"This just in; the Dimmsdale Daze will return March of 2003!" the vertically challenged news anchor Chet Ubetcha announced through the limousine's tv screen. "Mark your calendars for all new rides, all new games, and all new fun!"

"Hmmph…" Unimpressed, Remy folded his arms. The seven o'clock news was the only thing worth watching on his ride to school, but even that was getting tired. He raised his right arm to address the purple watch around his wrist "I wish the tv was off."

"…with the remote sitting right next to you?" Juandissimo pointed out.

"…does that not count as a wish?" Remy also pointed out. "I mean, it's almost like you want to explode into fairy dust…"

"Not really…" Juandissimo grumbled, sparking his wand. In a poof, Chet Ubetcha vanished into black, filling the limousine with silence.

Juandissimo understood the why, but out of millenniums of godparenting, Orville Remy Buxaplenty V had to be the most unimaginative child he'd ever met. 'I wish I had fuzzier slippers,' 'I wish the shower was cleaned.' 'I wish I had a T-bone steak with an ice cream sundae.' With these mundane wishes, you'd think a Fairy Godparent was just hired help with magic.

The fairy redirected from his mental rant when his godchild covered his mouth from a prolonged yawn. "…are you tired?"

"Sort of…" Remy sighed jadedly. Thanks to Fenwick sneaking into his room again last night…

"We still have about fifteen minutes; how about quick nap?" Juandissimo politely suggested.

Half-lid eyes stared off, considering the idea. His eyes did feel a bit heavy.

"Go on." Juandissimo nudged, grinning lightly. "I will wake you when we arrive."

Deciding not to object, Remy removed the Dior bag strapped around his shoulder to get more comfortable as Juandissimo poofed a temporary pillow. The young billionaire lay on his left side across spongy slate leather, and as the fairy watched the boy's fast descent into sleep, his grin faded in thought.

No matter how early or late, Remy always woke up more tired than he was before he'd gone to bed. If that wasn't strange enough, Remy had dressed himself that morning because, apparently, Fenwick overslept. He had asked Remy if this happened sometimes, but the way Remy answered seemed unnecessarily cagey. Like he was hiding something.

Juandissimo also noticed how the two would interact; the awkward shoulder touch, the longing in Fenwick's voice when he spoke. The lingering eye contact every time the nanny looked at the boy, admiring him in an objectifying manner. The vibes just felt…off. Like something was going on that shouldn't be, something he wasn't as aware of as he should be.

Remy jerked before resettling with sleep, and Juandissimo pondered if he was doing his job.

. . . . . .

"The Crimson Chin rules!" Chester declared.

"Crash rules, the Chin stinks!" AJ countered.

Black eye less swollen yet still sore when he blinked, Timmy walked alongside his two best friends through the hall. Half-listening to the needless debate regarding the upcoming 'Crash Nebula Meets the Crimson Chin' tv special. They'd been going back and forth at the bus stop and the entire ride to school. He didn't have much to contribute and, frankly, he didn't feel like talking.

"Timmy likes the Crimson Chin!" Chester inserted Timmy into the debate, looking to the bucktooth boy for support. "Right, Timmy?!"

"He also likes Crash Nebula!" AJ argued. "He literally has all the video games!"

"And he has all the Crimson Chin comics!" Chester debated. "What's your point!?"

"Guys, can you just give it a rest!" Timmy blurted out, massaging his temples. Like dang, shut up!

"Dude, are you okay?" Chester's concern inquired.

"Do I look okay?" Timmy grouched, pointing at his eye.

"Dude, he was just asking." AJ matched Timmy's derisive energy.

"Well sorry if some of us are in a bad moo-"

A loud bang startled other students throughout the hall. The small boy saw stars when his entire body slammed face first into a nearby locker. Then, an annoying, taunting chuckle tore through swimming dizziness. "Watch where you're goin', Turner!"

"Knock it off, Francis!" Chester defended Timmy, stepping between the slouched boy and the school bully.

"Or else!" AJ threatened, making Francis scoff.

"What's wimps like you gonna do?"

"Keep being a dumb jerk and find ou-"

Standing as an onlooker with Sanjay and Elmer a few lockers down, Chloe flinched when Francis snatched AJ by his sweater vest. Hoisted eye level, AJ's false moment of bravery withered under the bully's snarl.

"Put him down!" Chester jumped to grab Francis' arm, only for Francis to whack him away with such force that the impact of his back crashing into the cluster of metal lockers slumped Chester to the ground, causing roars of gasps to erupt as AJ cried out "Chester!"

"Are you okay, sport?" the pink wristband spoke up as Timmy supported himself with a hand on the locker, shaking dizziness from his mind.

"What can we do?" the green one offered, Timmy groaning to unsteadied feet.

Regaining his bearings, Timmy caught sight of the most popular girl in school out of his peripheral, standing as an elegant gazelle among her flock. Her beautiful face smiled as if she'd been told the punchline to a joke, giggling after as the other popular kids pointed. All with direct eye contact.

…was she laughing at him?

"Not so tough now are you, egghead!" Francis sneered, AJ wincing from the unbrushed teeth speaking way too close to his face.

Turning to AJ kicking his legs as Francis tightened his grip, Timmy thought back to the other night. His fairies had helped him get his lick back against Vicky…until he took it too far, that is. That was in the privacy of his home; could his fairies do the same thing in public? Only one way to find out! He was going to show Trixie (and to everyone) that he wasn't just some weak loser.

He had too much bad blood to be weak.

"Guys." Timmy whispered to his wristbands, determination in his eye. "I wish I was stronger!"

A sudden burst of energy surged through his veins, muscles juiced up as if he'd injected a round of roids. Though his physical appearance remained a scrawny dweeb, Timmy puffed his chest like a world-renowned body builder. He felt…powerful, unbreakable. Unstoppable.

Slanting his brow, Timmy confronted the bully twice his size.

Realizing this, Francis looked down at the boy half his height, curling his lips into a crooked smile. "Don't worry, Turner. I'm not done with you."

"Well I'm done with you!" Mustering all of his strength, Timmy swung a right hook. Purposefully aimed for the center of dark denim jeans. Below the beltline.

Air escaped his lungs as the bully doubled over, grabbing his pulsing groin. Punched with such power that released the boy genius from Francis' prison, falling to the ground where he landed on his backside. Scurrying to his feet while the enemy was incapacitated, AJ ran to Chester's aid, shaking his shoulder as he lifted Chester by his chin. Chester's eyes remained closed before they blinked in a daze, and the gathered crowd watched Francis cry out, dropping to his knees in writhing pain.

Inner rage balling his fists, Timmy loomed closer to his adversary. He'd been blessed with magical strength that every weakling dreamed of; he couldn't let it go to waste. Clawing a wad of black hair, Timmy seized Francis into his grasp, and before Francis could even comprehend what was happening, Timmy socked three right hooks to the side of Francis's skull.

Trixie and her friends gasped when the school bully dropped like dead weight before Timmy's feet. Timmy glared down at the limp noodle, smirking at his work. "That was payback for this." he spat at the boy conked on the floor, bending down to point at his black eye knowing Francis couldn't see. "Vitamin Fist that, punk!""

"Timmy Turner!"

An Irish bellow caused Timmy's eyes to follow along with the unsuspecting gaze of his peers, spinning around to the heavyset woman from down the hall. Tanned face painted in makeup and ginger hair curled in a beehive bun, her voluptuous bosom sagged in her sky-blue blowse beneath her navy-blue blazer, a rounded arch in the rear of her matching knee-length skirt.

The bucktooth boy gulped under the glower of Dimmsdale Elementary's academic overseer.

"My office! NOW!"

The Art/Drama teacher swayed his hips in his casual strut around the classroom, monitoring his 4th grade class's progress on their art project for the day. A red beret matched the scarf around his thin neck where his stopwatch hung, yellow shirt with rolled sleeves tucked into flared, poofy khakis tucked into knee-high black boots.

"Oooooh, interesting use of color!" Mr. Bickles cheesed the fakest smile towards the student's randomized scrawl of red, orange, green, and brown crayon that looked like a dog sat on a piece of paper and took a shit. "Keep it up, girlfriend!"

While her other classmates worked in groups, the raven-haired girl sat at a table near the back corner of the room, isolated from the rest. After drawing a thick outline of glue onto a sheet of white cardboard paper, she uncapped her assorted glitter in color order from red to purple, fully focused with each shake of colorful sprinkles onto the glue. Once done, she lifted the paper to hold over the trashcan that she'd brought to have on standby next to her desk, shaking the page to remove the excess.

The teal bracelet around her wristband recognized the outline her godchild drew. "Oh wow, is that a raven?"

Tootie nodded, using the same glue to add texture to the raven's feathers.

"That's really pretty, Tootie." Rose complimented, impressed with Tootie's use of color and attention to detail. "Mr. Bickles will love it!"

Tootie shrugged dully. Mr. Bickles had assigned a freestyle art project, and honestly, it was the only thing she could think to do.

Rose observed Tootie's laser focus, sprinkling red glitter on different sections of feathers drawn in glue. Unlike her classmates' random doodles or meaningless cutout shapes, whenever Tootie attended art class, she crafted with purpose. Her hyperfocus and execution often resulted in high grades, the only A on her report card. Her artwork was always on main display in Mr. Bickle's classroom, often garnering an unwanted spotlight.

Outside of homework, meetings at the Kingdom Hall, prayer, family worship, and studying the bible on her own, any of the little free time was spent lost in her own art bubble. Drawing for hours on end, completely content. Art was the only time Tootie wasn't obsessed with 'obeying Jehovah.' She could get lost in creativity and escape from it all, something Rose could relate to. In fact, Rose decided why not take the opportunity to connect with her godchild.

"…I could…show you some of my old sketchbooks?"

Tootie paused, holding the orange glitter with a contemplative brow. What? Fairies do more than just wield magic?

"Not now." Rose clarified, curious if the pause meant Tootie was truly interested. "Just whenever…if you want."

"Oh my!" Mr. Bickles accidently made the little girl jump when he suddenly appeared in front of her. "May I take a closer look?"

Bending her head, Tootie shook off the excess before her coy hand handed him her project. Mr. Bickles examined the rainbow raven in genuine delight, aware it was unfinished yet impressed with what was completed so far. "Look everyone!" Mr. Bickles held her project high as the whole class veered their attention from their own projects. "Isn't this gorgeous?!"

"You only like it cuz it hassa rainbow onnit!" Winston pointed jokingly.

Mr. Bickle's smile withered as soon as it came. "…what does that have to do with-"

"I thought your people hated tha gays!"

A judging finger pointed at Tootie, reddening her cheeks hot.

"A rainbow is tha gay flag! That makes you a hypocrite!" Winston continued, his friends nosily edging on his arrogance.

"…t-that's not…" Tootie squeaked over her words, an unwanted spotlight blinding her in closeminded light. "…t-the rainbow…" her eyes darted between the many stares glued on her "…i-it's Jehovah's c-covenant of a new be-"

"Hey, everybody!" Winston stood up in his chair for this oh so important PSA. "Tootie's a hypocrite!" Winston began his taunting singsong, dancing in his seat. His friends soon joined him in his mocking tune, egging the rest of the class to chant along.

Attempting to assert his authority, Mr. Bickles yelled over the chanting for them to stop. Even threatening to call in Principal Waxelplax. His efforts fell on deaf ears, "Tootie's a hypocrite" amplifying in volume.

Rose saw Tootie grip her fists, braces cutting into her lip. "S-Stop it!" she cried out, resulting in louder chants. Some students even began banging on their tables, stomping their feet as the chant sped up in tempo. Tootie covered her ears, clenching her eyes shut from swelling tears. Imaginary walls closed in, squeezing pressure in her stomach. Bearing against her chest, pushing against her throat...

Until it erupted in an ear-pierced screech.

"I WISH YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP!"

Flashing sparkles dispersed into the air, and not a second later…dead silence.

Whimpers rocking her shoulders, purple eyes fluttered to see a sea of eyes…staring. No banging, no stomping, no chanting. Blank gazes directed towards the back corner of the room, towards her.

Tootie turned to Mr. Bickles, baffled eyes looking around trying to figure out what just happened in that split second before everything went disturbingly quiet. Her whimpers grew to soft cries as she turned back to everyone's continued stare. It wasn't just the stares that seeped dread into her spirit. Even if indirectly, even if unintentionally. Magic had been practiced in public, and anyone besides Jehovah could be watching…

Tootie shot from her desk, running past fixed stares and Mr. Bickle's concerned glance. Leaving with nothing but her teal bracelet in her burst out the classroom.

. . . . . .

Bursting through the girl's bathroom, black Coda boots scurried into the first stall available, slamming it shut. The back of her sweater vest hit the stall's door, sliding down to cold tile with palms muffling wailing sobs over her face.

"Hey, it's okay…" Rose remained calm in contrast to her godchild's cries of distress. "You're okay."

When that did nothing to quiet Tootie's sobs, Rose poofed out of her disguise to Tootie's level. Reaching out as cautiously as possible with two hands to both of Tootie's wrists, making Tootie's arms fidget the fairy's touch off in a shriek.

"Hey, it's just me." Rose tried again, this time grabbing hold of Tootie's clenched hands. "I won't hurt you."

This managed to soften Tootie's sobs back to whimpers, though she was still too distressed to open her eyes.

"…please look at me?"

Reluctantly, Tootie blinked in a squint. The mild fog over her glasses blurred her fairy's outline, yet she could still see teal orbs radiant in a maternal affection that she hadn't seen in forever.

"Making a wish does not mean you worship Satan." Rose maintained eye contact, emphasizing each word with gentle palms shaking Tootie's tense fists. "Nor does it make you a sinner."

The little girl sniffed in response, tears streaming rivets down her cheeks. The fairy godmother removed her hands, kneeling further.

"Whenever you made a wish, did anything catastrophic happen?"

Tootie hiccupped a breath through her teeth. "…n-no…"

"That's right." Rose began to smile, feeling hopeful that they might finally have a breakthrough. "And unless you make a crazy wish, nothing catastrophic will ever happen."

Removing her glasses with a sniffle, Tootie wiped creeping tears with the back of her arm. "…b-but-"

"Nothing bad is going to happen to you." Rose consoled, raising a palm to Tootie's cheek who winced from such a tender touch. "You. Are not. A bad person."

"…b-but I am…" Tootie brushed Rose's palm away.

"No-"

"I AM!"

Her sudden cry caused the fairy to jerk slightly, Tootie's glare glossed in tearful regret and inner shame. Gritting her fists to keep from screaming, Tootie diverted her eyes, shutting them once more. Aghast at herself and her dishonor against Jehovah as a conflicted murmur breathed passed trembling lips "…I-I am…"

Multiple simultaneous conversations buzzed throughout the cafeteria, groups of friends socializing with their respective social groups. The rich kids occupied a table in the middle of the cafeteria covered in elegant white cloth, a violinist serenading them as they gloated in their popularity whilst Remy (the richest of them all) rested his chin atop folded arms, ignoring them ignoring him.

The pool of unpopular kids (or the average kid) huddled in different corners of the cafeteria, conversing about the latest cartoon or coordinating plans after school. The geeks were engaged in battling their Pocketmon decks against each other before the little league and basketball jocks approached just to give them a hard time, playing catch with the geeks' milk cartons and eating off trays that weren't theirs.

Then there was the 'others.'

AJ and Chester left the lunch line after retrieving their trays of rectangle pizza, canned corn, a butter-less roll, Chips Ahoy-quality cookie, and cartons of white milk. Searching for a spot to eat, missing their third musketeer since kindergarten.

The morning altercation in the hallway had landed Francis in the nurse's office and Timmy in lunchtime and after school detention. They had tried to defend Timmy, that he was defending them from Francis and was somehow strong enough to take him down (though AJ had recollection of what actually happened more than Chester,) but because Principal Waxelplax had only seen Timmy as the main 'aggressor' when he repeatedly punched Francis in the head, Timmy was guilty until proven innocent.

In their search for a table, AJ happened to notice a head of towheaded hair, glancing to his right, stopping mid-step. Studying Chloe seated in front of Sanjay and that kid with the boil. She appeared to be staring down at something, her eyes a blue pool of somber sorrow.'

Realizing AJ had stopped, Chester turned around, perplexed. "Wussup, dude?"

"…let's sit over there." AJ suggested, gesturing at Chloe's table.

Chester followed AJ's point before looking back at him, his brow raised "…with them?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"No reason…" Chester shrugged coolly. "…just…you've never wanted to sit with them before."

"Well, that was before." AJ casually remarked. "Besides, Timmy's not here and we have no one else to sit with."

"True…" Chester sighed, keeping his opinions to himself. Something about those other unpopular kids bothered him; that Sanjay kid's shrill voice made his ears bleed, that boil on Elmer's face seemed like it had a life of its own, having seen it jiggle whenever he spoke. And that girl Chloe…the way she would stare off into space, twitching at her desk sometimes. It creeped him out.

Apple grilled cheese untouched in her Terry Totter lunchbox and the indigo necklace's calls to her left unanswered, Chloe could not tear her gaze away from the red 89.5 B marked on the lefthand corner of her most recent pop quiz. Antsy fingers faintly trembled with the quiz in her grasp, mulling over the half a point marked off for miscalculating her answer by one digit. The giant red X crossed over two other multiplication equations out of twenty scorned her, two equations she'd completely missed the mark on. Crippling anxiety gnawed at her nerves; this was her very first B of the entire semester. A freaking B!

Her parents will be so disappointed…she had failed them. Why am I so stupid…

"…w-what's wrong, Chloe?" Elmer observed the girl's silent decent into despair, unsure of what to do.

"You look as if you have seen a bhoota." Sanjay referenced the ghost in her complexion, just as concerned as Elmer.

"…I-I-I'm fine…" Chloe lowered eyes to the violet tremor that overtook her left hand, unable to stop it. Why am I so pathetic?

"Then why are you shaking?" Elmer pointed to her hand.

"I-I…" Chloe's right hand now tremored just as wildly as the left, dropping her quiz onto her lunchbox. Wild thumps in her heart began, pulsing as if to free itself from the cage of her ribs. Get it together, Chloe! she mentally scolded. Clasping eyes shut as she gulped down churning nausea.

"…Chloe?"

The trembling girl's eyes shot open, catching sight of the egg-headed boy genius and his brace-face sidekick standing beside the table. Discombobulated under their puzzled stares, her hands disobeying her brain's command to stop shaking. "…A-Alvin?"

"What's up with her?" Chester asked Sanjay out of disarray more than concern.

Just like Elmer, Sanjay raised his shoulders. "We have no idea!"

"Hey…" AJ sat next to her, her breathing irregular. Assuming this had something to do with their pop quiz, this was quite the extreme reaction. Though only he knew why that could be. "…just calm down."

His comforting hand reached out, swatted away before he could reach her arm. "Don't touch me…"

AJ was confused, hesitantly retracting his hand. "I'm just trying to-"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

She darted from her seat, abandoning her lunchbox and the baffled boys who could do nothing but watch her swerve between other students, nearly tripping on her sandals in her mad dash.

A windy chill smacked her face when double doors swung open, running out into the vacant playground. Tripping onto her hands and knees that scraped the concrete to break her fall. Violent gasps heaved her chest, glossing her eyes. Out in the open, she found herself magically teleported to behind the school building. She crouched breathlessly against the slab, hyperventilating.

"Chloe, please breathe!" her indigo necklace exclaimed, disturbed from the color draining the child pale.

Chloe wished she could, but her dyspnea simply couldn't. Her lips were too numb and her tongue was too dry to formulate her wish verbally or to speak in general.

Short breaths weakened her onto hands and knees once again, her head spinning. Slowly deafened by a high-pitched ring in her ear, plush grass and overcast skies slowly fading into black…

"Chloe!" her godmother ditched her disguise, catching her godchild before her body hit the floor. The back of the elementary faced the wire fence separating school grounds from natural fields, so she wasn't worried about being seen.

Hovering close to the ground, Susie cradled Chloe against her, one arm hanging limp with the other lax across her stomach. Shocked at herself for being able to carry a child the same height and (possibly) the same weight as her. She lowered one side of her head the toothy gap barely visible through half-parted lips, exhaling relief when steady breaths blew passed her ear. Sitting up, Susie studied the girl. Her face was so relaxed, so peaceful. A stark contrast to when she'd attempt to fall and stay asleep at night.

Granted just seconds of peace, baby-blue eyes fluttered weakly.

"…Chlo-bird?" Susie's voice was soft. Watching as unfocused eyes blinked to remember where she was. Returning more into consciousness, a jolt of recollection made her recoil like a springboard

"Take it easy, Chlo." Susie coaxed, rubbing Chloe's tense back. "You're okay."

Clutching the swoosh in her head, Chloe resisted the overwhelming urge to give into sleep. Eyes downcast to the subtle tremor in her right hand's fingers, whimpering "…I-I'm sorry…"

"You have nothing to apologize for." Susie assured, before her eyes narrowed. "But hun, it worries me how worked up you are over a B."

"I got a B, Susie!" Chloe exclaimed, distraught all over again.

"It's not even a low B!" Susie rationalized, trying to stay leveled for Chloe's sake.

"But my 4.0 is in great jeopardy-"

"Chloe, I promise you, it is not the end of the world." Susie came off more cynical than intended.

It took all of her will to avert another hyperventilative attack, her left hand pressed to her heart. "I-I just…" Chloe lowered sorrowful eyes "…I wish I wasn't so stupid…"

"Too bad that's impossible for me to grant." Susie tucked a platinum strand behind her godchild's ear, adding a soft grin. "You're not stupid."

"You're my fairy godmother." Chloe spoke ironically, her first rational thought in a while. "You're supposed to say that…"

"That don't mean I don't mean it." Susie widened her grin, and weary eyes looked up.

"…you meant 'doesn't mean?'"

"Okay, Ms. Grammar Police."

Chloe would've at least smiled back, but her zapped energy forbade her. Sensing Chloe wasn't quite 100%, Susie brought a hand to her godchild's temple, motioning her to lean down on her shoulder. In doing so, Chloe allowed her godmother's gentle fingers to dance around her bow, combing through her hair. Sinking into Susie's embrace as she held her like a mother would her offspring.

Grey clouds traveled in fast succession along the sky, dimming the afternoon sun from the playful children. Climbing monkey bars and sliding down metal slides, swinging on swings suspended from rusting chains.

Isolated from kids having fun, Chloe occupied a spot in the grass next to a tree, her godmother disguised as an indigo squirrel beside her. Brushing a finger along grassy stems, legs crossed Indian style. Man, was she wrecked. The only reason she wasn't still behind the school was because she knew some kids got up to no good behind the school. Kids also liked to play wall ball there for whatever reason, and she didn't want to get caught. She wanted to blend in…

Feeling a buzz in her tail, Susie retrieved her phone, receiving a text from her best friend Wanda. Informing her that she and the others were all gathered and waiting for her. "I'll be right back, Chlo-bird." she announced, putting her phone away.

"What?" Chloe snapped from her thoughtful trance. "W-Where're you going?"

"Not far. Besides." her paw pointed to the two boys approaching them. "You got company."

"There you are!" the towhead girl turned to the nasally voice, seeing Elmer standing before her with Sanjay beside him. "Why did you run away?"

"You had us worried when you ran out of the cafeteria like a speeding leopard and never came back!" Sanjay expressed shrilly. He then held out a Terry Totter lunchbox with Chloe's name on it. "You also left your lunch! I am certain you are quite starved!"

Though she couldn't stomach the thought of eating, Chloe stared at them before she accepted her lunchbox, setting it before her feet. She drew knees to her chest in a shamed groan. "I-I'm sorry for making a fool of myself…I was just upset."

"What for?" Elmer probed, carefully taking a seat next to Chloe.

"You can tell us!" Sanjay beamed, taking the now empty spot where a squirrel used to be.

Realizing Susie had left, Chloe frantically looked passed Elmer and Sanjay in search of her. Her heart was on the verge of pacing again, but when she leaned her head up towards the tree she sat beneath, the sight of an indigo squirrel waving from one of the higher branches eased her nerves, even if just a little.

Susie watched from above as Sanjay nudged Chloe, encouraging her to open up. Reassured that her godchild would be left in good hands, she climbed around to the other side of the tree where green, pink, teal, and purple squirrels were already present along the single branch.

"Hey y'all, thank y'all for coming!" she happily greeted the solemn expressions of her life-long friends. "Ain't it so cool that all of us are in the same city at the same time?! Like when does that ever happen in the history of Godparenting!?"

Crickets.

Susie noted the stress wrinkled in everyone's foreheads, her frozen smile feeling more forced by the second. So much for living up the party. "…y'all wanna talka 'bout it?"

"You first." Rose grumbled, seated next to Juandissimo.

"Whew, chile…" untensing her shoulders, Susie flattened her grin. "Y'all, I've never had a child with this much anxiety!"

"I saw her running out the caf earlier." Rose remarked, having witnessed this when she was with Tootie who was eating lunch alone near Chloe's table. "What happened!?"

"Girl, a B happened!" Susie crossed her little arms. "And because her parents are literally impossible to please, she had a meltdown so bad that she fainted!"

"Oh, how awful…" Wanda empathized, and Cosmo frowned in agreeance.

"Wanna know what else is awful?" Rose interjected, spotting raven hair at a lone picnic table, bowed with clasped hands absorbed in her quiet prayers for Jehovah's forgiveness. "Tootie's dad beats her for the most ridiculous shit! And she's so scared to make a wish; the other night, I almost exploded from magical backup because her religion equates magic to devil worship!"

"Whaaaaaa?" Cosmo cocked his head. "Devil worship? That's crazy talk!"

Rose shook her head. "Tell me about it…"

Wanda turned to the window of classroom detention, spying the sulky shoulders of the pink-hatted boy who sat face down inside folded arms across his desk. "We're starting to worry about the bad dreams Timmy's been having…" she began ruefully, her husband subconsciously inching closer to her.

"They're usually about his sister, right?" Susie remembered. "Why is that?"

"Guilt, maybe." Wanda suspected. "It seems like it's eating him from the inside, and it's been coming out in not-so-great ways."

"Like how?" Rose quizzed.

"He gets angry, and when he gets angry, he gets combative. Violent, even." Wanda admitted, reflecting on Timmy using their magic to smash a bully's skull in. Also recalling the dark gleam in Timmy's eyes when he was close to snapping a Vicky snake's neck "…it's affecting him for the worst."

Juandissimo stared down at the young billionaire among the popular kids huddled by another picnic bench, chin in both palms staring off as Trixie and her friends continued their useless chatter from lunch.

"You're awfully quiet, Magoo." Cosmo commented lightly, and Juandissimo met him with heavy eyes. "Anything to report?"

"Yeah." Susie inquisitively turned to former brother-in-law. "How are things with Remy?"

In response, Juandissimo simply closed his eyes with a long, drawn exhale.

"Yep." Susie figured. "Sounds about right."

"Y'know, it's one thing for a college professor to groom his adult student," Wanda referred to her twin's own history of sexual abuse. "but it's another for a grown adult to groom a child who is literally too young to consent!"

"And that's just gross." Rose sourly added. "I mean, seriously! Can he not find someone his own age?!"

"No lo se…" Juandissimo pinched his nose, repulsed just from the mention of that pedo.

"Does Remy know his nanny's behavior isn't normal?" Wanda was genuinely curious.

Juandissimo furrowed his brow. "Even if he does, it is the only kind of 'affection' he has ever received in his life…"

"You wanna know what all of this is giving?" Susie started, everyone waiting for the sarcastic punchline. "Uphill battles."

"Facts…" Rose sighed in agreeance.