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"Well?" Star asked

"It's adoption papers," she said.

"Well, there's no surprise there. We know Cat was adopted, right?" Star asked.

"Right," I said.

"This is a surprise," Jade said, nodding her head. She turned the papers our way. "They're not Cat's adoption papers."

"Huh?" Star said.

"They're Geraldine's. According to this, Cat, she isn't even your half sister. Your mother adopted her."

"What?"

Jade continued to read.

"She was adopted here in California." She looked up at me. "It's official. She's not really related to you."

"Good," Star said quickly. "She's better off not having even the slightest blood tie to that witch. You're okay with it, right, Cat?" she said, putting her arm around me.

I didn't know what to say. All these surprises stunned me. I felt like I was being turned around and around by each different discovery until the whole world was topsy- turvy.

"I don't understand. It has to be some sort of mistake or confusion. Someone put the wrong name on the papers. It should have been my name"

Star glanced at the papers and handed them to me.

"Read it for yourself. It's stamped and signed and her name and the date are in a number of places. No one made any mistakes."

I studied the document. It was true.

"She never even... suggested such a thing," I muttered. "No one did."

"And there's nothing in the letters you've read yet that suggests it either," Misty added.

I looked at her and nodded.

"Maybe it's coming up in the ones that remain," Jade said softly. She stood up. "It doesn't really matter all that much anymore anyway," she said. "She's gone. You've got to put the whole ugly past behind you."

"I never saw any resemblances between the two of you anyway," Star said.

"Oh, my God," Misty cried, her eyes wider. We looked at each other. "She could have married Alden. He wasn't really her uncle. No wonder she was so upset about it."

"Yes," I said. "Yes." So much was beginning to make sense to me now.

"Here's the money," Jade said, handing it to me, "and your mother's jewelry. You might as well keep it in your own room now." She closed the safe and locked it again.

I took it all and gazed at the documents and then I left the closet and sat on the naked mattress. They all came out and stood before me, waiting. I glanced at the pile of sexy clothing and then at them.

"I never knew anyone, I guess. No one was who they were supposed to be. Everyone lied."

"It's been the same for us," Jade pointed out. "The only difference is it's stopped for you." She looked at Star and Misty. "Not for us."

Everyone was quiet, lost for a few moments in her own dark thoughts. Star was the first to emerge, and as usual, channeled her anger into energy.

"Are we going to paint this place or just sit around moaning and groaning about ourselves? I thought we didn't need anyone else anyway."

"Right," Misty said.