The ride back from the park took longer than the journey there. When Gadalik had taken Mira to her house, she allowed him to use her phone and call his parents to escort the reinjured teen to his own for safety’s sake.

  “Peakisan residence; Gale speaking,” his practical father answered.

  Gadalik couldn't suppress a chuckle. “Gale Peakisan?”

  “Pfft! Khatri,” the man laughed. “How's it going, bud? Did everything go okay with Mira?”

  “About that…”

  The playfulness left Gale’s tone. “She didn't… hurt you, did she?”

  Hurt? “N-No! Mira was great,” the blue-eyed teen assured him, glancing at the black-haired girl beside him who beamed to hear that. “But we encountered someone else while we were out. Mira actually saved me again by bringing me to the hospital after my wound reopened.”

  “It reopened?! Are you okay?”

  There was a muffled thumping on the other line for a second. “Who did that to you?!” a familiar woman's voice demanded. “I'll kill them!”

  “Hey, Mom,” Gadalik huffed with amusement. “I appreciate the sentiment, but he's already dead…”

  “What?!”

  Gadalik sighed. “It's a long story… I'll tell you both everything when I get home. Speaking of, can you bring the carriage and pick me up? I don't think I'm in good enough condition to make it back on my own.”

  “Are you at Mira’s house?” Gale asked as his girlfriend audibly grumbled to herself about how she wished she was a spook so she could kill the ghost of the one who harmed their son instead.

  “Y-Yeah.”

  “Alright. Hang tight, bud; we'll be there quick as possible.”

  “Thanks. See you later, then,” Gadalik yawned, eager to get some rest. In his half-awake state, he told his parents, “Bye. I love you, guys.”

  There was a brief silence from his practical father while Gadalik’s adoptive mother–who had probably left the phone to pace during her tangent–moved back to it when she likely noticed her boyfriend’s response.

  The teen was confused. He'd said that last sentence to Glacia a handful of times in the past–and he meant it. “What?”

  “You said you loved us? Like, including Gale?” the woman clarified, and her son detected a smile in her tone.

  “Of course,” Gadalik answered simply. What's the big deal?

  “I love you too, bud,” the man replied after a beat, his voice wavering slightly with emotion. “See you soon.”

  Huh… Odd. The injured spook was too tired to give much thought to that reaction. He wiped the bleariness from his eyes and hung up, lumbering to his companion’s couch to doze off as he waited.

  As soon as he shut his eyes, it seemed, he reopened them to find himself in his bedroom. Did I pass out?! For how long? He sat up and glanced over his shoulder at the window above his headboard; it was dark out. Must have been a good few hours…

  Feeling parched, the teen slid off of the mattress and made his way toward the staircase by his parents’ room to get a cup of water from the kitchen. The door was halfway open and Gadalik couldn’t help checking on them. They were both asleep, snoring softly under the same blanket. Just as their son was about to continue down the steps, Glacia stirred.

  “Not again,” she muttered quietly, dragging herself out of bed and out her room to the bathroom without realizing Gadalik was there.

  “Mom? You alright?” he called gently from outside the bathroom door, remembering how the last time she was there at an unusual time of day was when she vomited.

  “Yeah,” she assured him, and he heard the sink run before she came out. “Sorry; didn't mean to hog the bathroom.”

  Hog it? But she wasn't in there too long.

  “Feels like every hour I have to go again,” she complained. “Can't get any sleep for it.”

  Oh, he thought with relief to know it wasn't as serious an issue as before. “Might have drank too much water before bed,” he guessed.

  “And you probably haven't drank enough. You were out like a light when we picked you up, and that was hours ago.”

  “Right; I was just headed to get some water,” he replied. Then he hesitated. “Wait… I never got to tell you what happened at the park.”

  “Don't worry, Mira filled us in.”

  She did?

  “She was… truly scared when we couldn't wake you fully. She spilled everything and said it was her fault you got hurt.” Her red irises looked away. “I think I misjudged her, honestly. Yeah, she was a bully when we first met, but it's obvious now that she does care about you.” Glacia met her son's gaze. “Sorry for not being supportive of you two reconnecting.”

  “N-No, you're fine! Your distrust of her was valid after everything she had done at that point, and I know you were just looking out for me. I appreciate that,” Gadalik said with a grateful smile. “It just sucks that I'm back to square one with my injury…”

  "Why don't you go rest," she suggested. “I'll bring the water to you.”

  He yawned. "Alright." Once alone in his room, Gadalik changed into his light green pajamas and burrowed under the comforter on his bed. His mother returned with the water and opted him to sip it despite his the urge to chug. They said goodnight, and he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

  Gadalik woke up the next day shocked to realize how late it was; from the position of the square beam of sunlight casted onto his bed from the window, it was nearing noon. I must have been more tired than I thought… He sat up, then grimaced and held his injured stomach from the motion. Then he sighed and began his morning routine.

  After a shower and redressing his wound, he exited the bathroom and could scarcely hear his parents laughing together from her room, and felt himself relax. With Gale staying over and taking care of the chores, there really was no reason to bother getting up when the injured spook felt so sore and nauseous. So Gadalik laid back down with a book until sleep overcame him once more.

  "...Gadalik," Gale's voice faded in.

  "Dad…?" his practical son responded, confused by the worry in his tone. “What's the matter?”

  "That's what I want to ask you. It's not like you to sleep all day… You have a low fever, too."

  “All day…?”

  “Yeah. It's almost nightfall.”

  "Oh… Well, I mean, the doctors said a fever is normal. And the reopening of my wound was only the surgical scar, too, so my actual injury is still healing as normal. I'll be alright.”

  He softened. “I know... But that's not the only thing that concerns me. Mira told us everything yesterday–from the man trying to kill you because of your witch heritage, to how you witnessed him die. She was very shaken up by all of it, too. That must have been awful… especially in addition to your injury.”

  Gadalik blinked, then glanced away. “I admit I've come to expect death–or the dead–to be around most places I end up in… But what truly stood out to me yesterday was finding out how twisted our history with witches has become. Everything I've learned from books that were labeled nonfiction is just… so skewed. And the worst part is, I think it was intentional–to paint them in so bad a light that the witch hunt appeared justified. Nowadays witches exist in so few numbers that their true history is either kept to themselves, overshadowed by the majority's views, or simply not believed by people who were taught the same things as me and the killer from yesterday.”

  Gale gave a solemn hum to acknowledge him.

  “I can't help but think… that I could have ended up killed like the witch victim, or I could have ended up like the killer himself had I remained as ignorant as him,” the witch hybrid admitted.

  “No… You would never end up like that man. There are some things even the smartest people in the world don't know. What matters is that you're willing to acknowledge that you don't know it, instead of assuming you have all the answers. You're willing to seek out the truth. That's what sets you apart from him. That, and because you have a good heart.”

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  Gadalik felt his eyes well up. “Thanks, Dad. I needed to hear that.”

  “Of course.” He ruffled his son’s striped green bangs, and the latter playfully pushed him away. “Do you want me to bring you dinner?”

  “Eh. I'm not really hungry.”

  “Oh… Some water, then?”

  He remembered what his mother said, then nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.”

  When his father retrieved a glass of ice water for him, he observed the teen take a sip. “Are you sure you're okay? Physically, I mean…? You haven't eaten since you left with Mira yesterday.”

  “I’m sore, and feel too sick to eat right now… but I'll be better soon, I promise.”

  "Do you think that enchantress could help? What was her name… Guinevere?"

  "Yeah. But she lives so far… I'll get better on my own, so I don't think we should have her come all this way just for me."

  "...What if it's not just for you?"

  "Huh?"

  "Last week, you mentioned Glacia has been feeling fatigued for a couple weeks before that, but I never knew the extent of it until my stay here. It might be because she's been losing sleep; more than once, I woke up to her repeatedly going in the bathroom. And a few times, I’ve caught her throwing up in there. But she doesn't have a fever or cough, and she keeps telling me she's fine. I'm just worried about her, and don't know who else could help..."

  She threw up again? "Alright. Guinevere might be our best option, then. Go ahead and give her a call."

  Gadalik managed to wake up early the next day, for the first time since getting home. He was expecting Guinevere to pay them visit, so that was another reason not to stay in bed. He went through his routine and went downstairs, his stomach growling when the scent of his father’s omelets reached his nose.

  "There you are!" Glacia chimed from her usual spot on the couch. "I'm happy to see you up and running again!”

  "Thanks, Mom. I'm feeling better today, actually,” the teen realized. “But how are you? Are you okay?”

  She tilted her head slightly. "Of course I am. A bit tired, if I'm honest. Why?"

  "Have you been eating too much?" Is that why she's been puking?

  "Uh… maybe. I've had a good appetite for the most part, but certain foods I used to love have been making feel bad these few weeks. But enough about me! You're the one I'm worried about here; you haven’t been eating at all!”

  “I actually feel starved right now, so that's a good thing,” he assured her. Raising his voice just enough for Gale to hear, he added, “It would be hard not to eat after smelling Dad’s cooking.”

  He heard the darker-skinned man stifle an embarrassed laugh from the kitchen. “It's almost ready, if you want to come to the table.”

  “Sweet!” Glacia cheered, jumping to her feet to do just that. The second she got up, she staggered.

  Gadalik quickly steadied her. “Mom?!”

  “Woah… Got dizzy for a moment,” she mumbled.

  "Gadalik...?" Gale asked, having heard the commotion. "What happened?"

  “Nothing!” she called back to her boyfriend before their son had the chance to speak.

  “Nothing?” Gadalik echoed to her quietly. “Mom, this might be serious… You shouldn't hide it from us.”

  “Hide? And just what do you think I'm hiding?”

  “You're sick, or something. I'm guessing it's some kind of stomach virus, but no matter what it is, we know you're suffering from it. Please don't shut us out; we can help, even if it's just by offering support.”

  By this point Gale approached them to see what was going on. “Glacia?”

  She scowled. “I'm fine, okay! If it is a virus, it'll go away, so I'll just wait it out.”

  “Virus? Gadalik, what is she talking about?”

  “I'm only guessing it's a virus. She won't tell me anything, either,” the spook said.

  “Because there's nothing to tell!” Glacia exclaimed. “I'm fine! Just drop it and let's all have breakfast together, alright?”

  Gale seemed torn between respecting her want for privacy and his own want to help her. He shook his head. "This has been going on for weeks; I can tell you haven't been improving.”

  “Weeks…? You mean…”

  “Yeah. Gadalik told me you've been acting off since three weeks ago. And from what I've seen, it's only gotten worse. You can't expect us to believe you're ‘fine’ just because you say it. Unless… you think you're fine for a reason.”

  “What?”

  He gently took her hand and guided her to sit on the couch with him, looking into her eyes with genuine concern. "Is there something you know, that you're not telling us...?"

  Glacia froze. The tension in the air was palpable. Then she took a breath and sighed. “I really don't know what's wrong… But I feel normal most of the time, so I don't think it's serious enough to worry you guys over.”

  Gale gave her hand a comforting squeeze. “Heh. I know what you mean,” he said with a somber smile. “But I also know that keeping injuries or illnesses to yourself only makes it worse–for you, and the ones who care about you. We love you, Glacia. We want to be there for you.”

  She sniffled, wiped her watering eyes, then hugged him. “Alright…”

  He held her for a minute. “Remember I told you about inviting that friend over?”

  “Yeah, I said you could. What about it?”

  “She might be able to tell us what the matter is. That's… why I invited her in the first place.”

  “You mean… a doctor?” Glacia visibly stiffened. Then she pulled away from him, her brows furrowed, not hiding how appalled she was by that idea. “You know I hate doctors! For you and Gadalik, they're fine; but for me, all they want is my money! Those greedy quacks couldn't care less about my health–”

  “Relax, she's not a doctor. It's Guinevere,” Gadalik said. “She's helped me three times before; you can trust her.”

  “...Oh.” Glacia blushed, embarrassed. “That's okay, then.”

  Gadalik’s stomach growled loudly and he froze. His parents laughed.

  “Breakfast is done, by the way,” Gale told them with his usual lighthearted smile. “Come on, let's eat.”

  By evening, the three of them had settled comfortably on the couch when there was a knock on the front door.

  “That must be Guinevere,” Gadalik guessed, moving to answer it.

  Glacia tensed. “Wait…!”

  Her son paused and turned to her. “Why?”

  “I'm scared,” she admitted. “What if she tells us I have something bad…?”

  “Wouldn't you rather know if you did have something bad?”

  She shrugged, but still fidgeted nervously. “If I find out I'm dying or anything, that's going to ruin my happiness while I'm still alive.”

  “You said it yourself, you feel normal most of the time. I don't think it's that serious.”

  She bit her lip, looking away.

  He sighed and opened the door, then smiled to see a woman with golden eyes and light yellow hair in a thick braid down the back of her pale blue dress. She greeted him with a wave of one hand, the other gripping a large satchel; both hands were covered by a white rubber glove that also concealed her arms nearly up to her elbows. On either side of her upper arms were pink tattoos in the silhouetted shape of a butterfly wing, just darker than the color of her apron, which was tied on with a large white ribbon just like her braid.

  “Glad you could make it, Guinevere!” he said happily.

  “Hello again, young man. Your father mentioned you've had a ruptured intestine, so I've brought some things that could help with pain, cramping, and nausea,” she explained.

  "Oh–she's the one who helped you on your birthday," Glacia recognized her voice. "It's nice to meet you in person!”

  The woman smiled. “Likewise.”

  “Please, come in,” Gadalik welcomed her. “I appreciate you bringing things to help me, but my main concern right now is my mom…”

  Guinevere moved to the couch and kneeled in front of the Glacia. There was an awkward silence until she looked to Gale. "You said she's been vomiting?"

  "Yes, and she's had dizzy spells, too," the man replied. He gently prompted his girlfriend to offer any symptoms she hadn't shared with her family.

  The purple-haired woman braced herself as Guinevere hummed and wrapped her gloved hand around the former's bicep. "Her blood pressure is a little low. That must be what's caused her to feel dizzy, especially after standing or moving too abruptly.”

  "I see… What might cause it to be low?"

  The enchantress moved her hand to Glacia's forehead. The latter didn't seem too keen on being touched as it was, but when Guinevere moved to check her abdomen, Glacia sat up quickly, pulling away from her and crossing her arms over it.

  "Mom? What's the matter?" Gadalik prompted.

  "I-I…" Glacia looked pleadingly at her boyfriend. “I'm scared,” she repeated, more desperately than before. Gadalik began to feel guilty for dismissing her fears earlier; she sounded terrified.

  "Hey, don't worry. Whatever's wrong, Guinevere can find out," Gale assured her. “She may even be able to treat it. But we have to give her a chance, first…”

  Glacia still seemed reluctant.

  “We’ll be here every step of the way,” her boyfriend reassured her. At that, she released a breath and moved her arms to either side.

  Guinevere gently placed her hand on the younger woman’s abdomen, and her golden eyes lit up with recognition. "That explains it. You're the father, yes?" she asked Gale.

  He exchanged a glance with his practical son. "Yeah. But what does that have to do with Glacia's condition?”

  "It's not unexpected that she would have morning sickness and dizzy spells in the first trimester.”

  "Trimester? You mean she's…?"

  Glacia's eyes widened, then watered, and she looked away.

  "You didn't know?" Guinevere said. "She's about seven weeks along."

  "Seven weeks…" Gale thought for a moment, then his cheeks modestly reddened. "That was… our date night.” He shook his head and faced his girlfriend. “We were safe, though… Right?”

  "Yeah," Glacia said quietly.

  "Nothing can guarantee safety," Guinevere stated, looking between the couple as they both tried to process this.

  “At least you're not dying,” Gadalik spoke up in a forced attempt to lighten the mood. He regretfully covered his mouth when his mother stifled a sob.

  "I kind of suspected it, but this was what I was scared of finding out,” Glacia confessed, “because I know how you feel about kids, Gale. But I… I think I want this. So… I understand if you don't–"

  “N-No, don't even think that,” her boyfriend interrupted. “I'm not going anywhere. I just… I just need a minute…” He took a shaky breath.

  "Dad…. Talk to us. How are you feeling?" Gadalik prompted gently after a few beats of silence.

  "I'm shocked… and happy… but scared…”

  "Scared?"

  "What if something goes wrong…? My mother died from childbirth... I don't want that to happen to Glacia--and I don't want the guilt I suffered from surviving to be something our kid feels if that does happen, either..."

  “Oh…” Glacia wrapped an arm around him in a sympathetic embrace.

  "I may be able to help spot any complications," Guinevere offered. "So far things seem to be normal. The dizzy spells could be indicative of heart issues in the mother, but in Glacia’s case, it's mostly due to hormones. Her heart is fine.”

  Gale sniffled. "But what if something happens afterward? There's so much responsibility involved in raising a baby… What if they get hurt and I can't save them…?"

  "You've always come through for me," his son pointed out.

  "But there were still close calls… Like, the reason for your current injury is because a ghost attacked you when you pushed me out of its way. I don't want to fail you or anyone else I love. And babies are so much more fragile…"

  "Everything's going to be fine," Glacia promised. "I know you. You're already a great father… That isn't going to change." She reached for his hand with her free one, and when he still seemed anxious, she pulled him into a hug. "I love you, Gale…”

  "I love you, too," he murmured, holding her securely in return.

  Guinevere watched the two for a moment. "I'm glad things will work out. Is there anything else I can help with while I'm here?"

  “I think that's everything for right now," Gadalik answered while his family sobbed in each other's arms.

  "Alright. It was nice to see you again, Gadalik. Take care," she said before leaving.

  Gadalik turned his attention to his adoptive parents. "Mom… Dad… You're going to be a mom and dad," he joked.

  Gale laughed at that, letting go of his girlfriend and wiping his eyes. "And you're going to be a big brother. How are you feeling?"

  Gadalik blinked. "You guys are not going to kick me out after it's born, are you?"

  "Of course not," Glacia chided.

  "Right; we need you here," Gale said.

  The teen felt his cheeks warm.

  "...To babysit,” his father added with a grin to show he was kidding.

  The two laughed, and Glacia rolled her eyes with mock annoyance.

  "So what are we going to name her?" Gale wondered.

  "Her?" Glacia echoed.

  He blushed. "Well, we already have a son…"

  Gadalik smiled.

  "We'll have plenty of time to think of names,” she said. “Gadalik can help, too."