Chapter 20:  The days to come

***

Time flowed normally after the events of that day.  There was quite a bit of mourning, and a lot of questions, but other than that, nothing really major happened.

Well, except for one thing, though that was always inevitable.

School started up about three weeks later.  Phineas and the others were starting middle school, Candace and Stacy were entering their sophomore year of high school, and they had a new colleague in Ava.

Phineas eventually learned to except darkness in all forms, as well, and got over Ava's secret of being part of the dark.

But, the strangest thing was the girl that came to live with Vivian a few days after Isabella's death.

She never introduced herself, or even came outside.  The most anyone had ever seen of her was when she first came to Danville, and that was only the back of her.  Seeing as how she had no furniture with her, it seemed that Vivian had been expecting her for a while.

However, Isabella had never mentioned a new house guest to anybody.  It seemed that the girl was entirely wrapped in secrets.

Then, the first day of school came, and everybody started to get used to waking up early in the morning because of it.

At the bus stop, Phineas thought he saw Isabella standing across the street.  He dismissed it as just a figment of his overtired mind.  He hadn't been able to sleep that night, because Isabella's ribbon had actually burned him slightly.  He wasn't sure why, but he knew it wasn't a good sign.

What made it even worse was in homeroom, in the desk next to him was the girl who was living with Vivian.  Her name was Xella Garcia-Shapiro, and she had been Isabella's cousin, until her mother died.  Vivian took her in and gave Xella her family name, even.

Her aura was the exact same as Isabella's.