Mal had trouble sleeping throughout the rest of the night. She was finally able to move from the bed after drawing her mother's castle and showered. When she left her shower and tied on her bathrobe, she left the bathroom and checked her phone for social updates. There, she found a message from Doug.

Hey, my plans for today were canceled and since Evie's out in the city for her summer internship today, I have the boys. Wanna get lunch with us, Penelope and you?

Mal cringed. She wanted to go out for the day, but Ben (after he soothed her from her nightmare) told her of Penelope's meltdown at the park. Mal was upset about that. Why did Penelope get upset? How bad was it that she, Penelope, caused that hurricane yesterday? Maybe today would be okay if the boys would go to the beach today and not the park.

Could we go to the beach? Penelope had a break down at the park yesterday and I don't think she wants to go back there anytime soon for any reason. I can bring sandwiches!

Five minutes later: Yeah! Sounds like fun.

Two hours later Mal walked into Penelope's room and shook the girl gently to wake her. "Nelly?" Mal sang out sweetly. "Wake up." Penelope turned over as she opened her eyes. "Your a sleepy head this morning," Mal giggled. "Wanna go hang out with your cousins and Uncle Doug today?"

"Where?" Penelope yawned.

"The beach." Mal smiled. "It's going to be nice out all day."

"Okay." Penelope replied as she sat up. Maybe no one be at the beach today. Everyone like the park. "Mommy, where were you yesterday?"

"I had to take care of some things," Mal said. She picked up Penelope and sat the little girl on her lap. "Penelope, Uncle Jay and Aunt Audrey and Ben told me what happened at the park yesterday." That was true, Jay had messaged Mal about the incident (but Mal didn't get the message until this morning, hours after it was sent). Penelope suddenly digged her head into Mal's arm a bit. "What made you cry yesterday, honey?"

Don't snitch! Jessalynn told me about a girl who snitched on her and Frankie and theys both got in big trouble! Don't snitch! "I missed you." She said.

"That's all?" Mal asked. Penelope nodded. "Were any of the children mean to you?" Penelope shook her head. "Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes mommy."

Mal was stuck. She felt like it was all a lie, but how could she get Penelope to tell her the truth? Then maybe she was telling the truth and was just super cranky about it. Mal sighed and said, "Okay. If you're sure about it."

"Can I go to bathroom now?"

"Sure," Mal said and put her down. Penelope skipped off to the bathroom and once she was inside, Mal fell backwards and put her hands over her face. "Parenting!" She moaned.

Several hours later Mal and Doug met up at Atlantica Beach with the kids, finding the beach sort of crowded. The boys and Penelope immediately ran to the water to swim out as far as they were allowed too while Mal and Doug sat on a blanket under the umbrella. Mal watched Penelope closely and saw, within minutes, her unknowingly creating a large wall of water every time she jumped up and down in the same spot in the water.

"Doug, were you at the park at all yesterday?" Mal asked.

"No, but I heard from Jay about the general of what happened. At least she saved me a shower." Doug smirked.

"Funny," Mal rolled her eyes. "I asked her what happened. She just said that she missed me."

"That caused that?"

"No, I think there's more." Mal said. She sighed. "Knowing love and kindness and stuff, I thought raising a child would be a lot easier than raising a child back on the isle."

"What was it like for you? I know Evie told me that her mother usually either starved or slapped her in the face."

"Yeah, her mom was the most kindness in evil ways compared to the other parents. My mother kick, punch and throw me around a lot." Mal told him. "I don't even know if this has been going on for a while or if yesterday it started."

"Keep an eye on her. If she's still not acting like herself than we'll figure out something." Doug said. "I may have minored in psychology but I'm no expert kid therapist so much."

"Minor in psychology?" Mal laughed.

"I know. It's cliché." Doug laughed.

Mal then had an idea in her mind. But how could she tell Doug without telling Doug? "Hey, can I ask for advise then? Strictly therapist business."

"Sure," Doug said up. "Strictly therapy business. What's up?"

"It's about me...friend, Melissa."

"Who's Melissa?"

"A friend from high school back in Halloweentown," Mal lied perfectly. "She's recently ran into a situation and asked me for advise because she trusts me."

"I'm all ears."

Mal took a huge breathe and began the story.

"So about nine years ago, Melissa was going out with this kid name Jim. They were friends for a couple of weeks and then began dating. So they had been dating for a month and during that time, Melissa ran into this other kid that she hadn't seen in years. His name is...Bobby, I believe. Bobby fell head over heels for Melissa right that second, so to say, and kept sending her love notes and shit. Melissa never responded to them so she figured that would be enough for Bobby to back the fuck off of her. So then comes three months after Melissa and Jim started to date and freaking Bobby is an asshole. Bobby tricked Melissa to meet her somewhere by pretending to be her friend Brenda in trouble and Melissa went to go save Brenda. Bobby then reveal it was him and the two of them began to argue. He pretty much declared his love for her, but she told him that it wasn't love. He just had some sort of infatuation with her or something. Am I speaking too fast?" She asked her friend.

"No, I've got that."

"So then fucking Bobby and sweet girl Melissa keep arguing and then fight and Melissa kicks his damn ass pretty good, as she told me. She then leaves and just as she is pretty much out the front door to leave the house, Bobby knocked her out cold." Mal continued. Her temper was rising as the memory was shared. She knew every detail too well and it pissed her off. But now, as she was ready to share the next part, her nerves shook up. "Uh, when Melissa, came to it...you know, woke up?" She stared him in the eyes. "Bobby was, uh..."

"Bobby was what?"

"...In her?" Mal said, trying to stay calm without sobbing. "He...was pinning her...hard...and I think...he had a knife next to her...she can't remember if there was a knife next to her neck or not...but he threaten her to keep quite...somehow he did that if there was no knife there."

Doug, who's eyes widen a bit when Mal said that, sort of figured what she was telling him. "Go on." He said calmly.

"So...yeah," Mal said. "Uh...she was sort of in shock for a few days, weeks I suppose. Then she found out she was pregnant with her child. Jackson. Jackson is, unfortunately, Bobby's child. Melissa was so freak out by it in so many ways that she was afraid to tell Jim about it. So she just sort of left him with no note and went to live with her friend, Ashley. Jim didn't know Ashley's address though and couldn't find either Ashley or Melissa, so they both seemed to fall off the Earth.

"So Melissa had Jackson and though she missed Jim and loathed how she became pregnant with Jackson, she loved being a mommy to her little man." Mal smiled. "Then things sort of got weird for her."

"How so?"

"Well, Melissa's mother died when she was a few months old, so her grandmother Betty took care of her. Melissa loved her grandmother, but Betty was tough as hell on Melissa. Betty died while Melissa was gone being pregnant and stuff, so through her dead spirit and stuff Betty learned of the pregnancy and haunted her by it. Telling Melissa that her son, Jackson, was an unloved bastard baby and that if Jim ever learned of Jackson, than he'd forever and eternally hate Melissa for the rest of her life and stuff."

"And the grandmother was like this before Melissa met Jim again?" Doug asked.

"Uh, yeah, the grandmother did this before and after Melissa and Jim reunited." Mal explained. "So then Jim and Melissa reunited a few weeks ago and Jim has no idea who Jackson is yet. Melissa's got this feeling that Jim wants to be with her and she too with him, but is worried about his thoughts on Jackson being around. I mean, I have this...idea...that Jim would like to be, ya know, Melissa's first, you know? But obviously she isn't."

"Okay."

"And Betty is still haunting her ass on all of this. BUT! Turns out, Betty isn't freaking dead!"

"Betty is alive?"

"Yeah. She's living somewhere else with memory loss or something like that." Mal said. "So I guess what I'm asking is, to tell her, who the hell is haunting her head and should she tell Jim about Jackson and how Jackson came to be?"

Doug sat there in silence for a few moments taking it all in. "Well, I believe I have an idea on who's haunting Melissa."

"Who?"

"Herself."

"Excuse me?" Mal sneered. "She's haunting herself?"

"Yes. Her own mind is haunting her. Actually, it's not really haunting. It's more a message."

"A message?"

"Symbolism too. Melissa is worried about how Jim will feel about Melissa being a non-virgin and baring a child that is not his own. The grandmother, who sounds like she already had feared growing up as you put it, symbolizes Melissa's fear about telling Jim about Jackson."

"How can Melissa stop that?"

"It'll stop when Melissa tells Jim about everything." Doug told her. "I would suggest that she take some time to be friends with Jim again and then after some time, tell him everything."

"What is she is worried about certain stuff? Like not telling him she was going out since they share an apartment together."

"Slow and steady and when she feels confident, she should tell him. If Jim loves her the way she seems to love him, I'm positive that Jim wouldn't be mad at her and maybe even seeing Jackson as his own child."

"What if he blames Melissa for...the...ya know?"

"It's not her fault. That Bobby tricked her." Doug scooted closer to a tiny bit. "In rape cases, it's never the victims fault."

"She went out though."

"To save her friend. She did what was right not knowing the future. Bobby, in a way, took advantage of her kindness knowing that. Bobby is at fault, not Melissa."

Mal listened to his words. It all made perfect sense, some of which she knew was true, but she was still afraid to tell him. She smiled at Doug though. "Okay, I'll tell her. Thank."

"No charge," He laughed.

After lunch, Penelope took herself to some rocks where she thought shells would be. She looked around, finding nobody near by, Penelope spread the water apart so that it was easier to pick up the shells and sea glass in the water. She picked up a few she liked then placed the water back. She turned around and started walking back on the shore. She came to an abrupt stop when she nearly walked into someone.

"Sorry." She looked up, only to be shocked. In front of her was one of the kids from the park yesterday.

"I though Geraldine joking about you being a dragon." He said.

"I'm no dragon. I'm a fairy."

"I just see you use magic."

"So does Jane and her mommy."

"But they nice." He said. "You and your mommy look like Maleficent lady and she evil. Geraldine say you and your mommy are related to Maleficent."

"No, Maleficent a dragon. Mommy and I are faeries." Penelope said.

"Dragon freak!" The boy shouted, pushing Penelope into the water.

Penelope flopped back into the water, loosing her shells and sea glass. She looked up and saw the boy running away, towards a group of other kids.

Within seconds they were all pointing and laughing at her direction. Penelope sniffed a few times, trying to hold back tears.

Mal worked on a sandcastle after lunch. She added the third tower when Penelope came over. "Hey Nelly. What's up?"

"Down." She said with a pout.

"What's down?"

"My shells. I pick up pretty shells and fell and lost them in the water."

"Oh it's okay Nelly," Mal said and held Penelope's hand. "We'll pick up some more in a bit."

"Okay." Penelope said. "Where Uncle Doug?"

Before Mal could answer, she saw Doug walking back. Frustration on his face and each twin under an arm. "We'll be back in a little bit. The little warriors here thought it was fun to tackle and throw rocks at some kids."

"But Daddy! Those kids were being mean!" Dwight yelled. "We heard them call a girl a mean dragon!"

"Yeah! We over heard them call a girl a mean dragon!" Derek added.

"Who's the girl?" Mal asked.

"We don't know. We just heard them say there is a bad dragon on the beach and there are no such thing as bad dragons." Derek said.

"We do not hurt others those. You two know that," Doug said. "We'll be back in a bit."

Doug carried off the twins, leaving the mother and daughter duo along.

Both, individually, thinking they knew who the dragon girl was.

Individually, they thought of themselves and not the other.

I'm no dragon and neither is Mommy. Both of us are faeries

At least they're calling me the dragon and not Nelly. I can deal with it.

Wow! Nearly 3,00 words for this chapter!

What did you all think about Doug's advise for "Melissa" ?

Poor Mal and Penelope, both thinking they were the one called dragon by the group of kids.