“By the way, nice dress!” Kevin says approvingly. “It looks great on you.”

“O-oh, thanks,” I say.

“It’s just a color-swapped version of Anja’s outfit, though. Fucking copycat,” Nova snarks. “Also, what’s up with your face?”

“What’s up with your face?” I say, lightly punching him on the shoulder.

“Have you… not seen a mirror image of yourself?” Ruth asks.

“Uh, no. I was too busy fighting a vampire lady to stop and gaze at my reflection,” I say.

“I think you might want to,” Ruth says. “It seems to have changed more than just your clothes.”

I gasp. Really???

I dash back into the sitting room where we found Ms. Patel and look for a mirror. There’s one hung next to the fireplace! I look at myself and…

My face is different. My chin is a bit less prominent, while my cheeks seem fuller and rounder. My lips seem fuller as well, and have been nicely highlighted by some black lipstick. I had already been working on growing out my hair, but here, it looks effortlessly full, curly and beautiful. I look further down my body to see even my form has been changed into something more maturely feminine.

“Holy shit,” I say.

“See what we mean?” Nova asks as the others join me.

“It’s like I’ve already been on HRT for a year or two !” I say excitedly. “I’m only at a few months right now…”

“The Persona is supposed to be ‘true self,’” Ruth explains. “Perhaps awakening it transformed you into your desired body?”

“Look how happy she is!” Kevin comments, smiling. “This means a lot to you, doesn’t it?”

“Maybe it should’ve made me shorter," Charlotte says. "Most guys want short girlfriends, right?”

“Me personally, I find tall women very lovely,” Kevin comments.

“Really?” I say excitedly.

“Tall girls and short girls are both cool in their own way, I guess,” Nova says thoughtfully.

“Once you’re done appreciating your idealized form, I suggest we return to the real world,” Ruth says.

“Yeah, true,” I say. “Just… give me a few more minutes.”

----------------------------------------

And so, my parents, Anja, Zoe, Ted, and I, are whisked into the Metaverse to discreetly escape. Zoe glances back and forth between my parents’ Personas, gaping. Anja feels the end of her nose, now finding it smooth and unbroken. Ted wiggles free of Zoe’s arms, and respectfully tips his hat to my parents.

“Mom, Dad,” I say. “This is Ted. He’s been a part of our team since the start, helping us fight our enemies. And yes, he’s a talking armadillo.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Ted,” Dad says respectfully. “If I may ask, how could a being such as you exist?”

“How could you two have… Personas?” Zoe questions. “That’s what I’m wondering.”

“I think we’re all wondering that,” I say.

“It’s a long walk back. We’ll all have time for swapping stories then,” Mom says. “For now, there’s one more loose end we must tie up.”

We step out into the front hall to find all the men who accosted us now incapacitated even further by being seemingly dug into the ground with only their heads poking out. Before I can question this, Mom pulls out a strange little rectangular device with a small screen and presses a few buttons on it, which causes all the men to disappear.

She then looks forward to find a mass of shattered purple crystal where Kierstyn was, groans, and shouts “Shit!”

“That’s not good,” Dad comments.

“She got away,” I say between gritted teeth.

My mom sighs. “We’ll have to deal with her some other time,” she laments. “At least you kids are safe. That’s the most important thing.”

“Who’s ‘she’?” Zoe inquires.

“The Dark Trooper, aka, Anja’s Aunt Kierstyn,” I answer.

Zoe gasps and covers her mouth with her hands dramatically. “Oh no!” she cries. She turns to Anja, who’s gloomily hanging her head.

“And, my former teammate,” Mom comments. “Come on, let’s walk and talk. You kids deserve to know the truth… at least, the parts of it that I know.”

And so, the six of us exit the club, and begin our trek back through the wrecked city of Austin.

“Before I begin… I must ask one question,” Mom says. “Did you truly work with Lucas? Or should I say… Lucy, was it?”

“Huh?” I say. “How do you know about Lucy?”

A grim, disappointed look casts over Mom’s face. “So she was telling the truth about that much.”

She hums one dissatisfied note to herself, and then says, “Once upon a time, he was our leader. Me, Anja’s mother, Kierstyn, and several others, made a team called the Thieves in the Night.”

“Get out of town!” Anja exclaims, eyes wide with awe. “But I thought they all died!”

“Many of us did,” Mom explains. “We disbanded when Lucas and I broke up, and… Winona and Seth, two of our own, were killed. They were a Jewish couple who had just been married. And then, years later…” she closes her eyes, briefly overcome with pain. “Ellen didn’t hide herself well enough, and she met the same fate. And until recently, I presumed that Lucas and Kierstyn were either dead, or deep in hiding. I hadn’t heard from either of them since high school.”

“So you’re not new to this,” I observe.

“No. We went on many little adventures in our high school days. We fought common criminals like drug dealers and thieves at first. But we soon found ourselves way in over our heads when it all connected back to something bigger than us.”

“La Murga,” Ted growls.

“I was scared that they’d hunt me too,” Mom continues. “So I ran off with your father to California. I lost contact with everyone. Lucas, Ellen, Kierstyn, and Kyle, our last living member. Or at least, I hope he’s still alive.”

“Wait, so Dad wasn’t involved with this?” I question, turning to Dad.

“No, I wasn’t privy about any of this until I met your mother,” Dad explains. “Nor was I ever truly a part of this wider struggle. I merely did this as a favor for a friend.”

“So like… what I’m wondering is… what are the chances that our parents just so happened to be in on this?” Anja questions. “This has gotta be a lower chance than being struck by lightning.”

“Oh, I don’t think this is a coincidence,” Mom says, her tone turning angry. “Why don’t you tell us your side of the story now? How Lucas recruited you?”

“Okay. First of all, it’s Lucy,” I tell her. “She clearly identifies as a woman now, so quit calling her Lucas.”

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“Hmmph,” Mom hmmphs. “I only ever knew him as Lucas.”

“Well, things change,” I say sternly. “So quit being a boomer and adapt.”

“I am not a boomer!” Mom retorts, looking offended “I am firmly in Gen X.”

“All the more reason to not act like a boomer,” I snark back.

“Just… get on with your story already!” Mom says.

I tell her everything. About finding the strange journal, and being called by Lucy. About awakening my Persona and meeting Ted. About Anja finding out, and convincing me to use it to help Nova. Then Zoe joining; us using it on the church; our time spent training; Ms. Truman; and then, we catch up to the present day, with our discovery of the human trafficking scheme.

Mom and Dad listen to my story intently, and for a while after I’m done, they’re silent, as we walk out of the city limits of Austin and across the suburban roads.

“He must be stalking me,” Mom says after a while.

“Who?” I ask.

“Luca- Lucy. He must have snuck that journal in our house at some point, hoping to enlist you.”

“ She .”

“ She , then!” Mom corrects, clearly frustrated.

“And, I don’t know about that,” I say. “She never said anything about knowing either of you. She doesn’t seem to have any idea who I am.”

“Well, it can’t just be a coincidence!” Mom says. “And this journal is clearly hi- hers.”

You know… come to think of it, I never asked Lucy how that journal got to be with my possessions.

“I want to talk to hi- er, her.” Mom says. “You said you call her on the phone, right? Put me on the line.”

“Uh…” I’m taken aback by this. I don’t reasonably have a reason to refuse, but it feels wrong. Like I’m selling her out. Then again, I’d also like to know how this all came to be.

I pull out my phone, and select Lucy’s name.

“Hello Ashley,” her voice says.

“Hey,” I say. “Look, a lot of shit has happened. I’ll have to catch you up on all of it later. But right now… uh, this is gonna sound weird, but my mom wants to talk to you.”

“Your mom?” she says, her voice some mix of shock and excitement.

“Yeah. I think you used to know each other?” I say.

“...Alyssa?” Lucy says uncertainly.

“That’s her name,” I confirm.

“You do know,” Mom mumbles.

“Anyway, here she is! Good luck!” I say. I hand the phone to my mom.

“...Alyssa? Is that you?” a woman’s voice says over the line.

“How dare you,” I say. “You disappear for DECADES. And you come back and recruit my daughter as some sort of child soldier?”

“Alyssa… wait…”

“DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH DANGER YOU’VE GOTTEN HER INTO?” I shout, losing control. “I JUST HAD TO COME OUT OF RETIREMENT TO RESCUE MY OTHER DAUGHTER FROM HUMAN TRAFFICKERS! AND IT’S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU DRAGGED HER INTO THIS SHIT! IF YOU EVER SHOW YOUR FACE HERE, I’M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!”

“Of that, I have no doubt,” she says, sounding strangely impressed. “But it’s not as you say… until recently, I had no idea she was your daughter.”

“SHE’S A FOURTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL!” I counter. “SHE SHOULDN’T BE INVOLVED WITH THIS NO MATTER WHOSE DAUGHTER SHE IS!”

“Would you have said the same to us as teenagers?” She says calmly.

“You- that’s irrelevant!” I deflect. “We’re talking about right now!”

“Trust me, dear. I had my misgivings when I learned that my journal had been given to someone so young,” she explains.

“Don’t call me ‘dear!’” I snap. “And what are you talking about? Given? Didn’t you do this?”

“Not directly,” she says. “I handed my journal off to an ally, asking her to select someone with great potential. I suppose I should’ve asked for someone of age. But after meeting your daughter- of course, I didn’t know that’s who she was yet- she impressed me. She’s quite remarkable.”

“Oh trust me, I know!” I say. “But why should I believe anything you say? After what I’ve heard about what you’ve done!”

“And what is that?” she challenges.

“Murdering our friends! Winona and Seth!”

“That is a lie,” Lucy says immediately, “And a bad one.”

“Well, that’s what Kierstyn seemed to believe!” I continue. “Of course, I don’t think I can trust her either, given that she MURDERED ELLEN, AND IS WORKING WITH MOLOCH!”

“Slow down!” Lucy says. “Kierstyn? Our team member?”

“That’s right!” I confirm.

“Tell her that she’s ‘The Dark Trooper,’” Ashley suggests. “She’ll know what that means.”

“...She’s this so-called Dark Trooper!” I say.

Lucy huffs audibly. “Unbelievable.”

“You better start believing it, because it’s true!” I say. “She’s admitted it to me, to my face!”

“If she’s truly working with Moloch, you can’t trust her,” Lucy says calmly.

“No shit!” I say. “I don’t know who to trust! I don’t care right now!”

“How about we discuss this more later?” Lucy suggests. “I can tell you’re taking in a lot right now.”

“You’re not getting out of this!” I snarl. “However it happened, you’ve been the one endangering my daughters. You have a lot to answer for.”

“Your daughters are strong young women who chose this fight,” Lucy retorts. “It’s time you realize that they’re growing up, and no longer need this coddling.”

“Don’t give me that shit,” I say. Unable to take it anymore, I thrust the phone back to Ashley. “Hang up, now,” I say.

“I gotta admit. She was pretty dead-on with that last point,” I challenge Mom after hanging up. “I’m tired of being treated like a child.”

“You are a child,” she snaps back.

“I’ve seen and done so much over the past few months,” I say. “So have all of us.”

“You never should’ve had to deal with that!”

“Why? Because you gave up, and you think we should too?”

“I did not give up ,” she replies testily.

“Kinda sounds like you did.”

“I kept myself safe so that I could protect you! ” she counters. “I could be killed, like… like Ellen was! I can’t let that happen! Gregg, and you, and now Zoe, you need me! So I’m staying alive for all of you.”

“But you can’t just care about the people in your family!” I argue. “There are so many people out there being abused. Who’s protecting them?”

“Of course they matter too,” she says. “But I can’t just run away from my family to go be some hero.”

“Maybe you don’t have to,” I say. “Maybe this is our chance to all fight together as a family.”

“This… this is absurd!” Mom protests. “You should be focusing on getting good grades and making friends, not this!”

“I have been doing those things,” I say coolly.

“You know what I mean,” Mom retorts. “Doing normal teenager things with your friends. Not dragging them into… this!”

“If I may interject,” Anja says. “Me being here is my fault, not Ashley’s. Please don’t blame her.”

Mom deflates a little. “Then everything I’m saying applies to you, too.”

“I know,” Anja says. “But I’m with Ashley on this, all the way.” I feel a little warm inside despite myself. “As soon as I learned about this other world, I couldn’t leave it alone. We’ve used it to help so many people now. And we’re no longer just looking after our own. Look at what we just did! That was huge!”

“They’re good kids, ma’am,” Ted adds. “I’ve been with them all the way. They don’t abuse their powers. They’re trustworthy folk.”

“I… that’s not my issue!” Mom retorts, her eyes bugging when she watches Ted speak. “It’s just… think about what could’ve happened to Zoe, if we hadn’t intervened!”

“You wouldn’t have just saved me, though,” Zoe adds softly. “And not helped the others?”

“Of course not,” Mom says. “We’re not heartless!”

Zoe smiles. “That’s how we feel. If you have the ability to help others… you should use it. That’s what I’ve come to believe.”

“You too?” Mom asks, defeated. She heaves a heavy sigh, and turns to Dad. “What do you think? You’ve been quiet this whole time.”

“I share your objections about involving children with this. But there is another perspective I’d like to offer as well,” Dad says. “That is a results-oriented analysis. Everyone is safe, and a franchise of human trafficking is now being brought to justice. Tonight was an undeniable success. It seems strange that the mood is not more celebratory.”

“Amen to that,” Ted agrees gruffly.

“Except that Kierstyn got away,” Mom rants. “And I don’t know what to believe about any of this…” her head droops down, her voice momentarily revealing hurt. “And… Ashley’s been lying to us. Not for the first time, may I add.”

“You never told me about any of this either!” I counter. “If I’m a liar, then clearly I learned from the best.”

“Oh, stop!” Mom groans, putting her face in her hands.

“Let’s please stop fighting,” Zoe says, putting a hand on my shoulder. “We’ve all been through enough tonight.”

“Wisely said,” Dad agrees.

Anja slumps a bit, her eyes falling to watch her feet. “That’s true… but also, I hope you all understand that this isn’t over,” she says. “We had our first taste of something big tonight… I feel there’s so much more we can do.”

Mom chuckles dryly. A ghost of a smile comes to her lips. “‘This isn't over.’ Your mom used to say that all the time,” Mom reminisces. “It was her mantra…” She sniffs, and suddenly, tears are falling down her face. “I miss her. She meant a lot to me…”

“I miss her too,” Anja says, starting to cry as well. Anja walks to Mom, and for a moment, the two women embrace, together in mourning a friend and mother.

“Oh dear,” Mom says, breaking the hug. “That reminds me. We need to get in touch with your father, Anja. He’ll be worried. The police department must have called him as well.”

“Ooh, shit.” Anja says. “Let’s take a pit stop somewhere so I can call him. I’ll have to explain my broken glasses to him too, damn it…”

“We… we agreed not to tell anyone outside of our group,” Zoe says. “About any of this… magic stuff.”

“No, and you shouldn’t,” Mom agrees. “It’ll just endanger more people. We’ll think of an alibi…”

The rest of the walk home passed in a somber tone. We talk through the more mundane elements of the night. What to tell Anja’s dad, where everyone is whom we need to drive home, reconnecting with the others. We learned that they triumphed against Ms. Patel, causing her to give the police a tip about the gentleman’s club. Furthermore, Ms. Patel had come to Charlotte’s apartment, saying she would lower their rates to allow them to stay.

It’s as Dad said; tonight was a success. Certainly more so than our last offensive. Still, issues linger in the back of my mind. Kierstyn’s escape, for one, and the ominous note she had left me before.

I suppose she did indeed shed blood tonight; Sheriff Hurt was found dead where we left him. He was not someone I cared for on a personal level, though, which makes me wonder what her original intention was. Perhaps an attack on my parents, before learning it was impossible due to their Personas?

Another issue is that airship palace over Austin. Who could possibly reside there, so powerful that they’re totally above everything we’ve been dealing with so far, both physically and figuratively? How will this threat respond to us busting a gang in their backyard?

Come to think of it… it was strange how Kierstyn was at odds with the traffickers tonight. She had been running from them. It seems as if the old adage of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” does not apply here. Evil itself has multiple factions in this conflict.

Finally, perhaps deeper than anything else, I wonder one thing. How did that journal get into my closet?