“Mom! I don’t want to listen to some boring, dumb lecture!”

“Don’t worry, sweetie. I promise you this will be interesting. You know Brit’s my boss at the SCIA, and she pulled some strings to get us tickets to this lecture. You’ll love this family. All of us in Sirenum Scopuli do. Just wait and see.”

“Gasp! Mom, look at all these people! Aren’t they cool?”“Don’t stare, now. Those are some of the pillars of our society. And over there on the right is Britannic Legasea, the person we came to see.”“Is she magic? Look at her sparkle!”“Just listen and see. They’re starting now. Hush, okay?”

*Welcome back to the Matriarchal Legasea! This chapter will be told by Brit, and if I have anything authorial to add, I’ll put it in a note at the bottom like this. Enjoy!

“. . . and so the founding of Sirenum Scopuli as we know it coincided with the arrival of Oceania Legasea. Her descendants have always been key members of our community, and they’ve lived interesting, colorful lives. That’s why we’re pleased to have the current head of the family, Britannic Legasea, here to speak for us today. Again, thank you all for coming to Sirenum Scopuli’s Historical Society Christmas lecture. Now let me turn this over to the person you’re really here to see . . . Brit Legasea!”

“Ahem . . . welcome everyone and thanks for coming out, especially right after the holiday. I tried to write some remarks for you today, but as anyone who knows me knows well, I’m a bit too spontaneous for notes. So let’s see if I can’t wing something, and keep all you nice folk interested. You see, I wasn’t sure what to say, because for a long time, I didn’t think I had a story. Not the way my ancestors did. My life has been too easy and full of love, without major trials. But I realized it only got that way because of the five women and one man who came before me, who paved the way with their sorrows, their travails, and their heart.”

“Their story is my story, and my story is theirs, because I am the product of the lives that came before me. So my relative success is sort of the happy ending to their stories, yet it isn’t, because my family’s story is far from over. I can only hope that one of my children leads the family as successfully and as stress-free as I have done. But ah, I’m getting ahead of myself. My story starts when I found out I would be the heiress to the Legasea name . . .”

Naturally, I was pretty psyched. I hadn’t given much thought to which of us would be chosen, but I was really flattered and excited to be the heiress. It just sounded like a lot of fun! I’ve never been one for planning much, so I didn’t have any grand ideas of what I wanted to do as heiress. I just knew it was going to be a good time.

You all doubtlessly know this, but the other members of my immediate family were my dad – the previous heir – Bacopa, my twin brother Titanic, and our baby sister Lusitania. I’ve always loved my family so much, and I was sorry that Ti and Lu wouldn’t have the chance to be heir, because I knew they’d do a great job too, but neither of them seemed to resent that I had been chosen. I guess we couldn’t all be heiress.

Lu was a bit of a special case, and I know she’s out here in the audience somewhere – ah, there you are, Lu! – so I’ll try not to embarrass her too much. As you know, I’m formally known as Britannic Legasea the Infallibly Good Witch. Well, when we were teens, Lu was Lusitania the Atrociously Evil Witch. She had wanted to be like me and looked up to me, and I had failed her and an evil witch had tricked her into joining their side. She wasn’t actually bad, though, and I knew that. She had many good qualities. She was very tidy, which was good since the rest of us were very not, and she loved her family and her pet parrot, Queequeg. As a teen, she taught him to talk! Lu was also really into grilled cheese, just like me.

Still, though, it was undeniable that Diana had been a horrible influence on Lu. At times, she knew that what had happened was bad and she regretted it, but at other times the thrill of the evil magic addled her. It was my responsibility as her big sister to watch out for her, but I had other things on my mind and I didn’t take as much notice of her as I should have.

Specifically, the other thing on my mind was college. Ti and I had waited a long time so that all three of us could go together, but I made a split decision and applied by myself and was accepted. While Ti and Lu were going to finish up at the prep school, I was off to a new life at college! Neither of them were thrilled with the plan, since it deviated from what we had planned before with Dad, but I just couldn’t wait any longer to go!

I headed off on my own to Sirenum University. I’m sorry to say I was . . . not exactly selfish, but definitely self-centered in those days. In my defense, I was a teenager! I was just so excited about what new experiences I might have at college. It was all I could think about and by the time the taxi arrived, I was already making friends, throwing parties, and eating lots of grilled cheese in my imagination.

The taxi took me to the house of my mentor and good friend, Ocean Raye. She and I flew the rest of the way on our broomsticks. She was seeing me to my dorm since Dad had to stay home with Lu and Ti, plus I loved any excuse to fly. Who wouldn’t? It is probably my favorite part of being a witch.

When we arrived, there was a beautiful mermaid digging through the trash . . . a bit of a dichotomous image, I know, but I was mesmerized by her golden skin and scales. A messy person myself, I didn’t really mind that she was dumpster diving in front of the dorm. Maybe she had lost something. I didn’t know. She left before I could say hi. I wondered at the time if she had noticed me like I had noticed her.

As soon as I got settled in my dorm, I called up Lu, who had just gotten home from another day at school. “Have you declared your major yet?”“Not yet, but I have plenty of time. You have got to see the kitchen in the dorm! It’s huge! I made friends with the woman who works there, so she lets me make grilled cheese any time I want. Oh, and there’s so much to see and do! You’re going to love this when you go some day, Lu!”“Yeah, I bet. If only we could have gone together . . .”“What? Oh, sorry. It’s time for class! I have a freshman seminar. I’ll catch you later, little Lulu!”“Yeah . . . catch you later.”

I’ve always been interested in learning, besides my primary interest in grilled cheese, but I had studied so much as a teen waiting for Lu to grow up that I felt like I knew pretty much everything I could learn*. With that heady feeling, I ran right over to the Legasea’s ancestral Greek house, Urele Hoh, and introduced myself to Beth, one of the girls who lived there at the time. Normally I was supposed to wait for her to come meet me, but I was too excited and feeling more than a little confident.

*Brit had learned all the bookcase skills, so her secondary knowledge aspiration was kind of moot. She did like going to classes on occasion, but mostly it was all cheese.

Pledging was a breeze. I made friends with both Beth and Elise, the other resident at that time. It didn’t hurt that I made them some of my world-class grilled cheese sandwiches! Most of the rest of the time I just spent hula dancing, which I had picked up from the vacation Dad took us on, or just messing around the house. It was great!

Three weeks in to my freshman year I was accepted into the house and moved in. No more dorm for me! And the kitchen was even bigger, which was just so great! All the heiresses since Orca – and of course the one heir – and a lot of their siblings had passed through this house. It had a lot of history but to me it was a ticket to sandwiches whenever my little heart desired them. Grilled cheese was mostly all I thought about in those days. I don’t know why, but I was kind of obsessed.

I ate grilled cheese morning, noon, and night, and I served it for any and all guests and social functions that we had. Luckily I have a pretty good metabolism, so I kept my figure despite eating nearly all the time. I was consumed by consuming sandwiches. It was more than a little silly and definitely unhealthy, but I had gotten bit by the grilled cheese bug and I was running with it! I had declared as a teenager that I would eat 200 sandwiches, and though I don’t think anyone else around me cared, I planned to complete my little self-dare.

While I was laughing it up with my fellow sorority sisters, I was neglecting my real sister. Back home, Lu had been struck by the untimely death of her pet parrot. I understand that it was very traumatizing for her, but I didn’t even hear about it for a while because I was so caught up with my own life.

*I even have a hack that’s supposed to help with the excessive caged pet deaths, and Queequeg still died despite having a full bowl of food. What’s up with that?

“Hey Lu! How are you?”“Are you kidding me?”“What?”“Queequeg died! And you just casually call me up a month later and ask how I am? Do you even care?”“Lu, that’s unfair! I didn’t know. I’m really sorry he died. What happened?”“I don’t know, and you don’t care!”“No, I do.”“Then why weren’t you here for me?”“I’ve just been really busy. College does that.”“Yeah, well I wouldn’t know since you left me here!”“What’s your problem, Lu?”“Sigh . . . nothing. Have fun at college, Brit.”“Lu! Wait!” *click*

“Hey, Ti, do you know what’s up with Lu?”“Seriously, Brit?”“Well she was like, really mean, even for her.”“You’re the one that’s being mean.”“What?! How could you say that? I haven’t done anything!”“That’s exactly the problem! Do you have any idea what’s going on with Lu?”“No. Is she . . . is she okay?”“Maybe you’d better see for yourself, sis. She’s out of control, and she misses you. You kind of ran out on us.”“I didn’t mean to.”“Yeah, well, you kind of did.”“I’ll be there this weekend. I’m going to fix things, Ti.”“I hope so. Love you, Brit.”“Love you too.”

That weekend I traveled home, and I could instantly tell something was wrong when Dad came out to meet me. My dad, who was normally upbeat, in control, and on top of things, had hunched shoulders and looked older than his years.

“Oh, Dad. I’m so sorry. What’s happened? Tell me everything!”

“Lu’s been getting deeper and deeper into the dark magic,” he replied. “She hardly leaves her room except for school and I think sometimes she sneaks out to meet with Diana. She spends all her time up there cooped up, studying things that no one ought to know, or want to know. I’m really worried about her, Brit. You leaving . . . well, you know how she looks up to you. I think she felt abandoned. I just don’t know how to bring her back when she’s this far gone . . .”

Dad went on. “You know Lu’s never been a goody-goody like you and Ti, but the meanness in her personality has really come out. She’s even been picking on Ti some, which just breaks my heart. She was always my little baby, and now she’s completely out of control. I spent so much of my life ordering things the way I wanted them, and now I can’t even help my own daughter.”

“No one’s perfect, least of all me,” he continued, “but Lu’s really messing with things she doesn’t understand. I’d hate to see what your grandmother would think of this turn of events. You know, I was never happy about you two becoming witches. If you had just listened to me, none of this ever would have happened. Sometimes it’s better to just have both feet on the ground.”

I didn’t reply. I didn’t know what to say to that. I loved being a witch, and I thought it was good for me. Surely my being a witch hadn’t caused all this. At least, I hoped not.

“You know, your and Ti’s birthday is coming up tomorrow,” he said, changing the subject.“Oh shoot! I completely forgot! I’ve been so caught up with things at college.”“We’re having a big party for Ti since he’s decided to head out on his own instead of going to college. We wanted to invite you to celebrate you too, but you haven’t been returning my calls.”“I’ve been busy . . .”“Stow it, Brit. The important thing is, this is your chance to take Lu aside and figure out how to help her. You’re the heiress now and it’s time to take some responsibility.”“Okay, Dad. I’ll help her. I know I haven’t been here for any of you, but I’ll pay attention now.”“I just hope it’s enough . . .”

Even though it was my birthday too, I stepped aside and let Ti have the limelight. He was going out on his own to be a real adult instead of taking the semi-adult detour of college, and I was so proud of him. Ti’s always been the responsible one of us two, so it was no surprise that he would choose such a practical path.

As soon as the main part of the party was over, I went over to Lu, who hadn’t so much as looked at me for the entirety of the party.

“Lu, I’ve been thinking, and I want you to come to college with me now.”“What, really?! I mean . . . yeah, I guess that’d be okay. Can I bring my grimoire?”“Um, you won’t really need that.”“Oh, it’ll be no trouble. Brit, it’s about time you said I could go! That’s all I’ve been thinking about for this past year!”“I know, Lu, and I’m sorry I haven’t been here for you. That’s going to change now.”

“Good start,” Ti whispered as we hugged. “But do you have a plan? She’s deep in dark magic. You’re going to need more than college enrollment to help her.”“I’ll think of something!”

The truth was, I had no idea what to do, and I was flying by the seat of my pants. However, I’ve always been an optimist and I knew Lu was good at heart, so I figured it would work out one way or another.

As the party was winding down, I made dinner for everyone. Grilled cheese, of course. Lu already seemed a bit happier, and that made me feel relived. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a big deal to turn her around after all. I wasn’t really prepared to take a troubled youth under my wing, what with being barely more than a youth myself and not much of a leader. I corrected myself – I didn’t used to be a leader, but now I was the heiress, and that had to change.

Lu and I talked books and supplies that night to help her get prepared for the coming school year. After that I had to leave to get back to school, since it was starting in just a few weeks and I needed to get the house in order. A few days later, Ti saw Lu off to the cab to Sirenum University before he himself moved out too.

Finally Dad was alone in the house with just his scrapbooks – and the cats, of course. I knew it would be hard on him since he cared so much for us, but it was time for all three of us to spread our wings and he knew that.

Ti was interested in popularity just like Dad, and I guess he’s an okay-looking guy because somehow his parties always seemed to be populated mostly by eligible bachelorettes of the town. Ti, like all three of us siblings, is very outgoing, so he thought nothing of hot-tubbing nude with three beautiful brunettes.

However, there was one girl that kept showing up at his parties who caught his eye. Her name was Mandy and Ti was infatuated with her from the start. While Lu and I were away at college, Ti and Mandy had a whirlwind courtship, and were soon engaged to be married!

Mandy was also interested in becoming more popular through parties, so they were a great match, and they had so much else in common too. I was really happy for my brother that he had found someone to spend his life with right off the bat. Of course, I knew that wouldn’t be my path since I had promised to live without marrying like all of my predecessors, but I hoped I would find someone that loved me as much as Mandy loved Ti.

As the first one to get paired off, Ti naturally attracted Dad’s scrutiny. However, Dad hit it off with Mandy right away, and he could see how happy they made each other. I’ve heard tales from my aunts and uncles about how difficult he was when they were first dating, but I think Dad has mellowed a lot since then, and he was just happy to see his son happy.

Soon it was time for the wedding. Lu and I arrived early and helped Ti set up, then we took our seats as the other guests arrived. I stared at Ti and I couldn’t believe how wise and mature he seemed, and I really couldn’t believe he was getting married already! We were twins, so of course we were the same age, but I felt like he had passed me in some way. I guess I still had some growing and figuring out to do at that point.

The wedding was a beautiful affair and Mandy looked splendid in her pale purple wedding dress. Rarely have I seen Ti so happy, and I was so pleased for him.

Lu and I weren’t very far into the school year at that point – and I’ll talk about our experience more in just a minute – but things were not going great. When Lu laughed at a joke after the wedding, I could detect a bit of a malicious cackle in her laugh and I wondered – not for the first time – what she was thinking. Obviously, by the point of Ti’s wedding, I still had my work cut out for me.

Ti and Mandy’s early home life was easygoing and carefree. They soon learned that Mandy would have to lay off the bubbles, though, on account of being pregnant. This didn’t trouble this fun-loving pair in the least, though. They were both very excited to be parents, even though it was happening so soon.

Mandy and I had come to be good friends and I was visiting one day late in her pregnancy, teaching her how to hula, when she started groaning in pain. I couldn’t believe it! My brother's wife was going into labor and I was the only one there to help! This was certainly not in my plans.

Luckily, Mandy knew what she was doing and got through it just fine. She gave birth to a handsome little boy who looked a lot like her. I offered to stay to help with the baby, but Mandy assured me that Ti would be home soon and they could take care of things from there.

That very same day, Ti had gotten the extra exposure he needed at work in the entertainment industry to become an icon. My brother was famous, but he was much more excited to learn he had a son! Mandy and Ti named their baby boy Bancroft.

As Bancroft grew, it became more and more obvious that he looked a lot like his mother! He was a charming little boy and I visited whenever I could, though I was getting pretty busy with school so that wasn’t often. Ti and Mandy were delighted with their family.

Meanwhile, many months earlier, I had welcomed Lu to Sirenum University. Even though it had only been a week since the birthday party, there was something about her that already seemed more grown up.

Those early days were hard. Lu was living in the dorms and I was living at Urele Hoh, but I tried to arrange as many study sessions and hang-outs as possible. I realized that the little sister I had known had nearly faded away. Lu was very different from me now, though we had some of the same goals in life. It was difficult to understand where she was coming from, and I think she still felt somewhat abandoned by me and harbored some resentment.

I decided the first thing to do was to get Lu and me under the same roof, so I invited her to pledge, knowing all the while that we would accept her. Still, Lu put up a pretty impressive display, including a rocking drum solo and befriending Beth and some of the house regulars like the college mascot.

Pledging kept Lu busy and that allowed me some time to focus on my passion, grilled cheese. Having to tend to family affairs had meant that I didn’t have as much time to devote to that as I wanted, so now that I had the opportunity, I stuffed my face constantly. It was a little lonely sitting there eating sandwich after sandwich long after everyone else had gone to bed, but I had decided this goal on a whim and I liked to follow those wherever they led me. Two hundred or bust, I guess.

Some nights it was too much even for me. A grilled cheese facial is not too great for your skin, let me tell you what. I was single-minded, though, and I didn’t let a little thing like passing out get in my way.

I didn’t let some other things get in my way, either, though maybe I should have. I was so exhausted the night of one of my sophomore year first semester finals that I totally slept through it and didn’t realize until the next morning! I was so embarrassed. I didn’t feel like I could show my face in class again, though I knew I would have to do so. To be fair, they could have scheduled it at a better time than 2 a.m.

*Because of a broken computer and my forgetfulness, Brit also didn’t write her paper that semester, so she was now on academic probation and had to repeat the semester! That’s the first time that’s ever happened to me and I was a bit embarrassed too.

Meanwhile, Lu had joined the house and moved into a room downstairs. While I was otherwise occupied, she had continued studying the dark arts. When I found this out I was furious, but mostly with myself. I had foolishly thought that just granting her wish to go to college would be enough, but I still wasn’t helping her out. She didn’t seem to want my help though, and she rebuffed me every time I tried to talk about it. I needed to find a way to get through to her.

As a surprise, I took her to a local pet shop and bought her another bird, this time a falcon that she named Genghis Khan. She was in a history class this time when she thought of the name. I knew Lu was soft on animals and I thought this might be the way to get her to open up to me.

Sure enough, the way to Lu’s heart is through her love of animals. She began spending more time in the common area with Genghis Khan, caring for him and teaching him to talk. I didn’t even know falcons could be taught to talk, but maybe that was a bit of magic. Regardless, Lu was spending less time with her dark magic.

I had seen that, though I didn’t approve of her methods, Lu had far surpassed me in magical ability while I had been focusing on cheese. I decided one afternoon to study my own grimoire, but I heard a little cough behind me and turned to find Lu. She looked contrite. “I . . . don’t know how to say this . . . but thank you, Brit. Thank you for bringing me back.”

*Some plumbbobs have crept into some of the pictures while I was adjusting to the difference in aspect ratio between the pics and my new monitor. Sorry! They bug me too!

As soon as I heard that, I rushed over and gave Lu a big hug. “Oh sweetie, you’re so welcome. You know that I love you, and I’ll always love you no matter what. We’re going to get through this together.”“But how? How can I change? How can I be more like you when I’ve done so many bad things?”“I think wanting to change is the first big step, and you’ve got that. From here, you have to just keep believing and work hard. I’ll call Ocean for some advice, and together we’ll get you where you want to be.”

Ocean actually had great advice for helping Lu learn to walk the path of the light. She sent over some books for Lu to study, and suggested some spells she could try out. Ocean told me that Lu’s heart had changed, and that was both the first and the most important change. After that, anything was possible. Lu set to studying Ocean’s books with a strange hunger, and before long, her skin had reverted from the dark green form she had taken as an evil witch to the soft green passed on to us by our alien parent.

Lu also tried out some of the spells, subtly improving the mood of visitors to the Greek house, that kind of thing. She liked it.

In fact, she liked it a lot. She was so excited to tell me about it the next morning that she didn’t even complain that we were having grilled cheese for breakfast again.“The look on his face when he realized he felt better! Oh, Brit, it was so rewarding! I had no idea magic could be used to make people feel better. I had just thought about the power of it.”“I think you’re making great strides, sis.”

Meanwhile, my path crossed again with that beautiful golden mermaid that I had first laid eyes on when I was moving in. I saw her on the sidewalk outside the Greek house, and I quickly rushed over to introduce myself. I couldn’t say why, but I was drawn to her and I felt little butterflies in my stomach whenever we spoke. I had never felt that before with anybody . . . or indeed anything. Not even my true love, grilled cheese, made me feel this way. There was definitely something odd about this mermaid, whose name I found out that day is Goldi Fish.

I invited Goldi in, and we spent the rest of the day laughing and chatting by the pool. We instantly became great friends. She was a very intriguing person, a researcher at the university. She had a very casual, cool style and it was hard to keep myself from smiling when she was around.

Meanwhile, Ti’s son Bancroft was excited when he learned that he would be a big brother. Yes, Ti and Mandy were expecting again!

It had hardly been any time at all, but soon little Nezinscot, another boy, was born, while his older brother was still a toddler. I was so busy running the Greek house, keeping up with school, and helping Lu with her magic studies that I didn’t visit Mandy once while she was pregnant, but both Lu and I went over to visit her and our brother once the baby was born.

As time passed, Bancroft and Nezinscot got to be toddlers together for a short time.

Nezinscot also favored Mandy quite a bit, and although he and his older brother looked a lot alike, they had very different personalities. Mandy and Ti had been blessed with two very wonderful sons.

We’re skipping ahead in the story here a bit, but I want to finish telling Ti’s tale. The boys kept shooting up, and before too long, they were children. They entered Nezinscot into school a little early so he was only a year behind Bancroft. The boys had become great friends and were hard to separate.

Of course, they also cared deeply for their parents, who loved them just as much, and who brought them up in the ways of the party animal. Ti and Mandy are always busy now, because their family is finally a little party in itself. I couldn’t be more happy for my twin brother and his wonderful family. Here’s to you, Ti!

Rewind several years back to the Greek house, and Lu and I were getting along better than ever. We had never really had this chance to relate to each other as grown-ups before, and it radically changed our relationship, but only for the better. It also, as Lu came into her own, took some of the pressure off me, because I no longer had to be the big, responsible sister – a role I had never played well – but rather just had to be the loving, supportive sister, which was a role I could get into much more easily.

We spent time on our studies, of course, but in our spare time, I spent nearly all my time on grilled cheese, or calling my new best friend, Goldi. Lu spent a lot of time with Genghis Khan. She still felt guarded around other people, so she hadn’t really opened up to other students or made friends outside the house. I hoped that would changed, but I figured it might take the right person coming into her life. For that, we would just have to wait.

Lu painted a lovely portrait of me to go with that of our other ancestors who had lead this house before. It was kind of weird to see my portrait up there beside my dad’s, especially when he looked so young in it! It made me think about weird things, like me being old some day – which seemed horrible to think about at the time! – what my ancestors had been like when they were my age, and whether I was ready to actually lead the family. Heading a fairly quiet Greek house was one thing, but raising a family would be a completely different challenge. I felt a strange yearning in me for it that seemed incompatible with my love of cheese, but I couldn’t deny that it would be the biggest difficulty I had faced yet. Luckily for me, I still had two years before I had to really worry about things like that.

Lu kept working hard at changing her magical orientation, and when she went to the coven meetings to become first a neutral and then a good witch, she had to wear very silly traditional garb. I was so proud of her for her dedication and hard work. She spent a lot of time studying magic for hours after she had finished studying calculus or Restoration-era Simlish, or whatever class she was in at the time. Not many young people would put that much work into such an ephemeral goal, but I knew my sister was not like most young people. She had a drive for good that had finally awoken. She wasn’t quite at the same level as I was, but she had reached her goal of becoming a good witch.

What do you do when someone you love reaches a major milestone? You throw them a party, of course! Since we were in college at the time, Lu and I decided to throw a toga party. We invited relatives and friends, including Ocean, Ti, and Dad.

“Geez, you guys! You invite your own brother over so he has to watch you strut around in nighties? For shame!”“Oh, like you don’t hot tub naked on the regular. We’re all outgoing, Ti!”“There’s something wrong with your ‘togas’ though. Didn’t you two switch colors?”“Ugh, yes. It was Brit’s idea of a practical joke. Never let the nice one come up with the pranks. They turn out really, really awful.”It was great to share a laugh with both my siblings.

It was good to catch up with Ocean again, too. As the head of my order, she kept close tabs on me, but I had been so busy that we hadn’t had much time to hang out as friends. Again, the party was perfect for such a reunion.

I introduced Ocean and Lu formally. Ocean shook hands with her, but then pulled her into a big hug. “Welcome, young one. We’re glad to finally have you on our side!”“You have no idea how glad I am to be here!”

Altogether, the party was a success.

During the party, Lu had a surprise for me. She snuck away and did the final studying and incantations she needed to become an Infallibly Good Witch. When she came back upstairs, she had a golden glow and a sparkling aura. She did a little showing off by making Ti smell nice after he had been dancing too long. Just in time for the end of the party, Lu had done it: she had become a witch like me.

This seemed to really lift her spirits, and it also freed up a large amount of her time. The very next day, she was using some of that downtime to chat up locals, and she met a guy named Brandon. In nearly no time at all, they were sharing their first kiss, swimming together, and I found myself eating grilled cheese with a relative stranger. He was a nice guy, though.

Brandon was a scholar interested in the pursuit of knowledge, but he and Lu still had great chemistry even though she was nominally still pursuing grilled cheese, though she had never showed an interest in it like I had. Instead, her interest was in Brandon. Before long, they had fallen in love and Lu asked him to move in with us.

After midterms, Brandon proposed to Lu. Theirs had been a whirlwind romance, but as we all know, they’ve made it last. These two were truly in love, and they inspired each other towards greater things.

Soon after, I was talking with my newly engaged sister one morning and she told me that she was thinking of changing her goal in life. “Really?” I had asked. “You can do that?”“Sure,” she had replied. “You just change your focus. It matters most that it’s something that’s meaningful to you, right? Well, cheese just isn’t meaningful to me any longer. I’m going to think about it and after the end of the year, I’m going to change my goal.”

This gave me a lot to think about. Was cheese meaningful to me? Perhaps not. I had decided on this goal rather hastily and partially in jest. I had no idea Lu would follow in my footsteps, so I was glad that she was going to follow her own heart . . . wherever that lead her. But what about me? What was meaningful to me? I had a lot to think about. I had been just doing what was required of me in school, and spending nearly all the rest of my time making, eating, and cleaning up after grilled cheese sandwiches.

The night before sophomore year ended, I completed my goal of eating 200 sandwiches . . . by myself, late at night, with nothing to show for it but an empty plate which I then licked clean. I finally really understood what Lu was talking about. I had reached my goal and knew I would be happy for the rest of my life, as that is the way of the world, but would l really be satisfied? Was this all there was?

I should have been focusing on the finals, but instead I was thinking about new goals. Lu had made one: she was now interested in her relationships with friends and her fiancé*, and, somewhat alarmingly, she wanted to be a criminal mastermind when we finished college. I decided that several things had to change in my life. First, I needed to catch up to my baby sister in magic skill, which I was sorely lacking due to neglecting study in favor of eating grilled cheese. I also decided that I would refocus my life on things that mattered, like my family and taking care of them.* I decided I would express this first by studying to become a doctor, and hopefully someday Chief of Staff. As for the other ways I would bring about this change . . . I had some ideas.

*Lu became popularity/romance on the reroll and Brit became family/fortune. This means I won’t get the grilled cheese grave when Brit dies, but I’m still counting it since she finished her aspiration and I’m not actually scoring anyway.

I had decided it was time to be more serious about my life and my goals, and one of my goals was definitely to continue my family’s line as the heiress. My sudden clarity also helped me see that my best friend, the one person that I had always felt differently towards, was my true love. I invited Goldi out on the town and told her all this. It was a lot to take in, probably especially because I was rambling and talking so fast because I was nervous, but once she got over her shock, she took my hands and told me she felt the same way.

Goldi and I spent a very enjoyable evening after that, and our relationship blossomed over the rest of my college years. Goldi is a wonderful person, who is also here tonight – hi, sweetie! – and I was so thankful to Lu for helping me to wake up to all the great things in my life that were there for the taking if I only was aware enough to see them!

Between dates with Goldi, studying magic, and studying medicine, college zoomed by. Suddenly I found myself in a graduation gown, having just graduated from college. It was a wonderful moment. I had really grown a lot in college and had truly found myself, as well as helping my sister become more well-adjusted, but now it was over.

Still, I wasn’t going to let graduation go by without a party! Pretty much everyone I knew came, and Lu reigned supreme over the game console, while I slipped away during the party for a little alone time with Goldi. She told me how proud she was of me for committing to my goals, but that she loved my spontaneity too. We thought together about all the things that would change now that I was moving home again, but we assured each other that the one thing that never would was our love. I think I had a better sense of who I was now, and Goldi helped me see that.

Of course, Dad was there too! How could he miss it? He told me how proud he was of me, and how relieved he was to see how well Lu was doing. “My two girls, so grown up,” he had said. “Now what am I going to do?”“Be a grandfather!” I said with a mischievous smile.“Well, let’s get you home first,” he said, laughing. I had really missed Dad and I was looking forward to catching up with him.

And just like that, I was officially a Real Adult! I had made it through college, changed my entire outlook on life, helped bring about my sister changing her entire outlook on life, found a beautiful and enigmatic girlfriend, and now I was heading home to start the next chapter in my life, which I truly hoped involved lots of little Legaseas. With college behind me, I was ready to take the reigns of the family.

First, though, we should talk about Lu. She finished school too, just a year after me, and she and Brandon had their own huge graduation party. They entrusted the house to a cheerleader Lu was friends with, and then Lu and Brandon made preparations to move back to the neighborhood.

Lu and Brandon wasted no time in deciding to get married. They had barely moved into their new house before they were mailing out the invitations. They had been engaged for three years, so I guess it wasn’t that much of a rush, but I still couldn’t believe my baby sister was getting married! I knew that this was one part of life that I couldn’t partake in, and although there was a small pang of jealousy in me, if I’m being honest, I was only too happy to celebrate my sister’s love.

Lu had picked out a very nontraditional and stunning plum-colored wedding gown. The day of the wedding, she and I got ready upstairs. Brandon, already dressed in his tuxedo, had been banished downstairs to do the final preparations.

Of course, it wouldn’t be home for Lu without her faithful falcon, Genghis Khan. He had come home from school with her, and she even made time to play and talk with him a little on her wedding day!

The wedding? Well, it was a bit of a mess, to be honest. But not in a bad way, Lu! Ha ha! Lu had made so many friends from so many different parts of Sirenum Scopuli that the guest list was long and varied. When it came time to seat the guests, there were many more friends of Lu than there were chairs on the bride’s side, and it got a little hectic for a while. I am a little embarrassed to say that even I got a little distracted in the hubbub and started dancing with Goldi. Whoops! Still, it was a beautiful wedding and the chaos is really just a testament to how many friends my sister has.

Brandon and Lu got married before a beautiful fountain on their property, within view of the seashore. It was the perfect wedding spot for a Legasea. They exchanged their vows and rings, and my little sis was now wed!

It will probably surprise no one to find out that, at the reception, Lu stuffed Brandon’s face full of cake. She’s definitely got an edge to her, that one. But Brandon has always known what he was getting into, and he just laughed and laughed. Their wedding was beautiful and the reception was a real success.

At first after the wedding, things went back to normal. Lu worked in the criminal field trying to lay claim to a share of it as a mastermind, yet somehow remained a good witch who often dabbled in magic to improve the lives of her friends and coworkers. Brandon worked as an oceanographer. But one night, something very strange happened! Brandon had been out stargazing, and Lu told me later that she heard a strange noise and saw a flash of bright light, and when she looked out back, Brandon was nowhere to be seen. He was gone for hours, and when he finally appeared he was very shaken, but the pair returned to their life, not knowing what was to come . . .

But enough about those dramatic events! Let’s talk about me! Just teasing – we’ll get back to Lu and Brandon in just a minute.

Anyway, when I arrived home, Dad greeted me and then ran up to the master bathroom where grandma Anet had kept her jewelry.

He brought down the beautiful sea jewel necklace that has been passed down through my family from the founder, Oceania Legasea. He had kept it in trust for the next female descendent of the family, who just so happened to be me. Dad welcomed me home heartily and fastened the glittering necklace around my neck.

I love wearing this necklace, though I will be equally happy to pass it to one of my children eventually. Wearing the necklace reminds me that I’m part of something much, much larger than myself, and I do sometimes still need that reminder. It helps keep me grounded while also giving me the confidence to live such a life.

At first, when I got home, I wanted to relax and take a bit of a break, but something inside me was urging me to get a move on, start a family, get things rolling. I did have some other affairs to put in order before I would be ready to be a mother, however.

One thing was continuing the pet line that we had been breeding for generations. The cats living with us were elderly Melusine, who had already had her kittens, and her daughter, Chessie. I first re-established my relationships with the cats. I had missed them while I was gone, and I was a little worried they might have forgotten me since I had been away so long, but we picked up pretty much right where we left off.

I kept working on my magic, too. I wanted to reach the highest rank of magical skill before I had kids. I kind of had this fear of changing a diaper, and I was eternally hopeful that I might find a spell that would help me with that inevitable event. No such luck, but I did learn lots of other things. I think Dad even eventually came around to magic, once he saw that Diana’s particular brand of magic, and not all magic, was what was responsible for Lu’s troubles as a teen and young adult. He could also see how much fun I had with it, so he eased up a little on his judgment of it.

I saw Goldi occasionally. Goldi knew that my family orientation meant that I wanted kids and soon, but she was completely comfortable with our unusual arrangement and the fact that she could never become my wife. For my part, I knew the troubles my great grandmother Thalassa had had, so I didn’t even let my mind go down that path.

Time passed, and several things happened with the cats. Melusine, who was quite old when I moved home from school, passed away. Meanwhile, I had been introducing Chessie to Starboard, an orange cat that belonged to a neighbor. They got along really well and I was hopeful that soon we might have a litter of kittens, but they didn’t seem to be in any hurry.

Dad painted a portrait of me for our wall. Even more so than with my college portrait, it made my heart swell with pride to see my face alongside those of my ancestors. It made me realize what a really amazing thing I was part of.

Eventually, I realized that my dream was coming true and I was pregnant. Unfortunately, it was on laundry day so the only picture I have from that day shows me in my least favorite pair of PJs. Amazingly, Chessie had finally gotten pregnant too, so we were both expecting together. I thought that was pretty neat, but I’m pretty sure Chessie didn’t care. She is a cat, after all.

Meanwhile, over at Lu’s house, she had finally struck out on her own as a criminal mastermind, bringing her plan to fruition and assuring her happiness for the rest of her days. Seeing her in her skintight suit made Brandon pretty happy too!

Not long after Brandon’s abduction, he learned what my Dad had learned many years ago: abductions come with surprises. Amazingly, shortly after Brandon realized he was pregnant, Lu realized too that she was carrying their child. They were pregnant together, as were Chessie and I. That is a lot of pregnancy in one little story, huh?

Some couples might have been stressed or confused over such a situation, but Lu and Brandon were rapturously happy. They had wanted a few children, but Lu had trouble taking time off from work and wasn’t sure whether she would be able to manage it for more than one pregnancy. So now they were guaranteed multiple children, and they fussed over each other like you would not believe.

By the time I was entering my third trimester, Lu was nearly ready to pop, though you couldn’t always tell in the slimming black dresses she favored. She and I took turns visiting each other often when we were feeling up to it. It was so much fun to be pregnant at the same time with someone that I cared so much about.

Once again, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and Lu went into labor in front of Brandon and me. I couldn’t believe my baby sister was about to have a baby of her own!

But that’s not all! Brandon had to steal the show by also going into labor at the same time. I hardly knew what to do with myself with two people groaning and screaming around me, but I kept my head and helped them through it. My medical training definitely paid off that way, even though I hadn’t been able to find a job in the field yet.

*Brandon seemingly went into labor early, perhaps from sympathy! I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried!

Both parents delivered successfully, and they had two little girls! My brother had two boys and my sister had two girls. I wondered what form my family would take.

Their child together was named Merrimack, and Brandon’s alien daughter was named Malta. Surprisingly, Malta looked quite a bit like her adoptive mommy, though I don’t think they’re related. Or maybe they are. Who can say with aliens?* Anyway, both girls were absolutely adorable as little ones!

*Since Brandon is a redhead too, there’s a 50% chance his pollinator was the same as Bacopa’s.

We’re skipping ahead quite a bit here, but let’s talk a bit more about Lu’s girls. As toddlers, they were close, but as children, they were best friends and nigh inseparable. They spent all their free time playing together.

Although they were half-siblings, they were born on the same day, and they looked quite a bit alike in some ways, so they used to pretend that they were twins. Even if they had been actual twins, I don’t think they could have been any closer! Merrimack had her mom’s eyes while Malta got her daddy’s color and the alien eye shape, but otherwise their facial structure was quite similar.

As they grew older, the girls did develop some separate interests. Malta really liked Genghis Khan and spent a lot of time playing with him, while Merrimack could often be caught glancing at her mom’s spell book. Maybe she’ll be interested in magic too someday.

Lu has come a long way from being an adored baby sister, to a neat and fussy child, to a troubled teen, to the wonderful woman we know today, and her strength and beauty are reflected in her wonderful family. I’m so happy that both my siblings’ lives worked out so well.

As for me, what happened next? Well, I can see some of you – particularly my kids down in front – shifting in your seats a bit, so I think it’s time we took an intermission. When we get back, I’ll tell you all about the rest of my life that led me here. Bathrooms are to the left once you exit the auditorium, by the way.

*Thanks for joining us and sorry about the length of these chapters. They get away from me somehow despite my best efforts. Sorry too that the Christmas theme is not so timely, but I sure tried to get these out on time. Read on to Part 2 to find out about Brit’s children and her life as a Legasea heiress. Thanks for reading, and check in with me at boolprop or SiMania.

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