Dad and Faye stepped aside at the announcement, revealing a young man and woman standing in the living room, side by side. The two may have been fraternal twins, as they seemed to be the same age, but they were far from identical.

My 'brother' was wearing a Red-But-Not-Quite Floyd band tee with ripped up jeans. Like his mother, he had piercing emerald eyes, but his short hair was a chestnut brown, just a shade or two darker than mine. He was slim, and handsome in an effeminate way - if I were in to guys, he'd probably be my type.

My 'sister' wore a pink and white floral sundress that couldn't quite conceal the curves she'd inherited from her mother. They did share the flaxen hair, though hers was only medium length. She was quite a bit taller than us, with a few inches over dad, even, but a cute, round face gave her a look of innocence, completed by her hazel doe eyes.

"...yeah, earth to mom, she's not our sister."

This from my 'not brother' (just what exactly was I supposed to call these people!?). Faye gasped as if he had committed the ultimate taboo.

"You take that back this instant, young man!"

Dad chimed in with a nervous laugh.

"Actually, Faye, I'll have to side with Fes on this one. I'm a family man, and I'd really like for all of us to become close-knit as well, but your enthusiasm might be a little much for the kids. Let's let them get used to one another before we insist on them calling each other this or that."

Faye looked at the ground like a toddler being scolded for stealing cookies from the jar.

"Oops... Sorry Norm, kids. Mommy got over-excited..."

There she went doing it again... I think we all just had to laugh at this point. Quin stood dumbfounded beside me. She leaned in and whispered, "God, Nor, no wonder you're so stressed these days..."

I cleared my throat, hoping to start moving things in a less awkward direction.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you! My name's Norma, what's yours?"

The young woman approached gracefully and extended a hand.

"I'm Ves, and since he probably won't introduce himself, that's Fes. Mom called to let us know what was going on, so we heard about yesterday.... I'm so sorry that happened to you, it must have been terrifying!"

"Yeah... it was. Thank you for coming to see-"

Our handshake turned into a sudden embrace as she pulled me in for a tight hug.

"Listen, if you ever need anything, anything at all, let us know. Fes doesn't look it, but he's a big softie. Aren't you? Stop being shy and get over here already!"

Fes rolled his eyes, but ended up approaching us and joining in the group hug. As if left out, Quin got in on it too.

"Uh, mom didn't tell us about your sister, Norma," Fes said in confusion. The hug broke off, and Ves kneeled down to Quin's eye level.

"Aww, she's so cute! What grade are you in, sweetie?"

I could practically see the vein bulging on her forehead.

"I'm not her sister, I'm her lov- uh, leaving! We were just about to go shopping, weren't we Norma?"

"Oh, that's right."

Faye looked between us with disappointment before clapping her hands together.

"Oh, I know! Maybe you could take the twins! I'm sure they'd love to go shopping with you, wouldn't they?"

"Faye..." dad warned.

"Sure, I'd love to," Ves interrupted. The authenticity of her smile was breathtaking...

Uh, not that. Nice. It's a nice smile, is what I meant.

"Pfft, you don't even know if they want us to come, V. They probably don't..." Fes had his hands in his pockets, as if he didn't care either way, but there was something almost hopeful in his voice. I turned to my friend.

"I think it would be fun, but ultimately it's up to Quin, she's the one driving."

Quin did not seem to think it would be fun, and I definitely felt a little bad for this impromptu change of plans. But with the considerable weight of the eyes of an extended family staring her down, she eventually slumped her shoulders in defeat.

"Yeah, we've got room..."

Faye nearly crumpled with relief.

"Oh, good! Just be home before it gets dark and we'll have dinner ready for you. Don't get separated. If anything happens call us. Oh, but if it's an emergency, call-"

"-we know, mom. We'll watch out for her, don't worry," Fes said, waving away her concerns while putting on his shoes.

Dad shot me an expression suggesting equal parts apology and gratitude. I smiled at him to let him know it was okay.

Yeah, Faye's a little much, and things are moving so fast I can barely keep track of them... but seeing dad happy in ways I'd long forgotten he could be makes it all worth it.

Once we were all ready, we stepped outside. Despite my earlier bravado, as soon as I left the house I felt a shot of anxiety like a bullet, having to lean on Quin to stay steady.

"Nor, are you okay? We don't have to do this if you're not ready."

I took a moment to look around the street. Every tree trunk felt like a hiding place, every gap between houses an ambush, every car a portal to unimaginable horror. I shook the baseless panic away and looked again. Luckily the road was nearly deserted, with only some delinquents loitering in the convenience store parking lot a block away resembling any cause for concern. I found myself straining my eyes to see if Raine was among them...

Quin gently took hold of my arm, looking up at me.

"...Nor?"

I snapped out of it, embarrassed to see the concern on Quin's face and the awkward body language of my 'siblings' as they watched on helplessly.

"I'm okay. Don't give me that look, I really am! I just needed a minute to remind myself that I'm not alone this time."

"That's right Norma, and we won't let anything happen to you on our watch. Just relax and enjoy yourself as much as you can, okay?"

"...yeah, I will. Thanks, Ves."

Another of those heart-stopping smiles. Okay, fine, she's cute. Nothing wrong with thinking that, is there? Not yet, anyway...

We wandered around our small, honestly kind of pathetic downtown shopping district more or less aimlessly. Unsurprisingly, Fes was really keen to explore the music store. He could apparently sing and play a mean guitar, a fact I heard from his sister that he himself vehemently denied. He also seemed to have a passing interest in video games, which was enough for Quin to actually start talking with him civilly.

As for Ves, I'd pegged her as into traditionally girly things, and I wasn't too far off the mark. She was a fashionista, and kept insisting that I would have to let her dress me up sometime. It brought to mind the kinds of things I used to do with Mae when she practiced her aesthetics on me to refine her own skills, but with Ves, it felt like her only motive was to share with me the enjoyment she'd found in her hobby.

Ves also turned out to be quite sporty, which in retrospect only made sense considering her height. Between her natural born looks and keeping fit, her body must be...

"Norma...?"

"I wasn't thinking anything weird!"

Quin, who had been trying to get my attention, put a hand on her hip.

"...I never said you were. I was asking if there was anywhere in particular you wanted to go, though."

I hadn't thought about it, having been so preoccupied with learning more about the twins.

"Oh... actually yeah, can we check out the bookstore?"

I knew the next issue of OoO wouldn't be out for quite some time, but I made a habit of browsing whenever I visited just in case I found something new. Failing that, I often bought actual novels, preferring romance with wild plots and possessive lovers.

We walked into the small store, fanning out as each of us naturally wandered to whatever interested us. For me, of course, that meant hitting the manga section first.

I rounded the corner, and what I saw nearly caused my knees to give out.

There she was. Though at a glance she seemed to casually browse the shelves, I heard the whispering under her breath, saw the dark look in her eyes before she finally noticed me standing there. Her reaction was even stronger than mine, her 'smile' nearly devouring her face, but it turned into a grimace when, after a single step toward me, she stopped as if paralyzed.

"You're not supposed to... I wasn't supposed to see you again...!"

Concern wracked my body, causing violent tremors in my limbs.

"Luna...?"

"...I-I'm leaving Excelsior. I should have never been there in the first place."

"...leaving...? What are you-"

"I'm sorry, Norma. I'm so, so sorry. But I've made up my mind. There's somewhere I have to go where no one can follow. It's better for you to forget about me."

"No. Don't you say that... Don't you dare say that!"

"You deserve better. The best.  I will not allow you to waste yourself on me."

She tried to push past me, but I grabbed her shoulders roughly, keeping her in place.

"Please, just talk to me! I- I don't know what you're going through, but I want to help-!"

"You already have, so much more than you could ever know, and I will never forget it. But there are things that you don't know about me, unforgivable and monstrous. And I will continue to do these unforgivable, monstrous things. That's why you need to let me go."

I didn't understand anything she was saying. I always knew Luna was more than a little different, but it was increasingly obvious that her scars ran far, far deeper than her body. Every rational part of my mind told me to let her run away and never look back, just as I'd done to her on the day we met. And yet, I still hadn't let go.

The instant she tried pulling away, the resulting deep-set panic that I might never see her again made my feelings clear to me at once. This girl was strange, manic, drowning in pain... By her own admission, she'd hurt others, and would do so again. But even knowing all this, I cared for her. Even if there was nothing I could do, I refused to let go of her.

She was so strong that I almost lost my chance, but with a burst of adrenaline I lunged forward, my lips pressing desperately against hers.

"Mmph!" She gasped through our kiss, completely astounded.

Despite all of her talk about resolve, Luna melted into me instantly, all resistance fading as she pulled me flush against her as if she had been saying all along that she'd never let me go. I was so struck by how good it felt to kiss her that I had forgotten the whole reason for doing so.

Right, this was all I could think of to do to show her how badly I needed her to stay... Why was this what I came up with!?

Regardless, I had managed to keep her from walking away for the moment. I couldn't waste it.

"Luna, when I met you, I met the one person who understood me better than anyone, maybe the only person who ever could. Sure, in my case it only took you a week because I'm so basic, but please, let me be that person for you. I want to know all of you, the good and the bad and even the monstrous, no matter how long it takes, no matter how unforgivable... Will you let me?"

Luna opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again, eyes focused somewhere in the distance behind me. I turned around, only to find Quin and my 'siblings' looking on in stunned silence.

"How long were you watching?" I asked, eyes closed in annoyance as I waited for an answer.

"Long enough," Quin spat out through gritted teeth. "It's getting dark. Will you be bringing your girlfriend home with you, too?"

I looked to Luna. Anxiety wracked her posture, and she was biting her beautiful lips hard enough to draw blood. There was so much we still had to talk about. Quin's question was sarcastic, but I decided to ignore that fact.

"Yes, actually. I think I will."