A/N: Just a warning that suicide is discussed briefly in this chapter.
"Hello Emily Jane." Mr. Moon adjusted the phone, nuzzling it more securely between his shoulder and ear before reaching for the stacks of folders on his desk. "Haven't heard from you in awhile."
A soft laugh, like a shimmering ring of bells sounded through the phone. "Hi, Moon. I've been busy. How are you, old man?"
"I'm just fine, little one. Been looking through some old research."
"Oh, you have? Nothing new to spare your time for?" Emily Jane inquired, an edge of teasing to her voice.
Moon smiled, reminded of when Emily Jane was just a small girl, babbling away to him about all the flowers she'd collected from a park visit she and her mother had made. All the shades of blue described by a rather talkative 3 year old were comparable to the big blue of the sky and tattered fade of an old comforter slung over a chair in an abandoned study. She loved nature and it, just as much, loved her.
"Afraid not, as disappointing as that sounds. Although, I do have a student who is taking up on the adventure of pursuing botany." Moon told her, hoping to perk up her interests.
"Botany?" Emily Jane said. "Hm, I feel as though an ask for a visit is bound to happen before the end of the phone call."
"Would I be wrong to ask?" Moon asked, knowing she didn't like to come around Burgess. Too many… sour memories.
"I am older now, you know. More… capable, I'd like to think."
"You've never asked to visit yourself. Either I ask or I come to visit you in D.C." He sighed, picking up the stack to move on top of his briefcase. The papers inside the folders needed to be graded, but the day was only half over. He'd have two more classes left to grade before he could officially pack up. "Which, I don't mind. As you know, I'd travel the world to see you."
"If I could travel the world, I'd invite you along for the ride- as you know." Moon could practically hear the smile she bore. "Actually, I was calling to ask. I figured it would be a good idea since it will be five years since everything with Mom."
Moon didn't have to ask what she'd meant. Her mother died when she was seventeen, driven to unbearable sadness she couldn't bring herself to escape, and had taken her own life one weekend when Emily Jane was visiting Moon. A neighbor had found her, as per the request of Emily Jane asking them to check on her everyday, and the weekend visit had turned into a permanent one. Moon helped her bridge the gap between high school and college, until Emily Jane eventually decided to drop out and become a florist. She owned her own business in D.C. Modest and humble, but successful nonetheless. Moon had never doubted her for a second. Emily Jane was the type of person one shouldn't doubt, either. She could handle her own very well. She'd had to since she was small.
"I'd love to have you visit, dear. You know that." Moon told her, a gentleness in his voice.
"Good. I may leave within the next week or two, if that's all right? There are a couple of weddings I'm booked for, but one of them seems a little more than shaky, if you know what I mean." Emily Jane huffed out a breath. "The bride is my age, you know. I don't understand the heinous rush to get saddled up with someone for the rest of your life. Especially at that age."
Moon bit back the urge to tell her that her mother was only a year older when she'd married her father. He knew it wasn't a good example, given how that had turned out. But Kozmotis had genuinely loved Ellie in the beginning. It was only when fear had twisted and corrupted him that-
"Moon? You still there?"
"What? Yes, yes, I'm still here. I'm sorry, I'm trying to sort papers. We're approaching our mid-semester check-ups rather quickly, so I'm a little distracted." Moon eyed the clock. There was only five minutes left for lunch. "I'm running low on time too."
"Oh, okay! Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you at an important time!" Emily Jane apologized.
"No, you're fine, Emily Jane! I mean it, never be afraid to call me. If I don't pick up, I'll call you back as soon as I can. Always have, always will." Moon reassured her.
"You're always there for me, Moon, but you don't have to, okay? Like I said, I'm more capable now."
"I know, but I do like talking to you and seeing how things are going."
"Well, I like checking up on you too. Have to make sure you're not getting into any trouble." Emily Jane told him.
Mr. Moon grinned. "Of course."
They said their goodbyes, with a promise to have Emily Jane call as soon as she knew what was going on.
Moon sighed after he hung up. It pained him to notice just how much Emily Jane was like her father before the caverns. How stubborn, quick-witted, and empathetic she was. She was her father's ghost, but more lively than Kosmotis could ever be now. The first flower to bloom in a torn war zone.
"Sandy…" Jackson started. "You're freaking me out, man."
Sandy did nothing but grin wider as he swirled the sand in front of him. Tooth watched in silent awe with North and Aster gaped in shock. They were all at Jackson's house, shut away in his room while Emma played with Pippa and Cupcake. Jackson had hoped Pippa's mom was home to watch them and, luckily, she was. He made up something about his friends working on a group project with him, saying that he wouldn't be able to watch Emma as closely as he usually did. Pippa's mom didn't seem to care and promised to call if anything went wrong.
"This is impossible." Aster said for the millionth time that day.
North pointed at Aster's hair. "Sure it is, friend."
"I mean, hair changing colors- that makes sense! Maybe… Maybe my hair just aged!" Aster exclaimed.
"Maybe you'll go bald by tomorrow morning." Jackson muttered.
"Maybe I'll shave your head in your sleep, you gumby!" Aster snapped.
"There's gotta be something else going on with you, Aster." Tooth said. "I have wings, Jackson can apparently freeze things, North is super strong, and Sandy…" Her voice trailed off and they all looked at Sandy, who smiled warmly at the glowing grains before him. "Sandy can do that." She finished.
"I don't want to know." Aster replied. "I don't need "something else going on". This is plenty enough for me." He ran a hand through the matte gray on his head.
"Could be worse." Nic shrugged.
"Yeah, well, I'd rather not go poking around and looking for more trouble." The Australian grumbled. "Next step is that we find out how to reverse this."
Sandy frowned as he looked over, the sand losing it's yellow shine and dropping to the ground. He signed, "Reverse?"
"Yes. We can't stay like this. What if those caverns are radioactive? What if- oh God, what if we're slowly being poisoned by our own bodies?" Aster panicked, eyes wide. He jumped up from his seat on the corner of Jackson's desk. "Oh God, oh no!"
Jackson rolled his eyes and got up, going over to Aster and grabbing him by the shoulders. "Aster, you're not thinking about what could really happen." He told him.
Aster froze. "What?"
Jackson looked him dead in the eyes, eyebrows arched, and voice level. "We could… turn into Spiderman."
Aster shoved him away, groaning. "Oh, I'm glad you think this is hilarious, Overland."
Jackson smirked, "Just having some fun."
"Possibly being radioactive isn't fun." Tooth said quietly. "Having wings isn't fun." She looked up at Aster. "Aster, how am I supposed to hide them?"
"I can make harness of sort." Nic piped up.
Tooth sat up straighter, "Really?"
He shrugged. "I make things. Is what I do. Just send measurements and I will work on it."
She smiled. "Thanks, Nic."
"Is no problem, Toothie."
"I wonder if you're wings are… functional." Jackson said.
Tooth leaned back. "What do you mean?"
"Like if she can fly?" Aster asked.
"Yeah. Haven't you wondered, Tooth?" Jackson turned to the petite girl.
"Uh. No. I'd rather not test it out either." Tooth replied. She could feel them twitch beneath her shirt.
"But you could fly!" Jackson protested.
"Jackson, I'm not going to launch myself off a building just because there's a slight chance I might fly." Tooth deadpanned, crossing her arms.
"Wait, weren't you freaked out pretty badly this morning?" Aster turned to Jackson. "About everything?"
Jackson made a confused face. "Yeah?"
Aster looked at him calmly, silently. Then, he made his way over to the window, unlatching and opening it.
Jackson's jaw dropped. "Uh, Aster?"
"Look, maybe I just need something to trigger a reaction." Aster explained as he climbed the ledge. "What if it has something to with heart rate?"
Jackson scrambled over to the window, grabbing one of the belt loops on Aster's jeans. "Whoatherebuddy! Come back inside!" He tried to jerk Aster back in, but Aster yanked himself away.
"Get off of me!" Aster yelled, trying to swat at Jackson with his right hand, his left hand clutching the pane of the window above him. He was unaware that his belt loop had gotten caught on the sill.
"I'm not letting you jump off my freaking roof!" Jackson retorted.
"Just-just stop!" Aster jerked his right leg to join his left on the outside of the window, but then-
His belt loop ripped.
Aster's eyes went wide and he choked out a shocked yell as toppled over and onto the slanted roof.
"Aster!" Tooth screamed.
Jackson stuck his head out of the window, trying to grab Aster, "Shit!" He reached his arms out in vain as he attempted a rescue, but Aster was rolling down the slats too fast. Without a second to waste, Jackson threw the entire upper half of his body out of the window, still reaching out. "NO!"
He felt it before he saw it: the rippling cold of ice as it surged down his arms, going from his shoulders to his fingertips. A blue dart of ice shot out, almost like lightning, and snagged Aster's foot just before he rolled off the roof. Aster made a noise of surprise as his foot caught, only his head peeking over the roof.
"Oh my God." Jackson heard Tooth gasp behind him.
Nic stuck his head out of the window. "Do not move!"
"Really, Nic? DOES IT LOOK LIKE I WANT TO MOVE?" Aster screeched.
"Jackson, move back. I must fetch him." Nic gently tugged on Jackson's hood.
Jackson let out a breath of relief and nodded. "Yeah."
Slowly, he lifted himself back into his room as Nic carefully climbed out.
Sandy grabbed his hands when he turned back around, examining them closely. Jackson watched him, stuck in shock. Sandy looked back up to him curiously. He signed, "How did you do that?"
Jackson shook his head, mouth open for an answer he couldn't give. His hands fell away from Sandy's.
"Jackson." Tooth said. He looked at her. She looked like she'd just seen a ghost- terrified. "Your hair- your eyes."
He clenched his fists, feeling an unfamiliar charge of energy shoot through his fingers. "Oh God." He leaped over to his closet door, yanking it open and staring at the reflection he'd been greeted with that morning. White hair. Blue eyes. Not his.
"Jackson, what…" Tooth walked up behind him, staring with her mouth open in shock. She reached up to touch the strange strands of the frosty white on his head. Jackson didn't move as her fingertips brushed his hair, just barely. It felt cold. Like tiny wisps of ice that wouldn't melt. It was the weirdest thing she'd ever felt.
"You-You're… You're freezing, Jack."
She shivered, bringing her hand away slowly.
Suddenly, Aster practically jumped back through Jackson's window, hurling himself onto the floor in a disheveled heap. Jackson, Tooth, and Sandy all turned to him, startled by his graceless entrance. "Overland, you better tell me what just happened." He berated in a strained voice.
Nic came through next, stepping carefully back into the room. He looked over at Jackson and his face dropped. "Friend… You… have different… face?"
Aster sighed and looked up, seeing Jackson's new features. "Oh, what the bloody hell?"
Jackson stared blankly before adopting a rather venomous scowl. "Thanks a lot, you overly eager idiot! Hope you're happy! You're lucky I zapped you to my roof before you could tumble off."
For the first time in a long time, Aster blinked and muttered out a genuine apology. "I'm sorry, mate. I didn't… I didn't think this would really happen."
"Yeah, well, next time you should try believing me." Jackson snapped.
"Jackson, do you feel okay?" Tooth asked.
Jackson looked at her, immediately losing the horrible scowl. He looked on in silence for a few moments before nodding. "I'm fine."
"But your hair!" Aster piped up.
"I said I'm fine. It went back before. It'll go back again. Just… Just don't go jumping off of roofs when I'm around, Kangaroo. Next time I might just let you fall." Jackson deadpanned.
"We've really got to talk to someone about this." Tooth said, remembering the odd feeling of Jackson's new white hair.
Aster made a face. "I know, I know. But Moon might-"
"Moon is the only one who can help, Aster." Nic reminded him. "We need help."
As much as Aster wanted to think otherwise and as much as he wanted to keep putting off telling Moon what happened and how, he knew his friends were right.
Aster looked down at his scuffed tennis shoes in shame. "Just… just give me some time to work out what I should say, okay?"