Chapter 9

Starla was sitting on the roof early the next morning, gazing out into the sunrise, but she wasn't smiling. She hadn't slept at all the night before because she kept thinking about if she was possibly the reason the Lady was hunting the town for Isabella. She leaned her head against the chimney and sighed before a familiar smell drifted to her nose. "Hot chocolate?" She asked herself before turning to see Tom was behind her and he held two mugs of hot chocolate. He smiled and sat down beside her, handing her one of the mugs, which she accepted with a nod of thanks.

"I know that look," he said, not beating around the bush. "You're feeling guilty about something."

Starla sighed and nodded. "Tom...what if I'm the reason that the Lady is hunting in the town for Isabella?" She asked. "I think I might be putting her in danger."

"What?" He asked in shock. "Starla, why would you think that?"

She set down the mug of hot chocolate near the chimney where the roof was flat and stood up. "Tom, come on, think about it. I meet Isabella and all of a sudden the Lady is hunting the town for her?" She pointed out. "What if she has been tracking me and while your magic and Susan's magic keeps me safe, she must sense it and possibly my magic too in the town and that's how she feels that Isabella is in town."

"Whoa, let's slow down there," Tom said, standing up and placing his hands on Starla's shoulders to try and provide comfort and to help her calm down. "I don't think she's tracking you, hon. How could she? You've not seen her in years."

"I know, but she is still my mother, Tom," the cyborg-fairy said.

"A mother who hurt you and cast you aside when she thought her plan had failed," the magician said, his lip curling in disgust as he recalled the day he had found Starla and he and Susan had helped her.

Starla took a deep breath, but didn't speak as she knew Tom was upset with how the Lady had treated her and it was true that Starla was the Lady's daughter. Years prior, the Lady had wanted Starla to have a mask like her, but the magic backfired and made the metal of the ship adhere to Starla, the process burning her and causing her pain.

The Lady had thrown Starla into the forest in disgust, disowning her and telling her to never come back. Tom had found the injured girl and he and Susan put their magic together to save Starla. While not able to reverse the metal attaching to her skin, they were able to make it merge smoothly with Starla and give her wings like a fairy, thus making her into the cyborg-fairy she was in the present day.

Fingers suddenly poked Starla's sides, making her yip in surprise before giggling and seeing Tom was smiling at her. "Okay, that dark cloud over your head needs to go," he said, catching the girl and tickling her, making her laugh.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! TOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOM!" Starla squealed out as the magician tickled her stomach and sides, his gloved fingers not missing an inch of the girl's stomach and sides.

"You going to stop thinking those dark thoughts, kiddo?" He asked with a smile before letting her up and she giggled before nodding and sitting back down with him sitting beside her. Starla took a deep breath and looked at him.

"You really think I'm not the cause of it?" She asked.

"You're not, Starla," he said. "Believe me, if that woman was using magic on you to try and track you down, Susan and I would know."

The cyborg-fairy fairy took another deep breath. "Well, that makes me feel a bit less guilty," she said softly.

Tom smiled. "Don't ever think you're the reason for that woman's actions, Starla," he said. "And we'll stop her. She's not getting you or Isabella or any other child ever again."

The cyborg-fairy smiled at that before giggling as she felt something fluffy brush past her neck and Tom smiled. "Even our giant friend wants to comfort you."

She smiled. "Thanks," she said, before picking up her hot chocolate and drinking it, finishing it in moments before blinking sleepily. Some clouds came around her and she was soon laying on a bed of clouds, sound asleep.

Tom smiled. "Had a feeling a warm drink and a talk would help ease those worries so that she could rest," he said. "Watch over her, old friend."

A soft rumbling answered him and the magician went into the house to see his wife, who looked up at him. "How is Starla?" She asked.

"She's doing better. You were right, she was feeling she was the reason that Isabella was being hunted by that woman," he said.

"I could sense that guilt coming off her last night. I don't think the poor girl slept at all," the witch said in worry.

"She's resting now and our friend is watching over her," the magician said. "For now, I think it's time to awaken our children."

Susan smiled and they went up to the children's rooms, finding them all still in bed. "Wake up, sleepyheads," Susan cooed to her children.

All four children, who had decided to have a sleepover in Isabella's room, pulled the covers over their heads, but Amy squealed with giggles when her father tickled her feet and Dylan squealed when his mother began tickling his sides. Mono tried to escape, but Tom caught him and tickled the boy's stomach while Susan tickled Isabella's neck, making the girl squeak with giggles. "Up, up, young ones," Tom said with a chuckle.

"It's a new day," Susan said, smiling.

"Can we go explore more today?" Isabella asked.

Mono looked around. "Where's Starla?" He asked.

"She's asleep on the roof," Tom replied. "Let her rest and try not to be too loud, although with how deep she's sleeping, she probably won't hear you kids no matter how loud you are."

He chuckled at the last part, but the kids promised to not be too loud. "Was she worried about the Lady?" Isabella asked.

"She was, yes, but she's not worried anymore," Susan said. "Now, come on. Breakfast time."

Pancakes were served and the syrup and whipped cream and cut up fruit were brought out, to which hilarity ensued as Tom squirted some whipped cream on his wife's nose and she went to get him back, giving him a whipped cream mustache that put their four children in stitches before Mono copied his father and dabbed some whipped cream on Amy's nose and she tried to do the same to him, but ended up getting Isabella instead. Dylan tried to move away, but bumped into the bowl of cut up fruit and it landed on his head, making his siblings laugh and he laughed too.

Susan laughed as she leaned against the wall and Tom was leaning against the wall too, chuckling before using his magic to clean up the mess and Susan used her magic to get new cut up fruit and more whipped cream. "Alright, we shouldn't play with our food like that," she said gently.

The kids nodded, though were giggling as the game had been fun. After eating up, the kids ran outside and flopped into the clouds, giggling as they heard a rumbling laugh, meaning that the cloud being was amused by their antics. "Let's have a race!" Dylan suggested.

"Yeah!" Isabella and Mono both agreed.

Clouds formed near them and became like sleds, to the children's delight and they hopped on, flying around the house and laughing along with zipping around the ents, who had extended their height up into the clouds.

Starla stirred as she heard the children's happy shouts and sat up, stretching as she felt better. She looked to see the children flying around on clouds and racing each other. Amy looked over at her and waved. "Come race us, Starla!" She called out.

The cyborg-fairy smirked. "You sure you kids can keep up with me?" She asked as she extended her wings.

"Yeah!" Isabella said.

"We can keep up!" Mono said eagerly.

"Alright," Starla said before jumping up into the sky and the race was on again. The kids giggled as Starla caught up to them and she kept her speed to where they could keep up, wanting to make it fair. She suddenly dove down. "Try to catch me!" She called out to them.

"Get Starla!" Mono said excitedly and the four eagerly followed after the cyborg-fairy, who didn't make it too easy on them. She even went behind the house and dove into the clouds, hidden as she was right in the center of the cloud.

Deep laughter came from the cloudy being, which made Starla and the kids smile as it seemed the being was amused by their antics. Susan and Tom came out to see what the excitement was all about and Starla popped out of her hiding spot. "Boo!" She said.

Tom yelped and jumped, slipping and landing on his back on the fluffy clouds while Susan let out a shriek of surprise and her broom came out, flying her upwards for a bit. The children and Starla laughed before Starla let out a shriek of surprise and began flying fast with Susan chasing her. Tom snapped his fingers and a magic carpet came up to him, to which he used to chase his children around. The kids shrieked with giggles and tried to outrun their father, which worked for a bit until he caught them all and Susan caught Starla, all of them falling to the cloudy ground and laughing so hard they could barely stand.

A cloudy figure appeared before them all and helped them up to their feet, ruffling the children's hair before gently squeezing Starla's shoulder. "I think our friend enjoyed watching our silliness," Susan said.

"I think we sorely needed to be silly today," Tom said.

Starla nodded. "Susan, can I bake a cake in your kitchen?" She asked.

"Go ahead, dear," the witch said, smiling before looking at her children. "Let's make cookies while Starla makes the cake."

"I'm going to run a few errands," Tom said. "Be back soon."

Starla smiled and took a deep breath in before gazing to the horizon and her eyes narrowed.

You'll never hurt these kids, Mother. I won't let you.

With that promise, she headed inside, thinking of an idea to take down the Lady once and for all.

Kudos to a guest viewer for guessing that Starla is related to the Lady, but as you can see, Starla doesn't have the best relationship with her mother and Susan is more of a mom to her. :)

More silliness in the next chapter. :)

Please leave a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418