Confusing, I know ;)

- Sian



"What do you mean Jack saved us all? He saved my family and me because you cursed me!" Mandy barked in a voice that made Rowan flinch.

"No, you've got it all wrong, even Jack." Braiken hurried into the garden and motioned that it was safe. Rowan saw four people climbing over his dad's fence. One person was Jack, the other was Wez, and two women he didn't recognise.

"Jack, what's going on?" Rowan asked when they crowded his dad's kitchen.

"Well... Solar, when I broke the curse on your mum, I went home because of your hunter situation." Jack looked to Braiken who watched him proudly. "When I got home um, my dad had no idea who I was. For some reason, he thought I was a seven-year-old kid. When I broke the curse on your family, I broke the curse that was unknowingly put on all of us. Even I was cursed." Jack frowned. "I told you that my dad wasn't a nice man, but neither was your mother. The curse made us believe that. Well, everyone was cursed except Wez and his soulmate."

Everyone turned to Wez for an explanation.

"Did you do it?" Mandy asked.

"No." Wez scowled. "Quite frankly, I'm insulted that you think I did."

"Yeah, and me," Braiken said.

"But Jack literally told us his dad did it, which is you," Rowan exclaimed. "Was that because of the curse then?"

"Yes. My memories of my dad have changed now. I remember what he was like before this all happened," Jack said, knowing Rowan understood how he was feeling. "It's taken me a few days to get my head around everything, which is why I didn't reply to messages."

"Who would do this?" Michael asked to anyone willing to answer.

"That's what I've been trying to figure out for all these years," Wez said, standing closer to the woman with dark skin and turquoise eyes. "I had to stay on land and watch you all to make sure you were somewhat safe while I tried to find who was responsible. I stuck with Mandy because she turned into a hunter, so she was in the most danger. A danger to herself and poor Thalassic Mortals."

Mandy looked down in shame.

"This is so confusing," Michael sat at the table, rubbing his temples. "So, Jack told us that Braiken cursed Mandy because that's what the curse wanted us to believe. I'm guessing whoever cursed us didn't think we'd get rid of it. They must have thought that we'd end up fighting each other instead."

Braiken slapped hands on Jack's shoulders, grinning. "That's why I'm so unbelievably proud of my son. He might be nineteen, and I might have no clue who he is now, but he broke one of the strongest curses I presume has ever been made. Cursing royals is a dangerous move. Let our Goddess mother find whoever did this, so her sons and daughter can get justice."

"Why didn't you get cursed Wez?" Rowan asked, and Braiken noticed that he and Kaerius were holding hands.

"Are you two soulmates?" Braiken asked with a funny frown. "That's a bit... odd."

"Dad," Jack complained. "It's two thousand and nineteen, get over it."

"The year two thousand and nineteen, wow," Braiken said. "Well, if men kissing men is the new norm, I'm all for it."

"Wez," Rowan sighed, wanting to educate Braiken on how long people have fought for the freedom to be who they are. He wasn't some trend. "Why didn't you get cursed?"

"I don't really know. I guess the first time I came on land was after you were cursed. We were a family who didn't speak unless who had to, but I always felt when either Mandrylikah or Braiken had returned to their home. I hadn't felt either of them in almost three months, so I went on land to make sure they were both okay. I got the shock of my life when Braiken was suddenly a fairy, and Mandy was a human hunter. I knew from that moment I was to stay on land and figure out what happened."

"A fat lot of good you were Wezarian. Twelve years went by, and it wasn't even you who figured out that we were cursed."

"Yeah well..." Wez pointed to the woman standing next to him with long black hair. "Why did you give Mandy so much grief about Michael when you've been bonded to a vampire since you were eighteen? Hypocrite."

"At least my wife is still a part of the supernatural world, and my son isn't some half breed human," Braiken yelled back.

Rowan didn't care enough about what Braiken said to be insulted, but his dad did.

"What's wrong with being human?" Michael asked, standing up.

"Everything," Braiken snorted.

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose after taking his glasses off. "I'm sorry about this, Solar," he mumbled, and Rowan shrugged. "Dad, we're not here to argue, we're here to reconnect as a family."

"Yeah, listen to your son," Michael said and put an arm around Mandy who looked tired and sad. "If we're going to find out who did this to us, we need to stick together."

"I guess we should write a list of all the people who hate us and go from there." Wez patted Rowan's shoulder on his way to the table. He sat down, and so did Michael. "We should start by looking into all the people who are hunters in this town."

Everyone crowded the table apart from Kaerius, Rowan, and Jack.

"Trust me, my dad used to be worse than this," Jack said, cleaning his glasses. "I was so confused when he had no idea who I was."

"Same with my mum. I'm just glad she can't remember how horrible she was to Thalassic Mortals and me. I think it would kill her," Rowan said, looking straight at Kaerius's bare chest, noticing that he wore only jeans. Rowan took his jumper off and made Kaerius wear it.

As Kaerius pulled it over his head, Rowan's scent overwhelmed him with affection. He stood closer to Rowan until their bodies touched. Rowan's arm wrapped around his waist and Kaerius almost smiled.

"Now that the curse is lifted from apparently everyone... do you think you'll find a soulmate? Oh, I was also wondering about your dad being cursed by the fairy your mum used to have, why are you part fairy if he's only cursed and isn't really fairy? Are you cursed to be part fairy too?" Rowan asked.

"Um, what?"

"Do you think you'll get a soulmate?" Rowan asked, stopping himself after one question.

Jack shrugged. "Who do you think cursed us?"

Rowan didn't know, so he looked to Kaerius who didn't know either, though his purple eyes were watching him with a deep state of comfort. Rowan could have stared all day if Jack didn't roll his eyes and mumble about how love made him feel sick. "Well, whoever it was must have hated this family."

"Or the Royals," Michael said from the table, "but that wouldn't explain why Wez wasn't cursed."

"Do you have to touch someone to curse them?" Rowan asked.

"No. You need something of theirs though, like a toenail or a hair strand. Whoever cursed this family would've been close enough to get these things, which makes me feel very uncomfortable," Jack said with a slight shudder.

"Braiken, did you have much trouble with hunters before the curse?"

"Oh, yes. There was a moment where it was an everyday occurrence. Looking into Mandy's hunters might give us answers," Braiken replied, eyeing his sister who stared glumly at the floor. At the mention of her hunters, she turned away as if to mask her aching heart. "Whoever made this curse hated Mandrylikah and Michael the most. I was only turned cruel and tough, but I still loved my soulmate and my son. Mandrylikah's whole world was destroyed. Who would do such a terrible thing?"

Braiken's rage made Mandy feel a little better. He was angry on her behalf, for once.

When everyone started talking again, Rowan watched his mother leave the room unnoticed. "I'll be back in a minute," he mumbled to Kaerius and left him with Jack. Rowan heard quiet sobs when he left the noise of the kitchen behind. His mother stood by the window of the living room with tears on her cheeks. The floor creaked under Rowan, and she turned her back to him, quickly drying her face. "Mum-"

"I'll be back through soon. I just need a moment."

Rowan wanted to fidget with his bracelet. "It's okay mum," he spoke softly and walked up to her. He placed gentle hands on her shoulders, and she stiffened under his touch. "You don't have to pretend that you're fine when you're not. Nobody expects you to be fine."

"You don't sound like my son," Mandy whispered.

"Because I'm not six anymore. When I was about fourteen, you used to flick me in the throat and laugh at my voice. I remember one time, I was rehearsing a presentation for school out loud, and you burst into my room with a spear because you thought I was some man in the house."

Mandy turned to face him with a weak smile. "I wish I could remember. You're a stranger to me, and you don't know how sad that makes me."

"I do," Rowan said, watching the sorrow in her eyes, "because I don't know you either."

Mandy covered her mouth to mask a whimper. "Oh Rowan," she muffled, and he wrapped his arms around her. She sobbed into his chest, but Rowan was glad her emotions were pouring out. Mandy would usually bottle them up or turn them to anger.

"It'll get better," Rowan soothed, rubbing her arms and trying not to cry himself. "It always does."