In the days to come, Ginny had more time to consider her eldest children's decision to leave the safety of Lunar Lakes and establish their own town - meaning that there was more time to panic about it. But as much as she wanted to send Fawn after the children, she ultimately refrained. Was it not the Goddess' goal to better humanity through her children? Hard as it may be, she lived peacefully under the assumption that her children entered the new world with the Goddess' blessing.

For now, she should be focusing on her teenagers.

---

"Where's your sister?" Fawn asked on a cold winter's night. It was nearly ten - Ginny had already gone to bed in the interest of the infants' health - and there was no sign of the blue haired teen.

"Dunno," Niro answered, shoveling pie into his mouth.


"Yeah, you do," Orion countered as he pushed his chair back into place.

"No, I don't."

"It's where you two slip off to, yeah?" Orion said. He threw his dish into the sink. "That's why you don't want to tell me. That would be my guess."

Before Fawn could even question the vagueness of the children - or be worried that he hadn't even noticed the two "slipping out" before - he noticed the door opening. Alilive poked her head through the door, and her body followed suit, edging towards the kitchen. She did not seem to register that something was amiss, heading toward the refrigerator without the care she had exercised before.

"Where have you been?" Fawn asked. Alilive ignored him, focusing on the snack she had retrieved.


"I believe I asked you a question, girl."

"Out," she replied.

"Out where?"

"Why do you need to know?"


Fawn was growing impatient of their game. "Because I'm your caretaker, and it's my job to make sure that you stay safe. Now, where were you?"

If Fawn was impatient, Alilive's trigger-happy anger was nothing short of wicked. "No, you're really not. You just tell yourself that so Mom keeps you around a little longer."

The three siblings remained silent, unanxious to drop into the ring. Fawn ran his hand through his hair. She was a child. He was an adult. He could handle her, thus, without dropping to her level.


"Alilive, please. I have to keep you safe. You're a human. If you only knew what was out there...what people here can be like..."

"Oh, is that it?" She drew herself up from her chair, meeting his kind-sounding words with malice. "Because I'm a human, I'm just a poor, fragile little thing, is that it?"

He shook his head. "You misunderstand."

"No, no, I think you misunderstand. Just because I'm the only one of my siblings without any supernatural abilities makes me your special little project, or something? What?" she continued, in response to his raised eyebrows, "you don't think I haven't noticed how you treat me? How everyone in this house treats me? Like I have a handicap, or something. Let me tell you something - being treated nicely isn't the same as being treated with respect. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a father to speak to."

Dumbfounded by her behavior, Joon took a seat at the table. Orion continued eating what had to have been his third slice of pie. The other two siblings had also left the room - not after their sibling, but for where the air would be less tense.


"You did the right thing, letting her go," Orion nodded, shoveling another spoonful into his mouth. He sounded so wise for his age, Joon thought. Perhaps he hadn't completely lost himself while raising the quads. Or maybe Hailli was a far superior parent than he could ever hope to be.

"Do you think I did anything out of place?" he asked, leaning over the table. Orion thought for a minute.

"No," he finally said. "She's just figured out the truth, after all."

"Truth?"

"Yes, about our father." Joon stared.

"We...we were planning on telling you that in due time. Are you saying you already knew?"

He shrugged. "Anyone who hangs around the cemetery long enough like her and Niro would figure it out. I was only the first to discover it through a little reading. And we both know how big the two of them are on that."

Joon buried his face in his hands. "And Casper?"

"You know how much he loves his ghost heritage. Of course he figured it out."

"Why have you never said anything?"


"And make dad feel awful? No, we weren't going to tell him that we knew. We just waited peacefully for Niro and Alilive to find out, too. They've been spending so much time at that cemetary that I knew it would be any day now."

"Why there?"


"Well, you know that people who die in Lunar Lakes can't pass on unless their last wish is granted. There's a lot of people loitering around the graves who wanted ridiculous things like trillions of dollars. Sometimes they just like talking to whoever will listen. And Niro and Alilive like to listen. I'm sure one of them told them. They've probably pieced together what dad's wish is by now."

"Have you?" Joon was slightly embarrassed that the child was more educated in these ways than he was, but couldn't help but be drawn in by his sense of authority.

"He's gotten weaker as I've gotten older. I'd imagine it has to do with seeing us grow up well."

"You've got quite the head, boy."

"So I've been told. You've got quite the heart."

"...she'll be okay, yes?"

Orion laughed. "Well, she'll be mad at first..."



"And Dad just won't know what to do with himself."


"But he'll get it together pretty fast."


"And he'll talk her down."

---

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