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REVV

T wo days later…

New Zealand is chilly this time of year.

I shiver as I wait on Lillian’s doorstep. Lillian is Daddy’s aunt.

Lillian is not expecting me.

The door slowly creaks open, revealing Lillian, leaning on her pretty cane made from marbled wood. Her short, white hair is curled like a halo on her head. It makes her seem a little magical.

“Good morning, Revv. What a pleasant surprise. I didn’t know Chris was planning a trip to New Zealand,” she says.

“Um, I’m here by myself.”

She glances down at my little baby bump. “Well, it’s lovely to see you. Would you like to come in?”

“No, I just need you to point me in the direction of where Chris found his pebbles, and I can be on my way.” Daddy’s told me the story of his lost pebbles many times, and he often mentioned his sweet aunt who comforted him after he had to bury most of them. She’s his only living relative in New Zealand. She never wanted a mate or children of her own.

“Does Chris know you’re here?” she asks.

“Not exactly.” Last week Daddy said I wasn’t allowed to travel anymore because I’m too late in my pregnancy, so I didn’t tell him.

She considers me for a long moment. “Okay. I’ll take you to the beach where most alpha fairy penguin shifters find their pebbles.”

“Is that where he found his?” It’s important that I go to the right beach. Otherwise, this is all for naught.

“If my memory is correct, yes. But it’s been a long time. I can’t be sure.”

I bite my lip. What if she takes me to the wrong place? I suppose I could call Daddy now that I’m here. He wouldn’t expect me to just go home after coming all this way, would he?

Lillian shifts her weight, leaning onto her cane. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Okay.”

“Is there a place where you think Chris’s pebbles belong?”

I think about that for a moment. Technically, yes. The pebbles belong near me, but it isn’t that simple. The pebbles are lost. That means they can’t be near me unless I go to them. That’s why I’m here.

“I belong by the pebbles,” I try to explain. “If you can just take me to the place where they were lost, I can know where to send the bed.”

“The bed?”

I nod. “I’m going to get it delivered to the exact location where the pebbles were lost. That’s where I need to sleep.”

She gives me a knowing smile. “I see. Let me make a quick phone call, and we can be on our way.”