SIMON

                                    

                                          
Philippa Stainton. The girl who lost her voice. Baz told me what actually happened to her. I knew there was a reason I hated his aunt. Now I hate her more. Baz looks uncomfortable throughout our whole drive. We're driving over to her mother's house. 
"How do I even do this? Just like, 'Hi, can you tell me everything you know about Lucy because we just found out she's my mom?'"
"Exactly that, Snow," Baz responds sarcastically. "Good plan."
I roll my eyes. "Well what do I say?"
Baz shrugs. "How about, 'Hello Mrs. Stainton, can we discuss your dead sister?'"
"That's even worse than mine."
"True, but it's still an idea."
"How far away is her place anyway?"
"An hour or so."
I sigh. "Might as well listen to music."
I plug Baz's phone in and put it on shuffle. A song I've never heard starts. 
Baz groans. "Remember when Priya stole my phone that time she was at Penny's?"
I laugh. "Yeah."
"She downloaded all of her music in my phone. I don't know why, probably just to mess with me, but I can't delete it."
I shrug. "It's strange, but kind of good."
"It's downright depressing," Baz replies, tapping his fingers on the wheel anxiously.
"What is this, anyway?" 
"I think it's twenty one pilots. She loves them." He smiles a bit. He and Penelope have actually become friends, and he treats Priya like a little sister. We all do. Penny tolerates her more than her other siblings, but they got into a fight over something and haven't talked in a while. 
I eventually nod off while thinking about how much Priya reminds me of one girl in one of the homes I stayed in. 
***
We pull up to a fancy mansion near where Baz used to live. (I think it's Victorian, but Baz is the expert on that.) I lead the way up to the door. We ring the bell, and a familiar balding, mousey-moustached man answers it. It's that doctor again. He gives us a wolfish smile when he sees us. 
"Mrs. Stainton, you have guests. I will see you tomorrow. Please reconsider."
Baz sees Doctor Quendon and glares at him. Quendon walks by, acting oblivious, but I see the glint in his eyes when he passes. A middle-aged lady with her faded auburn hair tied in a bun comes to the door and sighs. "Yes?" 
"Hi, we're here because we have a few questions about Lucy? I know we're kind of unannounced, but I think- I think she was my mum," I say somewhat awkwardly. I can feel Baz trying not to roll his eyes. 
The woman's eyes widen and she ushers us inside. We walk into a high-ceilinged room with yellow walls. I can see an elegant staircase in the back. Philippa is sitting on the bottom stair with a book. She sees us, gives Baz a death stare, smiles at me, then runs upstairs, hair flying behind her. 
Baz clears his throat. "Mrs. Stainton, pardon me for intruding, but why was that doctor here?"
She sighs. "Please, call me Caroline. And he was here because my daughter had some issues a few years ago and he wants to run some type of test on her."
Baz and I glance at each other, thinking the same thing. "Caroline," he says, "don't listen to him, please. He likes to harm others rather than help."
She nods. "Anyway, what brings you here? What about Lucy do you need to know?"
"Well, were you close with her?"
"I was closest to her," Caroline says proudly. 
I decide to be blunt. "Well, we figured out through a family tree that my mother is Lucy, but it didn't list a father. Do you know who my father could be?"
Caroline sighs and sits back. "Well, when she ran away, I was the only person she told about her plans. She wanted to marry him, but I don't know if they ever got married. It was a man named Davy. After she died, he became 'The Mage' and was all high and mighty. I was the only one who knew and he refused to tell me what had happened to Lucy for years."
I try to keep my face neutral. "Thank you for telling us this. It really means a lot. We have to get going, but I'll come and visit soon, I guess."
Caroline smiles. "I would love that."
Baz and I walk out. I'm still numb from the shock that The Mage was my dad. And that means I killed my father. Tears stream down my face. 
Baz wraps his arm around my waist. "Hey, you'll be alright. This wasn't your fault."
I rest my head on his shoulder as we leave. "It was, though. I'm a murderer," I whisper. Baz tightens his grip on my waist. 
We walk up to our car and see that someone stole one of our tires. There's only one person I know of who would. 
"Fucking Quendon," Baz mutters. He unlocks the trunk, pulls out a spare, and gets to work. I pull out my phone and send Penelope a few texts explaining what is going on. She doesn't respond, and then I remember she's in the lab. 
My wing pops out from being invisible suddenly, which gives me an idea. "Baz, do you know any invisibility spells? Because I could fly us,"
Baz looks up from the car and sighs. "Yeah, but we can't just leave our car here." He spells my wing invisible again. 
"Good point," I say. 
He finally gets the tire on and we climb in to the car. The momentary distraction of having our tire stolen makes me forget about everything for a second, but it comes rushing back as soon as we start driving. I can't hold my tears back anymore. I'm crying hard by the time we get halfway home. Baz is doing everything he can to drive and make sure I'm okay. But there is no okay. Things like this just are never going to be okay. I can't believe that the fucking Mage is my dad.  Was my dad. Fuck. 
***
We finally get to our flat, and Baz picks me up and carries me upstairs. I feel like control over my life has been ripped from my hands. Again. Instead of the Humdrum, though, I am the demon who's causing the problems. I'm shaking at this point. Baz opens the door to our flat, and cradles me in his arms as he sits down on our couch. He just lets me cry for a while. I rest my head on his shoulder. 
"Simon," he whispers, "it's okay."
I take a shaky breath and give a hollow laugh. "You, the same guy who told me that it will never be okay, is the one telling me that it's going to be okay."
He pulls me tighter. "That was before we fixed everything."
I roll my eyes and look up at him. (He will eternally be taller, the asshole.) "Baz, I just don't know what to do." 
"You don't have to know," he says softly, and gently kisses me. 
I do know one thing. I need to be with him.