I stuck out my tongue and ran until I reached Momma, Papa, and Uncle Dan. When I got to them, my cheeks were flushed, and I was laughing so hard that I needed to sit down because I had become dehydrated. Momma quickly grabbed me, sat me down, and said, 

"What's wrong, Mally, dear? Why are you so dehydrated, flushed, and rosy-cheeked?"

Before I could answer their question, Cousin Charlie appeared with a smug smirk and said in his sweetest tone of voice, which made me glare at him.

"Forgive me, dear aunty, for it was I who caused cousin Mallaya to become dehydrated, flushed, and rosy-cheeked with my mischief and mayhem."

I mimicked Cousin Charlie and blew a raspberry at him, which made him laugh even more. After I had been given water and had calmed down, a few women from the group that Mama and Papa had been talking to approached us. They smiled down at me and Cousin Charlie before asking...

"Hey Becca, who are these two beautiful children? Do you know them? Where are their parents? Do we know them?"

I got up and stuck out my hand  before saying  and much to the shock  of  the  people who claimed to be my parents freinds 

"How do you do? My name is Mallaya Felix Mikowski, the daughter of Rebecca and Felix. This is my cousin Charles and the son of Daniel Frost and Seraphine Glenda. It's so nice to finally meet all of my parents' friends. They've been hiding you all, afraid that you'll like me better than them,"

I laughed as the reaction to the announcement was unmistakably evident on the faces of my parents' friends. The highlight was witnessing the usually stern Clementine Lady's eyes widen in astonishment. Overcome with surprise, she blurted out her response in that distinctive nasal voice of hers.

"How are you, child? You're so beautiful, and your cousin is so handsome. How is it that a mortal woman and a supernatural being created such perfection? And how could two different supernaturals create such beauty? No, it's impossible. I bet this is a ruse, and you're pretending to be their daughter."

I rolled my eyes at my cousin, and his smirk told me he was about to silence the miserable wench with his next words. And just as I predicted, Cousin Charlie walked up to the unpleasant woman and spoke.

"Why do you find it hard to believe that Dan is my father, and Aunt Becca and Uncle Felix are related to us? What causes you to question our paternity, ma'am?"

"Because you're both so perfect and beautiful, and your parents married outside of their species..."

"Are you implying that because our parents decided against marrying within their respective supernatural species, we are destined to be born with flaws and deformities, rather than having perfect, unblemished skin?"

The clementine woman simply nodded her head, and that's when Cousin Charlie began to chuckle. Then, he spoke with enough venom in his voice that it seemed the entire room could be poisoned. 

"you know who you are  your the type of woman who looks for faults in others  just so you can put them down  so you feel good about yourself you hurt peoples feelings because your a misreble old hag who  got married had children and in return lost her glory days  and lost her beauty  that she was so vain  about but let me tell you one thing maam if you ever show evil intent and  hate towards my family  and envy towards my aunt and cousin then i will forget that i was raised as a gentleman and i will make your life even more misreble and the only thing about me making people i hate misreble is that i don't stop until i either see blood or tears  so i would appreciate  that you remove your bitchy self from this freind group and away from my family  got it"

The woman clementine dashed away without a backward glance, while I noticed several girls eyeing Charlie with lust-filled and heated gazes. When Charlie caught their stares, they erupted into giggles and scampered away. Then, I saw Uncle Dan smirk and pat his son's shoulder, saying,

"good job my son  those were nymphs  and  there normally very shy beings  but today you got ther attention  good job  and just so you know these nymphs are very submissive in the bed room department and they love group things if you know what i mean"

 uncle then nudged charlie and i wanted to hurl but thankfully mama changed the subject and i didnt need to hear uncle talking about  sexcapades with nymphs   back in the days when he went here or i wouldve truly vomited Anyway, Momma told all her friends about me, and they were all so kind and reassuring, saying that Clementine had always been like this, even when they were younger, and that I just needed to ignore her.

To be honest, I already knew what her type of people were like, those who made others sad and watched the damage they inflicted as if it were an interesting drama series on TV. So, I had made sure that I didn't meet her again, especially with my experience of abuse When I was with my parents, they took me to the academy shop where I bought books and pens, as well as a tablet for work, in case it was mandatory When I gathered my belongings, Papa gave me a food card loaded with money so I could eat whatever I wanted, as often as I wanted. He mentioned that the food card could also be used outside the academy, should I go out to dine with the new friend I would make. Additionally, he provided a bank card for purchasing clothes or other items, assuring me it was mine to use and that it contained ample funds, so much so that even significant spending would hardly make a dent in the account.

I thanked Papa with a kiss on the cheek, and he hugged me, releasing a shaky breath, looking at me as if he were sending me away to a camp from which I would never return. I reassured him that I would be back for the holidays and we could go camping again. Papa chuckled and embraced me once more; I inhaled his earthy, smoky scent, told him I loved him, and promised to call if anything upset me. This made him laugh again, and he playfully swatted my bottom with a book, urging me to go out there and live. Away from Papa, Mama confided that he was just worried about me and felt afraid on my behalf. I assured Mama that I understood how Papa felt, but I was ready to leave my dark, tainted past behind and start anew at the academy. My goal was to become a professional dancer, make a name for myself on my own two feet, and not just live as the heir to Fendigo's business empire. Mom kissed my forehead and expressed her belief that I would accomplish what I had set out to do.

When Mama left after arranging my room, helping me set up my wardrobe and vanity, she kissed me goodbye. I inhaled her frost rose perfume and told her I loved her. She kissed my forehead, advising me to have fun, enjoy life, and not be afraid to let my heart seek love. As she teased me about my two secret admirers, I giggled, correcting her that there were now three. Intrigued, Mama insisted I tell her more. I recounted the incident with the man whose luggage I had stumbled over, how he didn't kiss me but instead presented me with a red rose conjured from thin air. I described his butterfly wings, and Mama laughed, revealing that the man I had encountered was actually a fae, a type of fairy connected to nature, known to court with the manifestation of flowers and their irresistible charm.

Driven by curiosity, I asked Mum if she had ever been charmed by or dated a nature fae. She blushed, admitting that she had, and recounted how he was the perfect partner, which made me cringe. Mum playfully swatted my arm, confessing that she had fallen for him, and they had been together for two years. However, when it was time to deepen their bond, he declined to commit. He clarified that while his kind enjoyed dating, they did not marry outside their species, offering only friendship and fun. I felt sympathy for Mum and pondered my own situation with a fae who had his sights on me. I wondered if he, or the other two men, would be willing to commit if I chose one or all of them. A small voice in my head considered this, but I dismissed it, as being with one man was my norm, even though the idea of a polyamorous couple intrigued me. I had never imagined myself in such a relationship, but now, in Enchantrios, I contemplated exploring this polyamorous possibility.