3rd person pov
The night of the gala had finally arrived. Lani sat cross-legged on the bed, watching intently as her mother prepared for the evening ahead. Amiriah stood before the mirror, carefully inserting blue contact lenses that transformed her striking brown eyes. With methodical precision, she braided her long hair into an elegant crown around her head, disguising its natural volume and texture.
"Do I look different enough?" Amiriah asked, glancing at her daughter through the mirror.
Lani tilted her head critically. "You still look like my mama to me."
A smile tugged at Amiriah's lips. "That's because you know me better than anyone, treasure."
When she finished, Amiriah stood in front of the full-length mirror—a vision in the black silk dress that hugged her figure before flowing gracefully to the floor. In one hand, she held the embossed invitation; in the other, a sealed envelope containing a letter. For a moment, she just stared at both, her knuckles white with tension.
Lani noticed her mother's nervousness and slid off the bed, padding across the room in her pajamas. Amiriah knelt down, embracing her daughter tightly. The simple touch seemed to ground her, the anxiety visibly ebbing as Lani jumped up to return the hug and plant kisses on both of her cheeks.
"Come back soon, okay?" Lani said, her small hands framing her mother's face. "I'll be waiting for you."
Determination replaced the uncertainty in Amiriah's eyes. "I promise I'll come back safe and sound to you," she said firmly.
With a wave of her hand, darkness swirled from Amiriah's fingertips, coalescing into two large wolf shapes with glowing eyes. They moved to flank Lani, who reached up to pet one of them without fear.
"They'll protect you while I'm gone," Amiriah explained. "No one can hurt you with them watching."
As Amiriah headed for the front door, the sound of small feet pattering across the floor made her turn. Lani crashed into her legs, clinging tightly.
"Please come back," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion that seemed beyond her years.
Amiriah bent down again, pressing a firm kiss to her daughter's forehead. "I promise."
Before leaving the safe house, Amiriah cast a protective barrier of darkness around the entire structure—nothing would get in or out until she returned. Using her powers, she created a vision through the shadow wolves' eyes, checking on Lani one last time. Her daughter was already in bed, clutching her stuffed rabbit in one arm and a framed photo of Amiriah in the other, watching something on her tablet.
Satisfied, Amiriah closed the vision and slid into her car, steering toward the family mansion that had once been her home.
The Spellman mansion stood illuminated against the night sky, a beacon of wealth and power in S City. Amiriah parked her car among the fleet of luxury vehicles and took a steadying breath. As she stepped from the car, her face transformed—all warmth and vulnerability replaced by the cold, blank expression she'd perfected during her years in exile.
The gala was already in full swing when she entered, elegant figures in formal wear mingling beneath crystal chandeliers. Amiriah positioned herself near the bar, a flute of champagne in hand that she had no intention of drinking. From this vantage point, she could observe the grand staircase where her family would make their entrance.
Right on cue, the music faded, and an announcer's voice rang out. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your hosts for this evening—the Spellman family."
Amiriah's heart hammered in her chest as they appeared at the top of the staircase. Her parents, Amara and Xavier, led the procession. They looked almost unchanged—her mother still regal in midnight blue, her father commanding in his tailored tuxedo. Behind them came her siblings: Hayden, looking more severe than she remembered; Zuri and Zari, the twins who moved in perfect synchronization; and Kario, no longer the boy she remembered but a young man with watchful eyes.
But Lenna wasn't with them.
Confusion rippled through Amiriah until her gaze fell on the pregnant woman at Hayden's side—Tara, his wife. The realization that she would soon be an aunt struck her with unexpected force.
The family descended, smiling and greeting guests with practiced charm, though Amiriah noted the coldness behind their eyes—a hardness that hadn't been there before. Had her "death" done that to them? Or was it something else?
As the evening progressed, Amiriah steeled herself for the first contact. She chose her mother, approaching with casual grace as Amara stood momentarily alone.
"This is such a lovely gala," Amiriah said, her voice deliberately pitched differently than her natural tone. "You and your family have done such a beautiful job."
Amara turned, a polite smile already in place. "Thank you so much," she replied. Then, with the practiced curiosity of a hostess: "If you don't mind me asking, what is your name?"
"Rosey," Amiriah answered, forcing her nervousness down.
"Are you new to the city, Rosey?" Amara asked, her keen eyes studying the younger woman.
"Yes, I am. Just came here for a little vacation and to meet up with some people."
"That's good to hear. I hope you're liking S City so far."
Amara's gaze shifted over Amiriah's shoulder, and she glanced back to see her father watching them intently. Something in his stare sent a chill down her spine—suspicion, perhaps, or simple wariness.
"Excuse me, Rosey, it was nice meeting you," Amara said, preparing to leave.
Panic fluttered in Amiriah's chest. She hadn't placed the note yet. Acting quickly, she moved forward, deliberately bumping into her mother and causing Amara to drop her small evening purse.
"I'm so sorry!" Amiriah exclaimed, bending down quickly. "Let me help you."
As they both knelt to gather the scattered contents, Amiriah slipped the sealed envelope into the purse, her movements swift and practiced.
"No harm done," Amara assured her, accepting the purse back with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Throughout the evening, Amiriah managed brief encounters with each of her siblings. Hayden barely acknowledged her, his attention focused entirely on his pregnant wife. Zuri and Zari regarded her with twin stares of disinterest that bordered on suspicion. Kario was polite but distant, excusing himself almost immediately. Her father, Xavier, merely nodded curtly when she complimented the family's philanthropic work.
They had all changed—hardened in ways that made her heart ache. Where was the warmth they'd once shared? Where was Lenna?
When she'd seen enough, Amiriah slipped away from the gala, the mission accomplished. The drive back to the safe house was a blur, her mind racing with observations and questions.
Back at the mansion, as the last guests departed, Amara Harrington sat at her vanity, removing her jewelry. She reached for her phone in her evening purse, her fingers brushing against an unfamiliar envelope.
Curious, she withdrew it, breaking the seal to find a handwritten note. As she read, the color drained from her face. She rose so quickly that her chair clattered to the floor, rushing to find her family.
They gathered in Xavier's study—a sacred space where only family matters were discussed. Amara's hands trembled as she held out the note for them to see.
"Your daughter Amiriah is not dead. She is alive and in S City. She'll be coming to find you soon."
Attached to the note was a small sealed vial containing a single strand of dark hair and another tiny tube of blood.
"This is someone's sick idea of a joke," Hayden said firmly, though his voice lacked conviction.
"Who would joke about something like this?" Zari countered, her face ashen.
Xavier took the note, examining it with narrowed eyes. "We'll have the hair and blood tested immediately. If this is some sort of scam or threat—"
"And if it's not?" Amara interrupted, her voice barely above a whisper. "If it's really her?"
The family fell silent, the possibility too overwhelming to voice. Kario was the first to speak, his young face serious.
"I'll call Dr. Reeves. He can run the tests tonight."
Within hours, the family gathered again in the study, tension thick in the air as they awaited the results. When Dr. Reeves entered, his expression grave, they braced themselves.
"The DNA is a match," he announced without preamble. "Both the hair and blood samples belong to Amiriah Spellman. There's no doubt."
Amara sank into a chair, her hand covering her mouth. "My baby is alive," she whispered through her fingers. "All this time..."
"She was at the gala tonight," Xavier realized suddenly. "Watching us. That's how the note got into your purse."
"But why not approach us directly?" Hayden demanded. "Why the secrecy?"
Zuri and Zari exchanged a significant look—the type of wordless communication only twins shared. "Because she doesn't trust us," they said in unison.
"After what happened with Lenna..." Kario began, but trailed off as the family tensed at the name.
They all thought whose going to tell Lenna that her twin sister is alive.
"We need to find her," Amara said, rising with newfound determination. "Before someone else does."
Xavier nodded grimly. "The question is, after four years, what does she want? And what happened to her in that time?"
The family didn't speak the question that lingered in all their minds: Was the Amiriah who returned the same girl who had left? Or had something darker taken her place?