MARA JANE - TWO MONTHS LATER

Things have finally gotten much better on the school front, but things are really weird at home. I'm still not used to having 'staff' do things for us, Jacob is absolutely flourishing on this world (although with his easy going nature, he'd probably thrive anywhere), and Daddy and Papa seem to have switched personalities. Things that Daddy would have handled easily on Earth seem to often send him into a rage here and Papa takes them all in stride - well, after he calms Daddy down.

Thanks to working on a project with a girl in my class, I now have an Eltarian friend. Amazingly enough, she and Megan get along quite well also. In fact, the three of us are almost inseparable. That project was both the high point and low point of my life here so far and that includes the problems with Uncle Jax and Calan in the past. The teacher had assigned us our partners - knowing, I'm sure, that I'd have been hard pressed to get anyone to partner with me. It's actually pretty funny how she paired me with the smartest (and most shy) girl in the class, apparently thinking that I'd need the help.

Turned out, my strengths worked extremely well with hers. Sinai is really good at the artsy type things - posters and whatnot - whereas research and writing are my strong suits. Together we turned out the best project that the teacher had ever seen and she's been teaching for three hundred years. Although that led to some people thinking that Sinai had done all the work and I was just coasting on her coattails or that one of my fathers had done the work for me. I thought that Daddy was going to go on a power fueled rampage after that came out.

Papa handled it though, and now Sinai spends most of her spare time at our house. I still remember the night that it came out why Sinai has never invited me to her house.

We were all sitting at the dinner table, the boys having bolted down their food so that they could get back to their game. Papa asked Sinai, "So how do your parents feel about you spending so much time over here?"

The smile had fallen off her face and her gaze dropped to her plate. "They don't know that I'm here, Lord Zedd. They just know that I'm at a friend's house."

Daddy looked bothered by that. "Zedd-"

Papa held up a hand to stop him, keeping his attention on Sinai. "Why haven't you told them?"

"My lord-"

"And that's enough of that" Papa had chastised her gently. "Inside these walls, only the lower staff use our titles. You may call us Zedd and Tommy if you like or even Mr. Oliver and Dr. Oliver if you'd prefer - just as Megan and Dylan do."

She had looked confused, so Megan helped her out. Pointing at each of my fathers in turn, she said, "Zedd is Mr. Oliver and Tommy is Dr. Oliver. On Earth, Dr. Oliver has earned his title and Mr. Oliver's means nothing there because they don't use it."

My new friend took this in for a minute before responding to Papa's question. "Mr. Oliver, right now my parents are just happy that I have a real friend and not someone who is using my intelligence for their own benefit. They're happy enough that they've not asked who my friend is, nor her parents. Once it occurs to them to ask, I have no doubt that they'd want to use my friendship with Mara Jane to -"

"Social climb" Papa finished calmly. "I know the type, young one, and am certainly able to handle it. Or if not that, they'd use my past to try and keep you from her, yes?"

"Probably" she admitted reluctantly. "And powers only knows what they'd say or do if they found out I was friends with Megan too." Sinai looked at Megan. "Sorry."

"Don't be" Megan had assured her. "I know how my species is viewed by many of yours. You don't think I'm less so it doesn't matter."

"It matters to me" Sinai had insisted.

I exchanged a look with Papa and Daddy. I knew that Daddy wanted to protest, but was keeping quiet, letting Papa handle things. Papa suggested, "Perhaps the thing to do, Sinai, is to ease your parents into it. Start by mentioning Mara Jane and Megan by name, but no further information just yet. Tell them about the things you girls do together and the fun you have with them. If things turn against you at home in relation to your friendship, then I and Thomas will deal with your parents - although it would certainly be best all around if they can just accept things as they are."

The doorbell rings, bringing me out of my memories. I go to answer it, sure it will be Sinai. I open the door and it is Sinai, but she's been beaten. "Oh, god. Sinai, are you okay? Who did this to you?" I help her inside and close the door, hollering as I do. "DADDY! PAPA!"

In less than a minute, I'm surrounded by adults. Papa glances up at Megan. "Go get Pina. Now."

Megan takes off as Papa carefully picks her up and takes her to the infirmary. I start to ask her again who did it, but Papa cuts me off. "It will wait a few minutes, Mara Jane."

I wait impatiently for Aunt Pina to check her over. Megan comes over and puts her arm around me, looking just as concerned as I am. Finally, Aunt Pina looks up. "It's all minor, but it probably hurts like hell." She grabs a jar of healing salve and puts some on the worst of her injuries before handing the jar to Sinai. "Take this with you, child, and use it as you need to."

"Thank you" Sinai answers shyly.

"Who did this to you, Sinai?" Papa asks. "Was it your parents? Siblings? Other kids? Strangers?"

Her gaze falls to her lap. Softly, she says, "Some of the others from our class. They said that with as much as I'm hanging out here, I've probably acquired dark powers by now and they wanted me to show them - use them. They - challenged me to fight."

I'm trying desperately to keep my rage under control. Daddy speaks up, his own rage evident. "I'm going to go and-"

"No, Thomas."

"But-"

"I'll handle the kids, Daddy. After all, this didn't happen at school, so they can't do anything about it. And I'm pretty sure that their parents don't know about this either."

"They should though!"

Papa and I exchange looks, both of us wearing the same smirk. "I have no doubt that Mara Jane will get the message across, Thomas. The situation will be made more than clear, love."

Good. Papa and I are of the same mind about this. By the time all is said and done, everyone will know that Sinai is under my protection, and by extension, Papa's as well. This is going to be fun.