#bronwen traver

[nappe-plays-the-sims]

Happy Halloween!

I'm a little early, but since Simblreen is right around the corner, why not?

@luverofralts makes the cutest sims. And of course, my game being how it is, ACR runs wild and makes additional adorable kids for said sims.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"We really need to bring this cottage into the new era. We don't need pictures of war criminals on our walls for 'history's' sake. Respect the past, but focus on the future. Yes. Yes, I like that. When I get a free moment, I'll mention it to the palace art team."

Maura murmured to herself as her eyes took in everything in the cottage that she wanted to change. It was her reign, and the cottage should reflect that. While she did love the historical photos and would probably face an intense battle to move them with her relatives, times had changed. Photos of King Ben, the national hero who had saved the islands from Pleasantview, but had murdered several of his children as well as some of their spouses, the Red Queen, who had no business being on any wall because of her crimes, and Queen Celeste, who tried to overthrow the grim reaper while enslaving her zombified mother, disgraced the warm feeling Maura wanted the Siew family cottage to have. Maybe if she put all their pictures upstairs in what had once been King Ben's office, she could balance honouring the past while still creating a better future.

"I can shove that picture in my attic if you'd like. You're glaring at it like it kicked a puppy."

Maura turned to see her cousin Claudia walking up to her, her usual confident smirk on full display.

"You're welcome to it," Maura offered, smiling despite her frustration. Claudia often had that effect on her. "I'm making a list of photos that may need to be retired."

Claudia scoffed.

"Just imagine living with the portraits of terrible people whose blood runs in my veins every single day. Pleasantview would fall before it gave up worshipping the ghosts of its past."

"Well, I guess you don't have to worry about being lost to history someday," Maura teased. "Give it a century or two and you'll probably be promoted to a demi god."

"I would make an excellent demi god," Claudia agreed. "But you can't be inventorying every picture here. Some of our relatives were good people. Not many, but some. Besides, don't you have a royal archivist? I just email mine and the pictures are rotated within a day. They deal with all the safety procedures needed to store the pictures for the next hundred years and I get something new to look at. I know this cottage is for all Siews, but the monarch of Twikkii Island owns it, so it should fall within your archivist's obligations."

"I'd prefer to deal with them myself. They can store them for me, but I'll be making the choices of which picture to display. It's probably the thing I like most about this job. If my mother had lived, I'd imagine that I might have been a royal curator for her. There'd be more pictures of Trent and Callista than I'd like, but no job is perfect."

"Very noble of you," Claudia remarked dryly. "They are your half-siblings, I'd imagine your mother would want pictures of them around. Honestly, with your complexion, jealousy's not flattering. You're the queen, and Trent is an orphan. Have some compassion for your little brother or are you getting rid of those pictures because the people in them are starting to look just like you?"

"Not all of us come from the two happiest dead people in existence. I'm an orphan too. My father was murdered by my grandmother. Mom shouldn't have remarried. She just forgot about him, like he didn't even exist."

Claudia raised a skeptical eyebrow, baffled at her cousin's behavior.

"Are you okay? Usually your daddy issues aren't this obvious. Added to a pregnancy that is obviously not your wife's, you're starting to look a little unhinged. Is something happening? I can help, unless you've got some insane grudge against me too."

"It's nothing," Maura snapped, turning away from her cousin. "It's just pregnancy hormones. Everything is great. I love my life. Everyone is jealous of my good fortune, so I should love my life. And I do."

"You could always step down if you hate your life," Claudia teased. "I'd be happy to claim my inheritance from my mother and add Twikkii Island to my realm."

Maura shot Claudia a nasty look, but after a moment to think, the nastiness faded into a weak smile.

"Do you have days like this? Days when you just want to fake your death and flee somewhere you've never been? That makes me a bad person, right? I feel like a bad person."

Claudia wrapped her cousin in bone crushing hug.

"All the time. I think about what my life would have been if Dad had never found out his true parentage. Would I be happier? What job would I have? It's only natural when you're in a position like ours. It doesn't make you a bad person to have doubts about your life. It makes you human. Look, why don't you come visit me more? Or I can stop by your place and we can go to that wonderful spa we went to before your wedding. You need someone to talk to, and I'm probably the only one who understands what you're feeling. Unless you want to ask the old, boring kings of Strangetown or Crystal Cove."

Maura laughed, despite her mood. Claudia always had been good at getting under her skin.

"Okay. I promise to spend more time with you to stop from being a complete bitch all the time. Ulyssa would probably love to have me out of the palace for an afternoon anyway. For now, help me log which paintings I should store. You know our history probably better than even I do."

Claudia craned her neck, looking for a certain portrait that had always creeped her out.

"I'd vote for that one," she said, pointing across the room. "Every time I'm here, one of the dogs is always barking at it. It has to be cursed or something. Something is off about it."

"Ah. You have a good eye. It creeps me out too. It's King Ben, after all. The man was a monster. No wonder the dogs can sense his evil."

"Oh, there's a million pictures of him all around this place," Claudia scoffed. "He was a fine king. He saved your country from becoming a part of mine under my psychotic grandfather. The heroism and the murders kinda cancel each other out, I think. No, he's not the problem. She is."

"Who? Is that his cousin or something? The names aren't engraved on the frame."

"His sister, Winter," Claudia replied. "She was a hell of a witch. I have some of her books in my library. Talented, but like you, a little unhinged."

"Ha, ha. I'll add it to the list."

"Are we supposed to be doing something? I feel like we should be doing something."

Adam looked nervously around the cottage, looking for guidance. It wasn't often that they were invited to the Siew cottage and just standing in it made Adam paranoid that he might accidentally break something expensive. He'd been there before, of course, but he never truly felt welcome.

The Siew family was gathered for a family barbecue, and even those at the far ends of the family tree were invited to celebrate. Adam and Remy got their invitation because their half-siblings were Siews. Elowen and Bronwen weren't just going to leave Adam and Remy out of a royal feast just because only their mother had married into the Siew family.

"Don't start cleaning something just because we don't have titles," Remy groaned. "We're invited guests, not the help. We're not doing anything to set up. Period. Our earned coven titles are more than good enough."

"Apprentice is a better title than princess or Duke?"

Remy punched her twin on the arm.

"Yes. Yes, it is. Now let's go find our sisters. They probably know where the booze is."

"Dad! You made it! I thought you, Dad, and Vrai were going away this weekend."

Ewan Traver embraced his father, Travis Traver, surprised at his presence. Ewan had inherited the title Travis had never wanted, and took care of the Goldman estate and all the responsibilities that went with it. His father, despite being born in Twikkii Island to two of its citizens, disliked spending any time on the island. He had been raised in Pleasantview and Crystal Cove. However tropical the island was, it held no allure for Travis, so his presence there was somewhat surprising.

"Your father and Vrai went ahead. I might join them later, but I wanted to be here. The anniversary is coming up and it's good to be with family. This was where she grew up. I wanted to see it the way she once did."

Ewan paused, unsure of what to say. His Aunt Celeste, better known as Queen Celeste of Crystal Cove, had practically raised his father after their father died giving birth to their half-brother, Ewan, and their mothers were murdered. The two siblings had been unsettlingly close until Celeste's death, due to the stranglehold she had on Travis' life. She blocked his mother's family from contacting him and insisted that he name his oldest son after their father. Aside from eloping with Ewan's father, Leonid, Travis' entire life had been carefully planned by his controlling sister. But Celeste had been gone for over a decade now and Travis was free to chart his own path forward. He hadn't recognized Celeste in the year or so proceeding her death, and he couldn't forgive her for telling his biological family that he didn't want anything to do with them. Or co-running a cult obsessed with killing the Grim Reaper. Or naming the child she created to sacrifice after him. Or murdering their half-brother, Ewan, as a child.

There were many things Travis hated about his sister, but every year near the anniversary of her death, he spent time in Twikkii Island, trying to understand the little girl who had been born there and where she had gone so wrong. He hadn't had any insight on how to forgive her yet, but every year, he was hopeful.

"So, are you going to help plan the memorial ball this year? Edana has been pretty busy and I've got some of the vendors lined up, but I could use some help."

Travis smiled tightly. The queen had provided a grant to the Goldman estate to celebrate Travis' parents after it had been revealed that their deaths were caused both directly and indirectly by the crown. Unhappily, the deaths of his parents and the death of his sister fell within the same month, so every time he left to grieve for his sister, he was expected to also celebrate the lives of the parents he'd never known. The anniversary of the day that his daughter, Tristianne, had been taken from him was only a few months later. It seemed fitting that he was in a polycule with the Grim Reaper; death seemed to follow him wherever he went.

"We'll see," he said at last. "The hospital still might call me in for a few consults. A retired doctor still has his obligations to old colleagues."

Ewan mirrored his father's tight smile. That was a no. It would hurt less if his father would just tell him upfront that he wanted nothing to do with whatever Ewan or the queen planned. It would be far more honest.

"Sure, just let me know your schedule when you can. No worries if you're busy."

"Isn't there supposed to be food at a barbecue? I'm starving."

Elowen set up the pool table while Victoriana waited.

"The food won't be ready for another hour at least. Mom said we have to wait for Grandma and Grandpa to come and they're at work. Grandpa refuses to let someone else touch the barbecue when it's his 'passion'. They'll be here soon enough though."

"Very soon," Adrienne agreed. She was too young to play pool, but she enjoyed watching the game. It was the closest she got to socializing with her extended family.

"Fine, I guess I can wait. There were chips in the kitchen though, right? We could steal some of those."

"Do you like my dress? I got it last weekend in the Pleasantview mall. It was on sale and I couldn't possibly say no to it."

Bronwen spun around dramatically to show off her dress to Fiolett. The younger girl clapped enthusiastically, wishing that she had a dress that pretty. She had a lot of dresses, sure, but they were all picked out by her dads. Fiolett couldn't wait until she was a teen and could pick out dresses for herself. That was a long way off though, so she admired other people's dresses for now.

"Be sure to congratulate Roman and Abe for me. That's wonderful that they renewed their vows. If I could find it in myself to forgive Trent if he cheated on me, I'd want to renew our vows too. It's a fresh start. Good for them."

"It's not entirely like that, it's...." Adrian trailed off, trying to find the words to explain a demon wedding. Truthfully, he wasn't entirely sure himself what Abe and Roman had volunteered for, but he didn't want Cindra to know that. "Well, maybe it is a bit of a vow renewal. Theo officiated it, so I guess it's like a magical, demonic vow renewal. You couldn't talk me into one."

"That would mean walking down the aisle again," Cindra teased. "We all know you're terrified of weddings. Otherwise, Evren would have a ring on his finger by now. Are you ever going to make an honest man out of him?"

Adrian frowned, not liking the direction their conversation had turned.

"Maybe. Not that it's any of your or Trent's business. It would make the legal process of passing my title to my legitimate daughter from another marriage harder. It's just easier this way."

"It does not," Cindra laughed. "Everyone knows that Luciana is going to become a duchess one day, the queen more than anyone. She'd have the legalities all sorted out in an afternoon. You're just chicken."

"I am not! Evren doesn't want to get married either."

"That's not what Trent said after he went bowling with Evren last week. Evren told him that he's just waiting for you to make a move. You'd say no if he proposed, so he's waiting for you to do it."

"He would never say something like that to my cousin," Adrian insisted. "You're just hoping to plan another wedding, no matter who it's for."

"Who can blame me for wanting to celebrate love? Planning my own wedding went amazingly and I want to plan another one!"

"Wasn't your little sister, Lauren, around here somewhere? Plan her wedding!"

Travis Maricourt was as far as he could get from the noisy group of people as he could be. His parents weren't coming until later, so most of the afternoon was his to sneak off and enjoy. Claudia wouldn't force him to socialize and Oliver hadn't bothered to leave college for a family event since their mother's birthday. Their father's birthday was coming up, and that was probably the last Travis would see of Oliver until the next family birthday. Travis couldn't wait to start college and finally get some time to himself without his parents "encouraging" him to talk to people he had no interest in talking to.

He didn't trust his annoying relatives not to read his journal if he brought it with him, so instead, Travis brought his magical theory workbook. Theory didn't feel like homework to him, like it did to his classmates. It was fascinating to map out the bones that held up the living world, to see how the pieces of an existential puzzle clicked together. His parents talked a lot about how the worlds of life and death overlapped, and Travis simply had to know how it all worked. Not that he would change existence or anything if he learned how. He just had so many questions.

"You were right."

"I usually am. Today, I wish I wasn't, though. I don't know what this means. There's definitely a current running through here, but why?"

Izanami bowed his head, contemplating the situation.

"I don't like this," he finally decided. "This feeling...it feels old. Demonic, probably."

"It feels like it did over a decade ago," Lukas insisted. "Like when Leo was attacked...but also different. There's this sense of...nothingness. Can you feel it too?"

Izanami nodded his agreement.

"I'll contact Gee and let him know how he should do my job. You can't intervene here."

"I know that. I'll go to the school and make sure that the children are safe. I'm not taking any chances with their safety. But this will probably blow over and be fine, right? Oh! Arterius! Call him and tell him to meet me at the school. Just because he's an adult doesn't mean he's exempt from family meetings."

"Of course, dearest. I'll join you in a moment."

Lukas vanished into a shower of sparkling light. As soon as they were out of sight, Izanami closed his eyes and tried to listen to the hum of existence. Screams echoed over loud waves crashing against jagged rocks. A hurricane roared as it churned into existence. A royal ship cracked in two as it sank beneath the wild waves.

Lukas lifelessly lying encased in a glass tomb. A howl of wind that swept away the souls of the dead. The cold truth that sometimes even the dead could die.

It had all happened before, and now it was happening again despite Izanami's best efforts. A shiver ran down his spine as he felt several names engrave themselves on the list in his son's office. The deaths had been finalized. There was no hope of changing them now. It was beginning.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"And so you see, I just need help with my- look over there!"

Getting Theo to meet alone in their private quarters was easier than Lukas ever thought. The boy was far too trusting for someone who had had the traumatic childhood he'd had. The little demon had eagerly agreed to help Lukas with his homework without a second thought for his own safety. Either the boy was an idiot or perhaps the deity had misjudged him. A rogue demonic agent would surely have more training and experience and never have followed his target back to their room.

Still, it was critical for Lukas to examine the boy. Saren had some plan for him, that was certain at least. How much had she revealed to her pawn? A quick examination would reveal her scheme for sure.

After weeks of surveillance at school in a non-threatening disguise, Lukas had turned up nothing of interest. The kid hung around his boyfriend like his life would end if they were separated, and his other friends had no clear red flags. All Lukas had learned was that their own twin children were far more socially connected than they or their husband thought. Destiny had a whole list of friends her parents had never met, and Davis clearly had a crush on someone if the rumor mill was accurate. Lukas had better things to do now that this surveillance operation had grown boring.

There was only one way to settle the matter: a hands on examination of the demon's thoughts. The practice was looked down upon as an invasion of privacy for the limited amount of people who could actually perform the spell. There were no laws against it, magical or otherwise. Aside from Lukas and his father, almost no one could even attempt the maneuver.

When Theo opened his eyes, he found himself at home, with Too destroying her favourite toy. Hadn't he just been at school? How weird.

"Hey, Theo. Wanna dance?"

Theo turned around to find Justice Bertino standing in front of the stereo, looking invitingly at him. Beside her, Rose Rivales, watched him with a jealous expression.

"Uh, sure," he replied, extremely confused, but not opposed to the idea. What he had just been doing slipped entirely from his mind, along with his devotion to Adam. Justice pulled him in like a siren with Rose perched, waiting for her turn.

"I really like you, Theo. I always have."

Before Theo could even blink, Justice had disappeared and been replaced by Bronwen. Theo had always thought of her as a friend, one of his oldest. Suddenly, that familiar feeling vanished, replaced by a warmth that was radiating through his body.

"I like you too," Theo whispered, reaching for her hand and watching the hair on his arms stand up as he did.

There was something exotic and dangerous about a vampire hybrid. She understood him and how the world saw him and she was so pretty....

"Oh, Theo, I'm so glad you invited me over. I've had such a crush on you."

Theo blinked as Destiny Lane appeared before him, mashing their lips together before he could react. Whatever was happening to him was strange, but not unpleasant.

"Alright, I've seen enough. Like my daughter would ever be attracted to you. She has higher standards than that."

Lukas pulled away, freeing the teen from their spell. Skimming his tiny mind hadn't revealed evil intentions, just a normal, horny teenager. If there was something sinister, Lukas would have found it. The boy wasn't trained at all on shielding his true thoughts. If he was capable of that, surely the child wouldn't have revealed a crush on Lukas' own daughter.

"What-what happened?" Theo asked, groggily rubbing his eyes. "Did I fall asleep? When did I get here? Sorry, Hayden, I must have been sleepwalking or something."

"Yeah, no worries," Lukas replied, far more focused on maintaining their disguise than the little demon. Using that much energy at once could have shifted their appearance.

"Thanks so much for sharing your potions notes with me," Simon exclaimed, gesturing wildly. "I was doomed to fail without them. You're the best."

Adam flushed at the compliment. He hadn't done anything impressive, but Simon looked so grateful. He was the son of a Strangetown prince and had the same level of parental pressure as Adam. Failing a test wasn't an option for either of them.

He's cute.

Adam shook his head, desperate to clear his mind. Theo was cute, Simon was just pleasant to look at. There was no comparison.

"Uh, I gotta meet Theo," he stammered, scrambling away from the grateful boy.

What was wrong with him? His parents both told him that puberty was a time when he'd be attracted to lots of people in order to understand who he was and who he was drawn to, but his heart belonged to Theo. They were going to get married after graduating. They'd already picked out baby names. It was wrong to cheat on Theo in his mind; surely Theo never thought about anyone but him.

Adam bolted down the hall, where Theo was standing in a daze, looking a million miles away.

"Theo!"

Theo snapped back to reality upon hearing Adam's voice.

"Adam! I have the weirdest headache all of a sudden. Hayden must think I'm high or something, just wandering into their room like that. Maybe I should sit down."

"Here, I'll help you," Adam said quickly, grabbing Theo's hands. "I'll always be here to help you, no matter what."

With a slight cracking sound, a celestial being descended into Lukas' assigned quarters.

"Your husband sends his regards," the being declared. "He's wondering if you're going to be returning for the night or if your 'important' work will keep you busy."

Lukas rolled their eyes.

"No, Michael, I think my experiment has run its course for now," they replied. Leave it to Death to send one of his reapers to check up on them. Back in the old days, Death would have come himself. "The little demon has nothing more on his mind than hormones and I don't need to stick around for that. If Saren is planning something, the kid is ignorant of it. The last thing I need is a teenage love triangle at the moment. Something is wrong and this kid is just a horny red herring. Saren probably wanted me to waste time on this, knowing her. I can always return to this cesspool of hormones whenever I want."

"Why do you always assume your half-brother's identity?" the reaper asked curiously, staring at the photo of a red head on the wall that Lukas had clearly been using as a family photo to complete their disguise. "Death never says, but it's messed up. Do you even talk to him? The rumor around headquarters is that you hate Hayden."

"None of your business!" Lukas snapped irritably. "And I do hate him. He's an entitled prick and that's all you need to know."

They paused, calculating their next move. The little hybrid didn't know his true purpose, which meant that Lukas couldn't pry it from him. They were certain that demons were involved somehow, but they had nothing to work with.

There was a new threat crackling through the currents of life. Whatever was wrong involved Pleasantview and Strangetown, that much they knew. Probably Arkhelios as well in some strange way. Arkhelios was increasingly becoming a problem.

"I have to make a stop before I go home," Lukas decided. "Tell my husband that I'll be a little late for dinner. I have to stop in Strangetown for a bit. Something's not right. Something feels...familiar."

In an instant, Lukas vanished from sight, intent on their newest mission.

"I'll be sure to pass that along."

"Oh, hi, Justice. What are you doing here?"

Theo waved awkwardly at the girl he'd strangely just been thinking of. Considering that she didn't attend his school, Justice's appearance seemed oddly timed.

"Hi, Thomas," the girl said kindly. "I'm visiting my boyfriend. Can you point me to the common room?"

"It's Theo. The common room is down the hall to the left."

Theo could feel his cheeks burn with a foreign emotion. He barely knew the girl and still her indifference to him hurt in a way he didn't understand. They'd crossed paths a few times, but he'd never given her a second thought. With Adam beside him, he didn't need to think about anyone else.

Surely he'd hit his head somehow. He didn't remember hitting it anywhere, but why else had he been in Hayden's room? Why did his stomach twist in knots thinking about the blonde girl he barely knew?

"Come on, Adam, let's go grab a snack from the kitchen, I'm feeling a bit lightheaded," Theo decided, grabbing his boyfriend's hand. "Then we can 'study' for our runes final."

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"This place is even more beautiful than I thought," Despina gushed, looking in awe at the grounds of Pleasantview's Academy of Magic. "It's amazing!"

"Try saying those words to Master Ewan Maricourt and he might just lower your tuition," Adrian laughed.

Despina beamed at her cousin and the responsible adult he'd found to help her. Theo had gone to Adam after the Arkhelios mixer with her request to apply for subsidized enrollment at their prestigious school. Both boys had turned to Adrian for help, as he was currently helping Theo's father pay for Theo's enrollment. Unfortunately, Adrian wasn't able to cover the costs himself, as he only managed a fraction of Theo's tuition himself, but his partner, Evren, had had some ideas. He knew the Pleasantview coven extensively and what loopholes might be exploited in a case like Despina's. Evren couldn't turn down a student that might add to the coven's greatness or disappoint the partner who had a heart bigger than his checkbook. As an added bonus, he would be taking away talent from the Arkhelios coven and away from Wanda's inept hands.

The only catch was that Despina had to have enough potential to even be considered as a candidate. Both she and Eero had to pass the entrance exam before they could even be considered as students, let alone subsidized students. Eero had never cared much for formal magic and had failed his entrance exam. Magic didn't call to him the same way it called to his sister.

Despina had thrown everything she had into her exam, desperate to get out of Arkhelios and find her place in the wider world. Her parents were talented magic users from what anyone would tell her and she could follow along with some of the spells in the study guide Adam had lent her. She knew very little about her mother, but Despina could almost picture her father whenever her aunt spoke of him. He was smart and gifted, ambitious and fearless. If there was a challenge that arose, he usually fought tooth and nail to beat his sister to the answer. Despina could relate to this. She, too, was ambitious and driven, willing to chance everything on getting a place in her cousin's school.

She not only passed the exam, she nearly aced it. Her score was high enough for both admittance and for the financial considerations to be raised with the school. Despina had stared at the letter congratulating her on her results for what seemed like ages. After a lifetime of being ignored and underestimated, finally, she had proof that she belonged with the strongest students.

Evren had presented the Pleasantview coven with Despina's test scores, asking that she be sponsored by the coven on the condition that she joined them when she was of age. It had been a common enough request in his own time and Pleasantview rarely bothered to change rules and practices after several centuries. Very little changed in the coven over time, and that was how the coven liked it.

Over the years, Despina had come to the rather obvious conclusion that her parents were part of the reason she was held back from her potential. There were people who held her parents' choices against her, others who feared what their daughter would do with a proper education. And of course, her aunt and guardian, Edana, who barely acknowledged her niece and nephew. Edana had had several children all within a few years of each other at a young age and reasonably couldn't take care of additional twin infants with her resources. Now that the twins were older, and Despina had proved she had the ability to learn what her cousins were learning, it became harder to rationalize why a slacker like Remy was admitted to the academy and someone like Despina wasn't. True, her cousins had Maricourt blood in them, but the Darktides were also a powerful family, something her aunt boasted of constantly. So why did her legal guardian ignore her?

That was the cornerstone of Evren's presentation to the coven- the irresponsible neglect of talent due to prejudice. He couldn't fault Edana for struggling with the burden of caring for her brother's kids with everything she had been through, but the Pleasantview coven was a different matter. Was Master Ewan Maricourt denying a talented student entry simply because she made his ex-wife uncomfortable?

There was nothing more powerful than public derision and Evren's presentation had swayed quite a few members. He might have had support, but even a subsidized tuition needed to be paid from somewhere. Adam Darktide had left a small estate that his sister had used over the years to care for his children. There wasn't enough left for four years of tuition and then college for both twins.

That was where Adam came back into play. He was close to the magic users of Crystal Cove and Master Josh Toyonaga in particular. Without his help, Adam would have struggled to complete the crystal ring he made for Theo, along with several other projects for school. It was Master Toyonaga who had been bullied for months by Adam and Edana Darktide and who currently lived with the king of Strangetown. When his favourite nephew in law came to him with a proposition that would benefit his beloved Edana's talented niece, King Charley had been all too happy to create a fund to pay for the educational needs of Despina. The Strangetown coven had been decimated on his watch and it was only fair that the crown pay to compensate one of the victims of that coven.

Despina wished that she could be a fly on the wall when her aunt was told about the fund. Edana wasn't a bad person, but her distant, disinterested management of her brother's children had to end. Now Despina had the chance to prove that Edana had been wrong to be so dismissive of her.

With a grateful hug with Adrian and her cousin, Despina went in search of the girl's dorms and her new bedroom. There was a dress code that she needed to comply with and her very own schedule and textbooks to look over.

Everywhere she looked, something spectacular appeared. Old portraits in golden frames were fascinating. The view she'd briefly seen outside was a breathtaking glimpse of all of Pleasantview. The school library had huge, leather bound books that looked as old as the school itself. Despina was absolutely going to love it here.

As she made her way toward her assigned room, Despina couldn't help noticing a boy who looked just as lost as her. He wasn't in his uniform either and was currently staring intently at a row of houseplants.

"Um, hi. I'm a bit turned around," she called out, catching the boy's attention. "Do you know where the girls' dorms are? I think I've taken the wrong staircase by mistake."

"Sorry, I'm new here," the boy replied. "I just started yesterday and I barely know where my own dorm is. I'm Jasper."

"Despina."

"This is my first day," Despina said excitedly. "I didn't know anyone else was starting halfway through the semester like I am."

"Yeah, well, my mother had to be convinced to let me come," the boy replied. "We don't have a school for magic anymore, but she thinks Pleasantview is too pretentious. The sheer cost of studying here is nuts."

"Yeah, it really is," Despina agreed. "I don't know why it's so expensive. Surely, the magical community here has enough money to get by without gouging everyone."

"It's the Maricourt name, I think," Jasper said. "People go crazy to study with them even though half the family has been caught murdering people or breaking the natural laws over the centuries. My grandfather is paying though, so my mom was overruled. He wants me to learn from the best."

"They really are the best magical teachers, it seems, even if they suck as people. My cousins go here and they learn so much cool stuff that I can't wait to learn about."

"Well, maybe we can study together," Jasper offered shyly. "I know I have a bunch of work that was assigned to keep up with the class, I'm sure you have the same."

"I'd like that."

"Your piano skills are amazing, Adam," Bronwen complimented. Both she and Theo had been dancing for half an hour already, with no signs of stopping.

"I know, right?" Theo agreed. "I keep telling him that we need to start a band. With my guitar, we'll be unstoppable."

Adam rolled his eyes but kept playing.

"Theo, when is the last time that you even practiced your guitar scales? You need to have a solid foundation to grow from if you want to play an instrument. I haven't seen you play it in weeks."

"Because I'm too busy for scales," Theo scoffed. "Between homework and studying my textbooks, I don't have time. Besides, you don't exactly make it easy to focus when you're distracting me. If there was less kissing, there might be more time to practice dumb scales."

Adam flushed slightly, but laughed.

"Well then, I guess you'll never succeed as a guitar prodigy because I don't plan on stopping those distractions."

Bronwen wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Ew, guys, get a room already. Some of us here aren't being controlled by our hormones and would like to get back to dancing."

"Only because you're single," Adam pointed out, changing from the song he was playing to a difficult scale to impress Theo. "If you were dating someone, you'd be doing the same thing."

"Yeah, don't you have a crush on anyone?" Theo asked, eager for gossip. "Remy's dating Malika, but she has a crush on a new person every week and Elowen has a huge crush that she keeps denying. Isn't there anyone that you're interested in?"

"No," Bronwen insisted, despite her face turning a deep red. "I haven't met anyone yet that I like. I'm only fourteen, there's tons of time."

"I'm fourteen, and Theo's turning fourteen soon," Adam pointed out. "We're already looking at ideas for when we get married at nineteen, so it goes by fast. You never know who'll you meet."

"You're getting married at nineteen?" Bronwen exclaimed. "Isn't that a little young?"

She tried not to gag when the two boys stared lovingly at each other.

"No, eighteen is too young," Theo replied. "We're being mature and waiting until we're older and pursuing magic degrees in college."

Adam nodded proudly, twisting Bronwen's stomach when she thought of attending their wedding in just a few years. She didn't want to be the girl whose entire life revolved around a boy who wasn't available to her, but she couldn't control the jealous feeling burning in her chest. She needed a distraction and fast.

"Who cares about relationships?" she lied. "Let's have more music before an adult comes and finds us having fun. I'm missing second period for this, we might as well keep dancing."

"Totally!" Theo exclaimed, playfully spinning his friend around with ease. "I have class soon, so we need to hurry up. If I'm late again, I'm going to lose marks in potions, and then they'll call my dads. That cannot happen; they'll murder me for sure."

"Hey, Travis! Wait up!"

Elowen chased after the reclusive student. What did she have to lose? Her sister had told her a million times to tell him her feelings, and it might as well be today.

"Hey, Elowen," he replied quietly, looking desperately for an escape from this social encounter.

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out later?" Elowen began quickly, before her target could escape. "You look like you know how to have some fun."

Travis looked at books spilling out of his backpack and then back at the pretty girl standing before him.

"Me? Are you sure you're not thinking of someone else?"

"Ummm, yeah, I'm pretty sure," Elowen confirmed. "I see you around the halls sometimes, and wanted to hang out with you. Is there something wrong with that?"

Travis stared in disbelief at the words.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked with horror.

He definitely didn't seem to be asking arrogantly. He had the same dejected tone as her sister Bronwen did when people made fun of her vampirism.

"Yeah, you're the guy in my English class who actually writes his own papers instead of trying to find a spell to do it for them," Elowen answered truthfully. "You helped Adam study for the ancient runes final after he spent all his study time making out with his boyfriend."

Travis scoffed, his cheeks flushing despite his best effort to hide it.

"I mean, who I am genetically," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "My mothers were terrible witches who only acted selfishly, even with each other. They led the cult that decimated the Strangetown coven. They only made me to use my life-force as bait for the Grim Reaper. If they hadn't been stopped, I'd probably be dead."

Travis braced himself for the rejection he knew was coming. No one ever saw him for the person he was, just who his bio parents had been. On top of that, he was being raised by reapers, which also didn't buy him a lot of social points. He was being raised by his biological uncle, a man who was only dead because Travis' mother killed him as an infant. His adopted sister was queen of Pleasantview, which only added to his anxiety. Would people hate him for his parents? Would they only try to use him to get to Claudia? As if being a teenager wasn't hard enough already.

Elowen just stared back at him, cocking her head slightly like he'd said something in a foreign language.

"Why would any of that matter?" she laughed. "Dude, I only exist because my dad was a massive slut and my mom was sad at the time he picked her up at a bar. Who cares how you were born or why? My mom does weird shit all the time and you know what? My dad brings her coffee every morning and sits down with her to help with that weird shit. Why are you any different?"

Travis blinked, unable to understand if Elowen was being sincere. No one paid attention to him, and here was the daughter of one of the most accomplished witches alive telling him that she saw him for who he was inside.

"Ah, shit, the rain wasn't supposed to start til this afternoon," Elowen groaned. Here she was, pouring her heart out and not only was Travis staring at her like she had a wart on her face, but she was about to be soaked while he did.

Without warning, Elowen felt arms wrap around her, gripping her tight as the rain began to pour.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Travis asked quickly, still looking as if he were waiting for this to all turn out to be a joke. When Elowen nodded, all thoughts of getting to class evaporated.

Elowen shot the shy boy a devious look.

"You know, we're getting soaked out here. We should go inside and change into dryer clothes."

All the air seemingly evaporated from Travis' lungs at the thought.

"Y-yes. I think we should."

"Despina looks like she's going to fit in great here. It's so rewarding to see the younger generation find their paths in life."

Evren smiled politely at his partner's words while trying to gauge Edana's reaction. The witch had been uncharacteristically quiet for the few minutes that they'd been discussing her niece's admittance to the school Edana had done nothing to help with, and that made Evren nervous. Edana spoke her mind on any topic quite often, and to see her lost for words was unnerving.

"I hope you don't think we overstepped," he said cautiously. Beside him, Adrian looked confused at the civility of his words, but Adrian underestimating magic users was something of an ongoing trend. Evren was fairly certain that going to the Pleasantview coven and painting her as a neglectful guardian would have consequences for him and he wanted to know what those would be before they snuck up on him. "Your niece came to us in confidence and it goes against the values of our coven to waste potential."

"Yes, yes, of course. Ewan notified me as a courtesy earlier. Her test scores were quite remarkable."

Evren waited for the conversation to escalate to anger, but nothing happened. It almost looked as if Edana wasn't even paying attention to them in favour of something she was mulling over in her mind.

"The sponsorship from the Strangetown king was extraordinarily kind," Adrian said, seeing if that statement would be ignored as well.

"He owes it to her. His Majesty did nothing to reign in his coven, and people suffered," Edana murmured. "I tried to stop it, but I couldn't. I failed. He failed."

Evren and Adrian gave each other baffled looks. This certainly wasn't the way they had anticipated the conversation going. Edana barely looked like she was present in the room.

"You couldn't stop an entire coven on your own, you know that, right?" Evren asked, his eyes full of concern. "There was nothing that you could have done. You survived to keep the coven alive. It can't have been easy to juggle everything in your life while also grieving the loss of your coven, your family. Losing mine was devastating too, but I keep their memory alive every day."

"Despina has her father's talent and his eyes. I'm sure he'd be proud of her," Edana lied.

Her brother had been willing to sacrifice his children to pursue dark magic. He'd broken another natural law trying to speak to his sister beyond the grave and only mentioned his kids as an afterthought. Adam didn't give a damn about Despina or what she did, and yet, every time Edana looked at the girl, all she could see was his reflection.

Showing up to the school today wasn't important though. For all her experience and education, Edana was struggling to understand what her dead brother had been trying to warn her about before being escorted out of the world of the living. None of it made sense. There was next to nothing published about reapers, especially ancient ones. He'd mentioned Josh Toyonaga's husband knowing something about the explosion in Twikkii Island, but what did that even mean? The two men were hardly ever in the islands unless they were visiting Edana and her husband, and she'd never believe that either of them had the ability to pull an attack like that off even if they confessed.

As her mind wandered off trying to piece together the clues her brother had clawed his way back from death to give her, a thought came to Edana. Duke Siew was nothing special, but his partner was something of a mystery himself. Where had Evren come from and what might he know about her mysterious puzzle?

"Master Thorne, have you studied much about reapers in your training?" she asked. "Was your alternate version of old Strangetown aware of their movements or history?"

Evren stood baffled for a moment, as he was prepared to discuss Despina, while her guardian apparently had different ideas.

"My Strangetown was likely very similar to yours," he answered. "I spent most of my time in Pleasantview, though. They didn't need an architect hanging around, I'm afraid. From what I can remember though, Master Casper Maricourt and his daughter did write about some controversial topics. There were whispers about him researching death and immortality, but I don't know what came of it."

"His daughter led our coven to their deaths, that's what became of it," Edana replied angrily. "Charlotte carried on his work to its conclusion, but she didn't exactly like sharing with those beneath her. If there's a stash of secret documents from her hidden away somewhere, I can't find it."

"Charlotte was centuries old?" Adrian gasped, honestly surprised by the information. Would Evren live to be 300, long after he was dead? Would their children? This was a subject that was going to be addressed when they got home.

"The more you throw yourself into magic, the more magic throws itself into you," Edana shrugged. "That bitch was ancient and powerful, but she didn't have much of a life outside of her schemes."

"Try the royal archives," Evren suggested, ignoring the look of despair Adrian was giving him. "If the coven's affairs were settled, they would be in the royal archives. If Charlotte laid a finger on anything, it would be archived there. Have you tried appealing to the Queen of Pleasantview? She's descended from reapers, they may be able to answer your questions."

Edana scowled at the thought.

"No, His Majesty would be offended to have me meet with her," she lied. The last thing she needed in her life was dealing with Pleasantview or its monarch. That path only led to danger. "Besides, I need to know about ancient reapers and there's no chance of the queen revealing ancient secrets even if she did know them. Have you ever heard of a reaper named Atem? He's apparently the Grim Reaper's son if that helps."

From Adrian's blank stare, Edana ruled him out as a source of help. Evren, on the other hand, looked as if he was thinking.

"I've heard of the Grim Reaper in the stories of the destruction of Old Strangetown," he murmured. "I faintly remember a confrontation between the son of the Grim Reaper and Alpheus, the ruler of Strangetown at the time. Maybe that time period would be a good place to start. The archives have been burned and rebuilt in a nearly endless cycle since then, though. They may not be complete."

"That was the time of the Demon Wars in Viper Isle?" she asked, quickly writing a note to herself in pen on her arm. "If I summoned a lesser demon from then, they may be able to enlighten me on the subject."

"No! No. Start with the archives," Evren insisted. "That can't be an option. Those demons were insanely powerful. You don't want to risk a Great Demon or a Blood Demon escaping. Do you not know what Alpheus was?"

Edana's only response was a muffled grunt of acknowledgment, while Adrian watched the conversation with interest. Evren knew so much about magic and history. Adrian didn't even understand all the things Evren rambled on about to other warlocks, but Evren knew them well. He was a constant source of knowledge and power, and Adrian loved him for it. He may not know what Evren was saying half the time, but seeing the awe on everyone's face when Evren began talking was incredible. The man was a walking encyclopedia and he was all Adrian's.

"What was Alpheus?" Adrian asked curiously. "I don't know if we ever covered Strangetown in school. It doesn't sound familiar."

"He was a yellow eyed blood demon," Evren replied, watching as a look of recognition passed over his partner's face.

"Oh, like Theo?"

Adrian watched Edana and Evren trade careful looks. Neither of them seemed to be eager to answer the question.

"Sort of," Evren decided at last. "He was very old. One of the originals. Theo doesn't have his...temperament."

"The instant he shows that temperament, he's never seeing my son again," Edana stated, her personality seemingly returning now that she had a clue to chase down. "Alpheus fought Death itself, his kind should never return. Adam will see when the time comes."

"Hey, great. We'll see you around. Nice catching up with you, Edana," Evren called, steering Adrian away from the witch before one of them exploded. He could already see the vein above Adrian's eye begin to twitch, just as it did whenever one of the kids disobeyed them on an epic scale. "Message me if you want an archive research partner, I haven't been to the archives in ages."

"What are you doing?" Adrian hissed as his partner pulled him into the hallway. "That woman! I never know whether to hate her or feel sorry for her, but I don't care what happened to her coven if she's going to hurt Theo like that. You know Adam is his whole world and if she thinks that she can push him around or try another Maricourt reunion to control him, I-"

"Breathe, my love. You know that I'd do anything for the children, but tact is what is needed here, not rash anger. Theo has proven surprisingly capable of getting what he wants, despite what Adam's parents say. I have a feeling that whatever happens between him and Adam, none of us parents have much of a say in the matter. I love that you're so protective, but fighting a council member in a Pleasantview school isn't going to change anything."

"You're right," Adrian sighed. "As always. It's just...the way she looked at me when I mentioned Theo...it was like I was talking about a monster. With his family history, the last thing he needs is his boyfriend's mother calling him monstrous or dangerous."

"Hmmm." Evren paused for a moment, trying to phrase his next words compassionately. "You mentioned Theo, you brought him up. I was just trying to prevent a desperate Strangetown witch from messing with forces she cannot control for no reason. There's something of a history of bad ideas in her family, so i thought that some intervention might be needed. The demons she was thinking of summoning were monsters, without question. The Demon War ended only with the intervention of reapers and Life and Death. Blood demons were terrible, twisted things-at least when they roamed the earth. I'm not even sure if summoning one is actually possible these days, but it would be suicide to try. Then you brought up Theo as one of their brethren and understandably, Edana's mind drew comparisons."

"Well, he's studying blood magic, what else am I supposed to think? The Sovereign calls him a blood demon herself!"

"A hybrid version of one, yes. Nowhere near the level of cruelty and malice of the original demons. It's of no help to Theo to make comparisons, no matter how good your intentions are. A lot of magic users whisper about his education and wonder if it's going to become a problem in the future."

"I see. You work with a lot of small-minded people if they think Theo's capable of becoming some monster."

"I do, absolutely," Evren agreed. He smiled playfully, hoping to change the tone of their conversation. "They're all better than dealing with Wanda."

A small smile tugged at Adrian's mouth despite his indignation.

"They are not," he replied. "She's trying her best. You've been to Arkhelios, you know what she's up against. One of these days, she's going to catch you off guard and hex you. You're ridiculous."

Evren wrapped his arms around his partner playfully, glad to see his mood improve.

"Come on, let's find Despina and say our goodbyes. We both have work to get back to."

"As much as I want to stay here forever, I have class soon," Elowen declared, continuing to kiss Travis despite her words. "Plus, I think the coven is meeting here later on, so it's probably for the best we leave."

It would be just her luck to have her mother walk in on them. That was the last thing Elowen wanted. If her mother got over finding Elowen in various states of undress in the coven meeting room, then finding out who she was spending all her time kissing would absolutely ensure she was grounded until she was thirty-five. There was no way in hell that Edana Darktide's daughter could ever be with Charlotte Maricourt's son. If she hated Theo for dating Adam, Elowen could only imagine what her mom would do if she knew she'd seen Travis Goldman in his boxers.

"Yeah, my mom would kill me if we were caught in here," Travis agreed. "She would probably like you if you wanted to come over for dinner on the weekend, though. If you don't mind her making a scene, that is. Oliver's not dating anyone and Miruna's not over very often, so she might be a bit...much if I bring someone home."

Elowen smiled.

"I know all about over the top moms, trust me," she laughed. "That sounds like fun, just, maybe let's wait a few weeks to see how things go. I really like you, Travis, but I just need time to tell my parents about us. You've seen how well they reacted when Adam started dating, I just want to avoid a scene or an elaborate Maricourt family meeting."

"Yeah, I get it. We don't have to tell anyone until we want," Travis agreed. "Seriously, my family is a lot. I don't want to scare you away, but, if I don't warn you, you'll probably run anyway and I don't want that."

"You have met my family in passing, haven't you? Seriously, you'll be the one running away."

"Challenge accepted," Travis laughed.

Someone in the hallway passed by the door and both teens froze in terror. When the footsteps carried on down the hall, the relieved teens quickly reached for their clothes.

"We'd better get out of here quick."

"No arguments here!"

"Yes! This is the best thing to ever happen to me!"

Despina took a moment to celebrate in the empty kitchen. Her life had changed overnight beyond her wildest dreams. She was attending the most prestigious school for magic and she'd already made an acquaintance with similar interests even before her first class. Her troubled parentage for once in her life wasn't holding her back; it had been the reason for her scholarship. Things in her life couldn't possibly get any better.

"Nice dance moves."

Despina stopped her private celebration when Adam appeared from down the hall.

"Adam! Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"It's my job to escort you to your first class," Adam announced formally. "I'm sorry Theo couldn't also be here to help, but he has detention. Just a piece of advice, try to arrive on time for class if you want to stay out of trouble."

"Got it."

"Despina! Just who I was hoping to see. You look incredibly studious," Evren greeted, embracing the teen warmly. "We're about to leave, is there anything else you need before we go? Do you have your schedule?"

Despina nodded.

"Yes, and my very own guide," she said, pointing to Adam. "Apparently Theo's too busy with detention."

"Again? Roman's going to hit the roof," Adrian sighed. "Despina, try to keep an eye on those two for me, will you? Don't let them talk you into skipping class, especially since those classes are incredibly expensive. Right, Mr. Darktide?"

"Right, sir," Adam answered guiltily. It wasn't as if he hated his classes, he just could think of a million things he'd rather be doing instead. "Let's get going, Despina. You don't want to be late for your first class."

"We did a good thing here, Ev. That talented witch is getting the education she needs because of you. All of our kids are going to do well because of what you give them. You have a genuine talent, and I love that about you."

The two teens quickly exited the area, now that the adults were getting sentimental and gross.

"I love you too," Evren replied, pulling his partner in for a quick kiss. "But I noticed something earlier that I want to discuss. You looked really uncomfortable when we were discussing Charlotte earlier with Edana. I'd know that brooding look anywhere."

"It's nothing. It's just that...well, I'm probably going to die for the second time somewhere under a century from now. I don't think getting kicked out of the demonic void is going to save me again. But you-"

"This is about witch lifespans?" Evren exclaimed, looking instantly relieved. "I thought you might have objected to my recommendations for research or something like that. My love, witch lifespans vary greatly. The truly powerful ones can live centuries, just like demons, but very few live past a normal lifespan for a non magical person. The effort it takes to extend a life is intense, and often filled with difficult or immoral choices. The leader of my coven in this reality died quite young and he was immensely powerful. Don't worry, I'm not planning to start over with a younger magic user when you die of extreme old age, surrounded by our family."

"I wasn't worried about that," Adrian lied, failing to hide his relief. "It's just four hundred years alone, watching your family die as they all get older...it sounds incredibly lonely."

"It does. Roman's starting to rub off on you, I think. You two worry to death about things that will never happen. Speaking of, we should probably get home before the school calls the Bellamys with news of Theo's detention. Roman's going to be livid."

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Hey, Eero. Did you want to dance? I don't see anyone else worth dancing with here."

"Uh, thanks, but I can do better than some consolation dance from a newbie," Eero shot back, still eyeing the newcomer. He was fairly handsome, if you ignored his attitude.

The Arkhelios Academy of Magic's mixer was more of a success than the students had hoped. With new arrivals settling in Arkhelios and signing up for school, Eero and Despina Darktide finally had enough classmates to be picky about their dance partners.

"You are cute though, I guess I could give you another chance."

Eero smiled flirtatiously at the boy in front of him. There were only so many people in Arkhelios and the guy was pretty easy on the eyes.

"What's your name?"

"Malik," the boy replied.

He was casual about his answer and confident in himself, which Eero found irresistible. Too many students here lacked confidence or were just trying to coast through school to get it over with. This Malik guy was different. Eero didn't even know him, but he could feel something different about this guy.

"Well, Malik, let's dance."

"This was such a nice thing to do for your cousin," Theo gushed, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and smothering him with kisses. "Aunt Wanda's probably thrilled about the turnout too. Bringing our friends to this lame dance gives your cousins and their classmates a chance to meet cool people."

"That's surprisingly elitist of you, Theo. You're sounding like a Bellamy with that kind of talk. It's not flattering."

Adam detached himself from Theo's grasp and shot his boyfriend a nasty look.

"Just because we go to an expensive school doesn't mean that my cousins are any different than I am. It's not their fault their parents died and my mom can't pay for their tuition for our school."

"Sounding like a Bellamy?" Theo repeated, utterly confused at what prompted the words. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Just your family's attitude. Eero says that Wanda is a tyrant about the Bellamy name and how powerful it is in Arkhelios. Same with your dad. It's no secret that he boasted about his family when he went to school in Pleasantview. People remember things like that. Plus those kids over there haven't shut up about the Bellamy family since we got here. It's getting annoying."

"Kids?" Theo turned around, looking for the alleged kids, but only saw the familiar faces they'd brought from their own school. There was no one else that he recognized as Bellamys. "I don't know who you're talking about and Wanda's always like that. You've seen the mausoleum she built for our family, right? The thing that blocks most of the sunlight from my parents' lawn? I don't sound anything like Wanda. If you don't like my family, Adam, then I don't have to be here. It's not like your family is any better. At least mine hasn't dragged you in for a formal confrontation about joining bloodlines."

"Theo, that's not what I meant! I just wanted you to be nicer to my cousins. They're more sensitive about things than they sometimes show to people. All everyone talks about here is how great the Bellamys are and it's not fair. They don't have anyone else here."

"And that's my fault, how exactly?"

Bronwen watched Theo argue with his boyfriend with interest. Those two hardly ever fought, at least not in public. The party was too loud to hear what they were arguing over, but it was intense enough for Theo to storm off.

"Theo! Over here! Do you want to dance?" she called, but received no reply. Theo simply kept walking, completely unaware of his friend's offer.

"Theo! You came."

Despina waved at her cousin's boyfriend like he was the only person in the room. Theo shot an annoyed look in Adam's direction and headed over to talk to one of the cousins they'd been fighting over.

"Excuse me," she said, quickly brushing across the crowded room to greet the demon hybrid. "I didn't think you'd actually come. I appreciate it."

Theo shrugged, suddenly wary of Despina's interest in him. Clearly this invitation had been given with some kind of agenda, but he was determined to be as supportive as he could just to show Adam how wrong he was.

"It was Adam's idea," he replied cautiously. "I'm just his date. It's quite a party, you've got here."

"You don't have to lie to me, I know it's nothing like your school's parties. Wanda tries her best, but building a reputation takes time and probably more money than she has access to. We don't have a lot left over for parties. Eero's happy here, I think," Despina sighed. "He probably the only person who loves the weather in Arkhelios. He says it reminds him of Strangetown."

She paused for a moment, trying to choose her next words carefully.

"Look Theo, I'm miserable here. I know my aunt is doing her best for us, but her best isn't fair. Why do her kids get to go to the best schools in the area, while Eero and I have to stay here, far away from her sight? I know she hates my parents, but she can't be mad at us for being their kids. I never asked to be born into this messed up family and I know I can do better given the right resources. Can you please help me get into your school? Maybe I could get sponsored by someone so my aunt doesn't have to worry about the tuition either. Please. You don't know what it's like to have a dream of doing better, only to be stuck in the middle of nowhere. I know I can pass the entrance exam. I can do the work if I get the chance."

"I know all about being stuck here," Theo replied sympathetically. "I didn't think I'd ever get out of Arkhelios and learn real magic when I was younger, but I was lucky. My parents and grandma pay for my schooling even though it costs them a lot of money, probably more than they're comfortable with. I can try to see if there are scholarships or something, but there weren't any when I applied. Sorry."

Despina nodded, trying to hide her disappointment.

"Of course, that would be amazing if you could. Excuse me, I'm going to grab some more punch."

The girl walked dejectedly towards the refreshments and Theo felt terribly for her. He did know what it was like for money to stand in the way of one's dreams. What would his life be without his education? He'd probably be dead and he'd definitely not have Adam in his life. He was a completely different person with extremely different prospects in this reality than any other reality where he stayed enrolled in Arkhelios.

Well this was just the opportunity to prove to Adam that he was wrong about Theo's perceived family entitlement. Despina had come to him, a fellow scholarship student without the means to pay for his education, and not Adam, who was born into a rich, powerful family. Adam could talk all about these so called Bellamys at the party until the end of time; Adam's own cousin had turned to him for help. Now that he had proof that Adam's worries about his cousins feeling offended was completely unfounded, Theo practically skipped back to Adam's side so that he could gloat about winning their argument.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Gentlemen. How's the water?"

Victoriana cringed as she sank into the hot water. That had sounded lame even to her.

"It's fine," Travis replied, his voice clearly making his disinterest known. "It's just like any other hot tub: boring and filled with the skin cells of everyone in it."

"Gross, Travis. Shove over."

Bronwen pushed her way into the hot tub, over the protests of the boy she was shoving.

"Hey, Claudia. Hey, Theo. What's up? Anything interesting happening?"

"Not since I got in like thirty seconds ago," Victoriana snapped, irritated by her friend's arrival. How was she supposed to talk to Theo with her snooping around? Travis didn't want to be there and thus wouldn't get in her way, while Bronwen very clearly would.

"Hey, Bron, maybe you should stay inside for a bit. Your vampire skin will burn if you stay out too long."

"I'm only half vampire and can stay out for hours. You've seen me do it all the time, Your Highness. I don't want to wait in the stupid house when the excitement is happening put here."

"What excitement?" Travis grumbled, looking enviously at the house.

Victoriana frowned at the negative energy coming at her, so she playfully splashed Theo, trying to get his attention in a positive way.

Across from her, Bronwen fumed, her pale skin turning dark red. Theo didn't like to be splashed, at least not by anyone other than Adam. She'd tried it herself once and he'd glared at her, but to her astonishment, he merely smiled at the princess.

It has to be because she's rich and going to inherit Pleasantview one day. It has to be as simple as that.

"So, you see Rien, you want your brushstrokes to be confident and bold. Make a statement with your art. Fuel your creation with your emotions."

Anna examined her progress on her painting, then looked at Rien's canvas beside her. It wasn't too bad for a beginner.

Adrian had begged the reaper to help his daughter find a passion for something other than tarot card reading, and Anna had been more than willing to help. As a dead soul in the afterlife, she'd tried her hand at many things to pass the time. Everything there became tedious after a number of years. Painting wouldn't fulfill her desire for a family of her own or give her the ability to make choices and see the world change because of them, but it had been a decent distraction. Working for the grim reaper was an incredible escape from the monotony of the afterlife. All of her many hobbies did come in handy as a mother though. She was great at distracting and soothing kids with a craft or sudden game of basketball.

"I know how to paint," Adrienne replied. "We do have art class in school, remember? I'm only here to make Daddy happy so that I can get my cards back."

"Fair enough," Anna said casually.

Adrienne had been hoping for a scandalized gasp or stern disapproval, but Anna offered her nothing but indifference. Adults were supposed to be easy to manipulate, but Anna didn't even flinch. To the child, it seemed that reapers were magical creatures with nerves of steel, when really, Anna was a mom to three very strong-willed children. There was very little that she hadn't seen.

"What are you going to do if he doesn't?" she asked. "You could be waiting a very long time. It might be more fun if you tried a bunch of stuff while you wait. Make him see how little you're affected by him taking them, so he gives then back to you."

"He'll die if he doesn't. He makes the lady mad and I need to see what she's planning to help them."

This comment did cause Anna to pause. It didn't seem vengeful or angry, just a simple statement of fact.

"Your parents aren't going to die soon. I'd know about it if they were," she replied, looking at the child strangely. Again, nothing malicious was coming from her. It was like she was just reading the paper, bored by the printed facts. "What lady wants to hurt your daddy? Do you know her?"

"You only know when someone's death is written in stone," the child stated, as if it was obvious. "You'll only know when it can't be changed. I can help them if I had my cards."

"Finally! Time to finish my book," Travis exclaimed, reclining on a chair by the pool. "Everyone pretend I'm not here."

"Already done," Bronwen said, rolling her eyes as she sat beside him.

"That's looking really good so far," Anna commented. She held her brush up to the canvas and feigned a painting motion.

What on earth was this kid talking about? There were well established cases of people prophesying the future through dreams, or while under the spell of Life, but this seemed different. Part of their onboarding as reapers had been learning about the various ways a possible vision of a future could be spelled out, but this child was a mystery. She claimed to need to use her tarot deck to access the supernatural, but Anna had her doubts. The girl has demon blood and was ripped out of her father at birth as his spirit fell deep into the demonic void. What kind of impact would that have on a child? As far as she knew, the topic had never been brought up once in their reaper briefings.

"What lady wants to hurt your father?" Anna prompted again, hoping for a better response than before. "If she's dangerous, I may be able to protect your parents."

Adrienne shrugged, wiping her brush clean.

"I don't know for sure, but I keep getting the words 'red queen" when I read my cards," she replied. "She has dark hair, I think. I can almost picture her, but I need my cards."

"Dark hair, pasty skin, way too much lipstick?"

Anna held her breath as Adrienne nodded.

"Yeah, I think that's her. Why do you know her?"

"Uh, yeah, you could say that. Rien, you don't have to worry about her, she died a long time ago. Claudia took the throne from her daughter. The Red Queen is long dead."

"I just keep getting those words in my readings," Adrienne replied, her expression extremely patronizing. "I never said that she was alive or anything. You can't take everything literally when reading cards."

"Oh, well, if you see anyone who wants to hurt your dad, you can tell me or any of the adults here," Anna sighed, trying to hide her frustration from the child. "We can help."

"So, uh, Victoriana. Hi. Do you want to swim, or hang out here? We could talk if you want. I wanted to get to know you better, if that's okay."

Theo flushed, trying not to come across as dull or like he only cared about her money. Despite his best efforts, it felt like he was failing.

"I'd like to get to know you," the princess replied shyly. "I wanted to talk about demons if that's okay. How did you know you had a dark form? Does it hurt to change? How dangerous do you think your family really is these days?"

"Uh...I'm not sure," Theo answered awkwardly. He wasn't sure why the crown princess of Pleasantview was interested in his family and demons in the first place. Of course, Theo knew they were related and shared a demonic family, but Victoriana asking about it seemed odd. "It doesn't hurt, really. It kind of itches. My dad says he has our family under control, but it's nothing you have to worry about, being a princess and whatever. I can tell you about it if you want though."

"I would like that," Victoriana said cautiously. No need to seem as desperate for answers as she truly was. "I'd really like that. Your dad sounds like an interesting person."

"He is, I guess."

"Yeah. I guess."

The two teens stared awkwardly at the ground, unable to think of a way of progressing their conversation without revealing their shared paternity or coming across as some kind of weirdo.

"She knows already, Theo," Adrienne sang, as she skipped by the teens. "You both know the same secret, so stopping being weird."

"You know about me?" both teens said at once, watching their shared sister skip away. "Oh, thank god."

"I didn't know you knew," Theo said. "Here I was trying to be subtle about it and you already knew! I never thought you'd believe me!"

"My mom told me," the princess confessed. "I made her tell me and now she's mad at me, but I finally know! I've been going insane just thinking about it. Who told you?"

"I saw your connection after a spell," Theo confided. "I thought you'd think I was after your money or something if I came out and told you. I still can't believe it."

"We have a lot to talk about," Victoriana said eagerly. "Maybe you could tell me more about Roman Bellamy. I'd like to know all about him. For political analysis of course." An unwavering look passed between the half-siblings, promising that they would keep their true connection a secret from the rest of the teens at the pool. The last thing Victoriana needed was a scandal breaking out while her mother was already mad at her.

"Let's go inside and get some of that lemonade I saw Anna pouring," Theo suggested, gesturing towards the house. Victoriana nodded eagerly.

"Awsome!"

"So Adrienne has a vivid imagination," Anna began, trying to phrase her words gently. Her nephew's shoulders slumped before she could continue her sentence.

"You're telling me," Adrian groaned. "The damn thing is, she's almost always proven right when she 'imagines' things. Even Roman can't read cards like she can."

"So she says. I know you worry about her, Adrian. She seems like a very bright child. Lonely though."

"That's my main concern. Her sister has enough charisma for the both of them. Luci is in every sports team at her school and has tons of friends. Rien keeps to herself and acts like she's already thirty. I don't know what to do, Anna. I've never experienced anything like this before. I used to think that we had an interesting family, but Roman's is something else. Do I put her with other demon hybrids? Should I register her in Crystal Cove to learn about crystals and tarot readings? There has to be somewhere she can shine, but I'm at a loss for where. All I want is for her to have the happy childhood I dreamed of for her, but nothing seems to make her happy."

"We all find our paths eventually, Adrian. I know it's frustrating now, but Rien will find her way. When I was born, I was destined to be the queen of Strangetown and Twikkii Island. What my actual destiny turned out to be was quite different. And Claudia was no different. I would have never chosen the path she's walking for her, but it's where she belongs. It sounds like your daughter is beginning to figure out her future, you just need to wait and be patient."

"You've raised two teens who have turned out to be incredible adults, I'll try my best to follow your example," Adrian said, bowing his head as he spoke.

"You're way too uptight for someone of your rank," Anna teased. "With the succession guaranteed, Maura’s heirs have bumped you even further from the throne. You might as well relax and enjoy your estate like Edana's husband. Luci will need to know how to conduct herself at court, but very little else."

"That's not how my parents saw it," Adrian replied stiffly. "I have a duty to uphold to the crown. Should the unthinkable happen and the royal family is lost once more, Luci is still in the line of succession. If she didn't assume the throne herself, then she needs to defend the monarch. She should just be thankful that I'm not sending her to the military academy I was sent to. My father went there, so of course I had to as well."

She paused for a moment.

"Try growing up in Strangetown," Anna laughed. "From what I'm told, it's intense. I spent an eternity with my grandmother in the afterlife, learning about our family and traditions and a million other superstitions. I love it all, but to live it everyday? I don't envy my cousin."

"Do you think that maybe you spend too much time thinking about what your parents would do or think? They're lovely people, but you're not them."

"They weren’t perfect, that's for sure. I just miss them. I wonder what they'd say about my kids or trying to run a business with Roman. Would they like Evren? How would they help Rien? I wish I knew."

"You'll see them again someday and I know they'll be proud of you no matter what path you choose in life. Try relaxing a bit. Your kids have a long path before them, you just need to trust them."

"Relaxing? Sure, maybe when I'm dead," Adrian scoffed. "Roman needs me to manage our business and Evren needs me to keep him from murdering Wanda Bellamy and the kids need me for everything else. Maura is still pissed at me for sticking with Roman after everything and I don't know how I'm going to pay to send Fiolett to school next year, which Evren has also been extremely cagey about. Should I marry Evren? Does he even want that? If I do, will it change everything for us? If I-"

"Again, maybe you should try practicing relaxation before you take on the entire world," Anna interrupted. "Why don't you take a day just to yourself this week? Maybe even an afternoon if that's too hard. When you quiet your mind, you may find the answers you're struggling with."

"An afternoon," Adrian repeated slowly. "I guess it couldn't hurt. Abe could watch the boys while Fiolett is in school. I don't see the harm in trying."

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"You've got this. You're going to head out there and be completely normal. Theo's more powerful than me, he can probably smell fear with his demonic senses. Just be friendly and pretend it's one of mom's conferences. No one will suspect a thing."

Victoriana nodded at her reflection in the mirror. The past week had been confusing, now that she knew who her father was. Half the time she wanted to teleport to Arkhelios and run into his arms, and the other half, she just wanted to forget that he existed.

Things were weird between her and her mom now. Claudia had all but banished her from her sight and didn't text her back. Victoriana had spent the past two weekends at her grandparents' house, waiting to be summoned back to the castle. The call never came. The queen had all but banished her for the crime of pushing her to name her father, and Victoriana was starting to worry that her time with her grandparents was going to be permanent.

Her grandfather had to work most of the day, so her grandmother decided to take Victoriana and Travis to the Siew family cottage, where conveniently, Adrian and several of his children also just happened to be visiting. Ewan Traver's kids had also been deposited at the cottage, so the lot was full. If things went badly today, Victoriana could usually count on the Traver siblings to cheer her up. Bronwen especially, considering that she had also grown up without one of her parents. Bronwen's mother had abandoned her just after her birth, leaving her with a similar longing to know her place in the family tree.

It was good that her friends were there to support her if anything went wrong. Her biological father's ex-husband and children were there with her and Victoriana wasn't about to waste the opportunity.

"Okay, girls, let's start again. Ten points to Luci for winning last round."

Trent stacked the game pieces to restart the game. The twins were both ecstatic to play another round of Don't Wake the Llama, but behind them, their father wasn't amused.

"Trent, Luci needs to be in the pool practicing for her swim competition in a few weeks," Adrian insisted. "She doesn't need to be distracted with games. Rien has some math homework to do as well, don't think I didn't find that hiding under your laundry."

"Relax, Adrian, we'll just play one more round. I thought you wanted them to socialize while they're here. They can't socialize while doing homework."

"Yeah, Daddy. Rien's practicing doing something other than reading cards all day and I'm already going to win the competition even without practicing. We never get to see Uncle Trent and Aunt Cindra."

"If I do my homework, can you make Dad give me my tarot cards back?" Adrienne pleaded. "I won't fight with Luci again, I promise. Unless she starts it."

Adrian rolled his eyes in frustration. If he didn't remind his daughters about their responsibilities, he wasn't being supportive and if he did remind them, he was being uptight and strict. He couldn't win with the twins. At least Fiolett was still young enough not to sass him too often. It was only going to get worse when they became teenagers. He and Roman would need all the help they could get when the girls were Theo's age.

"Fine, play with your uncle. I have to make some calls. I'll come check on you when I'm done, and then you're doing your homework and practicing."

"Okay, girls, let's go find some information," Victoriana declared, looking expectantly at her small group of friends. The Travers children stared back at her with expectations of their own.

"Why are we trying to get info on Theo?" Elowen asked. "We've known him forever. The only thing you need to know about him is that he has a boyfriend. He won't shut up about him or talk about anything else."

"Theo talks about a lot more than just Adam," Bronwen said. "He likes a lot of things like playing guitar and practicing magic. There's a lot more to him than Adam."

"Please, like we don't all know why you really know so much about him," Elowen laughed. "You want his little demon babies. You're in love with him. Bronwen loves Theo."

"Shut up," Bronwen snapped, her face suddenly very red. "I do not!"

"We're here because I need to watch him. Because I said so, and I'm the Crown Princess so what I say goes."

Victoriana's words stopped the sisters from bickering, just as she'd intended. She was the heir to the Pleasantview throne and her tone needed to convey that. It was something she and her mother had been working on before the queen had distanced herself from her daughter.

"I just want to know him better," Victoriana explained. "His sisters too. I can't explain why."

"Alright, well prepare to learn all about what Adam eats for lunch," Elowen groaned.

"And his favourite food, colour and animal," Remy added. "Plus the names of their future kids and what month is a good month for a wedding."

"Basically, you'll know Adam a lot better than you'll know Theo," Bronwen laughed. "But if you insist."

"Ah, Vicky, I was wondering what you were up to. If you see your uncle Travis, tell him to get in the pool before lunch." Anna wrapped her arms around her granddaughter and smiled. "I saw Theo out in the hot tub on my way in. I hope you two find what you are looking for in each other. Your grandfather and I love you no matter what."

"Ew, Grandma, not in front of my friends! You make it sound like I want to date him or something. I just want to talk to him."

Anna watched Victoriana leave in search of her half-brother with worry. The poor girl couldn't handle a rejection from her sibling if this went badly. Theo seemed to be a nice boy though. She didn't see any reason why he would be rude.

Ewan should have been the one taking the kids today. He cried at the end of sappy movies and probably would have some kind of "family reconnection" party planned to help the siblings adjust to their new relationship. When he found out that he had a living half-brother of his own, Ewan had immediately set up "brother play dates" every so often to give them time alone to bond, despite being adults. Anna had no doubt that if her husband was here, he'd be doing the same for Victoriana and Theo. On second thought, maybe it was for the best that Ewan was working.

"What do you think Victoriana wants with Theo?" Bronwen asked her sister, watching as the princess took confident strides toward the hot tub. "She seems pretty determined to do whatever it is that she's doing."

"Jealous much? She has the same chance that you have with him, which would be zero. The guy is obsessed with his boyfriend, Bron. Move on."

"I'm not jealous," Bronwen hissed, looking around for anyone who might have heard the accusation. "We're just friends. And Victoriana could do way better than Theo, I'm just surprised. She's going to be queen one day and she wants Theo?"

"Maybe she just wants to yell at him for something. He's always screwing up with his blood magic, maybe he went too far and the queen is pissed," Elowen replied. "Victoriana seems jumpy whenever we mention her mom."

"I think something might be going on with her mom," Bronwen said, looking over her shoulder to check for eavesdroppers. "You've seen how twitchy Dad has been lately, and your mom seems to be practically living in the archives. When I tried to do my homework on her desk, I could barely find a place to write on. She had all sorts of weird books and scrolls."

"Yeah, something is up with her. I found her crying in the kitchen before we left for school, but of course she denied it. Do you really think their weirdness has something to do with Victoriana's mom? Victoriana has been staying at her grandparents' house on the weekends now, which is weird, and now she's determined to talk to Theo? It's all weird, but does it mean anything?"

Bronwen shrugged.

"I guess we'll see how this thing with Theo goes today. Maybe it's all just a coincidence."

Travis Goldman tried to walk as quietly as he could across the backyard, hoping to sneak past his mother's watchful eyes. He wasn't sure just what powers a reaper had, but she had to have super sensitive hearing for all the times she had caught him trying to sneak out of social occasions.

Today was no different. His royal niece had been staying with them, forcing social interactions on him the entire time. Now he had to endure a bunch of loud kids and all of Victoriana's friends at the busy family cottage. All he wanted to do was sit down with a good book and ignore all the noisy people around him, but his mother would never allow that. He had to always put on a smile and try to make some friends everywhere he went. His parents "worried about him" far too much. All the damage and trouble he'd caused at school made them think that he was lonely or lashing out because there was something in his life that he lacked. Ironically, the only thing he did need from them was some space, which the two of them could never give.

"Travis, honey, are you alright? Do you want a snack? I think the other teens are meeting in the hottub if you want to join them."

"Mom, I was just going to read a little. I don't want to use the hottub, I want to read. By myself."

"Well that sounds lonely," Anna said. "Why not join the other teens? You know all of them. They're nice girls and I'm sure they wouldn't mind the company."

"Maybe," Travis muttered. "Can I at least read a few chapters? I'm at a cliffhanger."

Anna frowned. It wasn't an unreasonable request, but the instant she said yes, her son would be locked in a room in the cottage, completely alone with the stacks of books he could magically summon. There was no way that he'd actually meet with the other teens.

Her other two children had had the opposite problem as teens. Claudia and Oliver were extremely social, driven to be the top student with a large group of followers. Travis was shy and reclusive by nature and his parents were at a loss trying to know what was best for him.

His biological mothers had both been outgoing, charismatic witches who had the combined audacity to try to kill the Grim Reaper. Travis had none of those traits, preferring to read quietly until people forgot that he was still in the room. She and Ewan had tried to raise him just as they did their biological children, and she'd like to believe that they had succeeded. Little Travis was an introvert in a family of extroverts; maybe it was just as simple as that.

"Go finish that chapter and then maybe you can read beside the pool," she decided. "You don't have to swim, but maybe you can join in some of the conversations later. I love you, you know that, right? I just want what's best for you."

Travis reacted to her words with embarrassment, just as Victoriana had earlier. God forbid an adult tell a teen that they loved and supported them.

"I'll go in the hottub for twenty minutes," Travis proposed, noticing the worry on his mother's face. "But that's it. Then I get to read as much as I want."

Anna had experience with the darkest minds, and the most hateful creatures of the supernatural world, but they were nothing compared to the roller coaster of parenting teenagers.

"I think that sounds very mature and understanding of you. I appreciate you and our talks, Travis."

"Mom!"

With that, Travis scurried away to find a bathing suit, desperate that none of the other teens see his mother expressing her feelings for him.

[luverofralts]

Not-So-SImstober #4: A bite in the air

[luverofralts]

Not So Simstober #20: Revel

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Thanks for agreeing to hold the party here," Roman said, looking proudly at the decorations he'd bought and the impressive cake he'd made for his son's important day. It wasn't every day that your kid turned fourteen and Roman wanted to make the party special.

Ewan Traver merely shrugged back at him, like it was nothing to use his estate to entertain a group of hyper teenagers. Truthfully, nothing seemed to bother the duke, and it made Roman incredibly uneasy to see such a laid back parenting style. Maybe if he lived on a tropical island and hadn't been a teenage father, Roman might be the same. But then again, Adrian had grown up in Twikkii Island, and he was just as bad as Roman when it came to his clingy parenting style.

"It's all good," Ewan assured his guest. "The kids love having their friends over and we have more than enough space to accommodate them. Tell you what. If you make one of those bat cakes for Bronwen's birthday, I'd be in your debt. Not many bakeries have vampire friendly designs, and it would mean a lot to her."

"Done," Roman agreed, eager to continue his party setup and ditch the hovering duke. "Is everyone here? I haven't done a head count."

"All of them are present and accounted for," Ewan confirmed. "I think they've found the pool table. If I know my kids, they're probably hustling the group. Never bet against a vampire or witch in a contest of skill."

"Uh...huh." Roman had no idea of what to say to this man. He was the father of Theo's closest friends though, so Roman tried his best. Ewan wasn't snobby or pretentious, nor was he trapped in the same constant anxiety that Adrian felt being a duke. If anything, the man reminded Roman of an eager puppy, excited and ready for anything fun. If Roman had to blindly guess who was married to stuffy, curt Edana, he would never have guessed Ewan in a million years.

"Where is Edana? Does she want to help set up?"

For the briefest of seconds, Ewan's face fell before he could correct it. It wasn't anger or frustration that Roman had briefly saw, but some kind of sadness. He didn't resent his wife like Roman would have assumed with such an emotionally mismatched couple. Instead, it almost looked like the look he sometimes caught Abe giving him whenever the subject of Roman's family came up. Ewan was just as worried about Edana as Abe worried about him. It was touching to see, and it gave Roman hope that the children of this man also inherited that same compassion. Any friends of Theo needed some extra compassion should anything terrible happen to their friend, and if Elowen and Bronwen were anything like their father, Theo would be in good hands.

"Edana's working," Ewan explained. "She's got this huge research project she's working on and it's very important. She promised to come up for cake though."

With the noise of a birthday party around her, Edana was finding it difficult to concentrate on her work. Several excited teenagers crowding around a pool table did not make it easy to stare endlessly at photo after photo of boring historical records.

Truthfully, she would much rather be upstairs, ensuring that the teens behaved like the young magical apprentices most of them were instead of staring at ancient records. She was certain that Adam was probably letting that demon hybrid of his push past acceptable boundaries, and that Remy and Elowen were likely trying to do some juvenile prank like spiking the punch or whatever it was that teens did these days. Ewan could handle the party itself, but his wife needed to be the stern authority figure ensuring that nothing went awry.

But her brother had given her a mission that superseded everything else. No one escaped death to pass something unimportant to their angry sister. For the measures he had taken to see her, Edana knew that this required her full attention. Something big had to be at stake and she wasn't about to stand over the dead bodies of her friends again, not when she could have prevented it. What if something happened to one of her children? She would never recover from that loss. If it took hours hunched over a computer to save her family, then it was worth all of it.

He said that the Darktides were in danger, but we're not originally from Strangetown, our ancestors are from Pleasantview. Why care so much about a supernatural being from another country?

Why did the answer to a mystery in Twikkii Island all revolve around Strangetown or Josh Toyonaga's husband? They lived in Strangetown, but neither of them came to Twikkii Island regularly. They came from time to time to visit Ewan and Edana, but not often. Besides, Josh's own mother died in that explosion. He wasn't close to the former queen consort, but Edana could never accuse him of murder. She'd seen for herself how devastated he'd been at her funeral.

Couldn't Adam have been at least a little more specific about this threat? If he hadn't spent so much time being a jackass, he could have explained this threat easily and she wouldn't be forever wandering libraries to search for whatever it was she was supposed to be looking for.

"There!" she gasped, scrolling back to a picture she'd nearly missed. "Finally!"

Atem Spector and his mother, Morganna Grunt, in the palace of Alpheus Toyonaga, Strangetown, Circa 678, photo from a private collection.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" Edana groaned, desperately scanning the photo for clues that might point her in the right direction.

The picture was blurry and barely showed what Atem looked like. His eyes were closed and his hair could have easily been dirty blonde or brown. The woman beside him didn't look much like her son. Green skin with green eyes. He must have taken after his father.

The year 678 would place this picture right in the middle of the Demon Wars. If she ignored Master Thorne's warning, she could probably summon a demon that old. It was only 2210, surely something that old would still respond to a summons?

No, Master Thorne was right. Adam would have rushed headfirst into summoning something that old. Edana was the smart one. The careful one. The one currently fearing for her family's safety.

She'd never seen a blood demon before. No one alive likely hadn't either. She used to sit on the memorial to Alpheus outside of the public library when she did her schoolwork as a girl. The shrine to the powerful blood demon always inspired her to strive for power like his. Perhaps that was why her coven had stumbled in the end. Power like that came with a price too high for mortals to pay. Her son's boyfriend worried her with his own power, but she was comforted by the fact that Alpheus had been a full demon, while Theo was merely a hybrid. He was dangerous, sure, but nothing like the demons of the past.

Master Thorne was displaced from another time, centuries ago where maybe he'd seen a blood demon for himself. He probably knew what he was talking about; witches and warlocks had differing practices back then, and not all of them were moral. Still, the urge to throw caution aside to play with something that far overpowered her was intense. What would it be like to see a demon so powerful? Would it be like staring at Anna Goldman's true reaper form, beautiful and terrible all at once?

"Dammit!" she swore, throwing one of her reference books across the room. "What am I supposed to do with this, Adam? None of this makes any sense! Just tell me how to save my family!"

"Edana?" Ewan's worried voice floated down the stairs, grounding her in her surrounding once more. In her anger, she'd worried her poor husband and been just as rash and improper as she forbid her children to be. This mystery was getting to her, but she couldn't worry her family or travel down forbidden paths like her brother.

"Everything's fine, honey," she called, picking up the book she'd thrown. "I just knocked a book over. I think I'm making progress though."

"Okay, well we're going to cut the cake now, if you wanted to join us. Theo's dad made it."

"Yeah, yeah okay. I'll be right up."

By the time Edana made it up the stairs, the cake was already cut and the teens were having a birthday toast with what she hoped was ginger ale. Ewan knew better than to let champagne anywhere near the kids who were all studying magic at a level he was incapable of matching. Their alcohol was stored safely in a locked cabinet, but Edana knew better than to trust a simple lock to keep the teens out. Elowen was getting better each day at subverting her mother's traps. Between her and Remy, Edana was going to have to be on top of her game to parent her children.

"To the birthday boy, Theo." Ewan toasted. The teens followed his example and clinked their glasses together to toast the young demon.

"To Theo!"

"Alright, cake and ginger ale is on the table if anyone wants refills," Roman said. "You guys have fun, and if you need anything, the grown ups are going to be here, doing boring grown up stuff."

"Ugh, Dad, I'm not four," Theo groaned, shooting his father a nasty glare. "We don't need 'grown ups' for anything. We're fine."

"Well the grown ups have actual champagne to drink, so we'll be fine too," Ewan laughed before Roman could snap at his son. "Go have fun. We certainly will be."

"Gross," Adam said, looking at his step-father like he had three heads. "Are our parents friends now? I don't like it."

"My dad doesn't have any friends," Theo replied snarkily. "At least we know they'll get along at our wedding."

"Ha ha, you two are funny," Roman grumbled, reaching for the bottle of champagne Ewan had produced. "Go have fun while the adults have their own party."

"Your mom is getting worse," Eliana said, while lining up her shot. The three sisters were pool enthusiasts and far too skilled to hustle anyone. No one believed that they could beat any of the sisters, so most of the gambling was on which of the sisters would win.

"You're not wrong," Remy replied. "She spends all her time at home on the computer and all her time at school in her office. I think my dad is worried about her, but he doesn't want to say anything."

"What do you think she's working on?" Eliana asked. "Not all of us are witches who know what mysterious secret she's looking for."

"You don't have to be a witch to figure it out," Elowen answered. "She's upset about Uncle Adam. She's always upset about Uncle Adam. It must be his like birthday or death date or something lame like that. I see her staring at pictures of him at school all the time."

"Nah, I think she's worried about Adam Jr and his demon companion," Remy laughed. "She's looking stuff up about demons, really old demons. All the blood demons died ages ago or whatever and she's worried that Adam's going to get himself killed too. Maybe one day, Theo's going to snap and kill us all and she wants to be ready."

"Remy, be serious," Eliana said. "The last person Theo's going to snap and kill is Adam. I don't think that those two can stand to be away from each other for even an hour."

"Yeah, you're right," Remy conceded. "They're probably making out downstairs and skipping the rest of the party."

"You and Theo should really come to the school dance next semester. Josh is taking me and my uncles said that I could wear one of my mom's dresses to it. It's going to be a lot of fun, and outside students can come by invitation."

"I don't know, Medora, Theo would probably want to go, but I'm not really into dances. The ones at our own school are more than enough for me."

Adam fidgeted, trying to politely refuse the invitation to a pretentious dance that he would likely be completely miserable at. Medora was really excited and Theo would love to let loose and dance wherever he could, so it felt like he had to say yes, despite his reservations.

"What's this about a dance?"

Theo waved at his friend and boyfriend, watching Adam's face flush like he was hiding something.

"It's only the largest dance in the school that isn't prom," Medora exclaimed. "I think we're supposed to practice our social and political skills or whatever, but it's a dance! I have my outfit all picked out. My uncles are letting me use my mom's clothes and jewelry and Josh has a matching outfit that will look amazing."

"Aren't you wearing your mom's dress now?" Adam asked, gesturing to the photo behind them. "That's your mom isn't it? My step-dad's sister?"

Medora was the spitting image of her mother, especially when she wore Tristianne's clothes. The resemblance was remarkable, something Theo was sure the princess heard all the time.

"This?" Medora repeated, looking offended. "Adam, I know that you have no knowledge of fashion, especially when it comes to what a princess gets to wear, but this is not one of my mom's dresses. Her dresses cost about the same as a year of tuition."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." Adam didn't look like he really understood or cared about Medora's wardrobe, but he didn't want to be rude to an orphan trying to connect to her mother in whatever way she could. If he lost his father or step-father, maybe he'd want to use one of their suits to remember them too. His father's warlock robes probably cost a small fortune and since his recently discovered half-brother wasn't a warlock, Ewan's robes would likely go to his only magical son.

"I was just about to get my swimsuit, but I was going to head back to get another piece of cake," Theo announced, while his boyfriend mentally compiled his likely inheritance. "Wanna come with me?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. That cake was awesome," Adam replied. "Do you want some too Medora?"

"No thanks, I'm going to get changed too. The pool is calling my name. Can you believe that I live in a castle, and we don't even have a pool on the property? My grandfather says we don't have the infrastructure to support one, but he's the king. He can hire someone to install whatever it needs."

"A pool's not everything," Adam pointed out. "It's a lot of work and uses a lot of water for a desert nation like Strangetown. My step-dad makes us take turns cleaning it when we're living here."

"Well, either way, I'm headed for the pool," Medora announced. "See you out there. And think about the dance. Seriously. It'll be fun."

By the time that Medora emerged from the house in her swimsuit, a vicious water balloon fight was already underway. A balloon narrowly missed her head, but didn't break upon hitting the ground.

"Oh my god, you never said there was going to be water balloons!" she shrieked, picking up the fallen balloon and whipping at Elowen. "How many do we have left?"

While the other guests were distracted, Adam and Theo were changing into their bathing suits a little more slowly than the other teens. They changed together all the time at school when they had gym class or when they changed into their pajamas at night, but it was never usually while they were alone. Having a few moments of privacy together now was somehow very different than at school. The air crackled with tension and before he knew it, Theo's lips were on Adam's, pulling him as close to him as he could.

"We need to go," Theo whispered between kisses, only to have Adam move his hand and completely silence all thoughts of leaving.

"Your dad is busy and no one will notice we're gone," Adam whispered back, punctuating his words with kisses down Theo's arm.

"My dad will definitely notice a hickey," Theo protested, pushing his boyfriend away halfheartedly. "You know how pissed he'll be if he catches us in here."

"Yeah, my mom will probably murder us both," Adam conceded. "It would be pretty horrible to die on your birthday."

"Worth it though. Plus then I wouldn't have to go to dinner at home with my grandma. All she does is drink and scowl at me while going on about how much money my school costs. Rien says my grandma's just going to give me some money in my college fund for a gift anyway."

"Well, it beats hanging out here with my sisters," Adam replied. "All they do is talk about their partners and tease me. Plus, Mom's still acting like some kind of zombie. I don't think she's even made a single comment once today about you or your dad."

"Maybe she likes me now," Theo teased. "Maybe she's finally seen how perfect we are for each other and wants to apologize for everything she's said."

Both boys laughed at the thought of Edana Darktide ever apologizing for anything, especially when Theo was involved.

"Maybe one day. But definitely not today."

"You're almost out of balloons, you'd better surrender while you still can.'

Elowen stared menacingly at her half-sister, water balloon in her hand, ready to be thrown. Their water battle was down to just Elowen and Remy and Elowen had the clear advantage. Remy had just a few balloons left, but she wasn't about to lose and have her half-sister gloat about it all week.

"Maybe you should surrender before I tell Dad about your boyfriend."

Remy's taunt worked, and Elowen's angrily tossed balloon easily missed its target. It landed on the ground beside Remy, allowing the witch to scoop it up and hurl it back towards her half-sister.

"So the rumours are true," Remy laughed. "Who is he? Does he go to our school?"

"Mind your own business," Elowen snapped, launching another balloon at Remy that also missed its target. "If you don't, maybe I'll tell Malika that you've been flirting with the girl in potions class. Plus the guy you looked really into at lunch last week."

"It's not cheating to admire an attractive person," Remy insisted. "Malika knows that and I'm sure she looks at all kinds of people herself. Your boyfriend probably does the same thing.'

"He does not!"

"So I guess I'll see you again at our kids' wedding?" Ewan joked, looking over his shoulder to see if Adam or Theo were nearby to hear.

The dads had finished their alcohol fueled conversation upstairs and had finally changed into the bathing suits to supervise anyone swimming in the pool. Roman wasn't thrilled to see his son absent in the yard, but some of the other kids were missing too, which meant that there could be an innocent explanation, like Theo playing a game of pool. Roman had promised his husband not to be paranoid or suspicious about Theo's whereabouts during the party, but it was difficult. Theo was probably getting into trouble somewhere, but both Adrian and Abe had pleaded with him to keep Adam's parents happy. The last thing they needed was another inquiry by the Maricourts.

"You know they're going to break up long before they're nineteen, right?" Roman replied. "They're just kids."

"Oh, I thought Edana said that you married your high school boyfriend?" Ewan said in a tone that Roman couldn't discern the true intention of. He didn't sound like he was asking the question sincerely. More than likely, he and Edana had come up with topics to discuss with Theo's parents to continue their interrogation of the Bellamy family.

"Well, eventually," Roman conceded. "I did marry someone else first, and we broke up a few times since high school."

"Well, there you go," Ewan replied. "There's hope for them yet. Edana married someone else first too and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out."

"There's no way that Theo is getting married as a teenager. All he's doing is trying to get our approval and permission to have sex."

Ewan choked back a powerful laugh at this, clapping Roman's shoulder as he laughed.

"I had no idea that you needed parental permission to have sex," he laughed. "Oh man, if I did, my father would have me die a virgin. My sister too. The look on his face when she told him that she had no idea of who Medora's biological parent was because she and her husband had attended an orgy together! I wish I had had a camera. Trust me, Roman, Adam is his mother's son. He's not going to ask permission for anything. Kids are going to be kids, just like we were."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Roman sighed. "Theo's too much like we were."

"Ah well, my brother and sister and I all put my parents through hell," Ewan laughed. "Leo was almost murdered for defying the queen of Pleasantview, and Tristianne, well, it's not right to speak ill of the dead, even if her antics were hilarious. I have three kids with three different women who are pretty much all the same age. Being a parent means watching your kids make mistakes while helping them learn from them. My dad never gave up on me, even when I deserved it."

"I never really had parents growing up," Roman said. "My mother tried to kill both me and my kids and my dad was physically present but never there with me. Theo has a magical disability that's potentially fatal if he gets too powerful without something to ground him. He's almost died more than once and I can't lose him, Ewan. I also can't watch him struggle like I did with a teenage pregnancy either. If I let go of him for even a second, I'll-"

"You'll push him away," Ewan replied. "I almost pushed my dad out of my life when I was young and thought I knew it all. Everything he did, I assumed was just to punish me for having a good time. It took a tragedy for us to come together again and forgive, don't let the same happen to you and your son."

Roman stared closely at the man he'd underestimated. Ewan may not be as sharp as his wife, but he really did care about his kids and their happiness. He was just as fiercely protective of his kids as Roman was, though he didn't look like he spent long nights worrying himself to death like Roman did. He was still too close to Edana to trust, but Roman could still appreciate Ewan's advice.

"Any tips on letting go?" Roman sighed. "I don't know how I'll sit through a wedding between two nineteen year olds without saying something."

"Well, like you said, who marries their high school sweetheart?" Ewan laughed. "I'm sure they'll have a bunch of relationships in high school and forget all about each other. The only other time I'll ever see you again is when you drop off Bronwen's birthday cake next year."

"That sounds like a deal," Roman said, allowing himself a small smirk while still worrying about his son. "Adam's not a bad kid though, I don't want you to think that Abe and I hate him or anything like that. Just try to put in a good word about Theo with your wife if there's a wedding. I have a feeling that she'll call another 'meeting' about my son if there's a ring involved."

Ewan sighed heavily.

"Yeah, I guess it's no secret that she thinks that your son is going to burn all of Pleasantview down. We're all trying to reason with her. The last thing the school needs is a reputation for harassing demon students. He's only a hybrid demon though and he only seems to endanger himself with his powers, which is what has pacified her for now. Adam tying his bloodline to Theo's though- you should have seen her reaction. I thought the house was about to implode."

"Yeah, we had that reaction too," Roman groaned. "No offense, of course. You seem like a nice family, but-"

"But your thirteen year old playing with blood magic? Yeah, I get it. Still, yelling at them didn't change anything. If you push too hard, teenagers are going to push back. Give them a little room to breathe and your son just might come to you with his problems first."

"Yeah, that will be the day," Roman murmured, scanning the yard again and still finding no signs of his son. "Theo? Theo, it's a pool party because there's a pool. Hurry up and swim with your friends!"

"Coming, Dad!"

Theo and Adam emerged from the house, dressed in their bathing suits and looking guilty.

So he was inside with Adam, probably this entire time. Doing god knows what.

Roman was about to shout at his son, when his eyes met Ewan's and he reconsidered.

Don't push him away. You can trust him. Yelling will only push him away.

"Get in the pool now that we can supervise," Roman said, though his teeth were still tightly clenched. Beside him, Ewan gave him a quick thumbs up. "This is a pool party after all."

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

“Can you practice any quieter? I’m having trouble tuning with all your noise.”

Bronwen Traver glared at her stepbrother, Adam, as he worked through several scales as practice on the piano. Both siblings were in Arkhelios for a government funded performance for teens and had been voluntold that they were contributing to the music that night. President Wanda wanted a mixer for the various teens of Arkhelios who were not already in a foreign educational program to make important connections. Her first idea had been a formal ball, which was probably influenced by the time she spent in richer nations like Pleasantview. In Arkhelios, there was neither the funding or desire from the population to dress formally and dance. She had had to change her vision to a social mixer with music selected or performed by the teens themselves. Most of the teens refused to dress up for the occasion, including the heir to the Bellamy fortune, who she had been hoping would set an example for the other children. Apparently dressing up on a day he didn’t have to wear his school uniform was too much for Theo, who had then whined about her “oppressive government program” until Roman not only signed his son up for the event, but had promised to deposit him personally on the property if he continued to complain.

Bronwen Traver was in a similar situation. Her stepmother Edana had signed the entire family up for the event, even if it was only her son, Adam, who wanted to go.

Wanda really wanted to focus on hosting foreign witches and warlocks and other supernaturals to increase Arkhelios’ supernatural population. The more Arkhelios citizens learned to appreciate the supernatural community, the easier it would be for the country to benefit from their knowledge. It had taken a long time, but Wanda had personally gone from a closeted magic enthusiast to the head of Arkhelios’ own coven. It was no longer something that she had to hide about herself and kids like Theo could grow up knowing that they were accepted for their differences...or at least that was her goal. After several years without demons threatening to destroy Arkhelios and its residents, the whispers about Roman and his large family of demon hybrids had mostly been quieted. Arkhelios gossiped largely about the Bellamy marriage instead of its demonic heritage, and Wanda couldn’t be prouder of her community for this change. Her next step was introducing vampire hybrids like Bronwen as well as any plant sim or alien she could find. She already humanely housed and isolated the zombie population in Arkhelios, giving their family members chances to bond safely with them if they chose to. Public opinion would change with this new generation of Arkhelios voters, now that the older, more judgemental generation was starting to die out and mixers like this were how she planned on cementing supernatural acceptance.

“Are you going to ask your boyfriend to dance?” Bronwen teased, watching Adam’s face flush predictably. “The only good thing about having to do this stupid event will be if you finally tell him that you love him and put the rest of us out of our misery.”

“He’s not my boyfriend, he’s just my friend,” Adam snapped, smashing the piano keys to emphasize his point. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re friends with him too; I don’t see anyone accusing you of being in love with him.”

“Because I’m not. Theo’s great, but I have higher standards. I’m not going to date a guy who will only cheat on me with my stepbrother.”

“You’re delusional,” Adam groaned, glaring at his sibling. “Theo will find someone else to dance with tonight and then you’ll look stupid. He probably wants to date another demon, not a warlock he’s been friends with since he was a kid.”

Bronwen rolled her eyes, but returned her focus to tuning her instrument. Elowen and Remy were all on her side, and getting irritated by their brother’s constant pining whenever Theo was around. Theo was around their house almost constantly when he wasn’t at school with them. Enough was enough.

While teens trickled into the event, Theo watched his best friends start their warm up from across the room to avoid them noticing his gaze. Wanda hadn’t wanted to host the event herself and had slyly suggested to Elaine Helios that her grandson could network or find a proper romantic match at such an event, if only she could host it.

The Helios mansion had held several events and had more than enough space to accommodate the teens. As long as it wasn’t branded as a party, which Elaine loathed, she was more than happy to host it. She worried about her eldest grandson’s future; god knows his parents didn’t seem to. The boy’s head was filled with magic and and a weak work ethic. At least the twins had Adrian and Evren to guide them properly. She feared for poor Saturnia and Abraham III’s futures if they only had her son and the man who’d cheated on him with royalty as examples.

Lucy’s children at least seemed to inherit their mother’s spunk and ambition, which put Elaine’s mind at ease. Her daughter was many things, but lazy wasn’t one of them. She rarely spoke to her daughter after their falling out, but Elaine had no doubt that Lucy was carrying on the Helios tradition of ruthless ambition and teaching her children accordingly. As far as her youngest was concerned, Nathan and his string of illegitimate children were of no concern to Elaine. It was hard enough keeping Abe out of the headlines, she couldn’t imagine trying to take on Nathan as well.

“Check. Check check. Is this mic working?”

Medora Toyonaga grabbed the microphone closest to her group of friends and tapped it quickly.

“You’re singing, I take it?” Bronwen asked, still struggling to tune her instrument while Adam hit random piano keys to disorient her.

“Yeah, I was roped into this too,” Medora replied. “Grandpa insisted we humour the Arkhelians.”

“Theo, good to see that you’ve arrived on time. I won’t have my grandson show up late to help me host an international event.”

Elaine hugged her grandson and was grateful to have him return the gesture. Maybe there was hope for him after all.

“Hi Grandma. Dad says hi too.”

“I hope you’re ready to help set things up. I’m not going to be embarrassed in front of the global community in my own home. Everything has to be perfect. Wanda may even televise our little concert if things go well. And they will go well. Am I understood, Theodosius?”

Theo scowled at his grandmother.

“You’re not supposed to call me that in front of people,” he hissed. “Just call me Theo like everyone else.”

“That school you go to gets worked up over the most ridiculous things,” Elaine sighed. “I mean, really, I can’t address my own grandson by his own name? What if you’d been named something normal like Abe? Everyone would know what it’s short for and we wouldn’t have to dance around wording because someone might use your name in a spell. Though as long as we’re taking precautions, I might as well give you these.”

To Theo’s horror, his grandmother pulled a small box from her purse and held it out to him. Theo’s eyes could read the words and see the images printed on it and if he weren’t in complete shock, he’d be trying to force the box back into the purse it had come from.

“Condoms, Grandma? Really? My friends are all here! What if they saw me with those?”

Elaine scoffed at his embarrassed rage, but set the box on a nearby table.

“Before you were born, your fathers were friends,” she explained coldly. “You’re at an age where you might start to have certain feelings about your own friends. I’m hosting a public event with a group of hormonal teenagers. I had a child young. Your father had a child young. I’m ending this cycle before I’m holding another little Theo.”

“I’m thirteen, Grandma!” Theo hissed, looking around him anxiously. “I don’t have a boy or girlfriend and this important dance is at my grandmother’s house! What do you think is going to happen?”

Elaine gestured towards the other room where Gavin Chezzetcook and Lexy Toyonaga were exchanging kisses unsupervised. Theo couldn’t see how their actions possibly related to him. They were filling out college applications and driving cars; Theo was afraid to even brush his hand against Adam’s for fear of rejection.

“I wish my other grandparents weren’t dead or a zombie,” Theo muttered loudly, pushing past his grandmother towards the bass guitar he’d borrowed from school for the event. “They wouldn’t embarrass me at the stupid event I was forced into. They’d give me money for the mall and bake cookies or shit like grandmothers are supposed to do. This is so unfair.”

“I’ll leave the box by your jacket and bag,” Elaine called out, smiling at the glower she received in reply. “Go make me proud!”

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios University

Bronwen and her sister Elowen were busy playing on the floor when a large ball of smoke suddenly appeared in their bedroom unannounced. When the smoke had cleared, a familiar looking boy was standing in their room, looking sad.

“Hi! I’m Theo, remember me? We met at my Aunt Ulyssa’s wedding,” he said politely. “You said we could be friends?”

“Theo?” Bronwen gasped. “You were the demon kid who actually knew how to dance, right?”

Theo nodded excitedly.

“And you were the vampire who was nice to me. My parents don’t want me around, so I’m looking for somewhere else to live.”

“We should probably call for our dad and tell him that there’s a boy in our room,” Elowen said skeptically, glancing at her sister. “It doesn’t matter if your parents don’t want you. Dad’s not going to let you move in with us.”

“No! It’s nothing like that!” Theo assured them. “My step-dad was from here, and my dad comes here all the time. They’re going to send me home if they find me, and my parents will lie like they always do and keep secretly hating me. I have to go far enough away that no one will recognize me.”

The sisters stared at their intruder like he’d been speaking gibberish.

“How far is that?” Elowen demanded, giving him a skeptical look. “Where are you going, and what exactly do you want from us? I’m not helping you go anywhere, you just showed up in my bedroom! If my sister didn’t like you, I’d be getting my dad right now.”

“You can’t get Dad, he’ll just tell Theo’s parents,” Bronwen insisted. “Theo is nice and he needs our help. He’s my friend and I understand what he’s going through.”

“I just need a map. Something that I can use to plan where to go,” Theo insisted. “I have an idea of where I need to be, but I don’t know where it is exactly. And maybe some juice if you have any. I didn’t really pack enough snacks.”

“See?” Bronwen said and though her sister scowled, she eventually nodded despite her reservations.

“Okay, fine, he can use our tablet and we can get him some food, but it’s just for tonight,” she agreed reluctantly. “Dad says it’s not safe out after dark, and since he was at the wedding, that means he’s probably important enough that we’ll get in trouble if he gets eaten by wolves. But he has to leave when we go to school! I’m not getting in trouble for hiding some strange boy you met at the wedding.”

Theo had fallen asleep on Bronwen’s bed almost immediately after stuffing several cookies in his mouth from the kitchen downstairs. The pain of realizing the truth about his parents’ feelings about him, and the stress of finding somewhere to new to live was overwhelming. At least he could get a good night’s sleep somewhere safe, so he could tackle finding his new home well rested.

He tried to reassure Elowen that his parents wouldn’t be looking for him, but she refused to believe it. Maybe yesterday he would have believed her, but he’d heard the truth for himself. His parents didn’t want him. Maybe some day when he was older, Theo could sneak back to his family and watch how happy they all were without him. If his parents were looking for him at all, it was probably just so Grandma wouldn’t get mad at them. As soon as he went home, he’d be grounded permanently, and forced to watch the whole family fawn over his completely normal new brother or sister.

“Dad’s going to find out about this,” Elowen said nervously, watching their guest sleep. “What if he checks in on us later? We’re going to get in trouble.”

“Relax,” Bronwen assured her sister. “We’ll both sleep in your bed and cover up Theo with toys. He’ll never know. It’s the right thing to do. If we found out that Dad didn’t want us around, I‘m sure that Theo would help us. He’s nice and he needs our help.”

“Sounds like someone has a crush on a demon,” Elowen teased, climbing into bed before her sister could steal the softest pillow.

“I do not!” Bronwen protested, her pale face flushing red. “I just know how he feels. Mom left me here with Dad because she didn’t want me, but what if Dad hadn’t wanted me either? I’d be just like Theo. No human wants a half-vampire around, any more than my vampire mom did. I was just lucky that Dad somehow does. If Theo has somewhere he needs to go, I want to help him because I know how he feels. At least your mom is still around.”

Elowen hugged her half-sister tightly.

“Your mom’s an idiot for leaving you, but I get what you mean. If you want to help him, then we’ll help him. But you’re taking the blame if Dad catches us.”

In the morning, Theo woke up when his hosts’ alarm went off for school. While it had been nice to sleep in a bed, and hang out with his friend, he had to keep moving or grownups would try to return him where he wasn’t wanted.

He could feel a pull towards somewhere unknown deep inside of him and he simply had to get there. It was calling to him; he could feel the call running through his veins. He didn’t know where he was supposed to go exactly, but after looking at maps on a tablet, he had narrowed it down a little more. It couldn’t be that far, but it had to be far enough to be safe from well meaning people trying to return him to a family that resented him.

Elowen had pointed out the fact that Theo needed to disguise himself if he was going to to remain hidden, and while the girls got dressed for school, Theo was given a heap of clothes to try on. Not all of them fit, but an oversized sweater with matching sunglasses seemed both comfortable and stylish.

Theo stared at his reflection in the hallway mirror. He looked normal enough. In a crowd of people, who would be able to identify him, especially if he was far enough away from Arkhelios?

“You look good.”

Bronwen embraced her friend before they left for school. She was sad to see him go, but maybe sometime in the future, they could hang out together again.

“Thanks for everything,” Theo said with a smile. “I’ll try to get your sweater back to you someday. It really means a lot to me that you and your sister would help me.”

“Keep the sweater, it looks nice on you,” she laughed. “Promise me you’ll come visit soon though. As soon as you can.”

Theo nodded solemnly.

“That would be nice.”

As the girls headed out to catch the school bus, their father, Ewan stepped in to collect their laundry, and was shocked to find clothes and snacks strewn across the floor. His daughters weren’t the neatest kids, but this was excessive, like they’d torn apart their entire closet looking for something. It wasn’t like them to hoard cookies and granola bars under their beds either. Clearly something strange was happening here.

He frowned as he spied an unfamiliar jacket on the floor in a clothes pile, and pants that he didn’t remember buying. If he had to guess, these clothes belonged to another child entirely, and probably a little boy. While it disturbed him that both of his girls had walked right past him for the bus without a sign that something was up, another thought occurred to him.

The queen had issued an alert about a missing child that might be in the country just that morning. A missing male child. The alert had been for the area around the castle or the estate of Lord Siew, but he wasn’t that far away from there. This mess in his daughters’ room could be unrelated, but they had never snuck someone into the house before, and they were nice kids who would probably be sympathetic to another child if they asked for help.

Ewan snapped a quick picture of his discovery, and forwarded it to the office of the queen so that she could identify if the clothes belonged to the missing boy. If they didn’t match the missing child, he was going to have an even more serious conversation with his children about having surprise sleepovers with their friends.

[luverofralts]

Simstober Day 6: Gravestone

Romeo and Juliet’s story ends very differently when Juliet is a vampire.

@simstober​

[luverofralts]

Simstober Day 24: Scaredy Cat

Simstober Day 24: Scaredy Cat

It’s hard to take your familiar with you to a costume party when she’s too afraid of the vacuum cleaner to leave.

[luverofralts]

Simstober Day 18: Macabre

Some say that hanging out in a cemetery at night is macabre, but the local teens love it.

@simstober​

[luverofralts]

Simstober Day 17: Fangs