"Explain, Hikaru-kun." I said edgily, shifting in my seat next to Taemin and Jonghyun. I couldn't believe what he was saying. What does he mean, I'm not human? What am I, then?"

   Hikaru delved right into the story. "It began a long, long time ago." He said, utterly serious. There was no way he was lying or joking about any of this.

   "If a Vampire ever conceives with a Human, their child is born a Dhampir. A half-human, half-vampire person. One that can feast on both blood and human food, one that has human needs yet retains the beauty and strength of a vampire."

   "Are you saying Mio-sama is a Dhampir?" Minho asked, shocked.

   Hikaru glared at him. "No. Shut up. I have reasons to believe she is part-Dhampir. The other half of her is more important."

   Wait a minute...Hikaru was basically saying I'm one-quarter vampire! "So...I'm only one-quarter human?" I asked, my voice trembling. Impossible. I never felt anything BUT human in my life.

   Hikaru smiled at me sadly. Motoko-obachan sipped another martini glass, looking unconcerned. The hand I used to punch Moon Youngha was throbbing now.

   "Mio-sama is part-Shimmerer."

   There was a collective gasp among the limo. I think even the driver gasped.

   "Wait, wait, wait...what's a Shimmerer?" I asked. That sounded ridiculous. It reminded me of some trapeze artists' silvery tights or something.

   "About a hundred thousand years ago," Hikaru said edgily. "a Japanese vampire prince by the name of Ai Ryukin fell madly and irrevocably in love with a human maiden called Akahana. Despite outcries against the Ai Kingdom, Prince Ryukin insisted Akahana to come live with him in his kingdom."

   "Wait!" I burst in. "There's MORE kingdoms? In Japan, too?"

   Kibum nodded at me. "There's several vampire kingdoms in every country, Mio-sama." He spoke about it as though it was common sense. I shook my head, dazed, and gestured for Hikaru to continue.

   "After about two years, Princess Akahana gave birth to a beautiful daughter, a Dhampir, that was named the Lady Raito, which means "light" in Japanese. This name suited the young girl well, because she constantly told her parents she saw lights around people."

   "What does that mean?" I whispered.

   "When she looks at people, a bright glow covers them and you can sometimes here a shimmering sound, like the light playing of a harp. If somebody was pure and thought of pure thoughts and did good deeds, the shimmering sound was like a choir of angels and the light was a heavenly, radiant glow."

   Hikaru's face clouds. "But if she saw a person whose body, heart, and soul was corrupted by evil, the shimmering sound was like an organ being struck straight into her heart, and the light was black and purple, menacing. Lady Raito even said it hissed like steam and pulsed around the person. It was like a horrific thundercloud was constantly surrounding that person, and it gave her a headache being near such evil."

   "Also, the sounds and glow changed according to somebody's mood. If they were in love, the...aura, we can call it, turns a faint pink and the shimmer plucked and sang like a harp. If the person was sad, the aura turned a midnight blue and the shimmer sounded like raindrops and the melancholy cry of heartbreak."

   "So, Lady Raito could sense people's mood and their...their hearts, by the sounds and light around them?" I guessed, my head spinning "What does that have to do with me?"

   Hikaru held up a battered hand. "I'm getting there, Mio-sama, please be patient. Did you ever wonder who picked you up so gently when you were knocked out?"

   I nodded. "Yes, I did...it sounded like a harp, some sort of shimmering sound."

   Hikaru nodded. "If you can hear it, the proof is right there. You're part-Shimmerer. Shimmerers are descendants of Lady Raito, which also explains you being half-Dhampir. Your Shimmerer sight may have been lost inside you since you are only a half-blood, but I think when I touched you, it awakened."

   "Why?"

   He bent forward and lightly touched my hand. I gasped.

   Suddenly, everything was so...crisp, and clear. Before me, Hikaru was enveloped in a radiant, white light, and something around him twisted and shimmered, sounding like a harp. I turned beside me to Jonghyun. His light wa different -- a pale, lilac-blue mix, and the shimmer around him sang something that I felt right into my soul--it sang of shock, and awe.

   I knew what he was feeling. He was awed by me.

   Hikaru leaned away, and it all disappeared. "How did you do that?" I asked in wonder.

   He smiled at me. "I'm also a Shimmerer."

   "You are? Then...if you're also a descendant of Lady Raito...does that mean WE'RE RELATED?" My voice rose to a screech, and the vampires around me cringed.

   "Calm down, Mio-sama. I believe I'm your half-brother." Hikaru said calmly. "It's nothing to worry about."

   "Nothing to WORRY ABOUT?!" I screamed. "I have a god-damn half-brother! It's something to scream about!"

   Motoko-obachan coughed slightly, and our attention turned to her. "Mio-chan, that's why I sent Hii-chan to protect you. Obviously, your protection is his responsibilty more than anyone, since he's your half-brother."

   "I thought it was OUR responsibility." Taemin muttered. All five of my butlers glared at Hikaru, who gave them an impish smile and shrugged his shoulders.

   "What about this society thing?" I pressed on, determined to know the details. Hikaru hesitated. "Come on, Hikaru-kun!" I begged. "I got locked up in a damp, dingy cell and got my nose broken and beat up a sassy vampiress princess for some answers! Tell me everything!"

   "It's the Shimmerer Society." Hikaru mumbled. "The society of all those who are even the most distant descendants to Lady Raito."

   That sounded like some sort of family reunion kind of thing to me. I started bouncing up and down on my seat as the car sped down some highway. "I wanna meet them! I wanna see my family! I've never seen any relative besides my parents..." something struck me. "Wait...were my parents Dhampirs or Shimmerers or whatever too?"

   Motoko-obachan hesitated. "Er...well, um...yes. Your mother was a Shimmerer, your father was human. Unfortunately, your mother was quite the embarassment to the Dhampir-Shimmerer family tree. Trust me, Mio-chan, many of your relatives are actually respectable members of society."

   "But...why would they want to protect me?"

   Hikaru scratched his head. "Because you are THE descendant to Lady Raito. She's probably your great-great-great-great-grandmother or something like that. You have the most power out of all of us. If you train your Shimmerer skills right, you'll be an even greater Shimmerer than Hanako-sama!"

   "Who's that?"

   "Your great-aunt twice removed." Motoko-obachan said breezily.

   "If I become a great Shimmerer, than what?" I was still really confused. I felt light-headed and dizzy, almost intoxicated, from when Hikaru held my hand.

   "You can rule above the vampires." Hikaru said simply.

   "Excuse me?"

   "Shimmering gives you power that's beyond a vampire's." Jinki explained to me, smiling gently at me. "If you can believe it, there's more than just vampires and Shimmerers and Dhampirs out there. There's plenty of fearsome beasts that you thought were just myths and legends."

   "Remember, Mio-sama, myths and legends are always based on facts." Taemin announced.

   "Apparently, the best Shimmerers can use their powers as a weapon. Controlling the aura around them, they can make things out of nothing. They can control the aura and Shimmer of natural elements." Jinki said.

   Hikaru cut in and added, "There were stories that Lady Raito could control all the elements perfectly. For example, by controlling the aura and Shimmer of a peaceful candle flame, she can make it rage into a blazing inferno. She can control the aura and Shimmer of a tsunami tidal wave to calm it down into a small ebb of the tide as well."

   "I see..." I whispered, fascinated. "And you think I can do that?"

   "If you're trained well enough." Hikaru said, snorting. "You can't even use the Shimmer by yourself, so I doubt it."

   I glared at him, disappointed in myself, and my butlers bared their fangs and growled at Hikaru.

   "We have arrived at the Special Vampire Academy boarding school, Suka-sama." The driver announced.

   Motoko-obachan waved at me, winking. "Have fun, Mio-chan."

   "She needs to stop messing with people's lives." I grumbled as I climbed up the marble stone steps. As usual, I was harassed by my butlers who insisted on holding my hand, helping me, assisting me, carrying me, etc. Hikaru watched and snickered.

   I was already feeling close to Hikaru. I had a sibling this entire time and I never even knew it! And he's a hot half-vampire to boot! Wait until Koko hears about this...

   "KOKO!" I shrieked, shocking my butlers and half-brother.

   I broke into sobs. "Koko...I haven't even called or emailed her yet!" I whimpered. There was so much to tell her now, but what can I say?

   "Mio-sama, who's Koko?" Jinki asked me, worried.

   "My best friend, Akabara Koko!" I wailed. "She's still stuck in Tokyo in an orphanage while I'm living in a high-class boarding school wearing brand-name clothes and having decent meals for the first time in my life! I'm so selfish! I haven't even thought about her until now!" I started crying, hot tears falling down my cheeks.

   Jinki nodded to Taemin, who whipped out a silver cell phone and pressed a button. He started speaking really fast in some sort of weird language I knew was neither Japanese nor Korean. He hung up and smiled at me. "I just called Suka-sama, who's calling Tokyo. Your friend Akabara-sama will arrive in the airport by tomorrow morning."

   "Huh?" I sniffed.

   "Why didn't you say so before, Mio-sama?" Jonghyun said gently, my hair gently in an effort to calm me down. "Suka-sama is already looking at the adoption papers."

   "She's just going to adopt Koko?" I asked. "Just like that?"

   "If you're as rich as that old hag, you can." Hikaru said, grinning at me.

   "Then that means...Koko is going to be my sister!" I felt happy, so happy, happier than anything I have ever  felt before. After years of wishing to be adopted by the same parents, or to be born as siters, our dream was finally coming true.

   "Come on, Mio-sama," Kibum gestured, staring pointedly at my dirty uniform and wrinkling his nose in disgust. "You need to change in better clothes before we go to the airport. And a hot shower can help."

   There was a flurry of movement, and suddenly Lee Eun Ha was standing before us. "Where were you guys?" She demanded. "I woke up and you all disappeared! I've been worried sick! Mio, what happened to you? You have dried blood all over your face, and your nose...!"

   I held up my hands. "Taemin, explain to your unnie, please. I'm too tired right now."

   Eun Ha noticed Hikaru. "Who's this?"

   I collapsed from my exhaustion, and Jinki caught me in his arms. He hoisted me up as easily as if I was a sack of potatoes, and started walking up the steps. "Sleep, Mio-sama." He whispered. "We'll wake you up in time to go to the airport for Akabara Koko-sama. And don't forget you'll have to deal with Moon Youngha sooner or later again. Sleep. Tomorrow will be the start of a new day, new adventures. Sleep."

   Hikaru smiled at Eun Ha and followed after. Eun Ha looked confused.

   "Taemin...what happened?"

   Taemin grinned wearily. "Well, it started like this, Eun Ha nuna..."