Monday evening was the first night of October. So of course that meant my mother pulled out the hat. The wide brimmed pointy black hat that was on the head of every cartoon witch I had ever seen.

I didn't say anything about it. Saying something would mean I would lose. She sat there grinning and waiting.

"It'll be weird not doing our usual movie marathon," I said instead.

"I know! And it'll be your first birthday away from home!" Mom was now distracted from the usual game and cried out. "Do you have any plans?"

"I'm at a boarding school Mom. I can't have plans."

Mom rolled her eyes, "I'm sure there's a few people who would be happy to disagree with you. Just because you're stuck on campus doesn't mean you can't do something fun."

"Your kind of fun or Dad's?"

The mock-offense in her face as she pouted at me made me laugh. "You set one bookshelf on fire once and suddenly that's all people know you for," she grumbled.

"What bookshelf fire?"

"No bookshelf fire. Everything was under control."

"Don't make me ask Vivian."

"You might be willing to weaponize it, but I am happy you're getting along with Mother."

"I am too," I admitted. "I don't know if what I'm looking for is here, but I feel like I'm closer to it than I've ever been."

"I think you'll find it. Or at the very least find your people. You have an actual friend group now which is way more than you had before."

"That's true, I guess." Though I wasn't sure if I was operating with the same definition of friends as the others. I had no idea what Celica considered me as. Fethris I felt comfortable putting in the 'friends' category. Angelina would probably be very upset if I even hinted that she wasn't included. Russel was a very solid maybe along with Jarec. Though Jarec's cousin status made that iffy.

Not that I would tell any of them any of this. Ever.

Mom rolled her eyes. "You guess?"

"You act like I have the experience to make that call by myself."

She looked neither amused or impressed by my admission. But even she had to admit that if it wasn't true I wouldn't be here at The Towers Of Nine, let alone in Dragon Tower.

The thought made me a little sad. And a little worried. What would have happened if the curse had decided to rear its head while I was at my old school? In front of human kids?

That would have been a disaster.

I saw Dad in the background. He gave the hat one glance but also chose to not verbally acknowledge it.

As per the rules.

"Hello Serafina."

"Hi Dad!"

Mom pouted at having lost her little game. At least this round. But there would be others, there always were.

"I've been meaning to ask but is there anything you want for your birthday?" Dad said as he sat down next to Mom who moved over for him without either of them needing to say anything.

I shrugged, "I don't know."

"That's not helpful Serafina," Mom whined.

"It's the truth," I defended.

"I'll bet your friends have made plans even if you haven't," Mom commented.

"Um…about that…"

"You did tell them it's coming up, right?" Mom pushed.

"No? I haven't seen the need?" I meant to be stating facts, but the look on her face turned it to uncertainty and thus questions.

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"The Pixie will be upset," Mom commented.

"What have they done for their birthdays? Unless yours will be the first," Dad commented.

"You know, it might be. I don't think the others have celebrated it yet. Unless none of them did anything for it. But I feel like if one of them had already turned sixteen they'd say something. But there's also the probability that it was in the group chat," I narrowed my eyes a little at the thought.

"What group chat?" Dad asked.

"A telepathic one. That I can't join because of the stupid curse. They use it all the time and I can only hope it's nothing bad or nothing that will become my problem through proxy."

Mom frowned, "Is that how the curse works?"

I shrugged as dramatically as I could, "I have no idea. I think so? It also keeps Dragon Tower out a lot of the time. It's broken through like once, and that had other circumstances around it."

"Keeps the Tower out?" Dad asked while looking at Mom. A non-explicit request for context and/or clarification.

Mom looked confused and a little worried.

"Dragon Tower is apparently very chatty. Just not with me. Because curse. I've heard it speak once," I clarified.

Mom blinked several times in rapid succession. "It does what?"

Here we go again.

"I take it from Lucinda's tone that Dragon Tower isn't supposed to do that?"

"Don't look at me I don't know any more about that than you do. Mom's ancestor is the one who built it. Probably. Though we're having a bit of a debate about whether or not we should be blaming Jantres more."

"Jantres…" Dad drifted off, probably trying to remember who that was. "The skeleton army one?"

Mom started chuckling, "Close enough."

"What does he have to do with anything?" Dad asked.

"The Echoes and his knife, which is called Death's Echo and I find that suspicious, glow the exact same color," I explained.

He nodded, "Right. And same color means same person who…" he waved his hand about. He had probably forgotten the correct terms and didn't want to offend Mom. Not that I think he ever could. Or maybe he was trying to stifle the unhinged laughter from next to him.

"Nearly twenty years, and that's about as much magic comprehension as I've gotten him to."

"I can never remember the terminology."

"You have basic understanding though. Which is enough I think," I told him.

"I would hope so," Dad sighed. "But if your family starts asking questions you have to do the explaining," he turned to the side to aim the comment at my mother who was back in view.

"I would be very shocked if they ever bothered to ask you about magic. Or about Serafina's at-home training. They may ask you about my failures in the kitchen though."

"Oh good," Dad wasn't even trying to hide the smile.

"Traitor."

I laughed.

"Both of you! Traitors! I will have my revenge if you do that!"

"If Vivian asks me questions I will give her honest answers. I don't think I can get away with lying to her and I kind of don't want to," I explained.

Mom nodded, "That's fair. You got your lying ability from me and she always saw right through me. Nobody else did though."

"I don't think that's something you should be bragging about," I commented.

Mom didn't look the least bit bothered by it.

"Speaking of," Dad said suddenly, "I've been meaning to ask. How is that fairing? I know you both talked about not being open about your origins, but if Lucinda is going there then…" Dad stopped, I could tell he was searching for the right words.

"Actually for some reason there's a rumor going around that I'm an Aplos. Pretty sure Thoth is to blame."

Dad frowned and looked to Mom.

"Who?" She asked

"Pegasus Tower Representative. Also in charge of the Newspaper."

Mom's face flashed with disgust before settling into something that was far more controlled and neutral. "How very rude."

"I correct everyone that asks me or makes a comment about it. I'm only mentioning it because I'm pretty sure it also means that I am fooling no one. But that might be for the best I think. Harder to let people down when they expect nothing of you."

Mom didn't look thrilled with that.

But Dad nodded, "Right. If they start treating you with the expectations that you went through whatever the regular schooling track is for your classmates then you run the risk of either having to keep up with a lie you never told or trying to correct a record already in ink."

"Whereas if both parties are going into the discussion knowing I didn't then we can both approach whatever it is on closer to mutual terms."

"I'm confused," Mom said. "Not about what you two were saying. About that rumor. Stewart is nothing like a traditional Aplos name. I'd be willing to understand it if we were Lights, or Ponds, or even Browns."

I shrugged, "I don't know where or when it started. But I'm certain that Thoth either started it himself or knows the origins and perpetuates it anyway. I don't have proof, but I could hear it when he talked about it."

"He sounds incredibly rude," Mom complained.

"Oh he's the worst. Easily. And you're probably going to meet him when you get here. Vivian and I haven't gone over specifics yet but there has been an acknowledgement in the Representative meetings that we will have 'extra duties to fulfill' whatever that means."

"Sounds delightful. But it'd better not cut into my time seeing you."

"Again, don't know the specifics, but there's been an implication that parents will be invited to be involved if they show up."

The only other member of the council I felt a little bit bad for at the idea of sticking them in a room with my mother was Set. The others were either neutral or delighted excitement. Anubis and Horus's faces were going to be funny and I was gleefully looking forward to it.

"You have that look in your eye again," Dad commented.

"Just thinking that the Kelpie and Kraken Representatives both probably buy into the Aplos rumors. And the looks on their faces when I have to introduce my mother to them."

Mom let out a loud boisterous laugh, "That's my girl. Tormenting the representatives of the worst two Towers."

"They started it. I had no input on that at all."

Dad turned to Mom, "Isn't your mother a Kraken?"

"Yeah, but young Krakens are the absolute worst. In my experience they don't become tolerable until their magic turns purple," Mom whined.

"That checks out. Anubis's magic is orange."

Mom flinched, "Oh no. That's a terrible combination. Kraken representative and part Salamander? That must be insufferable."

"You have no idea," I complained. "She hates me. She's basically said as much."

Mom nodded in understanding, "And the Kelpie?"

"Not sure, his magic's turned green already."

"Just be careful around him then. I've never met a Kelpie that likes a wildcard and well…"

Before I got here I might have argued with her about that. How did I classify as a wildcard? But she was right. Unexpected seemed to be my normal here.

"Oh I don't plan on interacting with any of them more than I absolutely have to," I explained.

"That's my girl," Mom grinned.

My body decided that was the end of this conversation though. I let out a large and loud yawn.

"Oh right, you're like three hours ahead of us."

"And it's a school night," Dad said. Though I wasn't sure if that meant the same thing when you lived at the school. But he had a point.

"Okay then. I'll get some sleep. Talk to you both later. Love you," I waved as their images dissolved away.

I did look tired.

Tomorrow would be future me's problem. For now, I would just try and get some sleep.

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