#REAL AND TRUE TO MEEEEE

[tenderhooked]

don’t mind me i’m just irradiating river with my aroace beam. yeah it’ll be forever.

[quietwingsinthesky]

inverse on the master plotline where rose thinks there’s someone evil and sinister lurking at the edge of time and she’s convinced whoever is behind that fobwatch will hurt them and she does everything she can to prevent it being opened and. it’s just martha, who survived because there was more good to be done helping people as a human far away from the war then to let the time war consume her and turn her into a weapon. it’s martha and rose didn’t recognize her because she’d regenerated and suddenly there are two time lords in the universe.

[bookinit02]

THESE GODDAMN FIREFIGHTERS ARE MAKING ME INSANEEEEEEE

[planet4546b]

barret and dyne are both trans + they started dating as kids before they realized they were trans and were in a lesbian relationship and then both transitioned around the same time. Barretdyne is not only real it is every letter of lgbt at once

[luxpenumbra]

my ability to encounter gideon&etc the ninth spoilers on a daily basis and still know nothing about it is absolutely and totally resume material

[jjanguri]

zibis post KCON fan-meeting

[s0urte3th]

hey you can you. can you stop

[dragon-ascent]

Wouldn't it be fun to be vengefully pursued by Zhongli, who's out to catch and punish you because you broke a contract?

You propose the idea to your husband, explaining the appeal of the "thrill of the chase," so to speak. Now, you're a bit of a wuss, so you don't actually break any kind of contract; Zhongli, more than willing to humor you, agrees to pretend you have broken one nevertheless.

"Oh noooo," you repeat for the umpteenth time, making your way across the bridge leading home, "whatever will I doooo? Spare me!"

"I'm afraid is there no escape for you, my dearest," answers Zhongli, stalking over to you with all the deadly speed and malice of a snail. Then again, even you're not running away either, your gait more akin to a slow dance without contact.

Waltzing away, you shoot back with zero verve, "I'm downright terrified. I'm, like, so scared for my life right now." In the midst of your chase, you nearly step on a puddle - oh no, you can't ruin your new shoes, and the puddle's too wide to sidestep.

Zhongli takes notice, scooping you up and plopping you down on the other side. "Here we are, dear."

"Thanks! Ahem, now...eeeeek! He's gaining on meeee." You continue your half-hearted trudge away from him as he resumes his thrilling pursuit of you.

"Just wait until I get my hands on you. I shall show you no mercy." He's walking as though it's a casual evening promenade.

"That sounds excit- I mean, horrible! Horrible, yes." Reaching your doorstep, you make to unlock the door. "Gotta get to safety and protect myself!"

Like a true gentleman, the god waits patiently while you fiddle with the key.

"Pssst, Zhongli, could you get it for me real quick? I think it's stuck."

"Oh, of course." He unlocks the door and holds it open for you.

It's time to get on all fours. "Oh no! He got inside!" you wail, crawling your way to the bedroom while your husband leisurely follows behind, watching as you clamber onto the bed.

"Nooooo! All my clothes are flying off!" you exclaim, sloppily yanking your garments off and tossing them aside. "This must be the wrath of the God of Contracts..."

Your dear Zhongli, barely able to contain his amusement, gracefully climbs into bed and props himself over you. "Indeed it is."

"He's got to me! What will you do to meeeee..."

"I shall, er...sheathe my spear in you. Repeatedly."

Peals of laughter ensue.

[ayselluna]

Ascendant Astarion Recommendations!

I'm a fan of both Spawn and Ascendant Astarion so I do enjoy reading both. But if you want to explore and read some good shit~ Ascendant fics well here you go~

I've read a lot so bear with me, These are my TOPS~

I LOVE ALL OF THESE:

A Gift, A Curse by @elemit - This updates daily most of the time, the author is getting busy IRL but it should be back on a daily update again soon I think. This is one of the darker theme of Ascendant Astarion "50 shades of 'FCKNG LITTLE TWAT' Ancunin" as one of the comment says haha some scenes are "traumatic" but the rollercoaster ride of emotions you'll get on this story is one for the books! ONGOING!

Fangs and Fractured Hearts - by @fangsandfracturedhearts - This one's one of the softer sides of the Ascendant, the dynamic of Tav and Astarion here is exquisite! The cliffhanger on this one just uggghhhhh. i love it!! ONGOING!

Hellish Rebuke by @bludazey this one's a classic! the details on this story is so genius I swear. Also I think a lot of Astarion fanfic writers got inspired with the Devil's dealing here. Also Tav here is effing smart and just chef's kiss! such a great heroine! ONGOING!

His Star - His Queen [Originally titled Across Stars and Time] by ARandomIntrovert - Now this a bit different, What if multiverse exists? Now there's two Astarions fighting over you, Spawn VS Ascendant, where do you think this would go? :)) Story's definitely amazing and unique! I easily got invested. haha ONGOING!

In Another Life by @locallegume - Definitely a softer side of the Ascendant but Tav and Astarion's dynamic here is one of my fave! <3 Tav here is not the overly good role model we usually read, she's troubled too and definitely has effed up issues. but sometimes you just need to find your own freak and be together forever. ONGOING!

Pieces Still Stuck In Your Teeth - by @howlsmovinglibrary / @wetcatspellcaster - The amount of Banter and D&D Lore on this one is superb! you have to watch out for the writer's notes! I love how I get to learn more D&D stuff and godssss how many times I almost got so swayed by the Ascendant here! good thing Tav's so good at bantering haha ONGOING!

Remember ye not the former things by @brabblesblog - THE SEQUEL!! It focuses more on the aftermath and them working out their relationship, a lot more TAV bg story but gods, Astarion here , I just want to smother him with cuddles and kisses, TAKE MEEEEE ONGOING!

Whither is thy beloved gone? by @brabblesblog -

It has a sequel!!! - that's how good it is! <3 also The Ascendant here is my favorite! The confrontations are just so real and so true I caaaaan't. He wrote the Ascendant so good I actually sided with him more than Tav! A lot of smut ngl but I got into the characters more that I should have. you're missing out if you haven't read this. COMPLETED!

Most of these are still ongoing but I am updated w/ each, along with other Spawn Astarion fics :)) They are all good! some more soft than the others, some darker and evil :))

Let me know if you guys want to get some Spawn Astarion fics recommendations!

[annknnwa]

Always wondered why people liked darker kinks, kinks like cheating, cuckholding, denial and so on. I always enjoyed the more happy side of sex, the vanilla pure joy sex. But oh Trinity, I just couldn’t resist.

Trinity was always a popular girl, more notorious actually. Always surrounded by rumours that she was a massive slut, that she sleeps around, it was no wonder that guys would give her their undivided attention. In the unlikely event the rumours were real, maybe they could enjoy her too.

But things were never that simple. While the rumours were true, not just any guy could participate. After all, Trinity was the queen bee, the top prize. To many, she was the dream girl, the dream fuck, the most wanted. But to me, Trinity was a friend.

I’ve known her since our Polytechnic days. I had always done projects with her and been the “parent friend” for her, giving advice when requested for, mostly for relationship and love. It was through those conversations that I realised Trinity sleeps around quite a bit. Having multiple FWBs, she would satisfy her intense libido.

Over time however, I also found Trinity was very obvious with who she wants or who her next target was. To start she was very touchy. Always accidentally touching your shoulder or arm, accidentally pressing her breast on your back when trying to see what you were seeing. But her butt was the biggest tease, both in size and effect. That perfect, tight, firm ass was in a class of its own. Nothing she did to tease me ever worked, until she sat in my lap while working on a project, attempting to tease me. I never had any desires for her, but how could you deny that butt. No man or god or being could.

But I didn’t realise what she had planned, and how she would corrupt me.

Meet Habi, her most loyal FWB, her most desperate and her most played with. Habi had feelings for Trinity for a long time, but Trinity only used him for pleasure. What he lacked in size, he made up with effort, and that was enough for her. Habi was her most frequent FWB, until me

“I don’t really like him anymore, You’re gonna help me replace him, but I don’t want to just drop him, I want to break him”

“Why? Why be cruel? Just drop him and move on you don’t have to hurt him?”

“Oh this isn’t for him, it’s for me. I want to drop him, but I want to satisfy my kinks while we’re at it, and you’re gonna help me my bull :)”

I knew she had something planned, but i didn’t know how bad it’d be and how it’ll flip a switch in me.

“Hey what do you have planned my queen? Why the blindfold and why did you bind me?”

Trinity had invited habi to her place and gave a sorry excuse that she wanted to try something new.

“Oh please, I want to try something new, I want to be in control and for you to have absolutely no control”

Trinity continued to sweet talk to Habi for a bit all while he was blindfolded, not realising that while she was whispering sweet nothings to him, her bare ass was grinding on my cock.

“Oh you were always sooooo sweet to me. Always tryiiiiingggg to please meeeee, with your tinnnnnyyy cock”

Trinity was already slowly pulling his pants off, and seeing his tiny meat, i let out a chuckle

“who was that? is someone else there?”

“No one is there, don’t be silly, why would I-”

I couldn’t help it, her bare butt, her pink pussy was just inviting me to touch it. I had to stick a pinky in just to feel how wet it was.

“Stop he’ll know, give me a while more please daddy”

She whispered to me, and gave me a wink. She was saying no but she was pushing back on my two fingers inside her. But her saying Daddy, was the final straw.

I grabbed her waist and gave her the hungry look, a look that told her I’m having you now, and you’re gonna take me

A small wiggle of her butt and I knew she was ready.

“Okayyyyyyy surprise Habi! I’m dumping you! Meet my new bull”

She ripped off his blindfold and as she did she plunged my cock deep inside her pussy. She let out a deep shriek as my cock kissed her womb, poking the deepest part of her pussy. Her body shuddered as it got used to the biggest she ever had. Even her thrust was overestimated, sending her body into an instant orgasm even before we started moving.

“Wha- what’s going on, who is he? Trinity….?”

Habi was crestfallen, not angry, not shocked but his spirit was destroyed.

“Please Trinity, don’t do this” he continued to beg as she came over and over, as she screamed louder and louder in pleasure. Hearing him beg and sob almost made me slow down, but something flipped inside of me, I got harder. The pace was slow because she needed to get used to the new size, but it was too late, a kink was realised and I grabbed her waist tighter.

“DONT FUCKING STOP, KEEP GOING OMG IM GONNA CUM AGAIN”

Trinity was grabbing onto Habi’s shirt as he sat there bound, unable to move, watching his idol get used, fucked and filled over and over.

“GOD, I CANT USE ANY OTHER COCK ANYMORE, NOTHING WILL MAKE ME CUM LIKE THIS AGAIN”

All this time, Trinity didn’t realise that her fucked up way of dropping FWBs made me discover a new kink of immoral sex, and the thought of stealing her from someone who wanted her just turned love making into fucking.

“CUM INSIDE, FILL ME, MARK ME, IM YOUR WOMAN NOW, GIVE IT TO ME”

Shouting this while staring at habi inches from his face, Trinity caught on that it turned me on. With one hard thrust, I pierced right into her womb, and pumped her full of cum. The motion pushed her forward and made her kiss Habi on the lips. A final kiss goodbye for him on the lips, a kiss in her womb for my cock. She was mine now, and Habi was the first witness.

“Sorry Habi, but you’re just too small and this thing-“ kisses my cock and licks off the remaining cum “this beautiful cock is gonna fill me up over and over again, just like tonight”

Trinity loosened the restraints but Habi just sat there, crying into his hands, while cum dripped out of his cock, feeling ashamed that seeing his girl get her mind fucked out and leaving with another man made him cum.

“I’m sorry” I gestured to him as I left the room with trinity, knowing damn well, I was gonna fuck her till we couldn’t walk.

“Ya know, I meant what I said. No other cock is gonna make me cum again after what you did. And from how much is dripping out of me right now, Id say you enjoyed it too?”

I nodded sheepishly, feeling embarrassed that she was spot on. She grabbed my cock again through my pants and started rubbing it

“Well I have a few more FWBs to drop… Wanna do this again?”

Another story request! Back to my fucked up cheating and stealing fantasies. It was really fun to write this story!

Thanks to @slxttytrinity for the request and pics for the story. Though some of the content was way more explicit, like actual um content. I used non-explicit content for this post cause it’s a fantasy after all, use your imagination to think of what trinity actually looks like, ya perverts. Check her out too! She’s a ton of fun to talk too :D

Send in your requests! I write strictly from my perspective so if that’s what you’re looking for, drop me a dm! Till the next fantasy :)

[moonshynecybin]

I was reflecting on the level of codependence of the marquez brothers, and I came to the conclusion that when marc retires, alex will retire as well.

Alex certainly loves what he does, however, my feeling is that he adapted to the family business, but he could have also done anything else. And I think if he were to retire suddenly due to injury, he would be able to handle it much better than marc would.

Listening to marc's latest interviews I think if all goes well, we could have him on track until 2028. Alex at that point would be 33 years old and he would only shorten his career by a little.

If alex continued on his own for the first time the family would be split in half, with him and his father around the world and marc at home constantly worrying over his brother. I don't see how that could happen, while I see a joint press conference to announce the retirement of both, as much more likely.

i think theres a VERY real possibility of joint retirement and ive turned this over in my brain to support my fictionalization of these men's lives aka rpf bedtime stories many a time, however ive always considered the OPPOSITE, where alex retires and that is the thing that pushes marc into it as well... like idk marc is a racing addict who i think will race as long as he is competitive, (and a bit more!) bc he is an obsessive, just like valentino. like he may say 'i thought about retirement' and losing in the early 2020s was OBVIOUSLY extremely hard for him, but you look at all he did to come back and be competitive in the sport and something doesnt ring true to meeeee about him being willing to just. hang it up the second he slows down. like yeah he can SAY i dont know how vale does it in 2021, but at the same time he was racing a horrible bike on half an arm for spotty results at the time so like idk man. look within for similarity. but we'll see. THEN theres the chronic pain, but imo i dont think that stops post-retirement bc hes gonna be doing motocross 8 hours a day regardless, so i really dont think its that much of a factor even if it is like. horrifying lmao. like he loves bikes too much the arm pain isnt gonna stop him at this point post surgery. BUT. if you add those first two factors (slowing down + chronic pain) and then take alex out of the equation, THEN i think we have a real question mark of how fun this is for marc anymore... and i think he'll have to ask himself what is he willing to lose in order to keep doing this! because in the past its been quite a lot ! but i think the possibility of alex retiring might be the thing that pushes it all a little too far...

[serevarin]

started playing kcd yesterday for the first time in my life. been strolling along the road and enjoying the view. got killed by a bandit and his dog and i couldn't outrun them (i appreciated this fact, so reallll)!! but i can't take this anymore why is everyone so cruel to meeeee i'm just a simple skalitz boy🕊️🕊️🕊️ (/j)

so i've just ragequit kcd and tomorrow i'll get back to it and i KNOW this is casual kcd experience right 😭 henry is such a lovely loser (/j) i love him so much HE CAN'T EVEN STAND A SINGLE BLOW FFS this is so realistic and true. finally i can play a loser and watch him grow. finally loser gameplay. so relatable to true so close to real life ❤️

[lostsyren]

It sucksss so bad that I'm obsessed with a ship that's not Canon. Like I love all the couples (ruthie and topper can go die :) ) but rafe and sofia are the ones who actually caught my eye. The way he visibly CHANGED because of her....insane

I also hate that he still puts his dad on a pedestal. Like he is one of the main reasons he became this way ig.

Alsooo fionaaa is sooo cute. I'm so daydreaming that drew and fiona are together even tho they're so not.

Also I'm glad that I can see accs that focus on sofia. I feel so alone most of them here tbh. So thank you for ao3 content. I'm waiting for ethereal part 6

Girl this is canon to meeeee!!! Like i was struggling in s3, I had such big hopes for her character and i was so scared she wasn’t going to come back for s4 but I get what you mean!! Out of all the couples in obx, rafe and Sofia have like the least amount of content (edits, fics, drew + Fiona interviews/interactions)

EXACTLYYYY you can tell he likes her (dare I say loves her) just by the way he’s so PRESENT when he talks to her yk? Like even the scene where they’re sitting by the pool together, initially he’s in his head, worked up about the Hollis deal, but he makes sure to show Sofia he is listening to her, and receptive of what she’s saying!!

Sameee, but lowkey Ward is being a good influence on him from beyond the grave– like Rafe’s never ending plight to make his dad proud is forcing him to think twice about what he does, try and make amends with Sarah and try and keep good things in his life (like Sofia).

SO TRUE Fiona is the sweetest!! When I found out she was cast as Rafe’s love interest back in like 2022 I fell in love with her!! I binge watched Control Z right then and there😭

I just wish they’d make her and Drew do more press together, like I wanna see them interact!! (And while I don’t condone shipping real life people, they’d make such an attractive couple)

Awww tysm lovely you’re the sweetest everrrr!!💕🫶💫<3

Also sorry for the delay in releasing the latest chapter🫣I promise I’m writing it!!

[foreverisntenough]

For your listening pleasure if you ever are reading or re-reading 'Act II'

Here’s 10 tracks that I think embody the fic ✨

Also, let me know if you think you can match the chapter/ scene with the song 👀 I'll tell you if you tell meeeee....

'There's nowhere to run when it comes to you. All my camouflage melts. And suddenly, I'm see-through for you' 🥺

'Ouais, j'ai compris que même les bad bitches pleurent' (Yeah, I figured out that even bad bitches cry.) | Je ne suis pas amoureuse de toi. Fais semblant avec moi' (I'm not in love with you. Pretend with me.) 🖕

'They say your name, I don't even hear it | We've never had sex, we never got tattoos' 😭😭😭

'Red wine kissin' in the house that your parents, got for you, rented, how'd you forget it? I think about you and nothin' else. So if you would just come over, I could show you for myself'' 🍷🤍

'J'pense à toi quand t'es pas là' (I think of you when you're not here) 👀

'My brain and my heart ain't the same. So, will I let you in?' ✨✨

'A hundred in a duffle bag, a gotta big fish. Shorty you need assistance. | Canary princess cuts for my baby'

'I'm a player, yeah, it's true. But I change the game for you. | 'Can I be for real? Is this is how I feel. I'm in need of love.' 👼

'If nobody's told you. Baby, you're pressure' 🤤

'You keep me open, open arms I'm so devoted to you.' | For you I try, face card valid, ID. C'est la vie, go to Paris, it ain't five-star, it ain't me. Over-solid, keep it concrete, I'ma bet it on your whole fee.

[rambling-crerchur]

Patricia's latest drama should be all the evidence anyone needs that it's really not in their best interest to try to collaborate with her professionally. Currently she is just too unstable to be trusted to not blow up with extremely serious allegations of bigotry and then try to walk it back a bit as alters not agreeing with each others' takes. Textbook red flag as a potential collaborator.

Alright, I wasnt paying much attention to that corner of her drama, but this anon piqued my interest so lets dive in, shall we? [Post]

This is what I'm hoping for with what I am doing here and what other people with much more reach are doing when making Patricias true colours more widely known: Patricias actions catching up with her. Her constant incest posting and other gross shit is finally leading to things like this. Now, obviously, Patricia shields herself from the accountability that in this case is getting dropped from a collaboration because the person that hired her found out about what she's like by calling him a transphobe, and saying that transfems shouldnt work for him. The simple reality is that Patricias constant discussions of her fetishes and sexual fantasies have made her extremely radioactive and someone people do not want to be associated with.

I find it utterly bizarre here how she tries to frame him letting her publish her soundtrack on her own as a negative, when thats actually just Alan being nice and respecting her artistic work, something she'll obviously say he doesnt. Its also extremely bizarre to me how she says that she thinks Alan didnt make a huge public deal out of this AND THEN MAKES A BIG PUBLIC DEAL OUT OF IT HERSELF. But of course, this isnt the end of this. There's more:

"Guys guys that wasnt MEEEEE that was an ALTERRRRR" how convenient that you can just shift the responsibility for that post on a convenient and unnamed alter. Getting into the second part of this, she's trying to backpedal what that initial post was. "I was making my story AcCesSiBLe" you smeared Alan as a transphobe because he didnt want someone as radioactive as you to be associated with him while still giving you more grace than you deserve, and now you're trying to walk that back because it doesnt look good. One last post to go:

Idk Patricia, maybe he didnt immedeatly do a background check because really why the hell would he??? Him inclyding you in his community isnt malicious either as you are trying to framw it, he just didnt think you'd be a horrible person and thus didnt do a background check. That isnt a failing on Alans part thats a sign of good faith ffs. Also lets not kid ourselves, if he had "turned her away at the door" she would have done a similiar song and dance about how him believing what people day about her was transphobic without the addition that she had already worked for him. This is a further instance of Patricia framing something that is in no way malicious as that to make herself look like the victim.

Her mentioning her real name is something I wanted to bring up for a while now. Patricia could've very well had a music carreer seperate from her online identity of Patricia Taxxon. This connection of her as an artist to her fetishes and fantasies is entierely her own goddamned fault. She chose this.

[crystalninjaphoenix]

A Shift in the Weather

Paranormal Preteens AU: Episode Thirty-One

A JSE Fanfic

Guess who forgot to queue up the fic for this week? It's meeeee. And then my browser crashed in the middle of me trying to post it, so problems all around. But hey, a couple hours late won't really make a difference, I think XD Chase's mom has stumbled into the supernatural world, so the kids have to tell her everything and deal with her being here now. Cause there's no way she's letting kids fight this stuff on their own. Jackie also gets an unexpected visitor. Anyway, even if it's late, hope you enjoy reading it! ^-^

Previous Episode | More of this AU | From the Start | Read on AO3 at CrystalNinjaPhoenix

++++++++++++++++++++

“I... can’t believe this.” Mom leaned back against the sofa, a stunned, blank expression on her face. Around her, the kids were standing and sitting in various locations, nervous. Chase was sitting next to her. His throat hurt from talking so much, explaining everything that happened over the past... wow, it was nearly a year since all this started. With spring approaching, summer was not long coming. This all began at the start of summer. It felt so long ago.

“Well... i-it’s all true,” Chase said. “I mean, you just saw Anti. And like... you can see the crack in the coffee table.”

“Y-yeah, I can see it.” Mom looked at the coffee table, scanning the crack breaking its surface. And, more specifically, the way it seemed to stretch further than the table would allow.

“We’re really sorry we didn’t tell you, Chase’s mom,” Marvin said. He was standing in place fidgeting with the end of his cape. “It’s just... we didn’t think you would believe us.”

“A-and I tried telling the police, and... they didn’t believe me, either,” Jackie added. "They thought I was a kid pulling a prank."

“Well I... I would have had a hard time believing it, I-I won’t lie,” Mom said haltingly. “But I... I know you all wouldn’t make this up for no reason. Maybe I would’ve thought you were pulling a prank at first... Then when you were serious... I-I don’t know. I would’ve been worried.” She shook her head. “I-I’m sorry, kids, this is... a lot.”

Next to Chase, Schneep clung tightly to his arm. Chase could feel him squeezing tightly. He’d been nervous this whole time, and that was making Chase worried in turn. He looked at Schneep and gave him a quick smile, then looked back at Mom. “Take your time, Mom. We’ll wait.”

Mom laughed. “You’re sounding real grown-up, saying that.”

Chase blinked. Was that... a good thing?

“Alright... so.” Mom looked at Marvin and JJ. “You got kidnapped, and you were... controlled by a doll?”

Not really controlled, exactly, JJ said. It just made me do what others told me.

“Right. The doll... wasn’t actually alive.” Mom slumped further against the sofa. “I... Okay. So, there are these cracks in the ground that lead to a place underground full of, uh... magical energy called ‘greenlight.’ This greenlight can make... monsters. A-and there’s a group called the Circle that’s trying to contain the monsters caused by the cracks in the ground.”

“Pretty much,” Stacy said, laughing awkwardly. “I-I get how you’re feeling right now, Miss Walker. That’s how I felt when I saw the monster dog outside my house. I had to figure out what was going on, and so... here I am.”

Mom rubbed her forehead. “So... every time you had Jackie babysit you, or you all went out to have fun somewhere, you were actually... fighting these monsters?”

“No,” Chase said defensively. “Usually we were just hanging out. But, uh, sometimes we’d go do stuff...”

“Sneaking around and I didn’t even notice...” Mom muttered. “It even happened in this house before...”

“I-I am sorry,” Schneep mumbled quietly. “I-I am s-so sorry.”

“Henrik, no, you don’t need to apologize,” Mom said softly. “I’m not mad. And none of you are in trouble. I promised you I wouldn’t be upset, did I?” She sighed. “I’m just... I can’t believe it. I can’t believe any of this. Magic... is real. And so are monsters.”

“Well, uh, I don’t really think it’s magic, exactly,” Jackie said carefully. “And they’re not all monsters. Some of them are alright.”

“What are you talking about? Of course greenlight is magic!” Marvin said. “How else do you explain this?!” He raised his hands in the air,  and a sphere of greenlight formed, shifting shape until it became a tiny model of a cat. “Look! I’ve made a magical sculpture of Sinney!”

Mom went really pale upon seeing this. Actually seeing Marvin’s spell must’ve made it all seem so much more real. “O-okay. For all intents and purposes, greenlight is magic. Okay. Okay.” She sighs again. “And... why did you all think it was a good idea to get involved in this? It sounds... very dangerous.”

“I am sorry,” Schneep mumbled.

“It’s fine, Henrik. I’m just worried.”

“Well, uh... at first it sounded kinda cool,” Chase said slowly. “Like a TV show. But then, uh... I-I dunno. It felt like... like we had to do it, cause if we told you or any of the adults, you wouldn’t believe us, but like, someone had to do it. And also, like, Anti wouldn’t let us stop. We tried just now, and he showed up and started fighting us.”

“It was probably a little dumb,” Jackie admitted. “But these guys weren’t gonna stop, so like, I-I thought I might as well come with them to make sure they were safe...”

“Hey, me and JJ got targeted for some of this!” Marvin said. “Those parts weren’t our fault!”

“No, no, of course they weren’t,” Mom assured them. She looked around at the group sadly. “I just... I wish you all would’ve told someone. I-I know, Jackie, you tried to tell the police, but... your parents, at least?”

JJ rolled  his eyes. They wouldn’t believe us. They would make ANY excuse not to believe us.

Marvin nodded. “And if I showed them my magic, I-I don’t want to know what they’d do.”

“My parents wouldn’t believe me, either,” Stacy muttered. “They’d think it was some game I was making up for my sister.”

“I guess I could’ve told Dad...” Jackie said slowly. “But... I-I don’t know, I guess the thing with the police really shook my confidence.”

Mom looked at Chase. “And... you really didn’t think I would believe you?”

Chase nodded. Honestly? He’d mostly not told Mom cause of Schneep...  because he seemed so scared of telling her. He was still holding tight to Chase’s arm.

“I...” Mom’s shoulders slumped. “I’m... sorry I couldn’t... I’m sorry I didn’t... I-I’m sorry you two felt like I wouldn’t believe you. I’m sorry you felt like... like you couldn’t trust me.”

Chase’s eyes welled with tears. “N-no, Mom, i-it’s not like that!”

“No, no, it’s all on me,” Mom said. “I should have noticed something, and I should’ve done more to try and... Y-you two know you can always come to me with anything, right? I’ll never be upset. It’s my job as a parent to support you and guide you, and if you ever feel like you can’t do that... well, then I haven’t been doing a very good job.”

Schneep inhaled sharply. “N-no, A-Aunt Jess, you are—y-you are a very good mom. V...v-very good. I-I-I like you very m-much a-as a mom.” Chase could feel him shaking slightly. “I-I am sorry... d-do not be upset, please. I-it is... Y-you are doing very good, I... l-l-love you very much.”

Mom gasped. “Henrik...” Her voice was soft, gentle.

“I-I just—I-I do not like—t-talking to grown-ups,” Schneep continued. “B-but you are a very good m-mom! I... I-I have very much liked staying here... i-it is very good. I-it is not your fault that w-we did not tell you.”

“Oh, Henrik.” Mom leaned closer to Chase and Schneep. “I’m always going to be there for you, you know? And like I said, I’m not mad about all this. I just wish you’d told me. I might’ve been able to help. I want to help. But I can’t do that if I don’t know about what’s troubling you. Sure, I might not have thought this magic stuff was real, at first. But I would’ve listened to your concerns no matter what. Please... remember that.”

Schneep’s eyes filled with tears. He buried his face in Chase’s shoulder, the metal bridge and corners of his glasses digging in.

“Yeah, S—Henrik, Mom’s great,” Chase reassured him. “I can talk to her about whatever, and you can, too.”

“Chase?” Mom blinked. “Did you... keep this secret for Henrik?”

“...uhhh...”

Mom chuckled. “You’re a very good bro—cousin, you know?” She looked at the rest of the kids, who were waiting around silently. “Sorry to ignore you, by the way. Family things.”

“No, it’s fine.” Stacy shrugged.

“So, uh... what’re you going to do about all this, Miss Walker?” Marvin asked awkwardly.

Mom paused. “W-well... my first instinct is to tell someone else, but... if you saw a detective with the Circle on Christmas, you’re right, Jackie, it might be that there are Circle members in the police that will stop investigations. Hm... And you said that there might be something in city hall, so... the same might be true, there...” Her face scrunched up in thought. “Okay. We should at least tell Richard.”

“You mean... my dad?” Jackie asked in a tone that suggested he already knew the answer.

“Yeah.” Mom nodded.

Jackie groaned. “He’s not gonna be as chill about it as you. He’s gonna be like, ‘you should’ve known better.’”

“Well, I’ll tell him not to be so hard on you,” Mom said. “I have no doubt that you’ve kept these kids from making things worse for themselves.”

“Heyyyy,” Marvin said, offended.

“I’m sure you all have done the best you could,” Mom said. “But... well, when you’re young, you don’t have as much experience, just because you haven’t seen as much of the world. Does that make sense?”

“I guess.” Marvin said slowly, and JJ nodded.

“In any case,” Mom continued. “I’m not sure who else I can tell about this... I don’t know your parents too well, Stacy, and the Jacksons...” She hesitated.

It’s okay if you don’t like them, you can say it, JJ said.

“It’s not that I don’t like them,” Mom quickly said. “It’s just that... I’m not sure they’ll be... eager to join in on this magic stuff.”

“Mm-hm.” Marvin nodded. “They don’t care about any of my magic shi—stuff.”

Mom rubbed her eyes. “Okay... One step at a time. We’ll tell Richard, and then we’ll discuss what to do about this.” She looked at the coffee table. “Can... can we move the table, or is it stuck in place now?”

“Uh... we don’t know,” Chase said. “Anti’s never done anything like this before. And we’ve never seen a fissure in something that... can move? It’s always been in the ground before.”

“Should we even try to move it?” Stacy asked. “What if that does, like... bad stuff?”

“What sort of bad stuff?” Chase asked.

“Dis... ah, disturbs the space-time continuous,” Schneep said.

Mom smiled slightly. “The space-time continuum? Where’d you hear that?”

“On the television,” Schneep said. “I-is that how I use it in English?”

“Yes, you did great, Henrik,” Mom reassured him. “And you’re right. We don’t know what moving the table will do at this point. This... Fissure thing... we don’t really know what it is. Clearly it’s not a normal crack in the wood.” She leaned forward, reaching under the coffee table and swiping her hand across the unharmed underside of the wood. “Moving the table might make it bigger, or do something even worse.”

“Couldn’t it also be like... just attached to the table now?” Jackie asked.

“Could be. But we don’t know for sure, and I think it’s too much of a risk to try.”

Chase nodded slowly. He guessed that made sense... And honestly, he probably would’ve tried to move the table if Mom hadn’t explained how risky it could be. “What if something comes through the Fissure, though? What do we do?”

“Ummm.” Jackie raised his hand. “Actually... something already came through.”

The others all stared at him. Mom went very pale. “A-a creature? It... c-came through?”

“Y-yeah... a weird creature, too.” Jackie reached into his pocket.

“You just had it in your hoodie?” Stacy asked, blinking. “Is that safe?”

“It seemed harmless,” Jackie said. “I figured if something went wrong while it was in my pocket, I could shout.” He pulled out a small sphere-shaped... crystal? No, that’s not what it was at all. It looked... softer, somehow. Like a gummy treat carved to look like a crystal orb. The strange sphere was green, glowing slightly from the inside. And beneath the crystalline gummy-like surface... there was a blue circle, with a black circle inside it.

Is that... a crystal eyeball? JJ asked.

The sphere bounced in Jackie’s hand, hopping from it down to the coffee table. It looked around at everyone. It wasn’t hard like crystal. It was softer, but also held its shape. Maybe ‘gummy’ really was the right way to describe it, though it was a firm gummy. Actually, given that it was an eyeball and probably a living creature, Chase didn’t want to think of it like a gummy candy. 

“...You kids are sure I’m not dreaming, right?” Mom whispered.

“Yeah, you’re awake, we all are!” Marvin said excitedly. “Look at that! That’s so fucking cool! It’s an eyeball, but that texture. It’s like one of those balls full of orbs that you can squeeze, but like, with faces. And I mean faces like, the geometry thing, they’re like, the flat parts of shapes, not faces like people faces.” He looked at JJ. “I’m using that face thing right, right?”

Yeah, faces are the flat parts of 3D shapes, JJ confirmed.

“That is one of the more interesting monsters we have seen,” Schneep said, leaning forward to look at the eye. “I hope it does not have a secret effect like those mushrooms did. How they... caused those dreams.”

“Only time will tell, I guess,” Chase said. “Do we... keep it around?”

“No, I—I’m not having this in my house,” Mom said firmly. “We don’t know what it will do.”

The eyeball squished, seeming to deflate.

“Awww, look at it, it’s sad!” Stacy cooed. “It’s actually kind of cute!”

“Can it... understand us?” Schneep asked, eyes wide. “It responded to Aunt Jess saying it couldn’t stay with us. That is interesting, interesting.”

Mom blinked in surprise. “Well... we still don’t know if it’s really as harmless as it looks.”

“But we can’t just throw it out on the street!” Stacy gasped. “What if it gets hit by a car? Or picked up by a bird?”

“Um, Miss Walker, I could keep it in my house?” Jackie suggested. “I told you I’m keeping the paperpillar there. I-I should know how to look after this... eyeball, too.”

Mom pursed her lips. “Well, you’re not my child, so I can’t really tell you what to do. But I’ll ask you to be careful and consider what you’re doing. And... tell Richard what you’re doing.”

Jackie gave a nervous little laugh. “Uh... I’ll show him when you stop by to... talk about all this.”

The little eyeball bounced up and down in place, looking at Jackie. They seemed excited!

“Do you think it’s a girl or boy?” Stacy asked.

“I don’t think eyeballs are like that,” Chase said. “Uh... I think ‘eye’ in Spanish is ‘ojo,’ and that’s a... masculine word? Because... it ends in o?” He was pretty sure he was remembering that correctly. He didn’t pay too much attention in that class.

“So we should give it a boy name that can also kinda be a girl name,” Stacy said decisively.

We’re naming it? JJ asked.

“Of course we are!” Marvin said, grinning and bouncing on his feet. “We named Paul the paperpillar, didn’t we? Uhhhh what’s a good name for an eyeball? Something, like, easy to remember, right? Maybe one syllable so it goes with Paul’s name.”

“That... does not make much sense to me, but alright,” Schneep said slowly. “Maybe we name it Hans?”

The eyeball looked at him, squishing slightly.

“Nevermind, I do not think they like that,” Schneep said. “It feels like they are glaring at me.”

Chase laughed. “Alright, uh, another name, then. John? Or... Jake? No, those are boring, uh... Ash? Ken? Ben?” He was watching the eyeball the whole time, trying to get a reaction. “Um... Chris. Max. Nick. Sam.”

The eyeball seemed to perk up. It bounced a few times.

“Sam, then!” Marvin grinned. 

JJ nodded. I like that, it’s simple.

“Yay!” Stacy clapped her hands together. “So Sam will stay with Jackie and Paul. And Miss Walker will talk to Jackie’s dad about all this.”

“I-I’ll be there, too,” Jackie said, raising his hand slightly. “I should... explain all this to my dad myself.” He sighed.

“Alright... so my last question.” Mom cleared her throat. “Should I worry about that... Anti guy? He was... He looked...” She paused. “...angry.”

The kids all glanced at each other. “Um... well, that was different for him,” Marvin said slowly. “Even when he pushed me down the stairs, it wasn’t because he was, like, mad at me. He really thought that going to the hospital would be good for me.” He paused, expression darkening. “It still makes him an asshole, though.”

He was mad at me, though, JJ said. He was getting so angry that I was a... doll. Who would do whatever people said and leave Marvin behind in the process. Even though I would NEVER do that.

“He didn’t like that we weren’t playing this game he has in his mind,” Jackie said quietly. “This game where we’re supposed to defeat the monsters and the Circle. All these obstacles that he sets up. We were like, ‘we can’t fight the Circle in city hall,’ but he was like ‘you guys have to’ and... started saying a lot about how he won’t lose...” Jackie trailed off. “I... I know he looks around my age, but he really acts like he’s a lot younger... with the way he throws tantrums and everything.”

Mom nodded slowly. “Is he... human with powers? Or... just another one of these creatures from the place under the city?”

The kids all blinked, looking at each other. “We... do not know,” Schneep said slowly. “But from what Jack said about Anti being his imaginary friend, he is probably another creature. An Anomaly, as the Circle calls them.”

“Anomaly,” Mom repeated. “I-I can wrap my head around that more than ‘monsters.’” She nodded. “So... that trip to Ireland was also for this secret magic stuff. Yeah. Okay that makes sense. Hm... Do you know how long ago Jack had this imaginary friend? Because... it would help to establish a timeline. How long have these Fissures been sending Anomalies into the city? Was Anti the first or has this been going on for ages?”

“We don’t know,” Jackie said slowly. “Honestly, I don’t even know if the Circle is... aware that Anti exists? He knows about them, but I dunno if they know him too.”

“Hmm.” Mom frowned. “I suppose that’s the next thing we need to figure out.”

I remember something, actually! JJ said. The Circle said they’d been studying greenlight for almost ten years. And Jack last saw Anti about eight years ago.

“Eight years, hm?” Mom bit her lip. “You heard that bit about the Circle when they grabbed you on Christmas, right? In that... time travel loop that didn’t exist?” JJ nodded. “Alright... did they say ‘almost ten years’? Those exact words?”

I think so, JJ said.

“So... perhaps they meant eight years ago, and rounded up. Anti very well could be the first of the Anomalies that existed.” Mom sighed. “I hope he won’t cause you any more trouble.”

“He probably will,” Chase said. “He hasn’t left us alone yet, and he was pretty mad about that game thing.”

“He seemed scared when you showed up, though,” Marvin said. “Maybe, like any little kid that does bad stuff, he doesn’t like parents.”

“In any case, you all let me know if he’s giving you trouble, alright?” Mom said. “Even if you’re far away, give me a call and I’ll drive over there as fast as possible.” She sighed, yet again. “Well... does anyone want to order pizza for dinner?”

“We actually ordered from Dumpling Mama already,” Jackie said. “That place you had the menu of? I’m surprised they’re not here yet.”

“Oh. Well, in that case, I’m sure they’ll be here soon.” Mom smiled slightly. “I’ll heat up something for myself while you kids enjoy that.”

“Why are you home so early, anyway, Mom?” Chase asked.

“Funny thing, it turns out the meeting I thought was today is actually next week.” Mom chuckled. “I’m glad I got it mixed up, though. I’m glad that I was here to see this, and learn about all this. Now, though... time for dinner.” She looked at the coffee table. “And time to find a tablecloth for that.”

The kids all nodded. A moment of silence passed as Mom stood up and headed to the kitchen.

“Can... c-can we keep playing the video game?” Schneep asked.

Chase laughed. “Yeah, of course we can.”

Soon after they started up the game again, food arrived, and they all ate dinner together. It felt... strange to have Mom here, knowing everything that they knew. Not bad, just... strange. Or... was it bad? Chase couldn’t tell. He felt as though something special between the friend group was being shared with an outsider. Mom wasn’t really an outsider. She was his family. But... it was weird. It was good that they didn’t need to keep this a secret, but... well, he wasn’t sure what Mom would do now. Would she keep them from getting involved at all? Chase was sorta glad that she would be there to help them, but... he hoped that this didn’t mean things would change too much.

But hey, at least Mom wasn’t mad. And seeing that, Schneep had relaxed, and over the course of the night, started talking more and more. He was usually pretty quiet around Mom and other grown-ups, so Chase was glad that this was changing for Mom, at least. He was so happy that Schneep was starting to open up. He was... proud of him? Was that this feeling? Huh. Interesting.

The rest of the kids went home later that evening—close to night, even. And not long after, Chase and Schneep went to bed. But... Chase laid awake for a while. Disconnected, unsure thoughts tumbling through his head.

++++++++++++++++++++

Jackie shifted back and forth on his feet, resisting the urge to pace about the living room. Chase’s mom had followed through on her word, and arranged a time to come over and talk to Jackie’s dad about... everything. Jackie wanted to be there in person, to help smooth it all over and explain anything that needed explaining. He also had, in his backpack, Paul the paperpillar and Sam the squishy-gem-eyeball thing. Just in case Dad needed proof, which he probably would.

“Hey Jackie, before Jess gets here, I want to ask you some questions.” Dad walked into the living room from the kitchen. “School questions.”

“Oh.” Jackie hesitated, then nodded. “Uh... yeah. A-are you going to ask me about university again?”

“Hah.” Dad smiled slightly. “I’m sorry to keep bugging you about this. But with spring term coming up, it’s on my mind. You’ll be taking your GCSEs soon. Then after that, I know you’ve said you want to go to uni, but you haven’t spoken much about what you’ll be studying there.”

“I, uh... I-I don’t really know, still,” Jackie said quietly, looking away.”I... maybe art?” He liked to draw casually, trying to recreate poses he’d seen in comic books.

“Art, huh.” Dad nodded. “You... I’m sure you know all about the... struggles of that.”

“About how art jobs usually don’t make a lot of money? Yeah.” Jackie nodded. “I mean... maybe I shouldn’t go into art, because if I was like... really passionate about it, I’d want to study it no matter what, right?”

“Well not necessarily,” Dad said. “If that’s what you want to do, you don’t have to hold yourself back. I’ll support you in whatever you do. I just hope you know you’ll probably need a day job too.”

“Yeah, I know that, Dad.” Jackie nodded. “But like... I-I don’t know. Maybe I wanna go into photography, too. I could be like... a journalist or something. Or... maybe I could be a chef? I dunno, I like food.” He shook his head. “I... I don’t know, Dad. And I should probably know by now, right?”

“No, Jackie, you don’t have to.” Dad walked over to stand next to Jackie, patting his shoulder. “I’m sorry I’m on your back all the time. I just want you to be... secure in life, you know?”

“I know, Dad.” Jackie smiled at him slightly. “I just... I-I don’t know, you know?” He shook his head. “Maybe I should do like... engineering or something. That could be cool.”

“Engineering, huh?” Dad mused. “I’ve never heard you talk about that before.”

“Yeah. I dunno, it just... sounds kinda interesting.” And it usually made a lot of money, too. Though he’d probably need to choose which type of engineering he should go into.

“How’s school going, by the way?” Dad asked. “I’m sure you’ll need good grades to get into an engineer program.”

“I’m doing alright,” Jackie said. “I think I’m... slightly above average? Do you think I should quit my after school job to study some more?”

“No, I don’t want you to lose your fun money. Hm... I don’t want you to spend less time with your friends, either, though. Maybe make some of those hangouts into study sessions?”

“We already have a few of those, but yeah, I’ll bring it up to them.”

Then the doorbell rang. Dad looked over at it. “Alright, that’s probably Jess. I hope you two aren’t about to tell me you’ve gotten involved in something.” He looked back at Jackie and raised an eyebrow.

Jackie laughed awkwardly. “I’m not doing crimes, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Dad chuckled, and went over to open the front door. “Ah, Jess, come on in, come on in.”

Chase’s mom walked into the living room looking very serious. “Hey, Richard,” she said. “So... this is going to sound actually insane. I need you to bear with me.”

“...hm.” Dad closed the door, looking concerned. “Is this some sort of... intervention?”

“No, no.” Miss Walker walked over to the sofa and sat down. Dad sat down next to her. She took a deep breath. “Alright. So, about three days ago, I came home after work early because I mistook what week a meeting was. Chase, Jackie, and Chase’s friends were all spending time at my house. I’m sure you know that? Well, when I walked in... there was... someone else there. Someone who... I thought he was a ghost at first, honestly, because... the boy was floating. Now, ah, please don’t say anything until I’m done with this.”

Jackie stood there, awkwardly bouncing on his feet, while Miss Walker explained the basics of the kids’ supernatural adventures to his dad. At first, Dad smiled slightly... then looked confused. Then concerned. Then glanced back and forth between Jackie and Miss Walker, as if waiting for them to say it was a joke. Then even more concerned as he realized they weren’t going to do that.

“I told you it would sound actually insane,” Miss Walker said.

“I... Jess, have you had a house inspection lately?” Dad asked slowly. “Maybe checked  your radon system?”

Jackie took off his backpack, unzipping it. And out bounced Sam, jumping onto Jackie’s shoulder.

“Holyfuckingshit—!” Dad jumped backwards, only stopping because the armrest of the sofa got in his way. “W-w-what is that?!”

“We decided to name it Sam,” Jackie said. He reached into the bag and pulled out Paul the paperpillar, which wound himself around his arm like a snake. “And this is Paul.”

“I—ah—hah—” Dad stared in shock.

“...that is a very interesting creature,” Miss Walker said, looking at Paul. “The way you all described it as a paper creature, I was imagining it as something folded, like origami.”

“...hahhh...” Dad had no words for this. He just stared quietly at the two small creatures.

“I knew you wouldn’t believe me without proof,” Jackie said. “So... here are these guys.”

After a moment of silence, Dad got up and walked over to Jackie. He hesitated, then reached out to Sam. The small eye leaned forward, then jumped into Dad’s hand. “O-oh... it’s not as cold as I thought it’d be,” he breathed.

“Yeah... Sam’s like a little hand warmer,” Jackie chuckled. “Paul, though, feels just like paper.”

Dad let out a long sigh. Adults did that a lot, didn’t they? Sigh. “Alright, Jackie... so.” He bent over and gently set Sam on the glass coffee table in the living room. “This Circle group... you think that some teachers are a part of it?”

Jackie nodded, mildly surprised that Dad noticed that, of all things. “Y-yeah, there’s at least one who’s part of it, uh, Ms. Karter.”

“I wonder if there’s anything we can do about that,” Dad said, looking at Miss Walker. “Perhaps we could complain? As concerned parents?”

“Maybe, but I think we need to focus on this group having a hold in city hall,” Miss Walker said. “They must have some sort of base there, meaning that there must be at least a few people working there. I was thinking that we find a few people who we think might be trustworthy and we let them in on this. Get our own group going to oppose the Circle.”

“Uh...” Jackie raised his hand. “I-I don’t... don’t want to bring a lot of people in. We don’t know... um... How big the Circle is.”

Dad hummed. “That’s a good point... Are we going to bring in the twins’ parents, at least? Or Stacy’s?”

“Stacy has a sister who isn’t involved in all this,” Miss Walker. “Roxanne? If we let the parents know, then that leaves a question of what to do about Roxanne, if she should be told as well or not. We shouldn’t put them in that position. And I don’t know them too well, anyway. As for the Jacksons... well... I-I’m sure they’re busy, too.”

“Oh yes, sure, very busy.” Dad nodded as well. Jackie relaxed slightly, glad that the parents also didn’t like Mr. and Mrs. Jackson. “Hm... maybe we should... Maybe we should go to a higher authority? This Circle business is local to the town, maybe if we went to the county or something like that, they could help?”

“Maybe, but I’m not sure I want the news of this greenlight stuff to spread,” Miss Walker said. “Who knows what people would do with a power like that?”

“Ah. Good point.” Dad hesitated. “Well. This is a pickle we’re in.”

Ding-dong.

The three of them all look at the front door. “Were you expecting anyone else, Richard?” Miss Walker asked.

“No, no I wasn’t.” Dad walked over to the front door and peered through the peephole. He raised an eyebrow and glanced back at Jackie. “Um... I think it’s a friend of yours.”

“Which one?” Jackie asked.

“I don’t know, I don’t recognize him, but he’s around your age.”

Jackie blinked, confused. He walked over to the door and looked through the peephole as well. There was indeed a boy around his own age standing on the front step, a flatcap pulled down over his brown hat, hands shoved into the pocket of a gray hoodie. There was a small suitcase on wheels standing next to him. Wait a minute... he recognized this guy. Jackie opened the door, looking out at the visitor. “Jack? What are you doing here?”

“Uh, hi.” Jack gave a small, nervous smile. “I know this is sudden, but... can I... stay with you for a while?”

“...Stay with me?” Jackie asked, confused.

“Yeah, I uh... I left home.” Jack nudged the suitcase. “It’s, uh... complicated. B-but, uh, I think it has to do with... with Anti, and all that stuff you and those kids are involved in.”

“Jack, huh?” Dad looked at Jackie. “So, that trip to Ireland wasn’t just to visit a friend, it was to get information.”

“Yyyyeah...” Jackie said slowly.

“Your dad didn’t know about any of this?” Jack asked.

“I-I just got done telling him about all it,” Jackie said. “Me and Chase’s mom, who, uh... also found out about this pretty recently.”

“Huh. Um, sorry for... interrupting the moment, then?”

“No, no, it’s fine.”

Dad cleared his throat. “Jack, right? Do your parents know you’re here?”

“I... left them a note,” Jack said slowly. “But... I didn’t really... tell them? I-I don’t really... want to.” He took a deep breath. “I... think they’ve... done some stuff... I-it’s complicated.” He paused, glancing back and forth nervously. “Can I... come inside, at least? It’s kinda chilly out here.”

Jackie looked at Dad, who nodded. “Oh, yes, of course, come on in. I promise it’s starting to warm up, this chill today is an exception.”

Jack smiled slightly, grabbing the handle of his suitcase and walking inside, pulling it with him. “Thank you. Thank you so much. Uh... what’s that paper thing on your arm, by the way, Jackie?” On the coffee table, Sam bounced up and down excitedly, drawing Jack’s attention. “Whoa! What is that?! It’s so cool!”

“That’s Sam,” Jackie said. “Sam is, uh, new.”

“Oh that’s amazing!” Jack said, hurrying over and crouching down by the coffee table, getting his face right up close to Sam, who continued to bounce happily. Then Jack noticed Miss Walker. “Oh, uh... hi, ma’am.”

“Hello there.” Miss Walker smiled slightly. “So... you ran away from home?”

“...hopefully only for a bit,” Jack muttered. “I... I needed to think. And I think... I needed to get away. I-I don’t really have any other family besides my parents, so I... decided to come back here. Where we used to live.” He took a deep breath. “I... I-I want to know more about Anti. I think... I-I think...” He shook his head. “I-I don’t know. I think I’ve forgotten a lot about him. I was wondering if I-I could talk to your whole group about stuff, Jackie.”

“Oh. Uh... y-yeah, of course!” Jackie nodded. “I’ll have to find a time that works for everyone—”

“For us, too,” Miss Walker added.

“Yes, we won’t be leaving you kids to handle this alone!” Dad said.

“...right. Yeah, of course. F-for you guys... too.” Jackie nodded slowly. He loved his dad, and Miss Walker was very nice, but... he hoped that they wouldn’t change things too much. “A-anyway, Jack. In the meantime, you can stay with us, I think.”

“As long as you don’t mind sleeping on the sofa,” Dad said. “Should I call your parents to tell them you’re safe?”

“N-no, that’s fine, I explained it all in my note,” Jack said. “I said I was going to stay here in Hollewych. They’ll... probably call me on my cell phone sometime. Th-they haven’t yet, but... I-I can handle it when they do call.”

Miss Walker looked at Jack, worried. “What if your parents start asking around town? Should we tell them we know where you are? That you’re safe?”

“I... I can handle that,” Jack said slowly. “I-it’ll be fine, don’t... say anything to them, if they call and ask. Please?”

“Of course.” Miss Walker nodded. “Do you... want to talk about anything?”

“Not yet,” Jack said quietly. “I-I’ll explain everything some other time... when I can tell the kids, too.”

A moment passed in silence. “Well, in that case.” Miss Walker stood up. “I’ll be leaving, then.”

“Thanks for coming over, Jess,” Dad said. “And explaining everything to me.”

“No problem. I’ll call you later, check on everything. We’ll start figuring out what to do.” Miss Walker smiled. “Good to meet you, Jack. I’ll be seeing you.”

“See you,” Jack said.

“Bye, Miss Walker.” Jackie waved.

As Chase’s mom, left, Dad cleared his throat. “Well, Jackie, why don’t you show your friend around? If he’ll be staying here, he should know where everything is.”

“Y-yeah.” Jackie nodded. “Come on, Jack, I’ll show you my room first. It’s this way.”

As the two of them walked down the hall, Sam leapt off the table and bounced along the ground, keeping up with them. Jack looked down and smiled. “They’re really cute.” 

“Yeah.” Jackie nodded, and opened the door to his bedroom. “Uh, maybe you can keep your suitcase in here, if you’d want?”

Jack walked into the room. Once Jackie (and Sam) followed him in, he turned around and shut the door behind them. Then he looked at Jackie. “Um... so, I-I didn’t want to say this in front of the parents,” he said in a quiet, serious voice. “But... I think my parents... I think that they know about the Circle.”

Jackie blinked. He dropped Paul the paperpillar in his little box enclosure on his desk. “What do you mean?”

“I think... they might’ve been members,” Jack whispered. “Or at least, friends with some of them. And I think... I think my parents know about Anti. N-not in the way they knew about him before, as my imaginary friend. I think they know more about him. But they wouldn’t explain anything, th-they were being very cagey about it, and... i-it started to freak me out.” Jack took a deep breath. “I-I know that your folks and Chase’s are probably good people, but... I-I don’t know. I feel like I can’t talk to most people about this. I-I came here to find you and the kids, because... you guys are involved, you know?”

“You don’t... trust my dad?” Jackie asked.

“No, I trust him, I just...” Jack paused, unsure how to explain this. “I-I don’t know. It’s... different.”

Jackie nodded slowly. “I get that. You just learned that your parents were maybe involved in some weird stuff, so you wonder about other parents, too.” He put a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. If you don’t want them to know, they don’t have to.”

“I mean... maybe they can know, it’s just... at a later date,” Jack said. “When I have... stuff sorted out.”

Jackie smiled. “No problem. Anything you say to me? Zip.” He mimed pulling a zipper across his mouth.

Jack smiled back. “Th-thanks, Jackie. And thanks for letting me stay.”

“Hey, I said no problem.” Jackie shrugged. “Now, let me show you the rest of the house.”

Jack was right; things were going to be different now that the parents knew. Jackie knew that his dad would do anything to help and support him, and he knew that Miss Walker would do the same for Chase and Schneep. But there was a change in the air. Something was happening.

All of it tied to the small shadow that watched through the windowsill, eyes locked on Jack as he got settled in his temporary home.