Oops, the teens are a little homophobic. So that's your content warning there, there's some mild homophobia in this chapter. They'll come around though.

Ro's Question and answer corner:

Eda's Owl Beast probably does have some maternal instincts for Cary, I'm not sure.


Cary actually liked school. What he didn't like was starting school a week late. It was Monday, September 10th and everyone else had started on the 4th, but Stan and Ford had wanted to take a bit more time to let Cary adjust and to make sure that his beast wasn't going to be unleashed any time soon.

But with his beast at bay, his backpack packed, and his rocking new haircut, Cary was more than ready to start school when the next Monday rolled around.

Wendy lit up when Cary walked into their English class.

"Dude, move up one so Cary can sit next to me," Wendy said, flicking Lee in the arm.

"Ow. Fine. Nice to have you back, Cary," Lee said with a wink that made Cary shudder in disgust. Wendy flicked him again before he moved.

"What did I miss the first week?"

"Literally nothing. Just dumb icebreakers and shit. Ms. Felding is probably going to make you get up and say your name and a fun fact about yourself."

"Lame. What did you say?"

"I told them I knew 87 different ways to kill someone with an axe so that no one got any ideas."

Cary snorted, "That's fantastic. I don't know what I'm gonna say. I'll probably make something up."

"You should tell them you went to theatre camp. I think Ms. Felding is a big Shakespeare nerd."

"Yeah but if I say I went to theatre camp everyone else is going to call me a nerd."

"If they know you're with me and they know I have an axe, no one is going to make fun of you."

Cary looked flustered, "Thanks, Wendy…"

Her heart was raising, and she had to check her necklace to make sure that she wasn't in danger of transforming. But no, it was just normal butterflies, not something beastlier. Cary took a deep breath and went back to trying to figure out what she'd say if Ms. Felding singled her out.

"Oh, we have another student in class today! You must be Caryn Pines, I was told you'd be joining a week late. Why don't you stand up and introduce yourself with a fun fact?"

"Uh, okay. My name is Cary, and I live and work at the Mystery Shack." It was basic, it was boring, and all of the students he'd been going to school with for years already knew that. But what was he supposed to say? That he was a half-witch? That he could see the future? That he was nonbinary and had a crush on Wendy? The truth was stranger than fiction, so he stuck to the basics.

"Well, we're glad to have you, Caryn." He resented that Ms. Felding was using his full name. He already had a feeling that this was going to be a long day.

He perked up a little, near the end of the class when Ms. Felding mentioned auditions for A Midsummer Night's Dream.

"I'm gonna audition," Cary announced to her friends at lunch.

"Me too," Thompson said.

"Really?" That surprised Cary. They'd been performing their whole life as the Bird Girl of Oregon. Thompson didn't exactly scream thespian, though.

Thompson shrugged, "I want to try it."

"Cool. Then I guess we'll do it together." As surprised as they were, Cary was excited to have someone to act with, and they were looking forward to getting to know Thompson better. Thompson had always been the most approachable of their guy friends.

"That's pretty gay, dude," Nate said, nudging Thompson.

Thompson laughed awkwardly and shrugged, his face heating up.

"Not as gay as Cary's new haircut," Lee said, "why'd you chop it off anyway?"

"So guys like you would stop trying to get in my pants," Cary shot back.

Nate laughed and fist-bumped them, "Good one, Care."

"I like Cary's haircut," Wendy said, suggesting that anyone who disagreed with her would face the axe.

"It's very you," Tambry said, not looking up from her phone.

Robbie shrugged, not admitting that he liked the haircut or that he was responsible for it. They'd have to pry that secret out of his reanimated corpse, no way in hell was he going to let people think he and Cary were legit friends or anything.

"What matters is that I like it," Cary pointed out. "And I really do."

"Well, if that's what you want," Lee said with a shrug, before beginning to prattle on about some new girl he had his eye on. Cary was more than a little relieved that their haircut looked too gay for Lee.

The rest of the day passed pretty much the same, with awkward icebreakers and teachers insisting on calling them Caryn instead of Cary. Though Cary normally liked school, they were happy when the final bell finally rang.

They were surprised, however, to see Ford waiting for them in the front seat of Stan's car.

"You know I have a bike, right? You don't have to pick me up from school."

"Stow your bike in the back, Cary, we have important matters to attend to."

"Where's dad? Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He's giving Soos Mr. Mystery lessons."

"I want Mr. Mystery lessons," Cary mumbled, putting their bike in the trunk and climbing into the front seat.

"Seatbelt," Ford reminded because he didn't know a lot about childcare but he at least knew that.

"So where are we going?" Cary asked once she was buckled in.

"To visit an old acquaintance of mine, a witch, who might be able to help you manage your curse."

"How'd you meet this witch?"

"I ran into her at the carnival over 30 years ago, where she was reading people's palms and telling them their futures."

"I wonder if she could teach me…"

"Perhaps. She gave me a ring and told me when the ring turned from blue to black my fate was sealed. I didn't believe her at the time but she was right, I went down a bad bad path and nearly lost my second closest friend, as well as my brother and myself. I mean, hell, I disappeared for thirty years. I should have listened to her before it was too late. I hope she'll be able to help you."

"In all fairness, how were you supposed to know she was genuine? I give people fake prophecies all the time. Though, if I knew how to give real ones I might be inclined to do that instead."

"Not everyone should know their future. But you're a smart kid. I'm sure you'd figure it out."

"Thanks, Uncle Ford."

Ford nodded and kept driving, worrying already that things might be too dire for Cary, and that even the Hand Witch wouldn't be able to help.

He also worried, a little bit, that they wouldn't be able to find her. But after a long trek up Hand Witch Mountain, they found her lair and headed in.

"Stay behind me," Ford requested quietly before calling out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

A handsome brunette man stepped out of the darkness, "Yo! You're probably looking for my girlfriend, right? Unless you're here for the kombucha?"

"We're not here for the kombucha," Ford confirmed.

"Handsel! Some people are here to see you!"

The Hand Witch, er, Handsel, stepped out of the darkness and eyed Ford and Cary, her eyes lingering on Ford's hands.

"Thank you, Brett."

"I'm gonna go to the store, see you later, babe," Brett said, kissing her cheek before beginning his climb.

"I know you," The Hand Witch said, keeping a critical gaze on Ford.

"Yes, we met thirty years ago. You tried to warn me of something terrible and I didn't listen."

Handsel tsked, "That's normally how it goes."

"Well, I'm sorry about that, I should have listened to you. I should have listened to a lot of people. But this isn't about me or my past, my brother's child is a half-witch, and she's burdened with a curse."

"I wouldn't say burdened," Cary mumbled, embarrassed.

"Interesting. What's your name, little witch?"

"Cary." He wasn't going to give anyone else the chance to call him by the wrong name today.

"And how does your magic manifest? How does your curse manifest?"

"Well, I have prophetic dreams. That seems to be all I can do right now. And the curse turns me into this owl beast creature, or at least, half of one, for now."

"She grew wings and claws," Ford supplied helpfully, patting his pockets to see if he had a sketch handy of Cary's monstrous form.

"Ah yes, one of those curses. You're lucky, Cary."

"Lucky?" Cary asked.

"When was your first episode?"

"Like, last week."

"Lucky," Handsel nodded.

"You want to elaborate on that, ma'am?" Cary asked, not feeling very lucky to be the bearer of a generational curse.

"We've caught this very early. You can learn how to manage and manipulate your curse. You can even learn how to make it work for you." Handsel snapped her fingers and a couple of hands skittered out with a pen and some paper.

"Do you think I was born with this hand thing? This was a curse that I turned into my greatest asset."

"Whoa."

"So, what I want you to do is to list all the things you associate with your monstrous half. We'll work from there to marry that half of you with this half of you. It won't happen in an afternoon but I don't mind helping a young witch in need. Brett and I don't get many visitors."

"Do you think you could teach me how to read the future? Right now my prophecies are random at best."

"In time. But first, the list."

Cary sighed and began writing. This just felt like more icebreakers, but they'd do what they were told.

When they were done, they handed off the list and Handsel began to read it out loud.

"The Boiling Isles, mom, the necklace, losing control, disassociation, power, fear, anger, shame, Wendy."

Handsel focused in on the last one, "Who is Wendy?"

"Wendy is my best friend. She was able to talk me down from my first transformation. She's my anchor."

"And the necklace… Is it the one you're wearing now?"

Cary nodded.

"May I see?" When the necklace passed from Cary's hands to Handsel's it lit up and Cary let out a little groan.

"Interesting… How does this react when your curse is triggered?"

"It glows and turns black."

"That's good. That's useful."

"I don't know why it won't react to my magic outside of the curse, though. I know I have magic."

"Magic isn't always the most reliable, child. I don't doubt that you have powers and I would be more than happy to help you hone your abilities as an oracle, but the world, this one and The Boiling Isles, might not always be able to see how powerful you are. You will have to find other ways to make yourself seen and heard."

Cary nodded.

"Thank you."

"I will ponder your dilemma and attempt to peer into your future. Come back next Monday and I'll be able to assist you further. Unless you have another curse episode before that because if that happens you should come back immediately."

"Thank you for your help, ma'am. I really appreciate having someone who can help me." Someone who believed in her, Cary couldn't help thinking, remembering how Eda had doubted that Cary even possessed magic.

"Of course, dear. See you next week." It seemed like the Hand Witch was happy to have someone who believed in her, too. Happy to have a protege.

It was late when they made it back down the mountain.

"I'm glad that was beneficial to you," Ford said as they climbed back into the Stanley Mobile. "I hope this side quest didn't take away too much from your homework."

"It's only the second week of school, I don't have a lot of homework yet."

"Well, if you need help with the homework you do have, I'm kind of a genius," Ford said with a chuckle.

"I'll keep that in mind. I am hungry though…"

"Oh, yes, of course." Ford reminded himself that children needed sustenance.

"Can we go to Hermanos Bros? It's on the way home."

"There's a place in town called Brothers Bros?"

"Yeah! Hermanos Brothers! It has the best tacos in town. I mean, that's a pretty low bar since it's the only Mexican restaurant in town, but I like it."

"Eh, why not? We'll pick something up for Stan while we're there."

"Thank you for taking me to meet Handsel, Uncle Ford."

"No problem. To be honest, I've enjoyed spending time with you this afternoon."

"Yeah, it's been nice. It feels like I have two dads now," Cary said with a laugh.

Ford did not mention the high chance that he was in fact Cary's biological father.

"Anyway… Anything interesting happen at school today?"

"Not really. Just a bunch of teachers who refuse to call me Cary instead of Caryn. Oh! And they're putting on a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream! I'm gonna audition for Puck."

"You're a very talented individual, Cary, I'm sure you'll get the part."

"Thanks. There's the turn for Hermanos Brothers, you don't wanna miss it."

"Got it." Ford was getting used to having more family in his life, and now that he had them, he didn't want to miss anything.


There's gonna be a chapter coming up that at least half focuses entirely on Ford and another relationship that's important to him :)