Gen Three- Chapter Nineteen

Gilly and I contemplated going up on the balcony to watch some television, but we couldn't bring ourselves to do it. The noise steadily growing from the kitchen would reach us anyway, and it's not like we would pay attention to what would be playing in the first place. Our room filled with an eerie calm as my sister and I listened to the muffled ranting, mostly belonging to dad, while trying to discern the words being said even as we wished the whole thing would stop.

     "At least Merl isn't here," Gilly sighed after a few minutes, "Poor thing can't handle conflict like this."

     "Yeah." I nodded, scratching Mirage as she nuzzled against my arm.

Merlot was at Uncle Prism's house hanging out with Crescent again.

     "What do you think she did?" my sister finally went with that question.

     "I don't know. I'm guessing whatever she was doing before, but I don't understand how she could have been doing it. Not with her being so heavily grounded and with officers watching us."

     "Maybe that's why dad's so mad...because she snuck out while we might be in danger."

     "Could be."

I recalled the pictures and videos taken of dad when he'd been recovering from the weeks those company people had him. He'd looked so battered and bruised. Him being terrified of something like that happening to Ember did fit logically with his rage.

That rage just kept building and building. One would think we would want to avoid that at all costs, but Gilly and I couldn't stand to stay in our room despite dad's order. Taking off our shoes, we risked being disobedient to slip into the hallway and hide around the corner. Using a hand mirror Gilly brought, we were able to use the mirror on the wall to catch a glimpse of the chaos. Ember had been completely removed from the situation. She buried her head deeply in her arms on the table clearly doing everything within her power to block it all out. Her distraught, quivering state made her look like a child despite her seventeen years.

     "All I need is his damn name!"
     "You're not getting it now being like this, so will you get that through your thick head already?!"

Dad and mom seemed to have forgotten she was even there. Mom was trying to not lose control despite her hot-head thrashing to take control, and dad was completely gone. His face contorted with such a fury and wrath I could never have imagined. He stood terrifying in a way I couldn't believe. For the first time, I didn't feel safe being around him. Gilly and I slunk further back to our room realizing our mistake, and heading back was the right choice.

     "Why are you protecting him?!" dad shouted.
     "I'm not! I'm protecting you, you fucking idiot! You are out of your mind right now, and if we force it out of Ember who he is then I don't want to imagine what you would do to him! I'm not going to let your dumb ass get arrested! The only way you're getting answers is if you calm down!"
     "No!"
     "Yes, Coal! I don't care what it takes! You need to get yourself under control! You think you're being a protective father right now?! Look at what you're causing!"
     "That asshole has-!"
     "I know what he's done! I'm the one Ember told, and I can see why she came to me first!"

The two of them shouted back and forth at each other for a moment more. Gilly and I slipped back completely hidden around the corner when dad finally snapped. He stomped towards the front door, slammed it with such fervor you'd think he'd shot off a bullet, and stormed away from the house towards an unknown destination. I dreaded to think of what would have happened had he seen us.

Our little excursion didn't got unnoticed, however. We hadn't realized Blaze had also been keeping a silent tab on things. Mom comforted a heavily sobbing Ember while I inwardly sighed in relief when Blaze gave us a small smile before heading in our direction as we returned fully to our room. Gilly's own tears fell by the time we got inside, and mine certainly burned with the same threat. Blaze greeted us with a bigger smile and tight hug.

     "It's alright," he comforted, and I didn't mind feeling like a five-year-old in his arms again, "Everything's alright."
     "What in the world is going on?" I asked, and my voice was absolutely miserable.

Blaze's smile faded, and he sighed. He stared at us seriously.

     "Ember's pregnant."
     "Pregnant?" Gilly sniffled as if it was a foreign word.
     "Yeah, about two and a half months along. She told Holly while you were out with Timber. Ember naturally had her suspicions, but she only worked up the courage to take a test this morning."
     "Everything makes sense now," I realized, "She had some secret kind of boyfriend, huh? She was staying with him all those nights, and I guess she found a way to sneak out to be with him even after she was caught."
     "It looks that way." Blaze nodded.
     "If she had a boyfriend, why not just say so? Obviously mom wouldn't have let her stay the night with him regardless, but why keep his whole existence a secret?" Gilly wondered.

Blaze patted our shoulders and took a step back.

     "From the little Ember has told us, it seems she said nothing because the guy is older than her."
     "Older? How much older?" Gilly asked.
     "Dunno. It doesn't sound like a ridiculous amount, but there's still enough of a gap that this guy shouldn't have been sleeping around with a seventeen-year-old high schooler. Ember insists that he's not a bad guy though. They've apparently known each other for five years by way of the internet, although they've only been 'together' in any sort of sense for less than that. They were otherwise just friends."
     "Oh my god, that makes sense too. That day that dark red guy was creeping on us, later that night I heard Ember talking to someone on the home phone. She said that she loved this person, and I could not for the life of me figure out who she would be saying that to. It's obvious why Ember was so excited to come here as well if this is where the guy lives." I recalled.
     "It does sound as if it is all coming together." Blaze nodded.
     "What's going to happen now? Did Ember say what she wants to do about the baby? Isn't it illegal for the guy to have been with her?" Gilly pondered, rubbing at her wet eyes.
     "The shock about her being pregnant is still too new for any decision about the baby to have been made yet, and, yes, this guy sleeping with her is illegal."
     "Is that why dad is so mad?" my sister asked quietly.
     "It's a big part of it. I don't think he'd have flown off the handle so intensely if the guy was Ember's age," Blaze answered before sighing again, this time much more heavily, "The situation is hitting a really sore spot with him. He's afraid despite Ember's insistence that their relationship is genuine that this guy was manipulating and coercing her for his own carnal needs. He doesn't want to think of his daughter being hurt like that, and it reminds him too much of what happened with Mi-"

Gilly and I glanced at each other as Blaze abruptly cut himself off.

     "Because of what happened with me?" I repeated, "What happened with you?"
     "No, no, not with me. That...it's not my story to tell. Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it."

On any other day, Gilly and I would have prompted for more information. We thought it better in this situation to keep our mouths shut. Emotions were running high, and nothing about what had to be done required our input. The two of us thought up a few more questions to ask our uncle, but soon Blaze simply cuddled with us on the balcony where we did decide to watch television for a distraction. The house was otherwise far too quiet after all the commotion. Mom eventually called Blaze away though. Gilly spotted something out the window after that.

     "Well, I found where dad went." she pointed out softly.

Rushing up to join her, my gaze followed the line her finger pointed. A cliff separated our lot and the neighbor's lot from the beach in the western direction. However, the beach was still visible, and we could just barely see dad sitting against the steep rocks on a log. He buried his head deep in his arms, and he appeared entirely miserable. Frozen from who knew how many warring feelings, the possibility that he maybe cried was high. My chest softened at the sight.

     "I was upset at him. I still am just a little," I mused as I folded my arms on the windowsill, "But he looks completely pitiful like that, doesn't he?"
     "Yeah. It's clear we don't have the whole story by the way Blaze clammed up too." Gilly agreed.
     "It seems like we shouldn't be harsh on anyone. They look to have enough to deal with without us causing stress on top of it."
     "That's a good idea."

Letting dad have his privacy, we returned to our show. Mom knocked on the door after it finished to offer us a lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The plan had been for us to head to the arcade restaurant down the road, but Gilly and I knew better than to complain. We also knew better than to prod. Ember was nowhere to be seen, and mom wasn't in a talking mood. That's why we took our meal outside. It took us away enough from the situation to brighten our moods, although the break didn't last long. Gilly and I ate our sandwiches, and we'd just plated up a second each when we spotted some red moving about. Dad, much calmer, intended to head inside the house, but he changed his course upon seeing us. Him looking so afraid and guilty shuffling in our direction quelled my remaining negative feelings with him.

     "Wanna sit?" I offered to him the seat nearby, and his surprised expression amused me.
     "Thank you," he spoke gratefully for more than just the seat before taking a good long look at the both of us, "Gilly, Dianthus, I am sorry for how I acted. I'm embarrassed that I let myself get like that, and I should have listened to your mother when she told me that I needed to calm down."
     "Mom's always right." Gilly noted with a mouth full of sandwich.
     "Not entirely true, but she may as well be," dad laughed lightly, "In any case, I really do want to apologize if I scared, frightened, or upset you. There is a lot to the situation that reminds me of difficult things I went through in the past, and the thought that someone has been hurting Ember without her even realizing she's being hurt riled me up to where I stopped thinking."

Dad paused, uncertain, as he finished his sentence.

     "Uh, someone did tell you what was going on, right?"
     "Blaze did," I confirmed, "Ember's pregnant from some older secret boyfriend she has that she's been sneaking out to meet."
     "Yeah, that's basically it." dad nodded.

He let out a long breath. Gilly cut herself in the conversation in front of him as she spoke before dad could.

     "Dia and I have decided we're not upset with you. We can tell this is stressful for everyone. We don't want to add to that, and the two of us can tell you really do mean it when you say you're sorry," my sister explained before slowing down her next words, "Although, I do have to say you were kind of scary. It did seem as if you and mom might start hitting at each other or something."
     "We would never. I would never," dad assured instantly with vigor, "The thought to do so didn't cross my mind. Not even for a second. I swear it."

His expression grew crestfallen. The guilt doubled in intensity. The fear that he'd utterly shattered our trust in him spread so thickly over his face he might as well have spoken the fear aloud.

     "We believe you, daddy. It's okay." I leapt up to give him a hug.
     "Yeah!" Gilly joined me.
     "Thank you. Thank you so much," dad embraced us tighter and tighter until we giggled, "I appreciate it more than you know. There's something I want to say to you two as well. I...I know my display earlier doesn't lend a lot of credit to my words, but I want you both to be able to tell me anything. If Ember had come to me before this all really got started...I dunno, I would have at least listened. I will always listen. That I can promise. We might not agree in the end, but I'll take everything into fair consideration."
     "I think I've suffered enough through the torture of having to consume the most despicable thing on the planet for the past eleven years." I went for it.
     "You have to eat your carrots, Dia."
     "Darn it."

Gilly laughed. Dad chuckled. I let myself smile.

Somehow, the day didn't end on a miserable note. Mom and dad spent forever and a day talking in their room before dad went and spent another eternity talking to Ember in hers. No one said much about it past that, and we all met up with Mr. Mountain and Timber at the arcade restaurant for dinner instead. The news slowly passed around to the rest of the family here in Tinseltown, which meant it eventually found its way to my friend and his dad too. They smartly said nothing to avoid any awkwardness. Gilly, Timber, and I hung out as late as we could, but his dad took him back to the hotel around eight-thirty.

     "Time went by super fast, but I'm glad you two were able to come down." I said to Timber next morning as they dropped by before they needed to head to the airport.
     "No problem. It was fun," Timber grinned, "It was interesting to see how much things have changed in a year too. We should do our best this time around to make sure no one else gets into trouble next Christmas season. Something going on each time the holiday rolls around isn't a tradition I'd like to make."
     "Sounds like a plan. Maybe we should become the private investigators. That way we can catch what's going on and not get in trouble." I joined in merrily.
     "What about being a doctor?"
     "Oh, right. Well, who says I can't do both?"
     "A doctor-private investigator. I'm sure there's a book about that somewhere out there." Timber joked.
     "I'm sure."

Mr. Mountain called for Timber. Our time was up. I had to say goodbye to my friend, and he took off.

School resumed the following day. Getting back into a normal schedule was actually reassuring. The craziness of the holidays also meant we hadn't seen some friends in forever, which meant we hadn't seen them for a few days. Gilly and I arrived at the middle school early, and we were ecstatic to see Ethereal and Ephemeral were there too.

     "Morning." Ethereal greeted brightly.
     "Morning." I greeted back.
     "How have you two been?" Ephemeral wondered.
     "It's been kinda crazy the past few days." Gilly started dramatically.
     "Yeah? How come?"

Gilly and I looked at each other, and we lowered our voices.

     "It turns out that Ember is pregnant." Gilly revealed.
     "Your sister? Isn't she only sixteen?" Ethereal wondered, her eyes widening.
     "Seventeen." I corrected.
     "Oh wow. Who's the dad? Someone from her class?" Ephemeral guessed.
     "No. We have no clue who he is. The dad is apparently someone older than her, although we're not sure how old he is. He and Ember have known each other for a while now though. Their relationship was done casually over the internet until we moved here where the guy lived." my sister continued.
     "Dang. That's crazy. Is Ember going to have the baby or no?" Ethereal asked.
     "We don't know yet. Honestly, we haven't gotten the chance to talk to her much since the news came out. She's been shutting herself up in her room. She even stayed home today because she was throwing up a lot. We're not sure if it's because of the baby or the stress." I answered.
     "Poor Em."

My next words were silenced by the sounds of footsteps. I had thought there had been no one else around, but lo and behold Mr. Divine came walking past from the administration office. Given from the awkward and hesitant way he walked, he'd heard every word we said and wasn't sure how to deal with accidentally overhearing the personal news.

     "Good morning, you four. Did you have good breaks?" he chose to ignore it.

We all nodded.

     "Good," he put a small smile on his face, "I like your new hairstyle, Ethereal. Trying to differentiate yourself more from your sister?"
     "No, Ephie and I just met Gilly and Dia's grandpa over the break. He taught us how to do our hair like Ethereal Yonder used to do it."
     "I was going to start putting it up as well, but I'm loo lazy. It's easier to just brush it and be done with it." Ephemeral explained merrily.
     "I can imagine, although I wouldn't know the struggle," Mr. Divine chuckled, "In any case, I'll be in the classroom if you need me. I brought some treats to welcome everyone back, so make sure you come in early."

He departed with a wink, and the four of us gushed before we sobered up as we remembered the rest of the exchange.

     "We should be more careful spreading the news," I realized, addressing my sister, "It's not our place to go around blabbing."
     "We'll make sure to keep it quiet." Ephemeral promised as Gilly nodded.
     "Thanks."

The school day passed quickly. The treats were tasty, most of our class time went to refreshing what we'd forgotten over break, and homework was only to do some more refreshing on our own. Gilly and I finished that no problem. After that, when the house grew quiet I decided it was time to finally check in on my sister. I'd wanted to give her space, but the ticking moments prompted my curiosity to its breaking point. I needed to see how she was doing. I wanted to know the thoughts going through her head.

     "Ember?"

My head peeked around the door when she failed to respond to my knock. There she lay on the bed blankly staring out the window. Her head only moved a smidge in my direction when I slipped inside, although she didn't protest my arrival.

     "Anything I can do to make you feel better?" I asked.

There was no reason to ask how she was feeling. Her emotions were clear.

     "Go back in time and be more stubborn on the day you caught me?" my sister joked weakly in a quiet voice, "Maybe then I would have kept myself more in check and not have let my attention to my periods slip."
     "You'll know we'll support you no matter what you choose." I encouraged.

Ember exhaled loudly and pitifully smiled when I rubbed her back.

     "Have you thought about what you want to do?" I had to question.
     "It's all I've been doing," Ember admitted wryly, "I don't want to be a teenage mother, both for my sake and the baby's sake. I know like you just said that we have a family that will support the both of us, yet when I think about continuing the pregnancy...I dunno. There's this sense of dread or reluctance that washes over me. However..."

 I caught onto her dilemma quickly.

     "You want to have the baby just as much too."
     "I do know it would be the easier thing, perhaps the better thing, to not have the baby. On the other hand, I feel sick to my stomach thinking about going to the clinic. I love my boyfriend, and I've dreamed about having a family with him. I know with all the help I would get that I would still be able to finish school, go to college, and otherwise live my life. Of course looking after a child would present a lot of difficulties, but getting rid of the pregnancy would do little other than save my reputation."
     "I wish I knew more of how to help you," I spoke, knowing my own torn opinion wouldn't assist her in coming to a conclusion, "But I'm at just as much of a loss as you are."
     "Aunt Holly's been talking to me. Mom said she'll be coming down soon due to all this. I know they'll help me work it through. Still, I think this would be easier if I could just talk to...him," Ember caught herself before she said her boyfriend's name, "He does really care about me even if dad thinks he was only using me for sex. I know he won't run away from this. I know he'll support me. He's the baby's father, and I want to know how he feels. I don't dare try to contact him or even say his name though. Dad's calmed down, but I'm too scared he'll try to get him in trouble."
     "What if I help you?"

Ember raised a brow at me.

     "You're not allowed to use the phone or anything, but I am. I could easily place a call for you."
     "I want to talk to him in person..." Ember mumbled.
     "Then we'll sneak out."
     "Wha...Dia, you can't do that. Do you know how much-"
     "Of course. This is important though. I agree that dad would be better off not knowing about your guy for the time being, but you can't not talk to your boyfriend. If you seriously believe it will help you make a choice, then I don't mind getting grounded. Is your boyfriend free today?"
     "He's always open on Monday afternoons..."
     "Then I'll be right back!"

I bolted before Ember could keep protesting or I could change my mind. Don't ask me where the courage to defy my parents after everything both Ember and I had done in the past came from. Something within me simply told me I had to give my sister the chance she needed to talk with her boyfriend. When I became determined that something had to be done, well, I clearly went down extreme paths.

     "Oh, Dia, there you are," Gilly bounded over happily, "Mom says she'll take us to see that performer doing a show at the park. You want to come, right?"
     "Actually...I was hoping to help cheer Ember up a bit more. She's been perking up as we've been talking, and I managed to get her to agree to watch the Sky Followers marathon version with me in our room. Mom, I was going to ask you if it would be alright for us to have some popcorn before dinner." I smoothly lied.

Sky Followers was a popular movie series with six films currently under its belt. A marathon version had come out on DVD where the movies played one right after the other. It would be a good thing to play to present a ruse as anyone walking by the room would hear the movie playing at its appropriate duration while Ember and I were elsewhere. I doubted Ember and I would be gone so long as to even finish the first one, but the plan I was making up on the spot had to be as airtight as I could get. Things were coming together nicely as it was. Dad and grandpa were out, and if mom, Gilly, and Merlot took off that left only Blaze to fool.

     "That's good to hear that she's feeling better. I've been worried about her the past few days. Since you've finished your homework, you can watch your movies and have the popcorn. The three of us will be back in about an hour and a half." mom agreed without a hint of suspicion.

The guilt didn't crush me too badly, or at least I tried not to let it. Two bags of popcorn were popped to fill up our biggest serving bowl, and I grabbed the box with the movies to further the illusion. Ember dutifully followed me to my room right as the other three left. Blaze walked by went I snatched the phone several minutes later. Telling him I was calling Timber satisfied any slight curiosity he had of my intentions. Ember's hand shook when I placed it in her palm.

     "Hey, T-" she started when he picked up her call, and instantly cut herself off as she almost spoke her boyfriend's name, "Um, how are you doing?"

I couldn't help but to make the mental note his name started with a 'T'.

     "I've been doing...well, things have been a bit rough recently. It's part of the reason why it's been hard to talk to you. I...yes, I know. I know you don't want me to get in trouble. I'm sorry I still keep sneaking out to come see you," Ember apologized, smiling for real for the first time in days, "I really have to see you today though. There's something we have to talk about. After that, I swear I'll be on my best behavior."

I wandered off a little ways and gorged myself on popcorn. Had to present the appearance we'd been eating it throughout the movie. My intent was to give Ember some privacy too. Though I could only hear what she said, there was no reason for me to hang on her every word. She stopped speaking so much though. Her boyfriend was the one who talked and talked, and a smile curled onto my lips when I understood she was getting lectured once again.

     "Dad seriously has no reason to worry," Ember sighed when the call was ended, although she was amused, "I'm the bad influence in this relationship. Even my boyfriend is getting on my case now about all the times I've broken the rules, and I haven't even told him of the pregnancy yet. He agreed to meet us, well, me though. You're going to have to stay hidden."
     "No problem. Let's not keep him waiting."

Ember skittered off to her room to get dressed. Out of either sheer stupidity or true conviction to the ruse, I asked Blaze if he wanted to watch the movies with us. He declined, already half asleep from his medication. Blaze took substantial afternoon naps almost every day. I gave him a hug, brought him a small bowl of popcorn, and returned to find Ember waiting in my room. We left the movie running and hopped out the window. My sister led me to a medium sized freshwater lake no more than fifteen minutes from our house. The area proved to be somewhat secluded, and the raised deck of the seating area presented the perfect hiding space. My clothes would get dirty, but it was otherwise spacious and comfortable. However, I wouldn't be hidden from all angles. It was Ember's job to keep her boyfriend from being at those angles. Needless to say, my heart raced a hundred miles when the sound of a car pulled up on the lot and an extra pair of footsteps walked over.

     "I'm glad you could make it." Ember spoke from above me.
     "Of course. You said you had to meet me not only when you're still grounded and you've got those police officers watching you guys, so it has to be something important."

I listened to her boyfriend's words carefully. His voice definitely didn't peg him as old, and every emotion so far seemed genuine.

     "It is. I wish we had time to talk about it for hours, but with the fact that I am indeed still grounded and we're supposed to be watched by the officers, I can't stay here longer than the time it will take to briefly discuss the issue."

There was a pause, the hitching of breathing, and the sound of skin on skin, so I realized the two shared a quick kiss.

     "So, what's the issue?" T asked.

I chose to call him that in my head for now until I learned more.

     "Uh, you know, it feels wrong having to blurt it out, but I really can't risk staying long. Listen, we tried out best, but we screwed up somewhere. I...I'm pregnant."

That drove the atmosphere in a whole new direction. My ears still caught Ember's breathing, but T might as well have disappeared off the face of the planet. Waiting there not knowing what kind of expression was on his face tingled my skin with anticipation and nerves. More than anything I wanted to believe what Ember spoke of him was true. I wanted him to be good. If he turned out to be nasty and an asshole, I would have to jump out of hiding to teach him a lesson.

     "Alright. That's alright. We did try to be careful, but this was a risk we knew was always there," T replied calmly with openness and acceptance after a moment, "What do you want to do? Whatever your choice, I'll support you."
     "I know," Ember spoke, and her smile I could imagine, "The thing is, I don't know. I'm so torn both ways between ceasing the pregnancy and having it continue. Both things I want and don't want in equal measure. This affects you, so I wanted to take your opinion into consideration."
     "This is a bit of a pickle then, huh?" T laughed so, so softly, "A pregnancy isn't ideal right now for so many reasons. Raising a child is obviously hard. There's a lot of sacrifices to be made, but I'm also worried about you. You're almost fully grown, but you're not there just yet. What if some complication arises because your body just can't handle a baby? Your aunt had all those problems having your siblings. What if you face the same struggles?"

Ember had certainly told T a lot. Mom didn't talk about how hard her pregnancy with Gilly and me and especially her one with Merlot was easily.

     "On the other hand, we both have great families. Families who will take care of you through any complications, and they'll make sure the baby is loved and supported. Our lives will have to slow down so we can focus on this new one. However, we won't be giving up anything. Just forging a different path. And...I did want to start a family with you. Not this soon, but I wished to do our relationship right when you got older. Actually meet your parents, go on real dates instead of us hiding at my apartment, love you without being afraid of people getting pissed at us....those sort of things."
     "About that," Ember started warily, "People are pissed at us. I'm sorry, I had to tell my aunt about the pregnancy. I didn't say who you are, but I mentioned that you were older than me. She told my dad, and he fucking flipped out. He's calmed down, but I'm too afraid he'll lose himself again if he comes face to face with you."

T took a deep breath.

     "Good. I'd hope any dad would get upset hearing someone might be hurting his daughter. We know the truth, but he won't until we show him. If your family has been made aware of our relationship, I should simply come out and reveal myself no matter what we decide about the baby. The situation will be made easier for all of us. It'll be more likely your dad will see I'm sincere if I step forward despite the consequences. Me hiding to avoid his wrath will only confirm his suspicions that I'm terrible."
     "You should have seen him though. He was beyond terrifying."
     "If he wants to yell at me, he can yell at me. If he wants to hit me, he can hit me. I'm an adult, and that is exactly why we're in this position. You don't think I didn't have a clue of what consequences I could face if something like this happened? Trust me, I was very well aware. I thought it worth the risks regardless. Besides, I have faith in your dad. You should too. If your mom could rape him to get pregnant with you of all things and they could turn it around to still be incredibly close friends, then I think he might be willing to give me a chance."

My whole body froze. The pillars and boards above encroached to suffocate my breathing. What the...what the hell? I definitely hadn't heard that right. Mom and dad had said the reasoning behind why dad had Ember with Aunt Mimi was complicated, but I knew Aunt Mimi. She would never have done anything to hurt dad.

     "L-Let's not talk about that right now," Ember brushed off the subject, "I do think you're right though. Dad was an asshole for a moment, but I'm not giving him enough credit. I'll think about it, okay? About you coming forward, about what I want to do with the baby. I'm not going to be able to meet you after this for who knows how long, but I'll find a way to talk to you. We have time to figure this out."
     "We do." T agreed kindly.

The two shared another kiss, but my shut down mind didn't care about that or the words they exchanged afterwards.

Ember and her boyfriend said a few more things about her being pregnant, they talked briefly of other things going on in their lives, and then Ember prompted T to leave. He had to leave first or else I wouldn't be able to come out of hiding, and even if mom, Gilly, and Merlot were set to be gone for an hour and a half we didn't dare stay out anywhere near that long. A thousand and one reasons could prompt them home early. Dad and grandpa too. Blaze could also decided to join us for the movie, or simply come to the room for more popcorn.

     "I think we're good." Ember said tentatively as we crawled back through the window.

The house was silent save for the television upstairs playing the movie. If we'd be discovered, I doubt it would have been left on.

     "We did something super bad, but it was kind of fun too." I had to admit.
     "A little, yeah." Ember nodded.

Then, with me still halfway through the window, the bedroom door opened.

Gilly caught sight of us as I stiffened. Her eyes went wide, she hurriedly closed the door, and she stomped over as I hurriedly dropped into the house. Ember guiltily closed the window as my twin glared at us with contained fury.

     "What in the world is wrong with you two!?" she demanded to know.
     "Gilly, please," I begged, "We had to."
     "Why?" she requested with a snap.
     "I had to meet my boyfriend. I had to tell him face to face what was going on. I had to know what he thought." Ember said slowly.
     "Do you know how much trouble you would be in if I go and tell mom?!"
     "We do," I replied, taking my irate sister's hand in mine, "Please don't tell mom. Em and I didn't mean any harm, but this was too important to ignore. You know mom and dad never would have allowed it if Ember asked to speak with him."
     "They wouldn't have allowed it because she's broken their trust too many times, and now she's gone and done it again. You have as well."
     "Gilly, I am begging you."

Ember took her other hand, got on her knees, and pleaded silently with a perfectly practiced pair of puppy dog eyes.

     "Fine!" Gilly huffed after a moment, "But you two have to swear that this is the last time!"
     "Promise!" Ember and I answered in unison.
     "Also, I want a Power System 5 for my birthday."
     "Okay..." I creaked out weakly, knowing with Ember's grounding that the purchasing of that expensive gift would fall to me.

However, it was worth it. Gilly calmed down substantially, and she at least accepted that Ember talking to her boyfriend had been an important matter. My sibling then told us the performance hadn't been that great, which is why they'd come home early. Gilly joined us in watching some of Sky Followers, but when mom announced she was making crepes for dinner she bounced away to help. Ember got into the movie. I didn't. I couldn't. My mind, no matter how much it desired to reject reality, put the pieces together. Blaze had said dad struggled with Ember's pregnancy announcement because it hit a sore spot with him. It hit that bad spot because of what happened with 'Mi'. It was obvious now Blaze had been going to say Mimi. Dad further revealed what happened had been difficult. The adults not wanting to tell us why Ember had a different mom until we were older, Ember saying she understood why they'd waited...the truth Ember's boyfriend unknowingly revealed fit perfectly.

     "Hey, Ember?" I asked quietly.
     "Yeah?"
     "Did Aunt Mimi really rape dad?"

Ember's shoulders slumped as she lowered the television's volume.

     "I was hoping you would somehow forget that. But, yeah."
     "But...wh-what? How? Why?"
     "I'm sorry, Dia. I wish I would have known that Ta...my boyfriend was going to blurt that out. You shouldn't have had to find out like that," she began somberly, "You've been told that mom had a thing for dad all while they were growing up, but the adults have been extremely minimizing the intensity of her feelings back then. There was a period when mom and dad were twenty when mom stopped taking her medication, so she went off the rails. The idea got into her head that if she simply showed dad that she could pleasure him through sex that he would fall in love with her. She kept trying to grope him for months."

My sister took a moment to think about her words.

     "After dad got back from being captured, mom even attacked him in the hospital. He was blinded by bandages and immobilized by pain. Apparently, she would have ended up killing him if grandpa had been a bit slower rushing into the room. Of course, mom was kept away from him after that, although she still did her best to stalk him. She formed a plan in her head using the information she got from following dad and Aunt Holly around. Mom stole Aunt Holly's phone to find where dad would be, she dressed up like her, and she pretended to be her. That's how mom was able to swindle him into saving sex with her, and she secretly broke the condom dad used because she hoped getting pregnant would force dad to be with her. Dad, obviously going through a really troublesome time, didn't realize the deception. When mom did get pregnant and dad obviously still refused to be with her, she threatened to abort me. Dad had to start a legal case and was supposedly even going to trick mom with a fake relationship in order to keep me."
     "That's...crazy..."

I could hardly imagine any of it. Dad and Aunt Mimi were so close. Aunt Mimi loved Ember with all her heart. I knew Aunt Mimi struggled with her mind, but for all my life I hadn't ever seen it affect her.

     "To be honest, it took me a long while to feel comfortable around mom again after they told me. Well, it was mostly her who told me. Dad and Aunt Holly were there, yet mom was the one who did the confessing. She was open and honest and fully understanding of how the news could bother me, and I think it was the fact that she took full responsibility for her actions that did allow me to forgive her. If dad could do it, so could I," Ember said before getting a glint of realization in her eye, "And, you know, saying all that...it makes me see I don't really have it that bad. I'm pregnant when I shouldn't be, but everyone on both sides loves me and wants to make it work no matter my choice."
     "I don't think all that information is going to sink in for a good while, but it does help when you put it in that perspective. Your boyfriend seemed fine to me. I think you should do what he suggested by having him come forward."
     "It makes the most sense, but there's multiple reasons I do hesitate about that. For one, him revealing himself would make a certain situation awkward for Gilly and you."
     "How so?"
     "Well, naturally I'm not going to tell you." Ember teased.

I scoffed.

It didn't matter that Ember didn't want to tell me. I got the answer several days later. Saturday afternoon rolled around, and Aunt Taffy was throwing a party just to have some fun. Most of the guests were her adult friends, many of them from her entertainment days, so it wasn't overly exciting for us younger ones. It was nice as always though to hang out with my cousins. Merlot and Crescent in particular had grown so close. It saddened me to think of the day when we'd go back to Berrybrook.

Anyway, the party progressed. Aunt Taffy was talking with some friends when she noticed multiple figures approaching the house.

     "Oh, good. Snow was able to make it." she spoke.
     "Who's that?" I questioned, for I was standing nearby.
     "I think you know him better as Mr. Divine." Aunt Taffy laughed.
     "Oh," I laughed too, "I forgot that you knew him."
     "It looks like he brought his family. You should come say hello."

I followed my aunt, but Ember, also nearby, grabbed me and said she had to talk to me for a second. Her expression screamed urgency, so I allowed myself to be whisked off.

     "What's go on, Em?"
     "Listen, I had no idea they were coming. Remember that you promised to keep my boyfriend's identity a secret until we decided to make it known." she said hurriedly.
     "I know. What does that have to do with anything right now?" I wondered in confusion.
     "You haven't figured it out now, but I'm sure you will in a second. You might not be the greatest actress in the world, but you reaaaly have to pretend for me that you don't recognize him at all. Got it?"
     "I...sure?"

My confusion did clear up thirty seconds later. I returned to my position close to Aunt Taffy. My teacher had indeed walked in with his family, and he was saying his hellos to her, mom, and dad. I received a big smile from him, and the two of us shared a brief exchange of asking how the other was. Then Mr. Divine went for the introductions.

     "Mr. and Mrs. Vivid, Dianthus, this is my wife, Rouge."
     "Pleasure to meet you." Rouge spoke first, and we gave our greetings back.
     "And our son." Mr. Divine motioned behind them.

He stood there wearing a Zenith Peak college hoodie. He had his mother's red coloring, but a lot of his father's face.

     "I'm Tamarix, although you can call me Tam. It's nice to meet you." Tamarix extended his hand.

That was when it clicked together in my head. I'd heard his voice before, when he'd come to meet Ember at the lake. I saw the well hidden nervousness in his expression as he shook dad's hand, and I understood why it was there.

Oh boy.