Hours Later:

"Are you two done with your little chat? We can't access the booth, yet, and I need to make it look like that girl left town." Florence's dad removed Blackstone from the wheelchair and set him in Florence's arms. "Carry him up to his room."

Blackstone wheezed again. "I can't do anything for myself. I'm as helpless as a kitten."

Florence lifted him to her mouth. "Shush, don't feel bad. I'm buff because I lift weights and train, and I'm stronger than most guards..." Florence paused. "But I can't teach you to beat up twenty men with your fists because it's stupid."

Blackstone touched her arm. "Well, thank you, and your arms feel nice. I didn't mean to sound weird."

Florence smiled. "You're not creepy at all. I doubt you've been hugged much in the last couple of months." She lifted him to his apartment over the two steps. "There is a box of clothes. My newly married cousin had the apartment before you, and she mostly wore slacks and band shirts. She had her own copy of the oracle book."

"I prefer romance novels. That janky oracle book always changes for the worse. Most people don't know how dangerous it is because it strokes their egos into thinking they're not like other heroes."

"I read it originated from a spaceship run by birthday clowns in blue ball gowns," she said.

Blackstone laughed and wheezed. "That is a bad children's poem. I've studied the book with Wendy for years, and three mathematicians created a code to predict the future, but the written program became sentient and interconnected with the planet's magic."

"It tries to help." She texted her brother.

Her brother Edgar came in, helped dress Blackstone for bed, and gave him a burner phone. "You need to watch him while you run the projector. And I have a special diet for him."

"Am I doing something wrong?" Florence asked.

"No." Edgar slipped a bracelet around Blackstone's wrist. "It's an excuse to buy your groceries. You've bailed me out, and I'm paying back."

"I used the money from your settlement," she said.

Blackstone stared at his wrist. "What is the jewelry for?"

"To monitor your heart and breathing." Edgar examined Blackstone. "You saved my life, and I need to take care of you."

"How did I save your life?" Blackstone asked.

"By giving me my purpose back," Edgar replied. "Citizens don't just call you The Damsel to mock you. I'm sure some do because it originally meant a young woman, but it now means someone you want to save."

"Or someone annoying, who cheats on your sister and expects everyone to save him," Blackstone mumbled.

The Projection Room:

Edgar spent the night and climbed into the loft apartment.

"I'm sorry, I lied to you, but it's difficult for me to ask for help..." Edgar stopped speaking for a moment. "I promise I won't become lost again like the last time. I'm taking medicine to stop the withdrawals and cravings. And I am no longer depressed."

"Edgar, I made mistakes, too." She hugged her brother. "You couldn't stop Warm-Ivy's accident."

He spoke softly. "When I dream, I still see her face, but in a distorted way. All I want is my wife back, and when I wake up, I'm alone with an empty jug of mead."

An alarm sounded. Edgar descended the steps and examined Blackstone.

Florence yanked off the device. "It's malfunctioning, and you're lucky the intercom is rarely on."

Edgar checked the vitals. "You're right. His heart is strong."

After three weeks, Blackstone gained an additional seven pounds, and his appearance changed dramatically; his face appeared rounder and more like Prince Thackeray. He appeared to be even more beautiful.

Edgar slipped the bracelet off and handed Blackstone a walker. "You'll feel weak for a while, but you're safest here."

The Underground: New Joy:

Subway trains whizzed by Tribeca and Astrid.

"The wisp-owned trains are the fastest way to travel, but we lack approval, but they allowed us in at least. Though I need tokens, first." Tribeca clutched Astrid's hand, and most assumed she was her mother.

"Petunia is looking for a girl and an old lady because she is a moron." Astrid clutched her hand. She stared at the wisps as they walked around the platform.

Tribeca had her photos saved to the cloud. She glanced at the photo of Seeker.

They sat on the train platform's benches, and Astrid wrote in her diary.

Dear Diary

I have wanted to come here for so long, but at the same time, I hate it. Before my sister took care of me, she was married once, and they adopted a daughter together. New Joy was her home before me.

The wisp woman, Seeker, is Tribeca's adopted daughter. She used to visit us twice a year, and she always stayed for weeks, but I hated her. Seeker is married and has kids, but she gets to call my sister, Mom. I don't. And I feel bad about it.

I regret not asking Seeker anything about her life. I pretended I was okay and played with her kids. But it's not okay. I want to be the daughter or at least the sister. It's not fair.

Seeker's first name is Pretty, but she hates the name and only goes by her last name. I always used to call her Pretty to be mean.  

I hate my mom and dad. They never raised me, but would come over and act like they owned the place, like they owned me. My parents killed people with magic. I hate them. I hate them! No, I feel sad they died.

When Tribeca visited New Joy, they wouldn't allow me to go, and I'd have to get a sitter.

And I know nothing about wisps or their culture. But it was part of my parent's twisted and bigoted rules. Why did my parents use magic to have me if they didn't want me? Was it to imitate the queen? Was it, so they could be young and beautiful? 

They never raised any of their kids. Tribeca's grandmother raised them all.

I want to see them, but I don't want to see them.

Music interrupts my thoughts. I look up.

A wisp is playing a harp near the train platform. He's dressed in a suit, but I see some others wearing tunics and colorful robes. They're beautiful.

It's magical.

They're like dolls or Teddy Bears. Wisps must have more colors than a rainbow.

I'm watching everyone walk.

More people walk on the platform. They're anthropomorphic aliens, humans, elves, or trolls. Some are mixed with elves or fairies.

A few of them read their papers as they waited for the train. I'm sad and scared. All I want to do is hide and read.

Astrid tucked her diary back inside her backpack.

New Joy: Mushroom City:

The main walking path glowed with each step. 

Storefronts were dark wood or metal, but signs were bright and neon.

They walked by a small movie theater. The underground building was painted midnight black to highlight the neon paint and the rhythm of the white lights.

A sign with a list of the movies glowed. Monster in the House, A Delightful Picnic in the Apocalypse, and The Evil Elf Goes to the Movies.

Another sign in the window stated; This theater will no longer be playing Mr. Hypodermic Needles 2.

Astrid listened to the wisps speak.

"No, we have frozen pizza at home," an older woman said to a child.

"But Lovey," the boy yelled out.

Astrid remembered Seeker sometimes called her by that name instead of Mom. She figured it was a nickname, especially for Tribeca, but she never asked.
And Seeker never asked about Astrid's parents. But there was so much to say.

Astrid jotted in her diary.

My parents hated wisps, but they hated their children more. And I don't want to be like them.
Wisps are not spirits or monsters like my ex-father claimed, but their voices are otherworldly, and they do not have hands like the elves, but hands with paw pads, and claws like nails.

She tucked her diary away.

Words transformed into gibberish when an elf teen tried to look over her shoulder. Astrid stepped away because he appeared dangerous.

An Hour Later:

Astrid and Tribeca walked to an underground park. Special plant lights were hung over the trees and flowers. Tall wisp children swung, played tag, and waited for their turns to play on the slide.

Tribeca pushed her towards the swing. "We're waiting for my daughter. Go play."

Astrid played with the other children, who didn't seem bothered that she didn't look like them.

Two Hours Later:

A five-foot-eight wisp with brown fur and an orange dress approached them. Pretty Seeker appeared to be almost doll-like. The words Mrs. Seeker Social Worker, appeared like magic on a black badge.

Seeker approached them and hugged Tribeca. She bent over and smiled. "Lovey, you finally brought Astrid."

Tribeca whispered. "I won complete custody."

Astrid stopped swinging and ran to them. "It humiliated Mom and Dad, but they planned to give custody over to Petunia. She killed them for their loyalty."

"My parents were executed." Astrid stood by Tribeca.
"I thought you never spoke about your parents," Seeker said.
"Seeker, I am no longer scared of them taking me away." Astrid trembled.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about that now." Tribeca hugged her.

Astrid spoke anyway. "My mom slapped me in front of the judge when I testified against her. Petunia didn't show up to testify on my mother's behalf because she was playing video games."

Seeker smiled at them and knelt to speak to Astrid. "Hello, welcome to New Joy. Wendy, the dome protects more than one type of life form, and our lovely country runs below the surface." She stopped.

"Why did your husband take your last name?" Astrid asked. "Sorry, I was too scared to ask before because Florence's lush of a brother's surname is hyphenated. In The Lyric Kingdom, men take the woman's name. I read it in a book."

"And it's not your fault..." Seeker paused. "Female wisps usually take the last name of their husband unless they're teachers, medical professionals, or social workers. I'm close to my aunt, and it was important to her that I kept the female family name. Men and women hyphen their last names if the husband works in the same field, no matter what their job is."

"We need to ride the train. I'll trade my necklace, but I don't have tokens for a hotel, or food. We probably need to hide for a month," Tribeca said.

"You can stay at my place for years." Seeker broke into laughter. "Lovey, but remember, you can always earn tokens if you give us your blood."

Astrid squealed.

"It's a joke. I didn't need to frighten you, and you're too young to donate." Seeker patted Astrid's head.

Tribeca burst into laughter. "Astrid, they aren't vampires. I wish I could have taken you here or talked about my life."

"But your daughter wants our blood!" Astrid stepped back.

Seeker frowned. "We have a shortage of blood and plasma at our hospitals."

Tribeca stood up straight. "I donate monthly. We're the same species."

"Okay," Astrid said.

"My Lovey is the best." Seeker hugged her mom. "Tribeca, why don't we have a pot of mushroom or mint tea at Ms. Joy's Lovely Tea Shop? A treat for my mom. You're staying with me because they might shut down the trains indefinitely."

"Is this because of us?" Tribeca asked. "Thackeray and Wendy prepaid our train tickets, and we were almost caught."

"The problems happened way before our arrival," Tribeca said. "We need to talk to Wendy."

"Her consciousness isn't here yet." Seeker spoke. "Our prime minister doesn't think the queen has enough money, or resources, to go to war. And I'm not going to allow her to take my Lovey away."

Seeker guided them to a restaurant.

"This café is too posh," Tribeca protested. "We have some gems to trade."

"Sorry, Mom, you have no choice." Seeker grinned. "Lovey, it's not like it's the Rain Wood Cafe, but we need to go there as well."

Customers sat at wooden picnic tables decorated with glowing ivy.

Cucumbers clung to vines on the wall, and servers plucked the savory, dark green fruits off and carried them back to the kitchen.

Two servers set pots of tea and cucumber sandwiches next to them.

Another server handed them menus with a glowing ivy designed on rice paper.

"Seeker, what would you recommend?" Astrid asked.

"Try the cucumber sandwiches." Seeker hugged Tribeca. "Mom, it's my treat." Seeker hugged her mother.

"I brought money, and I have more than enough for dinner and a movie," Astrid said.

"So do I, but." Tribeca shook her head. "It's not their token money. One of the thieves ran off with a sack full of my tokens."

"You ran into the thieves, too. Troops stole my mother-in-law's necklace while she was wearing it." Seeker rolled her eyes. "Mom, I know you're having problems. Your family and families take care of each other."

"Okay." Tribeca grasped her cup of tea and sipped. "I'd like my usual."

Seeker waved to the waiter. "Three goat cheese tarts, two child-sized green pepper soups, three cucumber tea sandwiches with eggs, and three medium-sized bowls of onion soup. I also want a hummus platter for the table. Send me extra cucumber pieces and roasted pepper chips for dipping."

A half-fairy boy ran up to Seeker. "Why are you called wisps? You're not small, a bundle, hay, or a ghost."

His mother pulled him back. "I'm sorry, we're new from Earth, but my husband's ship got stuck, and we can't leave."

"It's okay..." Seeker paused. "It's because of our soft voices."

"I wouldn't mind living here," Astrid said. "But I don't know why fairies gave up flying for dome living."

"It was to flee persecution, and you don't need magic or flight to make a difference," Tribeca said.

Astrid grabbed Seeker's hand. "Are Ralph and Jacob coming?"

"None of my boys want to go to the movies with me. They're reading. I love books, but I still like fun and cringy movies. We'll see Monster in the House or Evil Elves at the Movies."

Astrid stared into her teacup. "I don't like horror movies that aren't funny. They give me nightmares because they are gross and mean. Scary books and cartoons are okay, but nothing with real people."

"Both are mushy, romantic musicals." Seeker touched her cup.

Bite-sized tarts were the first course, but when the onion and mushroom soup entered Astrid's mouth, she realized why, after she ate the savory broth, desserts would taste dull in comparison. "I'd eat this every day if I could."

"The onion nachos are even better," Seeker said.

Astrid reached in her back to pull out her diary, she wanted to write her joy, but before she could put her pen down to paper, the words became jumbled and danced to the page. "Evil is surrounding us."