Hailey parks her car in a parking garage. It took some digging to get here, decidedly less easy than finding Slav's Earth. After dropping Slav and Lev off at Vel's house (she notes the palindrome and spends only a second in amusement over it), Vel directed her to an Earth by the hexcode of #1c8269, to an apartment in Vancouver. It's somewhat nostalgic to be going through Canada so much after all this time, but only barely. She'd rarely ever call it her home.
She's rented another black Kia Optima, this time made 2014. This Earth is in 2028, so the car seems somewhat vintage in front of all the other cars on the road. It is, perhaps, the only "vintage" car she's ever driven—she isn't the type to cling to the past. Hailey examines the ticket she took for parking and tsks at the price. She steps out of the car, the clack of her heels along the concrete echoing through the garage, as if grazing the hollow of a cut reed.
Hailey enters the building and heads to the second floor, passing by an empty ground level filled with abandoned units meant for businesses that left long ago (or never arrived, to begin with). The apartment building is sickeningly modern, a dull grey paint coating the insides of the hallways, reminding Hailey of lead. She runs her hand across the wall for a moment, then dusts off her fingers, and finally heads to the door she's here for.
Hailey knocks on the door to 2891 East Hastings Street, Apartment #208. A quick four knocks—knock-knock, pause, knock-knock.
Bennett’s apartment unit is one of sensible design, surrounded by units just like it. It is well-kept, with neat gray walls and thick curtains over the windows. It stands steadily silent and upright; it is a bastion of refined residentiality within the city's swarm of chaos. The apartment has one bedroom and one bathroom, furnished for exactly one person.
Bennett is standing in her bathroom and looking at the mirror to ensure that her makeup stays in place. She is wearing a long gray coat, a gray sweater, black pants, a purple scarf, and purple glasses. Her wrinkles are showing rather obviously today, a fact that deeply concerns her and is delaying her departure. A knock sounds from the door just a few rooms over.
BENNETT: One moment.
Bennett raises her voice from the bathroom and lets out a huff. Visitors rarely arrive, of course it would be a salesperson or some other annoyance at this hour. She walks to the door and opens it. A woman stands there, wearing a labcoat. Golden beads run through her hair to help serve as the tie for a ponytail.
WOMAN: hello!
BENNETT: ... Good afternoon, young lady. Do you need something?
The woman smiles at Bennett's choice of descriptors.
WOMAN: is this the residence of lyla & thomas bennett?
BENNETT: You must have the wrong address. I've never heard of these people.
Bennett squints at the woman.
BENNETT: Miriam Alison Bennett.
WOMAN: ... and you simply happen to share a surname? what serendipitious coincidence.
She holds out her hand to shake.
WOMAN: hailey tartarus. charmed, i'm sure.
Bennett shakes her hand, trying not to smile too much. These sort of manners are rare these days.
BENNETT: A pleasure.
BENNETT: I suppose I've forgotten whether Bennett is a common surname around here.
HAILEY: of course. i merely have things to discuss with these lyla & thomas people, regarding their father.
BENNETT: Mm.
Bennett thinks about names. They're strangely familiar, for a reason she can't exactly recall. Their father... Ah. Matthew used to say...
BENNETT: Would these... people happen to be siblings as well?
HAILEY: indeed they are! they're my siblings too, in fact. i have some news for them about the... fate of their father.
BENNETT: ... If we're talking about the same man, dear, I'd suggest you come inside.
Bennett stands aside and holds open the apartment door. Hailey steps inside, squinting at Bennett for a moment.
His wife, then. Their mother. Did she lie or has she somehow forgotten them, too? Hailey steps inside.
BENNETT: Shoes off, dear.
Hailey takes off her heels and places them neatly together by the door, examining the space around her. It's cold, usually colder than people Bennett's age are able to handle. The hardwood floors are similarly cold on the feet, even through socks. Kitchen lights shine a pale yellow over the dining table, which has exactly one seat. Bennett goes to set a chair out for Hailey.
The living room is almost empty, one leather couch and chair. A single remote for the television over an unlit fireplace. Paintings of landscapes, idyllic blue skies over pristine hills rolling with green stalks, are hung up on the otherwise bare walls. A message under one tells Hailey that it is
View of the Lower Falls, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone by Grafton Tyler Brown. Hailey turns away from it, but not before noting the lack of people in each and every painting. This is an empty place.
Hailey sits in the spot prepared for her, staring up at the golden light above her for a moment before returning her gaze to Bennett.
HAILEY: ... would you happen to have had two children, ms. bennett?
BENNETT: ... Yes. A son and a daughter.
Bennett sets down the second chair at the table and sits.
HAILEY: ... i see. and could you tell me the name of the man you had these children with?
Bennett scowls.
BENNETT: An unfaithful man. I don't speak about him. He...
Bennett thinks. His name, yes. His name. Her husband... ex-husband, late husband, she has to assume.
His name...?
BENNETT: It's ... no. I cannot.
BENNETT: You ought to tell me what's happened, dear.
HAILEY: indeed.
HAILEY: ... could you tell me how old your children are?
BENNETT: They ought to both be thirty-three this year.
HAILEY: ... of course. i believe i'm the product of that unfaithfulness you speak of. that affair did not occur here, though.
Bennett scowls.
BENNETT: Of course. I assume he left me for some other woman who he wouldn't have to coax so much to have children. Naturally.
BENNETT: And what do you mean by here?
Hailey smiles.
HAILEY: don't worry, i'm not very fond of him either. as for where...
HAILEY: if you'll forgive me for sounding insane for a moment, i mean to say that the affair did not occur on this earth.
Bennett raises an eyebrow.
BENNETT: ... Do elaborate, dear.
HAILEY: would you believe me if i told you i had traveled here from another universe in order to tell you that your ex-husband, █████, was erased from reality?
Bennett pauses for a very long time.
BENNETT: ... Possibly.
HAILEY: would you like a demonstration to help prove that what i'm saying is the truth?
BENNETT: That would certainly help, yes.
BENNETT: I'm not sure how often you find people believing this sort of thing, dear, but I am no follower of fairies.
HAILEY: of course. it's usually better to doubt these sorts of tales. however...
Hailey stands and walks a bit into the living room. She prepares an amount of empty space, glancing about five feet to her left. She pulls out her phone, types some things in, and taps a button.
She's suddenly about five feet to the left. Just a bit further away along the cold hardwood floor.
Bennett blinks.
BENNETT: How interesting.
Hailey bows.
HAILEY: why, thank you. i hope you can understand, then, that there are forces at play here beyond what you might consider natural.
BENNETT: ... Yes. I suppose I can... accept this.
BENNETT: Are... my children in some sort of trouble because of their father?
HAILEY: not exactly. let me start at the beginning.
Hailey moves back to the table, sitting down and clearing her throat.
HAILEY: where i come from, there are nine demiurges, each associated with a fundamental concept—the pillars that make up the world.
Yes. Of course something was different about him. It would make sense for him to have had something strange going on, wouldn't it? Of course. And of course, yes, that would mean that Bennett's children would have grown up the way they have, behaved the way they do. It makes sense that she would have had such difficulty raising children like them. Of course the situations would be like this. All because of that marriage, yes.
Bennett folds her hands on the table.
BENNETT: The reunion is an admirable idea. Family is one of the most important ties, after all.
BENNETT: And I'll admit that it's been quite a while since I've seen my children. They've just moved, you understand, and I don't yet have their address.
Hailey keeps her eyebrows only slightly raised while she smiles.
HAILEY: ... of course. do you think you could call them and ask?
BENNETT: I'm afraid they've also been ... difficult to reach in that regard, on account of getting new phones. Different countries, dear, you understand.
HAILEY: of course. i should be able to find their address regardless... ah, but it'll take... maybe two hours? i'm not quite sure.
She does want to see them, she will admit. She just doesn't see the need to divulge that they haven't spoken for the past few years in any manner whatsoever.
Bennett grimaces.
BENNETT: ... Right.
BENNETT: Technology continues to be unreliable, as it has been.
HAILEY: ah, isn't it? can't it change? alas.
Charming. Bennett adjusts her scarf.
BENNETT: In any case, I was about to leave for a meal at the diner around the corner. I don't suppose you'd be willing to spend the time there?
HAILEY: hmm! i could certainly eat. i'd love to attend such an outing.
The two get out of their seats.
Bennett raises the fork to her mouth, regarding Hailey warmly. Yes, of course, she has... that way about her, that appearance, that countenance, almost like Bennett's son. But Bennett can make an excuse for the time being, especially seeing as Hailey is one of the few members of her generation willing to pay proper respects, and seeing as she's so resourceful as to allow Bennett to see her children again. This can be excused.
BENNETT: ... And am I to assume you were an only child?
Hailey is eating a burger. Perhaps, to be more refined, she could have picked something less messy, less handheld. But she can maintain her elegancy even like this—and, perhaps more importantly, she very much likes burgers. The way this diner makes them isn't too bad either. The restaurant is a '50s diner, a frozen picture of the past despite the era being long past. The floor is checkered, a jukebox suggesting some kind of waltz, better played with two on this grid. Hailey snaps herself out of rumination, gaze snapping back to Bennett.
HAILEY: correct! ah, the only child █████ had with my other father, anyways. as far as i know, at least! i wasn't raised by either of them, so perhaps there is a twin of mine out there? or perhaps i absorbed her in the womb.
She wiggles the fingers on her left hand—her dominant hand, and the one she's been using throughout this meal. Bennett nods.
BENNETT: Perhaps for the best. Twins are so often troublemakers.
BENNETT: I remember having my hands full with those two alone.
She smiles.
BENNETT: I hope you'll like them, dear.
HAILEY: ah, of course.
At times, she wished for a twin. She would even pretend...
HAILEY: i look forward to meeting them! lyla & thomas are truly such lovely names.
BENNETT: ... They are, aren't they?
Bennett stabs at her waffles.
BENNETT: It's been a while since we've spoken, but they're...
Bennett gives a smile.
BENNETT: Well, I can only hope to be confident in saying they're as clever as you.
BENNETT: It must have taken quite a long time to make the technology to travel as you do, hm?
HAILEY: indeed it did. i graduated in 2012 on my earth, then two years after, i began employment at the omicron association. which is what led me to be able to step outside my universe at all!
HAILEY: i've worked there for... ah, eight years now. frankly, the teleportation isn't even my best achievement. i'll be getting to show you some of those achievements once we're all together.
HAILEY: ah, but here i am, talking about myself so much. what do you do for work?
BENNETT: How impressive, dear. You should be able to brag after all that.
HAILEY: oh, most certainly.
BENNETT: But you shouldn't worry about me. I've only just retired from cosmetics, beauty... all those things we need taken care of.
BENNETT: I don't suppose you're looking for work in that area?
Bennett gives a half-smile.
HAILEY: ah... no, not at all. i work in mechanical engineering and public relations.
BENNETT: Mm, not so different. It sounds like we both have to deal with... people.
BENNETT: I'm sure you're no stranger to having to get people in line.
HAILEY: oh, most certainly. i've encountered many a troublesome figure who seems intent on derailing my schedule.
Bennett chuckles.
BENNETT: Isn't it always the newer ones who think they have a say in your plans?
HAILEY: quite.
She's finished her burger. She clasps her hands around her glass of water, looking down at her reflection in it.
HAILEY: ah, but luckily, most of my assistants haven't had such problems. considering many of them are robots i've built.
Sometimes, Hailey thinks she prefers computers to people. But then again, people are so much more fun.
BENNETT: Really? And how is that?
Bennett already knows that people aren't to be trusted.
BENNETT: It sounds boring, doesn't it?
HAILEY: not at all. they make surprisingly good conversationalists, especially a robot i've made called cellhex-v3.
BENNETT: Mm.
Bennett drinks slowly from her coffee.
BENNETT: Perhaps that's better than humans, then. No arguments between you?
HAILEY: never.
BENNETT: How lucky.
BENNETT: Doesn't it ever get monotous, dear? Knowing someone won't disagree?
BENNETT: If you know the outcome, you might as well have ended the conversation already.
HAILEY: ah, but there are other variables in a conversation than the purely binary choice of agree/disagree.
HAILEY: right now, are we having a conversation where the outcome is solely agreeing or disagreeing?
BENNETT: I suppose there's the neutral option of ignoring the other's side to not disagree, yes.
HAILEY: so we agree.
Hailey takes a drink of her water. Bennett smiles.
BENNETT: Did your robots predict that one?
HAILEY: they've never had to. if such a time comes, perhaps they will, perhaps they won't!
HAILEY: after all, nothing is set in stone.
Hailey's phone dings.
HAILEY: oh! it's found an address.
Bennett leans forward.
BENNETT: Let's hear it, dear.
HAILEY: 190 broken hill lane, l... HA!
Hailey laughs loudly and then promptly covers her mouth. She composes herself.
HAILEY: ... last chance, washington.
Bennett raises an eyebrow.
BENNETT: Something special there? I shouldn't hope you were born in that area.
So they weren't that far all along. A few years of living across the border, nothing more. Bennett thinks about what the house must look like. She shakes her head. Nothing impressive; these are her children, after all. She knows what they're capable of.
HAILEY: heheh. no, i merely...
Hailey stares at her empty glass. She breaks eye contact with the droplets at its bottom.
HAILEY: ... went to college there. let's get going, shall we?
Hailey stands up and puts back on her labcoat. She grabs her purse and heads to the door, beckoning Bennett. Bennett eyes her carefully and nods. She puts her coat back on and adjusts her glasses.
BENNETT: We shall.
In an unassuming town, there is an unassuming house. In the unassuming house, there is a set of unassuming twins. The first, Lyla, has long hair and the second, Thomas, has short hair. They both have brown skin and their hair is the same shade of black, but Lyla always wears brighter colors than Thomas. Lyla is three inches taller than Thomas and tends to wear boots just to make her height obvious, but no one is allowed to wear shoes in the house. Right now Lyla is wearing a pink tank top and sweatpants so that she looks cute and feels cute. Thomas is wearing a dark blue sweater and jeans so that it doesn't matter if he gets dirty or not.
Lyla is running around. Thomas is doing the dishes. Lyla is running after something, down the halls and past the big windows of the house. Thomas is making sure that the sink water doesn't get on the wooden floor this time. Lyla is very noisy when she runs; her shoulders bash into some of the framed family photos on the walls, which are hard to avoid due to the sheer amount of them from ceiling to floor.
Lyla is yelling something while running down the stairs; Thomas hears her and lifts his head to ask what she's yelling about and whether he needs to drop the bowl he's holding when
LYLA: LOOK OUT ALREADY!
Someone small crashes into Thomas's legs, someone wearing a white t-shirt with stars and a dark blue skirt with polka-dots.
ASTER: lylas chasing me shes chasing meee can you stop her now now now?
LYLA: You asked me to chase you!
THOMAS: okay. we don't have to let lyla chase us if we don't want, though.
He dries his hands and picks his daughter up, producing a cluster of giggles.
THOMAS: we've talked about this. if you—
ASTER: why cant lyla read my mind i know shes magic i know i know i know it!
THOMAS: no one can read minds, honey.
ASTER: even her
LYLA: Uh, yeah, even me! All my magic is about eating your vegetables and doing math.
Lyla flicks Aster's nose. Before she can continue speaking, there's a knock at the door.
THOMAS: oh. toby?
OCTOBER: I got it!
October, a man with black hair wearing a white button-up and slacks, opens the door.
OCTOBER: Evening! Can we do anything for you?
On the other side of the door is a woman in a labcoat with a red tanktop and black skirt. A car is on the road behind her, its engine idling and its passenger barely out of view. The woman gives a smile and a wave to October.
WOMAN: excuse me. is this the residence of lyla & thomas bennett?
OCTOBER: Uh, yep. Are they in trouble or anything?
OCTOBER: Tom, Lyla, someone's asking for you.
WOMAN: not at all! i'm here bearing some news about their father.
October grimaces. There's a pattering of feet and suddenly four people are at the door.
THOMAS: our father?
LYLA: Oh my god, is he finally dead?
ASTER: hi
WOMAN: something of the sort. but it's a bit more complicated than that.
The woman's gaze shifts from October, then to Lyla, Thomas, and finally all the way down to Aster. She snaps her gaze back up to Lyla and Thomas.
WOMAN: are you two lyla & thomas?
ASTER: are you a aunt? you look like science
LYLA: Yeah.
THOMAS: that's us. you knew our father?
LYLA: Snrk. Sorry if you did.
WOMAN: oh, believe me, i'm not very fond of him either.
WOMAN: that said... could you remind me of his name?
The twins look at each other.
LYLA: I totally forgot.
THOMAS: no, i remember. it was
THOMAS: okay. what happened?
HAILEY: my name is hailey tartarus. i'm your half-sister. our father, █████, was erased from existence. may i come in?
THOMAS: i
OCTOBER: Sorry, what?
LYLA: Yeah, sure.
Lyla holds open the door. Aster watches Hailey with large eyes. She enters.
HAILEY: are you two privy to magic at all? normally, i wouldn't ask, but you do live in last chance...
THOMAS: like what?
LYLA: Like the white hole thing? Basically, yeah.
LYLA: Uh, you can take a seat at the couch. We put the shoes on the rack over there.
Hailey takes off her heels, setting them on the rack. Thomas looks at October, who raises his eyebrows. Thomas raises his own eyebrows.
OCTOBER: Aaaalright.
October takes Aster and goes into the kitchen. Hailey sits on the couch, folding her hands in her lap.
HAILEY: ... elaborate on white hole thing?
LYLA: You know. The space stuff.
THOMAS: it's the eyes. we can ... send things back and forth. black and white holes.
He looks back at the kitchen.
THOMAS: we never do it around here, though. haven't done it for a while.
LYLA: Didn't that guy say—
THOMAS: our father. he said it's hereditary.
LYLA: Whatever. So you're supposed to be our sister, which means you're all caught up in the magic business too, yeah?
Hailey's eye twitches.
HAILEY: yes, i see. you've met our father, then?
LYLA: Just him.
She points at Thomas.
LYLA: He only gives a shit about boys, I guess.
HAILEY: i'm familiar.
HAILEY: now. to get to the point.
HAILEY: recently, our youngest half-sibling, pluto, erased our father from existence.
THOMAS: why?
LYLA: Who cares? He deserved it.
LYLA: What does this have to do with us?
HAILEY: he was far more present in pluto's life than anyone else's. as such, he had the most time to do a surplus of damage.
HAILEY: as for your question, lyla, i'd like to host a family reunion of sorts. █████'s life did not matter, but i believe the ensuing confusion from his immediate family warrants rectifying.
HAILEY: i'd like to gather all of our siblings and parents in one place to explain to them what has happened and let them all meet each other.
Thomas leans back and relaxes. Lyla leans forward.
THOMAS: ... a reunion sounds nice, actually. i think
LYLA: You said siblings and parents?
HAILEY: yes. with some exclusions. my other father will not be joining us, and nor will the mother of our sibling, vel. both parents will not be in attendance due to being preoccupied with other matters.
HAILEY: i've been planning on collecting everyone else, though.
LYLA: Okay. You can make that almost everyone else, then. Because our—
THOMAS: do you know where our mother is?
Ah.
HAILEY: she's currently waiting outside in the passenger seat of my car.
LYLA: OH-kay. Okay.
She stands up.
LYLA: I'm going to—
THOMAS: no, it's... hold on, it's fine.
LYLA: No, it's fucking not?
THOMAS: ... hailey. is she different?
HAILEY: ... how should i know?? i don't know what she would be different from.
THOMAS: i thought— okay, nevermind.
LYLA: How did she even convince you to come over here????
HAILEY: i visited her house first, then found yours. she seemed to be slightly annoying in an old-fashioned way, but not to a degree that would warrant this reaction.
LYLA: Fuck. Okay. So she can be nice. What'd she say about us? About you?
HAILEY: i must assume she skirted around the truth. she said you hadn't spoken in a while, and that you had gotten a new address... she implied a lot more amicability than it seems is present.
LYLA:
LYLA: okay.
Lyla looks at Thomas.
LYLA: Tom. Don't let her in.
THOMAS: lyla, i think
LYLA: I'm going to go upstairs. You can call me when she's gone.
She takes the stairs and walks loudly.
THOMAS: ... i guess you didn't get any of this with the other siblings, huh?
He smiles half-heartedly.
HAILEY: ... i have similar feelings on my other father as well.
THOMAS: did he ever try to visit you like this?
THOMAS: sorry, i didn't mean that as an accusation. just wondering.
HAILEY: in my thirty-one years of life, i've spoken with him twice.
HAILEY: they were two of the most excruciating conversations i've ever had.
THOMAS: ... sounds about right.
THOMAS: why did you end up talking to him in the first place?
HAILEY: ah... an interview for a library i was helping start.
HAILEY: vel's library, actually. they're the only reason i ever spoke to him.
THOMAS: oh. was it worth it?
Hailey shrugs.
HAILEY: i suppose i did something difficult for someone i care about. that's really all there is to say on the matter.
THOMAS: i haven't talked to her in years. a decade, actually. i guess it's good timing on your part.
THOMAS: did you plan for the family reunion to be like... this? what if some of us end up hating each other?
THOMAS: i can imagine a magical fight or something breaking out if we bring up our father the wrong way.
HAILEY: i can't imagine we'll all like each other. but i can imagine vel is more than equipped to handle any fights.
THOMAS: ... i get it.
THOMAS: i'd like to see her again, anyways. along with the other siblings.
THOMAS: would it be possible to bring my husband and daughter? since it's family.
HAILEY: most certainly.
THOMAS: then i will.
THOMAS: sorry about lyla's ... reaction. i think this was a good idea, personally. you've been doing a lot.
HAILEY: of course. much obliged!
THOMAS: i'd like to go out to the car and speak with her. my mother. could you let everyone else know that i'm not dead?
HAILEY: right. i'll... wait in here, then. would you like to me to speak with lyla, perhaps?
THOMAS: if you can. she's pretty stubborn about anything with family.
THOMAS: i wouldn't really recommend it.
Thomas stands up from the couch, puts his shoes on, and exits the house.
Thomas walks down to Hailey’s rental car. He clenches and unclenches his hands in short intervals of two seconds, slowing his steps as he goes down the hill in front of his house. Delaying the time makes it easier. It feels like it does, at least. That’s all he needs—to feel okay and remember what it’s like to feel okay. He gets so stiff around his mother.
Bennett folds her hands calmly over her handbag and prevents herself from thinking about the way her child looks. She considers the house instead. The state of the residence doesn’t seem unacceptable—it must be something about the quality of the people living there, then. There must be something to critique, there isn’t any way that her children—her children, of all people—would have found out how to live so well on their own.
Thomas knocks on the window. He does not let his hands shake. Bennett rolls the window down calmly without looking at him. Her body is relaxed, but her head is firmly set on staring forward. She does not move her eyes.
THOMAS:
BENNETT:
THOMAS:
BENNETT: Are you just going to stand there all day?
THOMAS: hi. i’m sorry. good evening.
BENNETT: Ten years of silence and you still have nothing to say. Good evening, Elizabeth. Or is it Thomas? Lyla? What are you being called now?
THOMAS: ... thomas, ma. my name’s thomas.
BENNETT: I’ve been told that both of you changed your names, hm?
THOMAS: we did. lyla and i are ... living differently now. a lot of things have changed.
BENNETT: Of course you would.
Thomas puts his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Suddenly he’s glad he wore a larger sweater today. It feels safer. He’s cold out here, anyways.
THOMAS: were you expecting something else when you came over?
BENNETT: ... Who was that man? Your friend? A colleague? I should hope you don’t all live together like some sort of fraternity organization.
THOMAS: i’m married, ma. october’s my husband, the one in the button-up. works at the urgent care.
Bennett narrows her eyes. Thomas straightens his back.
BENNETT: October. What kind of a name is that?
Thomas looks back at the house. Lyla’s bedroom window can see out to the road here. He wonders if she’s watching, like how she used to peer out of the window and make fun of the cars when they were still in Vancouver.
Thomas would really prefer it if no one had to get upset here. He can take care of it—it being this whole interaction with his mother. It’s like being seventeen again, being watched, tracked, and scolded for his choices.
THOMAS: ... he’s nice, ma.
BENNETT: And what about that girl in your house? Surely you aren’t babysitting for money.
THOMAS: that’s aster. she likes talking about stars and space. she might want to tell you about them.
BENNETT: ... Aster.
She slowly turns the name around in her mouth, staring forward through the car’s windshield.
THOMAS: your granddaughter. she’s six.
BENNETT: ... I can only pray you’ve been raising her properly.
THOMAS: as best we can.
Bennett slowly raises her face to stare Thomas in the eye. Her flat gaze passes through him, reaching towards the house. Thomas is reminded of being on stage in front of a large projector.
THOMAS: ma, i want to ... i want to see you at the reunion. if that’s alright. we can talk.
BENNETT: Talk, dear? What do you think there will be to say?
THOMAS: anything you want. i’m sure we all have questions for each other. you can meet everyone and
BENNETT: I’ll meet who I like as I choose. Don’t think you're old enough to tell me what to do.
THOMAS: sorry. i’m really not
A pattering of feet along the short steps behind Thomas. Someone small grabs at his legs.
ASTER: are you doneeeeeee are you done areyoudone !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thomas does his best to not go completely rigid. He pats the top of Aster’s head.
THOMAS: i’m a little busy, flower. could you give us a few more minutes?
ASTER: well dad saidyouhave to come back inside and i had to get you so why are you waiting!!!
Bennett allows herself to look at her child and her granddaughter. Certainly she was not expecting this—this rumpled hair streaming over the eyes, this messy outfit. And so loud, so talkative. Hasn’t anyone taught this girl to be quiet?
THOMAS: ... i think i’m needed, ma.
BENNETT: ... It appears so. Go on, then.
Thomas takes Aster’s hand and almost goes to turn around. He looks at his mother.
BENNETT: Gracious. What is it now? Haven’t you wasted our time enough?
THOMAS: ... nevermind. i’ll see you at the reunion.
THOMAS: love you.
Bennett says nothing. Thomas retreats back to the house holding his daughter’s hand. He does his best to not look back.
As Thomas steps out of the house, Hailey sighs and gets to her feet. He "wouldn't really recommend it." Oh, well. A lack of recommendation has never stopped her from taking action before. She ascends the stairs after Lyla, tracing her path through the house.
Lyla's room is up the stairs, the door hanging open, the walls filled with photos. Most of them are taken by Lyla herself. After a certain point, all the photos seem to have Aster at the center of them. Lyla standing up at Thomas and October's wedding, holding a wine glass, grinning. Aster as a baby being held by one of her dads in a swimming pool, Lyla and Aster at an amusement park, Aster as a blurred outline going down a slide. The house itself from the outside, only with fewer flowers and no wooden kid-sized bench on the porch.
Hailey looks away from the wall. Lyla is sitting at her desk grumbling about something and writing things down in a journal.
Hailey leans on the doorframe, teetering on the edge of crossing the threshold into the room.
HAILEY: hello.
LYLA: Hey. He went outside, didn't he?
HAILEY: indeed he did. why?
LYLA: Nothing. He can't help it.
LYLA: You wanna take a seat?
She gestures at a soft chair near the desk.
HAILEY: much obliged.
She sits down, taking in the sights of the room. She's silent for a while, letting Lyla go on as she was.
HAILEY: how long have you all lived here?
The room is painted in a deep magenta. Letters, notes, lists, and maps fill the wall space. The carpet of the room is plush.
LYLA: A little before Aster was born, so six and a half years.
Hailey squints at one of the maps. A map of the USA, with red thumbtacks marking various places along the northern border. New York, Montana, Oregon... a white thumbtack marks the town of Last Chance in Washington. Hailey's unable to stifle her laughter once again as she remembers where they are.
HAILEY: ... you know, i actually went to college in last chance.
LYLA: Oh my god. Really?
She puts down her pen and looks at Hailey in surprise. Hailey smiles and stares at the thumbtack for a moment before turning to Lyla.
HAILEY: indeed i did. i graduated with three degrees in four years, believe it or not.
Lyla snorts.
LYLA: Why the hell would you do that? Did they make free time illegal?
HAILEY: it was fun! i had plenty of free time, regardless. while accomplishing that trinity of degrees, i played three different identities, each with a vibrant social life.
LYLA: Christ. Okay, next you're gonna say you built a bunch of genius artificial-intelligence machines. Is that right?
She is now completely turned towards Hailey in her chair. Hailey cracks a grin. Lyla snorts again.
HAILEY: not in college, of course! at that time, i was a bit more preoccupied with other scientific endeavors.
HAILEY: LC3—ah, last chance community college—may have been underfunded, but its chemistry labs were alright.
HAILEY: or at least good enough to be made better by myself and my... girlfriend at the time.
Lyla smiles. A fellow lesbian! She wonders how pissed Bennett would be if she know the whole house was full of queer people. She waves the thought of Bennett away.
LYLA: LC3 looks pretty good... Actually part of why we moved here. Aster might go there when she's older.
LYLA: Do you have any advice for surviving it?
Lyla's smiling.
LYLA: I've already told her there might be sharks in the library.
HAILEY: ... ah! i wish her luck, then. some of my fondest memories were formed there.
And some of her worst.
HAILEY: i'm sure she'll be fine. though i'd recommend not going into the forest too much. legends be as they may, it's rather easy to get lost in those woods.
LYLA: Huh. Magic stuff again?
HAILEY: ... on occasion. as tempting as it may be, it's better to leave those sorts of things alone.
HAILEY: wandering into those woods searching for magic is akin to walking into a chemistry lab and deciding to taste-test all the open beakers.
Lyla snickers.
LYLA: Yeah, well, when has that ever hurt anyone?
LYLA: ... Besides, I thought you were all about magic. Or using it, looking for it.
Hailey smiles placidly with her hands folded in her lap, staring off towards some distant shore. She tilts her head ever so slightly.
HAILEY: ... like i said, in this instance, it's better to leave these sorts of things alone.
LYLA: ... Alright. I wasn't gonna tell any kids to go into the woods anyways.
She starts fiddling with a Rubik's cube, swinging back and forth in her chair.
LYLA: I've kind of given up on small talk in general, so I'm just gonna ask. Are you here to make me come to the reunion?
Hailey blinks herself out of reminiscence.
HAILEY: of course i am. what kind of scientist would i be without an ulterior motive behind my queries?
HAILEY: in all seriousness, i can promise you that you and your brother will not nearly be the sole transgender attendees, and that your mother's apparent distance on this matter will be an absolute rarity.
LYLA: ... Right.
She flicks one section of the cube back and forth.
LYLA: How did you think this would be a good idea, anyways? This is a pretty fucked-up family.
HAILEY: it was largely vel's idea. they believed it'd be good to have everyone be able to understand the details that were kept from them all their lives.
HAILEY: ah, and imagine how cruel it would be to suddenly forget your father's name and have that go eternally unexplained?
Lyla thinks about it.
LYLA: Eh. You really think it'd be that bad?
HAILEY: perhaps a little less so for you and i. but... the question would eat away at me.
HAILEY: and it is, in a way, closure on a man who never gave me any openings to begin with.
LYLA: ... I guess. I've been moved on from it for years now.
Except for the times where she hasn't. Except for the time she went back up to Canada and spent all those hours sitting on the plane, thinking about going back to East Hastings. Except for when she has to remind herself
no, that woman isn't going to give you any sort of apology for calling herself your mother when she's never done anything to look out for you.
LYLA: What are we doing at the reunion, again? Just talking about him? Eating chips and salsa?
HAILEY: as for chips and salsa, i imagine vel is currently cooking and baking as we speak. they said they wanted a wide selection of foods to be available to you all.
HAILEY: but the larger reunion activity is meeting each other, no? there's solidarity to be had even beyond the single fact of our shared father. it's already started what with our mutual inhabitation of last chance, yes?
LYLA: Okay, well. When we moved here I can't really say any of us were expecting our half sister by a god from another universe to also have lived here.
LYLA: But... yeah, sure.
LYLA: I don't really get why people feel like they have to keep coming back to family is all. I understand that yeah, people want to see each other, but... you know. It's more trouble than it's worth.
Lyla thinks about Thomas, who wakes up and always starts by reciting the people he loves and wants to think about that day. Thomas, who lists his daughter and husband and sister first, then his friends, then his coworkers, then his mother and father. Thomas, who's been keeping letters to their mother in a box in the linen closet. It makes Lyla want to throw something through a window.
Lyla tosses the Rubik's cube to Hailey.
LYLA: Are you even interested in it? Enlighten me.
She catches it with one hand and stares down at it, absentmindedly fiddling with it.
HAILEY: i barely have any shred of a tie to our father. i couldn't care less about the idea of family in general. the idea of starting my own family has never really been enticing to me.
Almost never.
HAILEY: but i will admit there is a sort of comfort in knowing that you have something immutably in common with another person, such that they can always be able to understand some part of you even as you grow and change. it is frightening, surely, but comforting at times.
HAILEY: and because of this comfort, i have found that i care about the siblings of mine i have discovered, even if i simultaneously detest some of them. and some of my siblings care about family more than i do. i am obligated, though perhaps obligated is not the right word, for it is by my own choice, to help these people i care about accomplish their goals and to care about what they care about.
HAILEY: performing this sort of reunion is a gift to someone more sentimental than me. the benefits outweigh the consequences, in the end.
As she's been speaking, Hailey has solved the Rubik's cube. She tosses it back to Lyla. Lyla catches it with ease and starts scrambling the colors again. She stares at Hailey in contemplation. Her voice is softer.
LYLA: ... Thomas, yeah. I was going to go just for him, anyways.
She opens her mouth, then laughs quietly.
LYLA: I guess people like us have to have obligations. Otherwise we'd just disappear.
Hailey stares at the white thumbtack.
HAILEY: indeed we would.
Lyla grins and stands from her chair, offering a hand to Hailey.
LYLA: I like you. And I guess I need to watch out for you, too. As your older sister.
HAILEY: oh? are you just assuming? or did you manage to guess?
Hailey stands and smiles. She shakes Lyla's hand. Her smile grows, turning from practiced to genuine.
LYLA: I just get the feeling.
HAILEY: of course.
Downstairs, the door opens as if someone has entered. Hailey glances towards the sound.
HAILEY: shall we be off, then?
LYLA: I guess we will. Kids first.
She grins and gestures to the door. Hailey rolls her eyes and exits.
Hailey walks downstairs, Lyla shortly behind her. She glances at Thomas and Aster.
HAILEY: so. how did it go?
ASTER: grandma looks purple and meannnn i dont think she likes talking
LYLA: Yeah, sounds about right.
THOMAS: ... we're alright.
Lyla points at Hailey.
LYLA: She came into my room and held a knife to my head so that I would come with. So, you know, I've got a suitcase all ready now.
HAILEY: i did do that.
THOMAS: ... right. aster, we don't
Aster wriggles her hand out of Thomas's and runs over to Hailey.
ASTER: I KNEW ITTTTTT youre a secret agent right!! and youre going to do cool science on us and everyone else and my grandma so you can make us robots right!!
ASTER: can i be a bright blue robot with long— long antenna and a big spaceship and i have planets on my arms pleaaase
HAILEY: you're entirely correct. the planets on your arms happen to be jupiter and saturn.
HAILEY: do you think you can carry that much?
ASTER: yyyyes because theyre gas and im really really really strong!!
OCTOBER: Honey that's not how—
ASTER: have you been to space miss
Aster thinks for a moment, lost in contemplation.
ASTER: miss science
HAILEY: i have! and though i may be married to science, i maintain my own name, which is hailey tartarus.
ASTER: hailey tartarus why did you marry science was it really cool
HAILEY: science is one of my favorite things! i love her more than most things. as such, we were married. here...
She reaches into her bag and then pulls out a certificate stating that she is legally married to the concept of science. Aster grabs at it with her crayon-scented hands. Lyla snorts. Luckily, the certificate has been laminated, and as such, Hailey has only a small amount of hesitation in handing it to Aster.
ASTER: lyla what does officiate mean
LYLA: It's like, when a person is there to make something formal or known for sure.
She looks at Hailey, then back at the certificate and snorts again.
HAILEY: ... and you'll note the outlandishness of the officiator's name. cellhex-v1. would you like to know a secret about v1?
ASTER: ummm wait wait wait let me guess theyreeeeee
ASTER: theyre also your sibling!!!!!!!!! or they can fly i bet they fly to space
HAILEY: neither is true, i'm afraid. instead, it is a robot! it's one i've created. it's certainly not my sibling. however, i suppose it has been to space a few times, so you're correct there.
ASTER: why is that a secret thats so cool you should tell everyone
ASTER: my friends are always talking about robots the ones that hide as cars anddddd everyone loves them
HAILEY: ... transformers?
ASTER: the trans ones yeah yeah yeah!!
ASTER: if v1 is like those then it shouldnt be a secret so why does it have to hide!! that makes noooooooo sense
HAILEY: well...
The group is lost in conversation. Thomas and October step off to the side.
Thomas has gone into the kitchen with his husband. They are standing very close, with October holding Thomas’s hand. They talk in low voices, under the chatter in the living room. October runs his thumb over the ring on Thomas’s hand.
THOMAS: toby.
OCTOBER: Tom, sweetheart.
THOMAS: is this... are you okay with this? i know it’s a lot to ask from you—it’s scary for me, too. i don’t think aster or any of us should be in danger, of course, i just feel like...
OCTOBER: I know. I trust you. We’ve talked about family before, remember? And you said, hey, if my mom ever happens to come back...
THOMAS: ... would you be okay if i tried to fix things with her?
OCTOBER: And I said yes, ‘cause I trust you. I know you know yourself.
THOMAS: i think i might do it wrong. especially with aster.
OCTOBER: You’re not going to do it wrong. You’ll just do it the way you will. It’s going to happen however it will.
THOMAS: ... okay. okay.
OCTOBER: You know you can call me if you’re scared. I would pick up for you the same way you would for me.
THOMAS: okay.
OCTOBER: It’s okay. You’re older now. Things are different. You’re allowed to hope that they will be, too.
THOMAS: i love you.
OCTOBER: I love you, Tom. Did you like our little astronaut coming to save you?
THOMAS: pfft. thank you. i definitely liked it—don’t think she made the best impression on mother, but...
OCTOBER: Aaaah, worth it.
THOMAS: worth it.
Bennett has been in the car listening to Chopin. She glances up as Hailey knocks on the passenger window. She rolls it down.
BENNETT: Are they finally ready?
HAILEY: you know, ms. bennett, i don't really appreciate being tricked.
Bennett tilts her head.
BENNETT: What are you referring to, dear? I've been very transparent about the nature of my children.
HAILEY: you failed to tell me that they are not at all on good terms with you.
HAILEY: lying by obfuscation is still lying, ms. bennett. i believe i would know.
Bennett sighs and puts her hands over her purse.
BENNETT: I fail to see how that could be relevant in comparison to the other factors that have caused me to come here. Do you believe, dear, that it is so wrong for a mother to do what she must to see her children again?
HAILEY: yes.
A pause.
HAILEY: you are still allowed to come on this trip. but i expect you to treat your children with the utmost respect.
HAILEY: i am going to give my sibling, vel, the owner of the house in which you will be staying, explicit instructions to send you right back home if you are to show disdain for the ways in which your children have found themselves to be most happy.
HAILEY: do i make myself clear, ms. bennett?
Accepting parenting advice from a childless woman. Yes, Bennett would trust a bird to teach her how to drive a car.
BENNETT: Of course.
BENNETT: I believe I've already been upholding your ideals, dear. My son has already said that he would like to see me on this trip.
Hailey takes a deep breath and smiles.
HAILEY: right. let's go, then.
BENNETT: Thank you very much.
Hailey holds the door open for Bennett. Bennett steps outside and takes her suitcase with her. She makes no further comment on the house, its inhabitants, or her disapproval of the paint choices as they walk to the front door. Hailey enters, glancing to Lyla and Thomas.
HAILEY: are we all packed and ready to go, then?
Aster is trying to climb on top of one of the suitcases.
ASTER: ready ready readyyyyyyy
LYLA: All good.
Lyla doesn't look at Bennett. Thomas keeps glancing back and forth from the couch to his mother.
HAILEY: let's depart then.
Hailey glances around the room, then stepping over to a relatively empty part of it. She beckons everyone to step a bit closer, pulling out her phone and messing with some settings. The group slowly approaches, with Lyla standing as far away from Bennett as possible. Thomas takes Aster's hand and kisses his husband.
THOMAS: you'll be okay?
OCTOBER: I'll be okay. They'll need me at the clinic tomorrow. And they'll need you at... wherever you're going.
THOMAS: ... alright.
Bennett stands at Hailey's left side.
BENNETT: I believe we're ready.
HAILEY: good. let's go.
Hailey presses a button on her phone, and the group all disappears in the blink of an eye.
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