There were only four chairs in the kitchen which inevitably left one person standing. Taiyo had been the closest and took the first chair. Dee had grabbed the second and since her hand was practically super glued to Maddy, he got the third one. Bill, who managed to make a plate full of sandwiches in the manner of minutes, brought his plate of meat and bread and hesitated by the last seat. He glared over at Greyson.

  “Sit, it’s your house, after all,” Greyson gestured at the seat, a tight lipped smile forming on his lips.

  “That’s alright,” Bill said, feigning the same politeness. “You’re looking a little pale. Maybe you should rest.”

  Taiyo rolled his eyes and said shortly, “Bill. Sit.”

  Bill huffed. He looked over at Taiyo and then at Greyson ruefully once more before obliging Taiyo.

  Two fangs poked out from Greyson’s grin and Maddy swallowed knowing he was going to say something rude. “Good boy.”

  Bill shot up from his seat and slammed his fists on the table as another clap of thunder could be heard and rain started to pour down. Plates clattered and the table shook intensely. Bill roared. “You soul-sucking .”

  Taiyo quickly stood and placed a hand on Bill’s shoulder, gesturing him into the his seat. He glared at Greyson. “Don’t make me regret inviting you in.”

  “Maybe we should go,” Dee said finding her voice. “You two clearly have some issues you need to sort out and Maddy doesn’t need this.”

  Dee started to stand only to have the other three shout at her, “No!”

  Dee froze. Her brow furrowed and gave his hand another squeeze. “Well then, behave.”

  “I will if he will,” Bill said through gritted teeth, a muscle in his jaw flexing.

  Greyson raised his hands in feigned defeat and took the last seat, leaving Taiyo to lean against the kitchen counter, cradling a full mug of tea. He said, almost surprised, “I honestly don’t understand why everyone’s acting so skittish to talk. It’s not like there are humans around.”

  “We have laws for a reason.” Taiyo’s grip on his mug tightened.

  Greyson furrowed his brows. “Why are you such a stickler for the rules? You’re clearly shunned by your kind. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be living so far away from the local pack. ”

  “Hey!” Bill snapped. He pointed a finger at Greyson, “Don’t go spewing shit, you know nothing about.”

  “Am I wrong?” Greyson’s lips curled upwards. “And are you living here for moral support or are you also an outcast, a thorn in Daddy’s paw?”

  Bill bulked his hands into a fist. “If you bring my family into this, then we really are gonna have a problem.”

  Maddy didn’t understand why Greyson was being so rude. An hour ago, he was so gentle and caring, and now… Now it was like talking to a whole new person. He had to say something. “Greyson.” He held his gaze with those clever silver eyes. “Stop.”

  He turned to Bill who was glaring darts at Greyson. “Bill, I’m sorry. I know this is not an ideal situation, but there are clearly things that have been kept from me.” He pressed his lips together, refusing to look at Dee. She gave him a quick squeeze and he added, “For good reasons I’m sure. And despite not deserving to know why. I want to know. Will you help me to understand?”

  Bill closed his eyes, letting out a heavy breath through his nose. His breathing returned to a normal pace and he opened his eyes once more as he sat down. “Fine, but if he says one more disrespectful word, he’s getting a fist to the face.” He leaned over and grabbed a sandwich. With each bite he took, he glared at Greyson, in disgust.

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  Greyson grinned as if this whole conversation was a game he had just won. He adjusted in his seat and turned to Maddy, “Let’s establish a baseline. What is it that you do know?”

  Letting out a breath and staring intensely at Greyson’s beautiful face, he said, “I know that magic and witches are real. I know that there are different kinds of Strange Folk and I know they are not from the Human Lands...” Maddy paused he never got this far without his memory blanking or his stomach flipping over in protest. “I know they-”

  “We,” Greyson quickly corrected.

  “We…” He said finding it hard to form the word in his mouth. “Clearly have ways of making it to the Human Lands.” Although when he was younger he was convinced there were portals in closets and under beds where the really scary Folk lived. However, it was his imaginary friend, Titan, a giant, fluffy, red panda, who told him he was an idiot for being so gullible. He blinked it was the first time he remembered Titan in a long while. The spell really must be wearing off, if he was starting to remember bits of his childhood.

  “What else do you know?” Greyson asked bringing him back to the conversation.

  "It's hard to say," Maddy explained Dr. Tarkirk’s spell, his issue with talking about magic and Strange Folk how sick it makes him feel, and how his brain wanders, making it nearly impossible to focus on the topic. “I think the only reason I’m able to talk about it more freely now is because the spell is partially broken.”

  Whether it was Mr. Nanabo or Greyson who snapped the spell he wouldn’t say out loud unless someone asked him directly. Not because he was afraid he couldn’t, but because it would lead to more explaining, and he wasn’t quite ready to open up about the park situation to Dee, without her getting upset and forcing them to leave.

  “Woof, dude, sounds like Waldo’s spell,” Bill said swallowing a bite of his sandwich.

  “Taiyo and I were thinking the same thing,” Greyson nodded, rolling up his sleeves. He looked Bill up and down as if seeing him for the first time and not just a jock.

  Bill smirked in between bites, catching Greyson’s gaze and continued with straightened shoulders, “My great-aunt Lucy’s neighbor, Mona, put Waldo’s spell on herself.”

  “Why?” Dee asked her free hand reaching over the table to grab a slice of babka.

  “She was cheating on her husband and-” Bill paused to take a bite out of his sandwich. “-And she was trying to avoid answering questions that would expose her. After the spell, getting her to answer honestly was like pulling a very fine thread. If the thread broke then she'd completely forget what they were talking about and the whole conversation would have to be restarted.”

  “That doesn’t seem so bad,” Maddy stated optimistically.

  “Trying to break a spell like that has bad side effects depending on how powerful it is.” Greyson chimed in.

  “Yes,” Bill continued. “My Great-Aunt Lucy’s neighbor Mona-”

  “Hi, hello, thank you Chatty Kathy for that very unnecessary family history lesson, but we are off-topic.” He locked eyes with Maddy. “The spell is called Walderman’s Hermit Spell. The story goes, an old forest witch used it to protect his Grimoire from unwanted eyes. He had an affinity toward hermits and used them to seal the spell, making it very difficult for the subject of the spell to talk about certain topics. It normally causes nausea, body shakes, and lips to snap shut. ”

  “Sounds familiar,” He nodded breaking his hold on Dee, and grabbing a bite of Babka for himself. It was delicious, but it wasn’t blood.

  “The problem with yours,” Greyson picked up a fork and pointed it at him, “Is your spell is not only much more severe, no thanks to Daddy Tarkirk,” He side-eyed Dee, “But it’s also gone haywire, probably when you got hit with a fireball.”

  Maddy cringed as Bill said, “What?!”

  Taiyo shifted his stance against the counter, almost as if he was about to ask something, but it was Dee who spoke next.

  “Excuse me?!” Dee was stunned, her jaw dropped before her face twisted into a scowl. She wasn’t sure where to direct her anger. “A fireball. That’s more than a little sore.”

  She went to reach for his shirt, but Maddy gave her a stern shake. Not here. Not in front of everyone. In truth, he didn’t want her to find the bite on his neck. She answered his silent plea, but continued to sulk at Greyson.

  “I don’t understand,” Bill said, the frustration on his face turning into confusion. “My nose has been fucked ever since my accident, so I can’t smell how many spells and glamors are on you to hide your true scent, but Waldo’s Spell is a silencing spell, why would Maddy need to be kept in the dark about our kind our world.”

  Everyone turned to look at Dee.