Episode 11 (Coming Clean...Somewhat)

My hands shook as I slid the letter back into the envelope. My mother. My mother, after so many years of no contact, had written to my daughter - and not only that, she had cast me into a bad light.

And it was more than that. The Legacy I had been given charge of could have been ruined if Tempest had said yes to what she had offered, for all she knew. She was fine with me living out here, but not with her granddaughter, and as for those awful comments...

I could have cried. Mother had been truly awful, but the worst thing was that she thought she was being kind, offering to bring up my daughter. I couldn't ever show this letter to Tempest. Never, ever. I scrunched it up, and walked back towards the house.


Once I'd hidden it where no-one could find it, I went to knock on Tempest's door, which lately she'd been keeping locked. She opened it after a minute, and I smiled at her, nervously.

"Tempest, can I talk to you about something?" I asked, gently. She shrugged, but stood back to let me in. I sat down on her bed and patted the space beside me for her to sit down.

"Do you remember what I said about where I used to live?" I asked, hoping she did.

"Um..." She thought for a minute as she sat down next to me. "A big house near Windenburg?"

I recalled the house, the beautiful house built from the money that my ancestors had poured into the family coffers, and gulped. It was time to come clean.

"It was big because my family is rich, Tempest. We were rich because we used to be a Legacy, and work hard for our money." Her eyes widened when I said 'legacy', and I tried not to waver.

"And our family is also linked in with the real zodiac. We name our children for their zodiac sign, in a fashion - I'm the Aries. You and your sister both fall under Taurus, and when you someday have children, I can promise you that they will be Gemini."

"So was your mom a Pisces?" Tempest asked. I shook my head.

"My mother married into the family, but my father was the Ophiuchus. It's the thirteenth sign, but usually never shows up. He didn't do as he should, and instead used the money we'd amassed to live in luxury. My great aunt, however, was a Pisces, if not the heir, and she named me as the successor to the legacy in the will she drew up, and I had to move here."

Tempest said nothing, for a little while, staring down at the floor. I waited for her to say something, anything.

"So you're building a legacy?" she asked, in a small voice. I nodded.

"And one day me or Thora have to take it over?"

"Yes. But that's why I work so hard, and why your father works so hard in the garden. We're trying to make enough money that you don't have to worry much about what we have to. Whichever of you ends up as the heir will have to have a room like mine built, until we have a room for each sign within the house. Aunt Prudence was very specific in her instructions." I was almost afraid to move.

Tempest shuffled over. "Did you have no choice, Mom?"

"Not really. But when I discovered I was pregnant with you, I realised it was going to be okay, because I had to make it okay, for you. And I wanted to bring honour back to the name."

I suddenly felt her little arms wrap around me, and I realised she was hugging me tightly, something she usually never does. I hugged her back, and we sat like that for a few minutes. I'd missed her spontaneous shows of affection.

Since then, she's been asking me questions.

"How will you know who the heir is?" she asked, while I was cooking dinner.

"Aunt Prudence always said we'd be made aware when the time was right, but I'm not sure what she meant, so we'll have to wait and see what happens. I do know that it will happen on Thora's eighteenth birthday, however."

After dinner, I was washing up, and she approached me.

"Does the cycle ever mix up?"

"Never. It never changes, aside from the rare Ophiuchus. And they never crop up until they're meant to. It always goes like this. Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces."

"How do you remember all that?" Tempest asked, frowning. I paused.

"My Aunt Prudence taught me a way to do so. A Tree Growing Can Lean Very Left, So Sit Carefully And Prudently."

Tempest giggled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's a mnemonic. It's a way to remember things. Each first letter of each word in the sentence is the same as the first letter of a zodiac sign, so it helps you remember the order." I smiled at her. "Maybe if you write it down, you'll be able to remember it better."

She wandered off, repeating the sentence to her. It made me feel happy and warm to have passed on Aunt Prudence's rhyme to my Tempest. I wondered briefly if Aunt Prudence would be proud to know I'd done so, and J found me later sniffling slightly while watching an old TV series.

"Angel?" he asked, unsure, sitting down next to me. "Are you okay?"

"M'fine." I leaned against him.


Tempest came up to me the next day, frowning.

"Why's Ophiuchus not in the rhyme?"

I'd seen this one coming, somewhat, so I was able to sit down with her and explain properly.

"Because it's not meant to be in the cycle, sweetheart. It overlaps with Sagittarius, and only the Pisces in the cycle ever have Ophiuchus, which is very out of sync. All of them in our family have had a birthmark shaped like a snake, as well."

"So did your dad have the snake?"

"On his ankle. He was really rather proud of it, actually, but whenever he used to show us, you could smell his feet." I wrinkled my nose, and Tempest began to giggle.

"So do you have a birthmark?" she asked.

"No, I don't. Some Ophiuchus get trapped in their own cycle of only Ophiuchus, so when my siblings and I turned out as Aries, there was a lot of relief."

I knew I'd made a mistake as soon as I said that, because Tempest frowned at me.

"I didn't know you had brothers and sisters."

"I...do, but we've lost touch. Most of them live a long way away, and besides, it's all old history."

"Couldn't you find them on the internet?" she persisted, her face lighting up with hope. A lump rose in my throat, and I fought to keep my voice level.

"I don't want to. Please, Tempest, don't ask me about them." I stood up. "Anyway, it sounds like Thora's awake. I had better go get her some lunch." My voice sounded mechanical, and I could feel Tempest glaring at my back as I walked away.

I'm such a coward. A coward with no hope of gathering the courage to tell her the truth. How can I tell her what my siblings are really like?

A Memory of Arthur

A young girl sat on the side of the giant fountain in her parents' gardens, glad to be away from the copious piano lessons and instructions on etiquette. She loved the fountain; it was relaxing to sit on the cool marble edge and hear the soft and soothing sound of the water burbling behind her.

It was wonderful, really, to be away from the main house. To not have to put up with her siblings, and not to hear her grandmother sobbing while Father shouted at her about 'antiquated practices', whatever that meant.

She fished in her pocket for a penny to throw in, and closed her eyes, wishing.

I want to get away from here.

Just as it landed in the water, she heard a familiar voice singing.

"The plum and peach rolled down the hill, bumpity bumpity bump! The plum broke apart..." The voice trailed off as the other person entered the garden.

"Wheeeere aaaaaaaaaaare youuuuuu?" he called, and the girl froze. Did she have time enough to hide before he found her?

Probably not. She grit her teeth, and forced a smile as her brother walked in and spotted her, a tormentor's grin spreading across his face.

"Little sister!" he said, sitting down next to her. "How's life?"

"Life is good." Until you enter the room.

"I was wondering why you keep wearing that shade of red. It really makes you look so pale, it's a wonder any of the boys dance with you. They must think you're a ghost. Oh, wait, no! They don't dance with you. You're the brightest little wallflower at every event!"

"Reginald de Tor told me that you paid them not to, Arthur." She didn't let any anger creep into her voice, and Arthur laughed.

"Ah, but that was for a price. Whereas the sad little look on your crushed little face? That was simply priceless. Tell you what, I'll stop paying them next time, and we'll see how many of them want to dance with you."

She knew better than to trust him, but instead pretended to look up with hope. Arthur smiled as happily as any bully would.

"But you'll never be able to know whether I was paying them to do that, too."

She jumped up, tears in her eyes at the thought. She hadn't hoped for better, but still, it hurt. Oh, it hurt.

"Why did you come out here?! I don't want you here!"

"You've answered your own question there, dear sister. You don't want me here, therefore, I must be here."

"I'm telling Mama what you did," she hissed at him. He laughed, as though it were funny.

"Do you really think Mama is going to reprimand her favourite child? Don't waste your time."

She turned to leave, hearing him start to cackle. She hated him. She hated him.

Once she'd left, Arthur scooped the penny out of the fountain, drying it off to put with the others he'd rescued from the fountain. No sense in wasting perfectly good money.

Episode 10 (Troubled Waters)

I've had no time for my social media in the past few years. I apologise! Between my job, children, and partner, I've hardly had time for anything.

J and I are in slight disagreement at the moment. He wants another baby, whereas I'm happy to stick with two children. Balancing the accounts is sure to turn my beautiful hair grey soon as it is, without the stress of having another child. Besides, he doesn't have to carry it in his stomach for nine months, as I recently snapped at him.

It's not that I don't love my children. I do, of course. It's that I can't manage having a toddler in the house while pregnant, and I'm happy with the amount of children we have.

Thora is a sweet-natured little girl, and we redecorated her nursery recently to be slightly prettier, in an old fashioned style. It reminds me of my old nursery, in fact, so I like to spend time there with my baby girl.

But while Tempest loves her sister, this kicked off a bout of jealousy. She said her room was too babyish, and demanded we redecorate it. This meant she had to sleep in with Thora while we did so, in time for her birthday.

I wouldn't have done it if J hadn't agreed for the both of us. He's being too reckless with money recently, and I can't talk to him about it because I don't have time, as mentioned above. I keep getting a stress headache, and an ache in the back of my neck.

Tempest's new room is nice enough, but it seems less girly than she used to like. I suppose she's developing a more sophisticated taste, but I look back wistfully to when she used to prefer bunnies and Kittencat - who has now been stuffed into a drawer in Thora's room. Thora doesn't play with her.

Tempest has even changed the way she dresses, to match the girls at school. They still don't hang out with her much, but she just blusters about it being the fashion. It's neat, and nice, but it's not the way she usually dresses. She even styles her hair differently.

Thankfully, one thing that hasn't changed is her love for her little sister. She'll spend as much time with her as she can, even if she no longer spends as much time as she did with me and J.

J has been spending the spare time he gets painting, and fashioned a beautiful portrait of me to hang up in the tiny room I've set up to the side of our bedroom.

When he handed it to me, you could have knocked me over with a feather.

"You told me that all the other people in your family had portrait rooms, right?" he said, smiling in that charming way he's always managed. "Will this do?"

I think he must have referenced a picture from his phone, but it's gorgeous. I kissed him, and forgot (mostly) about the money troubles he's brought on our accounts.

And yesterday, my world lost that peaceful balance that the portrait briefly brought. A letter, addressed to Tempest, arrived in the mail.

But I was the one to check the mailbox, and I will always recognise my mother's handwriting.

Dear Tempest,

I know you have most likely never heard of me; or if you have heard snippets, they won't be in a favourable light. However, I recently found out about you via a relative of yours - one Janine Huntington, who moves in the same circles as I, and who asked if I knew of another Zodiac family, given that her cousin's partner was also named Zodiac, with a young girl named Tempest. As your mother is the Aries of the Cycle, and my husband is the Ophiuchus, I knew that you must be its Taurus. And thus -

Dearest, I am your grandmother. Your mother, Astrid, left our house a long time ago - a decade, in fact - and I didn't think she would be back in contact. She never told us about you, and I swear that if she had I would have rescued you from the dreadful, dreadful house I have been told about. I am so sorry that I  have not been able to bring you up as properly as your mother ought to have done, and that she has not used her wits to take a well-paying job. The rumours insist it's little more than a shack!

Dearest, write to me using the return address. You have only to say the word, and I will be there.

Oriane Zodiac (formerly Summersdream)

Episode 9 (Welcome to the World)

I went into labour on a stormy night in May. I was woken by contractions and the sound of thunder.

J took immediate action, calling his friend Gavin to come and sit with Tempest while he and I got a taxi to the hospital. It was an easy labour, over in a matter of hours, and we were able to bring home Thora Zodiac in the morning.

She's a sweetheart, if very demanding. Tempest was delighted to have a sister ('and not a brother!'), and has spent most of her free time abandoning her homework to come and talk to her in the nursery, which J did most of the decorating of.

It's pretty sparse at the moment, but Thora doesn't seem to mind.

J adores her, of course. I'm slightly worried that she might turn out spoiled, because he attends to her every need. I think Tempest might be jealous if she wasn't equally as besotted with Thora.

I probably sound jealous, but I assure you, I'm amused. J was such a no-strings-attached guy when I met him, and now he's a big pile of mush who gets up at the speed of light if he hears Thora begin to even sniffle in the night.

I'm so happy, right now. I suppose a better word is content. Yes, I'm marvellously content.

As for Tempest's problems, they've calmed down. Yes, some of the kids at school are still excluding her from games, the little beasts, but it turns out she has a friend now, a boy named Dominic Levesque, who she walks home with every day.

He seems a little gloomy to me, but they're fast friends, and he's been teaching her all about Voidcritters. They're apparently his favourite thing, and even though she doesn't have any cards, Tempest can still recite most of the names.

I can only hope it isn't catching!

(The name Thora was suggested by MadameLee! Thank you!)

Episode 8 (Of Problems and Projects)

Tempest finally came to talk to me, the other day. J brought her over just after I'd put away the crockery from dinner, and told her that I wouldn't be mad if she told me. I waited to hear of one of our few pieces of furniture being broken, or something of the like.

But it was nothing like that.

"Mommy, none of the other kids in my class want me to play games with them." Her eyes filled with tears, but she didn't properly cry.

I was gobsmacked.

"Why did you think I would be mad, Temmie?" I asked, gently. She sniffled.

"'Cause you said to make friends at the beginning of the year, and...and then I didn't, and I don't know what to do!"

"Oh, Tempest..." I wrapped my arms gently around her. "Tempest, there's no way that I'd be mad at you! Just tell your mama what happened." I drew back to look her directly in the eyes.

"I...I tried to talk to them, but they said they already had best friends, and that they didn't need me hanging around." She looked almost as though she would say something else, but then shut her mouth. I decided not to press it.

"Tempest, I'm sure you'll find someone to be friends with in due time. But you don't have to make friends right away. I had trouble, at your age, believe me. My best friend turned up when I was a year older than you, and..."

I hesitated. I remembered my friend very clearly, but of course, ever since I had moved here, I hadn't exactly been in contact with her. Maybe I should reach out - but then again, maybe not.

J took over. "What your mother is trying to say is that you shouldn't try and force friendship, Tempest, especially not with such little snots."

Tempest snorted, and I raised an eyebrow at J, who just grinned.

"Angel, you know I'm right." He winked at Tempest. "I'll be in the garden if you need me, kiddo. Don't forget your school project."

"School project?" I asked. Tempest flushed and shot a venomous look at her father's retreating back. We both knew J had said it on purpose.

"It's...a medieval castle diorama. It's for history."

"And when is it due?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Friday." Today was Wednesday.

"Tempest, go fetch it now, and you can start working on it, okay?" It really was more of a command than a request.

"Can I feel the baby first?" she asked quickly, and I grinned. Her little hands gently rested on my stomach, and I felt the baby move, as did Tempest, who looked up at me with wide eyes.

"The baby moved!" she said, excitedly. "I felt her move!"

"You don't know whether you might get a brother, little storm." I tweaked her nose. "Go get your project. It's best if you get it done before the deadline. And get into your pajamas, too. It'll be bedtime soonish."

She grumbled, but did as she was told, thankfully. And let me just say, that project looked brilliant as she was painting it up. J directed her on the finicky bits, but she finished it within the evening.

And when she brought it home, it had one of the highest grades in class! I was so proud when she told me, and while I'm not much of a 'slap everything on the fridge' mom, but I put it on our new decorative table, which I'd actually intended as a surface for a candle or something.
But this beautiful castle was so much better!

I'm so proud of Tempest.

Episode 7 (It's Been A While)

It's been a while, really. A long while, but the other day was the best day of the year - my little storm's birthday. I got up early, brought out my best party dress, and made her a birthday cake. It was a simple sponge, seeing as I'm not exactly a master chef, but it looked good enough.

When I went to wake her up, she was already dressed, and I managed to catch her in the act of slipping her old toy Kittencat back under her bed. I knew she had it somewhere, but I pretended not to have noticed.

I let her watch an extra half-hour of television, and then went to wake her father up while she was watching one of her favourite cartoons.
 It's one of these fantasy high school things, I know that much. A girl who can become a dragon, quite aptly.

Why do I say quite aptly? Because despite how gentle she was as a toddler, Tempest has turned into a bit of a hothead. I'm not sure how, although I suspect my own temper and J's combined might be at fault, but J tells me that's not true.

He says she's just going through a tough time at school. But why does he know that if I don't? I suppose she confides in him more.

But her birthday was a nice day, anyway. We ended up eating the cake together while watching a film on the free channel, and she loved her birthday gifts from us, although J's friend Zoe got her something she wasn't too keen on, and she asked us in all seriousness if she could swap it or return it. I told her it's the person who gives you the gift and their feelings that matter, but I'm not sure she took my advice seriously, going by the look she gave me.

***

Our income has been steadier recently, as J has managed to secure a deal with a florist of sorts who pays good money for locally grown flowers. We get paid a good amount, as our flowers are in good condition, as J has been tending to the garden with a gentle hand.

Why does this mean so much to me? Well, mostly because...I'm pregnant, again.

Yup. That's right. Yours truly is bun-in-oven again. I didn't think I'd ever be pregnant again, and what's truly spooky (even though I know our family) is that this baby will be a Taurus too. J thinks it's just a funny coincidence, but I know better.

This pregnancy has really helped inspire me, though. We finally managed to save enough on the side for me to have an easel, and a local café has agreed to display my works, and they sell pretty quickly too! Even quicker now, as my inspiration levels are through the roof.

And J's pleased that we're going to have another baby. I told him he was going to do his fair share of nights this time. He laughed, but I'm entirely serious.

He might frustrate me sometimes, but I love him very much.

Episode 6 (My New Normal)

So, our 'family' is a bit of a strained one at the moment. Needless to say - I like J, but he's a strange person to live with or love, and he keeps switching jobs every now and then 'for a change', which means our income keeps dipping and rising.

When it rose, we could afford to extend the house somewhat, so we're currently living in something of an apartment. Not much on the Zodiac family home, but then the company here is worth its weight in gold comparatively, despite my occasional anger at J.

Also, I do like having my own little bedroom and a bigger bed. J frequently ends up heading off to work before me, so I get a little time to relax in bed before sorting out Tempest for daycare, taking her there, and rushing to my own job.

J and I have our ups and downs as much as the household income. We can be smiling and flirting, and then all of a sudden one of us will remember the fact that last time this happened, we ended up as strange friends, or the whole Caliente debacle (which is also up and down) and the air goes from rosy to awkward.

Despite this, he's a great dad to Tempest, but he does complain it exhausts him looking after her. Even though, oh yes, I did it full-time before. Deep sigh.

Tempest's nearly old enough now that I have to start looking at elementary schools in the area. Landgraab Elementary seems to be the best, but its connections worry me slightly. I knew of the Landgraabs back in my days as a little rich girl, and I did not like them one bit. However, if it does have the best education, I'll be sending our little storm there.

The Caliente sisters are still a flaming pain in the backside. They've taken to turning up at the exact time J comes home from work, and sauntering past him. Nina's been batting her eyelashes at him, and Dina's been giving him the cold shoulder.

Honestly, you'd think they'd learn something by now, especially after the warning I gave Little Miss Pink Miniskirt. But no.

Maybe I'll lock the door the next time he tries to leave the washing up undone.