The next day, at breakfast, everything looked normal. Andrew was still sleeping, and no noise came from his room.

Meanwhile, from the kitchen, Ferry could hear sparrows-like chattering. Mrs. Nosey and Mrs. Lily Jones, the waitress at the tavern, were passionately debating the latest news in town: the Donovans' son returning. His mother, always nice and polite, was trying to answer the series of questions that kept on coming while serving them berry muffins and tea.

"The hospital should pay you damages for the suffering they caused you," said Mrs. Nosey in a husky voice, shaking her head with a serious demeanor. She was getting old and she couldn't see like she used to. So her eyes always seemed wide open with wonder behind the big dioptres spectacles. "It is outrageous what's happening in this world nowadays," she continued. "The poor boy... To get through so many at such a young age... You must be thrilled your son is back."

"Mr. Donovan is simply radiant with joy," Mrs. Jones added, clapping her hands. "He said the boy looks just like him. We can't wait to meet him."

Ferry's mother put on an awkward smile without saying a thing, pretending to clean the inexistent crumbs on the table.

"What about Ferry? The situation is quite difficult, don't you think?" Mrs. Nosey asked staring at Ferry's mom with her goggled eyes. Ferry could see the whole scene from the top of the stairs. He also noticed his mother's sadness.

"Well, I suppose we're going to adopt him..." she said with a faint voice. "I want to go to the Town Hall. I hope someone there will tell me what there is to be done..."

"Adopt him?" Mrs. Nosey shouted, making a theatrical gesture with her hand. "Oh, dear, don't you know what that means? It means another mouth to feed. And life it's so hard these days when everything it's so expensive. Besides, think about it, he's not even your son. How can you keep a stranger in your house? Someone who's not even your own blood..."

Ferry's mom was shaking her head. "It doesn't matter," she said, wringing her hands, "it doesn't matter he's not my own blood. I raised him as my own. Loved him as my own. He IS my own," she said, emphasising the words. "He's more my son than Andrew. I don't even know this boy..."

"Ferry? Your son?" shouted Mrs. Nosey, rolling her eyes. "Oh, dear, listen to yourself. You must be troubled and rightly so. But you mustn't think like that. Think about your real son. He's been through so much... He needs you. What's Peter thinking about this?" she flew at Eileen.

Ferry decided enough is enough, and he thought it was about time to end his mother's torment. He loudly came down the stairs.

"Good morning," he said, giving his mother a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, darling," said Eileen, lighting up at his sight.

"Ferry, dear, good morning," said Mrs. Nosey, forcing her voice to sound sweet.

Ferry sat at the table and took a bite from a green apple without minding her. He didn't care about what she thought, anyway. She was nothing but a scheming, gossipy old lady. And she always saw him as weird and naughty.

Yet he was surprised with Mrs. Jones's presence in the house. She never paid visits before. He thought she came to find out more about Andrew, the new sensation in town. Now, she was complimenting his mother for the berry muffins she hasn't been eating in ages. It was the fifth muffin already, and Ferry noticed she was eating the berry filling first.

He stealthily studied her as she was having small talk about the weather with Mrs. Nosey. Mrs. Jones was wearing heavy make-up which made it difficult to guess her age. She looked in her early forties. In fact, besides Mrs. Pride, Billy's mother, Ferry has never seen a woman wearing so much make-up. Her hair was dyed in an intense shade of black and styled in a big, loose bun in which a big bird could have easily built her nest. Her face was powdered with a thick layer of powder and had a dark black eyeliner around her brown eyes. The fake eyelashes, in the same shade of black, fretted with every blink when the subject was becoming intense — now, Mrs. Nosey was talking about the full moon which affected her appetite, for that reason she was gaining weight. Her lips were painted in bright red and her mouth was turning into a perfect circle each time she was hearing about Mrs. Nosey's multiple affections.

Mrs. Jones has moved to Goodharts two years earlier. Her husband was dead, so she and her daughter had to move from Big City because they couldn't afford to live there anymore. Besides, Mrs. Jones's daughter was a cripple, and she needed her mother's full attention. The two were living in Mrs. Cobbs's old house.

Now, Mrs. Jones was complaining about a shelf in the pantry and how much she missed a man's help in the house.

"You could go help, Ferry, dear," Mrs. Nosey suggested.

His mother tried to protest, knowing his lack of skills in crafting, "I'm afraid Ferry can't—"

"It's all right, Mom. I'd like to help," he rushed to answer.

His sudden decision took Eileen by surprise. Ferry knew too well why he wanted to go to Mrs. Jones's house. In fact, he didn't want to go to her house. He intended to go to Mrs. Cobbs's house.

He knew Lily Jones didn't throw anything from Mrs. Cobbs's belongings — of course, he knew that from Mrs. Nosey who was always posted with everything was happening in town. Now it was the perfect time to go to the house and look for— In fact, he wasn't sure what he was looking for. Yet he remembered Mrs. Cobbs's last words, that the people in town were connected to fairies. And he has seen a lot in town over the years to believe her.

His thoughts were interrupted by Andrew who had finally decided to come down to breakfast, greeting everyone with a big smile on his face.

The two women turned to him and their jaws dropped. "Eileen, dear, he looks just like Peter," said Mrs. Nosey, gasping. "You could say somebody did magic and created a younger copy of Peter..."

* Later that day, Andrew joined Ferry for a walk in the town. They had decided to go to Mr. Button's tailor shop so that Andrew could have his measurements taken for his school uniform. Then, they were to go to the bookstore and buy school supplies.

The school was starting soon, and Ferry couldn't be happier. He loved school, although he wasn't an excellent student like Ben. He was the best in the athletics team, though. And he didn't have to use magic to be the fastest in running. It was simply in his nature.

The town of Goodharts had grown a lot in recent years. Albert Pride, Billy's father and the successor of the founders of the town, had built a high school so that the children wouldn't have to continue their studies in the Big City. They could now stay in Goodharts and work at the sawmill after they finished school. The factory had even jobs for girls.

Thus, Ferry and his friends were all studying at Goodharts Highschool. All the youngsters wanted to stay in town after finishing their studies. There were, of course, exceptions. Billy Pride and Celia Haughty were to study at famous universities in the Big City. Also, Ben and Steph, the best students of the high school, intended to obtain a scholarship at one of those universities. Now, Andrew was enrolled in the same class.

As they were walking towards the tailor's shop, Ferry was studying Andrew with the corner of his eye. The boy was sprightly walking, whistling a song. As if nothing happened the night before. 

Seeing him in that strange state was troubling Ferry. Yet now, he was acting normally, wondering at the blue sky, the sun, and the landscapes of the town.

"Listen, Ferry, I hope you didn't tell our parents about last night," he said as natural as can be. His words took Ferry by surprise and he got stuck in place. "You wouldn't want them worried," he added, then he carried on.

"What is it you think I saw?" asked Ferry catching up with him.

"Oh, I saw you sneaking around my window. I don't know what you think you saw, but I must tell you I have nightmares. Vivid dreams... You know, life among strangers is not easy. Some of them didn't particularly treat me nicely," he sighed. "Sometimes, I think I'm even sleepwalking..."

"Don't you think Mom and Dad should know about this? Maybe a doctor should see you..."

"Oh, it's not that serious... I'm sure that now that I'm home, it won't happen again."

Ferry carried on, lost in thought.

"I wouldn't tell them if I were you," said Andrew as if telling him it was a sunny day. "I'm sure you wouldn't want them to know you are sneaking outside at night."

Ferry couldn't believe his ears. Was this strange boy threatening him?

He didn't have the time to think about it. Passing by the grocery store, they bumped into Celia and her liege of loyal followers, each with an ice cream in hand.

"Ooh, look who we have here," she said. "Elf," she added, smiling at him with her perfect white teeth, her golden locks falling on her shoulders in a shiny cascade. She was wearing a red polka dots dress, the latest fashion of the Big City. "How was your summer?" Then, her gaze fell on Andrew. "Who's your friend?" she asked.

"I'm Andrew, Ferry's brother," he said, stretching out his hand.

Celia reached out for his hand, then Andrew kissed hers, to everyone's surprise. "Oh, my, a gentleman," she said, obviously flattered. "You don't see this anymore. I'm Cecilia, but you can call me Celia," she said in a meaningful tone. "So where are you boys heading? Would you care to join us?"

"Actually, we're going to buy school supplies," Ferry cut her short.

Celia made a face at him, "Oh, Ferry, you always ruin people's good mood. You're nothing but a naughty boy," she concluded and walked away, followed by her friends. Then, she turned one more time and winked at Andrew. "See you soon, boys!"

Ferry and Andrew spent the entire afternoon in town. Andrew loved to visit the town and wondered at every store or alley.

When evening came, they eventually decided to go home. Eileen was just finishing to prepare dinner, and Peter was about to come at any time.

"Can I help you, Mom?" Andrew asked her.

Eileen forced a smile. "No, it's all right, I'll be done in a second. You'd better prepare yourself for dinner."

Andrew went to his room, whistling the same song. But Ferry stayed. He saw his mother slowly taking a seat at the kitchen table, the kitchen towel still in her hand. She was staring at the window without really seeing anything. She has gotten old. Her soft hair, the colour of grains in the summer, has lost its shine. Grey strands of hair covered the once golden locks. Her eyes were just as clear and just as blue, but now they looked sad.

"Is everything all right, Mom?" he asked.

"Everything's fine, dear. I'm just tired, that's all. Don't worry about me."

Yet during the entire dinner, she didn't say a word. Neither did Ferry. Instead, Andrew was the most babbly. He told Peter how much fun they had and thanked him for the money. He got everything he needed for school, and he even had some money left for a ball. Ferry didn't say a word. Yet he couldn't remember his father ever giving him money. Peter Donovan was a responsible man, of course. He was paying for the food and everything they needed for the house. But he never gave Ferry money. Not even for ice cream. Everything he needed for school was paid by his mother.

It seemed things were different in Andrew's case.

"Anything you need, son. You just have to ask." And Peter turned to his plate with tears in his eyes.

After dinner, Ferry helped his mother with the dishes while Peter and Andrew went to the workshop. Ferry hurried to finish polishing the dishes, thanked his Mom for dinner, and went out. Ever since he was wearing Lavender's charmed gloves, iron couldn't affect him that much. Yet he was still hesitant going to his father's workshop.

This time, Ferry sneaked against the workshop's wall and listened. Laughter was coming from inside. Ferry found a hole in the wall and peered through. The two were working on a small bench which Peter intended to put in the front garden. Andrew was holding the iron hammer which didn't seem to affect him at all. Yet iron was beginning to hurt Ferry, and after a while, he felt weak and dizzy.

Then, everyone went to bed. Ferry was lying on his bed in the attic. He felt tired. He decided not to sneak out that evening, especially after Andrew's remark which to him looked like a threat. What was that boy up to?

But when he was just about to fall asleep, shouts broke the night's silence. Ferry got off the bed, listening. The voices were coming from inside the house.

He got out the window and saw the light was still on in his parents' bedroom. He sneaked against the walls until he reached the window on the second floor. It was open. So he stayed hidden in the darkness, glued to the house's outside wall.

"Can't you understand this is impossible?" he could hear his father yelling. "We won't manage with two big children."

"I can take a job," his mother's lamented voice replied. "I can find a job at the Prides..."

"And let people know I'm not capable of supporting my own family? No thanks!"

"But we don't even know where he lived before. We don't know anything about him. How do we know he's telling the truth?"

"There is nothing to know, woman! I don't need a paper to tell me he's my son. I can feel it in my heart. Just as I've always felt Ferry wasn't my son."

"And I can feel in my heart that he is not my son. Ferry is my son thousands of times more than he is," his mother shouted back. Ferry was amazed. He's never seen his mother making a stand against his father so bitterly. "I know a mother shouldn't say that," she continued, "but a mother should feel. A mother needs no proof to know her child. And I don't feel anything."

"Are you mad, woman? What did the poor boy do to you?"

"He didn't do anything to me. He's nice, and he looks just like you. But that doesn't prove anything."

"Don't you understand we can't adopt Ferry?" his father's voice thundered again. "Soon, someone from the Town Hall will come to investigate. He is still underage and he must be taken to one of their institutions. An orphanage or something like that..."

A long pause followed. Then, Ferry could hear his mother's voice, loud and clear,"If he's leaving, I'm leaving." 

Thank you for reading this chapter! You know what to do ;)