I had a dream that night.

I stuck my hand through a wall behind me. This meant I was dreaming, and free to do what I wanted.

Within limits. Some people really could do anything when they were lucid dreaming, like fly in the sky. I wasn't one of those people.

Everything followed the laws of physics, except for walls—those led me to different places.

I was at the school in this dream, and I stuck my hand and foot through the wall then peaked my head at the contents on the other side.

I saw Sophie chatting with a girl in our living room. Then they kissed.

I stepped all the way in.

Sophie said, "Hi," as I walked to the next wall on their right. She had on the most genuine ear to ear grin I'd ever seen.

I jumped through that wall.

I was greeted by Jade, the woman, now half man, named Jaden Richter on paper—she had her pants down, and said, "I think it stopped growing."

I paused and looked. Hers was still on the smaller side.

Interesting.

I fell through the floor—

On this side I saw myself and Sophie duking it out with shinia… she had me laid out.

I'd remember that.

I jumped through the wall behind me.

On this side, I was holding a wooden sword and men lay around me, sprawled out on the ground in defeat.

I knew this was the event I was looking for.

It was raining. A downpour, but I couldn't feel it on my skin.

I realized all at once that a single man still stood in front of me, as if he'd teleported there.

It was Steven Ashley, tall, dark and handsome; but in a serious rage.

Someone grabbed me around the waist and I was beaten in the face by him, his punches many times more powerful than they should be.

As I lost consciousness in the dream, I woke up in real life.

Jade was shaking me. "It looked like you were having a nightmare."

I sat up, feeling the texture of the bed sheets. I reached my hand over to the wall behind me.

This was real life.

Looked like it was about seven in the morning, judging by the light coming in.

I turned my focus to Jade, who had a worried look, and ran a hand through her soft black hair.

September 9th, at eight in the morn— as my new Mage friend would say...

"Jade, I have something to ask you," Sophie proposed.

We were sitting around the dinner table, eating eggs and bacon. Jade must've been in a good mood this morning, she said she usually hates cooking.

"You can ask me anything."

"How do you know for sure if you like—really like girls?"

"Good question... I guess the short answer is you don't. You just try it out with a girl you think you like."

"What's the long answer?"

"Most women don't fall in love with a gender, or any one trait. Not that looks don't matter at all, it just matters less. Most women fall in love with someone, a person's personality for example, and then take it from there."

"Why'd you start dating Tayler?" Her face lit up. Girl gossip.

"We're a special exception, Tayler and I are soul mates. You'll be very lucky to meet yours in high school."

I blushed a bit when I heard it put like that, finishing my crispy bacon.

"Wow… I'm gonna ask out my crush today, then."

"What's she like?"

They went on gossiping until we dropped Sophie off at her school, I was the one driving today. It was good to see them getting along.

I told Jade what happened last night on our way to the senior building.

"Amazing work, Tayler."

"Why do you sound so sarcastic..."

"You better not bring Sophie on any excursions like that again. I didn't like it before, but I won't stand it another time. Hearing what happened—with her there—it makes my skin crawl."

"I'm not too proud of it, either, in hindsight."

It turned out fine, but it was really a stupid idea overall to bring her.

"Who was the woman you recognized by the shape of her waist?" She balled up her fists.

Girls can be very scary, don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

"The counselor! I talked with her the first day of school… but come to think of it, I never got her name. She gave me the idea to finish high school and take a few years off."

"When are you going back to this magic shop?'

"Maybe the day after tomorrow, but we'll see. While we're on the topic of last night…"

I recapped the incident at the front door and my consequential talk with Sophie.

"Huh. I'll talk with her about it, but I'm not exactly sure what I'll say."

"Do you think I handled it well?" I asked.

"I can't say for sure. It was better than doing nothing, but you have to curb that sort of behavior. Hard."

"..."

She was probably right. It sounded right, at least.

"Look at us worry like real parents… Anyhow, I'll see you."

We went our different ways.

3:00 PM.

You can tell Autumn is hastily making its appearance in this corner of the world, I could, climbing with a birds eye view of the maple trees yellowing leaves.

School is over and the only people that remain are the three after school clubs. Chess Club, Poetry Society, and The Mag Monthly. Of course, the faculty is usually still around at this hour, too.

I'm making my way to the counselors office, again. Didn't think I'd be coming back so soon.

Third floor, I step off that grand staircase. The door is right in front of me, but I can't seem to make myself knock.

The door opens—"I've been expecting you! Come in and take a seat!" The counselor excitedly tells me.

The same one that I ran into coming out of the Magic Shop last night.

I look for a nameplate so I can feign that I knew her name, but there is none.

She walks around the back of the desk and leans over it, real far over, propping herself up with her elbows...

That has got to be on purpose, come on!

If she's not a size G my name is John Wilkes Booth.

"I heard you've been very busy these past few days. Getting a girlfriend, rescuing a lil' girl from her demons, you've been the talk of the school. What do you think is next?"

"I'm not sure," I play along, more than slightly creeper out. "You could say that's why I'm here."

"So that man at the shop wasn't able to fill you in? I did think you arrived rather late."

"Yeah, we did. Care to tell me?"

She half closed her eyelids and looked at me level like that.

I gulped.

"He's not exactly the best at explaining things, anyways. You'll be relying on him, relying for most things that'll aid you. He's your counterpart, see, or maybe a mirror of you. He made the fool's journey just like you are—starting."

"What'd he mean when he said I must match the cards, and in order?"

"It means you can't do anything until you fix the balance of the archetypes that come before. That means your friend's turns will have to wait. What's happening here is destiny—there's no rushing it—it comes to you, when it wants to."

"What comes next, then? Supposedly Sophie is 'Death,' that's what the Mage said."

"The archetypes—that Mage calls them cards—are called the same as seen on tarot cards. Their afflictions, and sometimes places or things. Nobody knows for certain, but it's theorized that the person who invented them originally was one of the victims."

I was wondering about that connection.

"So—"

"First—you need to know—I'm a Priestess of the church. Think of me simply as the female Pope. Popess, technically. I do the things the real Pope can't. Don't roll your eyes!"

"Right, and I'm D.B Cooper."

"Fine, I'm not here to convince you of anything! Whatever. I'm here to settle the serious spiritual disturbance going on in this city, being a serious force myself. But I couldn't do my role—I'll be needing you to take over."

Now we're talking, I thought.

"Just give me the details."

"What's the opposite of Catholicism, do you think?"

"Paganism, maybe?"

Historically, that's been the opposition.

"Not a bad guess, but no cigar. It's Druidry. Distinctly different, but certainly related in a sense."

"What's this got to do—"

"I need you to coach a Junior through her Druid coming of age—I need you to make her feel safe—as she raises three Druid children."

"Huh! What?"

"It's a very delicate situation. I tried to get close to her, but it seems she doesn't trust me. Even after I got all the forged papers to become a counselor and seem trustworthy…" She bit her fingernails, staring off into space.

Now that she said that… Well, it seemed more believable. It explained a lot of things, like why she had a meeting with me in the soaking pool (not very professional) and partly why she was at the Magic Shop.

She's not an actual counselor, she's just good at reading people, probably.

"Is she going to school here?"

"No, she's just online this year. She used to go to your rival school, Castle Gregory. I'm almost certain it's because she is getting pregnant with one of the children. I can't be certain which one she's on, though, out of the three possible."

I whispered under my breath, "she must be freaking out, especially if she has no boyfriend..."

"Again, not quite right. Druid babies grow very rapidly, her belly would be growing so quickly that it'd scare the piss out of anyone. If she knew, she could celebrate the birth of life, but in this case—"

"She's scared out of her mind… Exactly how quickly do they grow?"

"Give or take a month in the womb before birth, they breastfeed for about the same time, by then they'll just about be toddlers and need much attention and love from their mother. You can feed them the same as any toddler at that point. Finally, they'll need to spend their last month in nature... like a forest, and with the mother present. The bigger the area, the better."

She handed me a stack of papers. It said: How to Raise Moon Children for Dummies.

I flipped through it. "Moon Children?"

"That's what the Druids call them. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to get that. I also have a copy if necessary."

"Give me her address."

"I will, but you need to know the risks involved. I didn't go to such lengths out of charity, if this young woman isn't comforted she could cause a natural disaster, and even worse, if those children aren't probably cared for they'll turn into something… horrifying. Truly horrifying," she said.

"You didn't need to tell me that, I already got all the reasons I need."

"She corresponds to the Empress, just so you know. My natural counter."

"Oh, speaking of which, I'm The Fool? What do I 'represent?'"

"You're free to interfere with all other archetypes, hints why I can only ask you. In tradition, The Fool interferes so much that they say he's on a journey."

On that note, I left without another word. It was around 4:30 PM by that time.

I walked out to my car, staring at my feet, and thinking.

I got a text, it was simply an address and name... I realized I'd forgotten to ask the counselor's name again.

The name of the unfortunate young woman afflicted this time?

Deirdre Bouchard.

I pulled up the phone app and called Jade.

"Hello, this is the disappointed center," she answered.

"Disappointed center?"

"Yes, because you're not back home yet."

I chuckled. "Sorry… I've gotta help someone. Do you want to come with?"

"Is it a girl? How old are they?"

"Yeah, a girl again. She should be around sixteen."

"I'll let you go solo, then. I'm not good at dealing with girls my age."

"How's Sophie—"

"—About Sophie—"

We laughed at having brought up the same subject at the same time.

"Good news, Tayler. Sophie got the girl. She's at a restaurant with her right now, their first date."

"They grow up so fast," I faked a sniffle and started my car, the phone went to Bluetooth.

"I could date even in middle school, and my parents are on the strict side. The big rule was they couldn't come over, ever, under any circumstance."

I put the address in maps. It looked like it was on the rich side of town to the north west, known as The Peaks. I started driving.

"You're wondering what I think? My mom didn't care. I raised myself, with a little help from my older brother, but mostly I was on my own... There should probably be a balance between those two."

"I didn't realize you had any siblings… how much older is he?"

"Five years older. He was usually pretty distant. Moved a town over when he turned eighteen, has all his shit together, but also thinks he's got everything figured out."

"I have no siblings, but I always wanted one around my age."

"Yeah, they always sound good on paper. My brother is mostly just an ass… I hope you don't have to meet him."

"So, what's wrong with this girl?"

"She's going to have to give birth… three times."

"Triplets! At sixteen? Sheesh!"

"No, I meant three separate times! Ha! But they're not normal babies. I'll have to explain later, in detail. I was wondering if you'd help her carry them to term. She won't be able to have them in a hospital."

"You leave me little choice. Yes, I'll help. I'll go and get a book about it."

"Thank you, Jade. Because of how fast these babies develop, you might not have much time to read."

"...You really will have to fill me in later. How fast are we talking here? And please—tell me she's not also staying at the house?"

Her voice indicated jealousy more than anything else.

"No, she's not staying over, we just have to make regular visits to her most likely. Pregnancy lasts a single month instead of nine."

"Wow, that's an aggressive baby. I'm actually starting to get a little excited to help someone give birth. Will you be helping? It's a beautiful thing."

"MaYbe—"

My voice cracked.

"Ah, so you're scared!"

"I gotta go!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure you do."

She hung up.

- - - -

I rang the doorbell, then double checked the address on the house.

This was it, definitely.

I read the 'Moon Children for Dummies' book before I came up.

And I had a plan.

I had the book—really just a stack of printed A4 paper stapled together—in my hand. I waited for a few more minutes.

I took the first two pages off, the cover and the introduction which detailed the first stage of pregnancy. Even the biggest idiot in the world, if going through what she was, would be able to connect the dots.

I slid them under the front door, it took some finessing but they got all the way through, besides just a sliver left that I could see, which I did on purpose to see when someone picked them up.

I rang the doorbell again, twice this time, and put my hands behind my back. I spaced out looking into the door so that someone using the peephole could see my face.

I checked my phone. Another five minutes had passed. I knocked on the door.

Knock–knock—knock–knock.

I heard a furious storm of stomping coming from the house, getting louder.

—The door flung open.

I was looking down the barrel of a gun.

I didn't move a muscle.

"What the fuck do you want!"

I put on my best smile, but I could tell it was an extremely nervous one despite that, and pointed with one hand at the papers at her feet.

She glanced down, for a fraction of a second, then closed the door.

"...All types, huh?" I said to no one in particular.

The door opened again about a minute later.

No gun pointed at me this time, but it was in her hand still, hanging at her side.

She had a mother's sort of figure… big breasts, and voluptuous body in all the right places. Wearing a sunflower yellow dress that complimented her curly dark brown hair.

In a word, she was gorgeous.

And extremely pregnant. Probably seven or eight months along, if it were a standard pregnancy.

I knew that wasn't the case though.

"How do you know…"

"I'm here to help you," I handed her the rest of the stack from behind my back. "I've even enlisted the help of a talented young woman to help you give birth."

"You... didn't answer—m—" she was shaking with rage, her face a different sort of red, and grit her teeth down so hard she couldn't get the word 'me' out.

I put my hands up. She hadn't pointed the gun yet, but I put them up.

"Would you like to listen to a long story?" I asked

"Sit down on the floor, right where you are!" She used her gun to gesture to the floor.

I complied, trying my best to stay calm. I sat criss-cross, thinking of what a stupid way this was to die. I couldn't help it, I laughed.

"Explain yourself," she demanded.

She looked damn impressive, with a hand on her belly and another holding a 9mm at an angle.

By the end of my story, she believed me. She even shed a few tears along the way for Jade and Sophie.

I had only lied about a single thing, that the counselor had given me the information. Since she didn't trust her, I figured it'd be best to omit that part and say that I hired a private detective to search for people that dropped out this year and looked pregnant, under the premise that I knew the Empress would be rapidly pregnant.

This was a stretch, but she bought it… sufficiently enough. I could tell she wasn't fully convinced.

While I felt bad for lying at all, I believed it was all for the greater good. I could tell her later who sent me.

"Could you at least put the safety on?" I asked.

She did, then tried to help me up, but couldn't bend over far enough.

"Don't stress yourself," I got up by myself. "How long has it been since you've been pregnant?"

"I can't really be sure, but I've been showing for only 3 weeks… it's already like this," she rubbed her belly. "Let's go inside, it's getting chilly in the shade."

Yeah, it would be extremely hard to tell, now that I thought of it. By the time you'd normally just noticed you didn't have your period, you'd be near to giving birth.

It was an insanely fast timeline.

"Let me read through this, please sit on the couch."

While she read the book in another room, which would take at least 30 minutes, I pulled up a calculator.

Anyway you looked at it—mind you I'm terrible at math—she has a few days left till she's due.

With nothing else I could think of doing, I scrolled on Twitter until she was done reading and came from down the hall. I checked the time. It'd been about 40 minutes, about how long it took me to read it.

She had a somber expression, and I couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"Did you read the book…" She started.

"I did, you can have it. I think you have at best three days till you give birth."

She put both hands on her belly and whispered, under her breath, "I knew you were a blessing…"

"This may be too personal—just tell me if so—are you a virgin? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No… I haven't been… touched like that, not since I was a child. A woman manipulated me at daycare. I remember it like it was yesterday, though."

"I'm so sorry for asking…"

"I'm over it, don't worry. If you haven't been able to tell, I'm made of tough shit. I'm sure you were trying to ask how shocked I am by this."

"Mhm—that's what I meant to ask."

I was so fucking glad she was tough, too. This would have been a horrible disaster with someone even a micrume weaker than her.

I didn't realize that before, but now I knew, and I couldn't be happier it was a strong woman dealing with this.

"I'd really like you to meet my girlfriend, she's the person who'll help you deliver. I think you two will be fast friends, too."

"I'd love to meet her before it happens, if only just to see what kind of person she is."

"She also asked me to ask you if there was any delivery method you'd prefer."

"Let's do it in the bathtub."

My phone was in my hand, so I unlocked it and sent Jade a message saying so. I also told her she had less than three days to study.

I put the phone in my pocket but then it vibrated immediately.

I got a text back saying 'Okay, I'm reading about it right now.'

How do girls text so fast? A true mystery—signed, every male.

I'm getting sidetracked.

"Let me give you her number. Would you like me there when it happens?"

"That might be nice, yes… if you're comfortable with it."

"I am," I gulped involuntarily. "Uh... here," I handed her my phone with the contact up. "I'll have Jade come over tomorrow with me. I just hope it doesn't happen tonight."

"What's your phone number, by the way?"

I gave it to her

"Alright," she said. "I think you already know, but my name is Deirde. Friends call me Debo."

"Debo? How'd you get that nickname?"

"Deirde Bouchard, shortened to Debo, the first two letters of my first and last name."

"Cute," I said. "It fits you. Sounds like some sort of artist's name. I'm Tayler, like I said, Tayler Lovelace."

"I'm in your care," she stuck out her hand with a faint smile, the first I'd seen her smile at all.

We shook.

"Are you always so angry when someone knocks?" I laughed.

"It's the hormones, I tell you… it's been a real struggle. Pregnancy is no joke. I'll never be the same after this."

"I've got a lot to learn," I noted.

Brrrrzzzzt. Brrzzzt.

"Hello, this is the miracle center," I answered.

"Are you still at her house? Please put her on."

I turned to Dierde. "It's Jade, she wants to talk with you," I handed the phone over to her… it didn't feel right calling her such a cute nickname yet.

"Mushi mushi. ... Ask away. ... Yes, it has been easier to breathe recently." She looked at me and turned around, lifting up her dress and looking down at her belly, I'm sure.

"Yes, it looks lower than normal. Has what been happening… … Yes, all of those things have happened, what does it mean? —No, I'm not in intense pain. Oh dear. … What does that feel like? … That's been happening all month."

She handed me the phone.

"Konichiwa," I said.

"Does she look in pain, in labor pain, any pain at all?"

I looked at her face as she was staring off into space, thinking. She was expressionless.

"No, not at all."

"Very strange… but I suppose none of this is normal in the first place. I need to come over, please send me the address. Prepare for birth in the next few hours, I'm sending you a list of things we need that any household should have on hand."

She hung up.

I looked up. Deirde was nowhere to be found.

I texted Jade the address, then walked to the open door in the hallway with light coming from it.

She was on the toilet.

"I couldn't make it in time," she said with a frown.

"...Did it feel like you were peeing?"

"No, it just sort of… came out. I couldn't stop it."

"Your water broke, Deirde. Congratulations."

She took off her underwear the rest of the way off her feet, visibly soaked, and threw them in the hamper across from her. "Alright… what's next?"

"I need to get some cleaning supplies, mostly. And a couple clean towels. Where do you keep them? You should lay down right now."

"Right below that sink are most of them, including some towels."

I looked. It was all there, alright.

"You're going to go into labor very soon. Jade is on the way, I'm gonna call her and have her tell me the game plan."

She waddled off, rubbing her large belly again. There was something beautiful about it, but I still couldn't name it at that time.

I called Jade. "Hey, I'm cleaning the bath right now. Her water just broke."

She sighed into the phone, it was a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad I have a partner that isn't clueless."

She gave me several instructions.

"Alrighty then, godspeed, Jade."

I hung up and finished cleaning the bath, then checked on Deirde. She was sitting down on the black leather couch, taking deep breaths.

was happening. This woman was giving birth—the labour of which she was already and suddenly in.

"Can I do anything for you? Do you want some water or toast?"

"I'll have water. I just ate."

I went and got some. I correctly guessed where the cups were.

I quickly walked back and set it down next to her. "You should lay down."

With some difficulty, and me helping, she did lay down, but it looked uncomfortable.

"Which one is your room, I'll go get a pillow and blanket."

The one in the very back, she moaned.

Her room looked nothing like I expected. It was basically pink themed, very girly. I stole a light blanket (she had many blankets on the bed) and a memory foam pillow she had.

I helped her half way up and put the pillow under her head. "Are you cold?"

"No," she held out her hand to me, making a motion that said 'hold it.'

I crouched down and held her hand, she gripped tighter than I imagined she could.

"This must be very emotional for you," I said.

"The most emotional I've ever been in my life, easily. I feel so many things right now."

"Like what?"

"A lot of excitement, suddenly. And awe, so much awe it doesn't feel real. It's really happening, you know? I'm also a little scared, but not for any one reason, just worried..."

"You're a very strong woman, I can tell."

Jade arrived maybe five minutes later, letting herself in. Behind her I could see it was now completely dark out.

"Hi, I'm Jade! How're you feeling right now?" She stood behind me with a welcoming smile.

"Like I could cry. It's not actually as bad as I thought it'd be."

"Good! Birth is amazing, isn't it?"

"Yes, it really is..."

"I've gotta check your dilation now." She took her backpack off and put it on the other end of the couch, I hadn't even noticed she had it till now. "You know what that means, right?"

"Yes, go ahead." She removed her hand from mine and gave me a look.

It unmistakably was a look that said, 'go away.'

Jade cleared her throat. "If you'd go draw the bath… remember, luke warm—!"

"Between 96 and 102, I got it."

I left to do so.

My heart was racing—I realized as I drew the bath.

I felt… almost enchanted by this whole ordeal. It was actually magical, in a completely natural way.

It was also literally a supernatural birth, but so far nothing literally 'super' had happened.

The bathtub was circular and on the big size, but not extravagant at the same time.

The way it was setup makes it pretty much perfect for this, I thought.

I even found a thermometer for a bathtub, lucky enough. It was exactly 101 degrees in there. I'd have to adjust it as we went along, but that was fine.

I could hear Jade and Deirde coming down the hall. I turned off the faucet and said, loudly, "need any help?"

Evidentially they didn't.

Deirde was first through the door, she was putting her hair back in a messy bun, especially messy because of her curly hair.

Jade followed close behind, telling me, "look away real quick, just until she's in."

I did as I was told, I even closed my eyes for added measure, and asked, "where's she at right now?"

"She's about four to five centimeters currently," Jade reported. "She's doing extremely well so far."

I heard Deidre sigh as she stepped into the bath.

"Wow, this is very relaxing. Much better than the couch. You can open your eyes."

I reluctantly glanced at Deirde, knowing what to expect. Indeed, she was naked.

She kind of has a similar body to Marilyn Monroe. Duly noted, but now's not the time.

"When does she start pushing, do you think?" I was being inquisitive today it seemed.

"It's hard to say how long, but you always start once you're at 10 centimeters, so I'll be keeping a close eye on her."

"Hey, Dierde, did you pick a name for the baby yet?"

"No… since I've been showing, I've mostly been in a panic about all of this. I'd try to pick one out… but I wasn't even sure if the thing would be human."

"Would you like some ideas?"

"No," she shook her head, while also wincing in pain and shifting around. She stuck her hand out to me.

My hand was squeezed so tight I thought she might break it.

"I'll name them when I hold them," she said. "I just know once I see them the name will come to me."

I thought this was a very romantic idea.

She kept scrunching up her face and squirming around.

Jade was washing her hands thoroughly, not bothering to dry them.

She sat on the edge of the tub and put a hand on the soon to be mother's knee, looking to Deirde for some sort of wordless confirmation.

Deirde simply nodded and further bent her knees, spreading her legs out.

I looked away.

If I can be honest here, it wasn't out of politeness for her. It was because I was scared.

I was getting faint. I looked behind me to make sure if (or more likely, when) I passed out that it wouldn't be dangerous for me.

The counter was far enough away that I was worried for my future self. There was nothing to hang onto.

"You need to calm down or leave," Jade told me firmly. I looked at her as she felt for dilation.

Her lips worded out "OH–MY–GOD."

"Deirde, I need you to start pushing now. You're crowning, the baby is crowning."

I found that I couldn't stay sitting any longer and got up to go pace around somewhere else, leave this to the much tougher women, definitely!

"—Wait, Tayler. Find some string or small rope, the sharpest knife you can find, and a cutting board. Clean it all absolutely spotless, it doesn't matter how long you take."

I nodded my head and quickly left.

There was string with the arts and crafts I found upstairs, I believe this particular stuff was also used for carpentry. It was unopened—I decided to not open it up and clean it on the premise that it might make it less sanitary.

After that I obsessively cleaned my hands and wrists for a good while, trying to ignore the unignorable labor pains that were only getting louder.

The knife was easiest to find, of course. I picked a knife for carving meat, since that's basically what we were doing (I tried not thinking about it). I sharpened it myself for a couple minutes, they had a nice diamond cutter in the drawer, so why not? Then I washed the hell out of it. The thing probably looked better now than it did brand new.

Finally, they had a wooden cutting board, not too big or small. Perfect, because wood is more sanitary than those plastic ones. I ran it in hot water, scrubbing every nanometer, etc.

If this shit wasn't clean my name is… sorry, I was too panicked to think of a joke.

I carried it all to Jade.

I heard Jade before I saw her. "You're doing so well!" She praised. "It's almost there! One. More. BIG PUSH!"

I braced myself for what I was to see and turned into the doorway, setting down the stuff on the sink before I turned to look at them.

From where I stood… I saw an ethereal baby, it was practically glowing, and crying the lightest cry I'd ever heard.

I wish I could wax poetic about the beauty of birth, alas, I fainted on the spot.

I couldn't have been clocked out all that long, but I ended up never asking so who knows.

When I came to, the baby was already bundled up in its mothers arms.

The mother, well, you wouldn't have believed she'd been in any pain just before this. She seemed to be glowing, radiating something intangible yet definitely real, even more so than the baby.

I rubbed my eyes. I couldn't trust them, and I reluctantly asked, "Jade, is that baby slightly transparent, or a little opaque, maybe... and sparkling?"

"...It sure is," Jade said, still looking at the spectacle. She let out an envious breath. "Isn't he beautiful? He even has a little patch of hair on his head already."

The baby was about half the size I expected. Normally that'd be very bad news, but this guy looked perfectly healthy. I mean, he was opaque and sparkly, why not be small, too?

"What's after care like?"

"Not too much for her, I don't think. She did amazing, she made it look easy."

"Hey, Deirde… would you like us to stay, or maybe would you like to come to my house for tonight?"

"No… that's unnecessary. I feel pretty good, and I got that book so I know what to do now."

"Tell us if you need anything, anything at all," Jade offered.

"Thank you… I will."

"Did the name come to you yet?" I asked.

"Yes… I'll name him Korrin."

"A beautiful name…" Jade said, enchanted. "We'll stay a while longer and help you get everything sorted out."

It's a common misconception that diamonds are the hardest and toughest material in the world. I would know, personally, because I had just discovered the real contender to that title: a young woman, only sixteen years young, named Deirde Bouchard; and my partner, not much older, currently named Jaden Richter on paper.

It was this moment I first told myself: I need to marry this woman.

Until we cross that bridge.

This was Tayler—signing off for now.