Summary: For once, Foop's tendency for violence isn't the reason he and Poof are in the Spellementary School office at the same time. Poof's the one who tackled a pixie kid for saying he's adopted. Foop? … He's willing to let this play out.

Characters: Foop, Finley, Poof, Gary, Cosmo, Wanda, Chloe

Rating: K

Prerequisites: "Open Your Eyes", "Evolution Hopeful," "This Is a Box," "Told You So", and "Looking Back" (Encouraged as extra supplements to the lore, but none are required to enjoy the story)

Posted: September 1st, 2023

39. Sentry (4 months after Chapter 24, "Step Back")

Tuesday April 12th, 2005

Year of Sky, Spring of the Silent Owls

You know, there was something just plain weird about standing in the RA's office when - for once in his Spellementary School life - Foop wasn't the one being punished. In fact, the pixie kid in the chair beside him wasn't even the one being punished. Said pixie kid was Finley, who sat there breaking a sandwich into tiny pieces and spreading them all across his lap a line. Foop knew his roommate well enough that it seemed obvious what his endgame was, even in this early stage… Since his DS didn't have a charge, he'd park his behind and play Pac-Man IRL until the Head Pixie showed up to this meeting. Or until it came time for curfew and bed at the dorms… whichever came first.

Technically, Foop had no real reason to be here. He wasn't even getting out of class for it this late in the day, but he'd played the "Poof and I are linked and I have a boo-boo too" card anyhow, and it seemed to be working out for him. He really wanted to hear the end of this conversation. Should be a scream.

He lingered by the window, cupping his chin in his hand. The window overlooked the playground. It was sickeningly lively out there… Children rushed about and tumbled and climbed on the monkey bars like they'd just been unleashed from a zoo. And there were no curtains or blinds to duck behind, which meant it was only a matter of time before someone out there spotted him and ratted him out as some kind of creep for watching his peers.

Shame… There's a cryptic sense of beauty in lurking behind dark curtains on a gloomy day like this one. It would have been fun. But the RA soaked up sunlight like liquid money and had probably never touched a curtain in his life. No matter. Not having blinds gave Foop enough room to flap his wings, gently floating with his legs kicked up behind him.

Not five minutes ago I was out there, climbing the chains that hold the swings… He'd modified the teeter-totter just last week. He'd brought some scraps from home that he was no longer using and set up a little system that altered the weights of the two different sides. It made it more fun for larger kids to play with smaller ones without any awkward stacking going on, and Foop knew perfectly well how to rig it so he could launch someone into space if they particularly got on his nerves.

"There," said a voice behind him. Foop glanced back just in time to see Gary clicking the lid into place on his first aid tin. He smiled and brushed a drooping spike of ginger hair from his eyes. "How's that, Poof? Feeling better now?"

Poof had gone nonverbal, as he often did… spread-eagle on his back and staring at the ceiling with glazed-over eyes. His bleeding knee had been dabbed clean and carefully bandaged. Foop had told Gary not to worry about his own. Usually, he couldn't stand the stupid core-sync between him and the purple puffball… Not that he looked like much of a puffball anymore these days. Since moving into the Spellementary dorms, he and Poof had both shed their old exoskeletons for their juvenile bodies. Poof's once-bald head sprouted hundreds of pastel purple curls. Foop hadn't yet decided if he was jealous of that messy hair, because while it looked like it might attract a delightful rat's nest worth of tangles, he was also stubbornly independent enough to crave a physical appearance entirely of his own. Foop's own hair had simply split in two massive black curls he kept neat and perfect on his head. And he brushed it by hand, thank you… He didn't cheat with wand waves like Poof did when he nearly overslept.

Along with the new hair, all four of Poof's wings had grown longer. They were nearly the length of his arm now. His feet could almost touch the floor, if he'd just sit in his chair like a respectable individual instead of flopping over like that. You know, he still looked good in the clothes Foop had designed for him back when they first shed… A bit like a sloppy commoner, perhaps, but certainly more presentable than he would have been if he really had gone for yellow sleeve cuffs.

Foop grimaced, pressing his fangs against his lower lip, and rubbed his bruised knee again. They felt the core-sync much stronger than most counterparts did.

Normally, you ended up with pairs that favored either the Fairy or the Anti-Fairy with a larger portion of their shared magic pool. But his and Poof's soul had split quite evenly down the middle, granting each of them identical shares of magic. Right down to the teaspoon, even. Their bodies were synced up in much the same way. Even a slap across Poof's face would flare pain in Foop's own cheek, and that's something he preferred to ignore. And apparently, the link would grow even stronger after they came into their adult wings. Wouldn't that be a lark? How stupid that the sync only worked in one direction… Stupid… fairy… host…

Gary tried again, stretching on his toes to put the first-aid kit back on its shelf. "Poof? I know you're not feeling well right now, but can you at least wave your hand a bit to let me know you're all right?"

Poof managed to lift his hand as requested. "I'm good too," Foop said, pointing down at his knee. The cut had sealed over and he didn't even need a stupid pink bandage to help with it. "I have working skin. Which is mine."

"Great job," Gary complimented him, and Foop relished in the praise… however undeserved it may be. Finley, who'd now broken every piece of his sandwich into shreds, looked up and raised his hand.

"Can I have some apple slices to go with this?"

See, Gary had been chopping apples when all three of them were ushered in. He took two slices from the cutting board and gave them to Finley. Finley started wrestling with them, trying to break them into slivers with his fingernails. Foop watched, trying to find the same sense of entertainment in the activity that the pixie did. He did not. He heard Gary start talking to Poof about how he was about to "open the door and step into the hallway; is that okay?" but the question received no response.

"He's all right with it," Foop said. Poof never minded when he answered for them both. After all, he'd been doing that for most of their lives thus far. Huffing, Foop turned back to his sentry post at the window that overlooked the playground. Kelsia was out there, doing cartwheel after cartwheel that made her hoodie slide up to her armpits, revealing a secret band t-shirt underneath. Yeah, that seemed about right for her. Why mope about when you could play? Just… be a kid. Free from expectations… society…

He envied her for that sometimes. For the fact that she would never have to dabble in politics like him. Soren sat on the ground nearby, polishing his black crown intently with a rag. Heaven forbid that child find one wrinkle in his crisp school uniform, because he'd probably roll around on the sidewalk until he smoothed it out again. His fairy counterpart, however, clearly had no such qualms. Whistle lay on his stomach beside a mud puddle, doodling flowers in it with the O'Terrae clones and Sammy Sweetsparkle.

None of them carried the same political expectations that he did. These simpletons weren't on his level. They were peers… but never in his own social class. He'd outgrow them one day. Sometimes, Foop wondered why he even bothered to stay in school.

Soren replaced his floating crown above his head and looked directly at the window where Foop waited. Their eyes locked together and the younger boy's blue face paled to a lighter tint. Foop smiled coldly back at him, dropping his chin back in his hands. Soren scrambled to his feet and darted away across the playground. Ha. Well… At least picking on the second "youngest common anti-fairy baby born in centuries" did have its perks. He'd take any opportunity to feel a little evil now and then.

Foop was no stranger to Gary's sleek pink and gray office. Now that he spent 90% of his year in the school dorms, an RA was mandatory. Gary (Bless his heart) had taken to his new role with all the enthusiasm of someone who didn't have a house arrest monitor from the Supreme Fairy Council around his ankle 24 hours a day, and did his utmost to turn every monthly social event into happy peppy fun. Foop had a delightful time ensuring that those events were definitely fun… for him. Like roasting pig hearts instead of marshmallows! Gary had agreed with a rather pained smile, on the condition that Foop agreed to eat the flaming heart and not launch it at anyone or anything, and the anti-fairy counted that as a win. Oh, throwing it had been tempting, so very tempting… but devouring the heart in front of a form of Fairy children had been SO much better. Maybe next time, he'd ask Gary if he could throw flaming marshmallows at the bushes as long as he acted responsibly and doused the flames. He'd probably say yes, right?

And if he doesn't, can I go over his head to the Fairy Council and fire him?

After another moment of staring at the playground (and listening to Finley crunch through his apple slices), Foop floated over to Poof's side. His counterpart had been crying. Sobbing, from the looks of it, though mostly in silence. Poof turned his face slightly away, embarrassed, but he couldn't hide the thorny plants that had sprouted in the tiled hallway in response to his emotions. Gary was out there now with a maintenance wand, trying to put the floor back together.

Far down the hall, a door opened. Foop's ears pricked up at the sound of ripping Velcro. Every magical creature released a unique species indicator sound in the energy field that Anti-Fairies could hear, and Velcro indicated the presence of a common fairy. Then the crisp, short sound of the culprit's personal imprint hit him. Foop tucked his hands in his pockets and cocked his head, watching Poof's eyelids flicker. "It sounds like your mom is out there."

Poof gave him a thumbs up, not moving any further than that.

Gary sat back on his heels as the tiles before him mended back into place. "Gooood morning, Mrs. Fairywinkle!" he called, and Foop glanced out the door to see the pink-haired fairy skim towards them through the hall. She wore her purse. Had she been out shopping? Uncle Idiot wasn't with her, so that seemed like a valid possibility. At least, until Cosmo flew inside after Wanda a few seconds later, a large chunk missing from the bottom of his tie. Ah. Well, that figured… From all he'd heard, those two practically hadn't been apart since they were married. How sickening. Their godchild, Chloe Carmichael, trotted after them… looking around the hall in rapture as though it differed greatly from any human school. Foop had visited Crocker at his workplace before, back before he'd been moved up here. He rolled his eyes. The dormitory office wasn't that special.

"Gary…" Auntie Wanda's words were hesitant. She left her wand sheathed at her hip, but Foop saw her fingers creep towards it. Ha. Couldn't blame her… With all his frills and flouncing, Gary could be a lot to handle even when you weren't on his good side. "We… heard Poof was called into your office."

Gary's smile wavered at the corners. "Well, yeeeesss… Technically, I did have to move him there for the sake of fairness and safety. But he's okay! You can see him now, but before you can take him anywhere, I'm going to ask you to sit tight while we wait for our other parent to show up, if that's okey-doke?"

Cosmo and Wanda murmured their assent and floated toward the door. Chloe looked at him curiously as she passed, clearly wondering what magical creature he was. He had no crown. No fairy wings. Foop wasn't sure how many magical creatures Chloe had met beyond her own godparents (and perhaps the occasional unicorn or troll), but she didn't voice the question aloud. Gary followed her with his eyes for a moment, then went back to repairing the floors with the maintenance wand.

Foop cleared his throat, flicking his hand in a noncommittal wave. "Hello, Auntie Wanda… Uncle Cosmo. How very kind of you to drop by."

"Hey, Foop," Cosmo chirped back, lifting his hand in reply. "I definitely didn't expect to see you in a place like this."

"I did nothing!" Foop cried out. He threw one claw in his counterpart's direction. "I'm only here because he almost got us both beaten to a goopy pulp!"

Chloe took one step inside the office and stopped walking. Then her arms shot above her head. Foop spread his own, waiting to receive his hug, but Chloe looked straight through him. "Finley! You're alive! Did you get my cards?"

Finley grunted back at her, pushing his shades closer to his eyes. "I did appreciate the crisp five-dollar bills you taped inside of them… but next time you and Turner want to jump me for use as a teleport link to Pixie World, you can just bribe me with some video games you no longer play. It saves me a few days of delivery time if I get them straight from you."

"I want to smell your head," she breathed, inching closer. Finley paused, then shifted his gaze to Foop in the pixie equivalent of flabbergasted shock. Foop raised his hands defensively.

"Hey, you're on your own."

"It's good to see you, Foop," Auntie Wanda greeted, with forced politeness. It felt forced, anyway… Foop laughed, unable to restrain his thoughts, and planted both hands against his chest.

"Well, I don't know who was more shocked by the whole situation, Auntie Wanda! Me or Poof! I always thought I would be the first one in our dorm to reach 100 visits to the RA's office, but evidently I may be required to defend my title from a most unexpected challenger!"

Wanda sighed, then turned to respond to her husband when Cosmo whispered a request for the definition of "evidently." Once she'd finished (and above the sounds of Finley explaining to Chloe in monotone why he didn't want her anywhere near him), Foop gestured towards their son with one hand.

"Don't try leading the perpetrator or otherwise influencing his testimony. I am a lawyer, I'll have you know."

Gary seemed to decide right then that the floors could wait and came back to provide faculty supervision to the scene. Auntie Wanda took one chair next to Poof and Uncle Cosmo took the other. Their son stayed quiet, staring at the ceiling. Wanda leaned over him. Her swirly hair stayed perfectly poised… It made Foop blink. How fascinating, even after all these years, that his counterpart's mother could seem so alike and yet so different from his own. Anti-Wanda's hair would have tumbled forward, loose curls dancing like spiders dangling from their webs around her cheeks. Her blue hair was long and she always kept it tied back in a pegasustail. But his aunt's stayed prim- loose, short, and curly at the back of her neck.

"Poof, what happened? Gary called and said you punched another student…"

Finley pointed his own thumb down at his head. "He definitely did that. I almost fell off the island's edge. I can't fly or ping, so I would have been floating in space for who knows how long."

"Were you arguing over something? Can't you boys just hug it out?"

"Am I adopted?" Poof blurted, not answering the actual question. Auntie Wanda's brows shot off her head. She looked at Cosmo. Cosmo stared back at her, wide-eyed and frozen. Foop would have liked to gawk at them too, but Finley started pushing his way past in an attempt to wriggle away from Chloe's attention, and Foop nearly tumbled from the air in the process. The pixie took shelter behind Gary, who leaned his hand against the office doorframe and looked incredibly embarrassed to be overhearing this conversation.

"Poof, sweetie," Auntie Wanda soothed. Her hands moved slowly. She placed one to Poof's forehead as though checking for a fever. With the other, she carefully tucked a sprig of brightly colored hair behind her ear. Foop could hear the nervous saliva pooling in her mouth. He could hear it click when she carefully sucked it past her teeth; he narrowed his eyes. "You're not adopted, sport… You're wishbirthed, if that's what concerns you. We can talk more about what that means when you're older. There's nothing wrong with it. It's perfectly natural. Juandissimo was wishbirthed, you know."

"Yeah, and he's such a good role model," Cosmo muttered. Wanda glared at him. Cosmo dropped his gaze.

Then, to Poof, "Now, tell me exactly what happened."

"I'd like to know that too," Foop hmphed, settling down in the chair beside Chloe. Privately, he sort of hoped she might start playing with his curls or at least give him a hug, but he wasn't about to beg for one. "One minute I was playing with my new laser pointer - which has nothing on the laser I hooked up to the observatory at my father's castle, by the way - and the next, I had ouchies all up and down my face! He got in a fight and I had to take as much damage as he did!"

"I hit Finley," Poof said, too pure and innocent to lie. Oh, mothballs… Just fall victim to the art of lying someday, for smoke's sake…

"He totally hit Finley," the pixie agreed, peeking out from behind Gary's leg. Finley had been born a tomte. He couldn't fly. There wasn't an ounce of magic within his body, and even his pointy gray cap wouldn't hover above his head. He reached back, gripping it with both hands as he pulled it forward over his hair. "What was I supposed to do? In all my games, the hero is always meant to fight back. Don't make me the villain in this."

"Poofster?" That was Cosmo, curling one finger through the swirls of his son's purple hair. "Why'd you want to hit Finley? He doesn't do anything. No one even knows he exists."

"Hey!"

"I didn't want to hit him," the fairy protested, sitting up. "But he… he said… He said…"

His words dissolved into a series of flustered "Poof poof!"s at the end, and he buried his freckled face in his hands. Foop sat quietly, saying nothing, simply taking in the feel of Chloe's soft breath against his hair. Cosmo and Wanda leaned over their baby, trying to offer what comfort they could. Gary checked his watch. Then he checked the wall clock, like he thought they might be set to different times. Foop followed this development idly, watching Finley scuff the ground with his shoe. Ah, yes… The dread of your parent and/or guardian not showing up to check in when you ended up in hot water at school. Foop knew the feeling all too well. His own parents had ditched their responsibilities multiple times, like they barely even wanted to raise him.

Foop tried not to loathe them for it on a daily basis. Ever since the "moved away without a forwarding address" miscommunication, his father always sent another member of the camarilla court to pick him up at the start of a school break if he couldn't be there himself. His mother still packed his lunchbox with tasty snacks and anti-venom every day.

And they certainly hadn't wanted to leave him behind when they went on spring migration during his spring break home last year… probably. He simply wasn't old enough to join them on migration season. That's the excuse they gave, and frankly, Foop had made a valiant attempt to follow them when they left him behind again in winter. He hadn't made it as far across the landscape as he would have liked before his wings gave out from exhaustion. He'd been near Thornpetal Town, so he'd slunk around until he located Kelsia. Then they swayed her elder sister to scry someone who could take him down to Dimmsdale for the season instead.

I'll just be grateful I wasn't flying over one of those open gaps in the clouds when my wings gave out, or that would have been a long and painful drop…

Tomorrow was the 13th. A Wednesday, but it still counted as an Anti-Fairy holiday. And, legally, the school couldn't stop him if he wanted to fly home and celebrate with family. His species celebrated on the 13th day of every month regardless. He could go home today if he wanted to, excused from school. But April 13th was Elder's Day. And call him crazy, but hanging out with Great-Uncle Anti-Robin, Grandnana Anti-Florensa, Auntie Anti-Wendy, Granddad Anti-Buster, and a slew of second cousins on his mother's side of the family sounded a lot less fun than staying here with Poof if his counterpart should get suspended for picking a fight. Oh, please let him actually get suspended for once.

Poof took a big breath, then let it out in a rush: "Finley said I can't really be your kid, poof poof!"

"Well, he's not!" Finley threw back. "He breathes like a pixie!"

Okay. Yes. The breathing thing was true and everyone knew it. Poof's magic echoed in a different way above his head than that of most creatures because it wove around him in fishtail braids. The only other person Foop knew who breathed like that was Finley himself. Still, Foop couldn't hold back a snort.

"Oh, honestly, Fin! Do you really think my parents would bother hanging out with me if they knew they didn't have to? The fact that I'm biologically their offspring is the only reason they want anything to do with me at all."

"Sweetie, you are our son," Auntie Wanda tried again. "We can pull up all the old newspapers if it will make you feel better. When you were born, our trip to the hospital was even on the Fairy News."

Uncle Cosmo pulled his shirt up to his chest. "Yeah! Let me tell you, Poofster… These stretch marks didn't come from working out at the gym! The reason you breathe like a pixie is because you were kidnapped straight after you were born… The Head Pixie tied your breathing lines."

It was Poof's turn to snort, clinging to his mother's arm. He massaged his eye, but it didn't cut off his pathetic weeping. Gary rubbed his mouth in silence, saying nothing. Even when weeds and thorns began pushing up through the carpet wherever Poof's tears fell. Foop scooted away from them all (not so subtly pushing himself into Chloe's lap in the process) and made exaggerated gagging sounds. Finley, however, wasn't about to give up so easily. He loosened his grip on Gary's leg, but only slightly.

"My dad takes me to Anti-Fairy World sometimes. I heard the locals talking about how no one was there to witness Foop when he was born. He could be Anti-Saffron's kid."

Uncle Cosmo went stiff, like a late frost had just dropped on his wings. "What?"

"Yeah! Anti-Cosmo still sees her, you know. She has black hair."

Foop's arms prickled up. He lunged forward, drawing his ba-ba, halted only by the loss of Chloe's fingers on his skin when he jerked away. He hovered in the air, beating his wings. He pointed the bottle first at Finley, then at the carpet in disgust. "How dare you! Why, at least question my relation to Anti-Cosmo, not Anti-Wanda! I'm not anything like my poser father. At least my mother shares an equal passion for gardening and snacks. My so-called father would sooner die than spend a moment of his free time with me. At this point, he's more useful as food for my giant spiders in the basement."

"Foop," Uncle Cosmo said, very seriously. Foop glanced at him, one brow raised, and watched in shock as his uncle placed one hand on his shoulder. "There's, like… a 50% chance that Anti-Cosmo is your dad. 50 is a lot, so trust me on this."

"I think you mean 100%," Chloe corrected innocently, holding her arms out just in case Foop wanted to settle in again (He did… Oh, he so badly did). "And besides… I met Anti-Cosmo last Gray Tuesday. He pretty much told me himself that you're not adopted."

"Nuh-uh!" said Finley, shaking his head. "No one can prove that."

This time, it was Auntie Wanda who rolled her eyes. "I'll contact a reliable source of information to confirm it… Poof, let's talk about these feelings more when you come home for break. Is that okay, sweetie?"

"And don't punch pixies," Cosmo put in. "It's really not a good look for anyone."

Gary glanced at his watch a second time. "Uhh… You know, if you special guests want to go out somewhere, maybe have some ice cream or a snack, that should be okay. I don't think the Head Pixie's going to be here. But if he does show, can I call and ask you to poof straight back? I have to file an incident report on this."

"Is this going in my file?" Poof mumbled.

"I'm afraid so."

Finley nodded wisely, pulling on his hat again. "Anger is fleeting, but paperwork's forever, dude. That's just how the world works."

Cosmo and Wanda turned their faces towards each other again, speaking softly with their eyes. Cosmo had his teeth drawn back. Foop could hear the saliva in his mouth the same way he'd heard his aunt's anxiety earlier. Cosmo's wings shook against his back. His hand shook around his arm. Hm. Foop watched them, resting his own hand on Chloe's wrist.

"I suppose," his auntie said slowly, "we could pick up Timmy and then go out for a treat… Foop, are your parents on their way?"

Foop shook his head, his two big curls flopping against his scalp. "We didn't bother calling them. After all, I didn't get in trouble today. Are you inviting me along for a ride to get a treat? Because if you are, the answer is totally yes. Even if I have to sit in the back with Poof and Timmy Turner…"

Wanda slid her eyes over to her son, nibbling on her lower lip. "Poof, wait here while we pull the car around. Okay?"

"I can go with you-"

"Just wait here, sweetie. We'll be back in a moment."

Uncle Cosmo bent his head to kiss his son above the nose. Then, rustling Poof's shaggy curls, he backed away. "Love you, Poofster. Back in a flash. Chloe, uhhh… Just to make sure nothing happens to you while we're not around, you should probably come with us."

Reluctantly, Chloe untangled herself from Foop and hurried after her godparents. She waved one last good-bye to Finley (who stubbornly didn't return it; ungrateful brat) and ran off with her flip-flops slapping on the tiles. Gary waited until all three of them had exited through the building's front doors, then leaned back against the doorframe with a sigh and folded arms.

"Finley, do you have any other emergency contacts? I don't mean to pry into personal matters, but… your dad always seems like he's pretty busy. Should we put Mr. Sanderson's contact info down instead?"

"Sanderson doesn't know me," Finley muttered back. He shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked one of the thorny vines twisting from the floor. "My dad's the right guy to contact. When there's a real emergency, he'll show up. He just doesn't care if I got in a fight under age 50. He got in a lot of fights when he was young and he'll just tell me to 'walk it off' anyway. Plus, Sanderson can't fly or do magic right now. Chloe cut his hand on Gray Tuesday. He's so useless. I don't know why my dad still fawns over him."

"Hmm…"

Poof leaned around the edge of the door, waiting for the moment when, with absolute certainty, he could conclude his parents weren't coming back. Then he spun to face Foop. His sparkling eyes stretched wide, searching his face with every ounce of strength he seemed to have. His grip tightened on the hem of his purple shirt.

"Foop… You'd tell me if you ever found out one day that Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda aren't your parents… right?"

"Unfortunately," he grumbled back, "I think I can confirm they are… Anti-Fairies have perfect memories, you know, because culturally we're against erasing undesirable thoughts our minds with the same level of carelessness that you Fairies show. Mother and Father were the only persons in the room when I was born. Not even my father is cruel enough to poof a woman away mere seconds after she's given birth. Although, Mother says he did shake her up and down demanding to hold me."

"Maybe you're part pixie," Finley said, just to be annoying. He crept a little closer to Foop, smug as a deviled egg. "My dad and your mom are close, right? They go out drinking at parties all the time. Maybe we're half-brothers and they didn't get around to telling us yet."

Poof's wings flickered up. "That's not funny," he said, icy-toned, but Foop only laughed.

"Oh, please! Your species reproduces by cloning. Plus, if the Head Pixie wants either of my parents, it's my father. The whole camarilla court knows he's crazy for him."

Finley stood there, stunned out of a response. Then he lowered his shades. "Whoa. Is that true?"

"Can you do an Anti-Fairy mind-meld on me anyway?" Poof begged, spinning back to face Foop again. His hands flashed to his scalp, ready to lift it away and show his core (Foop backed away, crossing and uncrossing his arms in a big X). "Anti-Fairies can't use field-sight, but you can see my core colors with a mind-meld, right? I'm supposed to be a double firstborn… I should have two extra layers around my core. One from my mama… Pink magic, maybe, though I'm totally stereotyping. I don't know what color from my dad. Maybe blue. And you too."

Foop recoiled. "What are you talking about?"

Gary intervened then, pressing his hands against their chests and pushing all three kids apart. "Hey, let's speak positively about our bodies," he said, but Poof simply locked onto his arm. His wings kicked into high gear, whirring like a chainsaw. He latched his stare on Foop's eyes. "Look, I've heard a lot of rumors about how we're missing ours. Okay? Can't you mind-meld with me?"

"Um," Foop said aloud. He didn't even have the rest of the sentence put together. Just that thudding "Um" of protest. "We're 'missing' them? Oh, I can't wait to see the time keys that we get out of this one." And he laughed, throwing his arms out too the side. "Poof, do you even hear yourself? Or did you just flunk anatomy class? Only firstborns get extra core layers."

"… Aren't we firstborns?"

"Do… do you not know?"

The mental damage Poof took after those words slammed straight into his brain a second later. Foop flinched back, gripping his hair in one fist. Poof's heartbeat spiked- hot, fast, and undeniable, because a cold cloud crashed into Foop's chest like a clenching fist. A spark of purple fire flared like a spooked rabbit in the depths of Poof's eyes.

He's not joking.

"Has your dad not talked to you about this?"

Gary made an attempt to suggest they call it quits for the day. Foop only half heard him. "Poof," he spluttered, "what? You know my Vatajasa name is Fry-sün d'ichord. Did you think I use the title 'second child; second son' ironically!?"

Should I stop talking? I mean, we ARE luz mala. I could really set him off.

"I don't speak Vatajasa…" The words flickered like a hazy candle flame. Poof stared at his untied shoelaces. "I- I don't understand… Fairy babies were illegal. Right? The Fairy Council banned them after my dad was born. Maybe those layers really are there, just faint. Can you just check?"

Foop glanced at Finley. The small pixie stood with his hands in his pockets, hat lazily drooping from his head. He shrugged. Some supportive roommate he is. "Uh. I'd rather not… You can get nip-rot off your own counterpart if you're exposed directly to their blood or saliva, you know. Our personalities would flip until it wears off. My father had it once after a sloppy faggiggly gland transplant; my mother has photos. By the way, don't ever need my faggiggly gland. My father still has random bouts of your dad's personality in him and I'd rather not experience the same thing. It's quite sickening, really. I'd sooner let you die, so don't count on me for anything. Point being, if one touch of your innards could turn me into a happy-go-lucky lover of puppies, rainbows, and kittens, I'm not exactly eager to test the side effects of peering at your mind. Hhhggh… I imagine it's like staring directly inside the mushy center of a black hole. Frankly, I'm content to stay the way I am."

"I like sports more than rainbows and cats," Poof said, drawing back. His brows knit together like cross caterpillars on his head. "I mean, you've already met my dog."

Foop shrugged. "I have my pride. And my boundaries."

Poof rubbed his hands into his eyes. Foop said nothing more. It was better that he drew the line here, cutting himself off before taking a single glimpse inside Poof's cotton ball of a head. He would stay quiet on that matter. If Poof didn't yet know about their family tree, Foop wouldn't be the one to expend energy explaining it. That was Uncle Cosmo and Auntie Wanda's job. He felt no sympathy for his counterpart - not even any pity - but he still recalled the tension in the Castle when Talon (his father's old heir presumptive before Foop had even been a twinkle in his parents' eyes) had come home. Yep. Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda had to break the news to Talon that Foop was their new heir. Their paths had crossed. The older boy's red eyes had followed his wings at every beat. Yeesh.

Why should he try explaining the Anti-Cosma-Anti-Fairywinkle family to his counterpart? It wasn't any of his business. Foop didn't even know with certainty if Cosmo and Wanda had met Talon's fairy host. The details behind the older anti-fairy's origins had not been explained to him. Foop had his suspicions… but why leave his counterpart restless with theories and potential misinformation? It served no direct benefit. Poof's spiking anxiety would only weave itself deeper and deeper throughout their shared core and poison his own daily thoughts. That stupid sync between them forever remained so painfully difficult to ignore.

Poof let out a low grunt in response. He stepped out of the way so Finley could push past him on his way to the window. "Geez, dude… You don't have to float there staring at me all creepy like that. You look like some sort of gargoyle. Honestly, it's fitting."

"I suppose that's the price you pay for being a faithful sentry. Now, is there a place in Fairy World your parents can take us where we can both actually find something to eat? Ooh… Perhaps the von Strangle family bakery?"

"Hm… I guess that would be okay. The brownies won't be on display this time of year." The thought of brownies cheered Poof significantly, lifting his wings. "I mean, I love their brownies, but they also have some cinnamon rolls that are pretty good. Oh! And you might like the strawberry éclairs, because personally, I can't stand them."

"I do enjoy a good éclair," Foop mused, trailing after him through the office doorway. "Though they're not nearly as ominous as I would like them to be… Do you think they come in black? With spider legs and skull sprinkle decorations?"

"It doesn't hurt to ask, poof poof."