After picking up Selina at the club, we followed my GPS to find the café that Clarice’s parents owned as I worried about how to introduce my thirteen-year-old daughter to my new friends. It wasn’t that I was ashamed of her, didn’t trust them, or anything like that, and they had been pretty cool with the idea of me having said daughter when we explained it. That being said, there were reasons for me to be worried about this.

The first reason was that Selina was skittish around people that she didn’t know well and, while she was starting to settle in and seemed a lot more comfortable with the members of our odd family, strangers still tended to make her shy away. Not that I could blame her after what she had been through before we found her, and I accidentally turned her into some new type of Paranormal. Just the beating and attempted murder that she had gone through at the hands of those assholes would have been enough to justify those feelings, even without the apparent trauma that her birth family had put the poor girl through while growing up.

Reason number two was that we had secrets that needed to be kept and, while I liked and had a lot in common with these girls, I was concerned that while we were trying to get to know one another better they could ask probing questions that might seem innocent enough on the surface but be a big problem. Melody was a Demon and could lie her ass off if needed, and my sister and Rose were both actresses, but Selina and I were still getting used to telling selective truths since we Fey can’t outright lie. Maybe taking Drama class with Melody, Jess, and Rose wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

We hadn’t even known these girls for an entire day yet, no matter how much I seemed to gel with them so far. They didn’t balk at me being a Nymph, planning on becoming a stripper, or having a daughter, but Carmen and I both needed to keep our true natures and the Salamanders secret, to keep ourselves and the people we cared about safe, and that extended to Selina as well. My daughter was unique though, the only one of her kind so far, and that was bound to raise questions.

I tried to put those worries out of my mind as we parked on the street outside of the Whitetail Café. Like most Paranormal businesses the building was covered with Divine magic to make the normies ignore it and to make it look like the building was condemned or abandoned along with a bit of graffiti that marked it as a restaurant for Paranormals. I tried not to let my worries show as we all climbed out of the Charger and made our way inside the café.

The inside of the café was decorated in brown and cream colors with brass fixtures and a gleaming tiled floor in a chocolate and cream checkerboard pattern. Overall, the place had a warm, cozy, and inviting atmosphere. Customers could sit in large booths at the back of the café, at tables near the windows, or on barstools at the counter, where a woman who greatly resembled Clarice (deer-like ears and hooves included) had just grabbed a steaming coffee pot and was heading toward one of the window tables.

“I’ve got your refill right here, Charlie,” the woman who I assumed was Clarice’s mother cheerfully called as my group stepped inside and she headed toward one of the window tables to provide said refill to an elderly Satyr. She turned her bright and infectious smile on us after completing her task. “You girls must be the other new friends that Clarice mentioned. She and the others have claimed a couple of the big private booths in the back, so just follow me to join them. And no need for glamours or disguises here, girls, feel free to be yourselves.”

“Thanks, Ma’am,” I replied with a smile, nodding to Selina that it was okay to drop her glamour as Jess removed her wool cap and my girlfriend switched to her natural, half-Demon form. Then, figuring that it would only be polite to introduce ourselves to our new friend’s mother, I added, “I’m Crystal, and this is Melody, Jessica, Selina, and Carmen.”

My daughter earned a curious look as she removed her glamour and her coat, and her wings came free and began to nervously twitch. Thankfully, Clarice’s mother didn’t seem to want to hound the poor girl who was half-hiding behind me with questions as she led us to the booths in question. “Hey, girls,” Jess called out with a wave as we approached.

I took a deep breath and attempted to be casual as I greeted them as well. “Hey, everyone. So, this is my daughter, Selina.”

The poor Astrae was clinging to my arm and still not sure whether she should hide completely behind me or not as she stammered, “H-h-hello.”

Everyone’s gaze was suddenly on my daughter, except for Clarice’s mother, who was now giving me a confused look. Nova all but squealed in delight, “She’s so pretty! I’ve never seen a Paranormal like her before!”

The girls looked like they had a barrage of questions prepared, but thankfully, Melody took charge. “Like I said earlier today, we don’t really know much about her kind yet, other than they imprint on a mother figure, like she did with Crystal. She doesn’t remember much before we jumped in to help when she was being attacked. Most of the memories she does seem to have before that are traumatic and not anything that could help us figure out more about her kind anyway.”

“My mom is a doctor who specializes in Paranormals, and she thinks Selina might be some kind of Nymph variant since she seems to be growing into that general body type and has some of their more minor quirks. Heck, she’s probably a Mixed and the only one of her kind,” Carmen added, much to my relief.

Saying she was a Mixed was a really good idea, and I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t thought of it earlier. Mixed Paranormals happen very rarely, as the result of two different types of Paranormals having a child together and the bloodlines, and/or curses, mixing in unexpected ways to create a new type of Paranormal altogether. Almost a quarter of Mixed are born Manifested and they can have all sorts of complications, physical deformities, or new abilities from the blending of the different physiologies and inherent magical qualities of their parents.

Clarice’s mother’s expression became sympathetic as she tried to assure my daughter, “Don’t worry, sweetie, you’ll be safe here, and it looks like you’ve found some good people who care about you. If you girls want anything to drink, just let Clarice know.” Then she left us to socialize on our own and get back to work. The café wasn’t very busy but there was always work to be done in places like this.

Still, Selina was tightly gripping my arm and not very comfortable with being the center of attention. ~Don’t worry, Selina, we don’t bite,~ Nikki assured her gently. ~We just want to get to know you better and I thought it might be a good idea for you to make some friends at St. Michelle’s before you start attending next year, other than Carmen. Nova, Bella, Alison, and I will all be there with the two of you next year.~

“Nova is only a year older than you and she doesn’t really have any friends in her grade now,” Trixie added.

The Nereid in question nodded sadly in confirmation. “Yeah, I thought I had friends last semester, but they all dropped me as soon as they found out I was taking Auto Shop this semester. That witch Delilah has the whole school turned against us.”

“Hey now, let’s not insult Witches, they wouldn’t want to be associated with that flaming bitch,” Alison pointed out cheerfully, getting a good laugh out of us all.

We all got seated in the booth where Rose had been sitting alone, though it was close enough to easily hold a conversation between the two tables. For an hour we just talked about school, what we all wanted to do once we graduated, and various other mundane topics as we all got to know one another better. Selina even started to relax a bit more, and it seemed that Nova and Bella were both trying to help with that as they tried to get her to take Auto Shop with them next year when it was offered.

Clarice got drinks for all of us after finding out what we wanted. It didn’t take long before she was back, bearing trays with our drinks, and we discovered that she was really coordinated, handling two trays and not spilling a drop. “You’re pretty good at that,” Rose commented. “Do you work here? I work at my aunt’s shoe store in the mall for spending money and stuff.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve been waiting tables here since I turned fourteen,” Clarice replied with a shrug. “It helped me to save up the money to buy and repair my car last year. I’m kinda attached to the old beater now after working so hard for it. I have no idea what I’m going to do with my project car for class when it’s finished. Anyone want a car?” The last was laughed with a laugh.

“I’ll take it,” Jess quickly replied. “I’ve been thinking about getting a car of my own anyway, so I don’t have to rely on Crystal to drive me everywhere. I have more than enough money for my education set aside, and I’ll be getting my bartending license after my birthday. If you need parts outside of the budget, I could pay for them.”

“Sure, we could do that! Do you have any preferences for makes or models that I can keep in mind tomorrow?” the young Deer Woman asked eagerly.

Jess looked pensive for a moment before replying, “As long as it runs and won’t break down a lot, I don’t really care. I’m not big into cars like the rest of you. Maybe not one of those big trucks though. I’ll trust your judgment.”

“Damn, this completely spoils my surprise, Jess. I was going to work on a car for you,” I told my sister with a pout.

“Yeah, I figured that you might try to pull that, Sis,” she shot back with a smirk. “I think you need an everyday car for yourself though. I might not be as into the car thing as you, but even I know that the Charger is not something that you want to use all the time.”

Bella nodded in agreement. “She’s got a point, Crystal. For the summer, yeah, it would be awesome, but I’d worry about getting into an accident with it with all the snow and ice we get in the winter. Not to mention what the road salt would do to the body and paint job.”

“Yeah, and that’s not counting theft and vandalism. The Charger would make a tempting target for thieves, and I wouldn’t put it past Delilah and her cronies to try to do something to your wheels to get to you,” Trixie contributed with a frown.

They did indeed make good points, and I knew it. I loved the Charger, it was not just an awesome car, but also a piece of my dad. I didn’t want it to be damaged or stolen. I would need to take more steps than just the security system to prevent that in the future whenever I drive it. Maybe some kind of Divine spell similar to what made the normies ignore paranormal businesses.

I let out a long sigh of resignation and admitted, “You’re right. I mean, on my first date with Melody, some bitch tried to jack my car so she could sell it and have some Trolls sell me in the Caverns.”

Shit, I probably said too much there. Dammit, Crystal, think before you speak. I held my breath, and my heart skipped a beat as Melody interjected, “We got away, obviously, but Crystal and her car both seem to have a problem with the whole concept of low-profile.”

“Fucking Trolls,” Trixie spat with distaste. “I’m glad that you both managed to get away, the last place you want to end up is in the Caverns.”

“Yeah, our future stepsister made that pretty clear to us,” I said with a shiver as I remembered what Rhissa had told me about her life after she had Manifested and run away from her foster parents. “So, I guess I’m getting another vehicle then. As much as I’d like to have a motorcycle again, it would be best not to if I’m going to be using it for the winter. The cold might not bother me, but riding one in winter with all the snow and ice here would be dangerous.”

We all decided to stay there and buy dinner to extend our time together by a couple more hours as the café got busier, and I was happy to see that Selina seemed to be relaxing bit by bit as Bella and Nova drew her into conversation. Once parents were called to let them know about our change in plans, Clarice left us for a few minutes before returning with a notepad and some menus so she could take our orders. Rose and my sister both ordered their rabbit food and Melody and Carmen both decided on the cheeseburger and fries.

Those of us with Salamanders were trying to eat ‘normally’ so we wouldn’t draw too much attention to our unusual appetites, so Carmen, Melody, and I were probably going to need to eat another light meal or snack once we got home. Once the others were finished ordering, it was my turn. “I think I’ll try the grilled chicken fillet burger with fries, Clarice. What would you like, Selina?”

“Umm… could I get the chicken nuggets and fries, Momma?” she asked, half-hidden behind the menu.

“Sure thing, sweetie,” I told her. I was almost expecting her to be teased for calling me Momma, but while I could see a couple of smiles, nobody said a word about it.

The food was really good, just as good as what Brock and Cindy made at the club. Clarice’s father was the cook, and she told us that he loved his job, and it was the entire reason that they opened this place when Clarice was little. Like us, the family also lived upstairs above their business.

Eventually, we had to leave the café and go our separate ways though. It was almost seven thirty and some of us had homework already, specifically those of us taking Art. Mrs. Bealey had given us a drawing assignment for the end of the week. We had to draw how we saw ourselves in ten years.

We paid for our meals, leaving a nice little tip for Clarice, and promised to see one another tomorrow, at least, those of us going to school. Then, once Rose and my sister stopped sucking face to say goodnight to one another, we left the café, climbed into the Charger, and headed home. As I drove us there, I couldn’t help but reflect on how nice it was to have a normal night out without getting attacked, almost having my car stolen and being sold into slavery, or accidentally turning some poor kid into a new type of Paranormal.

The next morning, I once again satisfied my needs as best I could in the shower before getting ready for school. Melody and I had taken the edge off my desire last night, but after eating something again and putting Selina to bed, there wasn’t as much time to fool around as we would have liked if we wanted to get enough sleep. I had enough problems concentrating in most of my classes without being tired too.

During breakfast, I told Mom about the concerns brought up about the Charger. She offered to let us use the club’s truck for the day instead while she tried to come up with something that could prevent theft or vandalism of the classic car. I still would try to avoid driving it during winter once my new wheels were ready, but I loved that car and wanted to drive it as much as possible during the warmer months.

Morning classes seemed to drag on forever until I had Auto Shop during third period. For first period, Jess and I both had Study Hall while Melody went to her catch-up session with Mrs. Jenner, the psychic. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much for me and Jess to do but try to work on our assignment for Art class. I wasn’t terrible at drawing, at least, not nearly as bad as Delilah, but it wasn’t something I had a passion for. Maybe I could get Mrs. Bealey to do a section on ice sculpting or something so we could spend some time out in the snow.

Next period we both had Drama alongside Rose and Melody. Acting really isn’t my thing either, but I supposed it would help me get past the whole compulsion to tell the truth if I could learn to get into character like Jess does. I had only managed to pretend to be my sister when we flew from Vancouver to Toronto because I didn’t have to speak all that much or answer any Jess-related questions. Even when we went through airport security, they just looked over the ID and scanned the luggage before waving me through.

Still, my sister seemed to be enjoying herself and I was at least learning some things that would be useful to me. Melody seemed to be having fun with it too, and seeing her smiling warmed my heart, and certain other places. The best part was that, including Auto Shop, I had no classes with Delilah that morning. I take my victories where I can get them.

I ran into the other girls in my class on the way to the shop building and they were all as excited as I was to go and pick out our project cars. Once we arrived and had changed into our coveralls and coats to protect our school uniforms, Mrs. Svenson wasted no time in ushering us all to the parking lot, and a big van, to take us to the wrecking yard. I could hardly sit still in my seat for the entire fifteen minutes it took us to get there, and we were all excitedly talking about what vehicles we were hoping we could find.

Once we arrived, Mrs. Svenson introduced us to her friend, a middle-aged Metal Mage with thinning grey hair who she introduced as Alex, who owned the wrecking yard and was sponsoring our class projects. He looked us over and gave us all a welcoming smile. “Welcome to my domain, young ladies, it’s nice to see more girls developing an interest in auto mechanics. I hope you’re not afraid to get dirty.”

A resounding chorus of “Noooo!” got a chuckle out of him.

“Alright then girls, it’s time to get dirty then. Let’s go look at some wrecks and you can find one you like. I’ll be showing you vehicles that might need a little love, but that you should be able to get roadworthy with parts from other vehicles here, or a good auto shop, as long as you have the determination and are willing to learn what my good friend, Diane, has to teach you.”

I noticed that none of the cars that he was showing us could be considered total write-offs. Some might need a bit of bodywork, but none of them seemed to have any serious damage to the frames that would compromise the structural integrity of the vehicle. Most of them needed a lot of work though, and parts either repaired or completely replaced. None of the vehicles he showed us were all that old either, twenty years at most, so we wouldn’t have too much trouble finding replacement parts.

As we had our quick tour, projects were quickly claimed by the others. Alison claimed a beat-up Jeep Cherokee that she fell in love with for some reason that I couldn’t quite figure out, while Nova claimed a 2004 Toyota Camry. I never pegged Trixie as a truck girl, but she ended up choosing a 2008 Ford F350 Super Duty. Finally, Bella picked out a red Ford Focus that was as old as she was, and Nikki chose a cute little 2005 Volkswagen Beetle.

Neither Clarice nor I found anything that called to us though, until Alex introduced us to a blue Toyota GR Supra with white racing stripes. It was only a couple of years old, and the interior was in good shape, but somebody had probably used it for street racing. Whoever had owned this car before had completely blown the engine.

Alex was able to confirm my guess. The car had been used for street racing by some kid who barely had a driver’s license and whose rich daddy bought the car for him. The father decided to write the car off and bring it to the wrecking yard rather than paying for what would be extensive repairs and Alex figured that the kid either got daddy to buy something new to replace it or he wouldn’t be driving again for a very long time.

The Supra needed some front-end work from an impact, especially on the driver’s side, and the engine needed to be completely rebuilt from the ground up or replaced entirely. The drivetrain wasn’t in much better shape than the engine, and I would want to have a good look underneath to make sure there were no other issues, but I could work with this. It would be a lot of work, and I might have to get some of the parts I needed from an auto shop, but this was the car I wanted, and I quickly claimed it for my own.

It was almost time to go get lunch when Clarice found what she wanted to work on for my sister. When we saw it, she just turned at me and grinned, and I couldn’t help but grin right back at her as I asked, “A little on the nose, isn’t it?”

“But that’s what makes it perfect!” she countered with a maniacal giggle.

The vehicle in question was a white 2008 Volkswagen Rabbit. It wasn’t as badly damaged as mine, but it did need a lot of work. Alex assured her that she could find everything she needed in the wrecking yard though if she was determined enough in her search. We all had our projects now, and it was time to get some lunch and return to school.

Before we left the wrecking yard, Alex told us that he would tow our project cars to the school over the next few days. He also encouraged us to come to the wrecking yard sometime over the weekend so he could tell us what our repair budgets were for parts from the yard and so we could start searching for the parts we needed. We were all squealing and happily chattering about our new projects as Mrs. Svenson took us through a fast-food drive-thru for lunch and then as we ate our meals on the way back to St. Michelle’s.

Mrs. Svenson even paid for our lunches herself. I couldn’t wait to get to work. She was just as passionately talking about our projects as we were and gave us advice on where to start when we chose our project cars. She knew her stuff, she obviously had a soft spot for the girls in her class, and she had arranged this awesome school project with Alex for us too.

I was so glad that I decided to take Auto Shop. Not only had I made some great new friends who shared my interest in tinkering with cars, but Mrs. Svenson was my favorite teacher, hands down. I was feeling so good about this class, my teacher, and my classmates that I managed to forget that I would be ending the day with Home Economics followed by P.E., and that Delilah would be in both of those classes too.