Just when I thought the trail had gone cold, I found another piece of the story in my grandmother’s belongings. Three pieces, actually. Among all of her old photo albums, there was a nearly empty scrapbook. Only the first few pages had anything on them, and I nearly threw it away without recognizing it. Thankfully, something stopped me, and I looked closer. Previously, Elspeth mentioned ‘not letting her siblings win’, and I had no idea what she was talking about. I think I found my answer. At first glance, the first page of this scrapbook appeared to be another diary entry from Elspeth, but the handwriting didn’t match. After reading it, I realized that it’s from the journal of her sister, Caroline.

January 2

My apologies for not writing here more frequently. My habit of journaling daily seems to have lapsed, but I have a feeling it’s going to return shortly. It’s been over a month since I wrote, and I don’t even know where to begin. I suppose with the most obvious news: my birth parents have died. I never knew them, of course, and I love my adoptive parents dearly, but I can’t help but feel a sense of melancholy. All my life, I’ve known nothing about them, which perhaps made it easier to envision them as anything I wanted them to be.

Yesterday was the reading of the will. I was surprised at that, that they would leave anything to the children they barely even knew. I was even more surprised at being summoned to Chicago for the reading – my birth parents were Americans? Did that make me an American? God forbid. At any rate, my parents – the real ones, no less so for being adoptive – were supportive of me attending, and so here I am.

I will not lie, I was incredibly anxious about seeing my siblings again. Two years have passed since we last met, and if you recall, we did not exactly get along. That alone would be reason enough to be nervous, but obviously other things have changed since then as well. When I first met my siblings, they still knew me as their brother, Charles. When I made my true gender known to my close friends and family, I saw no reason to include them – we had agreed that it was best for us not to meet again. It was too awkward, too strange for all of us. I was worried that this meeting, with the surprise appearance of a sister and not a brother, would be even worse.

Thankfully, my worries were for naught. Although they were surprised, certainly, neither of them were outraged or disgusted, as others have been. Things were still tense, but for other reasons. You see, the contents of the will were very unusual. I imagine that each of us was expecting money, or property, or land – the types of things one usually inherits from deceased parents. Instead, we received a challenge.

When the lawyer read out the terms of the will, I don’t believe any of us understood at first. I was the first to overcome my surprise to speak. “You want us to travel around the world?”

“Yes,” the lawyer confirmed.

“And collect ancient artifacts.”

“Both ancient and modern, but yes.”

“In order to… become the leader of your… organization.”

“The Crossing, yes. I’m glad you understand.”

“I don’t understand at all,” I said, only realizing belatedly that Elspeth and Richard had said the same thing in unison. After our many differences, perhaps we are related after all. Elspeth then asked why we should do this, or what proof we had that it was real. She made a good point; what if this was all some trick?

I don’t know how to explain what the lawyer did, and I doubt you will believe me when I tell you. But it appeared that he snapped his fingers – and a flame popped into life between them. I know what you’re thinking, this could all be some sleight-of-hand, some magic trick, but I know what I saw. I’ve seen the magicians and performers of London, and none of them have ever done anything so real. He continued talking for a while, telling us exactly why we should accept this challenge. I was only half-listening, still staring at the tiny, but undoubtedly real fire in his hand. I knew, the second I saw it, that I had to have that power. It’s all the proof I needed. I don’t just mean the power of what appears to be magic – if there is indeed some powerful organization, some ‘secret society’ (as ridiculous as it sounds even now), I want in. And the chance to be the leader of it… well, my reaction goes without saying.

I’m sure that sounds terrible to you; it must make me seem like a bad person. But you must understand, I don’t want the power for the sake of power alone. Imagine the good I could do with that kind of influence. And imagine the ill that could be done with it if it fell into the wrong hands. I don’t wish to say that my siblings are ‘the wrong hands’, but I know I could make better use of it than they could. Perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself; we’ve only just begun, after all.

While I was thinking, Elspeth and Richard had apparently already agreed to the terms of the will and were now looking expectantly at me. I nodded my head to the lawyer, and he passed me a paper and pen with which to sign my name. I paused, desperately hoping that we weren’t making some deal with the devil, but signed nonetheless. The opportunity was too big to pass up. After we had all signed, the lawyer passed each of us a list, neatly written in plain black ink. It was a list of the artifacts we are to try to collect. Some things were familiar, some were not, but suddenly the task felt much more daunting. The list was long, and some of these objects would no doubt be well guarded. I looked to the side to see how my siblings were reacting, and my resolve strengthened again.

It is now the next day, and our quest has officially begun. We have three years to gather these artifacts before reconvening in London to determine the winner. I admit that I’m glad this contest will end in my home city; the thought of returning is already a comfort. But I have no idea where to begin, and something tells me it will be a long three years before I see my home again.

I don’t know what to think about all that. It sounds preposterous, like a ridiculous hoax to trick gullible people like me. But I’m not so sure. There’s something about it that… feels like the truth; I don’t know any other way to explain it. The next page in the scrapbook looks like another piece of Elspeth’s diary, from the same day as Caroline’s.

January 2

Chicago, Illinois

You are not going to believe me when I tell you what happened yesterday. I can hardly believe it myself. When I last wrote, I was en route to Chicago for the reading of my birth parents’ will. New York to Chicago is not a short voyage by any means, but it was at least a pleasant train trip. I didn’t know what to expect from seeing my brothers again. I certainly did not expect to discover that I actually only have one brother, and a sister. Charles now chooses to go by Caroline, and I hate to say it, but she has a better fashion sense than I do. Perhaps that’s just the London style (I shouldn’t concern myself with such things, but lately mother has been telling me to act more ladylike, so that’s been at the front of my mind). It might seem like that discovery would be the most momentous aspect of a will-reading, but that was hardly the case.

I was the last to arrive to the lawyer’s office, and once I was settled, he seemed anxious to begin. He informed us first that our birth parents were the leaders of an organization called The Crossing. He looked at us expectantly, clearly waiting for some kind of reaction, but none of us had ever heard of it before. He continued, explaining that The Crossing is a kind of society of intellectuals, people who choose to influence from behind the scenes, rather than being public figures. This made sense to me theoretically, even if it did seem a little… suspicious. People have been claiming for ages that some secret society has been running the world for decades, so perhaps they’re more astute than I’ve given them credit for. He continued that all three of us had been named as heirs to The Crossing, but that there are conditions that must be met.

The will proposed a contest between us, to see who is the most capable of leading. We are to explore the world, collecting strange or powerful objects, and bring them back to London for The Crossing in three years’ time. I admit, I was incredulous as this information was revealed to us, and evidently my siblings were as well. I asked to read the will for myself, and the lawyer obliged, passing the document to me. It did confirm what he had been telling us, but it still seemed unbelievable. I asked, “Why should we just go along with this? How do we know this is even real?” I don’t even want to tell you what he did to provide evidence; I know it’s impossible. But for all the world, it appeared that he created fire out of nowhere in his hand, and was not burned. There must be some rational explanation, some science behind it, something I simply haven’t learned yet. I swear that I will find out.

Even though I do not understand what he did, it provided enough evidence to me that The Crossing must exist – what better explanation for something seemingly beyond belief than a group of learned individuals challenging the boundaries of knowledge? I care little for the idea of influencing the realms of politics, economics, or what-have-you, but the idea of learning from these people was more than enough to tempt me. When the lawyer placed a contract before us, binding us to the rules of this game, it took only a moment’s thought to sign it. After all, I have just finished university, but I feel that there’s too much to learn in this world that formal education could not teach me. Perhaps this is one possible path to learning more.

Richard and Cha Caroline also signed the contract, and without further ado, we were dismissed. The lawyer handed us each a small booklet, containing some checks made out to us for funds, passports, maps, instructions, and most interestingly – a list of the items we are to collect. I won’t get into the details now, but it’s a fascinating curation of artifacts, and I’m still trying to find the common thread in all of them, the theme of what we are to gather. Immediately, my head was spinning with plans and schemes for how to proceed. What would be the most efficient means of travel? Would I travel alone or find a companion? Which items would be the easiest or most difficult to obtain? All questions I’ll have to answer in due time. Right away, I know what my first stop is – the library.

The lawyer left the room, and my siblings and I sat there for only a moment more, unsure of what to say to each other. Richard was the first to stand up, as he said, “Well, best of luck to you, ladies. I’m not about to waste a second of our time!” And with that, he rushed out the door. Caroline then excused herself, but paused before she left. She quietly thanked me for understanding, and then went on her way. I do not know what she’s been through these last two years, but it cannot have been easy for her. Richard, at least, is unchanged, always hasty and daring. I was the last to leave, and as I stepped out into the cold, windy city, I wondered if maybe we were all making a terrible mistake as we embark on this journey.

Reading Elspeth’s account of what happened makes her actions in the previous diary entries I’d discovered make more sense, I think. This all still seems impossible, but strangely, I feel like I trust her. And who knows, maybe she really did find a plausible explanation for all this, and I just haven’t found it yet. The third page in the scrapbook is from Richard, again, giving his account of what happened that day.

January 1

What a day! Not only is it a new year, but I was able to see my sisters again today. Yes, sisters, plural. Charles has apparently decided that he’s actually Caroline, so all the more power to him, I suppose. It’s been over two years since we last saw each other, and sure, we didn’t get along so well then, but that doesn’t negate the fact that we’re family. They weren’t exactly what I would call thrilled to see each other again, but since I was the one who tried to bring us together in the first place, perhaps it makes sense that I was the only one who was glad of it.

It’s a shame that we had to meet again in such sad circumstances. I do wish I had been able to meet our parents while they were still alive. I don’t like to let things hang over me, but I truly regret never meeting them. Perhaps that’s for the best, though, as today’s reading of the will gave us a better sense of who they were, I think. Instead of leaving us any of the traditional things (money, houses, family heirlooms, blood oaths), we’re getting something different. Although, I suppose the deathbed conferral of family secrets is a tradition in and of itself.

It turns out, our parents were the leaders of a secret society called The Crossing, which has been pulling the strings of the world like a marionette (I knew it!). I’ll admit, that’s a little different from how I’d always imagined them. What’s more, they named their three children as the successors of the society. Sounds great, right? But there’s a catch. We have to go around and collect things from all over the world, and bring them back for The Crossing. We have three years to get as many items as we can from the list we’ve been given. Whoever gets the most wins, like a big scavenger hunt. A really big scavenger hunt.

I’ll tell you, I don’t feel like this is much of a catch. One of us gets to be the leader of a massive, powerful organization, but only after we have a great adventure for three years? Very well then, sign me up! I’ve always said I wanted to travel more from my little corner of the outback, and if this isn’t the perfect excuse, I don’t know what is. Even if this all turns out to be a fraud, what’s the harm? A little adventure never hurt anybody. I’ll admit I had some questions, maybe some confusion, but I was basically ready to go. Caroline and Elspeth asked any questions that I might have had, and I thought we were all set, so imagine my surprise when this lawyer snaps his fingers and poof! Smoke and fire, coming right out of his hand. If I wasn’t already sold, I would be then, and I could tell my sisters felt the same.

I was the first to grab the pen when he gave us the contract to sign, then Elspeth, then Caroline. I guess they were a little more hesitant than me, they wanted to give it a little more thought. But they both signed, and we’re all in this now. I wonder if we’ll run into each other any time in the next three years – after all, the world is only so big, right? And if we’re all going after the same things, it’s bound to happen. I’ll tell you, I’m not ashamed if I lose to them. They’re smart, and ambitious, and of course, a little bit older than me. I think any of the three of us would make fine leaders. I’m here to play the game, and take this adventure as it comes.

Now, I’m not saying I don’t want to win, of course; who doesn’t want to win? And you know I’m not going to make it easy on them. But our parents wanted us to do this for a reason, and if they were really the leaders of this whole worldwide society, I’m willing to bet they don’t do anything for just one reason. Sure, they want to see which of us is the most capable, but there’s ways to do that besides this little game. I’m thinking it’s going to be a whole ordeal. Our parents never even knew us besides a few minutes when we were babies. How could they possibly know that any of us are fit for this kind of role? I’m thinking this whole plot is their way of turning us into people who can lead. Of course, maybe I’m wrong, and they just want us to have some fun before taking on a whole lot of responsibility. You never know. I’m going to have fun either way.

So, after wishing my sisters good luck, I hopped out of there, looked up the first item on the list, and booked a ticket straightaway. I’m writing this from the train station now, ready to make my way to the East Coast, and from there? Next stop: the beautiful Mediterranean Sea!

So, that’s everything that was in the scrapbook. I looked at all the other pages, they’re all blank. Maybe grandmother intended to collect these pieces of the story here, but never got around to it. In any case, I think that’s exactly what I’ll do. I’ve taken the section of Elspeth’s diary I found before and pinned it in here. Anything else I might find, it’ll go in the book. And I do hope I find some more, because I’ve got more questions now than I started with.