"Gadalik, wake up!" sounded a young girl's voice from the side of his bed.

The spook yawned. "What is it, Adya? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"It's five-thirty in the morning."

Gadalik sat up, squinted at her, then rubbed the bleariness from his striped blue eyes to see her face behind her wild blue-violet bangs. "And why are you up at five-thirty in the morning?"

"Because I'm bored."

He couldn't help but laugh. "Alright. What do you suppose we do?"

She blinked. "Uhh…"

He laughed again. Then he put on a serious face. "Oh, no, Adya... I sense a ghost!"

Her magenta eyes widened.

"It's telling me something…" He cupped his ear. "It's saying it's going to eat all your pancakes if you don't have some for breakfast right now!"

"What?!"

"Oh, there it goes toward the kitchen!"

"No!" she squealed and scrambled off his bed, racing out of his room and heading for the staircase.

He followed after her. "It's almost there! Faster!"

She laughed and they both skidded to a stop in the kitchen.

"We made it before the ghost did!" he declared.

"Yay!"

"Alright, ghost… Be gone!" He threw his hand out at the doorway in a mock ward spell.

"Be gone!" She copied him.

"A-a-a-and…it's gone! We did it!" They high-fived. "Now let's celebrate with those pancakes, huh?"

"OK!"

"You think Mom and Dad would want some too?" he asked as he prepared the batter.

"Yeah, if they ever wake up," she complained.

He chuckled. "Maybe we can surprise them with breakfast in bed."

She gave an excited bounce. "Yeah!"

Gadalik poured the batter into a pan on the stove, striving to make it a perfect circle. He made enough for everyone and let Adya pour the syrup on them. "Want to bring the tray to them?"

"Can I?"

"If you're careful not to drop it."

"I can hold it with one hand, but I'll use both just in case."

He kept watch over his sister as they went to their parents' room. He knocked lightly before entering, opening the door wide enough for Adya to pass him with the tray.

"Rise and shine!" she woke them loudly.

Gale, who had been lying there half-awake already, sat up and gave his wife a gentle shake to rouse her.

Glacia groaned and turned over.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"Breakfast is ready!" Adya tried again, holding the tray out to them. "Made before the ghost could steal them!"

"Ghost?" her father echoed with playful skepticism.

Gadalik rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "I was only kidding."

"Pancakes?" Glacia finally got a whiff of the food, pushing herself up.

"And we don't even have to go to the kitchen to eat them," Gale added, smiling gratefully at his kids.

Adya seemed troubled by something. "So...when will my ghost powers come in?"

Everyone froze.

The six-year-old looked between them, utterly confused by their reactions. "What? My brother has them!"

"Well," Gadalik said hesitantly, "I am your brother, but…I'm not related to you, or our parents."

"How can you be my brother if you're not related to us?" she asked innocently, trying to make sense of it all.

The spook fell silent. Every once in a while, the fact that he wasn't blood-related to any of his current family members shattered his sense of belonging. Maybe it's time I moved out… My birth-parents' house is legally mine, and these three are a happy family without me.

"Don't you dare think that," Glacia scolded him.

He snapped out of it. "Th-think what?"

"That you're not wanted here. We love you. You hear me?"

Gadalik stared at the purple-haired woman in shock. Then he laughed. "You know me too well…"

"Of course I do. I'm your mother," she pointed out.

He smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah… You are."

Gale knew that distant look in his son's eyes and got out of bed, approaching him. "Bud, there's something we need to tell you."

The younger male looked at him expectantly.

He took a breath. "It's not easy to say this, but… You're adopted."

The spook spent a second processing his words, then laughed genuinely, completely blindsided by them. He appreciated that Gale was trying to lighten his mood, too.

Of course he knew he was adopted; Glacia had raised him since he was nine years old after his parents had been killed, and Gale since he was twelve, although his father hadn't made things official until Gadalik was eighteen. That was six years ago.

"Adopted?" Adya repeated.

"He had a different mom and dad before us," her father explained, "but they aren't around anymore, so your mother and I took their place."

Her magenta eyes shone with excitement, and she tugged on her adoptive-brother's pale green pajama's sleeve. "You have two moms and dads?!"

"Had," Gadalik corrected her. "I only have yours anymore."

"What happened to your first ones?"

"Um... They, uh…"

"Alright, everyone," Gale distracted her, seeing his son's uncertainty on how to answer the question. "Let's finish eating and start the day."

After breakfast, Gadalik went to his bedroom and put on his birth-father's gray henley shirt that now fit him almost perfectly, along with darker gray, knee-length shorts. He tied his striped green hair in a ponytail that reached his mid-back, then came out to see his sister in a gi matching her magenta eyes, a practice sword sheathed on her back. Her long blue-violet hair was in the same style as her brother's.

Her mother was wearing her usual yellow kimono with a blue hem over it and a crimson sash around her waist, matching her red irises.

Gale followed his family outside wearing a white tank under a maroon vest, black pants, and a blue-violet scarf that matched his mohawk. He also had a practice sword, and his daughter immediately drew her play-weapon as she assumed a wide stance, staring him down.

He took the stance as well, drawing his sword and blocking her sudden attack in one smooth motion.

Gadalik and his mother watched them spar. "She's getting better," Glacia remarked.

"She picked up his lessons quicker than I did," the spook agreed.

Adya backed up as her father moved on the offense, her eyes still focused on him, when she tripped over a root in the ground and fell backward with a surprised yelp.

Gale immediately dropped his play-sword and crouched at her side, checking her over. "Are you hurt?"

Gadalik and Glacia gathered around.

Adya sniffled, looking down at her ankle. Then she stood, testing her weight on it and wincing. She put on a brave face. "I'm alright."

"Don't lie to me," he warned her. "If your ankle is sprained, you'll only hurt it more if you don't take care of it."

She looked away, crossing her arms. Then she met his gaze. "I'm fine," she insisted. "Let's keep going!"

"Adya Khatri."

"W-What?"

"I know a sprained ankle when I see one. Come on, that's enough for today." He picked her up under her arms before propping her on his elbow, carrying her inside.

"No!" she cried, struggling in a tantrum to break free of his hold. "I can still fight! I can win this time!"

"I know you can," he assured her. "But it's not worth it if it hurts you." Her father held her more securely until she gave up, then set her down on the couch. He tucked a pillow under her injured foot.

Adya sulked, fidgeting with her single crescent-shaped silver earring. "This is dumb… It barely hurts."

"It will hurt if you don't rest it. Trust me: I speak from experience."

"You mean you've sprained your ankle before?" she said with disbelief. "I thought you were too tough to get hurt."

Gale laughed. "Nobody is invincible."