Leah sat on her bed. She had, like her daughter, joined the Scociety of Immortals at the age of fifteen. The tales that were taught to her during her initiation, and was required to be able to recite verbatim, from memory, every year had seemed so fantastic only eight weeks ago.

A midnight call from her son, claiming a Trammel had arrived, and a confirmation of elders was to occur, forced her to wake up her husband. Although now considered an elder herself, she knew there were many things the older members still hid from her.

She arrived to find a young girl sitting on a wooden chair in the lobby, and William still making phone calls to other elders. She remembered the striking natural beauty of the girl; even though she looked as though she had been roused from bed herself.

The aura around the girl when she entered the Elder Sanctuary was one that demanded respect, and it was obvious she expected it. At the end of the meeting, she approached the girl.

"Where are you planning on sleeping the rest of the night?" I found myself asking.

"I was planning on sleeping here. Its one of the reasons we set up The Scociety."

"There is no way to bathe here. Why don't you come to our house? My daughter is away at college, so her room is free; and you can get clean, as well as relax, instead of constantly being awoke by the door guard." At my seeming instance she nodded, and seemed to lend herself to us.

"Mom, are you seriously okay with this?" William asked me. I was usually the one to push guests off toward others.

"So this is your mom?" The girl calling herself Taylor smiled, "I can see why you were so respectful when I entered the building nude. The last time I did that, the guard had an issue keeping his eyes where they belong. I was also treated as a crime victim. I am glad you did neither of those."

This was the first time I had heard she had entered the building nude.

"Do you have proper underwear?" I asked quickly, in a whisper I felt only she could hear.

"No, I have things I would need in a Vault in Pennsylvania. But I would need to get there. Assuming the Philadelphia chapter hasn't turned the building over to a historical restoration group."

"Dear, we need to make a stop on the way home; with you two staying in the car." I remember that night clearly. I made sure she had two sports bras, and two packs of boyshort underwear. After making the purchase, we went to the restrooms at the front of the store, and I had her put them on, before going back out to the car.

These two months have flown by, and now it is the school's vacation. As I sit here, wondering to myself how this beautiful girl came into our lives, and my heart, I listen to her trying to hide her crying.

The hurt and pain I can do nothing about, centuries of decisions, and loss I will never know or understand; events she lived through, and I could only imagine; tragedies that could lead to the pain I hear from her.

The ring tone on my phone rings. I pick it up as I hear Taylor stiffle her cry in the other room, it's Sierra, my daughter. We still haven't told her about Taylor.

"Good morning, Honey."

"What have You done with my mother?" She pops off, I can tell she suspects something is up, I have only ever called her 'honey' when I need to tell her news she will probably not like. "I'm on the bus, I'll be home in like half an hour tops, so spill it."

"Sierra, we have a long-term house guest, so you will need to share your room while you're home. I cant explain more until you get here."

"Is it Willie's girlfriend?" I can tell she is being cheeky, but still probing for information.

"No, she is a distant cousin, who has been through some things, and needs to stay with us for a while."

"Anything I need a weapon for?" She asked, her tone becoming cold.

"No, you'll understand when you talk with her." I answer as Taylor opens the door to my bedroom. "I think the two of you will get along fine." I say, and I hang up without saying goodbye.

"The girl from the family photos, I assume?" Taylor asks, trying to hide the puffy red eyes as remnants of sleep.

"Come here." I say to her, using my mom-tone. And she walks over to me. I grab her into an embrace as soon as I am able. "Do me a favor, and quit hiding your tears. Let them out. This is no time or place to hold all that pain in." I say to her.

"You heard me?" She asks, on the verge of obeying.

"Taylor, I know I am much too young and inexperienced to say this to you, but, think of me as your caring Aunt, if you need to cry, please stop trying to hide it from me.

As I talk, she begins to relax. She is still going strong when Sierra comes in the front door. I call out to her, and she comes into my room, and sees me holding the crying Taylor.

"Taylor, this is your cousin Sierra. Sierra, as I said on the phone: she has been through some things, but will be staying here."

Sierra seems to excuse me not meeting her at the door at the sight of this teen girl bawling in my arms. Just like earlier, she stifled her tears quickly, and faces Sierra.

"Good morning, Sierra." She says to my daughter, while wiping her eyes. "I need to get ready. Erica said they need me for something today, to get ready for the meeting next week." She went back into her business tone. "Should my plan change to include Sierra?" She looks between the two of us.

"Yes, I think it would do your cousin good to see you working." At my response she nods and leaves the room, I then hear her in the other room getting ready.

"She cant be over fourteen, what 'work' is she doing?" Sierra asks me.

"Officially, she is a mathmatics prodigy doing work for the state department." Sierra's jaw dropped. "Unoffically, she is a Trammel."

Sierra sits on the floor at those words.

"Erica, and Samantha officially work for an Ambassador, but they are liasons for her. Anything beyond that, you'll need the trust of the people in question."

"What was she crying about when I came in?" Sierra asked in a daze.

"Sierra, I can't fathom what someone, who has that much time behind her, would have been through. She lived through unrecorded history, the building, and fall of Rome, and Egypt. She lived through the conquest of the huns, the black plague, the pandemic flu. All of that loss, I couldn't imagine not being able to cry about it. The fact that she has been somewhat normal the past two months is a miracle in itself."

"Two months?" Crap, she picked up on that, and now her hobby is,going to show. "There has been a beautiful girl in this house, in my room, for two months, and you never told me?" She finally stood back up, and crossed her arms. "It's time for a discussion; Mother." Yep, she is mad we hid it from her.