Chapter 50: About My Day

Paz's hair was originally bright blue.

It proceeded to darken, then purpled (lilac, Martin says), and then it faded to a pale green with purple tips. There are still blue streaks in her hair... sparse, but present.

"What is this?!" Paz cries. "Why is my hair changing?"

It only took one day of school for Paz to realize she's the only child around with hair that isn't brown, red, blond or black. Changing bodies are a scary thing. Even if it's just a hair color, Paz was used to it, and the change is disconcerting.

Martin has no idea what to say. "Elf magic," are the words that spill from his mouth.

He then gives her a more stylish pair of glasses than she was originally prescribed.

Zephram has never heard of elves, only gnomes, so doesn't believe their grandfather's explanation. He blames his sister's supernatural-like hair color on vampire genetics.

"You're probably going to eat the whole family," he whines.

Paz calls their grandfather in for backup.

"Tell him I'm an elf!"

Martin coughs. "You kids play nice."

"But she's going to kill us all!"

Martin tries to make Paz feel better. "I always fought with my brother at this age too," he says.

"We're not fighting!" Zephram shouts. "We have to cure her!"

"No," Martin says sternly. "Don't talk like that."

Paprika tries not to hear any of this; she's concentrating beyond the chessboard, beyond this life and into the next. Her latest assignment is from Dax, who found his criminal headquarters The Outstanding Citizen Warehouse Corp. infested with restless spirits.

She wonders if Dax has put their past behind him. She wonders the same of herself.

And while she runs off to work in a freshly pressed suit...

...Martin enjoys the sunset on the river behind the house...

...Zephram (after the stern lecture) invites little Aubrey Newbie over to tell her about how dryer sheets really smell terrible...

...and Paz discusses the carboniferous period with Chad Burr. He made a comment about her hair (oh, how it looks so bright in the dark...), which led to talk of SCIENCE. Chad's father and grandfather are both scientists, so geeking out is normal for him. Before they part ways, Chad makes sure to get a sample of Paz's hair. Just a tiny one.

On Saturday mornings there are games. Martin has finally retired in order to spend more time with his family.

Zephram wants to be a doctor when he grows up. He wants to help people.

"We should spend most of our lives like this," Paz says.

Drumheller has passed away. Melody zips across the yard to see if Josephine is alright.

"We all get old someday," is all Josephine can say.

Drumheller's daughter with Judith Grisby is a straight A student and will graduate soon; he spent most of his later years amassing a small fortune to hand over to the girl on that date. He didn't expect she'd want to live even a second of her adult life in the Grisby manor with her elderly mother and ageless vampire aunt.

Josephine's sons are poised to do well in their careers. Grant is already a paramedic. Julian has followed his mother and Grandmother's footsteps into the music career. The future is looking bright.

The television breaks so it's a great excuse to go outside.

A race to the playground.

Zephram climbs up the slide ladder, zooms down the slide and lands on his butt. It looks painful, but he does it over and over again, reminding Paz of his repetitive hand washing.

Melody has a good idea where the kids have gone, and shows up to supervise.

Aubrey appears. Zephram switches to his best clothes - his nighties, which he kept stuffed in his jacket just in case of an apocalyptic event stranding them at the playground. Aubrey is not impressed, but bemused to see the boy walking around in his blue socks.

A visitor.

Paprika smirks. "Z's at the park. Get off my lawn."

"What if I came here to see you?"

"You always come here to see me."

They started out strangers. But after all this time, Paprika knows this man's hopes and dreams. His secret fears and nightmares. His favorite books, movies, television shows. She knows what hobbies his brother has and she knows about his mother's opinions. They could be best friends, if not for how badly Cruz wants to be something more.

Still, it doesn't take much to switch the man to Worry-About-Son mode. Like a social worker, he snoops around the bedrooms for potential dangers.

The bed is unmade. The paintings on the wall are nightmare fuel. The constantly burning incense is not only a fire hazard, it fails at its job because it doesn't mask the atrocious scent of the piles of dirty laundry.

"I'll fix it!" Paprika snaps. She shoves Cruz from their son's bedroom and makes the bed. She picks up the laundry and hurls it in the machine.

"You can stop looking for ways to paint me as a bad parent!" Paprika complains. "A little dirty laundry never made any kid insane!"

"I'm sorry, but it just looks like negligence to me!" Cruz shouts back.

The issue won't be resolved until they're all living together. So it won't ever be resolved, and these two turn back to their number one way of blowing off stress.

"You're like," Paz pauses mid-sentence to consider, "stalking that girl Aubrey or something. Like your Dad stalks our Mom. You're a stalker."

Zephram doesn't understand his sister's way of teasing him for liking a girl. "Well you're a chipmunk!"

"A logical response," Paz responds, mixing her best Spockish voice with sarcasm like a true amateur.

The children return home. Prompted to tell his father about his day, Zephram launches into an incomprehensible speech about symphonies.

Cruz listens patiently. "Okay, little guy, but how about putting your sweater on? It's kind of cold out."

Paprika catches another visitor, after Cruz has left.

"You seriously expect me to believe you're here to see your daughter?" Paprika hisses. "You're here to steal from me, you little creep."

"Little?"

"Yeah!"

"My wife..." Dax scowls down at the grass. "My wife can't have children. I would like to get to know Paz."

I don't care, is what Paprika would like to shout. But in her head, she counts to five, and then is able to respond, "I'll think about it."

Dax turns to skulk away. "Thank you again. For putting away the spirits."

Paz often wonders who her father is. Paprika told her it was someone she wouldn't want to know. But Paz does want to know; she wants to know everything. How could knowledge not be power?


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Etc.: I miss the traveling. I'm too paranoid to try it anytime soon, since it marked the beginning of freezes for my game, and is possibly/probably the culprit behind McDermott Random Legacy's horrible freezes.

Paprika really did have a rabbit hole paranormal investigation for the criminal hideout. No big deal. But I laughed when I saw the picture of Dax up there thanking her profusely for a job well done.

Also, chapter 50. Ouch.