Abyzou looked at everyone, she felt warm inside, this, this was her family. The ones who loved her and card for her were all here, all except her mother, the one woman who should have been there for her more than anyone else.

Oh, Nix was also there. Honestly thought she didn't really know what to think of Nix, she could see that she was trying, but she didn't like how she was even standing close to Dan, she didn't want anything to happen between the two of them, she already had to fight for Dan’s attention between herself, Amani, Sara, and Bastet, even if the latter of the four would vehemently deny it.

“Do you remember the way?” Aby asked Amani, but what was she thinking, of course Amani knew the way.

“You think I could ever forget?” Amani asked, her green eyes sparkling in the dully lit interior of the store and her long black hair bobbing as she laughed.”It would most likely be possible for me to do this even in my sleep.” and Amani was not wrong, she had made this trip so many times in the two of there youths that it probably was committed to muscle memory now. With a wave of her hand a portal opened up.

Nix sighed in frustration as she looked at it, it had taken her several hours to open up a temporary portal to bring herself to this dimension, and just like that Amani, a mere Djinn had done it in a wave of her hand when a goddess like herself could not.

Life was truly unfair.

She got over it quickly however as she followed everyone through the portal, there it was again that feeling of disorientation as she passed through the portal and into another dimension. And quite the dimension it was. It would appear as though they were all standing in an oasis, surrounded by a sea of sand in every direction. This oasis was filled with a clear clean pond, several palm trees and one other type of tree.

The old thing thrust upwards, gnarled and twisted with age. Bent under its own massive weight like an old man that could barely support himself. Three to four hundred feet overhead the branches arched, covering the entire oasis in its cool shade, protecting it from the blazing sun.

“No...” Amani said looking at the tree, her eyes wide with shock and awe.

“Yes,” Abyzou smiled softly “The first tree we planted still lives, while you were gone I took care of it, even when I had lost all hope of you returning.” she smiled, tears welling up in her eyes. “Even when i felt I hated you I could not bring myself to let it die, to kill those fond memories of our past.”

Anami walked over to the tree, hand outstretched, a numbness that seemed to cause her face to go slack. Lightly she brushed her fingers against it, and as she did it was almost like the old tree shuddered under her touch, life came back to the old withered bark, making them a deep dark brown again and blooms that had previously never been seen among the leaves of the monolithic tree sprouted and bloomed.

The entire canopy of leaves exploded into a vibrant rainbow of colors as the different blooms that had blossomed on the tree sprang open.

“I never thought I would see it.” Abyzou whispered. “It is your creation,” she whispered, “It cannot bloom without you.” Amani looked over at her, there were tears in her eyes, and a few running down her cheeks, making the golden tan color of her skin shimmer in the multi colored light.

“No,” she managed to croak out, “It was our creation.” she whispered in a hoarse voice before stumbling into Abyzou’s arms, sobbing for all her worth. Aby smiled, it was strange how things changed, how situations tended to be reversed. Lightly she held the other sobbing woman, the one who was once her sister in friendship, but now was her sister in fact. Softly she began singing the song Amani had sung her all those years ago, when there was no tree here, and when she had no sisters…

***

The bushes shook as the young Lamia barreled through them, she didn't care about the cuts the foliage gave her, she simply wanted to get away. Her quick movements coupled with her bleary eyes caused her to trip, to stumble on something and she landed face first half in the water of some oasis pool. She didn't bother to even open her eyes as she lay there, sobs wracking her small body, she did not even look around to see where she was until she heard a slight shuffle. Turning she found herself face to face with another girl.

She looked at the girl standing before her, lightly brushing off the dirt, they both looked to be around the same age, but this was hard to tell. She had dark copper skin, long black hair and beautiful full green eyes. It would appear that what Aby had tripped over was not a thing but a person.

The other girl looked at her, curious, cocking her head to the side, and causing the long locks of black hair to fall over one side of her face, she stared at Abyzou for a long time before speaking. “What are you?” She asked, and the speech frightened Aby, she had half expected the other girl to speak in some strange language. “Are you a snake or a person?” she asked, looking at the tail that formed the lower half of Abyzou’s body with a curious look on her face.

“I- I am a Lamia.” Abyzou stated, as though that would explain the entire situation.

“Nice to meet you Alamia, my name is-” she paused and considered, “Hmm, I don't really have a name...” she said, placing her hand on her chin.

“No, no no, my name is not Alamia it is Abyzou, I am a Lamia.” Aby corrected. She looked at the other girl, what kind of person had no name, she had to not be telling the truth.

“Ohh,” the other girl nodded her head, it looked like she understood. “What is a Lamia?” she asked.

“A lamia is me,” Aby answered, unsure of how to explain it, she was a lamia, people like her were Lamias.

“What is this?” the other girl asked, reaching out and wiping away a tear from abyzou’s eyes. “You seem to be leaking.” she said, Aby recoiled at the touch but soon realized this girl meant her no harm.

“It is not leaking, I am crying, I was crying.” she said, using her own hand to wipe away the tears that had spilled down her cheeks. She looked at the strange girl, who had a confused look on her face. “You know, crying, tears, when you are hurt or when you are sad.” the other girl still looked confused. “Have you never been hurt? Never been sad?” she asked.

“I cannot say that I have.” she said. “Does it feel nice?” she asked, touching the skin just below her own eyes.

“No, no it does not, how do you not know this? Does your mother never yell? Get mad at you?”

“What is a mother?”

“You know, your mother, the woman who gave birth to you, raised you...” perhaps her and the other girl were actually speaking a different language after all.

“I was not born,” she said, this caused Abyzou to look at her in confusion, how was that possible, everyone was born, it was how life was started. “I was not, and then I simply was.” the other girl seemed to take not of the queer look Abyzou was giving her and spoke on. “I don't remember any time before, I just simply remember a woman, with golden eyes, a smile and a song.” she looked at Abyzou, “And then I was.”

“No mother?” Aby asked, “No father?” to both questions she received a shake of the head. “No name?” once again she received a negative. “Perhaps you are better off that way, my mother only seems to yell at me, and no one else seems to want to be around me.”

“Why?”

“I- I don't know,” Aby said, curling herself into a tight coil, the tears started again. “Its because I am different, weird, I don't mean to, mother says it is because of who my father is, but I don't know him, she said he was some god, but he is not here, I have never seen him, even he doesn't want me...” sobs racked her body.

The other girl looked at her, she had said this was unpleasant, that it hurt. She felt a compulsion, a strong pull that caused her to wrap her arms around the other girl, and caused her tongue to move, to sing.

الرياح والأمطار يبدو أن نسمي اسمك

حتى السماء سوف تمر لك

أنت لا تعرف من أنت لا تعرف لماذا

ولكن يجب أن تعرف حبي ليس كذب

من خلال كل شيء أنا لك

وأنت لي

أنا أنت وأنت لي

في الوقت المناسب سترى

أن أنا أنت، وأنت لي

Her words rang out softly as she rocked Abyzou back and forth, her voice ringing beautifully in the oasis, each line brought more and more peace to the young Lamia. When the song stopped she found she didn't want to let go of the other girl. “That was beautiful, what did it mean?” she asked the other girl, sniffing as she lay her head in the other’s chest, letting herself be hugged.

“I do not know,” she said softly, “All I remember is the woman with the golden eyes sung this to me once, before I was me.” she said softly. “Perhaps she is my mother?” she asked, more to herself than to Abyzou.

They sat like this for some time before Aby spoke up. “Do you really have no name?” when she saw the other nod she spoke up again. “Then I will give you one, I will call you Amani, it means hopes, wishes, dreams.” she nodded, this was a fitting name, she had always hoped and wished for a friend, someone who didn't look at her like a freak because of her father’s blood in her veins. And it had seemed like she had just such a wish granted.

Amani looked down at her, her beautiful green eyes twinkling and she smiled the brightest smile Aby had ever seen in her life. “Thank you” she whispered softly, smiling deeply at her new friend...