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Shopping Trips and Sweets don't Mix.
Sammi and Reiya meet Eve and Ivy.

I swear I'm not a ghost

Thali, Sammi, and Reiya realize that their long missed friends are very much alive. A wonderful reunion takes place--and a rather awkward one, for the girls.

"I'm bored!" It was a rainy day, and three children were sitting at the coffee table in front of the couch in the livingroom. Two of them were playing checkers rather intently; Reiya and Howl, who was visiting for the afternoon. "Let's play 'Never Have I Ever'!" Sammi was on the sidelines, watching the two take turns moving their last piece each, with increasing disinterest.

"I've never played that," Howl said, looking up from the endless game at last. "How do you play?"

"It's easy," Reiya said, looking up as well. "Someone says 'Never have I ever' and then they say something they've done or haven't done. If they've done it, they give a thumbs up. If they haven't, they do a thumbs down. Whoever gets the most points--the person who's done the most stuff, wins."

"Sounds easy," Howl agreed with his cousin. "You want to go first, Sammi?"

"Sure. Never have I ever kissed more than one person." All three thumbs were pointing downward, to the disbelief of the two girls. "Really? You've only ever kissed one person?" Sammi asked. "Or are you just counting the time you've been here?"

"Only person I've kissed is Sophie," Howl said with ease. He said it with such conviction that the twins found themselves believing him--but if it was true, how had he courted those girls? "Is it my turn now? Never have I ever eaten cold pizza for breakfast."

This time, all three thumbs were up.

"My turn," said Reiya. "Let's see. Never have I ever owned a dog." The twins' thumbs were both down, while Howl's was still pointing up. "Hey, Percival doesn't count!" Reiya grumbled. "He wasn't a real dog."

"You never said it had to be a real dog," Howl argued. "Besides, I didn't know he wasn't a dog until--" Sammi had laid a hand on his arm with a smile.

"We know, really," she said earnestly. "Let's keep playing. Never have I ever believed in fairies." The three children exchanged looks and started to laugh, before each gave a thumbs up. "Well we were right, weren't we?" Sammi continued. "Fairies do exist."

"My turn, right?" Howl asked, glancing at Reiya. "Never have I ever made a wish on a star." Again, three thumbs were pointing upwards. "Not when it's falling, though," the wizard added, quite seriously.

"No," Reiya agreed. "It's too sad to wish on a dying star. Never have I been creeped out by younger siblings." Reiya and Howl's thumbs both went up, while Sammi's went down. Reiya rose an eyebrow at her sister in disbelief.

"What? Kaleb's never creeped me out."

"Really? He creeps me out everyday."

"Aesica creeps me out everytime I see her," Howl admitted, almost guiltily. "But I bet Kaleb's never tried to eat you." The twins shook their heads, grinning. They had heard enough about Aesica from Howl to know he was just as afraid of her as he was the vampires his wife was staying with.

"My turn. Never have I ever broken a bone." All three thumbs went down at this. Both girls looked at their cousin curiously. "Really?" Sammi asked.

"Yes, really," Howl said, looking rather irritated. "Do you have to keep asking if I'm telling the truth?" The girls exchanged looks; while it was true that Howl was known for not being especially truthful, they had never known him to lie to them. "Never have I ever eaten lunch with royalty." Three thumbs pointed towards the ceiling. "That's right, I forgot who I was playing with," he muttered. "Your turn, Reiya."

"Never have I ever written poetry for someone," Reiya said, and was surprised to find that her thumb was the only one down. "Oooh, for who?" She asked, looking at Sammi. "A boy?" The only response she recieved was a blush. She smirked. "Matthias, or Milo?"

"Milo... I won't give it to him though, he'd laugh."

"Knew it! Miles said you guys would be good together."

"Really? He said that?"

"You guys'll be so cute!"

"Let's finish the game," Howl said, rather hurriedly. "Your turn, Sammi."

"Never have I ever seen a genie," Sammi said, trying to distract her sister from the topic of Milo. Honestly, Reiya was getting more normal by the day. "Howl, it counts if you've been one." Howl's thumb went up, with a roll of the eyes. Both girls had their thumbs turned downward. "Go on, Howl."

"Never have I ever dyed my hair." Howl's thumb stayed up, while the girls' went down. "Not even a little?" He asked in disbelief. When Sammi shook her head, he sighed. "You're just like Sophie. I don't see why people put so much value on what's natural."

"Never have I ever been in love," Reiya said, in attempt to keep the two from discussing the importance of hair at length. Her thumb was the only one pointing down; Sammi and Howl exchanged looks. "Which boy this time?" She asked with interest. When Sammi was silent, she glanced at their cousin. "I don't need to ask you," she said.

"I'll tell you anyway. It's Sophie."

"We know."

"Never have I ever--"

"Guys, the storm ended a while ago! I thought you wanted to go outside?" A voice called from behind them. Sammi and Reiya's older brother, Vincent stood in the hall. "Come see the rainbow," he added.

The three children looked at each other. "Nah," Sammi said. "Come play with us, Vinny. We're playing Never Have I Ever."

"Life's an adventure, darlings. You have to do what you believe is right, even if everyone else says it's wrong." Thali was telling the twins the story of how she escaped Lynwood; the boys had already heard the tale--so had the girls, but they never tired of it. It was like their lives were part of a real fairy tale.

"There will always be people trying to convince you to do what's wrong," Thali advised them. "They'll try to go against what your heart tells you. Remember, though, whatever you choose to do with your life, I'll support you two hundred percent." Like her father should have, she thought. She was determined to be a better parent.

"Tell us about you and Uncle Zee!" Sammi requested from her place on the carpet. Her brown eyes were round and alert, an aura of curiousity hovered over her. "Did you love him?"

Thali hesitated. She had never been asked that question. "I--I--" she stammered. Had she been in love Vate? "I suppose so," she muttered. "I did love him. He was my best friend. He's like a younger brother." Yes, that worked. Now she didn't have to admit she'd been afraid of her feelings for him. They would have kept her bound to Lynwood.

"Why didn't you marry him?" Sammi asked, recieving a blow from her sister's elbow. "What?" It's just a question."

"Mom felt trapped," Reiya said, frowning at her twin. "People aren't made to be kept in cages. If she'd stayed, she wouldn't be half as happy as she is now--and I don't think Uncle Zee would be either."

Thali flashed Reiya a grateful smile. More recently an understanding had formed between them. They both had a natural thirst for freedom. "Marrying him would have been the worst mistake I could have made," she said.

"But he loved you," Sammi argued. She had developed her mother's love for romance, though she instantly regretted her words as she watched her mother's expression fall into a guilty frown.

"I know," Thali said. "Not the way he thought he did, though. Not the way he loves Stasia. He loved me out of duty--and perhaps that fooled his heart. I couldn't force him to marry me--someone he could never really love."

Sammi frowned. She had heard a completely different story from Uncle Zee, and was about to tell her mother so when Reiya nudged her.

"Maybe it's better if she doesn't know what Uncle Zee's real feelings towards her were," she whispered. "They loved each other, that's obvious. I don't think either of them know, though--it's best we keep it that way. They're happy."

Sammi nodded in understanding before giving Thali a smile. "Tell us more about Lynwood," she said.

"There's no place as beautiful," Thali said, looking slightly wistful. "Imagine a place completely untouched by the human race. Trees thousands of years old, rivers with unpolluted waters, the sky bluer than--blue."

"But you were kept underground," Reiya said. "In the fourth district, so you couldn't enjoy it."

"Yes," Thali said with a sigh and a nod. "and the forest was being destroyed by giant adders. They tried to kill any elf who went near." Including herself, but the girls already knew that story (and that was one they didn't appreciate hearing). "So, any more questions?"

The two girls exchanged looks before shaking their heads.

Note to self-

Start plotting teen-plots now. Been neglecting them too much.

Pranksters and Wallflowers