’s look said the same thing.

“You were.” She said, “I was going to pull you forward myself, but Demi beat me to it.”

“Just like I’ll beat you when we spar later.” Demi boasted. “I’ve got you dead to rights this time, sis.”

“In your dreams, Demi.” Emery chuckled. “Or, actually, no. Not even in your dreams. You’re never gonna beat me. Especially not now.”

“And why’s that, hm?” She questioned dramatically, her arm still around my shoulder. She squeezed me a bit and grinned down at me. “I bet if I ask really nicely, Avuri here will tell me a weakness or two.”

I smiled, but before I could add a bit of my own snark to the exchange, Emery grinned a predatory smile that I had seen a few times before - when someone fell into a trap. She pointed between herself and me. “You see, Demi. We’re Sky Realm. You actually don’t stand a chance against me right now.”

“Wh-what?” She stammered, her arm dropping from my shoulder. Even the others stared slack jawed. Except for Ieji, who continued to stand there appearing uninterested. That deadpan face of theirs would take some getting used to. No matter how nice I wanted to be, they still unnerved me. Something about their aura and lack of clear and present emotion just felt off. Maybe it was on purpose though.

“Oh, did I not mention that?” Emery continued, playing innocent. “I suppose it got lost in the bustle of two kids and a marriage. Sorry.”

“I hate you.” Demi muttered, and kicked at a stone in the pathway. It flew completely out of sight. “We’re all pretty close to the peak of Earth, I think?” She looked around for nods of agreement from the others. “But damn. I can’t believe you pulled ahead again like that. I thought for sure I was catching up.”

“Emery was always the most dedicated of us when it came to Cultivation.” Kota said quietly.

“Oi.” Demi said, angrily. “I take offense to that. I’m not a slouch.”

“I never said that.” Kota rolled his eyes. “Besides, you’re a fight junkie. You don’t exactly work specifically on your Cultivation, so much as you fight people until you get stronger. One of those options is far more constructive.”

“Shut up.” She snapped, then crossed her arms to sulk.

And it was about that time that we made it to the front door. It swung open before we could even knock, and out charged Cierra and Stena to wrap themselves around Emery who was closest.

And right behind them was Talya, who almost tackled Kota off his feet, despite being significantly shorter than him. Despite the strength behind it, the hug was short lived as Talya quickly moved down the line. She even gave me a good squeeze when it was my turn, as I was standing between Rylie and Demi.

“Can we go in now?” Emery said with a laugh, patting both little girls on their heads. She bent down to pick up Stena, and Cierra ran over to wrap around my waist.

“Okay.” They chorused.

“Yes, and I finished making lunch for you. It’s on the table already.” Talya said. “We’ve pulled out the full sized table too, so we should all just fit. Now, go in, go in.” As Talya started pushing everyone toward the door, I scooped up Cierra and carried her in.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Acting like this, you’d think she owned the place.” Emery chuckled, eyeing Talya.

“If you’re not careful, I’ll kick you out and take over.” She chuckled. “I’ll keep the girls too; they’re great.”

Cierra and Stena both giggled, and I pinched Cierra’s cheek. “Oh? Should Emery and I leave the two of you here with Aunt Talya?” I teased.

Stena wasn’t paying too much attention, too focused on looking around at all the new faces. Cierra, though, had apparently begun to take after the snarky members in the house.

“Well, her food is better so…” She said, looking away from me and Emery. I held back a laugh, as I knew I was the worst cook out of the three of us. And by a fair margin.

Emery, though. She stopped when she was and stared wide-eyed at Cierra. I couldn’t tell from the look whether she was being dramatic or was actually genuinely hurt by the comment. Seven year olds were known for being brutally honest, after all.

“Oh?” Emery said, her lower lip quivering just a bit. Then she quickly turned away from Cierra, just as the girl looked at her. She hesitated just long enough that Cierra should’ve been able to see her ‘cry’. Which I was pretty sure was an act at this point.

“I guess we can just go, Avuri. We’re clearly not wanted…” She muttered.

I decided to play along, and put Cierra down. “Alright. I guess we can head for Crystal Atoll. Your sisters made it sound so nice.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea.” Emery said, still trying to hide her ‘crying’ face. “A beach adventure would be nice this time of year.”

“I come?” Stena said, from Emery’s arms. The smaller girl hugged her tightly around the neck. “I want to go to the beach with you, Moms!” She declared.

Emery turned back toward Stena with a smile, and nuzzled against the girl’s cheek. “Of course you can come with us, sweetie.”

As Stena basically cheered, the whole group was keeping a stealthy eye on Cierra, who seemed to be coming to regret her snark.

“I want to go to the beach, too…” She muttered, sadly.

“I thought you wanted to stay here with Aunt Talya?” Emery asked, still playing with Stena. Cierra watched enviously, and her hand moved up to grab a fistful of my clothing.

“We can go to the beach too, Cierra.” Talya said, adding to the fire. “Crystal Atoll is nice, but I know a hidden beach that’s even better. And it’s closer, too!’

Cierra’s eyes lit up as she looked over at Talya. “Really?”

“Mhm.” She nodded. “I’ll take you there after the wedding.”

Emery made a face, no longer interested in the game of making Cierra feel guilty when Talya was playing the other side. “You’re not going to take my little girl away from me, Talya. I won’t let you.” She said, sticking her tongue out at her older sister.

“Then maybe you should cook more often and get better at it.” Talya countered, then her eyes slipped over to me. “Avuri is a lost cause though, sorry.” She said flatly.

I clutched my chest as though I’d be hit with an arrow. “Oof. Talya, your aim is as impeccable as always.” I said through gritted teeth as I fell to my knees.

“Damn. That was cold, even for you, Talya.” Rylie said with a laugh, watching the whole scene unfold. “Going straight for the kill like that.”

Talya laughed. “I’ve learned, while living here, that if you don’t go straight for the kill, you’ll regret it almost immediately.”

“She’s right.” I croaked, still playing up the pain. “I would’ve taken her out first.” I smiled serenely as I continued, “I can’t cook, but you can’t bake. Your cookies are always dry.” Then I dropped myself to the floor facedown.

I heard several ‘oooh’s erupt from the small crowd. “You don’t still make those gross ginger cookies, do you? You’ve never been good at those.” Rylie said, laughter in her voice.

“Hey, I do still make Ginger Snaps, and they’re good, thank you very much!”

“They are not.” Stena said, her voice cutting through the din. “They are all hard and icky.” She declared. “Mom makes better cookies. Both of them do.”

Laughter erupted then, and I couldn’t help but join in, even from the floor. I took a moment and slowly worked my way back to my feet. The whole group moved into the house and up the stairs to the kitchen, where Talya had set the table for ten. Baskets of fresh bread were set out, as well as a few platters of sliced meats, cheeses, and other simple sandwich ingredients.

Rylie let out a soft whistle as Cierra and Stena both immediately ran to take their normal seats. “You’re all eating pretty good out here, aren’t you?” She actually sounded impressed, looking over the spread.

“I suppose we are?” Emery said, glancing my way for confirmation.

“Certainly better than I would’ve expected for living in the mountains.” I said with a nod.

“No kidding.” Demi agreed. “I honestly expected the food to be pretty mediocre at best, and that we would need to go into the city for a decent meal.”

“Just because we live away from the city doesn’t mean we need to live or eat like outcasts.” Emery said, as she began to pass around bread. “Especially with storage Arrays and the like. Buying, transporting, and storing food is easy.”

Talya nodded and backed her up. “She’s right. Plus there’s a small farm for chickens and the like. Rice and grains too.” She looked over at Emery and I, pride clear in her eyes. “They’ve done really well here.”

“They really have.” Vale said, as he walked down from the third floor. Kota, Ieji, Rylie, and Demi all stood and moved to give their father hugs. “Hey everyone.” He chuckled as they swarmed him.

“It’s good to see you, Dad.” Kota said, in front of the pack again. “And for a positive reason this time, too, no less.”

“Yeah. It’s nice to have you all in one place for a while.” Vale said, as he hugged his way down the line. As everyone settled into their seats again and began putting their lunches together, Vale glanced at me and one corner of his mouth popped upward. “So!” He declared loudly, “Have you all been giving your new sister enough grief, or do I need to get in on it?”