"You're home early today." That was the first thing Edward heard when he stepped inside the house.
"Yeah, Mom. I am. Is that not okay?" he asked flatly, walking toward her at the end of the foyer.
"Why, of course it is, darling."
He glanced at her, noting that she was still dressed in her elegant blue work dress, which hugged her graceful figure just right. Her hair was neatly tied in a bun, and her black heels were still on. She must have just arrived, he thought.
"Well, looks like you just came in too."
"I did," Miridald replied, glancing down at her shoes with a weary expression. She began slipping them off—never a fan of heels, but her career demanded otherwise.
Edward passed her and headed into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and poured himself a glass of cold water.
"So," he began, now sounding a bit more energized, "how many mansions did you sell today, Mom?"
Miridald rolled her eyes with a loud ugh. Finished with her shoes, she walked into the kitchen, relishing each step now that her feet were free. She perched herself on a stool at the island.
"Pour me some, you rascal," she said, though it sounded more like an order. She leaned forward. "Now." Definitely not a request.
Edward blinked at her sudden shift in tone, then reached into a cabinet for a glass, filled it, and handed it over. He returned to leaning against the worktop near the fridge, sipping from his own.
He downed the rest of his water in one go, feeling it course through him with a refreshing coolness.
"Ahhh," he exhaled contentedly. Then, noticing her glass already empty, he raised a brow. "Um... okay... someone's a little cranky?"
Miridald gave him a dry look, then softened. Rubbing her face with both hands, she let out a sigh. "Oh, darling. I've just had a long day."
"You don't say?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Her tone sharpened—Edward's words had come off sarcastically.
"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant... I've had a hell of a day too."
Miridald shook her head in disbelief. "Now imagine when you start working—paying bills, running a household, parenting..."
"Okay, okay, Mom. I get it. No need for the lecture."
"Well, she's right, you know. Adulting is no joke. And working with a peanut-brained boss doesn't help," Renee's voice floated down the stairs, loud enough for them to hear.
Miridald and Edward both looked up.
"Miri, is that boss of yours still bothering you?" Renee continued as she came into view. Her wet, dark hair had shrunk slightly from the wash, and she wore a baggy T-shirt with warm gray sweatpants. On her feet were her favorite fluffy purple slippers.
"Wivalk? Please..." Miridald scoffed, waving it off. "He wouldn't dare."
"As he shouldn't," Renee affirmed, flashing her a crooked smile. Then she turned to Edward. "You hear me, boy? Study hard. And appreciate that you're still in school and not yet working. Got it?"
Edward blinked at her, his face nearly blank. "Yeah... sure. Okay." He found her unusually stern tone odd. That wasn't like her. Weird.
"So what's gotten you so worked up, Mom?"
Renee took a seat beside Miridald. Edward offered her water with a gesture, but she declined with a warm smile.
"Just another stressful client. You know how they are—'I want this décor,' 'No, I want that one,' or 'That color is too bland,' or 'These furnishings don't match my aura'... Ugh. Exhausting. But I'll manage—I always do."
"You must've had a day, Miri," Renee said, rubbing her sister's back. "So, Edward—how was school today?" Her voice was casual, but something about it made Edward pause.
"Like I said: exhausting. As always." He quickly shifted the topic. "What about you? What made you shower so early?"
"I went golfing with a friend. Had a lot of fun."
"I thought you said you saw your friends yesterday?"
"Not all of them. And even if I did—can't I see them again?"
"You definitely can, Aunt Renee. I was just asking."
"And I was just answering."
"Guys, I'm starving," Miridald cut in before the sibling-like tension could escalate. She wasn't in the mood for another one of their bickering matches. "What's for dinner?" she asked, glancing at both of them.
"I..." Edward scratched the bridge of his nose. "I don't think I can cook tonight. And... is Father even coming?"
"I don't know, son."
"I have an idea in mind," Renee announced dramatically, her voice suddenly vibrant. "And I've definitely got the morale." She said morale with that slay queen energy that always made Edward smile.
He pouted, amused and impressed.
"But I need this stinking bomb out of my kitchen," she said, pointing at Edward. "I'm about to whip up a mouthwatering regale and I won't have you tainting the aroma with your stench."
Edward sniffed himself. "What are you talking about, Aunt Renee? I don't smell! I'm not even sweaty."
"Go take a bath," she repeated with a look.
"But—" He paused when he saw her purse her lips into a stern line.
Sigh. "Fine," he muttered and walked off.
Once she was sure he was gone, Renee turned back to Miridald, who had been eyeing her with curiosity. "Edward's lying."
"Excuse me?"
Renee glanced toward the stairs. "He wasn't in school today."
"What do you mean? I took him and Mdachi there myself this morning."
"Joke's on you, siz. I went to pick him up earlier today—he wasn't there. None of them were. Not even the Mdachi you took with him."
Miridald's face shifted into concern. "What do you mean he wasn't in school? I saw them enter the gate. And wait—why did you go to pick him up?"
"I was going to take them out to have a good time. Mostly Edward. But I didn't want to upset Jenevive and Neema by pulling their kids from school without permission."
"But you didn't think you needed my permission?"
"I don't need to, Miri. He's my nephew."
Miridald ignored that. "So... Edward and his friends ditched school?" She let out a long breath. "Why would they do that? They're good kids..."
"Shocked me too, siz." Renee fell quiet for a beat, then suddenly stood up and began walking away.
"Where are you going?" Miridald whispered as she followed her.
Renee reached the foyer and looked around. "Where is it?"
"Where's what?" Miridald whispered again, more confused.
"Stop whispering, Miri. It makes things seem suspicious."
"Okay..." She straightened up.
"Where's Edward's bag?"
Miridald froze, a hand rising to her chin as it slowly dawned on her. "Come to think of it... I haven't seen it today. But... do you really think we'll find anything incriminating in there?"
"I'm not sure," Renee said, flopping onto a chair. After a pause, she added quietly, "...Miri, does Edward know about Hallington?"
Miridald's face fell. She exhaled. "No... I haven't told him yet. I was planning to do it tonight." She leaned against the wall beside Renee, arms folded across her chest.
"How do you think he'll take it?"
"I don't know. Probably badly." She looked down, her voice softening. "But he's strong. He'll get through this... he will."
-----------
"No means no, Anita," Jenevive affirmed as she walked down the corridor.
Anita followed her desperately.
"But, Mom, we actually have a chance. Why won't you just consider it? We could stop her early—right now."
Jenevive opened the door to her study and stepped inside.
"What don't you understand about 'no,' baby? Huh?" she asked, picking up her notebook from the desk.
"There's no way we're handling this by ourselves. And there is absolutely NO WAY I'm sending you kids to snoop around Beatrice's home, or her office, or anything. You hear me? No way. She can be far too dangerous."
Anita shut the door behind her and continued after her mother through the corridor.
"That's why we'd have you, Mom. You'd protect us—buy us time, even! And even if something goes sideways, Edward is strong. I know he is. He can protect us… just, when he's had more time to practice some spells. He learns fast too."
Jenevive stopped at the dining table, where her laptop sat open. She placed the notebook beside it, then turned to Anita with an irritated look.
"First of all: if she's really the witch who did that to Edward—and we aren't sure yet—don't you think she's smarter than you're assuming? You think this is some spy-kid movie where the villain gets distracted while the 'heroes' go prying through her evil lair? Please, baby. You know better than that."
She took a seat.
"And second, like I said before, you three aren't getting involved any further. I know you want answers—especially Edward—but you've already done enough. I have the rest under investigation. So why don't you focus on something that baffles me just as much as this situation: Edward's hidden identity crisis. Like, where did he even get his powers from? And why does he have thee blue essence? Huh?"
She set the laptop in front of her, signaling that she'd finished the conversation.
Anita stood near, silently gazing at her for a moment before finally speaking.
"So by 'under investigation' you mean… BAJIMSA?"
Jenevive paused, then closed the notebook.
"No, Anita. I've got my own investigators working for me. Three of them. They've been tenaciously following her trail ever since you gave me the insight about Beatrice being a suspect."
"Oh yeah, Mom? And how much have they actually accomplished so far, huh? Three of them, yet they haven't discovered anything—and you pay them. Meanwhile, my friends and I have already dug something up. Now how's that for investigating?"
"And how did that work out for you, baby?... Didn't you guys almost get caught? Imagine if you were."
"We didn't, Mom."
"Oh, isn't that right? You didn't. Now tell me something, Anita—is this why you got rid of the other phone case? So you could clown around doing exactly what I advised you not to? And don't even get me started on you skipping school. What were you thinking? What do you think Edward's parents and Neema would do if they found out? It'll raise alarms—and that's the last thing we need right now… In fact, I should be grounding you right now."
Anita's heart nearly stopped at the mention of that. She quickly pulled a chair close to Jenevive and sat, facing her.
"Mom, please don't do that. Please," she begged, holding her mother's hands.
"You know me better than that, baby."
"I'm telling you, Tommy, you can't beat me! I'm way better than you—you'll see. I'll kick your butt so hard you'll want to cry!"
A familiar voice rang out as the door opened.
"We'll see, you braggadocio. We'll see," another voice replied.
Jenevive and Anita waited patiently, then Jesse and his friend Tommy came into view.
"Hi guys," Jesse greeted cheerfully. "How've you been?"
"Fine," Anita replied casually.
"We've been great, honey. And how was your day?" Jenevive asked.
"Pretty nice, actually."
"Hi, Mama Jesse. Hi, Anita."
"Hi, Tom," the two responded in chorus.
"Ahh, Mom, we're going to play video games in my room."
"Go ahead, honey."
The boys rushed off.
Once they were gone, Jenevive swiped her hand from up to down while chanting softly. A gray glow shimmered along her fingers and briefly lit up the corridor's entrance before fading.
Anita just watched.
"There. Now they won't be able to hear us."
She turned back to Anita.
"What were we saying?"
"That you won't ground me."
Jenevive sighed and stayed quiet for a while. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, a notification chimed on her laptop. She closed it.
"Yes, Anita, I'm not. But..."
Anita waited, both eager and nervous.
"You need to be more conscious of your actions, baby. You can't just start skipping school and disorienting your life because of this little thing."
"Little... little thing?"
"Yes, baby. This is… a little thing. That's because BAJIMSA is going to handle it and it'll be off our plates."
"What are you saying, Mom?!" Anita snapped, then immediately composed herself.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice. But, Mom, you can't let BAJIMSA in on this one. You know how they operate—at least a little—and you still know that if they find out about Edward, they'll hijack everything. Things won't be pretty. And, Mom… when have you ever played second-fiddle sycophant? You're the most powerful witch I know. You don't need to drag the bureau into this. You really don't."
"Anita. You do know they're my past colleagues. I owe loyalty to them in matters like this. And remember—they were the ones who shared intel on Hallington's case. How many bureaucrats like that do you know?"
"Well, there aren't many bureaus like that… I don't think there's any other. So what makes you think you're privileged to get that information? After all, I thought their main job was to keep supernatural existence a secret from 'normal' people. We're not normal."
Jenevive caught the weight behind how Anita said normal, but ignored it.
"Their job isn't just to keep us a secret from the—as you said—'normal' people. It's also to protect them. They're doing a great job, even if they don't get recognition for it..."
"No kidding," Anita said sarcastically, folding her arms and looking away.
Jenevive raised an eyebrow at her, squinting briefly before exhaling her frustration.
"Point is: I can't and won't shut them out. I'll help them uncover and solve this. Comprende?"
Anita didn't respond. She just gave her mother a glance and then looked away again, arms still tightly crossed.
"Well, whether you agree or not, that's how things are."
She had just begun to reopen her laptop when Anita asked:
"But why do you need to help them so much? I mean, they're a bureau. A whole freaking prestigious bureau."
"Baby, you wouldn't understand how they work. And do you think Hallington's case is the only one on the table? There are tons. By helping, I'm just accelerating things so we can all get back to our mundane lives."
"Oh come on, Mom. Our lives are anything but mundane. And if we're all going back to our 'mundane' lives, what about Edward?"
"You think I'm stupid, baby? Of course I've thought about Edward. That's why I said you don't understand how the bureau works. Once Hallington's murderer is caught—and everyone connected to her—we'll have solved one half of the puzzle. The only thing left will be Edward's power source and the reason it's being kept secret. Speaking of which, did you remember to give him the leaves?"
That's when Anita remembered. She stretched her neck and glanced toward the living room. She stood up and walked a few steps closer.
Just as she suspected—Edward had forgotten them. The container still sat on the lampstand.
"He didn't, did he?" her mother asked, her voice laced with disappointment.
"He just forgot, Mom. He planned to take them," Anita said, returning to her seat.
"No worries," Jenevive replied. "I was lucky my appointment got rescheduled. I used the time to buy groceries… and acquire them."
"By BAJIMSA?" Anita asked, eyebrows raised.
"...Yes. By BAJIMSA."
"I'll keep them for him and take them to school tomorrow. You know Edward when it comes to forgetting things—it's his forte."
Jenevive chuckled.
"You're just lucky he didn't hear you say that."
"Oh puh-leez, Mother. What would he have done if he did hear me?"
Jenevive just shook her head in amused disbelief.