“You go first,” Ophelia said to AJ. He shook his head and responded, eying the fortune teller nervously, “Ladies first.”

Ophelia scoffed and replied, “What, scared of what she’ll say about you?”

“No!”

“Then, go.”

“You go. Are you afraid of what she’ll say about you?”

“No. Damn it, AJ, stop being a wimp. What could you possible be hiding that’s any worse than what I’m probably going to be told?”

“There’s a lot she could saw about me!”

“God!” the fortune teller cried out, clearly frustrated. “One of you. Now.” She pointed at AJ. “You, here, now. Or I’ll make up sick things about you.”

“Fine,” AJ grumbled. Don’t tell anyone about the Ophelia thing, he thought pleadingly.

The woman set a hand on AJ’s shoulder, eager to see what the boy was so desperately hiding.


A room, rather untidy and cluttered, like that of any normal adolescent boy, with sports equipment and skin magazines scattered here and there. But the room was… off, somehow. It was rather dusty, as though it had been neglected. Upon further mental prodding and prying, the fortune teller discovered a hidden and relatively recent addition to his soul. In stark contrast to the untidiness of the first room, this room resembled a temple to some ancient deity, with its columns and gleaming floors. On one wall were three beautiful paintings, each with offerings before them. The first was of the girl with the artistic-looking glasses. Set before her image were lovely wildflowers, children’s toys, and small sweets. The fortune teller sensed immediately that this girl was his sibling, who he clearly cared about. The second painting was of the attractive blonde in the group. Before this painting were roses and chocolates, though the roses seemed to have withered somewhat. The fortune teller realized that this was his girlfriend. With wide eyes, she turned to the third painting, which depicted the black-clad girl in the group, wearing an elegant gown. Before this painting were offerings that would have pleased any goddess-- hundreds of roses, various delicious-looking foods, and many expensive-looking decorative items…

“Well?” AJ said, both nervously and impatiently.

The fortune teller chuckled and patted AJ on his shoulder, getting a quick flash of his thoughts-- Don’t tell them!

“You certainly do have a taste for the ladies,” she said. “I’m scarcely one to insult or encourage your choices-- you’ll do as you wish either way.” She smirked a little.

“Is that it?” AJ asked.

“No.” With that, the fortune teller leaned in close and whispered into AJ’s ear, “But you will have to make a choice sooner or later, you know. You can’t neglect your girlfriend because you’ve decided some other girl is more to your liking. Either show more attention to your lady, or leave her and try your luck with the dark one; you cannot continue to divide your affections.” She stepped back, and, for the benefit of the others, added, “It’s wonderful that you’re such a good, kind brother; more people should have siblings like you.” AJ lowered his head, not looking at the others.

“Well, I guess that just leaves me,” Ophelia sighed, stepping forward.


“Okay, so Mom and Dad were interested in each other after all,” Ms. Gibson said, stretching. “What, then?”

“Well, I called up your grandmother,” Gran responded. “And I arranged for Artemis to live with her and her family. She agreed quickly when I indicated that it was because of my husband. ‘For you, anything to keep that child away form that terrible man,’ she told me. And so, Artemis moved in with the Gibsons, and within about six months, she was pregnant with you. Everyone, including Artemis and Nathan, was delighted, except for my husband, of course.”

“Wait, Mom was happy to be a knocked up teen?”


“Gabby, don’t use phrases like ‘knocked up.’ But, yes, she was. Because, you see, a loophole in the laws, at the time, allowed her, as a mother-to-be, all of the rights of an adult, including the right to refuse interaction with her legal parents. And, of course, since my husband was listed as her father on the birth certificate-- though he knew differently, obviously-- she could utilize the law to keep him away from her. She wanted to be free of him just as much as I wanted to keep him away from her.”

“Oh, okay. I guess the laws were changed; I don’t remember that law being on record when we studied it in school.”

“Oh, it was changed, and you know my husband had a role in that,” Gran replied, nodding solemnly. “Of course, as adults in the eyes of the law, Artemis and Nathan were able to get married. In fact, they were married about three months before you were both. And when you were born…” Gran broke off to dab at her eyes with a handkerchief.

“Gran, you don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to,” Gabrielle interrupted.


“I’m crying because those were such happy times, darling,” Gran reassured her. “Anyway, you were born, and you were such a beautiful baby. This may sound odd, but I was glad that you took after your father’s side of the family. The women on my side have always been incredibly attractive-- more or less-- but tend to end up in unhappy relationships. Not all of us, mind you, but the majority. But anyway, you were a much-loved and much-wanted baby. I was hopeful that you would always be raised by the Gibsons, well away from my husband, but luck has rarely been on my side. Your grandmother died of complications from pneumonia, and her husband committed suicide two months after. And not long after that, Artemis and Nathan were killed in a car accident. I had no choice but to take you in, but I swore to myself that my husband would never hurt you. I was willing to suffer every kind of abuse to keep him from breaking your spirit the way he broke mine.”

Gabrielle smiled sadly at this. “You raised me well, Gran,” she said. “You know, you could have let me go into a foster home. Lots of parents have done that kind of thing.”

Gran shook her head. “I would have felt irresponsible if I just handed you over to the state. By that time, you realize, my husband’s political influence…”

“Yes.”

“You were safer with me.”