Leanna had already retired to sleep and Vlad was catching up on the latest book on one of his preferred series when his phone started to ring.
Checking it, he realized the number was unfamiliar.
“Hello,” he answered carefully, without telling the caller his name. One never knew who could be calling at this time of night.
“Dad? Is that you?”
“Arya!? he recognized his daughter’s voice.
“Dad, there’s been a breach,” her voice sounded strained. “We’re…”
Static filled the line and Vlad felt his breath catch in his throat. What was happening with his daughter? He wanted to yell into the phone, but a small voice in the back of his mind was telling him to be careful.
He continued listening, eager for any tidbit of information. The line wasn’t dead yet, just filled with a lot of noise, and he thought he could make out voices on the other side of the line.
More noise, some sort of a scuffle, another noise that sounded like pipes? Someone running, someone shouting, although he couldn’t make out what they were saying.
He could however make out the voices of the twins at some point.
Eventually, the weird noises subsided and he could clearly make out the sound of his kids talking to one another, albeit in hushed tones.
“Think we’ve lost them?” Marius whispered.
“Can’t be sure,” Arya responded. “Damn, how did they even find this place?”
“Elvira, am I right?” Marius groaned.
“Kids? Can you hear me?” Vladimir called out carefully.
“Dad! You’re still on? We’re fine,” Arya sounded out of breath, which was rare for vampires.
Didn’t sound like she was fine, but it wasn’t like he could help from where he was.
“Dad, I’ll make it short,” Marius grabbed the phone. “We just had to evacuate the place we were hiding in. Don’t worry, the others are fine. We’ll be in contact soon. Promise.”
“Wait!” he heard Arya start to say something, but the call ended before she could finish it.
The phone call woke up Leanna, who emerged from the bedroom to see her husband looking at the phone with a concerned expression on his face. Seeing her approach, he tried to smile and pretend that all was fine, but it wasn’t that easy to fool her.
“The kids?”
“Yeah,” he knew it was useless to lie. “Arya and Marius. Their hideout was invaded, but they ran for it. They say they and the others are ok, but how ok can they be?”
“We should’ve stayed together,” she shook her head. “A divided front is always easy to take down and that’s what we created by coming here without them.”
“We didn’t have much choice,” he groaned.
“I know, but the facts are what they are.”
“What do we do? Perhaps we should go there?” he asked. He hated feeling useless and having to scram from Bridgeport the way they did, he felt exactly that.
“Absolutely not,” Leanna put her foot down. “I’m just as worried as you are, dear. But I think, unless we learn otherwise, we need to trust them to take care of themselves. We’ve raised those kids well. They’re not stupid and they know the current situation in Bridgeport better than we do. By going there now, we could make things worse.”
Terra was usually a positively-minded person when it came to the daily grind of life. This was why she didn’t complain when her work called her in extra early today, even though she and Matthew only arrived back in Moonlight Falls in the middle of the night.
And now she had to stop by the grocery store, because one of her wonderful coworkers ate the last of the snacks she kept for herself in their communal cupboard… really, if they were so hungry, they only had to ask. Terra always let people have her food. But taking it while she was away did not strike her as a polite thing to do.
And then there was her mother calling nonstop since they’ve landed. One would think a woman in her line of work would understand that sometimes, one did not need to constantly be called at work.
“Yes, Mom,” Terra answered the call trying not to let the exasperation seep into her voice. “Yes, I know. I told you, we’ll stop by as soon as possible. See you.”
She hung up before Sylvia could go on another tirade. Really, she had no idea they’ve planted anything out of the ordinary in their garden. It wasn’t like she had specifically set out to turn her brother and friend into teen parents.
Coming out of the store, she found herself face to face with the last person she wanted to deal with today.
Terra was in no mood for any sort of altercation with Elspeth, but the moment she passed by the young woman, Elspeth twisted herself away from Terra like she was afraid to get burned.
“Stay away from me,” she spat. “Both you and that whole crazy family of yours.”
“What?” Terra stopped in her tracks.
“You’ve heard me. Keep moving. And if you decide to follow your dear mother footsteps, I will call the cops on you.”
“What are you on about?”
“Only about the fact that your mother should keep her hands to herself next time she sees me,” Elspeth hissed. “I don’t know where the hell all of you are from, but normal people don’t get into fights because they don’t like what they hear.”
Terra studied Elspeth’s face and came to the conclusion that the girl wasn’t bluffing. She was seriously kind of scared of her mother.
What the hell?! Terra told her to leave Elspeth be! She told Sylvia there was zero reason for her to get involved in this situation! And she did this?
“Rest assured, my mother won’t be bothering you anymore,” was all she could squeeze out of herself as she left Elspeth behind and headed for her car. Was Sylvia’s intention to stake out some sort of a position for their family by getting into a physical fight with someone her kids’ age? Because all Terra could feel now was extreme secondhand embarrassment.
Matthew and Bartholomew were waiting at home for their trip to the parents’ house, neither one happy at the prospect of getting chewed out.
They both heard Terra drive up to the house, and from the sound of her stomping up the stairs, she was not in a good mood.
She was only able to say “Hello” to them both when her phone rang again. She answered it with an angry smile.
“Yes, Mom. We’re on the way. I’m really looking forward to having that talk with you.”
“You are?” he asked once she ended the call.
“Oh, quite so. But don’t worry, she won’t be the one doing the chewing out. Let me talk to her one-on-one when we get there, will you?”
Sylvia was upstairs when they’ve arrived and Laurel needed help with an assignment, which Matthew was easily able to help her with. By the time Sylvia came down, Terra was already waiting for her.
“Hi Mom. You wanted to talk. Well, I’m here.”
“And Matthew?”
“Helping Laurel with her homework.”
“He might as well. You two and your gardening experiments are why she and your brother are parents now. A little warning would’ve been nice, you know.”
“Yeah, well, your call took me by surprise as well. We had no idea there was anything out of the ordinary in our garden – Barthy would’ve smelled the kid, but the other plants covered up the scent,” Terra told her. “But you have another grandkid now. I thought you’d be happier about this.”
“I’m not unhappy,” Sylvia told her. “But you should be more careful with what you plant. At least, it’s only a baby this time. Who knows what next time might bring? I wouldn’t want you to get attacked by some kind of giant Venus fly trap!”
“We won’t, Mom. If anything, it could’ve been my kid now instead of Xanders, so I should be complaining,” Terra told her. “But enough about that. Is there anything you want to tell me?”
“About what?”
“Oh, you know, about life here in Moonlight Falls. Your interactions with people. How you get on with the locals? No?”
“I get on with everyone just fine,” Sylvia chuckled.
“With everyone? Even the Aleisters? All of them?” Terra looked her mother right in the eye. “All of your interactions have been nice and peaceful?”
“What are you trying to say, Terra?” Sylvia didn’t even bat an eye.
“I’m trying to give you the chance to admit you had a fight with Elspeth, Mom,” Terra rolled her eyes. “Seriously? This is where we are now? You get into fights with teenagers?”
“She’s not a teenager,” Sylvia argued. “And someone needed to teach her a lesson.”
“After I specifically told you to leave her be? When did it even happen?”
Sylvia’s sheepish expression told her all she needed to know.
“No, Mom, seriously, no! This is not ok!”
“Her parents clearly didn’t teach her any manners. The fact that she would talk to a woman my age the way she did-”
“Stop!” Terra told her. “First off, since when do you make such a big deal of how old you are? Second, how would you feel if someone beat me up because they didn’t like how I talk to them? Because this girl and I are the same age.”
“You wouldn’t talk to someone that way.”
“You don’t know that! There are plenty of people out there who have reason to dislike me. Besides, that’s not the issue here. Matthew and I were the ones who had an issue with Elspeth. We’ve dealt with it. Why did you get involved in it? Do you think I’m not capable of settling my own problems?”
“I never said that!” Sylvia defended herself.
“No, but your actions did. And I may not like Elspeth much, but I don’t want her to be terrified of my mother. Come on! Don’t make it so I can’t tell you anything at all.”
“You didn’t even tell me about those pictures she sent – I had to find out from Monica.”
“Exactly.”
“Terra, honey…” Sylvia found herself in an uncomfortable position. She truly had not expected her short interaction with Elspeth to have this sort of an effect on her relationship with her daughter. She wondered if saying she was sick and annoyed that day would change Terra’s opinion on what happened. She suspected it would not. Finally, she settled on the only safe thing to say. “I’m sorry. I’ve overstepped my bounds.”
“Yeah,” Terra nodded.
“I’m not going to make any promises I can’t keep, but I will try my best to make sure that does not happen again,” Sylvia told her.
“Ok.”
Terra took a deep breath, trying to calm down. This was only in part about Elspeth. In truth, her mother’s behavior worried her. Terra had trouble wrapping her head around the fact that a professional thief with years of experience would get into a public fight with someone due to being annoyed. Where was her common sense? Her evaluation of which situation actually called for conflict?
“Mom? Are you ok?” she asked. “Have you been feeling, I don’t know, burnt out or tired lately?”
“Are you trying to figure out if I’ve gone loony?” Sylvia smiled. “Don’t worry, I haven’t. But thanks for the concern. I will admit, there have been a lot of things to get used to. Witches, werewolves, dryads, vampires… speaking of the later, J.T? Your father and I got a call from her, but we didn’t talk long. Is she legit? The real deal?”
“As real as can be,” Terra assured her. “She wasn’t awfully eager to get involved with the Coven stuff, however. Her daughter and boyfriend rather had to convince her.”
“Can’t blame her,” Sylvia snorted. “This group sounds like a right mess. But she’s with us?”
“As far as I can tell.”
“Good.”
While the mother and daughter were hashing things out, Matthew caught up with Laurel.
“How have you two been adjusting to the kid?” he asked, feeling awkward about the situation.
“Pretty alright, actually. She’s generally really chill. She mostly just sleeps all the time. Way different from Collin and Circe.”
“Yeah, must’ve been a shock, though. I swear we didn’t know when we asked you to house-sit!”
“Hey, we thought you didn’t,” Laurel reassured him. “I’m not complaining. I adore the little one. Would you two like to see her?”
“This is her. Would you like to hold her?” Laurel led them upstairs.
“Yes, thank you,” Terra picked up the infant, who was still sleepy after her nap. “Aw, she’s a sweetheart.”
“She does have that effect on people,” Laurel agreed.
“And you’re coo with this?” Terra made sure.
“Honestly, yeah. Before we realized she was really ours I thought her parents were going to show up and we would’ve had to give her away. I’m glad that won’t be happening,” Laurel laughed.
“That’s good to know. Well, I think she’s sleepy again,” Terra turned to carefully put the kid back. Turning back to her friend, she told her, “Please let us know if you need any help. I can babysit if needed.”
“Same,” Matthew added.
“Thanks, you two. We’ll definitely take you up on this offer sometime.”
Stopping by for some sweets after that visit. Some days just call for a little sugar.
“How are you feeling?” he asked after they finished their desserts.
“You mean about the baby? Strangely ok,” Terra admitted. “Fleur is absolutely adorable and I’m going to spoil her rotten every chance I get, but I didn’t feel about her the same way I did with Anthony.”
“Do you think it’s because she came from the garden?” Matt asked.
“Nah. I think it’s because Anthony is my twin’s kid. Which is an interesting point to consider.”
“Did you and Sylvia talk things out? Is she still angry at us?”
“No, she now realizes I’m still mad at her about her fight with Elspeth.”
“They yelled at each other?”
“They had a physical fight,” Terra told him. “Yeah, I know…”
“Your mother sure is something,” he exclaimed.
“That’s one way to put it. But she promised she won’t do anything like it again. Let’s see if she means it.”
“I don’t know, I don’t know. I think it’s kind of useful to have a relative like this. Someone who would literally fight an enemy for you,” he laughed. “Besides, I’m sure the girl provoked her. And considering the sorts of people the world contains, with evil vampires and necromancers only being part of it, it’s a good thing Elspeth learned that lesson with someone who only beat her up and didn’t do something worse.”
“That’s an interesting way to think about. Just don’t tell this to Mom – she might bill her for a lesson.”
Unwinding from a stressful day in a loud and potentially dangerous way.
At least, they’re doing it far from other houses and things that can go on fire.
While Terra was at work the next day, Matt took some of their produce into town to sell it. After he quit working at Aleister’s, it turned out there was quite the demand for good produce in Moonlight Falls and the two of them were only too happy to provide.
Walking through the park, he was surprised but glad to see a familiar face.
“Yo! Wade! You’re here?”
“Been here for several weeks now,” the young man laughed. “As soon as things calmed down in the city, I wanted to come here. But you know how I am. I couldn’t leave until I knew I did all I could to help out.”
“So the new school’s coming along?”
“Oh yeah! It’s looking good already. And so are you, man! You’re pretty much glowing. Life here’s treating you well, I see?”
“Not too shabby, I’d say. You look rather happy yourself,” Matt laughed. “Are you and Carly?”
“Official. Finally. I guess, with all the craziness going on at the school this winter, we’ve both decided life’s too short and unpredictable to beat around the bush.”
“I can strongly agree with this,” Matt nodded.
“No kidding, you can!” Wade laughed. “You moved across the country to be with a girl. How’s Terra by the way? Heard you two live together now.”
“For nearly two months now,” Matt told him.
“At this rate, you two are going to be hitched the first out of our class.”
“Hitched, you say?” Matt considered his friend’s words. He liked the idea! “We’ll see!”
“Or who knows, maybe Julius and Leo are going to do it first? They’re living together now too. Or even Frankie and that girl I’ve been seeing him around the city with. No kidding, it seems our timid little Frankie really broke out of his shell this summer. Every time I saw him around in the city with her, they were like two lovebirds.”
“I’m truly happy for all of them,” Matthew told him, a little awkwardly. He knew Frankie was probably in the right to be upset with him, after he and Terra got together. But he wasn’t going to dwell on this for too long.
“Say, you two grow your own produce and herbs now, right?” Wade asked. “Friend to friend, do you think you could grow some stuff for me? Not for free, of course.”
“Yeah, of course!”
“Good, good. I tried to buy from the local potions shop, but it was a weird experience. I swear the shop girl hated my guts for showing up and buying from them. Like, what’s the deal with that? Don’t they want customers?”
“Oh boy! It’s that bad? Don’t worry, yeah, you can get everything you need from us. But man, do I feel bad for Jed…” Matthew shook his head. He understood what Jedediah was trying to do by putting his daughter to work, but at this rate, he won’t have a shop for much longer.
Coming home, Matt pondered the situation for some time. He really didn’t intend to steal business from Jed after quitting working for him. Really, he wished his former employer well, even if things went messy with his daughter. But now, with how things stood, Wade wasn’t the first person who asked to buy things from Matt.
He just hoped Jed won’t see this as an attack on his business.
“Hey, there you are!” Terra arrived from work and headed straight for the garden and for him. Pulling him into a hug, she told him, “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too,” he told her, studying her face.
Living together, he learned to notice some things about her that made him concerned. For one, Terra had a tendency to take just about anything in life in stride and with a smile, which some might have called a good quality. Some who didn’t actually care about her well-being, that is. But Matthew did care, so he wasn’t going to let her put on a happy mask.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing!” she hesitated. “What makes you think something’s wrong?”
The fact that she wanted a hug first right after coming home, without even stopping by for a snack or a drink. Another thing he had noticed about her: whenever Terra was feeling down, she looked for more physical affection, which made sense scientifically, since hugging released the happy hormone and cheered people up. But now that he thought of it, this has been happening frequently lately. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the extra affection, he did. He just didn’t like that she was so stressed out by something.
“Who messed up at work?” he asked.
“That obvious?” she asked. “Me. I think I did.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“You’ve messed up? No way,” he refused to believe it. “You’re always super professional in whatever you do.”
“Yeah, I may have been a little too professional since the first day I’ve worked there,” he sighed. “A little too hardworking.”
“Ah… I see,” he knew the situation too well.
“I just wanted to make a good impression,” she complained.
“And now they expect you to do your job, everyone else’s job, and anything else on top of it perfectly and take it all for granted, right?”
“How did you know?! Yes, that’s exactly it! Hey!”
“You’ve messed up? No way,” he refused to believe it. “You’re always super professional in whatever you do.”
“Yeah, I may have been a little too professional since the first day I’ve worked there,” he sighed. “A little too hardworking.”
“Ah… I see,” he knew the situation too well.
“I just wanted to make a good impression,” she complained.
“And now they expect you to do your job, everyone else’s job, and anything else on top of it perfectly and take it all for granted, right?”
“How did you know?! Yes, that’s exactly it! Hey!”
Without warning, he made them both fall down to the ground, with them ending up sitting next to their plants. The scents of the soil, dew, and ripe herbs and vegetables were even more overwhelming in this position, creating a grounding effect on both of them.
“I thought you would appreciate being closer to nature,” he joked.
“I do. I just don’t know what to do now,” she told him. “I liked working there so much when I started and now I’m just annoyed with my coworkers 24/7.”
“We weren’t planning to make these jobs permanent,” he reminded her. “They were just a way to make some cash until we returned to school. Unless you wanted to continue working there?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I wasn’t against it at first. I was always good at science at school and this seemed to place to put it all to use. But now…”
“You don’t have to stick with something just because you’re good at it. Especially if it makes you unhappy. Wasn’t that what you told me when I wanted to quit the potions shop?”
“I did, didn’t I?” she laughed. “I know I should quit while I can still do it in a friendly way. I just feel bad about it not working out. I wanted to do something that helps people and the science facility seemed to be a way to accomplish it.”
“There are plenty of other ways to help people,” he reminded her. “Without putting your own well-being last.”
“Feeling any better?” he asked when they finally came inside.
“I am. Thanks.” Something about spending time outside in their garden, just the two of them, always put her in a good mood. As did the fact that he was very receptive to all of her moods. “You’ve gotten really good at reading me lately.”
“Hmm. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” he leaned closer.
“I’m trying to decide,” she told him. It was a little weird. Usually, she was the one in her family who was super receptive to everyone’s moods. But now, someone was picking up on all of her habits. It was something to think about. “I’m not complaining though.”
“Oh, good. So, what are you doing tomorrow? Going in or what?”
“I’ll go in. I too prefer to resign in person. Besides, this way I could help you with the garden.”
“I would like that,” he cuddled closer, but the curiosity was bugging him. “So, what exactly did happen today, if you don’t mind telling me?”
“To be honest, I can barely understand it myself. I guess I just got angry at the idiocy of it all. This one guy, whose mistakes I’ve been correcting on the daily, is getting transferred – to the hospital of all places. He can barely tell one formula from another and this guy’s going into medicine. And they were all behaving like he’s actually smart, when half the time, other people have to hold his hand on the simplest of tasks. I think that’s what sent me over the edge.”
“Oh,” he understood. That wasn’t really surprising. Magical world or not, there were plenty of people everywhere who managed to do extremely well for themselves without any necessary skills to do so.
“I think I expected things to be different in Moonlight Falls, somehow. But then again, they aren’t in the Stoneshields, so why would they be different here?”
“Things like that happen everywhere,” he agreed. “It’s annoying, to say the least. Especially when mediocre idiots go into fields where skill and intelligence are needed, like medicine.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Terra nodded along. “So you understand why I was so irked.”
“Yeah, I do. You could do it better,” he told her.
“What exactly?”
“Medicine. With how diligent you are in everything, you totally have the right skills for being a doctor.”
“Matt…” No, she couldn’t, that was kind of the point. That was kind of why she was so annoyed by that guy getting to do what she wanted to do.
“What? Yes, I remember what you told me about that failed internship. But what if it was a one-off?” he asked. “I mean, you’ve been to hospitals before, right? And you’ve never had such bad reactions before or after, right? What if it was just nerves?”
“Nearly throwing up and getting shaky legs from just nerves?” she considered his words skeptically.
“It’s not impossible,” he nodded. “Did I ever tell you about our old neighbor?”
“Mom and I were next door neighbors with this nice older lady named Hilly,” he explained. “She and Mom were good friends and would always chat about life. Well, anyways, Hilly wanted to join the medical field, but her parents weren’t too keen on the idea. They thought she should dedicate her life to more feminine pursuits. Hilly, being the sort of person who would often argue a point just for the sake of arguing it, studied her ass off and got into a medical college.”
“Nice going, Hilly!” Terra approved.
“Absolutely. The problem was, the first time the students had to observe a surgery, she didn’t even make it to the operating room – she simply passed out and was lucky another student caught her before she hurt herself.”
“Bummer. I take it she didn’t quit, though?” Terra understood.
“Nope. That would’ve meant conceding that her parents were right. So she went out with her friends that night, got really drunk, and the next morning, right on the clock, she was at the hospital again, ready to give it another try. She spent the next 30 years working as an obstetrician, apparently one of the best in the city. She only retired so she could move closer to family. And there you have it.”
“So you’re saying I should try again.”
“I think you’ll regret it if you don’t. Especially because you still want to be a doctor.”
That evening, things were getting hectic at the Aramis-Sidheins household. Between the two of them, Barron and Sylvia have called in Sage and Iverson and were hoping things won’t go too explosively with them.
Then again, who knew? Maybe those two were used to garden-grown babies?
“I’m sorry I didn’t call to tell you the evening plans are off. We have a bit of a situation,” Sylvia apologized. They were supposed to discuss the oven issue tonight, but with everything, she has completely forgotten about that.
“That’s fine, life happens. What’s the issue, though?” Vladimir asked, surprised at how she was behaving.
“A surprise baby.”
“Ah, yeah!” he chuckled. “Then really, life happens.”
“Here she is.”
As soon as Sage and Iverson have arrived, they wanted to know what Sylvia was freaking out about. Somewhat to Sylvia’s relief, Sage was just as amazed about the baby. Iverson, as a doctor, was more curious than anything.
“And until you pulled her out, thinking the plant was a weed, you had no indication at all that it was a baby?” he asked. “How very curious!”
“Do you know of anything like this?” Sage asked him. “Maybe someone in your family does?”
“Because we’re green? No, I’m afraid we don’t. I would’ve known it. Where did those seeds come from, I wonder?”
“From the wild. Maybe from somewhere around the pond,” Vladimir chimed in. “I have a pretty good idea of what happened here. Your kids must’ve accidentally planted a Dryad spore. If they’ve been looking for wild seeds in the woods, it’s not completely unlikely. Just rare.”
“Wait, Dryad?” Jamel asked, remembering his mythology books. “Aren’t those mythical?”
“Aren’t vampires and witches?” Vlad winked. “I’ll be honest, however, they are quite rare these days. I doubt there are many out in the world. And not around here, to the best of my knowledge.”
“So, where are her parents?” Laurel asked.
“That would be whoever picked the plant,” he explained.
“We did,” Xander looked at Laurel. “We both did.”
“Then, you’re both her parents. I don’t know much about Dryads, but to the best of my knowledge, they take on the genetics of the person or people picking the plant.”
“So, we’re not going to have some displeased adult dryads on our doorstep demanding their baby back?” Sylvia asked.
“If you do, they’re scammers of some sort. Tell them to buzz off.”
“That’s a relief, I suppose,” Barron leaned back. “I guess it’s a good thing Terra and Bristol moved out, eh?”
“We’re gonna need an extra crib,” Sylvia agreed.
“You know, they seem to be naturals at this,” Barron told her as the teenagers cooed over the baby. “Remember how many times we’ve screwed up when Terra and Bristol were newborns?”
“Don’t remind me. They woulds start wailing like we were Enemy #1. You would think we were trying to harm them. But this little one is super calm. And you’re holding her well, kid.”
“Thanks, Mom. She’s pretty light.”
“For now,” Laurel smiled. “Collin keeps getting heavier by the hour.”
“Do you think they need any extra food?” Xander asked.
“No, but they need lots of sunlight and water,” Vlad chimed in. “And they are vampire-proof, if any of you worry about that – they basically smell like plants to us.”
“Interesting,” Sylvia consumed this piece of information. “So, what’s her name?”
“Uh, we don’t have one yet,” Xander admitted.
“Not like we’ve had nine months to chose one,” Laurel joked. “But we’ll pick something.”
“Thanks for sticking around and helping us figure it all out,” Sylvia told Vlad as the evening drew to a close. “Your knowledge was highly appreciated here.”
“I just told what I knew. Honestly, I’m excited to see where this kid goes. I’ve only known a couple of Dryads, but neither of them closely or so young. It’s kind of wild to me as well,” he admitted.
At the same time, Xander felt the need to apologize to Sage.
“We really weren’t planning to grow a baby, just so you know.”
“Oh, I know,” she reassured him. Truthfully, she was a bit surprised they haven’t made her a grandma yet in a more traditional way, considering their lifestyle.
“We weren’t planing to have a baby this young. Or at all, to be honest,” he admitted. It was true. They were thinking of living together, but just the two of them. Kids seemed like an extra add-on they didn’t need.
“At all?” Sage did want grandchildren, thank you very much.
“Or at least, not until we were way, way, way older.”
“Hey, Dad. Do you think it’s cool if I stick around here from now on? At least, until we can figure some way to properly live as a family?” Laurel approached Iverson.
“Like, here, at Barron’s house?”
“For now, yeah.”
“Considering the situation, I can’t really say no. But ask your Mom too.”
“Sure will. And just in case, I can come to you guys for advice, right? I have no clue what we’re doing here.”
“Join the club, kid, no one ever does. But of course, your mother and I will help you in any way necessary.”
“Thanks.”
“Alright, let’s get down to business,” Xander landed on the couch next to her. “Names.”
“I think we should stick to plant-themed ones,” she suggested. “There’s already kind of a theme going in my fam. All three of us, Mom, Grandma, and I have floral names. And with this little one…”
“Super fitting, yeah. How about Heather?”
“Like in the movie? Where they kill a bunch of people? Pass.”
“Poppy?”
“Isn’t that a type drug?” The kid seemed to agree, because she shifted in an unhappy manner.
“Clover? Willow? Holly?” Xander continued.
“Holly is nice, but sounds super religious. Willow makes me think of some model with unhealthy body issues, for some reason. Clover is nice though. Like a lucky clover,” she agreed, but the baby made a displeased cry at her words. “Or not. A picky little flower, we’ve got here, don’t you think?”
“Sure seems that way! Hey, how about it? Flower? Fleur?” Xander got an idea.
“You know what, not bad, not bad at all. What do you think little one?”
The baby laughed happily.
“Well, I guess we know what Fleur wants.”
The name was a result of a poll.
“Hello! We’re back!” Bristol announced as they came in. “Thanks for babysitting!”
It’s been some time since they got to properly relax since Anthony’s birth and they have finally managed to get a babysitter so they could spend some time out on the town.
Somehow, they didn’t think this girl was going to be working for them again, after she rushed straight out of the house the moment she was able to.
“Must’ve been the cold spots that got her,” Lakeisha chuckled. “Kind of silly, isn’t it? The ones she should be more afraid of are still very much alive and about.”
“People always fear what they don’t understand,” Bristol shrugged. “He seems happy.”
Anthony gurgled and tried to pull on his Mom’s hair to prove just that.
“He’s been fed, I see,” Lakeisha laughed. “Now he just wants to play.”
“Don’t we all?” her husband laughed. “Just wait until he’s older, then it’s going to be a whole different kind of playing we’ll need to worry about.”
“That’s a long way off,” she shook her head. “For now, he’s still our little one. Ouch!”
The kid had no problem pinching her, it seemed.
“Alright, alright, I’ll let you sleep, kiddo.”
“Now that Anthony’s asleep, why don’t we have some play-time of our own?” Bristol winked. “To properly end this date?”
“I’m all for it, but let’s keep it careful this time. Much as I love Anthony, I’m in no mood to give him a little sibling just yet.”
“Likewise.”
She woke up a few hours later, aware that someone else was in the house. Quickly moving to the baby’s room, she found Sarah standing in there, seemingly lost in thought.
“Hey,” she greeted her quietly. “Is everything ok?”
“Oh! Hi, I didn’t mean to spook you,” the girl apologized.
“You didn’t. You just seem really upset,” Lakeisha explained, wishing she didn’t say it just as she did. Of course the girl had a reason to be upset. Their presence in this house was probably a big reminder of how wrong things went for her.
“I’ve been worried,” Sarah admitted. “Ever since Anthony was born. Because of that guy.”
“I’ve been hoping you would show up ever since them. I wanted to thank you,” Lakeisha smiled. “If you didn’t chase him out, I don’t even want to think about what would’ve happened.”
“Exactly,” Sarah frowned. “I chased him out. I didn’t manage to catch him – he just disappeared. And I’ve been afraid he would reappear once more, since that day.”
“I’m sorry for asking, but is he the reason you’re…”
“Dead? Yes. I’m not sure if he always intended to do it to me or if I just ended up witnessing something I wasn’t supposed to and he wanted to shut me up, but the result is the same, isn’t it?” the girl told her.
“I’m so sorry about this,” Lakeisha told her.
“Don’t be. You’re not the one who did it. He should be sorry. In fact, he shouldn’t even still be around. He’s been using dark magic to prolong his life. That’s what I found out about him and he realized I did,” Sarah explained. “And I was going to reveal him. Just didn’t get to do it.”
“People know now. There’s a wanted segment going around the TV all day. And there are all those posters in the city,” Lakeisha reassured her. “People are on the lookout for him now.”
“Good,” Sarah smiled. “I bet he hates it. He’s used to having the upper hand over others, and now they’re duly aware of his wrongdoings. I never liked him much, even when I didn’t know what sort of a person he is. He did business with my Dad, but I’m pretty sure he was planning to scam him somehow. You know how it is – sometimes you just get a feeling about a person that tells you they’re trouble.”
“Oh, don’t I know!” Lakeisha agreed. That was exactly how she felt when Bristol first started hanging around Darius and the feeling proved to be right.
“But for real,” she told the girl. “You don’t have to worry about him coming in here again. Ever since that visit, we’ve had a much stronger ward put on the house.”
“I know. And it’s a good one, I can feel it,” Sarah agreed. “Does it make you uncomfortable that I’m here with the baby? I’ll stop if you tell me to.”
“No, I just don’t want you to wear yourself out,” Lakeisha told her, wondering if ghosts even could wear themselves out. If anything, after Sarah’s previous behavior, she thought the ghost was better than a guard dog for her son.
“Oh, that’s not going to happen. But to be honest, I get kind of nervous sometimes, and seeing that the kid and you are ok calms me down. Sort of like a visual reassurance.”
“Really?” Lakeisha was surprised. “But we’re practically strangers to you.”
“Maybe, but I know how much time you’ve been spending with Amy, even when you didn’t have to. And you got all those toys for her – even our parents didn’t go all out like this. Plus, you’ve been nice to us since before you’ve even moved in, and that’s, like, a 1000% better than what anyone else in this town did. So I really don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
“That’s really sweet, Sarah,” Lakeisha found herself tearing up. “Can I give you a hug?”
“Uh, sure.”
“And you know what?” Lakeisha told the girl. “If you need anything from us, just ask. I’d be glad to help and I know so would Bristol.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sarah promised.
Maybe, just maybe, she didn’t have to be so solitary anymore.
The trip is moving towards the end, so a bunch of Wickhams are at a seaside lounge.
Spending some time away from the older crowd and checking out the lower floor of the restaurant.
“Do you think they’re really going to join the group?” Matthew asked, referring to the Talon-Striker bunch. “She seemed really hesitant.”
“She’s not really into it. Rafael and Camilla are, though,” Christopher gave his assessment of that family’s situation. “I don’t know. Is it really any use having them in the group if Jessica doesn’t even want to be part of it?”
“I have a feeling it’s something,” Terra told him. “At the very least, her side of the story majorly undermines Elvira. And as a mother, she has all the reasons to make the hunt after her family stop.”
“Then why didn’t she?” Chris asked.
“If she had to fake her own death to get out, I’m guessing she was really over it all. I do wonder about that,” he mused. “If she was their leader for such a long time, why would she get so fed up at this particular point? I wonder if someone inside the Coven had created an environment specifically designed to make her want to leave – you know, can’t beat her through strength, so you beat her through scheming.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case,” Terra agreed. “Especially if Jessica is the direct, drill sergeant type of leader, and Elvira wasn’t strong enough to directly fight her.”
“We should tell her this idea,” Chris suggested.
Tell Mom what?” Camilla joined them. “She and Dad are upstairs, by the way. They’ve been mulling everything over and we’ve convinced her to really join your crew.”
“That’s great!” Terra told her. “You have our phone numbers?”
“Totally. We won’t lose them. Are you leaving soon?”
“In another day or two,” Terra shrugged.
“Let’s party it up, then. Don’t worry, this place is safe,” Camilla told her.
It seems Dahlia and Camilla are really getting along.
“Camilla’s totally into her,” Matt told Terra once they all came back from the lounge.
“I’ve noticed. I think Chris did too.”
“Now that’s a development!”
“Actually, I’ve noticed Lila checking them out too. Although, I’m not sure which one of them she was checking out,” Terra told him.
“This is getting fascinating. Want to take bets on who’s going to end up with who?” he joked.
“Not really – Dahlia’s as straight as they come, so I doubt she can reciprocate for them as more than friends. I hope those girls don’t get their hopes up.”
“Sad when that happens.“
“Yeah, but enough about them…”
In Moonlight Falls, Xander and Laurel have been fully enjoying their stay away from the elders. Getting to live on their own and feel like adults was a fun experience and they hoped Terra and Matthew will be going on many trips from now on. And if they didn’t want to, maybe they could take Bristol and Lakeisha into taking a vacation?
Of course, if they left Anthony for them to babysit, they would rather not have it that way…
“Can you imagine what it’s going to be like when we’re older and can get our own place?” Laurel asked. “No rules, no homework, no one to tell us we’re doing something wrong.”
“Sounds like a dream,” he agreed, overtaking her on-screen car. “Not having to garden to earn our stay in someone’s home.”
“Well, we might still garden. It could be fun to have a small garden. Maybe a couple of farm animals too,” she supposed. “Cows are kind of cute, don’t you think?”
“Aren’t you the one who said animals are a lot of responsibility?” he asked.
“Yeah, but cows are pretty useful. Fresh milk is a strong argument. And goats are freaking neat – did you know they have four stomachs? And can eat freaking elm trees? If that isn’t rad, I don’t know what is.”
“Alright, it is. Well, this game’s done. Let’s finish up with the garden?”
“Are those the plasma fruit plants Matthew mentioned?” Xander asked. “Looks like they’re all ripe now.”
“Yeah, looks that way. Creepy things, but one can’t argue they are really useful for those in the vampire community who don’t want human blood.”
“Like Dahlia? I’ve overheard her telling Terra she literally can’t have real human blood – it makes her sick or something,” he told her. “Sounds pretty inconvenient for a vampire, if you ask me.”
“Agreed. I guess that’s why the alchemists have created this plant – for people like her. Unfortunately, the bushes only produce fruit once. Here’s to hoping they can deal with this at some point and create a sturdier variety,” Laurel recalled everything her mother and grandmother told her about these things. “And those are some good lemons. Is there sugar in the house? We should really make lemonade at some point. It’s certainly hot enough for some.”
“Yeah, way too hot to be outside and gardening,” he grumbled.
“Oh, shush you. It’s only 8 in the morning and you’re getting to stay away from the parents and free produce from this.”
“I know, I just don’t know anything about this. Plants are kind of weird to me.”
“Well, without plants you wouldn’t have all those paints you like so much,” she told him. “Let’s finish up with the weeding and we can chill.”
“Is this a weed or a normal plant?” he asked, observing a strange sprout.
“Uh… I’m not sure,” Laurel scratched her head. “Kind of looks like a weed to me.”
“Alright, let’s deal with this,” Xander bent down to pull on it. “It’s a stubborn one, a little help here?”
“Let me try,” she grabbed from the other side. “You’re right, it is a stubborn one. Together, on the count of three? One, two, three, pull!!!”
That worked and the “weed” was pulled out.
“Xander, what the fuck!?” Laurel’s eyes grew huge. “A baby? A baby that grew in the garden? How?!!”
“I haven’t got the slightest clue…” he stammered out in shock.
“What has your sister been planting here?” she asked.
“I don’t know, she never mentioned this!”
“Waaah!” the baby continued to wail.
“I think we need to call Mom,” he decided.
Sylvia and Barron were entertaining Leanna at their house and she was just happily telling them that she and Vladimir have made another contact with their kids and one or more of them would come to Moonlight Falls as soon as possible.
It seemed like a safer place for them to be, with Coven activity high in Bridgeport.
Sylvia was just about to chime in with a few idea of her own when her phone rang.
“Mom, please come here, Laurel and I have a baby here!” Xander started rambling.
“What? Did you forget what your father and I taught you about safe sex? You got her pregnant?!” Sylvia barked at him.
“No, Mom, no one is pregnant – we have a baby, now! Here. From the garden. Please come, we have no idea what to do!”
“What’s going on, son?” Sylvia arrived in record time. “What’s all the fuss about? A baby from the garden? Did someone’s kid crawl away?”
“I don’t think so. This one’s kind of a plant. Just come inside, please.”
“Hi, Mrs. Sylvia,” Laurel greeted them. “She’s kind of cute, isn’t she? At least I think it’s a she.”
“…..” For the first time in her life, Sylvia was truly at a loss for words. She could accept that the supernatural existed, that her friends were witches, werewolves and vampires. She could accept that her children grew up learning magic spells and that her father was one of the most infamous names in the magical world. But a plant baby from the garden was a really difficult concept to wrap her head around.
“Want to hold her?” Laurel asked Xander, who took the baby from her without complaint.
“So you were just gardening and grew a baby?” Sylvia finally asked.
“Seems so. We thought that strange plant was a weed, but I guess not,” the girl shrugged. “She seems sweet though.”
“I wonder who her parents are,” Xander wondered. “She had to be created somehow, right? Unless she’s a different sort of creature altogether?”
“Oh yeah, she probably has parents,” Laurel nodded, somewhat sadly. “We can try to look for them. But we need to take care of her for now.”
“Why don’t you come home with me for now?” Sylvia offered. “We’ll try to figure all this out.”
With all the talking happening in the house, Bartholomew finally woke up from his morning nap.
Now, without the plasma fruit plants’ smell covering it up, he could smell the plant baby.
And it was already born and in the house.
“Terra is going to kill me for not warning her,” he thought.
“Well, what would you know, they really did grow a baby in the garden!” was all Barron could say when they arrived at the house.
“They did,” Sylvia told him. “Can you call Sage? I want to ring Terra and have a word with her.”
“Sure thing. Kids, you can put the little one in whichever crib is unoccupied upstairs for now,” Barron told them. I’ll go see how much baby food we’ve got left.”
“Woah, where did you get a baby?!” Jamel exclaimed when he saw Xander carrying the little one.
“In the garden, man, in the garden,” Xander shrugged and continued on.
Sylvia planned to be nice when she called her daughter, but the first words that came out of her mouth when she heard Terra’s “Hi Mom” were “What the hell have you been doing in that garden of yours, Terra?!”
“Mom? What are you talking about? Did something happen?”
“You grew a freaking baby in your garden! That’s what happened. And your brother ‘harvested’ it!”
“What?!!!!”
“Don’t tell me you had no idea,” Sylvia told her.
“But I really didn’t…” Terra looked at Matthew who was confused, after only hearing her side of the conversation. “I still don’t understand.”
“Just get back as soon as you can, ok?” Sylvia told her.
“Yeah, our tickets are for tomorrow, we’ll be back anyways. See you, I guess?”
It was their last day in this city and they were currently recovering from a 3 hour long lecture from Liam on the history of Roaring Heights. While the lecture was highly informative, that was far too much information to take in during the morning hours and their brains now craved some relaxation. Instead, Terra was getting an angry phone call for something she didn’t even understand.
“She’s saying my brother harvested a baby in our garden. How is this even possible?” Terra asked him.
“Maybe we’ve picked up some strange seeds in the woods?” he thought of it. “We’ve been getting lots of seeds from wild plants lately.”
“Yeah, and the wild mandrake and wolfsbane strains are so much better than the kind you buy at the store,” she nodded.
“Looks like we’ve picked something extra along the way,” he shrugged. “Not much we can do about it now.”
“Except look forward to my mother being really angry at me.”
“At us. We’ve both done the seed-picking. We’ll deal with it.
Between Dahlia’s sharp sense of smell and Christopher’s tracking abilities, the two of them managed to figure out exactly in which way the vampire headed.
However, it wasn’t in the direction they expected.
From their experience, the coven tended to hide out in poorer, more dangerous neighborhoods, where anything went and the police was inclined to look the other way.
This, however, was an affluent, beach-side area, with homes that cost enough to make one’s eyes bulge.
“This is weird,” Dahlia told him, pausing their trek. “Are you sure this is the right place? What are we even doing?”
“Following her,” he told her.
“But what if she isn’t alone? What if we’re walking into a trap?”
“What if she gets away and tells the coven we’re here?” he parried.
“How do you intend to make her stop? If she’s coven, she’s dangerous all alone, you know that as well as I do,” she argued. “Besides, how exactly do you intend to make her not talk about us?”
“Look, let’s just see what’s going on here,” he asked her. “At least for our peace of mind. If she isn’t coven, we’ll find out easily enough. Besides, we’ve come this far and our scent is all over the place now.”
Meanwhile, Camilla had reached her destination and was relieved to see home.
“What’s gotten you so flustered?” her mother asked.
“Mom!” Camilla pulled the woman into a big hug. “I’m so sorry, I think I’ve messed up.”
“What are you on about?”
“There was a vampire and a wizard at the Boardwalk…”
“….Well, it was a matter of time until someone showed up. We’ll deal with them if needed. How many?”
“Just two, I think.”
“We can most certainly deal with them,” the older woman smiled. “Now gather yourself together. This is no time to panic.”
It took a few moments for Terra and Matthew to realize their friends weren’t with Gianna when she came back to them.
When they asked her where they were, she was just as confused – Christopher and Dahlia were right behind her when they walked the short distance from the Boardwalk to the diner, but now it seemed as if they had vanished into thin air.
“Was anyone else near you?” Terra asked.
“I mean, yeah, people from the amusement park, regular beachgoers, staff…” the girl nodded.
“Was there anyone who looked out of place?” Terra asked.
“I don’t know, it’s an amusement park, there are all sorts of people here,” she shrugged. “They were behaving kind of weird though.”
“Weird as in they wanted to be alone?” Matthew asked.
“Well, they were trying to discuss something without me overhearing,” Gianna explained. “They seemed worried, I just didn’t think it was something that would make them disappear.”
“Matt, they must have encountered someone. What if they’re in danger? And we brought them here!” Terra started to catch on.
“Ok, let’s not panic. We can track them. But first, Gianna, I’m sorry but you should go home now. And I do mean, straight home.”
“Is something wrong?” the girl frowned.
“Possibly,” Terra told her. “We would be much more comfortable knowing you’re home safe.”
Meanwhile, Chris and Dahlia have tracked their target to an expensive-looking beach house at the end of the street.
“The scent is the strongest here,” she told him. “What now?”
“It’s kind of quiet, isn’t it? Wait, listen,” he realized he could hear quiet conversation coming right from the house. “I can’t quite make out what they’re saying.”
Creeping closer towards the house, they hid behind the pillars upholding the building and were able to observe two women talking, one – the vampire Dahlia spotted at the park and the other unfamiliar to them.
“I’m going to have her come over again tomorrow. I want those wards on the house renewed,” the unfamiliar woman was saying quietly. “We don’t know how many of them are in the city.”
“Perhaps we should leave this city?” Camilla asked. “What if someone tipped them off? What if it’s someone we trust?”
“We can’t rule that out, but for now I’m assuming they are just investigating and making a move anywhere with Coven around won’t be a good idea. Trust me, I know.”
“Hey,” Dahlia whispered to Chris. “Is it just me or do they sound a whole lot like us?”
“They are enemies of the Coven too?” he nodded. “That’s the gist I’m getting.”
They didn’t get to say anything else due to someone bonking them both on the head from behind hard enough to make them black out.
Chris came to his senses first, only to find Dahlia sprawled out in a similar condition next to him. He could hear their attackers talking, discussing what to do with them.
“Seriously, Rafe? You just had to go and knock them out?”
“What was I supposed to do, Jess? After you called me saying there were potential Coven agents in town, I rush here and what do I see? Those two straight up spying on you!”
“Well, now even if they aren’t Coven, they’ve got reason to be pissed at us,” she groaned. “So much for having a peaceful evening.”
“Mom, so what are we going to do with them?” Camilla asked. “They’re going to come to sooner rather than later.
“Well, the beach is pretty close. Plenty of tourists behave irresponsibly during the summer season, if you get my drift” Rafe suggested.
“Seriously? That’s your solution for this?” Jess groaned even more. “And if they’re just an innocent couple who got a little carried away? I can’t just toss two random people in the ocean to avoid this mess.”
“Sorry, Mom,” Camilla looked downcast. This was all her fault. She knew she had to be careful in public places, especially in the evenings, and still she got herself spotted by potentially dangerous people.
“No use crying over spilled milk. Let’s just see what they are all about,” her mother turned to look at the couple who were now waking up.
Seeing a trio of vampires approaching them, the two of them quickly scrambled to their feet and readied themselves to deal with whatever was coming. He should’ve listened to Dahlia, thought Chris. If they had gone back like she wanted, they would’ve been safe with Matthew, Terra, and Addie now. Instead, they were literally in the nest of enemies.
“Alright,” the older woman started speaking. Not that she looked older, but she definitely had an air of authority about her, as opposed to the one they had originally pursued, who seemed fairly young. “You have three minutes to convince me not to knock you out once more and toss you in the ocean. Who are you and what are you doing on my property? And don’t you dare say you are here by accident, because I won’t believe you.”
“You’re not Coven, are you?” Dahlia asked, despite Christopher motioning for her to be careful. “We apologize. We thought you were. I mean, I thought so when I ran into her.”
“So you are from the Coven,” Jessica frowned, wondering which of their acquaintances was untrustworthy. “How did you find out about this location? Who else knows about me?”
“We didn’t!” Chris hurried to rectify the misunderstanding. “And we are most certainly not with Coven. Well, not anymore in my case, and never for her.”
“I saw her at the pier and thought her to be a Coven spy,” Dahlia admitted, looking at Camilla.
“Never!” Camilla hissed. “But that is exactly what I thought about you two.”
“So, who are you exactly?” Rafe asked. “Why were you spying on us?”
“To make sure you weren’t who we thought you were,” Chris sighed. “Admittedly, I didn’t think this through further than following her. I’m Christopher.”
“Dahlia. And we really don’t mean any harm,” she apologized. “Can we please go now? We promise not to bother you anymore.”
“What do you think, Jess? Do we believe them?” Rafe asked. Lowering his voice, he added, “For all we know, Coven has gotten better at sending spies. We both know they would be very eager to sink their claws into Jessica Talon.”
“What?!” Dahlia exclaimed. “It’s you?!!!”
“Excuse you?” Jessica gave her a look.
“You’re Jessica Talon?!”
“She is?” Chris stood open-mouthed. “No way!!!”
“Please quiet down, you two,” Jessica groaned. “Why don’t you yell it into a loudspeaker, while you’re at it.”
“Sorry?” Dahlia apologized. “It’s just that we’ve been trying to find you for months with no luck.”
“Why?” Jessica asked. “Actually, you know what, let’s bring this inside. I’d rather not discuss this outdoors.”
“So why were you looking for me?” Jessica asked when she got them inside. “If you’re not with the Coven?”
“Because we are on the run from them,” Dahlia explained. “We’re looking for a way to bring down Elvira Slayer and get these permanent targets off of our backs.”
“We’ve been told there is dissension within the Coven regarding her rule,” Chris added. “And that many still fondly remembered their old benevolent leader, Jessica Talon.”
“I wouldn’t necessarily say I was benevolent,” Jessica gave a dry chuckle. “More like, I treated them like a drill sergeant would an out of shape troop.”
“Sounds better than what they have now,” Chris argued. “I would know.”
“You would know,” she studied him. He was very young but it was obvious he had gone through things. “You were with them.”
“Yes.”
“And the current ruler is Elvira Slayer?” she asked.
“She is.”
“I wonder how that came about,” Jessica mused.
“I don’t know,” Chris admitted. “But ever since she became the leader, the coven’s been much more violent than before. Even human police is becoming aware of trouble in the city.”
“I’m not surprised, that woman should not be anywhere near any sort of leadership role!” Jessica laughed. “I can’t believe she made it to the top!”
“According to the story the Coven is given, you’ve been dead for years,” Dahlia informed her. “I think Elvira is trying to take credit for it.”
“Ha! Elvira? She couldn’t even beat me at arm-wrestling on a good day,” Jessica told her. “But that might explain why the Coven had been sending out agents for me for the last few decades. She can’t exactly sleep peacefully knowing I’m still walking around alive and well, now, can she?”
“I’m sorry, but how come you are here and hiding out?” Chris asked what both he and Dahlia were thinking. “And how come you’re not in the know on what’s happening with the group you used to be a leader of? I’m not trying to judge, I’m just confused.”
“I’d be asking the same thing, if I were you,” Jessica sighed, looking at the old coal in their fireplace. Just like many things, she probably should’ve taken care of it at some point, but it’s been months since she had realized this needed to be done, and she kept putting the chore of. “Look, the fact of the matter is, the rest of the coven thinks I’m dead because I sort of faked my death. “
“You what?!” Chris looked shocked.
“I faked it, ok?” she barked. “What was I supposed to do? I wanted out and I was at wit’s end.”
“Mom never really wanted to be the Coven leader, you know,” Camilla told them. “The previous guy kind of dumped the job on her shoulders and she stuck it out, until she didn’t feel she could do it any longer.”
“Just dumped it on her?” Dahlia asked. “I didn’t think it was the sort of position one would pass on. I thought they fought over it.”
“Things used to be different,” Jessica explained. “I can see I didn’t think through the ramifications of my exit from the organization, but to be honest, at that time, I was only thinking of not having to deal with that responsibility any longer.”
“Do you want something to eat, either of you?” she walked to the kitchen and started looking through the fridge.
“We’re good, thanks,” Dahlia thanked her. “How come you got so fed up with them, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Because they were morons,” Jessica told her. “Not all of them, mind you. But enough of them. Dealing with the simplest issues became a huge headache. They thought being vampires meant swaggering around town, behaving like idiots. But that’s not what this was all about. Originally, vampirism was brought into existence by a guy who was just really into his studies. He probably didn’t realize the bloodlust would be such an issue, but he didn’t mind it because it meant he got the long life that allowed him to study the world and learn everything he ever wanted to learn. Of course, we can’t just have nice things – too many took on the lifestyle because they wanted power.”
“Elvira,” Christopher frowned.
“Among others. She is certainly one of the worst examples of that behavior. But there were many like-minded for her to find support with. It got to a point where the people I was supposed to be the leader of weren’t really listening to me. I think Rafe was the final straw for me. He was just some guy out on the town when they turned him against his will. And I only found out about it a month after it happened.”
“Wow,” Dahlia exchanged a look with Christopher. If what Jessica said was true, she wasn’t who they were looking for. She couldn’t help them.
“I know,” Jessica shook her head. “I think something snapped in me that day. I promised him if he could help me fake my death, I would get him out of there. And I did. We just sort of stuck together afterwards.”
“I’m rather glad you did,” Camilla joked. “I wouldn’t exist otherwise.”
“True,” her mother smiled. “I’m rather happy with this turn of events too.”
“Here,” Rafael joined them, putting some drinks in front of them. “They aren’t very alcoholic, just a little something for you two. Consider it an apology for knocking you out.”
“Uh…thanks?” Dahlia wasn’t sure she felt like drinking anything right now.
“Dad, seriously, I don’t think giving people alcohol after knocking them out is such a great gesture,” Camilla chuckled. “Not exactly the sort of evening when one wants to let their guard down.”
“Dad, seriously, I don’t think giving people alcohol after knocking them out is such a great gesture,” Camilla chuckled. “Not exactly the sort of evening when one wants to let their guard down.”
“I know, I know,” he grinned. “But I promise you, there isn’t anything funny in there. So, what’s the plan?”
“What do you mean?” Jessica asked.
“Are we going to help them?” he asked. “I mean, they came all this way, got knocked out… If they had assumed any stranger vampire they see out on the town to be a Coven spy, things clearly aren’t great. And we’ve assumed the same thing as them, so we’re affected by what’s happening too.”
“I hear you, but if Elvira has such strong support, do you think I really can do anything about her?” Jessica argued.
“Does she, though? If she’s trying to track you down to make sure your ‘fake dead’ turns into ‘real dead’, she clearly doesn’t think she’s got her position secured well-enough,” Rafael argued. “Besides, these two aren’t Coven spies, but it’s a matter of time until real ones do find us.”
“What do you suggest?” she asked.
“We need to strike back. Properly. Knock her out of her seat. Teach her supporters a lesson,” he suggested.
“Those same morons who kidnapped you?”
“I was scared and confused back then,” Rafael told her. “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have supported your idea of faking your death. By doing so, we gave her the ammunition she needed to grab your old position.”
He turned to the others and asked, “You two aren’t the only ones on this crusade against Slayer, right?”
“No, sir,” Chris told him. “There are others. That’s how we learned about you.”
“See?” Rafael turned to Jessica. “There’s a whole movement we can join.”
While Jessica and Rafael continued to discuss the logistics of everything, Camilla was chatting up Dahlia. It was a while since she got to hang out with another vampire who seemed to have a background similar to hers.
“So, you’ve been on the run your whole life? Man, that’s rough,” she sympathized. “Must’ve been lonely.”
“It’s alright, I guess. I do have friends, it’s just usually long-distance, for obvious reasons, and we have to make sure all communication channels are super secure,” Dahlia thought of the long-time friendship between her, Carly, and Tobias. “What about you?”
“Oh, I have people to chill with,” Camilla reassured her. “There is a whole community here too. So, are you two a couple or what?”
“We’re friends,” Dahlia told her.
“Cool!” Camilla smiled.
Meanwhile, Christopher realized that Matthew and Terra must have been going crazy after their disappearance. Oops!
Hoping they didn’t worry for too long, he fired off a quick text to tell them where he and Dahlia were and with who.
Meanwhile, Terra and Matthew were absolutely out of their minds. They have searched every corner of that stupid amusement park and found no sign of their friends.
What was worse, the tracking spell that used to help them find people in the past turned up absolutely no results for their friends, simply fizzling out no matter how much they attempted to perform it. It was like they had truly disappeared into thin air.
“Matt, what if they are, you know…” Terra didn’t want to say the word “dead” but it played across her mind.
“They can’t be, ok? We would’ve realized. I don’t understand why we can’t find them. This spell always works.”
“Unless they’ve been taken by someone who’s using an anti-track spell,” she told him, hoping their friends were kidnapped rather than killed.
“Hey, that’s an idea!” he perked up. “Maybe that’s why we can’t find them!”
“That’s not a good thing!”
A text message distracted him.
“It’s from Chris!” he showed her the message which read “We’re with J.T. Here’s the address.”
“J.T?” Matthew asked. “I mean, I can think of one person with those initials, but there’s no way she’s here, is there?”
“Only one way to find out,” she told him, somewhat relieved. As long as the person texting was actually Chris, things were alright.
“Hello, you must be Christopher’s and Dahlia’s traveling companions?” Jessica greeted them. “Sorry if we got you all worried. We had a bit of a bumpy introduction.”
“But things are good now,” Rafael reassured them. “Are you all part of this group they mentioned, the ones who are trying to take down Elvira?”
“Sort of. My parents could tell you more about it, but we’re happy to hep however possible. So, you are that famous Jessica Talon?” Terra greeted the woman.
“It seems my name precedes me, and let me tel you, I didn’t do anything to make that happen. Until today, I didn’t realize I had this celebrity status,” Jessica told her. “But I would love to be put into contact with the group.”
“I can do that,” Terra promised to give her the phone numbers of anyone she thought could help out.
Meanwhile, Matthew was chatting up Rafael.
“I admit, I never thought we’d find you living in a beach house,” he told the man. “I love the decor.”
“Expect the unexpected,” Rafael winked. “And thank you, I quite like it too.”
With the other two there, Christopher felt more comfortable trying Rafael’s drink.
“Man, this is good stuff!” Matthew complimented their host. “Peach, lime, and what is that?”
“Apple vodka. The flavored alcohols really help take the drink’s taste up a notch,” Rafael told them. “If you’re in town for a while, I could teach you a few recipes.”
“I’m in,” Matthew agreed.
“Yeah, I have to agree, this is pretty good,” Chris added. “We really should be heading home though. Also I think this day’s juiced me out.”
Reconvening at home and wondering at how unexpectedly the day turned out.
The next morning, Addie told them she won’t be joining them on their outing. She was going to spend the day at Reed’s house.
She didn’t have to say it, but they understood she was planning a serious private conversation with her son.
“No problem, we’ll just check out the Boardwalk,” Matt offered. “Oh, by the way, Dahlia, we’ve made some sunscreen that’ll work for you, so you can stay in the sun without any ill side effects.”
“Thanks, I was looking forward to being able to stay out a bit during the day.”
“Yeah, it’s waterproof too, so you can even swim with it on,” Terra told her, which made Chris choke on his calzone a little bit. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, just fine,” he nodded.
Terra noticed Dahlia try not to laugh and figured it best to say nothing more on the subject.
Adelia usually preferred to let her children deal with their lives without butting in with her opinions, but she also had a policy for stepping in when things were going really downhill. And seeing her son yesterday behaving like a shell of his old shell was a big wake up call for action.
“Hello, sweetie,” she greeted Lucy. “Where are you off to?”
“My friend and I are going to the park,” Lucy told her. “We’re going to ride some bikes and then get ice cream!”
“Lovely plan. Here, get a few more treats for yourselves. Is your Dad in?”
“He’s in the garage,” Lucy nodded. “Should I get him?”
“No, you go on and have fun.”
Reed was glad to see her, but he was dreading the serious conversation he knew she was bringing to him.
“Mom, what brings you here?” he asked.
“You, dear.” She has not missed how skinny he was lately. “Reed, I know you are a grown man and you know how to live. But I am still your mother and I can tell you are not taking good care of yourself.”
“Mom, please,” he started, but she stopped him.
“Reed, when was the last time you’ve had a good night’s sleep? When was the last time you’ve done anything healthy for yourself? When was the last time you’ve felt any positive emotions?”
“Mom, you know how it was when Aimee died. Lucy was only 4 and the kids were still in school. It was hectic and on some days it felt nearly impossible, and I still managed to make our lives go on. The kids graduated with good grades. Levi was in the top of his grade and Lila is excelling at every hands-on activity there is. And Lucy is was better adjusted than I expected her to be.”
“It’s wonderful that the kids are thriving, but what about you?”
“I’m fine, Mom, really,” he told her.
“Are you?” she pulled out an album with old family photographs. “This is a picture of your father and I on our wedding day. And here’s one when your sister was born. We were so happy. And here’s one with all five of us. Liam was only 2 but he was already such a chatterbox…”
“I remember those days,” he smiled honestly for the first time in a while. “We were all so happy.”
“Yes. And these pictures are priceless memories of those times. Which I nearly burned when your father passed away.”
“What?!” Reed’s eyes grew big.
“Yes. I nearly threw away a lot of things that reminded me of him. Being reminded of him when he was no longer there felt like a gut punch every time. I even had to move out of our house because it didn’t feel like home anymore without him.”
“You never told me any of this,” Reed said in a small voice.
“I never told any of you kids any of this,” she told him. “I was still dealing with my own hurt at the time and didn’t want you to have to help me through it, when you were already dealing with the loss of your father. But Reed, you’ve always been the most like me out of all three of you and now I can see you’re going through those same motions.”
He remained quiet.
“I know, it’s hard. I know you loved her so much and that kind of love is a gift, my dear. Many of us in this world aren’t given it. But you know Aimee wouldn’t want you to hurt like this.”
“No, she wouldn’t,” he agreed. “I just don’t know how to stop feeling like this. I wake up every morning expecting her to still be there.”
“I know, dear. I know this too well. Why don’t you and the kids come to Moonlight Falls for a little while?”
“But what about the house? I thought Barron and his family live there now.”
“Yes, but there’s plenty of real estate for rent at a very good price. I wouldn’t be telling you to come back to the old family home anyways. You need some new experiences, not old ones. And frankly, so do the kids. I think they could use a change of scenery. And I would really enjoy having my grandkids nearby.”
“I don’t know if I can take time off,” he hesitated.
“Please, I know you’re one of their best workers – they owe you a vacation. I don’t need an immediate answer, but think about it and talk it over with the kids.”
“Alright. I’ll do that.”
Meanwhile at the Boardwalk.
“Let’s ride the roller coaster, pretty please?!” Matt asked.
“I’m in, let’s go.”
Ride, Ride, and Ride again.
Terra is starting to realize she’s dating an adrenaline junkie.
It’s a good thing there aren’t any rides in their town, or she won’t get him down from them.
“Oh man, that fourth ride was too much,” she laughed as he helped her walk out of the loading station. “That was way a lot of G-force for one day.”
“Yeah, I’m a little woozy too,” he agreed. “Sorry, I get a little carried away in amusement parks.”
“You’re adorable, though. Want to take a picture to commemorate this day?”
“Did you notice those two act weird all morning?” Matthew chuckled as they sat down with some ice cream. “One would think he walked in on her naked or something.”
“Hmm, you can’t deny there’s tension between them. And it’s probably only going to get worse if they keep on avoiding it,” Terra agreed. “I wonder who’s holding back?”
“Probably Chris,” Matt supposed. “The whole thing about her being a vampire and him being attracted to her must be weirding him out.”
“And she’s probably weirded out by the hot and cold signals,” Terra laughed. “He should make up his mind at some point, or someone else will show up and start wooing her.”
“Well, now, I’m sure we could make an argument for her needing to make a move. Maybe he’s waiting for a signal from her that she’s interested?”
“I don’t know,” Terra moved her ice cream away from herself to avoid staining the her clothes. “We want our friends to be happy, but maybe what’s obvious to us isn’t so obvious to them? They are currently dealing with a lot of baggage, some emotional, some physical. Maybe if they weren’t being chased by enemies, they would be more open to exploring their emotions.”
“That is a good point,” Matt agreed. “It’s probably kind of weird living under the same roof too. We could offer one of them our spare room.”
“Not gonna lie, I’ve thought about it before,” she told him. “But do you think they’ll be safer with us that with Nellie?”
“Also a good point.”
As the sun went down, the four of them wondered whether to head back to their apartment after their long day, when they heard a familiar voice shout “OMG, you guys are here too?!”
Gianna was there and she looked ecstatic to see them.
“Have you been here for a long time?” Terra asked.
“Most of the day! I can’t believe we didn’t run into one another. I was just about to go grab some early dinner over at that diner. By the way, if you’re hungry and want good seafood, that’s the place to go.”
“Now that you mention it, I wouldn’t mind some shrimp,” Matthew noticed his own rumbling stomach.
“I could do with a milkshake or soda,” Dahlia agreed wistfully.
“I’m in,” Chris nodded. “We should eat, there isn’t much left at home.”
“Mind if we come along?” Terra asked.
“Not at all, the more the merrier,” the girl smiled. She was hoping she could spend more time with her cousins.
After getting completely stuffed on seafood and carbs, the five of them were stayed on the pier to chat.
“So, you and your mother travel between here and Monte Vista all the time? How’s that like with school and all?” Terra asked.
“Oh, it’s not a big deal. I usually stay here during the school year and travel during breaks,” Gianna explained. “But it’s nice that way – I have homes in two countries. Besides, it’s easier for me to go to Italy than for Dad to travel here. He’s kind of tied up at the winery.”
From what the four of them understood, Marla and Gianna’s father Marco were truly birds of a feather – neither of them wanted to have a traditional relationship of even a long-term partner, but both came together when Marla found herself pregnant to give all the possible love and stability to their daughter.
“We’re actually going there in two weeks time, so it was nice to get to meet you before we left,” the girl told them. “Say, if any of you want good wine, hit me up. I’m not quite a professional vintner yet, but I’m getting there and can definitely tell the good stuff from something you’re better off avoiding.”
“Thanks, we’ll definitely remember that,” Matthew smiled. Wine making, now that was an idea!
“Sounds fun,” Dahlia agreed, fiddling around with the bracelet she bought at the boardwalk. Doing so made her notice something that was missing. “Say, Gianna, weren’t you wearing a bracelet earlier?”
“Ah!” the girl’s face turned to horror as he noticed her own bare wrist. “I was! Oh no…”
“Is it expensive?” Terra asked.
“It was my Nonna’s,” she explained. “And Dad told me I had to be careful with it. Crap, this kind of thing always happens to me.”
“It’s ok,” Dahlia hurried to reassure her. “You had it on when we met, so you couldn’t have lost it before that. And only a short amount of time passed since then. We’ll look for it.”
“Do you remember if you had it on before we went into the diner?” Chris asked.
“I don’t know,” Gianna shook her head. “I didn’t even notice it wasn’t on me…”
“Ok, we can split up and look for it,” Matthew promised.
“We’ll run to the boardwalk and see if it’s there,” Dahlia offered. “Can you check the diner?”
“Alright,” Christopher told them when they arrived at their previous meeting spot. “Let’s see. We took this route to the diner, so let’s walk around carefully and see if it’s anywhere here.”
“Let me check behind the building too,” Dahlia decided. “We were there for a while.”
“I’ll ask that food vendor too,” Gianna hurried to the concessions stand. “He might’ve seen me drop it.”
“Good plan. I’ll look inside the cafe area as well, for good measure,” Chris offered. “Meet you here in 10 minutes.”
Dahlia didn’t get far in checking behind the building when she felt the hairs on her neck stand up.
She didn’t even need to look to know there was another vampire here.
But when she did, they made eye contact.
“No, no, no, no, no…” was all she could think as she sprinted back to the cafe area to find Chris and tell him they needed to leave right this instant.
“Chris! Vampire! Here!” she rushed in, freaking out. “We need to leave!”
“What?! Are you sure?” he stopped in his tracks.
“Of course I’m sure!”
“How many?”
“She looked to be alone…”
“Guys, do you want a coffee? The salesman didn’t see any lost jewelry but he gave me a drink for my troubles,” Gianna came in, careful not to spill the hot beverage, with her phone ringing up a storm.
“No, thanks,” they told her quietly.
“Ok,” she answered the phone. “You did?! Yes!!! Thank you so much!” She ended the call. “Terra found it, it was in our booth. Must’ve fallen off me when I reached across the table.”
“That’s good,” Dahlia tried to smile. “So we can go back?”
“Totally.”
“Ok, well, we’ll be right behind you,” Chris told the girl as they headed back.
As soon as they saw Gianna reach the diner safely, Chris pulled Dahlia back. “We need find this vamp. You say she was alone, but there might be more. She could be a scout and if she saw you, she could be reporting back to the coven.”
“Oh no!” Dahlia’s face fell. “But can we really follow her? She could be gone by now.”
“She was here?” he asked.
“Yes, but she could be anywhere now…” Dahlia continued freaking out. “She saw me, Chris. We’ve made eye contact.”
“She wouldn’t necessarily know who you are, would she?” he tried to reassure her. “There are plenty of vampires outside the coven, it seems.”
“But what if she does?”
Meanwhile…
“Shit, shit, shit… this isn’t good…”
She knew what it meant to encounter this girl. And that guy with her? A wizard with white hair?
This was bad news.
Camilla ran for it, hoping they didn’t catch her scent.
Terra didn’t know what to expect before their arrival at Liam’s, Addie’s youngest son’s, house, but it certainly wasn’t a huge mansion that would’ve given her mother a case of the dollar eyes. Before she could take in the whole house, the numerous Wickham clan started spilling out of the building and smiling when they spotted Addie.
“Grandma!” A teenage girl with wavy brown hair started running towards them, soon enveloping the older woman in a big hug. Her mother quickly followed.
“It’s good to see you, mom,” Marla squeezed Addie tight. “We should have more frequent family reunions, I think. Don’t you agree?”
“I’m all for it, dear, but why is it that I’m always the one to visit?” Addie half-joked. “It’s been ages since you’ve come to Moonlight Falls.”
“I know, I know, but it’s not like I can quit my job and just stay at home all the time,” Marla chuckled. “Although, sometimes I’m tempted. And these must be Barron’s kids?”
“I am,” Terra introduced herself. “This is my boyfriend, Matthew, and over there are our friends Christopher and Dahlia.”
“Lovely, to meet you all,” Marla greeted them. “And here comes Liam.”
“Mom? Is that you? Come on over, let me take a good look at you,” a slightly younger man who resembled Marla ran over to them. “You look great, Mom. Younger and younger every day. How was the trip? Did you all travel smoothly? The last time Julie and I were on a plane, the flight attendant was super fresh and spilled our drinks right over her white Armani dress, it was such a mess. And then there was a mix-up with our luggage – can you believe there was another guy whose name was Liam and who had the exact same suitcase as me? Well, it happened. And I had to prove that mine was really mine.”
Inside, Juliette made sure there were enough refreshments for everyone. As a soap opera actress, she had plenty of experience entertaining large crowds in her house. Usually, they were from the TV industry and had good appetites, so she always had something to feed a crowd here.
“And then, the cab driver misunderstood my accent and ended up taking us to a place called The Lion Inn, rather than The Grand Lion Hotel, and because they were in completely different parts of town, we missed our correct check-in time and the management made a huge deal of it. But then it turns out that their manager was a big fan of Julie and her show and he loved having us there, so it all came out good in the end.”
“Liam, Mom and the kids literally just got here, can we make everyone comfortable first?” Marla rolled her eyes.
“It’s quite alright, dear,” Adelia chucked. “Feels just like home.”
“Oh, I miss those days,” Liam nodded. “But do come in, we’ve got lemonade and iced-tea in the kitchen and I think there’s ice cream – don’t worry, we’ve got diet options too, in case anyone’s worried about that – and we’ll have a barbecue later on.”
“It’s too bad that Barron and his wife couldn’t come, but I understand them,” Liam continued. “With two small kids at home, traveling is a right hassle. I still remember when we had to fly with Armie and he screamed his head off for almost the entire flight.”
“We barely got away with our lives back then,” Juliette joked. “The other passengers were positively murderous.”
“Yes! But I look forward to getting to know the youngsters. Do you think they’d like a city tour?!” Liam asked.
“They might,” Adelia smiled, winking at her daughter-in-law. Liam was always happy to chat and she imagined he would enjoy the opportunity to endlessly talk to a group of young people. “Do you know if Reed’s coming today?”
“Probably not,” Liam shook his head. “He and the kids are always working on something lately.”
“I see.”
“We can tell you where they are,” Juliette promised. “You should visit Reed.”
Meanwhile, Terra and the others were trying to get used to the grand house.
“Wow,” Dahlia marveled. “I never realized you were related to Juliette Wikham.”
“She’s that famous?” Chris asked.
“Yeah, she’s like soap opera royalty!” the girl told them.
“Wow…” Terra really didn’t watch many soap operas, so she didn’t know. “I guess that’s how they met – Liam’s a reporter. They exist in the same circles.”
“He’s quite something, isn’t he?” Matthew smiled.
“Oh yes! I see what Addie meant by him being sociable.”
“Well, hello there, gorgeous!” Armando waltzed into the room and planted himself close to Terra. “Got a boyfriend?”
“Hi!” Matthew waved at him.
“Oh? The more the merrier,” the young man winked at both of them. “You’re cute too.”
“Dude, we’re literally related,” Terra laughed. “We’re cousins!”
“Second cousins once removed,” Armando shrugged. “No big deal.”
“Is he for real?” Chris whispered incredulously, while Dahlia wondered if this was some sort of a hidden camera prank.
“Please excuse my brother,” Angele joined them, shaking her head. “He’s that rare unfortunate case of a man who manages to survive with only half a brain cell, and all of its function is spent on making music. If you ignore the awkwardness, it’s cool to finally meet you.”
“How are you liking the city so far?” Angele asked, sitting across from them.
“It’s very pretty,” Terra told her. “We look forward to seeing more of it.”
“That’s what many people say,” Angele smiled. “Wait until you get to the boardwalk. People spend hours there when they come here.”
“I can understand,” Matthew laughed. “That’s where the roller coasters are.”
“Are you a fan?” she asked. “I never can go on those things, for some reason. But it’s cool if others can enjoy them.”
“Hell yeah, roller coasters,” Chris agreed. “We should go.”
“Unless Addie is going to need us for something,” Terra recalled the woman’s concern. “Is everything alright with the family? I think she was really looking to catching up with Reed too.”
“Oh, that,” Angele nodded knowingly. “I hope she does. He hasn’t really been the same since Aunt Aimee passed away. We thought he’ll get better with time, but…”
“He seems to be isolating himself from everyone but his immediate family,” Armando explained somberly. “It just isn’t healthy.”
“Alright, everyone. I hope you’re hungry because food is served!” Marla came in, reminding everyone of how hungry they were.
After a super-filling meal that could’ve fed a much larger crown, the group was still mingling with the large Wickham clan.
“You should totally come to the club with us,” Angele invited them. “I know all the best places to get good drinks around here, so you won’t get ripped off or poisoned.”
“Thanks for the offer,” Matthew told her, wondering if getting poisoned at establishments was an actual worry around these parts.
“And if you need any home decor help, with anything, give me a call. I might not live where you do, but I can help you avoid some of the more popular scams in that business,” she continued. “What do you do, by the way?”
“I’m currently between workplaces,” Matt told her. “But Terra works at a science facility in Moonlight Falls.”
“Oh nice!” Angele was excited.
“I might not stay there either, though,” Terra told them. With all the praise she was getting for her hard work, she expected her management to be less problematic about her asking for a vacation.
“Tough coworkers?” Gianna asked, joining them. “I know what you mean. Mom had a few who would smile to her face and then talk crap behind her back.”
“Oh those types are the worst,” Terra groaned. “She must be good at her job, then. They don’t talk crap about the bad workers.”
“Oh yeah, she totally took it as a compliment,” the younger girl laughed. “Where are you off to now?”
“Wherever Addie goes, probably.”
“To the gardens then,” Gianna nodded. “Mind if I come along?”
After lunch, Addie and Juliette were laughing over memories of her and Liam’s wedding, when Liam kept talking to the officiant so long that the wedding vows were significantly delayed.
“Say what you will, Addie,” Juliette laughed. “But that ability of his to outtalk anyone is highly useful around here. We had trouble with a former director of mine who was used to being the boss of everyone and gave everyone a hard time. He literally can’t do it with me, because he still remembers Liam not letting him get in a word edgewise for over and hour!”
“I’m a bit surprised neither of the kids are like that,” Addie admitted. “They are both much calmer.”
“Oh, Armie is. His energy just goes in a different direction,” Juliette rolled her eyes. “And there’s the man of the hour.”
“Someone called?” Armando swaggered over to them. “Granny, please tell me we’re going to spend some time catching up during this visit. My cousin and her friends are not as fun as I expected them to be.”
“Have you been hitting on everyone again?” Addie chuckled.
“Of course, how else do I get to know them properly?” he laughed.
“You’re a real chip of your old grandpa,” she told him. She wouldn’t tell him that for fear of making his ego even bigger, but Armando was always a favorite of hers just for that reason. “Now, where is your uncle Reed these days?”
The gardens where Liam and hid kids worked were really a beautiful park that also functioned as a community garden, which was one of the more green-focused community projects of the city.
It was Reed’s son who involved his whole family in this activity and it brought them all together, very significantly, after they lost their mother.
“Mom?! Is that you!? I didn’t realize you were arriving today,” Reed called from the other side of the park. “I would’ve gone home to shower.”
“No need, sonny. I’m just glad to see you.”
Her granddaughters soon caught sight of her as well.
“Grandma, you have to try some of our fresh fruit!” Lila called to her, not bothering to brush the earth off of her jeans. “Everything is so ripe.”
“I will, dear, now come and give grandma a hug,” Addie managed to get out when a big ‘Grandma!!!’ could be heard from the other side of the park. “Lucy! My, you’ve grown up so much!”
“I know, I’m going to be just as tall as Lila soon. And then, you all just wait,” the little girl crashed into her, hugging tight. “Did you bring us gifts from Moonlight Falls?”
“You know I did.”
“So, you must be our cousin?” Levi approached Terra. “Awesome to meet you! Are you the one that’s a twin?”
“Yeah, why?” she asked.
He high-fived her. “Twin gang! Lila and I are too. It’s nice to meet someone who can relate.”
“Really? Huh, I guess twins run in the family, then?” she asked.
“Oh yeah, I think there were quite a few twins on the Aramis side over the years,” he told her. “And every once in a while, more pop up.”
“Good to know!” That explained how she and Bristol happened.
“That’s weird, I remember your Uncle Reed,” Matthew told Gianna. “I’m pretty sure my mother and I hung out with him, Aimee, and the twins when we were here last.”
“Come to think of it, I kind of remember you too,” Gianna told him. “Strange, I would’ve been, like, two at the time, but I remember this kid with sandy colored hair getting me ice cream.”
“Wait, that was me!” Matthew remembered. “Wow, we really did all hang out together, then?”
“Seems so!”
“Man, that was an exhausting day,” Matthew admitted as they all recovered in the living room after returning home. “You have a huge family.”
“And they are all so energetic,” Terra laughed.
They’ve spent hours at the garden with Reed and his family. More good food eaten, more tales exchanged, more memories made. But it did all use up a lot of energy.
From what Terra understood, Addie was quite worried for her middle kid. While, he wasn’t the oldest, her looked the part and there was this cloud of sadness around him.
Losing a beloved spouse sucked.
“I don’t know, I kind of liked it,” Dahlia admitted. “Big families always make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”
“Really? They don’t make you want to get some space?” Christopher asked.
“Not really, not when they’re so friendly and caring.”
“I like big families,” Terra joined Dahlia. “But some personal space is nice too.”
“And I think I’d like a nap,” Matt dropped down in Terra’s lap. “Say, did you cousin really hit on both of us earlier today? What was that?”
“The Aramis and Wickham genes coming through,” Addie laughed, joining them. “That’s what happens when you mix the two.”
“Thanks for the heads-up,” he joked.
“Don’t relax just yet,” Terra told him. “You’ve moved to another town to be with a girl who is Aramis and Sidheins genes mixed together, so be prepared for whatever comes next.”
“Oh boy!” he laughed.
“You’ve walked right into that one,” Chris told him.
“You two are so cute,” Dahlia smiled at the couple.
“Cute and tired. How about we all call it a night?” Adelia offered.
Later this evening…
With the sun down, it’s the perfect time for a swim for someone who is not on friendly terms with the sun.
And a perfect time for someone else to appreciate the view…
When you’re swimming and get the feeling someone’s watching you, but when you look up, there’s no one in the window.
When you’re watching a girl sneakily and barely duck out of view when she turns to look in your direction.
When you entertain the idea that it could be fun to go swimming together, just the two of you…
“All packed up?” Matthew asked as they prepared for their flight.
“I think so. I still feel weird about this. One moment I’m asking my little brother if he can take care of our plants while we’re gone, and the next moment I’m saying it’s cool for him and his girlfriend to stay here while we’re gone. How did that even happen?” Terra complained.
“Those teenagers are very persuasive,” he shrugged. “It’s fine, though. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? We don’t have any wardrobes to topple over here.”
“Very funny,” she chuckled. “It’s just, whatever happens while were gone and they’re here is kind of on me now.”
“I do see why that’s a concern,” he agreed. “But they’re good kids. And looks like they’re here.”
“Hey, sis. Don’t worry, we won’t burn the house down. And between Laurel and I, your garden will be in good hands,” Xander reassured her. “When’s your flight?”
“In three hours, but we still need to pick up Adelia, Christoper, and Dahlia,” she told him. “I know you and Laurel know a bit about gardening, but if you have any questions, I’m only a phone call away. And not just for gardening, for anything.”
“Terra, chill. You’re going on a vacation, you need to relax. Laurel and I won’t get into any trouble. The most ‘trouble’ we might make is having Jamel and Bailey over to watch some TV or play some games – if that’s cool? Matt got that new racing game last week and we’ve been wanting to check it out.”
“Yeah, that’s fine,” she agreed.
“Just remember not to freak out about some of the plants,” Matt told Laurel. “We’ve got some plasma fruit that should be ready soon.”
“Oh yes, those are cool!” she nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ve read about them.”
“Neat. So, I guess that’s it? Ready to go, Terra?”
“As ready as I can be. Barthy, keep an eye on things here, cool?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let things get too crazy here,” the feline reassured her.
“Bye!” the teens watched them drive off. “Have a good trip!”
“We’ll try,” Matthew smiled at them. “Alright, let’s grab Addie first and then the others.”
“Sure thing. Want to bet Chris is going to spend the whole trip sweltering in black?”
“That’s not even a bet – that’s a fact,” he laughed. “If anyone needs a vacation, it’s that guy.”
“Well, that’s done. We don’t need to stick around here the whole time, right?” Laurel asked once they drove off.
“No, we’re pretty much free to do whatever now. I know Terra already took care of the garden for today. Want to head downtown?”
“Yes! Let’s check out the pet store. They had a really cute snake the other day.”
“It’s really neat,” he agreed, as they crowded around the terrarium. “Wish I could get one of those as a pet.”
“Me too, but feeding them mice and rabbits is kind of yuck,” Laurel made a face. “I’d still want one if there was a way to avoid it.”
“Yeah, I feel like every pet has an upside and a downside,” Xander mused. “Cats pretty much take care of themselves, but you get the fur all over everything.”
“Tell me about it,” she rolled her eyes. “I think my grandparents got a kitten to teach us all responsibility or something, but just the other day, they found it sleeping in Grandma’s favorite cooking pot. She was not amused.”
“Look under the perch and that tells you everything you need to know,” she laughed.
“Ah, yes…” he backed away a bit. “Why are all of them so much responsibility?”
“Because, life isn’t meant to be easy,” Laurel decided solemnly. “Or at least, that’s how it is according to Grandpa. It’s all about duties and responsibilities…”
“Some responsibility does a person good, though,” Xander disagreed.
“Oh, definitely. Speaking of responsibility, did you hear Aleister’s daughter now works at the shop? Mom was in there yesterday and it was a mess. She makes mistake after mistake.”
“I’m not surprised. That chick hasn’t worked a way in her life,” Xander smiled. “Want to check in and see what’s going on over there?”
The shop was much quieter than usual, which both of the teens instantly noticed.
“This is so weird,” Laurel whispered to him. “This place is normally the life of the town.”
“I guess it’s all about the service,” he shrugged. Customers likely didn’t appreciate being helped by someone who stared daggers at them and muttered under breath. “Wanna go? This place is kind of a bust.”
Meanwhile, Elspeth was not a happy camper about having to be up early and at work.
“Stupid fucking shop, stupid fucking customers, stupid fucking jerks who made me have to work here. Ugh, I hate it.”
“Elspeth, watch the till while I get the honey, will you?” Jed called her over.
“Yeah, yeah, coming.” She trudged over to the register, unhappy to be distracted. She hoped there won’t be any customers while her father was busy, but there was one, coming in like he owned the place.
“Hi, do you have my order ready?” Mustache Dude asked with a chipper demeanor. “Should be under Jack S.”
“Alright, Jack. S.” She made sure she pronounced it as close to “jackass” as she possibly could. “Three bee sting salves, valerian root tea, and dried wolfsbane, right?”
“That’s it,” he nodded, either not noticing her sarcasm or ignoring it on purpose. “Thanks.”
He paid for the purchase and was about to leave, when he surprised her by asking, “Say, do you have a boyfriend? If not, perhaps I could see you around sometime?”
“Seriously?” she narrowed her eyes.
“Yeah, like a date?” he asked.
“Has that mustache taken over your brain capacity or is the mullet the real culprit here? Whatever makes you think I’d go out with you?” she asked incredulously. “Not even if you were the last man on the planet, dude.”
“Wow, well… a simple ‘no’ is usually enough,” he backed away slightly. “Whatever, peace out.”
As he left, she was left feeling super annoyed. What was it with people thinking they could just come in and get chummy while she was on the clock? What was it in her demeanor that made them think she’d be friendly to them?
And this guy? Well, she had to applaud his guts to ask her out in the first place, but come on! Did he never look in the mirror?
Meanwhile, while Carly is a bit worried about her bestie going out of town again, she’s quite happy about another person’s presence in town.
Wade’s been here since the start of summer, after helping out Gordon in the Stoneshields for the past few months, and he’s happy to be with Carly again.
Things are going very well with them.
“Let me tell you, I’m excited for school to be out,” Xander complained. “This is just too much homework.”
“You and me both. At least, you don’t constantly hear about the importance of good academic performance at home, so be grateful for that,” Laurel told him.
“I only don’t hear about it because both of my parents are convinced whether or not you get proper education isn’t directly correlated with how well you do in life.”
“And they’re not wrong,” she shrugged. “I think my grandparents are trying to makeup for us living away from them for too long by over-parenting today. I appreciate their intent, but it’s a little over the top.”
“I know what you mean,” he nodded, answering his ringing phone. “Yeah, we’re out right now. Sure, in an hour we’ll be there. Are you bringing food? ‘Cause there are good hot-dogs here that we can pick up. Ok, see you.”
Hanging up, he explained, “That’s Jamel. He and Bailey are asking if we want to watch the game at our folks’ place or at Terra’s.”
“Away from the parents is more fun,” she laughed. “It can be fun, just the four of us hanging out.”
Watching the game and complaining about the athletes doing everything wrong.
Because, of course, they can play much better than those professionally trained athletes 😉
After the game ended, the teens wondered what to watch next. Before they could change the channel, a news report came on.
“We once again remind the citizens of Moonlight Falls that the man you see in this picture, Coryn Maddox, is still on the loose. There are several outstanding warrants against him, as he is a known murderer. If you encounter him, please take the utmost care to remain safe and not to engage with him. If you know anything about his current whereabouts, please contact the Moonlight Falls Police Department. Any help is appreciated.”
“Oh crap!” Laurel exclaimed. “I wonder if Mom’s watching the news right now?”
“She takes these things seriously?” Bailey asked. “Or is she just annoyed by the announcement. It’s been on for several days now.”
“You don’t know?” Laurel’s asked her. “This guy was her former teacher. But she didn’t know all this about him until quite recently, when he freaking invaded our house in Appaloosa Plains.”
Realizing that Bailey didn’t know much about the guy, they gave her a short rundown of everything he did (that they knew of).
“Yikes!” Bailey’s eyes grew wide. “How is she doing? I’d be terrified.”
“Yeah, that’s about it. Terrified, betrayed, upset…”
“He tried to attack my sister and sister-in-law, but they got some supernatural help in dealing with him,” Xander added. “Problem is, he hasn’t been seen since then.”
“Yeah, it’s kind of like having this big venomous spider fall behind your bed,” Jamel made a comparison. “You know it’s dangerous, you know it was there at some point, and you really hope it’s gone, but most likely, it’s still there, just waiting to show up at some point when you don’t expect it.”
“That’s a wonderfully accurate description of him,” Laurel agreed. “Problem is, when you kill a venomous spider, it’s gone for good. But this guy is kind of like a roach.”
“Necromancers tend to be that way,” Xander sighed. “Why must they be so annoying?”
“Annoying?!” Bailey asked incredulously. “More like, terrifying! I didn’t realize this guy was so dangerous!”
“He’s unpleasant, to say the least. I do wonder what he’s up to,” Laurel agreed.
“Hopefully, whatever it is, he’s doing it far away from here,” Jamel added.
“Yeah, me too,” Bailey nodded, leaning into his hug. Jamel gave good hugs, a fact she really appreciated at other times and especially right now. Because the problem was, the face that appeared on the screen looked familiar. Thinking about it, she realized that she had seen that Coryn guy before, in person.
It was before she and her father moved to Moonlight Falls. They just passed him by on the street in Twinbrook, not even realizing what sort of a person they brushed past.
It was scary in retrospect, knowing what she knew about him now.
When they asked if she was ok, she told them why she looked so upset.
“Holy crap,” was all Laurel could whisper. “Well, I guess we now know where he lived previously.”
“Not necessarily,” Xander thought of it. “He could’ve been just visiting.”
“It’s still something,” she stood her point. “We should tell the others.”
“Did you know a bunch of our classmates want to move the upcoming school dance from the school itself to that bar, Barney’s?” Laurel asked them, trying to change the topic. “So much for a formal event. Everyone’s going to end up covered in hay if they move it there.”
“That’s that bar that looks like an old barn, isn’t it?” Bailey asked. “I guess I can see why they’d like that place. It’s more interesting than a school gym. And it doesn’t smell like, well, a gym.”
“And it would solve the issue of formal wear,” Jamel added. “I’m pretty sure half of our guys don’t know how to tie a tie. I’m not even talking about shining one’s formal shoes and ironing slacks. A formal event probably seems like more hassle than fun.”
“When you put it that way, I admit, I’m also not having as much fun as I could be when I’m wearing stiff clothes,” Xander agreed. “All I could think about at both our parents’ and Bristol’s wedding was that I was going to spill something on my shirt.
“Ok, I totally see that issue,” Laurel agreed. “Actually yeah, a less formal event for students can be nice.”
“Will you go with me?” Jamel asked when they helped cleaning up the plates.
“To the dance? Totally.” She smiled. “But I’m going to hold you to it – we’re going to actually dance.”
“Oof, I can’t promise I’m any good. But I’ll do my best.”
“Same. Anyways, it’s getting late. Want to head back?”
“Yeah, I’ll walk you home.”
“Speaking of school dances, are you up for it?” Xander asked.
“For real? Did you think I won’t go?” she chuckled.
“I was hoping you’d go. I rather like dancing with you,” he winked.
“Likewise. Now, let’s sleep. According to your sister, gardening is best done in the morning and I want to do it properly, if she and Matthew are letting us keep so much produce.”
Sims Stories of Violincat 