Chapter 10 - The New Beginning

The morning was characteristically silent, the majority of the townspeople to only to rise for the day ahead in a few hours. Jessi's leave would go relatively unnoticed for the time being. Nothing could obstruct them now.

Hensley's scientific instinct was tempted to pry into Jessi's feelings about finally being outside, but he held his questions at bay. He was content for the moment to watch her rich palette of reactions to the car. She fiddled unsuccessfully with the seat belt and eventually accepted help from Hensley, choosing to look outside her window as he wrapped the strap around her shoulders. Everything was so green. It was shocking how much more she could now see from only just a few feet away from the home.

Outside, Julian ran back and forth, rounding up rogue children (Kieran remained particularly elusive) and whatever loose remnants of the home were left and no doubt attempting to look busy for Hensley. He would not be making the journey with them, as he had promised to stay behind in order to continue researching Mars and Marine - thankfully, Jessi added. She could rest somewhat at ease that the children she left behind were in (somewhat) safe hands. Carlos sat in another car, also disguised as a taxi, with the remaining children.They would drive in opposite directions to avoid suspicion, and the kids would stay low, just in case.

As the final arrangements were made and the car lurched to life, Jessi made it her goal to take in every single sight that had evaded her since her twentieth birthday.

She saw the bar (now turned laundromat) where her friends had taken her to drink on her last day of freedom. Jessi wondered what they had made of their lives. Nobody from the outside was allowed to communicate with her, save for doctors and repairmen.

She passed the park, where she had gotten her first kiss as an eager seven year old from the alpha male of the third graders. It was on a dare, but she didn't need to know that. Jessi still remembered being confused when the parents laughed at this and called it "ironic", a word she still didn't understand when she went home and looked it up in the big dictionary her mother used to keep on the coffee table.

The school looked relatively the same. Something about that comforted her.

It shocked her how small the town really was. It felt like only a few minutes until they were met with a sign wishing them a safe journey out of town, "come visit again soon!". That, Jessi could safely assume, was ironic.

If there was one thing Jessi could say about Safehollow's campus, it was that the place breathed. Townspeople weaved freely through parks and rich wildlife, armed with fishing rods and picnic baskets. The plants were alive and adorned with a spectrum of colors, from the birds and the variety of treehouses the citizens adored so deeply. From first impressions alone, Jessi knew that she had made the right decision. She didn't even care about the home at this point - she just wanted to explore the town.

Well, she still kind of cared about the house. When she had allowed Hensley the privilege to blindly select her future home, she was riddled with doubt soon after. These hesitations evaporated the minute Jessi thought that their ride had pulled up at the wrong house. When she was informed otherwise, she could scarcely believe it! Three stories high, the house was spacious enough for bedrooms, a stocked hobby room, a lovely nursery, and a pool.

She had tried to snap a lovely group shot of everyone - including Carlos - in front of the new home using Hensley as a eighth hand, but none of them looked particularly interested in staying still, least of all Jessi. When she had finally given up, all seven of them scattered in opposite directions, leaving Hensley with barely a word in edgewise. In any other circumstance, Jessi would have felt guilty, but the promise of entering a park for the first time in five years was too tantalizing.

The kids were quick to discover the treehouse in the backyard, but Kieran was quicker. He dashed up the ladder like a monkey, his sisters rolling their eyes at his out-of-place behavior. Secretly, though, both of them were planning how to cut in front of the other to be the next one up.

Juno won.

Meanwhile, Jessi was faced with the dilemma of figuring out exactly what to do. For years, she had dreamed of an opportunity like this, but now that she found her self face to face with the real thing, she had to think on her feet. So she took the first logical step and stole a fishing rod.

It was partially rusted and half buried in the bank mud, so she figured it was okay. Right?

It took a few minutes for the rod to fit comfortably in her hands, but the end result was worth it. Her first catch! It was small fry, but would make a great housewarming meal.

"Fishing" a few simoleons from her breast pocket, she then bought a small hamburger and contented herself with observing her now-neighbors. Jessi hoped that she didn't come off as creepy.

Hensley hadn't lied when he said that Safehollow was home to some oddities. But strangely, she was feeling more at home here than she had ever felt back in the old house. Relish in your freedom, she decided as she squeezed her third packet of ketchup onto her burger.

When she had arrived home, she was greeted by the smell of burning cheese.

"I really wanted to surprise you when you got home," Carlos explain solemnly. "And this was the only thing we had in the house. I figured since you were breaking so many roles of your legacy anyway you wouldn't mind me making food."

She pulled out the fish. "Plan B?"

He laughed, grabbing the saucepan and heading toward the nearest trashbin. "Plan B."

Everything was going smoothly.

Chapter 9 - The Change

Jessi inched out of the stall, considering how to approach the question. She had always had a fine time with her mother, sure, and often thought of her - but it was a little awkward talking about a relationship that had gone so quickly from regular mother-daughter relations to "here's how to really please a man" in what felt like a day. And though she tried to not let it preoccupy her, she often wondered what her relationship with the woman would have been had Jessi not been heir to the Delilah legacy. Jessi had drawn up her own shares of illusions in place of actual fact, which often included soulful heart to hearts and makeshift book clubs.

She tried to word this as coherently as possible to Hensley, who merely nodded and made no comment – much in contrast with his personality just a few minutes ago. Jessi appreciated this, but it did create an awkward silence until Hensley cleared his throat with a decisive cough. He lead her out of the bathroom with a flick of his arm and into the living room. Julian and Carlos had mysteriously disappeared, probably to slink into their blessedly separate rooms. “I know that I promised I was done questioning you, but I actually have one more thing to ask you.”

She checked the time. The kids would be arriving home soon any minute. “I guess it’s fine.”

“Where exactly did you plan on moving after our transactions?”

“I…” She wavered. A few particular houses within the neighborhood stood out to her. “Undecided.”

“I see.” Shifting his weight, Hensley pierced through Jessi with his dazzling blue eyes. "Jessi, do you understand exactly what we do at Safehollow Labs?"

What happened to one more question? "Science, I'd hope", she joked. Hensley didn't smile. Granted, it hadn't been an exactly funny statement to begin with. He instead took to scanning the room, as if expecting an eavesdropper, and lowered his voice accordingly.

"We scour the world for the mystical, Jessi. And for the unordinary people of the world like you. You wouldn't believe what's out there, and you wouldn't want to believe what people are willing to do to said unordinary people. You've lived your life relatively easily."

Hensley lifted his hand before she could object.

"This is not to insinuate that your work is easy. But the town at least supports you."

"Not as much as you probably think," she countered, recalling Petal's outburst. It had felt like such a long time ago that the girls had nested under her wing, and a wave of unnecessary nostalgia rushed over her. It made listening further to Hensley draining. 

"I believe that I have occupied enough of your time, m'girl, so I'll just come out and say it. What would you say if Safehollow Labs could escort you and your children to a brand new house, equipped with the latest technology and enough room for everyone in your family, located in a plentiful and beautiful neighborhood, all free of charge?"

The offer should have been taken her aback, but if anything, Jessi was feeling dizzy. She smiled wearily. 

"I'd say it sounds too good to be true."

Hensley laughed, as if he had expected her answer. "That's what they all say."

"Who's 'they'?" she inquired. 

"Here is the part I believe you'll like the best. If you came with us, you would be living in a tightly knit community with women of similar fates."

"You mean there's other people out there like me?" Though still tired, the thought of living among others like herself piqued her focus.

"Now look who's answering all of the questions", he chuckled. "But yes. A lot more than you'd think."

Jessi pondered. On one hand, abandoning the home that she had grown up in in chase of a complete and total violation of her legacy would have probably set more abiding Delilahs reeling. But was she the same? Hadn't Jessi spent her entire child-rearing career discovering just the opposite? Surely, the incident of her live in roommates was just the beginning of a long list proving just that. On the other hand, she would do anything to better the lives of her children, and a home on the outstretched skirts of nature would definitely be for the best. And giving into her personal whims, a community where she could actually be free was beyond ideal. There was nothing to hold her there but for her family's guilt. 

Hensley had noticed her silence, and smiled. "I can give you a while to think about it."

"No, I think I've researched a decision", she determined. He looked on in interest as she arched her arms over her head and stretched. "As long as you agree to still buy the home, I think we have a deal."

Barely listening to Hensley's enthusiasm, she thought about what her mother would have done.

Chapter 8 - The Prospective Buyer

"Hey, Jessi. Question."

Carlos cleaned his hands furiously in the sink, regretting the aftermath of a five hour data processing marathon. His hands were caked in sweat, and cold water just wasn't enough to calm the constant ache, ache, ache. In the background, Jessi mopped at a steady pace, removing all traces of the recent toilet breakdown. It was the third time that the things had overflown that week. Calling a repair hand seemed like a cruel trick; he would only think that it was his call to "duty". Although at this point in the budget she had convinced herself that she wasn't exactly above a quick romp if it meant getting a free repair, she was already carrying Johnny's baby, so that was out. And although someone had to have figured out by now that Carlos and Julian were living with her, if not a prospective father, she wanted to keep things under tight wraps for as long as was humanly possible. So no flaunting. "What is it?"

"Have you ever thought about moving to a bigger place?"

Jessi frowned. There was no room in her wallet for such a large change. Still, it would be nice if everything in the house didn't break down every five seconds. Old appliances plus a continuous stream of rambunctious kids was a faulty equation to begin with.

"I mean, technically, I can. Delilahs have before; as long as I remained relatively unnoticed during the move, it should be fine. But I don't exactly have money for that right now."

He patted his face, half listening to his patron and half wondering if he should change out of his pajamas anytime soon. "I'm just spitballing here, but couldn't you just sell the house and most of the stuff inside of it for the funds? People'll pay higher if you lived in it. It's already practically a landmark."

She stood in the doorway, speechless. Good old Carlos was blessed with more common sense then she could ever hope to obtain. To the internet!

As she crossed through the house with her new realization, Jessi couldn't help noticing how bland everything in the house really was. So little color, and the peeling wall paper didn't help the aesthetic. Even the computer room, once her oasis of escape, seemed pathetic and lonely. What kind of environment was she raising her children in? She couldn't type up her ad faster.

While she had known through Carlos' crystal ball that that her ad for the one and only Delilah home would become popular, she hadn't exactly relied on having this many replies, especially so soon after posting. But she was soon presented with a dilemma, one that she hadn't considered until this point - how was she going to sort out the people who wanted to gawk at her home from the legitimate, serious buyers? Pawing through the offers, she finally settled on a man by the name of Hensley Duke. After doing a little background research on the man, she learned that he worked at Safehollow Labs. Jessi thought that she might have remembered that name from the top of Carlos' workpapers, the ones she was always finding sprawled across the house when she was cleaning. Perhaps he or Julian knew him? In a few short chat sessions, she scheduled a meeting with the man to inspect the home tomorrow during school hours, and figured she'd ask the two then - after all, Jessi already planned on having them guard the home in case "Dukes" wasn't who he claimed to be.

Noticing the time, she left for bed, wanting to prepare for the long day ahead.

---

"Did you say Hensley Duke?" Carlos enthused. Even Julian had a slight smile on his face, something Jessi hadn't seen since his charming demeanor had all but vanished upon gaining admittance to her home.

"Oh, so you two know him?"

"Know him?" Julian piped up. "My dear, the man is quite respectable. I don't just know him, I work under him, learn from him, have bonded with him..."

"Alright, Julian, I get it. You've known the professor longer than me. No need to rub into my face." Carlos was clearly ruffled, and maybe even a bit flushed.

"Wait a second, the professor? The guy you were talking about on my porch when you first came here?"

Julian nodded, clearly ignoring Carlos' remark. "He is responsible for the biology department at Safehollow Laboratories, and has been studying your family for quite a while."

"And he wants my house?"

Carlos jumped at the opportunity to get a word in edgewise. "Yeah, well, this place is probably a warehouse of information. It's been in your family for a while now, hasn't it? There's probably all sorts of things that he could study here, even if you took half of your stuff with you."

Jessi wasn't entirely sure what a few leaky toilets and abandoned toys could tell a man about the inner affairs of the Delilah household, but the offered money spoke louder than reason. "So if it's really him coming to the home, you guys will definitely be able to tell?"

Somewhere in the distance, the doorbell rang. Carlos smiled. "Let's find out."

A quick look out of the house window told Carlos everything that he needed to know. The man standing outside was unmistakably the dearest professor. And wouldn't Julian be thrilled to see him? At any rate, Jessi was in for a surprise.

"Carlos, m' boy!" the professor boomed, elated to see one of his favorite students. "So good to see you in the flesh after all of this time! The lab just isn't the same without you, kid!"

Carlos laughed. "I'm glad that you're happy to see me, professor, but isn't there someone you'd like to visit more? You don't have to entertain me."

The man blushed, grumbling under his breath. "Boy, you know me too well...but Jessi won't mind, right?"

He shrugged. "I'm sure that she'll be okay with it. I mean, I never saw anything in her that would've made me think otherwise."

"Good! Now, can I come in?"

When the professor hung up his coat, he couldn't help but prod Carlos. "So, how are you and Julian...getting along?"

Carlos hesitated, then sighed. "Same old, same old."

He whistled. "You know, I put the two'a you on this project together in the hopes that the man would learn to get along with other people. He gets quite sensitive, I'll have you know! One time when we were making a library visit..."

Carlos did not want to hear about this part of their relationship. He walked a little faster into the living room, hoping to end the conversation.

Before he even had a chance to make introductions or explain anything to Jessi, the two lovebirds were already at it. The minute that they had made eye contact, Carlos knew that it was all over.

"Did you miss me, sweetie?" the professor cooed, pressing his lips into an uncharacteristic pout. Carlos felt like a bird watcher, observing colorful mating rituals in a foreign land. Jessi was dumbfounded.

Julian grabbed the professor's hands and giggled, a sound that completely caught Jessi off guard. It sounded like a cat choking to death on a slab of salmon. "Um, hello, Mister..." she started.

Carlos scratched his head, knowing that the two were miles away and would never hear her. At least they weren't kissing yet...

And there it was. Carlos didn't mind seeing couples kiss, of course. But the professor and Julian's kisses often got...messy. He motioned to Jessi to avert her eyes, not wanting her to make the same mistake.

At the climax of their shenanigans and in the wake of a few choice phrases Jessi was glad the kids weren't around to hear, Julian grabbed a hold of the professor's head and teetered around the room slowly. "I'm never letting go," Julian whispered into his lover's ear. Jessi was only slightly skeeved out by the sudden change in personality. Judging by how freely they were acting in her living room, it was safe to say that the two had most certainly "bonded" at some point in private. Tentatively, she broke the moment, looking to get the show on the road.

"Er, Mister Hensley? Sorry to interrupt, but I'm Jessi Delilah? Owner of the house?"

He regretfully pulled away away from Julian's grasp, and suddenly, the air became formal and weighted. He was back to business in almost the blink of the eye. "A pleasure, I'm sure." He gracefully extended his hand. "Carlos has probably told you that I run the Safehollow Biology lab. Let's take a walk around the house, shall we? Not you, Julian," he said sternly, "You stay here and play nice with Carlos. Me and Jessi have a few things to discuss."

As the two inspected the nurseries, Jessi was bombarded with questions both biologic and anthropological in nature. Why it was important how often she cooked meals for her family, and her preferred method of birth, and her experiences as a child, well, she was sure he could gleam some meaning from them, but the entire business had her feeling caged, like a zoo animal.

Even worse was when morning sickness finally struck, and after emerging from the bathroom, how he was immediately interested in just how often she vomited, the texture of the vomit, and et cetera. Gross.

"I hope that you don't think that I am being nosy," he finally apologized after a fifth run-around of the kitchen, "It's just, well, this conversation is quite literally the chance of lifetime. We've been sending scientists to your motherline for years, and you are the first to have ever accepted to an observation."

"Really? My mother never mentioned that."

"There probably was not reason to. I imagine that your house attracts such a quantity of riff riff that any encounter would have slipped her mind."

"You'd be right." she groaned. Another round of vomit was making its way up her throat.

As Jessi crouched in the bathroom, she was aware of Hensley's weight on the bathroom door, casually leaning on his shoulder.

"Are you doing okay in there?"

"Never been better", she responded sarcastically.

"Right, well, we both know that I simply must buy the house. Unless of course you've been considering any other offers?"

She thought about lying and saying yes in an attempt to get him to double his original amount. But that seemed wrong. "Nope, it's just you, yourself, and your's."

"Good, good. So before we deal with transactions and the like, I was wondering if you could answer one more question?"

Jessi wiped her mouth and exited the stall. "Shoot."

"How exactly was your relationship with your mother?"

The air was cold.

Chapter 7.5 - Up and Off!

Giving birth to Roger's children was as easy as, well, taking candy from a baby. Jessi was blessed with triplets this time, all of whom advanced into respectable young toddlers smoothly. Finally, Jessi could take the rest she so well deserved - and needed.

Venus was a regular Sleeping Beauty, taking siestas wherever she could get them and earning her nickname "Aurora". Jessi had no doubt that these extended beauty sleeps would turn her little girl into a gorgeous young woman some day. Never once did the child keep her mother up at night with crying, and Jessi couldn't be more grateful.

Kieran was rather quiet as well, but observant. From an early age on he could detect cycles in feeding times and potty breaks, and would bang his fists on any available surface when it came time for a bottle or toilet session. If this sixth sense persisted through his adulthood, perhaps he could become a great doctor or scientist, Jessi hoped.

Where her siblings were silent, Juno made up for them tenfold in laughter. She always had an amused look on her face, and found everything funny. Much to her older half-siblings' chagrin, she found psychical pain to be the most humorous. A competition between Neptune and Marine to see who could amuse the baby the most led to countless injuries inflicted on the innocent and one embarrassing hospital trip that Carlos was forced to partake in. From that day on, the knife drawer was kept tightly locked.

All three children proved to be particularly bright, and teaching them the necessary toddler skills was a breeze.

Walking, babbling, tolieting, you name it, the kids had it down. The next round of birthdays was about to hit the Delilah household.

Juno had developed into quite the tomboy, though Jessi was seriously concerned as to how the "Unstable" and "Daredevil" traits would coincide. As Jessi would unfortunately learn, it led to many surprise taste test contests and a few stifling phone calls from the school home that always ended in the principal trying to hit on her. Unsurprisingly, Juno had developed a Good Sense of Humor. She'd make a great stand up comic. 

Venus was overjoyed to be aging up, so much so that she completely forgot to be irritable about being woken up from her nap.

She might have been beautiful, but she wasn't exactly photogenic. Guess the modeling career was out. What a shame - her newly acquired Diva trait would have certainly helped in that career path. Instead, it only led to unnecessary household drama that often found its root in a casual rumor Venus swore she had never started. She still napped excessively, as her teachers would experience firsthand.  

Most excited for the change of all was Kieran. He was uncharacteristically loud, hollering as soon as the very first sparkle surrounded him. 

Of course, the evolution from toddler to child did leave the young boy a bit cross eyed and dizzy. But he didn't let nausea get the best of him - developing Discipline was already helping him. He continued being insanely observant, often telling household members about habits of theirs that they had never noticed. He also used his new traits to pick up some karate skills at the local dojo after school, turning into a strange psychic-judo hybrid.

Despite their wildly different personalities, the three siblings got along just fine, though Venus did occasionally roll her eyes at Juno's dominating behavior.

"Why must we always play by your rules?"

Fortunately, Kieran was there to mediate. 

It was also time for Neptune and Marine to mature. Well, mostly.

The two really hadn't changed much from their childhood days, still discussing plans for future pranks well into their adulthood. They planned to skip college and go straight into the business world, opening up a prank shop in a new town. Jessi had sworn that she had heard this story before somewhere. The twins wanted to make enough money to own a nice boat on which they could fish on their off days to their heart's content.

Alton celebrated alone, but that's just how he liked it. Even he couldn't help but smile at his aging up. 

He had aged up into career appropriate clothing. Alton planned on building robots and becoming a regular grease monkey, a stark contrast to his withdrawn, neat childhood self. He felt a wave of confidence roll through him, and before he left for college in a new town, he approached Atticus and Montague. As usual, Montague was harassing his stone-faced brother. 

"Here, take this," Alton coughed, his voice dry. It had been so long since he had spoken a full sentence. 

"This was my favorite book when I was your age. It's a bit dry in some parts, but I'm sure you'll find Simmon's algorithms to your amusement."

"Wow, gee!" Atticus clapped, excited to get his hands on the book. "Thanks, big brother!"

"And as for you, Montague..."

What transpassed in that little room Alton dragged Montague to was never to be spoken of again in the Delilah household. The two exited the room after what felt like an hour of silence to the outside world, and Montague never attacked Atticus again. He was maybe even a little nicer to him.

Atticus didn't really notice any changes, too invested in his new book. His brother had scribbled notes in the margins, some of which Atticus swore were directed at him. He vowed to one day work his way up to the lab his brother was employed at and work side by side with his half sibling. 

He was so invested in his reading that he barely wanted to age up. But he was at least excited to be one step closer to meeting his brother in the laboratory. 

Happy birthday, Atticus!

As for Montague, he aged up into a respectable young man, already donned in suit like a regular James Bond villain. He suddenly became very interested in personal hygiene and petting cats.

As her kids learned the building blocks of cooperation, Jessi was learning in the ins and outs of her latest suitor. She had called upon a man named Johnny Bedrock, thinking that the name sounded wildly exotic. When he showed up to her house, however, she was greeted with a barechested brute. Oh, great. He was one of those guys.

"So, uh, what do you do for a living?" she asked cautiously. She was trying to steer the conversation in direction of interior of her home. Preferably her bedroom ASAP, so he could leave sooner. She figured that there wasn't very much she could stand learning about her babies' father.

"I lift things up and put them down." he announced proudly.

"Riiiight. So, uh, wanna go upstairs now?" She was becoming more comfortable in directly asking that question. Fortunately, he was more than willing to oblige, and followed her into the house like a trained puppy.

And she got to work. At least Johnny Bedrock lived up to his last name.