A Tail’s Misfortune

Dull eyes passively wandering between the trees, entirely comprised of obsidian thorns, Sora’s gaze lifted to the white canvas that was the sky; it was like a glass ceiling layered its entire expanse, and a raging blood sea spun beyond its protective sheet.

Where am I… Sela was being judged, and… Did I pass out?

Mind clicking into gear, she felt a feminine voice wrap around her, drawing her into the dense brambles. “Don’t be shy. I’d just love a bit of company… It’s been so long since anyone visited.”

Her lips parted in disbelief as she spotted a colossal shadowy disk in the sky as if it were the event horizon of a black hole. Around it, a radiant, golden crown of intertwined thorns circled, bloody chains seeping through the barrier covering the heavens to drip upon the black star. It was as if a vast maelstrom funneled all the crimson ocean to a single point, leaking onto the object. Yet, her focus didn’t remain skyward for long.

She was promptly spun around to float in front of the woman who had spoken to her—or, at least, she thought she was a woman. Effulgent yellow eyes cut into seven pieces, appraised her, curiosity on her delicate, alabaster face.

Shadowy thorns grew around the slim woman, and Sora wasn’t sure if it was her hair or gown since it all flowed into one solid form. Her barbed locks flowed upward in random patterns before fading away. Tarnished gold designs branched out in a pattern throughout the strange covering, displaying a seven-pointed star pendant between her chest.

Entirely at the mercy of this gentle force keeping her stable in nothingness, with an endless void of sharp thorns below her, Sora sobered pretty quickly.

“Umm. Who… are you?” she nervously asked, feeling strange in the world she’d entered before settling on an uncomfortable fact. “What is this place? Oh, no… You’re imprisoned here, aren’t you? I stumbled into a place I shouldn’t have!”

She started to panic a little upon spotting the bloody chokers, bracelets, and ankle clasps that gave her the distinct impression of a prison. It didn’t take long for her to spot the ethereal chains rising up to the event horizon far above them. Upon further inspection, Sora’s focus went from her dangerous-looking shoulderless dress to her bare shoulders and mostly covered chest, where pulses of yellow light ran as if veins.

The woman tilted her head to the left, displaying a patent and kind smile. “I am a prisoner, but not of Existence, or wherever you were, Child of Nihility. I could not harm you even if I wanted to, and why would I want to devour my child?”

Sora’s brain locked up, and her ears and tail went totally stiff as she swept the woman’s alien appearance. “Your what?! I don’t think so, lady! I am so confused, right—and why are you laughing?”

“Forgive me!” the entity chortled, the chains clinking as she lifted a hand to her breast, the thorn forest and black hole quivering with her shaking frame. “I was only joking. Although you take more after me than my brother, I’d say.”

“Can you just send me—okay, eh-hehe, you gotta stop with these jokes!” Sora gagged, feeling totally whiplashed at her entertained giggles. “I just want to go back. I’ve got things to do, okay.”

“No, please,” she whispered. Her amusement faded, and she took a deep breath before letting it go. “Allow me to explain. It’s just… hard not marveling at my little brother’s creation. You do have his edges; I’ll give you that,” she said as if a compliment.

“Slow down! This came out of left field, lady. I don’t even know your name! And you’re saying you’re my, what… aunt—my dad’s big sister?”

“Is that so hard to believe?” She pushed her mouth to the side, looking somewhat perturbed all of a sudden. “Rats… It seems we’re running short on time. Someone is following your path here to drag you back. You did impressive work for a fledgling, by the way, and yes,” she chimed, flashing her perfect teeth and trying to look cute, “I am your aunt. What to call me, though—names are important to creatures of Existence, after all.”

Her blinding gaze narrowed as if deep in thought as Sora processed what she’d just said. “Umm. How about… Rose? All of this is more or less your subconscious trying to make sense of the Null-Void. I don’t really look like this—I look more like what you see above, which… I guess could be intimidating for creatures of Existence. Hmm. You could say I am a blooming obsidian star—Black Star, that could be a good name. Thoughts, My Mysterious Niece?”

Sora’s head slowly shook as she strained a laugh. “Rose… is fine, I guess. Uh, yeah… How am I supposed to believe you? Why did my mom not tell me about you?”

“Mom?” Rose glanced away again, mumbling, “I… guess you would have one of those. Huh. My dear little brother is far too much of a brute to make something so complex, elegant, and refined as something like yourself. I do love your curves and angles—oh, your real body,” she corrected with a short snicker. “I can’t wait to get to—oh, drat… Oh. Sakura’s little pet?”

The fur on Sora’s tail spiked, the sensation crawling up her spine to the hair on the back of her neck. Countless terrifying eyes with multiple pupils and irises inside each filled the space, examining everything—the Herald of Sakura.

A sweet, motherly voice exited the void beside her, and cracks split open to reveal the blonde lady she’d seen in her hotel lobby shortly after she’d changed. “What an… annoying and, frankly, dangerous journey that was for me to make,” she whispered, twirling a parasol behind her. “It is time to go, Sora… before three certain pillars realize what you’ve done.”

“What did I do?!” Sora stumbled back, somehow finding her feet on the 2D eye that opened up below her. “All I know is that I’ve seen some black thorns recently, and now I’m here; I don’t know what the heck is going on! Will someone explain? Is she my aunt or not? Where are we? Help me understand!”

Rose nodded, but the blonde interrupted her while taking out a fan and sliding it open to hide her mouth. Her mild glare was fixated on her aunt, and Sora herself being drawn away from whatever force held her in place.

“Your restlessness is drawing your warden’s gaze, Rose,” she chided. “We are leaving. This is your problem, not Sora’s or Founders’. Things are only manageable due to Nilly and my manipulations, and I am not going to waste the energy it would require for you to abate your loneliness. It’s… hard enough just looking at you, which should say something, Sora. Your mother will be in a colossal bit of—”

“Wait!” Rose’s face creased with panic. “Take my pendant, Sora! Just do that for me, Pandora—that’s all I need!”

Pandora hissed, the eldritch eyes around them bugging out, purple irises flashing a deadly ruby shade before stabilizing, as her true name was revealed. “Don’t… speak my name! Are you trying to get all of us killed?! Dammit, The Great Old Ones noticed me… What a pain.”

“Please… I will deal with them. They can’t follow Sora’s path; we share a family link by Soul Essence. You know The Truth, Endling!”

“Not that The Truth matters to Founder territory…” The blonde closed her fan and pressed it against her brow before pointing at the necklace, which flew off the woman’s chest and floated in front of Sora. “You have five seconds to decide, Sora. Yes, she is your aunt—sort of.”

Left in a total whirlwind upon learning who the Herald of Sakura was, and the fact she’d just met her first family member on her dad’s side as a prisoner to some creatures called ‘The Great Old Ones,’ she impulsively snatched the item out of the air. Sure, it might have been stupid, she reasoned, but hey, she wanted to know more about her family!

“Okay—eep!”

She choked as Pandora pulled her parasol closed, a ribbon neatly wrapping around its base, and slammed the point against the ground; the solid platform under her gave way, sucking her into the horrific eye and sending her crashing through the darkness.

“Remember this gift, Sora,” she chided, her voice echoing through her as her unusual, black-thorn aunt waved her goodbye. “The trouble I get into to keep my end of the bargain. Your mother is the worst client I have ever had. Haha. It’s not like I can fault you for being curious, though.”

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Sora! Until next we speak. Tease your dad for me!”

In an inverse of reality, she landed inside a puffy purple armchair. Blinking, she looked up at Titania’s entertained face. “Huh?!”

Sora’s fingers tightened around something, and she dropped her gaze to the pendant with the seven-pointed flower spreading in a blooming pattern.

The Fairy High Queen giggled and floated back. “You were dreaming and shouting out some rather curious things. Who is Black Star and the Black Thorn Lady? No! First, may I introduce you to Avalon Academy’s newest professor of Unseelie Arts!”

“Sela?”

Sora gulped, her eyes widening as obsidian barbs crawled out of the corners of the room and spread along the wooden floor. When she blinked, they were gone, leaving only the somewhat annoyed and pink-faced purified Unseelie.

Her grip tightened around the item in her palm, attempting to keep up with the rapid changes assaulting her brain. Sela’s silver hair had half-dyed a honey blonde, her gray skin regaining its peach color, and her bug-like wings were wrapped in silk.

“You’re… cured?”

“Not exactly,” Titania explained, dancing over to place her hands on the teenage-looking girl’s arms to display the embarrassed woman. “As a young Fairy Princess, her growth was… uh, hampered a bit by The Darkness’ corruption. Why don’t you explain what Sora did to you, Sela? I’m sure she’s worried about you, considering how you acted before she collapsed.”

Sela’s voice and tone hadn’t changed much, at least. “I’m not a prize for you to show your accomplishments, Titania… High Queen Titania,” she mumbled, fingers playing with her dress front. “It is a trial period, in any case; the High Court will choose to execute me at the next evaluation. So, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to sample Avalon’s excellent cuisine before I die.”

“Oh, come now, Sela,” Titania groaned as the woman pulled away and stormed toward the exit. “There’s no need to be embarrassed! Your wings will molt beautifully.”

“You don’t know that,” Sela growled, pausing at the door as her wrapped wings quivered a little to glare back at her. “I hope you’re happy, Sora. Congratulations on saving me… by drowning me in eternal guilt and suffering!”

Sora jumped and winced as she slammed the door, leaving Titania and her alone; she still hadn’t recovered from her encounter with her aunt and Pandora, much less what she’d just done to Sela. “Is she going to be okay?”

The High Queen smoothly sat in the chair opposite her with a sigh, allowing her time to observe the world she’d woken up to. Between them was a wellspring of magical power, sending sparkling green light throughout the space that infused the air, invigorating her.

“Sela did have a rather… traumatic purification—more than I thought it would be,” she sighed, “but it did provide a visual display for the other kings and queens to at least allow my experiment to continue. It was touch and go there for a bit with a few key players, but Oberon took my side, which… I had not anticipated, silencing opposition. Hmm.”

Crossing her legs, the woman’s complexion softened. “She will require a lot of counseling, which is available at Avalon Academy. Since her kingdom is... no more, and she needs a place in Avalon to move on, I have done my best to negotiate on her behalf. Mandatory attendance is a condition for her taking over a teaching position. Still, having a Fairy Queen candidate as an instructor is a huge win for the academy! Sela is quite skilled, especially in the art of Unseelie now.”

Sora absently nodded, holding up the amulet to study its flower petal design. The more she stared at it, the more she was drawn into its angles and curves; black thorns gradually grew out from her peripheral vision, but somehow, she knew her aunt would require some time to make contact again.

Finally, she had something concrete about her father’s side of the family; it was a big reveal! Wendy was going to freak. Apparently, her father had a big sister, and she was imprisoned somewhere even Pandora was cautious of. She had something to ask her mom tomorrow—her mom was coming home tomorrow.

“Sora?”

“Uh-huh!” She jolted, guiltily looking up from the pendant. “I’m sorry! I’m not trying to ignore you. This just came out of nowhere, and I’m just thrown off.”

Titania’s head cocked to the side, her braid clumping in her lap as she stared at the pendant Sora held up. “Your… palm? I am not following, Sora.”

Brow furrowing, her gut cramped as she tilted her hand to the side to stare at the item, panic flooding her chest again with traumatic memories of the last three years resurfacing. “You… you can’t see this? No! Hehehe. No, I’m not imagining that I’m holding a pendant, right? You can’t see this necklace—the white stone, black petals, outlined by gold… the shimmering hollow center? I’m not crazy! It’s here!”

“I… believe you?” Titania mumbled, rising to her feet to step closer and examine the item Sora brandished. “There are many ways magical items can be hidden from view. Let’s see, can you place it in my palm?”

Sora held it out before a terrible sense of dread gripped her heart, and she yanked it away. “No! I can’t—it’s dangerous. Uh… I don’t know why, but no one other than me can touch it,” she growled, scratching her neck with agitation. “Can you really not see it?”

A thoughtful twitch moved the High Queen’s mouth as she snapped her fingers and held up her palm. Above it, a cage popped into being, a snarling little red imp snarling from inside. Ugly and rabid, the demonic creature spat flames at her that were dispelled by the bars’ magical affix.

“Interesting. I am always up for learning new things! It is one of the things that makes life worth living. Why don’t we try an experiment with a little imp devil that was recently caught skulking about in Avalon instead of sending him back to Hell? Would you care to see if your concerns are warranted before taking it back with you to your family?”

Sora instantly nodded after that framing. She didn’t want to risk bringing back anything dangerous that could harm her friends or family. “Just… put it in the cage?”

“Can you use your magic on it?”

“Uh, yeah. I guess I can. It’s floating.” The cage bars flared a bright blue from the High Queen’s magic, spreading apart to allow the item to slip inside. “I’ll just… He’s not responding to it? If I touch—huh?!”

Her magic collapsed as the pendant touched the imp’s forehead, and he vanished. It felt like his entire essence had been pulled into the amulet and utterly consumed. However, Titania’s response was far more concerning.

“Hmm.” The High Queen frowned at the empty cage, left eye creasing as she spun it around. “Now, what was I doing with this? Ah. I was explaining that Sela no longer needs to be imprisoned since you have placed a seed within her that acts as a processing plant of sorts. It takes in her corruption and uses her desire to redeem herself as fuel, so we must cultivate an environment where that is possible and where she feels productive and useful. Questions, Sora?”

She snapped her fingers, and the cage vanished, causing the amulet to fall onto the rug between them and making Sora panic a little. A desire snatched it up and sent it flying into her purse, resting on a table nearby. “What about the imp?! What happened to him?!”

“What imp?” Titania frowned, studying her more closely. “Something is upsetting you, but looking back in time, I cannot see why. Perplexing. Is there something with Sela that you sense that I cannot? Is there a problem with the operation?”

“No! No, Sela’s fine,” Sora mumbled, waving her arm in protest. She walked to her purse and looked inside, where her black ice flower and the pendant rested. “Okay, this might sound insane, but—in theory—if you were to perform an experiment with an item, and when it touched the person… it ate them, and then you forgot about the whole thing, then… what would that mean?”

Fingers cupping her chin, Titania glanced into the corner of the room, arm resting under her bust. “This… is not a thought experiment, I assume. Hmm. If that were the case, then whatever the item was, then it consumed not only the person but also their very essence and presence in time and space. Essentially, it would be as if they never existed in the first place… It would be the most powerful artifact I had ever created. Are you… saying you created this?” she asked, sharp eyes darting to her.

“Not… exactly,” Sora mumbled, throat feeling raw. “Can… you still not see this? It literally erased that imp you summoned—conjured? Whatever. Yeah, he just vanished!”

For the first time, she saw the High Queen’s pretty face in genuine bewilderment as Sora produced it. She stared at Rose’s amulet for several seconds as if hypnotized before saying, “Mhm… Well, actually, I don’t see how using an imp to test Sela’s sincerity is proper.”

Sora’s jaw slackened. “What? I didn’t say anything about an imp or Sela.”

“Right, hmm. Well, I’ll grab Aiden and let him know that you’ve recovered. Haha. You should really be careful about your use of magic in the future,” Titania teased, sliding right by their conversation as if the item didn’t exist at all. “Aiden tells me this is not the first time he’s had to save you.”

Now, Sora was certain about its effect or, in general, the affect her aunt’s power had on others; she didn’t exist to people, and neither did her necklace. She would have been blustering at that comment had her mind not been totally engrossed by her aunt’s ‘gift’ to her.

“Uh-huh… So, I guess I’m going back home?”

“Yes.” Titania chimed, sounding as happy as could be. “I have to meet up with Sela and go over more rules and have some fun with her, but I will personally send Aiden and you back home. Ember will be stationed in your private realm as your school guide. Feel free to use her as you wish! She can be an excellent replacement for matches or lighters,” she giggled, leaving her in the sobering atmosphere.

Dropping into her chair, she rubbed the polished surface of the alabaster stone, following the shimmering pulses that moved through its traces. What did you give me, Aunt Rose?

“A piece of herself.” Sora jumped as Pandora appeared in Titania’s seat, her devious purple eyes smiling behind her flared paper fan. “Be very careful, Sora. I have warned your mother. Personally, I would not trust your father’s side of the family. Do not be fooled by her charm. She would destroy everything, given the chance…”

With a playful smirk, she snapped her fan closed. “Or maybe I’m wrong. My only place in your life is to fulfill my end of the bargain with your mother. Do not expect much from her on the topic, though, since she is as blinded by their charms as you will be.”

“If that—oh, you have to be kidding me!” Sora shouted, throwing up her arms as she blinked, and the reality cutout of Pandora disappeared. “How hard would it be to be like, hey, Sora, yeah, this is what I know about your mysterious thorn aunt, who is in prison somewhere?! Oh, yeah, I know why she’s there, but I’m not going to tell you because I suck! Bah. You higher being people are all the same! Fine. I’ll ask Steph when she gets back because she won’t blue ball me! Freaking losers!”

Aiden knocked and poked his head through the door. “Bad timing? I hope I’m not the loser. Sela do her typical sass and act cute, storming off?”

Sora rolled her eyes. “I wish my problems ended with Sela! No, my whole family is a freaking headache and a half. My mom is totally going to stonewall me—I’d bet on it at this point—and everyone else is stupid silent on everything! My dad’s not human. Imagine that!”

“Wait, really? Well, that’s cool… or maybe it’s not?” Aiden recovered with a strained laugh, walking over to sit in the same, quite used chair now. “Want to talk about it?”

“No!” Sora savagely threw the amulet into her purse and sealed it shut. “I have enough bull crap on my plate, and I don’t want to be in a foul mood when I get back for Wendy. Ugh. Jane should be at the hotel,” she groaned, leaning forward and rubbing her face. “I don’t want to deal with her right now—not that I have much of a choice. I’m just—mmgm! I’m going to yank my mom’s tail and ground her—I swear—if she doesn’t tell me! Arrgh!”

Mouth pulled into a line, Aiden just nodded at her rant until she was finished.

“So… yeah, how was everything—is Titania coming back? Oh, shit! How long was I out,” she cried, collapsing against the side of her chair as her emotions finally caught up to her. “My life is a total disaster—misfortune incarnate—on my grave!”

Aiden chuckled at her melodrama. “First, deep breaths, Foxy! Deeeep breaths. Second, it’s only been an hour or so. This pool of magic is concentrated stuff, and you soak it up like a sponge. Third, Titania will be back to send us home on the express teleport route in, like… two or three minutes. You good?”

“Not really,” Sora grumbled, tail flicking with agitation. “I just… what other girl has to go through this crap with her family? I mean, I want to know them.

“My aunt, apparently, is dangerous to me, so, yeah, that’s a nonstarter for my mom. It’s not even that she knows she’ll be a threat. She just doesn’t think she’ll take it well since she can’t have kids the same way my mom did. I don’t know—I think she’s just being overprotective—but then she’s also a 12th-dimensional super-goddess who can see ‘omniverses without end,’ ” she mocked, steam blowing through her nose.

“Then, we have my dad—also, not human; surprise, Sora!” she snarled, scratching the side of her head. “Oh, and yeah, he doesn’t even know that either. Of course, he doesn’t know! And now I’ve met my aunt—my dad’s big sister—and she’s a prisoner off in nowhere land… uh, The Nihility… or was it the Null-Void? I don’t know; doesn’t matter. And the Herald of Sakura is freaking messing with my head and telling me not to trust her!”

Lowering her head and clamping her palms over her ears, she growled, “It’s just… frustrating! Everything is great with Kari, Eyia, Jin is coming around, and Wendy, mmm, yeah, I still need to handle her Mom stuff, but Howie, Daisy, Ron, Steph—everything is going sooo good! And then this drops on my tail. Ya know?”

“Sounds rough,” Aiden hummed, sweeping his hair back as he leaned against his chair. “I could offer my own two cents if you want, but only if you want it; I don’t want to overstep my boundaries.”

Arms crossed, Sora flung herself back and lifted her eyebrows. “Enlighten me with your well-traveled wisdom. I want to help Wendy, and now this has me all freakin’ mmh-d inside, ya know. Ahh! Nilly and P—uh, the Herald of Sakura are apparently keeping my dad’s side hidden or something. What am I supposed to do?”

He smiled in that aggravating, chill way that she so wanted to emulate, and somehow, it did make her feel a little less stressed after she had expressed her anger. “Focus on what is right in front of you. When your mom is here, then you can rip her tails to pieces, hug her, and ground her from dramas—you like dramas, right?”

“I do,” she laughed, “but I think grounding her from dramas is more like a punishment for me since I want to watch them with her. Ugh. I just wished people would be more open with me instead of treating me like… like…”

“Half an adult?” Aiden asked.

“Yeah! I’m fighting demons, evil plots, and curing Unseelie of incurable spirit virus crap, but you wanna know about your mysterious dad’s side of the family? No shot, girl! Want to meet your fluffy, white-furred Aunt Inari? Nope! Mmgm. Maybe I am being a little brat about it, but I can’t help it! I want what I want… but I guess I can be patient.”

She shot a half-smile Aiden’s way. “Thanks for letting me PMS. I’m feeling better.”

“Woah! Not talk I’m used to hearing—guy here,” he playfully defended, throwing up his hands. “Glad to be of help. Anyway… Titania is running a bit late. Hmm. Not concerning, right?”

“Oh? So, one girl-joke, and you’re already running for the door!” Sora teased, making him laugh. “How about a big group dinner to celebrate my mom’s arrival tomorrow? Are you free to join us?”

Aiden hummed as Titania slipped into the room, looking like she was on cloud nine; it was a big deal that they’d managed to cure Sela. “I can move things around. What time?”

“Yikes, uh… I don’t know when she’ll be here, to be honest. It could be at any time.”

“Tell you what,” Aiden said, pushing himself up, “if I can make it, I will. Shoot me a text?”

“Yeah! Hug?” she tested, giving him a dubious yes-or-no stare.

He tilted his head to the side. “I mean, would I be a guy if I said no? Who wouldn’t want a shy, pretty fox girl hugging him?”

“Shy? Obviously, you don’t know the new, very pushy me!” Sora cheered, jumping forward to throw her arms around the boy; endorphins flooded her body as his strong arms closed around her, matching her strength perfectly with her transformation. “I can’t wait to be in the same classes as you!”

“Ahem.” Titania strained a smile as they separated. “About that… Aiden is far more advanced than you in his understanding of magic and the world, so… he will be bumped up a grade.”

“What?! Booo!” Sora pouted. “I guess that makes sense.”

Aiden shrugged. “Sorry, I was a bit of a teacher’s pet… literally! Alva loved to tell stories, and I loved to listen.”

“I guess that can be fun, too. I’ll see you around.”

“Sooner than you think!” Titania giggled, snapping her fingers. “We likely won’t be meeting for some time after this; enjoy your free days before classes.”

Shimmering dust swirled around them, and when she opened her eyes, she was staring up at the cosmic wonders of her mother’s private realm that she’d created for her. Aiden cleared his throat while nudging his head toward the elevator down the path.

“Care if I walk you home? Wait, where is your purse—ahh, fae tricks.”

Sora snickered as it twinkled in front of them, and she snatched it out of the air. “Sure! I’ve got a few things to do before Wendy gets home anyway; she’ll probably still be out with Howie and Daisy.”

“Oh? Prep work like changing clothes and doing your hair?”

“Sexist much?” she joked with a wink. “No, but maybe. Hehe. More like spelling our safe so only I can get into it.”

“Okay. Well, this was quite the day. Highlights?”

Sora opened her mouth before shutting it and creasing an eye. “I’ll… get back to you on that one since it’s not over yet. You’re competing with my best friend, after all.”

“Oof. Tough challenge! I’ll gracefully concede. Wendy has my vote.”

“Wha—you can’t do that—I’m the one that votes.”

“Too bad. I just did. Wendy rules. It’s just a fact at this point,” he laughed. “Tell her she’s a girl boss and to whip her mom into shape. From what little I heard, she’s a hard worker, and her mom took advantage of it. Not cool.”

“Totally right! Wendy is awesome. She’s also a total weeb!”

“A what?” Aiden looked down at her. “A weed? She’s a pothead? Okay, I mean, I’ve smoked a bit in Africa with some of the tribes there, but…”

“No! No, no, no… A weeb, weeeeeb, with a b! Like, she loves anime, manga, and dating sims—gosh. I… actually don’t know if she did pot. I heard rumors about the janitor gang and smoking out back. Huh. I’ll have to ask her! I bet she did if her crush passed her a joint. Blackmail!” she sang.

“No way! It’s confirmed! Your best friend is a pothead.”

“Correction. My sister is a pothead!”

Laughing and joking with Aiden on the way back, she gained a hop in her step again with the positive vibes he brought. One of the Foundation’s men was in the elevator on shift, and she went to the ground floor with the firebird to wave him off.

Once inside her expanded suite, she frowned upon seeing it totally empty, excluding her unconscious dad and his nurse. Fen and Jian were out exploring, no doubt; Wendy, Howie, and Daisy were out wedding ring shopping, and Kari and Eyia were trying to beat each other in basketball.

Taking the extra time to magically picklock the med safe, she stared at her amulet for a second, seeing the thorns reappear, yet they weren’t scary now; in fact, there was a sense of familiarity in them that made her curious.

“Well, Aunt Rose, I’ll talk to my mom about you, but for now… this is just too dangerous to have out. And… super-spelled so only I can open it! Invisible, and done. Now, let’s wait for Wendy… and pick out some jewelry,” she absently added after shutting the safe.

It’s time to confront Jane and officially make Wendy my sister… because her mom is a total bitch. Yeah, this can’t end well, but we can’t run from it. I’m sorry if this hurts, Wendy… this is what you wanted.