Gen Two- Chapter Eight

I must have walked around my room a half million times. I had sat quite still after rushing upstairs while I let the situation sink in. It took a long time before the shock wore off. Never before in my life had I seen mom act anything like that. It hadn't even felt like she was the same person I had known for my almost eleven years. There had clearly been a monstrous amount of pain she had been holding back, and I felt horrible about pushing her when she pleaded for peace. I had asked to be yelled at. However, I did feel a little indignant as well. Okay, I deserved to be rebuked, but did she really have to have mocked me like she did? That was the part that was bothering me the most. Surely she knew I hadn't meant to make light of her past the way she implied I did, right? If I ever boasted, in my mind I was only thinking about how cool and amazing mom was for being so strong to get through all that had been in her way.

Having been sitting on my bed for about three seconds, I slid off as my body demanded I move. The little incident had swept my exhaustion away. My body craved to be as active as my racing thoughts now were, but I was a bit scared to leave my room. I wasn't sure what would happen if I did dare to go out the door. Would I somehow make mom angry again? It felt like I would be much safer if I did simply hide out in my room until the following morning.

In the end though, nature called. I was forced to leave to use the restroom. On my way back, I noticed the door to Wisp's bedroom was open. Prism stood in the doorway, and he motioned me in as I began to walk by.

     "So, looks like you've triggered the transformation." Prism said with a cheery smirk as he sat himself down on Wisp's bed.

     "Transformation?" I questioned confusedly, "Of what?"

     "Mom."

     "And what exactly is she transforming into?" I wondered with a frown and raised brow.

     "Momzilla."

     "Excuse me?"

     "She tends to get more and more, uh...unreasonable as her pregnancies progress." Wisp explained.

     "Unreasonable doesn't even begin to cover it. You better prepare to see her like you've never seen her before," Prism warned dramatically, "She seriously made me go to my room for the rest of the night once because she thought I was breathing too loud. Mom made Desi clean the whole house because she forgot to make her bed that morning. Wisp got ranted at because he was watching a movie downstairs that randomly made her cry. The most bizarre things are going to start setting her off, and the best thing you can do is just apologize and try to steer clear of her until she calms down."

My frown deepened.

     "But I don't remember her being bad when she was carrying Ceri at all." I pointed out.

Both Wisp and Prism smiled widely.

     "That was because you were only six for most of that pregnancy. Still young enough for mom to try extra hard for her not to go off at you. Plus, do you remember all the times dad suddenly started playing tag with you or starting a 'wrestle session' where he would pick you up and carry you away?" Wisp asked.

     "Sort of." I shrugged.

     "Those were all times when mom was about to turn into 'momzilla' as Pris so eloquently put it. Dad was rushing you out of the detonation site before you could see her blow up."

     "Oh..."

     "Her pregnancy with you was the worst according to dad. I bet this one is going to trump it though what with the extra mess mom has to deal with." Prism mused.

     "It will be frustrating when she gets on your case when you're not doing anything wrong, but the best advice I can give you is truly to just say sorry or say nothing and then walk away. Even the most accurate reasoning can't win against mom's pregnancy hormones, it seems. Besides, she usually turns super sweet after she does have an incident. Expect to go out for dinner or be treated to something fun a lot as that's her way of apologizing."

     "I guess that could make it bearable." I nodded.

Prism shifted on the bed to face me directly and stare my way with great interest.

     "So, what exactly did you say to set mom off? We heard her shouting, and Blaze only told us that you said something to upset her."

     "It was..." I mumbled, tightening up while my mind raced to think of an acceptable excuse, "I was talking to her about her striving for a job as a translator. She made this side comment that she was starving since her nausea makes it hard to eat, so I told her maybe it would be better if she let just Uncle Blaze worry about making money until the pregnancy was over or she was feeling better. Mom took that to mean that I was calling her lazy and useless...or something like that."

     "Sounds about right for the kind of stuff that crawls under her skin in the most convoluted ways." Prism accepted, rubbing at his chin.

     "Did Uncle Blaze say if she was feeling better?" I asked, wanting to know if it safe for me to brave the first floor again.

     "He said mom stopped crying and that she was lying down, but you're better off waiting for her to approach you to make the situation up." Wisp responded.

Prism meandered out of the room after telling me a few more stories about the ridiculous things mom got upset about in the past. I hung out with Wisp instead of going back to my room. I felt calmer being around someone else, and it was nice to hear of the good stories he told while mom had been pregnant before instead of Prism who focused more on the doom and gloom. I watched television for a while too, but there was nothing interesting on.

     "What are you working on?" I asked Wisp, who was now typing away to fill up the third page of whatever document that was his project.

     "I'm getting a head start on my college essays. I've looked up the most common questions and prompts universities ask, and I'm writing out the rough foundations that I can simply edit and tweak to fit the specifics I'll need to add later."

     "Smart idea. You thinking about Twilight North, or do you want to go someplace else?"

     "Twilight North is in an ideal location- not too far but not too close. My grades should get me in there no problem either. Yet, I dunno. Compared to all their other programs, their art classes aren't the greatest."

     "Is that what you're going for then? Art?"

I glanced to my right. Wisp had had an easel set up for years. He occasionally painted something, but more often there was nothing more than a blank canvas sitting on the wood.

     "Not so much in the traditional sense, no. I'm thinking more along the lines of graphic design."

     "Sounds like fun."

     "I've enjoyed what I've dabbled with so far. Hopefully it will work out, because I otherwise have no clue what to go for."

I sank back into the armchair's cushion. Wisp easily got lost in his typing once more, and a mild sense of sadness filled up my chest. I had forgotten it was already Wisp's last year of high school. Hunter and Malachite's as well. With those three prepping to head off for higher education by this time next year, my life would feel just that much emptier.

I don't know if Wisp sense my more somber mood or if he wanted to keep cheering me up after my ordeal with mom. He invited me to join him and Hunter at the beach. Hunter still had a summer assignment to complete, and he had chosen to do the report on the constellations. I rolled my eyes when I heard that. It was a common practice for all of us to choose astronomy as a topic for whatever school assignments we didn't want to bother with as dad had such a treasure trove of information to, uh, paraphrase that it was an easy last resort for a decent grade. Wisp grabbed one of dad's binders of study relevant to whatever specific topic Hunter picked, and the two of us met him at the beach when the sun started to go down.

     "I wish those islands weren't in the way of the horizon." Hunter spoke as we watched the sunset paint the skin in shades of blue, pink, and purple.

     "Mom and dad considered building our house on that empty lot with the old lighthouse." Wisp said.

     "What? Really? I had no idea." I replied in awe.

     "There's some old sketches a contractor made for them lying around somewhere. The idea was eventually scrapped. The lot was too small for the size of house they wanted made, and the island is steadily eroding too. Uncle Frost warned them against an island home as well. He said the hassle of having to boat back and forth to shore every single time you wanted to go out was not worth the curb appeal."

     "I'll agree with that," Hunter laughed, "It's a pain just putting on my shoes to walk down to the convenience store."

From behind us there came sudden, rapid footsteps. None of us were even able to turn before Uncle Al appeared to barrel into Hunter before wrapping him into a ridiculously tight hug.

     "Little bro! How are you? You're so cute. I love you." Uncle Al teased as he kept a squirming Hunter trapped in his grip as he peppered his cheek with doting kisses.

     "Urgh! Allium, I'm not in the mood! Get off!" Hunter cried as he only continued to fail escaping.

     "I forgot to mention," Wisp said to me over the sound of the two of them, "Uncle Al is going to be our chaperone as obviously we'll get in trouble for being out past curfew otherwise."

     "Don't touch the hat!"

Hunter was trying his darnedest to get free, and Uncle Al was retaliating by ruffling his hair and, by extension, his hat.

     "Your hair is so pretty though," Uncle Al cooed teasingly, "You're doing the world a travesty by keeping it hidden under this shapeless piece of cloth."

     "I said-!"

Hunter protested, but it was too late. Allium snatched the hat off his head before dropping in it the sand to furiously run away. Hunter swiftly returned his hat to its proper position despite the sand on it. His annoyance had him almost catching up to Uncle Al as he chased him all over the beach.

     "Sometimes I forget those two are even brothers, and then there's moments like this where you can't see them as anything else." Wisp laughed as his eyes followed the mad chase.

     "I'm glad you're a lot calmer than Uncle Al." I said gratefully.

     "I want to tease you more from time to time, but I know you already have Pris to deal with." Wisp folded his arms and smiled mischievously.

     "The restraint is much appreciated." I laughed back.

I completely forgot that the four of us were there so that Hunter could do his assignment. The summer days remained crazy long, so we had a good while to wait before any stars started to glimmer in the heavens. Hunter and Uncle Al filled up most of that time with their antics, and we also left the beach for a brief moment to get some ice cream. I made a sandcastle or two before taking off my shoes to walk along the edge of the water. The stars finally did come out, and Uncle Al and Wisp took to relaxing on the wooden lounge chairs while I took a spot near Hunter as he began working. He took several pictures of the sky, looked up and down often between the heavens and dad's binder, and filled up a page with quickly scribbled notes. Then he took up relaxing himself as he needed the sky a bit darker still before he could continue.

Hunter and I didn't talk much while we waited. I obviously had no idea what was going on in his mind, but my mind was full of memories. This day felt as if it would never end. I had been looking at an entirely different ocean this morning in Tropic Luna. Everything that happened on the vacation swirled around in my head. Eventually, that one evening popped up the strongest. I tried to bury it since it was supposed to be secret, but then I remembered that Hunter also knew what was going on.

     "Hey, Hunter?" I said softly.
     "Hmm?"
     "About Mary..."
     "Yeah?"

I hesitated. Honestly, I didn't even know what I really wanted to say. Like the situation with dad, I merely wanted to talk to someone about it. There was the worry that Uncle Al or Wisp could overhear us though, and I didn't want to risk the chance that Mary would get in trouble for having told me the secret. Thankfully, Hunter immediately dissolved that last fear.

     "She told me that she told you about the case." he revealed.
     "Oh." I said in gentle surprise and relief.
     "Are you worried about it?"
     "I...a little. Aren't you?" I wondered.
     "Nope, because she's not going anywhere. Not even if we somehow lose. Mal and I are already working on creating a family legacy." Hunter said boldly.
     "And what's that?"
     "Running away and hiding with our dear little sister to stop her from being taken away by the big baddies," he grinned, "Both Mal and I will be eighteen by the time the decision of the case is made. We'll kidnap her if need be. Naturally though, that's our backup backup plan. Dad's lawyer already has a serious argument in the works. The judge will have to be an idiot to choose the side of the true assholes who are trying to take Mary away from her family."
     "It's good to know you're all so prepared. I won't worry then." I said with a big smile.

The sun sank entirely, and the stars blossomed in their full glory. It was hard not to think about dad while staring up at them, but I was content with the fact that there could be something done and done well about another problem our family faced.

It was long past midnight by the time Uncle Al dropped Wisp and I home. Long overdue for my crash of exhaustion, I slumped forward and groaned when Uncle Blaze motioned me into mom's room. The two adults were both wide awake. My heart beat fast, afraid of another reprimand, but I calmed instantly when mom, sitting on the bed, smiled at me. It wasn't a super big one. It wasn't one of her truly happy smiles. Still, it wasn't the fake one she had been hiding behind. That fact comforted me, and when she motioned for me I forgot I was almost eleven and sat on her lap merrily. The lingering annoyance and worry in my chest faded. We had both been wrong in our own ways, but we were ready to just move past it.

     "I'm sorr-"
     "I'm sorr-"

Mom and I even started our apologies at the exact same time, resulting in a good chuckle. Mom kissed the top of my head before taking her chance to speak before I could swipe it instead.

     "I am sorry, Coal. I shouldn't have reacted as intensely as I did, and I said some things I shouldn't have. It's just...this pregnancy is really beating me down. Truthfully, it's already a battle to even get out of bed. The hormones take over even though I try so hard to not let myself be affected. I really do."
     "Pris said something of the same kind of sort." I replied.
     "He called me 'momzilla', didn't he?" mom asked knowingly.
     "Well, yeah."
     "I can't say it's not a title I haven't earned." mom sighed hopelessly in amusement.
     "It's gotta be hard. I'm sorry that I made it so much worse when I shouldn't have. You gave me the chance to let it drop, and I asked for an argument. You won't find me pushing you anymore, especially when it's about stuff that I have no idea about..."
     "It's alright," mom lightly pressed her forehead against mine, "I know that things have been tough in a way that that none of us were prepared for, and it doesn't make it easier when you've accidentally found yourself in over your head."

I received another little kiss, and my gaze followed mom's when hers rested upon the nearby object on the closest nightstand. It was dad's prized possession- his snow globe mom had bought for him on her first trip to Tropic Luna. Dad loved his fancy and expensive telescopes as if they were inanimate children, but he always said he would choose the snow globe over them in a heartbeat if he was forced to pick. When I had asked him why, dad said it was because mom had bought if for him even though she had been mad at him. He had caused some needless tension and an argument, but mom had still decided to get him something despite that. The snow globe was proof that she loved him even when things weren't perfect, essentially. The constantly shined sphere of glass had been a permanent decoration on his nightstand since the first time he took it out of the box. Staring at it now and seeing how mom stared at it, it helped me understand mom hadn't made her choice to keep quiet about the other mysterious group easily at all.

Uncle Blaze shifting directed our attention back towards him. His aura was much more solemn and serious in a way I wasn't used to seeing it. There was clearly a discussion we were going to have, and I prayed it wouldn't take too long. Mom's lap and arms were quite content and comfy now that we easily set things right between us. At this point, I was closing in on being awake for almost a full twenty-four hours.

     "About you having listened in on our conversation at the hospital..." Uncle Blaze began.
     "I know. I know what you're going to say. Stay out of it. Forget it if I can. Act as if I have if I can't."
     "Exactly. If it eats away at you that much, you can talk to me or your mom if it gets overwhelming. Otherwise, try to just ignore the questions I'm sure you have. You're only a few years older than Am was when I started letting him have something to do with what I was doing, and now I'm seeing how totally screwed up and deluded I was thinking everything would be fine allowing a child to have any place in that kind of world."
     "If you want me to forget about it, don't talk about it like that!" I grinned hopelessly, "Now I want to know more than ever what exactly everyone is involved in!"
     "Sorry. My bad. Even knowing how wrong I was, I automatically start screwing it up." Uncle Blaze chuckled.
     "It's a good thing I have something else I want to focus on then," I said, thinking about Rosemary's situation and how that felt like the easier predicament to carry on my shoulder for the time being, "And I will let this all drop. I just...I do feel as if I have to say that I really think Officer Noble should be told about this extra information we have."
     "I know it's the most logical thing to do, but I just feel as if I can't." mom mumbled quietly.
     "Uh, Ethereal? I hate to break it to you, but..." Uncle Blaze said reluctantly

Mom's eyes instantly snapped to him, and Uncle Blaze shifted hesitantly. He cleared his throat.

     "Officer Noble already knows. I told him about it the very same day you let me know there was another player involved in Am's disappearance." he admitted.
     "What? Blaze." mom whined in such a way she sounded more like she was my age.
     "I'm sorry, but I had to despite your protests. I know you're scared of risking everyone else's safety, but, to tell you the truth, Officer Noble already suspected this other group as it was given how there were no signs of Company activity."
     "Exactly what kind of officer is Officer Noble?" I asked in immense surprise and curiosity.
     "Well, he's called Special Officer Noble for a reason. There's very few others out there like him. His job was pretty much created in response to the specific mess our family deals with. He's incredibly well connected, and he has a deeper collection of knowledge of illegal organizations than most ever will. We're hoping he can make some better progress in finding Am, but he and I both think things would go better if we knew exactly what Am was trying to accomplish."

Mom tightened up, and her voice grew commanding.

     "No matter how many times you ask, I refuse to say, Blaze. I can only say what I've been saying. Amaranth was looking into this other group's records of information to find the answer to a question he had. He wasn't planning on acting on that information even if he did find it. He merely wanted to know why a certain something happened. That should be more than enough for Officer Noble to change his investigation accordingly. Revealing the specific answers Am wanted won't do anything but bring about more heartbreak to this already horrible situation."
     "You do keep saying that. The more you say it, the more it I know exactly what Am was looking for," Uncle Blaze said, giving mom a kindhearted shake of his head when she immediately glanced to the side in worry, "You're still somehow working under the impression that I'm completely clueless despite seeing that I am actually quite sharp. I've had to be to have made it so far in the 'work' that I chose to do."

There seemed to be nothing mom could say, so Uncle Blaze pushed the matter away entirely.

     "But, there's not much reason to say anything more than either of us have spoken. You don't want to admit it, and I don't want to hear it. Unless there's some change with Am's case, there's not much point in bringing anything like this up again. I only wanted to say a bit more to hopefully ease a bit of this one's curiosity to help keep him quiet and content," he pointed towards me, "We'll all do better if we focus on working towards tomorrow and what it holds for us rather than scraping at each other thinking it might alleviate the pain of what's missing."
     "I agree," mom nodded, "That's all I've been wanting."
     "We should say our 'goodnights' and head to bed then. We all need a hefty helping of rest."

I leapt up to give Uncle Blaze a gigantic hug before he left the room. I could tell he definitely needed one. He left looking slightly more chipper, so that made me feel better myself. It also made it easier to hold back the questions in my head, because there were a million of them swarming around in there. My family's involvement in illegal activities went way deeper than I ever could have imagined, and there was quite a tale to be told. On the other hand, I was accepting it was a tale I'd rather not be told. I was indeed in over my head already, and I didn't want to go deeper lest I drown. My questions were forced away as I turned back to give mom a hug as well. She bent down to place one last kiss on my forehead.

     "You need another haircut," she said softly with a smile, "No matter how much we take off, it keeps growing back like a weed."
     "There was an article in one of Desi's magazines of the thirty hottest actors and singers with faux hawks. I think I might want to try one of those at some point."
     "What were you doing reading one of her girly teen magazines? I thought you hated them." mom laughed.
     "Wisp had taken our magazine out of the bathroom, and Desi's was the only reading material left in there." I explained with a shrug.
     "I see. You just let me know whenever you want me to schedule an appointment for whatever hairstyle you think might control these outrageous locks of yours." she giggled harder.
     "Will do, although for now my bed is the only think I want to think about."
     "Mine for me too," mom agreed, "Goodnight, Coal."
     "Night, mom."

There was another kiss and another hug, and my long day was finally allowed to come to a close.

I slept deeper than I could ever recall. I woke up in the exact same position I had fallen asleep in, and any dreams I had had were instantly forgotten. Yet, even though I had been up so late, I woke up early. I wasn't that tired either. I had been going and going for the entire past week, so I wasn't too surprised. I was incredibly bored though. No one else was awake. Not even mom. I contemplated swiping the gaming console for myself or just running about doing whatever else I wanted since there was no one around to stop me for the moment. In the end, my hunger decided my actions for me. Dinner felt like an eternity ago, and I wasn't going to wait around for mom to make something. Instead of going for some simple cereal or the such, my boredom and slightly bizarre content levels of energy had me getting everything needed to make french toast out. It was my go-to breakfast choice whenever I had the option, and I must say I was quite good at making it.

However, I barely got started before I realized that I had been wrong. I stepped on my stool to better reach the counter, because I was still frustratingly short like that, and I glanced out the window to find that I wasn't the only one awake.

Incredibly curious, I shoved the milk and eggs back into the fridge before heading outside. Uncle Blaze's gaze was set straight forward, and he noticed me only when I was right next to him.

     "Morning." he said a lot more quietly and a lot less cheerfully than what I expected.
     "Morning," I answered back as brightly as I could, although my charade faltered when the smile I was given was barely a smile at all, "Couldn't sleep?"
     "I got a little bit of it, but, yeah, not much. I was able to fall back asleep once, but after I woke up the second time there was no forcing it again. I've been sitting here since, and that was back before dawn." Uncle Blaze shrugged.
     "Was it what we were talking about last night keeping you up?" I wondered softly.

I was unsure if I should mention it now that it was agreed upon that we wouldn't bring up that kind of topic so easily again. Uncle Blaze, however, didn't seem to have a problem at the moment of talking about it a little.

     "Essentially, yes. I haven't been able to sleep right since Am disappeared, and the past couple days have been extra hard. Yesterday was worse with having your mom so sick and then her having her first pregnancy breakdown. It took forever to calm her down."
     "I'm sorry." I apologized again.
     "It's fine," Uncle Blaze shook his head, "After all these years, you get used to it. Then, I guess, that's part of my problem too. Years have gone by, and I am getting older no matter how much I ignore that fact. Life in general is starting to make me weary mentally and achy physically, and the fact that parts of my family keep getting chipped away makes me feel as if I've lived a hundred years. It's a good thing I enjoyed myself as much as possible up through high school, because everything's been exhausting and difficult since then."

I wondered in that moment if I had been doing the same thing with Uncle Blaze what I had been doing with mom towards the beginning of dad's disappearance. Taking the optimism I was presented with at face value. Taking what was offered that benefited me, and not really thinking of what I could give back. Not even considering the burdens carried beneath the smiling expression. I hoped I was wrong, because that would have meant I had been doing that to Uncle Blaze for my entire life. He shifted and sat up better when I took a seat next to him.

     "You know, sometimes I seriously can't stand Eden," he continued with a bit more energy, "There are days when I don't want to see him. I don't want to talk to him. There are days when I want to punch his frustrating green face to a pulp, and there are days where I just absolutely hate him."

Uncle Blaze paused briefly, quickly sending a small glance my way to judge my reaction. His words left me slightly worried and hurt, but I knew he had a deeper meaning to what he was saying rather than merely revealing shallow anger.

     "He started out with no one. I saw how hard that was for him as well as how badly it hurt him. I've seen him hit the darkest, lowest point a person can reach. I watched him scramble to pick up the pieces of the broken thing he was and put them back together into something astounding. He's gone from having nothing to rightfully earning and gaining everything he wished for for years. Then there's me. I'm the opposite," Uncle Blaze said dismally, "I started out with everything. I was surrounded with family, love, money, and lots of great friends. Yet, the more that times goes by, the more I lose. My parents walked out the door, and some idiot driving too fast and skidding off the road made it so they never came home. I lost my twin brother and his wife who was like a sister to me when the wounds from my parents' deaths only just began to heal. I wanted to break and wallow in self-pity, but I kept it together because I had one very dear baby boy depending on me. My nephew who basically became my son."

He sighed heavily.

     "Everything was right and good for the longest time. Certain points were tough, of course, but the day came when Ethereal was freed. Life felt as if it could only go up. The size of my new family grew and grew. I thought my happiness would last forever. Then Am left me the same way the way my parents and brother did- he walked out the door with a smile never to return. And it was all my fault. I got him mixed up in something he never should have been involved in, and it took him away. Now the lone thing I can think is that it's only a matter of time. Whether because of simple accidents or stupid mistakes, I feel as if I'm going to lose the rest of you. I'll keep having my reasons for trying stolen away while I have to watch Eden enjoy his perfect family where he doesn't have to worry about anyone leaving like I do."

It was difficult to bite my tongue. Blurting out the secret Rosemary told me felt like it would help Uncle Blaze. He could see that Uncle Eden shared his worries and a very similar struggle, or something. Ultimately, I kept my mouth shut. I usually did my best to keep my promises, and this one in particular was one I couldn't be frivolous with. Rosemary was having a hard enough time. She didn't need me betraying her trust.

     "I don't actually hate Eden, of course. I'm just a bit jealous." Uncle Blaze spoke with an upbeat tone that was more like him.
     "Mm." I mumbled with a nod and small smile as I was still in the middle of processing the information, so what to say back was taking its time coming to me.
     "Ahh, I've probably gone and done it again. This is one of those adult things I shouldn't be tossing onto the young ones for them to burden themselves with too or whatever," he said with a laugh and scoff before ruffling my hair and wrapping his arm around my shoulders, "I obviously still have a long way to go before I figure out how to do this child-rearing thing properly."
     "No, I don't mind at all," I said determinedly, "I want to talk about this kind of stuff. It's so annoying not being able to do anything to help bring dad home, and it's been making me feel kinda useless. I know I'm not a grown-up, but I'm not a little little kid like Ceri. I can understand what you're saying. Even if I sometimes don't know what to say back, I want to be someone others can talk to. And, naturally, I have no intentions of leaving or going anywhere. I'm going to say out of your secret just like you told me to, and I'll be around to bother you forever."
     "Heh, you really are just like your father. You're reminding me exactly why I let him in on my secret. You've got a good head on your shoulders, and there is some relief knowing I don't have to build up this thick wall of lies and secrets between us. I wonder if that was a subconscious reason I got Am involved. Maybe I just wanted someone to talk to honestly."
     "I'm learning that that's what everyone needs more than ever." I laughed.
     "It's such a simple thing, but it's more important than you realize, huh?" Uncle Blaze agreed merrily.

We both took a brief moment to soak in the much welcomed change of atmosphere. I stretched, and Uncle Blaze patted me on the back afterwards.

     "Now that the serious talk is out of the way, let's do something fun." he suggested.
     "Like what?"
     "I dunno. You think of something."
     "Okay. Hmm..." I said as I looked around, and I stood up when I spotted something that tickled my intrigue, "I know, you can push me!"

I was moving down one step when I said that. I found myself scrambling and stumbling down the last of them when Uncle Blaze suddenly shoved my back. The force did nothing to hurt me or cause me to hurt me, but it did get my heart racing fast.

     "Push me on the swing!" I rebuked in outward annoyance while hiding my inside amusement.
     "That doesn't seem nearly as fun, but sure." Uncle Blaze teased.

With a dramatic roll of my eyes and turn away from him, I strode to the swing to promptly sit myself down. Uncle Blaze was chuckling and grinning like mad as he followed. My pouting frown soon disappeared when I was zooming back and forth at the perfect speed. Uncle Blaze had always had a knack for knowing how to push a swing at a brisk, exhilarating pace without overdoing it. I could do nothing but smile for a solid minute straight, and the two of us chatted idly after that.

Mom woke up to find the beginnings of my attempt of french toast. She completed the meal and made enough for everyone. Both Uncle Blaze and I were starving when we came inside, and it was quite the delight to find a delicious breakfast awaiting us. Wisp, Prism, and Desire soon made appearances due to the amazing aroma, although Cerise refused to be stirred. It was a good, peaceful morning that we all needed. As we ate and the mood brightened further, the resolution chosen the previous night grew stronger within my chest. I had tried to before, but now I was truly going to focus on the good still left in my life. I had gotten enough answers, and I had reconciled with the situation as best I could. Now all that was left to do was push forward, remember to live life, and enjoy the great, full family I still had while they were right there in front of me.