The Woodward Academy, Year 3

Chapter 1: June

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"How long do you plan on staying?" Sam asked.

"A few weeks. I'm supposed to be back at school at the end of the month."

"Oh?"

"I have to do some apprentice time with Lord Woodward," David explained.

"Well, it's good that you're learning about all of your skills. Did you clear this with Dean Lengel?"

"No. I'll be staying at the castle, not the school."

"Hmm. You should probably have said something to her."

"Maybe, but what if she had said no? Then I'd have had to turn down Lord Woodward's offer."

"And if she catches you on campus while you're there?"

"As I understand the rules... and I had to help print the silly things up... the campus is open to everyone during the day, even during the summer."

"And you think she won't wonder where you're spending your nights?"

David shrugged. "If she raises a fuss, I can spend my nights in Haven."

"Have you been there?"

"A few times."

Sam didn't say anything about it after that. They were close to where they were going, anyway. The two had traveled most of the day to get here. It was an unfortunately familiar trip for David, since Gwen lived very close to the criminal management facility. Finally, they reached the outskirts of Bellamy, the village where the Hasterscants lived.

The carriage came to a stop, and the driver hopped down to open the door. David and Sam stepped out, to see the Hasterscant family waiting in a small outdoor cafe down the street.

Sam turned to David. "Have a good time. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"What, exactly, wouldn't you do?" David asked her with a grin.

"Get caught," she said with a mischievous grin and a wink. David laughed.

When they settled, Sam put her arms around David's neck. "I'm going to miss you. You'd better come see me when you get back on campus, or I'll report you to the dean myself!"

"Yes, ma'am," David said with a grin. They kissed for a long moment, and then Sam let him go.

"See you in a few weeks," she said. She climbed back into the carriage, and the driver closed the door. David waved as the carriage moved off. When the pegs had returned to the sky, David turned, to find Gwen standing behind him.

"Hey, Gwen," he told her. She hugged him, and he returned the gesture. Finally, they parted.

"She could have spent the night," Gwen said, motioning to the departing carriage.

"She said something about needing to get the carriage back to the school. I think she just didn't want to feel like she was intruding."

"Well, c'mon, you can meet my family. David," she said, stopping him again before they'd gone very far, "my family doesn't know about me being gay. I'd like to keep it that way, at least for now."

David put his hands on her waist, and pulled her close to him, and then he kissed her softly. It wasn't a long kiss, and he winked when they ended it.

"Your secret's safe with me," he told her.

Gwen blushed, but smiled at him. "Thanks. C'mon."

David allowed Gwen to lead him over to the table. "David, this is my family. You know my mom already."

"Mrs. Hasterscant," David said.

"Call me Denise," she told him. David nodded.

"This is my dad."

"Mr. Hasterscant," David said, shaking his hand.

"Good to meet you, David. Have a seat."

"Those are my sisters, Anne and Ellie."

"Hi," David said to both of them. Anne just grunted at him.

"Hey," Ellie said. "Don't mind her, she hates everyone."

"I do not! And stop speaking for me!" Anne demanded.

"Just as soon as you start speaking for yourself, I won't have to, now will I?" Ellie said with a grin. Anne glared at her. David arched an eyebrow, but didn't want to get into the middle of a sibling squabble. He turned to Mrs. Hasterscant, instead.

"It was nice of you to invite me to stay with you. Thank you. You too, sir," he said, including Mr. Hasterscant.

Mr. Hasterscant snorted. "I don't mind at all, understand, but I had nothing to do with the invitation," he said, grinning.

Mrs. Hasterscant blushed. "I just felt we should get to know you better. Gwen has said so many good things about you."

"I imagine she exaggerated some," David said, glancing sidelong at Gwen, who blushed.

"Besides, you can teach her how to use that iWhatsits you got her. She can't make it work."

"I can so!" Gwen said. "Just..."

"Just what?" David asked.

"Well, I just don't know exactly what to do with it."

David chuckled. "Sorry about that."

"So, are you hungry? We waited for you," Mr. Hasterscant said.

"Gwen didn't tell you?" David asked.

"Tell us what?" Mrs. Hasterscant asked.

David looked at Gwen.

"I did tell them. Twice. They didn't believe me."

David rolled his eyes, and looked back at Mr. Hasterscant. "You didn't need to wait for me. I don't get hungry anymore. But, since you did wait for me, I'll join you," he said with a smile.

"As long as we get to eat soon," Anne grumbled.

Mr. Hasterscant motioned for the waitress, while David leaned over to Gwen. "Did I do something to piss off your sister?" he whispered.

"She's always like that. Ignore her," Gwen said. "I do."

David shrugged, and sat back, then looked over the menu the waitress provided.

-----

After dinner was over, the family and David returned to the Hasterscant home. It was a large house, as it had to be for a family with five children. It resembled an old farmhouse, with the same feel of rustic hominess. The inside of the house was spotless, and obviously well cared for.

Mr. Hasterscant went and started a fire in the living room, and Anne disappeared immediately. Gwen excused herself to go to the restroom, and Ellie went and sat, waiting for the fire.

Mrs. Hasterscant said, "Well, would you like a brief tour of the place?"

"Sure."

She showed him around the ground floor, which seemed fairly typical, with kitchen, dining room, living room, and a recreation space that doubled as a workroom. She led him upstairs, which was full of bedrooms. She walked him all the way to the back of the house, and showed him a small bedroom.

"This is where you'll sleep. Sorry it's so far from the restroom."

"Not a problem. I don't use the restroom anymore, either."

"How convenient for you!" she said with a grin. "Come on, let's go back and join the others."

"Sounds good."

As they were walking back toward the stairs, Mrs. Hasterscant said quietly, "So... are you Gwen's boyfriend? She doesn't talk much about her romantic life..."

David smiled. "No, we're just close friends. We did try dating once, but we decided that it wasn't right for us, and rather than spoil the friendship trying to make it work, we just backed off, and decided to stay the way we were."

"Well, that's a very mature attitude from both of you, I must say. I'm glad Gwen found someone like you at school, so she would have a good friend to lean on. Does she have many friends?"

"We hang together in a group, so there are several. Plus, I imagine she has friends from her classes that I don't know."

Mrs. Hasterscant nodded. The conversation ended as they entered the living room, and sat down in front of the fire.

"So... here's a question... what, exactly, do you do to entertain yourselves in the evenings?" David asked.

"What would you normally do?" Mrs. Hasterscant challenged.

"Study," he said with a grin.

"That's all you do?"

"When I'm not busy getting stuck in the infirmary, or out on a date."

"With that professor?" Mr. Hasterscant asked.

David would have blushed, but he wasn't able. "I don't really date Prof. Stott. Our relationship is... complicated."

"Aren't they all," Mrs. Hasterscant said with a grin that David didn't quite grasp. "So, if not her, then who are you going with? How come you didn't invite them here?"

"I'm not seeing anyone at the moment. My last relationship ended in April," he said, glancing briefly over at Gwen, who was keeping a straight face. "But, you guys dodged the question. What do you do at night for fun?"

"We listen to a mirror broadcast of music, most often. That, and chat, or play a game," Mr. Hasterscant said.

"Sounds very cozy," David replied.

"What's Woodward like?" Ellie suddenly asked. David looked over at her. "I'll be going in a year, I hope."

"I'm sure you'll get accepted," her mother told her.

"Why ask me? You've had three siblings go there already..."

"Yeah, but they can't tell me all the bad stuff, or mom'll yell at them."

"Ellie!" Mrs. Hasterscant said, scandalized. The others laughed.

"Well, unless you don't like hard work, there's not much bad to tell," David told her. He spent the next hour describing and discussing Woodward Academy with her. The conversation wandered after that, and they all spent a long time talking.

Finally, it was bedtime. David said his good-nights, and then he made his way up to his room. He closed the door, put Jailla on his perch, got undressed, and lay down. He counted to about thirty before the knock came at the door. He padded over and opened it, finding Gwen on the other side, as he expected.

"What did you say to my mom about us?" she whispered. "That look she sent my way..."

"All I said was that we had been on a date once, and we decided that it wasn't right for us. And that we are close friends. I'm not going to rat you out, Gwen... but you probably need to tell them soon."

"I know. It's going to be hard to hide come fall."

"How come?"

"Anne will be going to Woodward. While she's unlikely to be part of our group, she's certainly going to see me with Devyn."

"Speaking of, why didn't you invite Devyn to stay?"

"Too awkward. Besides, I think she had another quest thing to do."

David nodded. "Has she said anything more about me to you?"

"No. It's kind of a forbidden subject between us."

"I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have dated her. It's just made things awkward."

"We'll manage," Gwen said, yawning. "Oof, guess I'm more tired than I thought. I'll see you in the morning, David." She leaned forward and gave him a brief kiss.

"Good night, Gwen."

David closed the door and lay back down. It took him a little while to fall asleep, while he mulled over the aftermath of his relationship with Devyn.

I hope that all settles out soon.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Oh, good morning, David," Mrs. Hasterscant said to him when he came in the front door. "I figured you were still asleep. Where did you get off to?"

"Just walking up and down the street, and watching the birds in the tree next door."

"Did you have trouble sleeping?" she asked.

"No, but I don't need very much."

"How long have you been up?"

"A few hours."

"Good grief. Well, would you like some breakfast? I know you said you don't need to eat, but..."

David smiled. "Sure. Anyone else up yet?"

"Roy is off to work already. No one else has made it out of bed."

Just then, Ellie came into the room. "Morning, David," she said. "Hey, Mom. What's for breakfast?"

"Just eggs and sausage today," she said.

"Sounds good. How long?" Ellie asked.

"Ten minutes or so."

"'kay. You sleep okay?" she asked David.

"Sure."

"That's good. I'm told I tend to shout things in my sleep. Glad I didn't keep you awake."

"Oh, is your room next to mine?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't hear anything."

"Cool. So, what're you going to do today?"

David shrugged. "I have no idea." After considering, he said, "If anyone has a tennis ball, I can sit in my room and throw it against the wall..."

Both of the ladies in the room gave him a funny look.

"Huh?" Ellie asked.

David chuckled. "Never mind. I spent a lot of time doing that last year around this time."

"Oh," Mrs. Hasterscant said. "At the facility, you mean."

"Yeah. Kinda glad I don't have to go back there."

"That bad?" Ellie asked.

David grimaced. "Not so much how bad the place was, as the fact that you couldn't leave it. If I really didn't like it here, I know that all I have to do is find the nearest travel gate, and go back to Earth. That wasn't an option in the facility. Otherwise, except for one guy who was a real pain in the ass last summer, it really wasn't that bad."

"Oh," Ellie said.

"You two go wash up for breakfast, and I'll get it started," Mrs. Hasterscant said.

By the time they had both returned to the dining room, Gwen was there. Anne came in behind them, said nothing to anyone, and sat down. When Mrs. Hasterscant came in, Anne said, "I'm going to Leigh-Ellen's house today."

"Oh? I thought we could show David around the neighborhood."

"Go ahead. What do I care?" Anne said.

"I did say 'we', Anne," Mrs. Hasterscant said patiently.

"I'm not wasting my summer playing tour guide. You invited him, not me."

"Rude," Ellie commented.

"Fuck off," Anne said.

"Watch your language, Annabelle," Mrs. Hasterscant snapped.

"Or what?" she challenged.

"Sus!" Mrs. Hasterscant snarled, tapping her daughter on the head. Anne started to make a smart-assed comment, but suddenly realized she had no voice at all. She glared at her mother and slammed her fist down on the table.

"Keep pushing it, Anne, and you can spend the next year working at a McDonald's instead of going to Woodward."

Anne reddened, then pushed her chair away from the table and stormed out of the room.

"I'm sorry about that," Mrs. Hasterscant said to David. "She's been making trouble for months."

David waved it off. "Not a problem. What was that spell you used, though?"

"Sus? It's one I just learned from a friend of mine. It's a silencing spell. It only works on people you have authority over, though."

"Damn," David said.

Mrs. Hasterscant chuckled, and then returned to the kitchen to get the rest of breakfast.

While everyone ate, Mrs. Hasterscant said, "So, what should we do today?"

David asked, "Do you not work?"

Mrs. Hasterscant shook her head. "Roy and I decided it was important to have someone home to raise the kids. His income is enough for us to get by on."

David nodded. "Didn't mean to pry, it just seemed odd for what I'm used to."

"No problem."

Ellie said, "Why don't we take David to the Crystal Cavern?"

Gwen perked up. "I love that place!"

Mrs. Hasterscant pursed her lips. "We haven't been there in a while. Would you like to go, David?"

"I have no idea what it is," he admitted.

"You'll love it!" Gwen gushed. "It's this cave where magic crystals grow. They let you break one off and keep it, and it's so pretty!"

"Sounds good to me," David said. Jailla ruffled his feathers. "What?"

"Caves are not my idea of fun," Jailla said.

"Oh. Um... care for a free-fly day?"

"Yes, that would be appreciated."

"Okay." Turning to the others, he said, "Jailla thinks skies are more fun than caves. He'll stay here and get some exercise."

"Good for him," Mrs. Hasterscant said.

-----

The Crystal Cavern was only a short carriage-ride from the house, and that, in itself, was a pleasant activity for David. When they arrived, the outside of the cavern looked vastly ordinary. Had he seen it in passing, he wouldn't have given it a second look.

"Four, please," Mrs. Hasterscant told the clerk at the entrance.

"Forty granas," the clerk told her.

"Ouch. It's gone up since last year," Mrs. Hasterscant commented to the others.

"I've got this," David told her.

"You're supposed to be our guest, not the other way around," Mrs. Hasterscant objected.

"Yeah, but I don't have a family to feed. You do." David handed the clerk a fifty-grana coin, and received his change. He motioned Mrs. Hasterscant forward, and she smiled at him, then led them into the cave.

The cave looked ordinary as he walked in, until David turned the corner. Suddenly, he was staring into a room of diffuse light of every color imaginable. The crystals shone with a gentle radiance that didn't strain the eyes in the slightest. It was so pretty, so impressive, that for a long moment, David couldn't move.

"Wow," he said, finally finding his voice.

"And this is just the first room," Gwen told him. "Come on."

The group headed deeper into the cave, which had many rooms off the main passage. In each room, a different kind of crystal had taken hold, and they formed different patterns of light. In one room, the light passed from crystal to crystal, as if they were speaking to each other. In another, the light slowly waxed and waned. In a third, the colors varied over time, shifting in a beautiful light show.

In David's favorite room, the crystals burst with color, almost like a fireworks display. At any one moment, most of the crystals were dark, but various clusters would light up brightly, sending a pulse of light along their lengths, and then slowly dying back to darkness, only to pulse again some random time later.

"How does something like this happen?" David asked.

"Some wizard in the past, probably," Mrs. Hasterscant said. "No one really knows. They don't wonder too much about it, either. They just enjoy the fact that it's here."

"I can understand that part," David told her.

After a while longer, they reached the very back of the cave. In here, the crystals had sorted themselves into their various colors.

"Now, you're allowed to take one crystal from here," Mrs. Hasterscant told him. "It's included in the cost of admission."

"Don't the crystals run out, if everyone keeps taking them?" David asked.

"They grow back," Ellie assured him. She was already picking out her own crystal.

After a long look, David chose a deep green crystal. Green wasn't usually his color, but watching this one relaxed him so much, he had to pick it.

"Well, that's all there is to see," Mrs. Hasterscant said. "How did you like it?"

"This place is great," David told her. "I think if I lived here, I'd spend way too much time looking at crystals."

She chuckled at him as they made their way out of the cave. They showed their crystal selections to the clerk, as required, and then they grabbed a carriage back home. They'd spent a good couple hours in the cavern, and it would be lunchtime by the time they made it back to the house.

After lunch, Gwen said she wanted to go visit some friends. Ellie, David, and Mrs. Hasterscant sat at the dining room table and played a board game, while they chatted. All in all, it was very pleasant for David to simply relax and have fun, with no real worries for a change.

After their board game, David decided to help Mrs. Hasterscant with some of the chores. She initially resisted, but relented when he told her he would be bored otherwise.

"The kids never offer to help out," she told him.

"I have to do something to thank you for letting me stay here, Mrs. Hasterscant," he told her.

"Denise," she reminded him.

"Yes, ma'am," he said. She glared at him for a second, but then went back to what she was doing.

"I need to do some organizing in my work room. You can help with that, if you like."

"Sure."

As they walked into the room, David asked, "So... what do you guys normally do during the summer?"

"This is it," she said with a grin. "My routine doesn't change much. The kids will go off and visit friends, or do things in their rooms, or what-have-you. Occasionally, like this morning, we'll take some time to go somewhere together. Why?"

"I didn't want to inconvenience you too much," David said.

She waved that off. "It's nice to have someone new to talk to. I'm sorry you're not getting to see Gwen very much today."

David chuckled. "I see Gwen every day at school. And I'm sure I'll see plenty of her while I'm here. She's only got so long to see her friends."

Nodding, Mrs. Hasterscant said, "I need to put these supplies away. Do you think you could pick up those books and get them back on their right shelves? They should be alphabetical."

"Sure, no problem." As David picked up the books, he noticed a poster on the wall. It was of a young-looking man leaning against a tree, the light of a setting sun shining on him, a brooding look on his face. He wore dark clothes, his shirt open all the way to his navel, exposing his chest. His pale skin seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.

"So, you like vampires?" David asked.

"Huh?" Mrs. Hasterscant said. David motioned to the poster, and she chuckled. "That's not a vampire. He's just a fairy."

"Oh," David said, biting his lip. He finished up organizing the books, and then did some general cleaning up of the area.

When the two were finished, they moved on to another room. Though it was hardly what most would consider a vacation activity, David found it quite pleasant to spend the day chatting with Mrs. Hasterscant, helping her with her daily chores. All in all, it was a very enjoyable day.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

For the first week, David spent his days much like the first. In the morning, they would find some local park or attraction for him to see. In the afternoons, he would chat with Ellie and Mrs. Hasterscant, while Gwen went off to visit her friends.

About halfway through his visit, David finally had a request to make.

"I was wondering how I could get back to Earth briefly."

"Where in Earth do you want to go?" Mr. Hasterscant asked.

"My hometown. It's not that far from here."

"Want to see your parents?" Mrs. Hasterscant asked.

"Uh... no. No, I don't think I need that again. But I would like to visit Jacob, the demighost who's stuck there. I haven't seen him in a couple years now."

"Well, it's certainly no trouble to get you there on this side," Mrs. Hasterscant said. "Do you know if there's a gate near your city?"

"There's one right on the outskirts."

"All the easier. And we haven't been to Earth for a while. It might be nice to see all the mechanical things again."

"And if we visit a McDonald's, I can show Gwen how to use her iPad," David said with a grin.

"Yay!" Gwen enthused. Everyone - except Anne, of course - laughed. Anne just sat silently. She had said very little to anyone since the incident with the sus spell.

After the family had gotten ready for the trip, they hired a carriage. David insisted on paying all the expenses for this trip, which meant they had to go to a bank so he could make an exchange for some Earth money. On the way to the gate, the girls sat at the front of the carriage facing backward, while David sat with Mr. and Mrs. Hasterscant. They chatted on the way about nothing in particular. Mrs. Hasterscant tended to dominate the conversation, and she spoke almost exclusively to David, while the others basically listened.

Finally, they arrived at an empty field, with a shed in it.

"Here?" Anne grumped.

"This is the place," David assured her.

"What a dump," she opined.

"Annabelle, that was rude," Mr. Hasterscant chided.

"It's just a travel gate. What did you expect, the Taj Mahal?" David asked.

"What the hell is the Taj Mahal?" Anne shot back.

David shook his head in disbelief. He walked over to the shed and placed his hand against the back wall. Immediately it opened for him. The family all crowded inside the small shed, and closed the Dugerra door. Then David opened the front door of the shed, and walked out. It was an overcast day, but didn't look like rain.

David soon found his chest being nudged by a large nose.

"Hi there!" David told the hellhound, who had come over to greet him. David scratched the beast behind the ears. The other hellhound kept its distance, ignoring the family, as they were not his concern.

After David was done with the hellhound, he led the Hasterscants down the path and out the gate. After they'd walked a ways, they reached the city proper.

"Welcome to Eureka," he told them.

"Are we going to have to walk everywhere?" Anne demanded.

"Exercise is good for you," Ellie told Anne with gleeful derision. Anne was a bit on the heavy side.

"Fuck you," Anne told her.

"Annabelle..." Mrs. Hasterscant warned.

"What? Why do you always take her side?"

"I'm not taking anybody's side. I'm telling you to watch your language."

"What're you gonna do, hex me again? That'd look real cute here in the Land of the Blind."

David snickered. "Land of The Blind?" he asked Mrs. Hasterscant.

"Some people," she said, "usually the most rude and obnoxious of us," she continued, looking at her daughter crossly, "refer to non-magic people as The Blind. They're missing one of their senses, you see."

"Oh. Say... is there a polite term for non-magic folk?"

"Technos is the current neutral term," Mr. Hasterscant told him. "To indicate they use technology, instead of magic."

David nodded. "It's not something that comes up at school."

"Not even in your Earth Studies course?" Ellie wanted to know.

"Well, I never took Earth Studies... I didn't see much point, what with having grown up here and all, but, Prof. Gardner, the professor who normally teaches Earth Studies, never used that term. He liked to call them Earthers."

"That's an old term for them," Mrs. Hasterscant said. "And some people still use it."

"So, where to?"

"Let's call a cab. I'd hate to wear out Anne's legs," David said, grinning. The rest of the family chuckled, though Anne scowled darkly.

When the taxi van arrived, they all piled in.

"31 Spooner Street," David told the driver. "Oh, and we'll be needing your service for a while."

"There's a charge for me to wait," the driver reminded him.

"I'm aware."

"It's your dime," the guy said, and took off.

"What's at 31 Spooner Street?" Gwen asked.

"The place where I died," he said quietly, not wanting the driver to hear him.

"Why would you want to go back there?" Ellie asked.

"It's where Jacob lives. I wanted to see him, let him know how I'm doing, that kind of thing. You guys can stay in the cab, if you like."

"I wanna see," Ellie said.

"That's gross, Ellie," Gwen said.

"Now, Gwen," her mother said. "I'm sort of intrigued, as well."

"Yuck. I don't want to see where David got hurt."

"Here's the place," the driver said. He came around and opened the door.

"I'll stay here with Gwen and Anne," Mr. Hasterscant said. "You go on ahead."

David led the other two into the house. First, he showed them the room where he'd fallen through the ceiling. Nothing had changed, except that it was all covered with a new layer of dust. The blood stains on the floor were apparent.

"My word. Didn't that hurt?" Mrs. Hasterscant asked.

"You have no idea," David told her.

Ellie looked at the stains, and then back to him. "Do you... have a scar?"

"I do. I'll show it to you sometime, if you're really interested. Right now, I'm going to go find Jacob. You guys can stay here, or head back outside, whichever you like."

"Can't we meet Jacob, too?" Ellie asked.

David shook his head. "You wouldn't be able to see him, and you'd barely be able to hear him."

"Oh."

David crossed his arms, and faded to ghost form. He then passed into Haven, walking away from the ladies.

"Welcome back, David," Jacob said. "It's good to see you again."

"Hi, Jacob. I figured, since I was able to now, I should stop in and say hi."

"Congratulations on your license. What do you plan on doing now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Will you return to Earth, or are you going to continue your schooling?"

"I'm going back to school. At least until I get citizenship. I want to have that option, even if I decide not to use it."

"Good for you. You're keeping an open mind, and also making sure that you can make choices in the future. So, how has life been?"

-----

David and Jacob chatted for about a half an hour. David would have stayed longer, but with his guests along, he didn't want to keep them waiting too long.

"I'll try to keep in touch," David told him.

"It's good to see you, but Madame Penelope does keep me informed."

"I don't see her as much as I'd like to, either," David admitted. "Anyway, is there anything I can get for you, have sent to you? I know there's no way I can keep you occupied for very long, but every little bit helps, right?"

"That would be welcome. If you could send a few more books now and then, that's all I would ask."

"Consider it done. As soon as I figure out how to get more of them into Haven. Maybe Lord Woodward can show me how to do that."

"I'm sure he can. Good luck, David. The next two years of school will be even more of a challenge to you."

"Oh, joy!" David said sarcastically. Jacob just chuckled.

When David made his way back to Earth, he found Ellie and Mrs. Hasterscant waiting out on the front porch.

"It was just a bit too dreary in there," Mrs. Hasterscant told him.

"I know what you mean. Come on, let's go eat."

"I'm for that!" Ellie said. "I'm starving!"

-----

"What in the world?" Mrs. Hasterscant muttered as she saw the images on Gwen's iPad. "They make a record of people killing each other, and then call it entertainment?"

David shook his head. "It's all fake. No one actually dies. At least, not on purpose. These are actors, and they're just making it up."

"It looks awfully real to me," Mrs. Hasterscant objected.

"Yes, well, they work hard to make it look that way."

"And people find this entertaining?"

"Well, some do. Mostly guys. Girls often like to watch movies about relationships and romance."

"It sounds more pleasant," Mrs. Hasterscant agreed. "What kind of movies do you like?"

"I actually like comedies best," David said. "I don't mind this kind of action film, but I've always found my favorite movies to be the ones that make me laugh."

"I'd like to see one of those sometime."

"I don't know if there are any playing at the theater, but we could check."

"Really," Anne huffed, "Are we going to spend all day in this backwards place?"

"You know, Anne," David said, finally getting a bit miffed about her attitude, "Most of the people here would consider a world with no TVs, cellphones, or MRI machines to be a fairly backward place. Maybe, instead of being so friggin' judgmental, you might try just enjoying yourself."

Anne glared at him, and didn't speak again.

Mrs. Hasterscant asked, "What's an MRI machine?"

David just rolled his eyes and grinned.

-----

After they'd finished lunch, they checked with the movie theater. There was a comedy playing, but it wouldn't be showing for another hour and a half. They decided to walk to a nearby park to spend the time. They released their cab, and made their way along.

"Why didn't you bring Jailla with you today?" Ellie asked David. "Gwen has Nalani..."

"Nalani's easier to hide. Most people ignore her as a decoration, because she almost never moves. Jailla's too visible, and people would object to me walking into a restaurant or a movie theater with a bird on my shoulder. It was just easier to deal with things this way. Besides, he enjoys having free-fly days."

When they arrived at the park, there were a few people playing, but it was mostly empty. They relaxed and enjoyed the day for a while. Anne moved away from all of them and went to sit beneath a tree.

"What, exactly, is Anne's problem?" David asked.

"She's a teenager," Mr. Hasterscant said.

"Ellie's a teenager, and she's not a grumpy sourpuss..."

"Thank you!" Ellie said with a grin.

Mrs. Hasterscant said, "Anne's been going through a hard time this past year. Her best friend moved away, and because her friend was one of the popular kids, it had given Anne an 'in' with the popular group. Without her friend, she's been shunned a bit, and so she hasn't really been able to make any new friends."

"And she thinks being a pain in the ass is going to help her get more friends?" David asked.

"I think she's still mad at the world over it, so she hasn't really figured out how to make new friends."

"Well, Mrs. Hasterscant -" David said.

"Denise," she corrected him with a smile.

"Denise," David said with a corresponding smile, "someone had better tell her to wake up before she hits Woodward, or she is going to have one bastard of a year. They're not likely to tolerate someone with an attitude problem terribly well."

"I thought hazing was outlawed," Mrs. Hasterscant said.

"It is... if they catch you. Trust me, students are really good at not getting caught."

"I'll have a talk with her at some point," Mr. Hasterscant promised.

"She listens to him more than me," Mrs. Hasterscant told David. "I'm on her case too often, because I'm home all the time."

David shrugged. "Isn't that always the way? Always one parent that has to play the heavy."

Mrs. Hasterscant smiled and nodded.

A little while later, Ellie squeaked and said, "Look! A rabbit! And she has babies!"

Gwen looked over at David and said, "Kill the rabbit!"

David growled at her.

"What?" Ellie asked, shocked at her sister. "Why would he kill a rabbit?"

Gwen shook her head. "There's a question on your licensure exam. They make you-"

Suddenly, Gwen's voice was cut off, and she made a gurgling noise, as if her throat had closed down on her. She started to panic a bit.

"Gwen," her mother said seriously, "stop trying to talk!"

Gwen did, and slowly, her throat released. "What the hell was that?" she asked her mother.

"A Gag Order," Mr. Hasterscant told her. "You're not allowed to talk about the licensure exam with anyone who hasn't already taken it. If you do, well... you gag on what you're trying to say."

"Geez! They could warn you!" Gwen fumed.

Ellie giggled at her sister.

"How does such a spell work? Did they hex us when we took the test?" David asked.

Mr. Hasterscant said, "No. They've actually enchanted all three worlds. It took a great many wizards to perform the spell. There are a few things of that type. Such as tracking the magic use of unlicensed wizards... at least, when they know about them."

"What do you mean, when they know about them?"

"The spell can't track a wizard that the Rimohrs don't already know about. That's why they didn't find you the day after you were changed to a demighost. They have to have a record of you in order for the spell to work."

David nodded, and then they went on to talk about other things, until it was time for them to go and watch their movie.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

The day before the Litha Festival, the Hasterscants, and David, all piled into the carriage for the trip to Senesty. Though every town held its own version of the festival, Mrs. Hasterscant wanted to show David "The Big One". She also wanted to visit with her son, John, who was working in Senesty.

Once again, David sat with the parents in the back seat, while the others sat in the front seat, facing backward. This time, however, their carriage was connected to six pegs, rather than horses. It would be a long, six-hour trip.

The family chatted for a while on their journey, but eventually they ran out of things to say, and they slipped into silence. David stared out the window, watching the countryside roll by a few hundred feet below. He looked over and saw that Gwen and Ellie had both fallen asleep. Anne stared out the window, lost in her own thoughts. David looked to see that Mrs. Hasterscant, too, had fallen asleep, her head laid back against the seat. Mr. Hasterscant seemed to be reading something.

Something caught David's eye out the far side of the carriage. He twisted and leaned, putting his hand on the seat for support.

"What in the world is that?" he asked Mr. Hasterscant.

Mr. Hasterscant looked up from his parchment, and then out the window. "Oh. That's an old watch tower. It was built at a point in time when they were worried about the Vrudenans making their way down here in secrecy. Like a secret invasion, marching to Senesty."

"How long ago was that?"

"Centuries."

"Hmm," David said, and leaned back. As he did, he realized that Mrs. Hasterscant had shifted while he was leaning forward, and he couldn't sit back now without pressing against her. He tried to shift her back toward Mr. Hasterscant, but couldn't budge her without waking her.

"Oh, let her sleep," Mr. Hasterscant told him.

"Not real comfortable, with my arm stuck on the back of the seat," David objected.

Mr. Hasterscant said, "So just put your arm on her shoulder. If she minds when she wakes up, she can move."

David cocked an eyebrow at that, but decided it was the only option, if he didn't want a very sore arm the next day. When he put his arm down across her shoulder, she actually snuggled in more tightly. David sighed, and then looked up, where Jailla was sitting on a rod at the top of the carriage. He, too, was asleep. David wished he could be, but, bored as he was, he simply could not slip into unconsciousness. For the rest of the trip, he stared out the window, his arm around Mrs. Hasterscant. She either never woke up, or never let on, until they returned to the ground, just outside Senesty proper.

David removed his arm quickly when Mrs. Hasterscant sat up. She looked at him and smiled.

"Did I end up sleeping on you?" she asked. David nodded. "I'm sorry, but you were apparently a very comfortable pillow," she told him with a grin.

"All right, everybody out," Mr. Hasterscant said, standing and stretching. David retrieved Jailla, and climbed down out of the carriage. He decided to be gentlemanly, and helped the ladies down. Gwen, Ellie, and Mrs. Hasterscant took his help graciously. Anne just glared at him when he offered. David shrugged, and turned his back to her.

"Now what?" David asked Mr. Hasterscant when they were all gathered.

"Now I guess we take a carriage to our hotel, then find a place to eat," he said. "The festival isn't until tomorrow, so tonight we'll just have to entertain ourselves."

-----

Dinner was pleasant, and the walk afterward was very interesting for David. It was the first time in Dugerra that he'd seen buildings close together. It was the only thing that reminded him of an Earth city at all... and still, it wasn't crowded like he was used to. They took a walk past the king's palace, which shone with ivory brilliance in the setting sun, along with the gilded adornments and carved decorations.

After their walk, they attended a live show, which was a mix of singing, dancing, and comedy, along with a single poetry reading that took five minutes.

Finally, the night drawing on, they decided to walk back to their hotel, so that they could all be well-rested for the next day.

When the rooms were parceled out, David was surprised to find that he had an adjoining room with Mr. and Mrs. Hasterscant. He figured they would leave that for their children, who were all staying in a third room.

As David was removing his coat, there was a knock at the door to the other room. David set his coat on the bed, and went to open the door. He found Mrs. Hasterscant on the other side.

"Mind if I come in?" she asked.

"Uh, sure," David said, standing back and allowing her to enter the room. He didn't see Mr. Hasterscant in the other room, but he decided not to close the door all the way. He didn't want Mr. Hasterscant to think David was hitting on his wife.

"What's on your mind, Mrs.-" he stopped when she glared at him. "I mean, Denise?"

Her smile returned. David tried not to let his eyes waver from her face, because she was wearing her nightgown which, while not see-through, did little to hide her curves.

"I just wanted to chat, really. I'm not quite ready to go to sleep, you see, and Roy is down having a drink."

"Why didn't you go with him?" David asked.

"I don't drink," she said. "I don't really like bars, either. So..."

David nodded. "Well, I'm game. What should we talk about?"

"Tell me about your family," Mrs. Hasterscant told him. And so they talked for about an hour, chatting about their families and friends, about school and the facility, and just general chit-chat.

When Mrs. Hasterscant heard her husband come back into the other room, she rose from her place on the end of the bed. She walked to the door and peered in, to make sure it was Mr. Hasterscant.

David rose as she turned back to face him.

"Well, I guess I should let you get your sleep," she said to David. "Thank you for keeping me company."

"My pleasure Denise," he said, almost slipping, but catching himself. "I enjoyed it."

"I'm glad." She stepped over to him, putting her hands on his shoulders. "I can see why Gwen likes you so much. You're very pleasant to be with."

David grinned sheepishly. "Thanks."

Mrs. Hasterscant leaned in, and she kissed David softly on the lips. She held him by the shoulders, lest he pull away. David didn't do that, instead resting his hands very lightly on her hips, returning the kiss, but not making any advances of his own.

Finally, they broke the kiss, and Mrs. Hasterscant smiled at him.

"Good night, David."

"Good night, Denise." With that, she slipped back into the other room, and closed the door.

As David turned around to get undressed, Jailla asked, "What is it with you, anyway?"

David chuckled, and shrugged. He finished undressing, slid into bed, and was asleep in seconds.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

After getting his usual four hours, David didn't know what to do. He wandered the halls of the hotel for a little while, but they provided no real diversion. Finally, he returned to his room and went out onto the balcony, to see if there was anything interesting going on outside. The city might as well have been a ghost town, which was something that David was definitely not used to.

As he went back to sit on his bed, David began to understand how some demighosts might get into trouble here. With nothing better to do, the idea of causing mischief began to have some appeal, if only to break up the boredom. David considered peeping on people, but resisted the urge.

Finally, it was late enough that the hotel staff was up and moving about. David went down and sat in the lobby. While this wasn't much better, at least there were other people to watch now. He and Jailla chatted on and off as people wandered through the lobby on their own business.

Ellie was the first person to come downstairs and find David. She sat in the seat next to him.

"Morning," she said.

"Hey," he replied. "Everyone getting up now?"

"No. Gwen and Anne are still asleep. How long you been up?"

"Too damned long. Boring as all hell with nothing to do."

"You could've gone exploring..." she said.

"Didn't want to get in trouble. I don't have a travel endorsement yet."

"You don't have to worry about that today. Senesty is a Festival Center."

"What's that mean?"

"Each of the festivals has a Festival Center, a place that sponsors the primary festival events. People who don't have travel endorsements to move around Dugerra alone are allowed to come to the Festival Centers on the festival day, without an escort. There's a travel gate inside Senesty, so you can get to Earth right from here. It's the same with all the other festivals."

"So if I wanted to come to Nagyara..." David suggested.

"You would be able to come alone... as long as you go to Nagyara Falls directly."

David had a good idea where that was.

"Well, thanks for telling me. I wish someone had told me yesterday, though."

"Sorry."

"Not your fault."

After a bit of a pause, Ellie said, "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure."

"What's up with you and that teacher? You said you weren't dating her, but the way you kissed her..."

David chuckled. "Prof. Stott and I are very close friends, but she doesn't believe in having boyfriends."

"But she kisses you like that?"

"She kisses me a lot better than that when we're alone," David admitted, causing Ellie to blush. "We have a non-exclusive relationship," he said, explaining things a bit to Ellie.

"And you're okay with that?"

"I have no reason not to be. She's a very nice person to be around."

"But wouldn't you rather have her as a girlfriend to yourself?"

David shrugged. "Probably not. I'm not sure that we would work long-term. Besides, that's not going to happen, because she doesn't want it to. So, I take what I can get. She's not the only person that's like that with me."

"Oh."

"Why do you ask about Sam, er, I mean Prof. Stott?"

"No reason, really. I was just curious. It just seemed weird to me."

"So is most of the rest of my life. I've given up worrying about how weird things are."

Ellie chuckled. "I guess it would be a bit strange, getting used to Dugerra."

"It would be like you having to move to Earth and live."

"I've actually thought about doing that," she admitted. "But please, don't tell my parents I said that!"

"I won't," he promised. "But let me give you a bit of advice about that. Make sure you take Earth Studies when you get to school. You'll need it."

"Okay, thanks."

The two continued to chat until her parents finally came down. Mrs. Hasterscant smiled warmly at David.

"Good morning, you two," she said.

"Hey, Mom. Where's Dad going?"

"You know he needs his coffee."

"Geez, people drink that crap here, too?" David asked.

Mrs. Hasterscant laughed. "He got hooked on it on our first trip to Earth. It's something of a rarity here, actually, but he makes sure to have some every day."

David rolled his eyes. "The girls still asleep?" he asked.

"They're getting ready. They should be down any time now. We'll have breakfast, and then we can go to the festival."

"When will we meet John?"

"For lunch. He'll spend the morning with his girlfriend."

David nodded. Shortly, the other two came down. David greeted Gwen, and ignored Anne. The family then went to find Mr. Hasterscant, so they could have breakfast.

-----

"Seems like this festival should be held mostly at night," David said. They had just finished watching a performer who was twirling fire. Unlike people who would do that in Earth, however, this person was not using a staff, only fire.

"Most of it is," Mr. Hasterscant told him. "During the day, there are scheduled performances, like the ones we've been seeing. When the sun goes down, the streets come alive with impromptu performances, and even amateurs just showing off."

David nodded. "Where are we going now?"

"You know," Mrs. Hasterscant said, "We should find David a souvenir. This is his first Litha Festival, after all."

"Good idea," Mr. Hasterscant said. They wandered over a couple streets, and found the market area for the festival. There were endless rows of shops selling all sorts of gifts and trinkets.

David was almost overwhelmed by all of what he saw. Every piece, of course, had something to do with fire, since the Litha Festival was also called the Fire Festival. After a solid hour of looking, during which time the girls and Mrs. Hasterscant had each picked at least three things, David finally found the item he wanted. It was a stone carving of a forest dragon, painted exquisitely. When you got within a foot of the dragon, it belched fire at you. David jumped back at first, but the vendor let him know the fire was magical, and harmless.

"How much?" David asked. The vendor told him, and David paid it, adding some extra so that the man would ship it directly to the school. That way, David would not have to lug it around.

"All done?" Mr. Hasterscant asked. David nodded. "Good. There's another show starting in twenty minutes."

After they had visited several more performers, it got close to lunch time.

"Where are we meeting John?" Gwen asked.

"At the restaurant across from the palace," her mother replied. Turning to David, Mrs. Hasterscant said, "John works for the Minsitry of Education."

"Oh, so he's the bastard I can blame for that licensure exam," David said with a grin. Mrs. Hasterscant laughed.

"No, he doesn't work that high up. Currently, he's handling pre-magical education issues."

"Oh."

When they entered the restaurant, David felt a little out of place. There wasn't a school uniform in sight, except for his. He didn't have to wear his Woodward uniform during the summer, but he had grown so comfortable with it, he saw no reason to change. Besides, he had real pride at attending Woodward. It was a good school.

When they were ushered to their table, someone was waiting for them. David assumed it was John. The man stood and embraced Mrs. Hasterscant before saying anything.

"Hey, guys," he finally said. "Good to see you all... oh, sorry, I don't know you..."

"John," Mrs. Hasterscant said, "this is David, Gwen's friend from school."

"Oh, hey! Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

They all sat down and began their meal. David remained mostly quiet, allowing the Hasterscants to get caught up with their son.

-----

After lunch, John joined them in their wanderings. There were more vendors out now, mostly food items. There were spicy dishes, flaming dishes, and some other things David didn't even want to guess at.

One stall was selling candy, though.

"Fireballs!" David said, picking up the round, cinnamon-red confection. "I loved these when I was a kid."

Mrs. Hasterscant was about to say something, but David was already buying a bag of them. He popped one in his mouth, and a few seconds later, he held his breath. Suddenly, he let a whoosh of air out of his mouth, and it blazed with fire. Being more magical fire, it did no damage, but it certainly startled David for a moment. The rest of the family chuckled at him.

"Well, that's certainly an interesting twist," David said. The candy dissolved away rather quickly after the explosion, leaving a strong cinnamon flavor behind.

"You didn't give me a chance to warn you," Mrs. Hasterscant told him with a grin.

"Ah well," David said, grinning. They moved on, trying out other things. From then on, David made sure to ask about surprises.

"Ooh!" Ellie exclaimed some time later. "The pepper eating contest!" She dashed over to the sign-in line, and bounced excitedly while she waited.

"You want to try?" Gwen asked. "You'd have an advantage, not having to breathe and all..."

"No thanks. I can only imagine what that much spiciness would do to me."

Once the competition got underway, they all cheered Ellie on. She was stuffing peppers in her face as fast as she could swallow, and the sweat was pouring down off her forehead. David shook his head, marveling that anyone would do this kind of thing to themselves.

When the competition was over, six people had vomited, and Ellie had taken second place. She accepted her ribbon, and came over to the family.

"Congratulations!" her mother enthused.

"I ken feh ma tun!" Ellie said.

"What?" David asked her, chuckling.

"I ken feh ma tun!" she insisted.

"She can't feel her tongue," Mrs. Hasterscant told him, giggling at her daughter's discomfort. "Come on, we'll take you to the milk station."

They walked over to a small booth, very near the pepper-eating contest. She wasn't the only participant there.

"Take the milk, swish it around in your mouth, and spit it into the barrel. Do not swallow it," the attendant told her. She did as she was instructed, and then again a second time. When she was starting on her third round, David stepped over to the next booth, and bought her an aloe lollipop. When she had spit her third time, he tapped her on the shoulder.

"Huh?" she said, her tongue still hanging out.

"Suck on this. It'll help."

"Thanks," she said, sticking it in her mouth. "Mm. Ish good," she said, now with a sore tongue and a mouth full of lollipop to obscure her words. David smiled at her, and then the family walked on.

-----

As Mr. Hasterscant had promised, when the sun began to sink, the festival really picked up. Vendors came out onto the streets, selling trinkets and food items. Performers wandered around, spinning their fiery displays safely above people's heads. As darkness set in, an almost endless series of fireworks went off over the city.

And the dragons came out.

Swooping low over the city, the dragons blew their fiery breath. They weren't attacking; it was all part of the display. They flew in wide circles, and then formed patterns in the sky, flying in formation.

"Exactly why do the dragons help us celebrate a human festival?" David asked.

"Because they want to," John told him. "That's all the answer we've ever gotten out of them."

David chuckled. "So like a dragon."

After a while, they wandered over to the palace. The grounds had been opened to the public this evening, so that the king could join in the celebration by entertaining his subjects with various performances. There was one woman who had formed a ring of fire, and used it as a hula hoop. Another was eating fire. A third, sculpting fire into shapes. All in all, it was almost overwhelming to see all of it at once.

When they were through wandering around the palace grounds, they made their way back to the streets. As they were walking, David became aware of something flying over his head. He looked up, to see several dark shadows, being chased by something that was on fire.

"What in the world is that?" he asked.

Mr. Hasterscant said, "Those are just fire foxes. They're a kind of bat. When it's time for them to mate, the males become very aggressive, and they also light themselves on fire, to show off for the ladies."

"Well, one of them seems to be showing off in this direction," David said. He ducked as one of the dark shapes swooped toward them, pulling up at the last moment. David assumed that was a female. The male was coming behind her, though.

Unfortunately, the male failed to make the turn. It plunged to the ground, tumbling, and landing at their feet.

"That's odd," Mr. Hasterscant said. "You don't usually see a fire fox crash. It's usually- Ayeeeeeeee!"

David looked down to see that the fire fox had bitten Mr. Hasterscant's leg, and was apparently trying to hump it. David pulled out his wand, but then couldn't think of a spell to use. Finally, he settled on, "Kiskissippet!"

The little shocks scared the fire fox, and it scampered away, up a pole. Soon, it was back in the sky.

"Ow, that smarts," Mr. Hasterscant said.

"You've got a nasty burn, along with the bite," Mrs. Hasterscant said. "Come on, let's get you to an aid station."

"There are aid stations?" David asked.

"With so much fire around, wouldn't you have one set up?" John asked him.

"Good point."

In no time at all, Mr. Hasterscant's leg was healed, though his pant leg was not. The family returned to the festival for a while longer, but they had seen most of what there was to see.

John said good-bye to them all, and headed off into the crowd. The rest of them turned to go back to the hotel.

-----

Back at the hotel, the family chatted down in the lobby for quite a while before they each went off to their rooms. David put Jailla on his perch, took off his coat, and then wandered out onto the balcony. The festival was still going on, so the fireworks were still erupting over the city, and the dragons still swooped occasionally. He could see some performers in the street from his third-floor window, and it was an interesting perspective on the activities.

David felt a presence beside him, and he looked to see Mrs. Hasterscant leaning on the balcony rail.

"Thanks for bringing me here," he said to her. "It was definitely worth the trip."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," she said quietly.

"Something the matter?" David asked, hearing a certain tone in her voice.

"No, nothing that can't be fixed. Could we go in? I'm not really dressed for standing on a balcony."

David could agree with that. She was wearing her same nightgown from the previous evening. David followed her back into the room, closing the door to the balcony behind him.

Mrs. Hasterscant led him to the middle of the room, and then she turned.

"Do you think I'm attractive, David?"

David looked at her. She looked much like Gwen, with medium brown hair and brown eyes. Her body was curvier, however, with larger breasts. She was slender, but no one would call her thin. He had enjoyed watching her butt sway as she had walked ahead of him.

"I think you're beautiful," he told her.

"That might be pushing it, even with the youth magic I use," she said.

"I don't think so," he told her. "You're as pretty as Gwen, to me."

She blushed slightly, but smiled at him. She moved close, and then put her arms around his neck, softly pressing her body against his. She kissed him, and he kissed back readily, her behavior not being entirely unexpected. He put his hands lightly on her hips, then, growing a bit bolder, he slipped his hands around to her lower back.

At that, Mrs. Hasterscant's tongue requested, and received, entrance into David's mouth. As the two tongue wrestled, David slid his hands downward, until they were resting on her ass. She moaned into his mouth, encouraging him to keep that up.

Finally, after a long moment, they broke their kiss. David immediately said, "Mrs. Hasterscant..."

She stopped him. "I told you to call me Denise."

"Sorry. Denise... what about your husband?"

"I'll explain about him later. Right now, I need you. Trust me, he won't mind." She returned to kissing him, her tongue once again invading his mouth. David decided to go with the flow, as it were. He rubbed his hands across her ass, each time pulling her nightgown further up, until finally he felt bare skin. He now ran his fingers across her bare ass, her panties covering only the smallest part of her bottom.

Finally, they separated, and took a step back.

"Which of us goes first?" David asked with a smile.

"You do," Denise said, grinning at him.

David unbuttoned and removed his shirt, and then kicked off his boots. He took a moment to set them out of the way, and then he removed his pants. He put those on a chair, along with his socks, and then he returned to Denise.

"Your turn," he said.

"You're not naked yet," she objected.

"You don't get to see the rest until I've seen some more of you," he said challengingly.

"Fair enough," she said, grinning. "Would you like to help me remove it?" She bunched up her nightgown at her hips, and then David took hold of it, slowly pulling it up her body. He reveled at the sight of her breasts when they came into view, but he didn't stop what he was doing. Instead, he finished pulling the nightgown off, and went to set it on the chair with his clothes.

When he returned to Denise, she was standing where she had been, her hands clasped in front of her, a worried expression on her face.

"Do you like what you see?" she asked.

David very gently cupped her breast, squeezing it gently as he looked her in the eye.

"Yes, I do." He stepped closer, kissing her. He could now feel her breasts pressing into him, her nipples hardening into little points. He put his hands on her back again, pulling her tightly against himself. Their tongues were soon tangoing once again, and then David let his hands roam, moving down to her hips. He slipped his fingers under the waistband of her panties, pushing them down until they fell free. He shifted his hips backward just far enough so that he could push his own underwear down, and now the two of them were completely nude. He pressed against her once again, and she could feel his erection pressing into her.

Denise shivered a bit at the feel of him; he was much colder than a normal person would be. David sensed it, and he broke their kiss.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean..."

"It's okay," he said. "Now might be a time for me to practice something." David stepped back just slightly, and, running his hands along his sides, he muttered, "Corpus bekagina." He felt as though he'd just entered a sauna, but it was something he could get used to. He stepped back to Denise. "Am I a bit more comfortable now?"

She put her hands on his chest, rubbing his nipples with her palms. "You didn't need to do anything, you just surprised me. But, mmm, this does feel nice."

David pulled her back into his arms, kissing her passionately, but keeping it brief this time. He moved her over to the bed, and had her sit down on the edge. As he knelt, he gently pried her legs apart. She smiled in anticipation as he leaned forward and swiped his tongue along her pussy lips. She mewled in pleasure as he did it again, and her hips rocked, trying to make more contact.

At that signal, David began his licking in earnest, swirling his tongue around, and then up onto her clit. Denise gasped at that, and her hand flew to the back of his head, making sure he kept contact. David had no intention of backing away, however, and he continued to lick and suck her clit, soon inserting a finger into her pussy and fucking her with it.

Denise was quickly heating up, and David continued to work her over with his tongue and fingers, adding a second one to her pussy to increase the sensation. Her hips were shivering now, straining to contain the pleasure that was building. Soon it was too much, however, and she cried out, her hips shuddering, and her pussy grasping at his fingers. David removed his tongue from her clit, looking up to see her face bathed in sweat and bearing a wonderful look of pleasure.

When Denise finally came down, David slipped his fingers out of her, and rose. He carefully moved her all the way onto the bed, and then lay down beside her. He took her tit into his hand and softly massaged it, kneading the flesh but avoiding the nipple for now. He waited patiently for her to return to coherence.

"That... was wonderful," she finally said. "But it's not quite what I was hoping for."

"Who said I was done?" he asked her, leaning over and kissing her passionately. As he did so, he rolled on top of her. He slid his cock inside of her pussy in one smooth motion, and she bent her legs to give him all the access he wanted.

"Oh, yes. That feels so good, David," she encouraged. He started to move in long, smooth strokes in and out of her, and she moaned in pleasure. He kept this up as he leaned down, taking one of her nipples into his mouth. She cried out in joy at that, reveling in the wonderful feelings rippling through her body.

David held off as long as he could, but he could feel his own orgasm approaching. He tried to relax, and that helped a bit, but her pussy just felt too good wrapped around his dick. In only a few more seconds, he passed the point of no return. He pushed himself fully inside of her, and froze. His cum poured out of his cock, filling her up. She sighed at the feel of it, and smiled up at him.

When his climax finished, he slowly withdrew from her pussy, and then moved to her side. She immediately rolled to face him.

"That was very nice," she said. "Is there any hope of a continuation?"

"If you give him just a minute," David said with a grin. Denise slipped her hand down onto David's cock, which was still semi-hard. She avoided the head, but her fingers danced along the skin of his shaft.

"When he does get hard again, can we do it sitting up?" Denise asked.

"Whatever you like," David assured her.

"Hmm," she replied, and then slid down his body. David rolled onto his back as she moved, and she kept right with him. Just before her lips engaged his dick, she said, "I like this..."

David sighed pleasantly at the feel of her mouth on his prick. It didn't take very long before she had him fully hard and ready to go once again. As she sat up, he moved himself into a sitting position, propping the pillows up behind himself.

Denise straddled David's waist, and took his dick into her hand, gently holding it in position as she lowered her pussy down onto him. David smiled at her as he felt that warm wetness engulf him once again. When she was sitting in his lap, fully impaled on his rod, she paused.

"You feel so good inside me," she told him softly.

"Yeah, I do," David said, grinning at her. She giggled, and then kissed him. The two rocked their hips in unison, grinding against each other. This was a much slower, more relaxed method of having sex, but David didn't mind at all. The two lip wrestled, and then soon after tongue wrestled, all the while their lower halves moved in rhythm. For long minutes, they kept this up, not increasing their pace, just enjoying each other's body.

Finally, Denise broke the kiss and leaned back slightly. She started to move more vigorously, putting her hands on David's shoulders for support. David, meanwhile, moved his hands up to caress Denise's tits, his thumbs slipping over her nipples repeatedly, causing her to cry out each time as she rode the wave toward orgasm.

When the wave broke, she cried out, her body shuddering in pleasure. She writhed on top of David for long moments before she finally came down from her high. When her body went limp, David pulled her against him, holding her up and letting her rest her head on his shoulder. His cock was still buried inside of her, and he was still quite hard. Her pussy, still feeling the aftershocks of her orgasm, kept squeezing him, making sure he wouldn't go soft.

Once Denise had recovered from her climax, she pushed herself back and smiled at David. "Your turn to choose a position," she told him.

"Hmm," David said. "You'll have to get off of me, then," he said. When she tried, he held her in place.

"You said..." she objected.

"I didn't say right now, though, did I?" he asked with a grin. He kissed her passionately for a long while, and then he finally let her up. He had her stand up, and then bend over, putting her hands on the bed. This gave him a very nice access, and David stepped behind her, slipping his cock easily into her pussy.

As he started to fuck her, he leaned forward, taking her breasts in hand and fondling them. He pulled her up, away from the bed, so that her upper back was pressed against him. He continued to slide in and out of her while his hands plied her tits, and his lips started to nibble on her neck.

Denise was lost in the pleasure of it. She moaned deeply in ecstasy, her pussy rippling along David's cock as he fucked her. David was finally nearing his own orgasm, and so he sped up his thrusts, his hands molding her tits just a little more strongly. His kisses turned to little nips, and Denise squeaked with each one. David reached down and placed his middle finger over her clit, causing it to be rubbed repeatedly as he slammed into her. This sent her into overdrive, and she began to slam her hips back into him, driving him and herself toward their peak.

David got there first, and he grunted, blasting his seed into her pussy. She was not far behind, however, and she cried out in bliss, her body wracked with spasms, her pussy clamped down tightly on David's prick. For long moments, the two remained locked together, their bodies unable to move beyond small twitches.

Finally, David regained himself. He pulled out of Denise slowly, and then he gently moved her back onto the bed. He slid onto it beside her, holding her softly in his arms. She cuddled close, and they both soon fell asleep.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

When David awoke, he knew that he'd had his four hours of sleep. This was distressing, because Denise was still lying beside him. There was no way her husband did not know she was missing at this point.

David shifted his position, a little sore from having cuddled with a woman for four straight hours. His motions awakened Denise.

"Mm. Hey there," she replied.

"Hi," he said.

"Something the matter? You seem upset."

"Just a bit worried. It's like two or three in the morning. I'm pretty sure your husband is aware you're not in your room."

She slid over to be close to him again. "He knew that I wouldn't be in the room before I ever came in here."

"What?" David asked, confused.

"My husband knew what we were doing before you did," she said bluntly.

"And he's not in here killing me... why?"

"Because he doesn't care."

"I find that hard to believe," David said.

"I'll explain, but you have to promise not to tell the girls. We have kept this a secret from our children, even the boys, because we didn't want them to be confused over it all."

"Okay," David agreed.

"You see, Roy is gay."

David's eyebrows had trouble staying on his face. "And five kids. Damn, that's some denial he's got going on."

Denise giggled. "No, we had the kids before he figured it out. He'd always felt wrong having sex with me... we almost never had sex... it's why our kids were all conceived on vacation; it's almost the only time we made love.

"Anyway, after Ellie was born, Roy met another gay man. I think it was the first one he'd ever encountered. This man began flirting with Roy, and Roy was shocked to find that he was enjoying it. He and I had a very long talk that night about it, and we decided that he should go as far as he felt comfortable with that. I admit, I was afraid of losing my husband, but I needed to know as much as he did.

"Well, they had sex, and for the first time in his life, Roy liked it. It was pretty clear after that, that he was gay."

"So why didn't you separate?" David asked.

"Because we still love each other. Just... not sexually. I mean, I still think he's good-looking, but knowing he's gay pretty much turned off any arousal I had for him. But he and I make a good partnership in raising the kids, in managing a home, that kind of thing.

"So, after many long talks, we decided that we would stay together, but that our sex lives would be our own business. I do let him know when someone he's met is a likely partner for me. That way, if he has any objections, he can voice them. He's never done so. I think it's a load off his mind that he no longer has to fulfill that obligation of our marriage."

"Hmm. Well, as long as he's not going to be mad at me, who am I to object?"

Denise smiled at him. "Thank you. I've had a few guys who, when they found out, just couldn't handle it. It's why I waited until the last possible moment to approach you. I didn't want to mess up your vacation."

"Aww. You mean I could have been getting laid regularly by a beautiful woman for the last three weeks?"

Denise blushed crimson. David hugged her, and then gave her a deep kiss. He could tell, though, that she was still tired.

"You need to get some more sleep," he told her.

"Mm-hmm," she replied.

"Unfortunately, I don't. You want me to just cover you up here?"

"Mm-hmm," she replied again with a smile.

David kissed her once more. "Good night, Denise."

He got up, worked to get the covers over her, and then walked out onto the balcony. The city had grown dark, now that the festival was over. David pondered what had just happened, and what he'd just learned. It would have been a bit much for him, if he hadn't had the strangest love life in history already.

If Gwen finds out, though, she'll kill me, David thought to himself with a grin. Then he went back through the hotel room and got dressed. He faded to ghost form and passed through the wall, rather than opening the door, which might wake Denise.

-----

After breakfast, they went to a bank, so that David could get some more Earth money. He would go directly back to school from Senesty, but he would have to travel through Earth to do it.

As they were making their way to the travel gate, the girls, including Denise, wandered off to do a little shopping. This left David and Mr. Hasterscant alone for the first time since the previous night.

After looking around, Mr. Hasterscant said, "I want to thank you, David."

"For what?" he asked in confusion.

"For... looking after... Denise. I'm sure she explained our situation to you."

"Yes, sir."

"I just want to be clear about this. I don't care what you do with her physically... but don't try to break up my family. I will fight for her."

"I would never do that, Mr. Hasterscant. Denise is not the first woman I've been with who insisted that there would be no long-term relationship. Prof. Stott is much the same way, for different reasons, of course."

Mr. Hasterscant nodded. "Good. And honestly, I didn't think you would. But I'd rather have it said and out in the open, rather than unsaid, causing tension."

"I can understand that."

"Good. I do have to agree with something she said. I'm glad Gwen has friends like you."

"Thanks."

-----

As they reached the area of the travel gate, there was a vendor selling some kind of treat that David didn't recognize.

"Who wants one?" Mr. Hasterscant said to everyone. The girls all agreed.

"Bring me one, as well. And one for David," Denise told her husband. Denise pulled David aside for a private conversation.

"Any regrets about last night?" she asked him seriously.

"Only that you waited until our last night," he said with a smile.

"Has Roy..."

"He and I had a chat while you were buying out Senesty," David told her, twisting her tail a little bit. She blushed.

"I like shopping!" she said.

"I see that," he replied. Turning serious, he said, "I enjoyed what we did. I'd happily do it again, anytime. And before you say it, no, I'm not going to say anything about it to Gwen."

She sighed in relief and embarrassment. "Thank you."

David looked behind her, toward the family. None of them were looking this way. He leaned in and briefly gave her a kiss. She smiled, and then the two of them went and joined the family.

After they'd had their snack, it was time for David to depart. He said his good-byes to everyone, but he took Gwen away from the others for a more personal farewell.

"I'm sorry we didn't spend as much time together as you might have wanted," Gwen said.

"Don't worry about it. Your mother and sister kept me company when you weren't around, so I wasn't sitting staring at the wall."

"That's good. I'll try to write you, so you know how my summer's going. You do the same?"

"I'll try. Gwen... about..." he said, looking to see that the family was out of earshot. He lowered his voice anyway. "About you being gay..."

"Yeah?"

"You might want to go ahead and just tell them. I think they'll take it better than you imagine."

"Why?" she asked, suspicious.

"Something your mother said. Don't worry, we weren't talking about you. She just gave me the impression that they don't think homosexuality is the end of the world."

"Okay. I'll think about it. Thanks, David." She leaned in and kissed him briefly. He returned it, and then he hugged her tightly.

"Have a good summer," she told him.

"You too. See you in August."

With a final wave to the rest of the family, he turned and, once Jailla had settled himself comfortably on David's shoulder, walked through the gate, back into Earth.

-----

David found himself in the back room of some kind of shop. From looking around at the boxes, he figured it was a pet store.

As David moved away from the gate, which, on this side, just looked like a decorative spot on the wall, he ran into one of the store's employees.

"How did you... oh," she said, recognizing the uniform. "The back door's that way."

"Thanks. Um... this is gonna sound dumb, but where am I?"

"Macon, Georgia. You know where that is?"

"More or less. My geography's not any better than any other American's."

The woman chuckled at that. "You need anything?"

"Is the bus station far from here?"

"Nah. Go out the door and make a left. When you get to the end of the alley, turn right, and go for five blocks. Then make a left and just keep walking until you see it."

"Thanks."

David made for the door, but the woman said, "Hey!"

David turned. "Yeah?"

"You do know, they'll never allow that bird on the bus."

David cursed. "Thanks for reminding me."

The woman waved and went about her business. David exited the store, and walked down the alley.

"This is a problem," he told Jailla.

"How so?"

"They're not going to allow you on the plane, either. So, we either have to hitch a ride invisibly, or I have to find a way to hide you. I have no idea how to hide a bird."

"What is wrong with us going invisibly?"

"We'd have to keep out of everyone's way. We couldn't let anyone touch us or bump into us, and we'd have to remain completely silent, or someone would hear us. It's a real pain in the ass to do for hours at a time."

"I see your point, though I could manage silence quite easily."

"I wish I knew a petrification spell," David said.

"How would that help?"

"I could petrify you, and pass you off as a stuffed bird. You wouldn't even notice the trip that way."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that," Jailla objected.

David shrugged. "Doesn't matter. We haven't learned any petrification spells yet. I'm afraid that only leaves morphing."

"I like the sound of that even less," Jailla told him.

"I know. And I don't like doing it to you, but I can't think of anything else. Can you?"

Jailla was silent for a long moment. "No. What, exactly, do you plan to morph me into?"

"Anything alive would be prohibited on the plane. I mean, I could sneak you onto the bus as a rat or a mouse, or even a ferret. But they check more carefully on planes. What if I turned you into a crystal statue? That way, you'd still be a bird, though I'd have to shorten your tail, sorry, and there'd be no danger of you getting hurt. Would that be acceptable to you?"

"You must find a better way to travel in the future, David. For now, I will acquiesce."

David smiled and nodded. He ducked into the alley they were walking by, and he set Jailla down on the top of a trash can. He looked both ways before he pulled out his wand, and then he held it down at his side. He closed his eyes, focusing on what he had to do. He didn't like this; he wasn't good with morphs, and he was possibly endangering his familiar. Finally, his mind settled, and the image he wanted formed in his mind.

David raised his wand and very gently tapped Jailla's back while he said, "Estati kristal bet." Jailla shivered, and then froze, his body transforming before David's eyes into a blue crystal statue. David picked up the statue, amazed at how much heavier it was than Jailla had been. He opened his duffel bag and set the statue inside, careful to make sure it was safe. Then he closed it up and made his way to the bus station.

David's bus trip to the Atlanta airport, and his subsequent flight to Boston, were of no difficulty. He caught a cab south, to the small town he was looking for. The cabbie dropped him in front of an old hotel. David went inside.

"Evening, sir," the clerk said. "Care for a room?" After a quick examination of David, he added, "Or are you just passing through?"

"Just passing through. If you could direct me?"

"Room seven, right down the hall." The clerk motioned, and David nodded. He entered the appropriate room, and paused. The room was completely empty, and it didn't even have windows. He walked to the far wall, and placed his hand on it. Immediately, a doorway appeared, and David walked through it.

David found himself in another back room. This one, he wasn't able to easily identify the type of business.

Before he did anything else, he pulled Jailla out of his duffel, and brought him back to his normal self.

"You okay?" David asked, concerned.

"That was less unpleasant than I had feared," Jailla said, stretching. "But I am rather stiff."

David nodded. "Well, let's get out of... wherever we are. We'll spend tonight at the Slyther Inn, and we'll go up to the school tomorrow."

"You are likely to be spending evenings with Lord Woodward. You could go up to the school now..."

"Yeah, I know, but traveling wears me out. I'd just as soon take a night to relax."

They emerged from the back room to find that they were, in fact, already at the Slyther Inn.

"Hey, David," Bonnie said warmly. "I didn't expect to see you back so soon."

"I have some things to do up at the school for a few weeks."

"Oh. So, you just passing through, then?"

"I thought I'd spend the night here tonight, to rest up from my trip. Do you have a room available?"

"Absolutely," she told him. Lowering her voice, she asked, "Care for some company in it?"

"Absolutely," he said with a grin.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David spent the day wandering around Gorumshead, just enjoying his freedom. When night fell, he made his way up to the school. When Jailla flew off to get some exercise, David faded to invisibility. No one could question why he was here if they couldn't see him. He made his way up to the castle, which admitted him without pause.

Entering the Great Hall, David faded to visibility, but still in ghost form. He called out, "Lord Woodward? Are you here?"

The lord appeared up on his throne. "Welcome back, young wizard. Have you returned to begin your training?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Let's go up to my workroom." As they walked through the castle, Lord Woodward asked, "First, let me ask, is there anything specific you would like to know about ghost magic?"

"Is there any way to use it to stop pain?"

"No. Ghosts don't feel pain unless stuck inside a mortessor, and the only way to stop that pain is to discorporate."

"Oh. Well, damn. Um... oh! Is there a way to convert solid objects to ghost objects, permanently? Right now, I can only do it for as long as I am in ghost form myself."

"Yes, that is fairly straightforward. Trying to furnish your own little corner of Haven?" the lord asked, chuckling.

David grinned. "No, but I have a demighost friend who is stuck somewhere because of a curse. He's... quite bored. I thought it would be nice to send him some books. But I have to get them into Haven for him to use them."

Lord Woodward nodded. "Easily done. I will show you how to do that before you leave here."

They reached the fifth floor, which was the Lord's private floor, containing the master suite, the war room, and, of course, the Lord's workroom. They entered, and several fireflies joined them, to give them plenty of light.

"Now, let us begin your training."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~