Queen Everlasting,

Last time I wrote to you, Orlando and Lia had just gotten married. Well, they lived happily alone for some time...

They loved each other very much, and they were not shy about showing it. But time tends to fly in Fantasy Forest, and before they knew it they were no longer alone.

They had two beautiful twin babies, a boy and a girl. The elder, a pretty brunette, was named Cendrillon, but was quickly nicknamed Riley.

Her younger brother was called Charles.

As the twins grew they became more and more troublesome. Together they got into all kinds of messes, and they were inseparable.

They were identical, a mix of both parents’ genetics. They had the brown hair their mom and dad shared, Orlando’s brown eyes, his wide nose and Lia’s narrow mouth.

Though Lia had always loudly protested her Mehntaa heritage, she proudly made sure her children bore the Mark on their left eye. Soon enough, she and Orlando had

another child.

This time, a little boy called Louis, doted on by his parents and siblings alike.

At first glance, he appeared to have the same facial structure and features as his brother and sister, but his grandmother’s chocolate skin.

Seeing their sister and her growing family reminded Lei and Jun that as heirs, they must marry and have children of their own. The twins decided to start looking for

spouses, and headed for the Cript-o-Night Club, where their parents had met.

“So, how’s Operation Wedding Bells working for you, Jun? See anyone yet?” asked Lei, after a failed attempt to convince the bartender she was 18.

“It’s still kind of empty. Wanna get something to eat while we wait?”

“If you treat!”

It turned out that between the two of them they could barely afford a glass of water. They managed to order a salad and chili.

“We should’ve asked mom for some more money. Then maybe we could have gotten dessert.” Lei complained whinily.

“We’ll get ice cream later,” Jun assured her, leaning over to steal a bite of her chili.

“Don’t touch my chili!” she shrieked, grabbing a handful out of the bowl and hurling it in her twin’s direction.

It landed with a splat, and the few customers that had finally arrived were staring openly at the purple pair, one laughing her head off and the other wiping chili from

his cheek, chuckling.

“Eeew!” Lei squealed when Jun licked his fingers noisily. Together they laughed some more, not caring about the audience they had gathered.

“Finish up your dinner and we’ll hit the dance floor,” Jun managed between giggles.

Other teenagers started to arrive, and Jun chatted with a young blonde until he was informed that she already had a boyfriend, and was quite happy with him.

Lei talked to a boy with dark shaggy hair for a bit, but wasn’t really interested in him.

In the end, neither Jun nor Lei met someone they wanted to spend a date with, much less the rest of their lives, and ducked into a photo booth for a memento of the

night before they left.

Their photo decorated the space between their beds for a long time.

“C’mon, ‘Tara, I need to use the computer!” I pleaded with my youngest daughter.

“You still writing that letter to your darling Queen Ev?” she taunted, swaying in her seat along with her snowboarder. “Too bad, I’m about to reach level 7!”

“Sitara Simself, you let me use my computer now or I will take Sid up on her offer to tape your mouth shut!”

“Finally,” I humphed as I lowered myself into the seat. Just as I was opening the partly finished letter another small voice interrupted me.

“Mommy, Nancy and her boyfriend are here and they say they have to speak about a very important subject,” Sid announced in a tone that made me worry a bit.

“So, what’s the deal? You mad Sid way more than five words in a non-sarcastic tone, so it must be serious.”

“It is serious, Mrs. Simself,” Daniel began nervously.

“Just Mae, Daniel.”

“I-love-your-daughter-and-want-to-marry-her-so-can-you-do-your-thing-like-with-Lia-so-we’re-old-enough-please?” the boy blurted out.

“What!?!” I demanded, laughing.

“Can you please grow us up early so we can get married, that’s what he said.”

“Addy, stop eavesdropping and get practicing!” I yelled at another of my daughters, who sat at a piano that had become mysteriously silent. To Nancy and Daniel, “So

you two want to get married?” They nodded eagerly.

“Do you love him?” I asked my oldest daughter, a concerned look on my face.

“Yes, mom!” she answered with a blush in her cheeks and a tone that said to back off. I ignored it and turned to Daniel.

“Do you love her?”

“Yes’m, very much.”

“Then I’ll be quite happy to help you. Anybody up for a birthday party?”

Minutes later, we had set up a cake and balloons, and were all gathered around the table, cheering Nancy on.

“Nancy’s getting old, Nancy’s getting old, she’s gonna get married and be very old,” Sitara chanted in a singsong voice, avoiding the death glare Nancy was giving her.

“I wish for a very short life and no children!” Nancy suddenly cried.

“What?! Why?!” Dan asked, looking shocked.

“Well, I told you so now it can’t come true!” She giggled in delight and blew out the candles with one breath.

“I should said I wished for an ugly sweatsuit and I would have gotten something pretty,” Nancy groaned as she examined her dull grey attire.

Before long, she was changed and climbing into a taxi, having handed Daniel a scrap of paper with their address scribbled on it, and a note saying Meet me here, xoxo, Nance.

Later that night, at his own home, Daniel was blowing out his candles.

His siblings enthusiastically cheered him on, and Mr. Dustin did his own share of yelling.

Once Daniel had spun into adulthood, Lei suddenly remembered something. “Hey, Jun, Daniel’s leaving for good...”

“....Let’s give him something to remember!”

As soon as Dan arrived at his new house, he dropped to one knee before Nancy.

Wordlessly, he pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket. Slowly opening it, he revealed a diamond ring. Nancy gasped, eyes flickering between the ring and the

man before her.

Daniel nodded, a smile lighting his face, and Nancy reached into the box and slid the ring on her finger.

Neither had spoken, but they understood each other perfectly. The embraced for a long while, rocking back and forth.

Days later, Nancy found herself walking down the aisle. Most of the guests hadn’t yet made it to the seats, but that’s what she got for letting her mother plan the wedding.

As the guests made their way to their seats, Nancy admired the pinkness of everything. The seats, the arch, her dress... even Danny’s suit had some pink.

“How’d your hair get so long?” Daniel asked as they waited.

“Extensions. Shut up.” Nancy snapped, all the while smiling at the guests.

Nancy had always dreamed of the perfect fantasy wedding, and so far nothing was as planned. Though she didn’t like the hurt in her husband-to-be’s eyes, Nancy was too

stressed out to apologize or even attempt to be nice.

“I’m sorry, Nance,” I mouthed from my seat.

It was time for the wedding to begin. Words of love were cooed, and guests dabbed at their eyes.

Smiling through misty eyes, Nancy slipped a ring on Daniel’s finger.

Sitting in the very front row, Lia tried to ignore the person beside her, who just had to be her father.

The groom placed the ring on his bride’s finger, sealing their marriage.

The guests cheered, and the happy couple smiled wide.

Some guests weren’t as happy, such as Riley Bertino. “I hear you planned the guest list.”

“Uh-huh.”“Well, you forgot my twin brother. If I were you, I’d watch my back.”

I had heard the Bertino twins were close, but I hadn’t realized exactly how close!

However, this was the time to think of the newly wed couple, who were sharing their first kiss as man and wife.

Soon after the ceremony, Dan took his wife by the hand and practically dragged her to the cake. Nancy was still very tensed, and snapped at him. “Why are you cutting

the cake already?! The guests aren’t here!”

“Honey, don’t you have any manners?! Use a fork! And not such a big--”

“Mmph!” the end of her complaint was garbled as Daniel took the chunk of cake and stuffed it into her mouth.

To his surprise, she burst into laughter, bits of cake flying about.

“Oh, Danny!” she giggled lovingly as she wiped her face. “I deserved that, didn’t I? I’m sorry for being such a jerk, today of all days.”

“It’s fine, Nan. Just a gentle reminder to loosen up a bit,” he replied, sending the couple into another fit of laughter.

“Where’d all the people go?” Nancy asked as she wiped bits of frosting from her face.

“I think I saw them all stuffed into one of the bedrooms, watching TV...”

“...But don’t worry, I’m sure we can think of someway to entertain ourselves!”

And so Daniel and Nancy were happily married, despite a bit of a strained wedding.

They spent some time as a childless couple, but no one was surprised when they soon had their first baby.

It was a beautiful baby girl, and they named her Iris. Time seemed to fly past, and soon they were celebrating her first birthday.

Iris resembled both parents, though she had her father’s dark hair and eyes. She was sometimes lovingly called “Fishy,” because of her obvious love for the fish in the

family tank.

Daniel and Nancy had always planned on adopting a child, and that was how Jim joined the family. It might be said that, with his dark skin and red hair, he took after

his Grandma Jenna.

Jim was warmly welcomed into the family. His parents knew, after all, what it was like to join a new family at this age.

Soon after Jim came, Iris became a child.

Jim and Iris spent only a few days as children together before Jim became a teenager.

By then, a new child had joined the family: Stephen, Nancy and Daniel’s second son, who like his sister had black hair and brown eyes.

Daniel and Nancy loved all their children equally, and hoped that their family would keep growing.

Diistan checked the mail one day to find an unaddressed pink envelope, sealed with a heart-shaped sticker.

Since it didn’t bear the name of sender or receiver, Diistan opened it. He found a card for Daniel from Nancy, thanking him for their wonderful date at the Botanical

Gardens. “What is happening to the postal service of Fantasy Forest?!”

The baby of the Mehntaa household, Priscilla, was growing up that day. Though everyone loved her, she was a reminder of how long they had been without a father

and husband. The fact that she had the mysterious Milkglow Syndrome was not comforting.

However, they were all present to cheer her on when she became a child.

Everyone was pleasantly surprised to discover that she no longer glowed. A quick phone call to Lia revealed that Priscilla had somehow outgrown the illness, and the

side effects would probably be few.

Priscilla was, unfortunately, largely ignored. Her mother was busy climbing her career ladder and taking care of her large family, her ‘father’ didn’t recognize the fact that he was part of the family, and she was too young for her siblings. Even Lin, the closest

to her in age, was nearing her teenage years.

Priscilla created her own fun and playmates, jumping about the house in her fairy princess costume.

“Lei’s right, I do look like a child,” Jun muttered to himself as he examined his reflection.

The realization didn’t bother him much, and he began practicing his romance, hoping to soon find the right ‘one’ for him.

Life in the Mehntaa house was mostly the same. Jun spent his time painting.

The younger girls baked muffins. Priscilla was still learning...

...but Lin had mastered the art.

The four siblings who still live there would enjoy their breakfast together...

...although they almost missed the school bus several times. One day, it was decided that they would try once again to enter the local private school. Lei decided to cook

something special for the occasion, although she had to do it early because she had work that afternoon.

“Tada!”

“Shouldn’t you have waited until he got here to light it?”

“Aaw, man!”

“Hello, sir, you must be the headmaster of the prestigious local private school,” Jun recited the words his sister and mom had instructed him to say before rushing off. “We have prepared a tour of our humble abode for your personal entertainment,

followed by a delicious meal accompanied by an intellectual discussion of today’s education.”

“So, is this the part where we intellectually discuss today’s education?”

“Err, yeah. So, umm... do you guys give out much homework?”

Jenna arrived just in time, and the children were admitted. The next day they proudly put on their uniforms and the private school hasn’t been the same since.

They were pleased to discover that they still took the same bus, so they could still invite their public school friends over.

Priscilla, however, had found classes were more difficult than they had been at the public school, and would sometimes beat up the garden statues pretending they were

her new teachers.

And Diistan continued to prove that he was not Mr. Dustin, after all, with his old habit of accidentally setting the stove on fire.

“Hey, who invited the fireman?” Old age had not helped much at all.

“What’d ya make, Mr. Dustin? Smells like...”

“Cajun spaghetti,” he proudly announced, as though it was a difficult recipe he had finally mastered.

That night, Priscilla was woken by a strange noise. She peered into the darkness and saw a strange figure approaching their house. A burglar!

Panicked, she called the police station, then tried to wake her siblings and parents.

The thief seemed to already know what their valuables were. First she took the telescope that had been Jenna’s last gift from Diistan.

The sight of the police cruiser didn’t seem to faze the burglar.

She even took the car that had taken all of Lia’s hard teenage work to obtain, with the policeman standing directly behind her.

As soon as she turned around, though, she was greeted in a gruff fashion.

Lin had been woken by Priscilla, and had decided she wanted to see the action for herself. Besides, the policeman wouldn’t let her be hurt.

After some time the thief was finally defeated.

Apparently, Jessica Ebadi was quite wanted by the police force, and the Mehntaas were given a reward for being part of her capture.

“C’mon, tough guy, show me how you would have beaten up that burglar!” the twins were pretty much unaffected by being robbed.

The night’s heroine, however, had broken down and was later found quietly sobbing in a corner of the kitchen.

After thanking the policeman, Jenna had also wept. The lost possessions had meant quite a lot, after all. Time went by, and the family slowly moved on.

“Jun, I need you to do me a favor. See, this guy invited me to the movies and I--”

“Need me to come along and chaperone?”

“No, you--”

“Explain the plot?”

“NO!! I need you to babysit Lin and Priscilla!”

“Oooh, why didn’t you say so?”

The twins were still getting along in their own odd way.

Lei decided to wear her hair slightly differently, and add a bit of lip gloss. She wasn’t a child anymore, after all.

However, those simple changes were as far as she got in the “girl kingdom”, as she liked to call it. She was still a tomboy at heart.

Priscilla was still largely ignored by most of her family.

That was why she made extra efforts to make sure none of them felt ignored, too.

Her loving efforts couldn’t affect some things, though, like Jun getting electrocuted while trying to repair the computer.

The only family member present was Lin, who was of little help.

Even Kennedy Cox, who had accompanied Jenna home from work and was rumored to be the meanest person at the lab, broke down at the sight of the young man being

fried.

Neither of the witnesses was particularly good in emergencies, and so they quietly fretted instead of getting help.

Jun survived with no damage that wasn’t cured by a long, warm bath.

“Children these days,” Diistan muttered as he repaired the broken computer.

“I heard that!”

The next night Tosha Go accompanied Jun home from work. As she observed Priscilla running from the house to hug her mother, she wondered aloud, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be part of this family?” Then a hand grabbed her and yanked her into

a nearby bathroom.

It was Lei, and she immediately pulled Tosha into a noogie. “I saw you flirting with my brother, Tosh! Just because he’s too dumb to realize what you are doing doesn’t

mean you can get away with it!”

“But I --ow-- wasn’t doing --ouch--”

The object of the girls’ argument was innocently playing with the new family fish, completely oblivious to the screams in the background.

Priscilla also spent a lot of time innocently playing by herself.

It was at nighttime that she was plagued by nightmares of burglars. Jun shared a bedroom with her and was constantly woken by her shrieks.

The next heir was already at his breaking point, and he hadn’t even taken over yet. He couldn’t help but despair as his life seemed to fall apart around him.

And that is where part A ends. I’m sorry, I know it was kind of all-over-the-place and jumping from one thing to the next. Part B should be ready soon, and then the second generation coheirs Jun and Lei will take over. I hope you enjoyed, and don’t forget to

comment!

I shall leave you with a free image of the amazing Bertino twins! Is it too obvious that I completely adore them?