Over hill, over dale,Thorough bush, thorough briar,Over park, over pale,

Thorough flood, thorough fire,I do wander everywhere,Swifter than the moon’s sphere;

And I serve the fairy queen,To dew her orbs upon the green.The cowslips tall her pensioners be;

In their gold coats, spots you see;Those be rubies, fairy favours,In their freckles live our savours.

I must go seek some dew-drops here,And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear.Farewell, thou lob of spirits, I’ll be gone;

My queen and all her elves come here anon! ~A Midsummer’s Night Dream - Act II, Scene I

The room was small, tucked away in the corner of the attic, providing a treasured refuge in a bustling,chaotic household filled with the laughter and noise of a large, active family. The walls were covered withstrange drawings and playing and tarot cards tacked up at seeming random. In the center of the alcove, agolden basin of water sat upon a pedastal and radiated magic that made even the most unseeing of peopleshiver with goose-pimples.

“What is it I should See today, my loves? The past, the present, the future?” Titania Summerdream gazeddown into the basin with a thoughtful expression. She was answered with a buzzing whisper of voicesand dragonfly wings that seemed to fill the confines of her hidden sanctuary. “Oh. Are you sure? Wellthen. We shall start with the end of the beginning then.”

“Ah, fair Veronaville, where this particular story will unfold. From afar, it is a blessed and pastoral placewhere the very land seems to favor the residents with an unparalleled bounty and beauty. Those that dareto look closer see the festering, cancerous curse that divides the very heart of this land in two.”

Reaching a hand down into the water, Titania swirled a finger and conjured forth a picture of the land shenow called home. The buzzing of indistinct voices around her seemed to grow inquisitive.

“At its core, the curse is a lesson of two families blinded by unreasoning hate: the Montys on theirsprawling ranch and the Capps in their storied mansion overlooking the valley below. It would seem thatthe enmity between these clans must surely have sprung forth at the dawn of time. There are those of uswith longer memories who know that things as they are may not always be what was.”

“There was once a golden time when the Capp and Monty families were almost as one. Together, theyplayed and worked, founding our fair town and seeing to the benefit of all. Their scions were as close astwo friends could be, even going so far as to declare one another blood brothers.”

Another swirl of her finger and suddenly there was a vision of two boys playing across the vast yard of theMonty ranch.

“Consort Capp and Patrizio Monty were inseparable. Each could not see a future when the other was notby his side.”

“Not even the foibles of adolescence could separate them. They dreamed together, they schemed together.Together they were ambitious in their desires and together they planned to leave their mark onVeronaville for all generations to come. There was nothing they could not do together as brothers boundin blood.”

“It may very well be that the sacred bond of brotherhood they declared for one another beneath a fullmoon in their youth is the source of the dire nature of what was to come.”

“The dreams of childhood do not always weather the harsh reality of adult lives. What may have drivenloyalty and love to bitter, unyielding hatred is only known deep within their withered hearts. The truthmay be lost forever to the lies they have told themselves over and over again to justify an unending feud.All that is known is that something dreadful happened and they each blamed the other and neither couldfind forgiveness in his heart. It left a sacred trust to fester into something that would destroy all ittouched.”

“In truth, they have definitively left their mark on Veronaville for all generations to come, but it iscertainly not the legacy either dreamed of as a young man.”

“To this very day, the war between them continues to rage. They wound with money and words, but thereare still those that have paid the price perhaps with their very lives. Consort was left to raise the childrenof his favored daughter while she moldered in the cold ground, kept company by his beloved wife.”

“Even though Patrizio laid his own son and two daughters-in-law to rest, he and his wife still scheme andplan with the only thought to bring the Capps down low. Left to raise his eldest two grandsons asorphans, he still could not find it in his heart to end the bloody feud. Each man was determined he wouldwin no matter what the cost.”

Another finger swirled into the water, distorting the image into an image of a small park, “Of course, eventhough they have tried to pass their hatred on to the next generation, they forget one crucial characteristicof youth.”

“Rebellion.”

She cast a bemused smile at the two teenagers appearing in the basin, “Parents and grandparents oftenforget that their children may be just as stubborn as they are. This leads to rebellion, especially whenforbidden something they desire. Two young hearts, told they cannot have one another will try and movemountains to prove the world wrong. With this unthinking passion and hubris of youth, one youngMonty and one young Capp defied their families for one another.”

“Brave Romeo Monty and Sweet Juliette Capp, each falling into their role as star-crossed lovers withabandon, thrilled by the grand romance of the forbidden, both aware that their families would mostcertainly object.” Titania swirled her finger around the image in the water, “And, of course, they believedwith all the assured certainty of youth that theirs was a love for the ages and none could ever part them.”

“Not all of their peers were as enraptured with rebellion as they were. Tybalt Capp believed everypoisonous word his revered grandfather had ever given to him. The Monty’s were evil and seeking tobring them down. So, if his naïve sister was caught up in Romeo’s arms, it had to be his fault for seducingher.”

“On the other side, Mercutio Monty was too easy-going to harbor the same hatred in his heart, but he didbelieve wholeheartedly that family defends family. When Tybalt threatened his younger brother, he did theonly thing he could. He defended him. After all, Romeo wasn’t the only one set of hormones involved.”

“Tybalt and Mercutio fought with all the anger of their forefathers guiding the punches. If Consort andPatrizio would not directly fight one another, their descendents seemed happy to do it for them. It trulyseemed as if the curse will continue to fester in poor Veronaville as each generation becomes victim to itspoison.”

The buzzing voices seemed to swirl around Titania like a questioning chorus of tiny voices. They seemedto enjoy the story, but they knew that wasn’t what they were meant to hear.

“Of course, as dramatic and intense as the story of the Montys and the Capps is, that is not why we arehere, is it little ones?” Titania raised a thoughtful hand to her mouth and tapped a moment as shecontemplated the water in the basin before her. “There are other players in Veronaville, not so closely tiedto the endless feud. I know I have told you this story before, but if you wish to hear it again my loves, Iwill not deny you.”

“You could say that what my life has become is also the result of teenage rebellion. My children jest whenthey call me the Queen of Fairy, but they are closer to the truth than they realize. I was born to nobility, achild of privilege and density expected to one day take up the mantle of leadership among the NorthForest elves.”

“I could have very well ruled the entire nation of Elves if only I had been willing to disregard the truthsgently whispered to my heart in my youth. The North Forest Elves are a beautiful, proud race but they arealso unyielding in their beliefs. With the heat of idealistic indignation, I confronted my elders and quicklyrealized I could not and would not stay. So, in the secret dark of the night, I left behind everything Iknew.”

“I was as lost as a leaf on the wind. While I had made my choice of out of determined principle, I was stillyoung and willful. There was no goal to my life among the humans. I simply lived day to day, enjoying myfreedom without care for anyone else. I might still be living with such careless abandon if I had not beenreminded of why I chose exile.”

“It was the eyes of a small boy that captured my heart many years after I left the North Forest. He was ahalf-breed, rejected and abandoned by the man and woman who had given him life. I suppose there wassome kindness in his parents since they saw to it that he had a chance at a future despite the draconianedicts of the North Forest elders. When I chanced upon him, I realized what I truly needed to do with mywandering life.”

“What was needed was a sanctuary. A place where those rejected or exiled from fear and bigotry couldperhaps take control of their own destiny and decide a future on their own. I knew of the problems thatexisted here in Veronaville, but those very issues provided a shelter from prying eyes. We Summerdreamsprovide a neutral force to balance the hate of the Montys and the Capps. In some ways, the land itself isgrateful for the balance we bring and helps reinforce the protections already in place.”

She laughed and nodded as one of the little blurs tweeted a question, “Of course I made use of mytraining. While the elves of the North Forest may have intended me to help defend their enclaves, thesame skills work to create my own. Let’s move on to more pleasant topics. Let us speak of my children.”

“Puck is the oldest and the child that started it all. Even though I did not give birth to him, he is still myson in every way that matters. I could not be prouder of a son than I am of him. He has grown into astrong, talented young man. He is now attending university to pursue art as a career.”

“The second foundling I brought into my heart and home was Bottom. She had also been abandoned byher parents, but without nearly as much kindness as had been shown Puck. She was left in the wildernessand I suspect her parents believed and hoped she would die, erasing their shame. They would besurprised if they met their strong, intelligent and resourceful daughter today.”

“Others have come after, filling my home with laughter and joy in so many ways I cannot describe.Bottom leaves for university soon, so there will be four of the younger children left under my roof. Eachone came to me with a different story, but there was always the theme of rejection, exile and flight fromthe North Forest elves. It is hard to believe any one could condemn these beautiful children simply forwhat is perceived as diluted or tainted blood.”

“No, I will not be bringing any more children into my home. Time is growing short and it would beselfish of me to ..” She trailed off and simply shrugged, “Let us speak of other things.”

One of the flittering little voices tweeted a question.

“Oberon?” Titania’s smile returned with a fondness in her eyes, “I will not live as a celibate, martyredmother figure. I am a woman of many passions and many of them are directed towards OberonGossamer.”

“He was one of my constant companions during my youth in the North Forest. We experienced the firsttentative blossoms of passion together. I thought I would never see him again, but years later we foundone another again. He is a constant in my life, even if he comes and goes like the changing seasons. Eachyear at the highest point of Summer, he asks me to marry him. And each year, I say no for all that I dolove him.”

“Why?” The smile grew mysterious, “Because that is the way of things.”

One of the tiny voices materialized as a miniature fairy that alighted on Titania’s outstretched hand for amoment, “Yes, I know how you all do not like or trust him. Wait, what was that?” Looking down into thewater of the basin, her eyes widened, “Oh. Well then.”

A delighted laugh echoed through the small room, “Why did you not say so my little loves? I would havegladly talked about them without any preamble. Of course I will tell you of the Doran family.” Titaniasmiled, “All I am today is owed to Carli Doran. If I had not known her in my childhood, it is likely Iwould be sitting on a cold, lonely throne in the North Forest, blind to the truth and the wrongness oftheir ways.”

“Carli was a young half-breed that was my age. Even though she carried mixed blood, her father’s positionrequired that she was tolerated within the confines of the North Forest. That did not prevent others fromtreating her poorly though. She intrigued me, so I sought her out of youthful curiosity and obstinacy. Idid not expect to become friends with her, but we did. Almost instantly.”

“Perhaps it was the fact that there was an aura of destiny about her that I could see even then. Perhaps itwas her intelligence and humor despite being shunned. Perhaps it was simply fate taking a hand in thingswe cannot understand. Regardless, she was the best friend I had during those days.”

“As expected, this was something the elders frowned upon. I was the scion of a powerful family and shewas the tainted half-breed of a man they would rather disappeared. If we were caught playing together,someone would be sent to separate us, usually with poor Carli being disciplined for dare to rise above herstation and associate with her betters.”

“Each time this happened, I grew more and more confused, more and more angry. How could they not seeas I did that she was just as valuable as anyone with pure blood?”

“Still, no matter how many times they tried to keep us apart, I would always find a way to seek her out. Itwas during those Spring days of youth that I came to understand many things about what was taught astruth compared to the reality of truth.”

“As we grew older, Carli also grew tired of the way she was treated. More and more often, she stayed awayand we saw one another less and less. I knew her father succumbed to the illness, so while I was hurt, itdid not surprise me to learn that she fled near the end of his life. Without his protection, she would havebeen harmed. I wish we could have said goodbye, but I understand why she left.”

“I left not long after she did. I was privy to discussions on what to do with her since she had left and whatI heard turned my stomach. There was nothing I could do but leave.”

“Over the years, I have seen glimpses of her journey. I’m blessed with the long life of my kind, so I’ve seenmuch of Carli and her descendents. To my delight, I learned she had been able to attend college at SimState, much like she had always secretly hoped. There she met the love of her life, Ashley Pitts. Togetherwith their hirsute and devoted friend, Charlie Bigfoot, they settled in the town of Madison.”

“They were blessed with three children. The eldest was a young man named Dominic, while the youngestwere twins named Kahlen and Trent. I always wished I could have reached out to her during those happy,blissful years, but I did not want to draw any undue attention to her family.”

“Unfortunately, they were found eventually. It was bad enough for the North Forest elves that she existed,but for her to have bred with a human was a death sentence for her children. At times I wish I had stayedso I could fight such inhumane edicts.”

“Carli, her husband and their children did the only thing they could. They fled to the four winds.Eventually the three children struck out on their own, leaving Carli and Ashley alone. When he died aftera mortal’s lifespan, she died of a broken heart.” She grew silent as she contemplated the sad end of herfriend.

“Hmm? Yes, little love. There is more.” Titania smiled sadly and reached down to swirl a finger throughthe water, bringing up another image of an obviously inebriated young man, “There is a story for all ofCarli’s descendants, but there is one particular thread we need to follow. It had always been her dream tofound a legacy, and while it is most unorthodox there is a lineage to follow.”

“Carli’s eldest son Dominic is our next hero. He traveled with his brother and sister for a time, buteventually they went their separate ways for safety’s sake. He eventually found his way to the seaside townof Bluewater Village.”

“It was in Bluewater that Dominic met young Tessa Ramirez. They grew to love one another despite theprotests of her father and the subtle and unsubtle machinations of others in Blue Water. With her,Dominic finally found some of the peace and happiness he had been searching for in his young life.”

“Dominic and Tessa had both a daughter and a son. Wyn was a spunky young thing with energy to spare.She always showed signs of the same musical talent her mother had, but without the same passion for it.The Doran’s youngest was a sensitive and artistic soul they named Gethin. For a painfully short time, theyshared a blissful life together.”

“As it is with such things, their happiness could not last. Others coveted what Dominic and Tessa had andthey sought ways to separate them. Through unrelenting greed, blind hubris, misguided determinationand a perverse sense of serendipity, the sickness that afflicts far too many elves was mutated intosomething far more nefarious. Not only did the disease affect everyone, it also became airborne.”

“Dominic sensed what was occurring and was able to send his children away before they witnessed Tessasuccumbing to the virulent disease.”

“Yes my loves, it is a tragic tale. When I think of what happened to Dominic and his beloved Tessa, myheart aches as surely as I know Carli’s must have when she learned of it.” Titania sighed sadly and touchedthe water again to bring up another image, this time of a sad young man.

“Gethin and Wyn traveled for a time together, afraid of their own shadows for good reason. Eventuallythey too went their separate ways. Gethin purchased a new identity from a shady character, but despiteany misgivings he had, this allowed him to follow his dreams. He enrolled in college to pursue his studiesin art. The new identity was a bargain he had cause to regret several times in his life, but it did bring himone golden bit of light.”

“Amber.” Titania smiled fondly down at the images of the young couple, “She was a fierce and strongyoung woman. In many ways, she is just what withdrawn and retiring Gethin needed in his life. Shetaught him how to live again, to taste life and enjoy what you have before you. There were secrets in herpast as well, but even that could not keep them apart.”

“It is also important to note that during this time of Gethin’s life, the military had taken an interest in theDoran family. With the plague decimating Bluewater Village, they were desperate to contain the disease aswell as find a cure. It was discovered that there were two survivors in Bluewater - a pregnant half-alienmale who was in a coma and Dominic Doran who was clinging to life by the barest of threads.”

“With these two pieces of information, it was discovered that the blood of a half-breed elf combined withalien DNA might be able to craft the cure that they were so desperately seeking. Unfortunately, there wereothers in the military that also realized the value of a weapon based on the plague. Regardless of intention,this put Gethin and Amber’s family as subjects of interest if they were to be discovered.”

“Oh yes, Gethin and Amber had children, many children. Ten to be precise. All boys.” She laughed at asurprised and outraged squeak from her audience, “Yes, I agree that this qualifies Amber for sainthood.The boys were an interesting lot and as vibrant in personality as their parents. In order they were: Adam,Brendon, Damian, Noah, Jason, Liam, Xavier, Logan, Edward, and Ein.”

“Bringing the cycle full circle, the happiness Gethin and Amber had found could not last. Amber’s father,Michael Burke - the very same man that sold Gethin his new identity - informed the military of the Doranfamily’s location. The military sent an armed force to bring them in, uncaring that they were facing acivilian family. Amber was not a woman who would ever go quietly. She bought time for her husband andchildren to flee at the expense of her life. Gethin would not leave her, so after he saw his sons flee withthe help of Charlie Bigfoot, he also died trying to save Amber.”

“Charlie did what he could for the boys, but eventually they split up to seek their own lives in hiding.Many of the boys stayed with the brother they were closest to. Two of them, Ed and Ein, found their wayto La Fiesta Tech near Strangetown. The two were probably the most unique of Carli’s descendents, but Ithink she would have been both proud and amused at what they achieved.”

“Ein eventually fell in love with Erin Beaker, younger sister of Loki Beaker, mad scientist. Ed, on the otherhand, developed an interesting variation on platonic relationship with Chloe Singles, one of PT Smith’smany alien children in Strangetown.”

“With their significant others, they moved into a large house that they promptly filled with cats and manychildren. Specifically, three to each couple.”

“It was an unorthodox household, but it was one that was filled with happiness. If you are sensing apattern here, you are correct. The Doran’s seem destined to find a modicum of happiness for a short timebefore it is taken away from them by others who cannot stomach half-breeds being successful.”

“The North Forest elves were growing more and more frustrated at their inability to locate the Dorans, soit was to their delight when a confused young man named Nervous Subject turned the family over tothem. He had always loved Erin Beaker and felt she would return his feelings if only Ein were out of thepicture. When he discovered the error of his ways, he was able to warn Erin and her family in time forthem to flee.”

“Yet again, the Doran family scattered to the four winds as the playthings of fate. This is the most recentnews I have learned of their family, so I do wonder...”

Titania trailed off as the water rippled and seemed to take on a different glow as the fairies she spoke withswirled around the room in an excited rush, “Oh! So this is what you brought me up here to See. Finally,the dangling threads will be woven back together. This one is the one I have been waiting for, is she not?”

Catching another breathless laugh, she leaned down to look at the face in the water of the basin.”

“Ainsley Doran, I look forward to our meeting. The future lies heavily on your shoulders in so manyways, youngling.”

Titania stared for a moment longer at the rippling image before the faeries surrounding her began tochatter excitedly.

“Yes, yes you little beasts. It is time to prepare. Now that I know who holds the future, I can focus mysearch to help us prepare before the time comes. I promise you it will be glorious.” With a delightedlaugh, she settled down to work.”

~*~*~*~*~*

“Come on Puck, you gotta tell us what it’s like?” Warner Summerdream, youngest of the teens in thehouse cornered his eldest adopted brother in the foyer with eager questions, “There’s pretty girls on everycorner and parties every night and bubbles all the time, right?”

Pendelton gave his adopted brother an askance look as he shook his head with a horrified expression,“Warner, university is about learning and about study and...”

“Yeah yeah, nerd stuff. I know that’s what you’d go for, Penny.”

Puck laughed, “Guys, settle. It’s a little bit of both, okay? It’s a lot of fun and there are a decent amount ofparties, but I’m also working hard to get good grades.” Chuckling at their matched expressions ofdisappointment, he added, “As far as girls go, Hermia and I are still a couple, so I wouldn’t be able to tellyou if there are any pretty girls there.”

“Oh come on, Puck.” Warner rolled his eyes, “Just because you’ve got a ball and a chain doesn’t meanyou’re dead. ‘Sides, you don’t have to pretend for us. Hermia’s not here to get pissed if you say you thinksome other girl is pretty.”

Puck gave a soft chuckle and shook his head, “I’m not like that, Warner. Just because you’re all ‘HelloNurse’ with every girl you see doesn’t mean all guys are the same.”

Pendelton looked relieved as Warner rolled his eyes.

Patting the dark haired half-elf on the shoulder, Puck said, Maybe you two can come visit for a weekendafter Bo gets settled. Speaking of which...” Turning, he cupped his hands around his mouth and calledout, “Come on, Bo! We need to hit the road soon if we want to get back tonight.”

“Mom!” Bottom knocked again impatiently, “Come on, Mom. I’m ready to go and both Puck’s gettingantsy too. You know it’s time to go if he’s hollering for me. I want to get back tonight so I can scope outmy new dorm before I move in tomorrow.”

Muffled from inside the room, Titania called out, “I’ll be down in a moment, dear.”

A few moments later, Titania joined her children in the foyer, “Now, I know you’re going to roll your eyesat me, Bottom, but just humor your mother for a few moments.”

“Moooom.”

Puck quirked a grin, “I had my turn, you get yours. Buck up, Bo.”

Titania smiled, “It is a mother’s prerogative to give her child advice that she already knows full well, dear.Just bear with me and then you can go and become the woman I know you’re destined to be.”

“Oh fine.” Bo quirked an amused smile, “Go ahead Mom.”

Clearing her voice, Titania began reciting her litany of advice, “Do not take candy from strangers. Avoidall wooden nickels. Do not ever buy a bridge without seeing the deed first. Land wars in Asia are always amistake. Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line. Never ever feed Gremlins after midnight.”

Thinking for a moment, she tried to remember the last little bits she wanted to share, “Oh, and specific tocollege, never let a cow mascot sneak up behind you if you can help it and remember to be nice to yourroommate even if you think she doesn’t deserve it.”

Bottom gave her mother a look, “Mom, I’m getting my own room. They don’t do roommates at Stratford.Everyone gets their own rooms. Puck said so and you even helped me pick out which dorm I wanted.”

“So I did.” Titania gave a mysterious little smile, “Still, remember what I said.” Taking a step back, sheregarded her daughter and smiled, “Oh what the future holds for you, love.”

“Ugh. Mom, enough with the freaky ‘I SEE stuff act’.” Bottom groaned, “Let me go off to college and atleast be a little normal.”

Instantly Titania pulled the young woman into a hug, “Normal is overrated, dear. You’ll learn that soonenough. Just be good and keep an eye on your brother. He’ll keep an eye on you, so return the favor.”

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, my little changeling. Go and be all that you can be.”

“Mom, stop quoting army slogans.”

~*~*~*~*~*

The next morning at Stratford Globe College, two young women sat in the quad, watching the dancingwaters of the central fountain.

“Well, I’ll give this to the place. It sure is pretty.”

“You could enroll too, Fee. It’s not too late. They said yesterday they were still accepting late admissionsfor Freshmen.”

Fiona Doran snorted and turned to raise an eyebrow at her cousin, “Aine, I am so not cut out for the IvyLeague.”

Ainsley sighed and looked out over the verdant landscape of the school surrounding them, “I know, Ijust..” She trailed off as her expression grew pensive.

“You know, you don’t have to stay. There’s still time to change your mind and come with me, Aine.” Fionasmiled hopefully, “You, me, one fat and lazy cat and the open road and nothing between us and what’sover the next hill. We’ve done pretty good together, right? Why change what works?”

Ainsley turned and shook her head, “We did do pretty good together, but things never stay the sameforever, Fee. I love you, but I’m not cut out for the endless life on the road.” She sighed and looked away,“I’m tired of running. I’m tired of never knowing where I’m going to sleep at night. I’m so tired ofgoodbyes.”

“I know, Aine.” Fiona replied softly with a bittersweet smile, “But you can’t fault me for trying. I’m goingto miss you. I did think about staying, but it would drive me nuts trying to conform to what some stuffyold professor thinks I’m supposed to be or do. I’d hate it here.”

“I know you would. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, dumbass.” Fiona’s grin turned a little brighter, “Just do what you’ve got to do and I’ll dowhat I’ve got to do. We’re Dorans, this is what we do, right?”

“Right.”

The two girls fell silent. For a time they just listened to the combined sounds of the fountain, birds in thenearby trees, and the distant sound of students moving into the dorm.

Finally, Ainsley broke the silence with a barely whispered lament, “I really hate goodbyes.”

Fiona stood up and moved over to a bed of flowers. Kneeling down, she leaned over and breathed deeply,taking in the fragrant scent. Her every move was exaggerated as if she were acting on a stage for anaudience.

Tilting her head with a flicker of amusement on her face Ainsley asked, “Fee, whatever are you doing?”

“I’m remembering to stop and sniff the flowers, Aine.” Straightening up, she grinned at her cousin, “Stopregretting your choices and remember to live your life, dork.”

Ainsley stood up and walked over to Fiona, “I try, it’s just not always easy with...”

“Hey, it’s been months since you last had a vision, isn’t it?”

“Well, yes, but..”

“No buts. You’ve probably outgrown them like Uncle Ed said you would.” Fiona was firm until shebrightened happily, “Besides, your visions weren’t all bad. They found us that White Castle when I wastotally craving some sliders. Anything that can find a White Castle can’t be all bad.”

Crossing her arms, Ainsley raised an eyebrow at Fiona, “First of all, my visions did not find that WhiteCastle. It was this amazing little thing called the internet. Second of all, sliders are so gross. I don’tunderstand how you can eat those things.”

“They’re good! If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were going to turn into a veggie head like Cara.”

“There’s nothing wrong with vegetables, Fee. There’s also wrong with a well cooked piece of meat that youcan actually identify as having come from an animal. Sliders do not count as identifiable meat.”

Suddenly Fiona pulled Ainsley into a hug, “I’m going to miss you so much.”

Ainsley closed her eyes, “Don’t you dare make me cry, Fee. I don’t want to show up to my dorm withrunny mascara.”

Fiona hung on and didn’t let go, “Just tell them it’s the latest style from the East Coast. You’re beautifulenough they’ll believe it.”

Ainsley hung on as well, leaving the two to just stand there holding each other for a long moment. Finallyshe took a deep breath and stepped back, “I should go. You.. you be careful, Fee. Call me. Write me. Sendsmoke signals. I don’t care, just stay in touch.”

“You too, Aine. Call me. You know my cell phone number. I’ll let you know if I change it.” Fiona pausedand added, “If you change your mind about this school thing, let me know and I’ll be here in an instant,but the next time I talk to you, I expect to hear you’re having a fantastic time.”

With those last words, Fiona turned and resolutely walked away. It was only when she was sure thatAinsley couldn’t see her face that she let her smile fade. Even though she wouldn’t admit it, she hatedgoodbyes too.

~*~*~*~*~*

“Okay, it’s got to be this one. Hopefully there’s only one Laertes Hall around.” Ainsley was surprised athow many dorms there were on campus and how long it took her to find the one she’d been assigned to,“If it isn’t, maybe they’ll let me have a room anyway. My feet are killing me.”

Squaring her shoulders and smiling, she went inside.

“Excuse me, can you tell me where the dorm assignments are taking place? I had a little trouble finding..”

Before Ainsley could finish what she was saying, the dormie she was talking to turned and bellowed,“HEY MEADOW! WE GOT ANOTHER ONE! That makes the total 22, so if she’s the last one, I win thepool!”

Ainsley blinked and took an uncertain step backwards, “Uhm..”

Offering an amused smile, another dormie pointed towards the stairs, “Head upstairs and follow the noiseof babbling freshman and one stressed out RA. They’re doing room assignments now.”

When Ainsley arrived upstairs, she found a television lounge packed with students all waiting forsomething, “Excuse me, is this where..”

A sour looking red head glanced at her and snorted, “Another Freshman? Great. They must be trying tostack us in here like wood or something.” Getting up from his seat on the couch, he gestured for her tosit, “Take a seat. The show should be starting soon.”

Ainsley gave him a nervous but grateful smile as she sat down, “My name is Ainsley Doran.”

“Tybalt Capp.”

“Okay people, everyone settle.” A young woman in a blue sweater hopped up on the coffee table in frontof the television on the wall, “My name is Meadow Fuchs and I’m your RA for the year. The first personwho cracks a joke about my name goes on my shit list. That is one list you DO NOT want to be on. Assoon as everyone settles, we can get started. Those of you on the couch, scoot down and make room foreveryone. Personal space is a commodity you can’t afford this year. There’s plenty of standing room too.Come on in, folks. Don’t be afraid. I’m sure no one has rabies.”

As the RA directed people, more and more freshman started filtering into the lounge.

Over at the far end of the couch, Bottom Summerdream turned to look up at Mercutio Monty, “Hey Merc.I’m surprised to see you here. I’d have figured you for signing up to be in the same dorm Romeo’s in.Puck told me got a room down the hall from him.”

Mercutio smiled, “Hey Bo. And nah. I love my brother, but I shared a room with him back home. I don’teven want to be in the same dorm as him. I know what his socks will smell like in a month.”

“Ew, that’s gross dude. Totally gross.”

Herding college students has often been compared to herding cats, so it was taking some time for peopleto gather in the lounge. Of course, college students are also very social creatures, so it did not take longfor them to begin talking with one another and filling the room with chatter.

“Hey, are you two brothers?” Jaiden Turner asked the two men standing in front of her.

The very similar looking men looked at each other and then back at her. Simultaneously they bothresponded, “No. Why would you think that?”

“Uh.. No reason.”

“Okay people, listen up. If you see any stragglers coming in, let me know, but let’s get down to business soI can get on with my life. This is my last year here and I’ll be damned if it’s going to last longer than it hasto.” Meadow had a voice that could project, but that didn’t mean that anyone was listening.

“And then the damn vampires sparkled. I mean, I like a good cheesy vampire novel as much as anybody,but sparkling!? I mean, come on. Who the hell would buy that? Oh wait, that’s right, twelves. Lots andlots of twelves.” Bottom was oblivious to Meadow trying to get everyone’s attention.

One girl frowned, “Hey, I liked Twilight. Maybe it wasn’t conventional, but it was a fun story. It’s the inthing to bash it, so everyone says they hate it. I bet you didn’t even read it.”

“Of course I read it, that’s why I’m blind because I had to burn my eyes out with bleach.”

Mercutio snorted, “Bo, you’re something else. What do you think about...”

“SHUT YOUR TRAPS! DON’T MAKE ME TURN THE FIRE HOSE ON YOU ALL!”

Meadow bellowed and finally got everyone looking at her as she mumbled, “Someone shoot me if I evervolunteer to be an RA gain.” Taking a deep breath, she plastered on a cheerleader’s smile, “Okay everyone,now that I have your attention let’s get down to business.”

“Now, if any of you have rudimentary math skills (which I am highly doubting right about now) youmight have noticed that there are more of you than there are rooms in this dorm. While some might lookat this as a glass half empty issue, those of us here at Stratford Globe College know how to turn this frownupside down and see that the glass still at least has some alcohol in it.” Through it all, Meadow kept thatsame smile on her face with a peppy tone in her voice.

“What this means to you freshman is that you’re going to have to double up.”

The guy with the unfortunate mullet spoke up, “Wait, you mean we have to have roommates?”

“No, it means you’re going to be given fluffy bunnies with rainbows and chocolate. Of course it meansyou’re getting a roommate.” The ‘dumbass’ wasn’t actually said, but it was definitely implied. Meadowrolled her eyes and continued, “We’ve already split everyone up and I don’t want to hear any bitchingabout assignments. No one’s happy about this, but you guys are just going to have to deal with it for theyear. Next year you should be able to get rooms to yourself.” She paused and then added, “Or do thesmart thing and get a place off campus.” Looking to the side, she gestured at one befuddled freshman,“You there, tell me why I didn’t do the smart thing and move off campus? Oh right. I’m an idiot.”

A red head in islander dress stood in the back uncertainly, “Uma is confused? Is people upset because theymust share room with one person? Uma had to share hut with whole family, so one person not bad, is it?”She blinked guilelessly at Mercutio for confirmation.

He gave a soft snort and crossed his arms, “Not so bad for Uma maybe, but for some of the trust fundbabies here it’s going to be like living in a prison.”

“Trust fund babies?”

He gave her a speculative look and smiled, “I’ll explain it later. In private.”

Ainsley had kept quiet during most of the conversations leading up to the announcement, but she finallyworked up the courage to speak up, “It shouldn’t be too bad, should it? I mean, I’ve seen the rec roomdownstairs, there’s a nice study and there’s this lounge. How much time will be spending in our roomsanyway?”

Tybalt, who had been doing a good job of ignoring Mercutio ignoring him, responded, “I imagine somepeople will be disappointed at not getting a chance to have some ‘private’ time with naive Twikkii transferstudents.”

From the back of the room, Uma piped up happily, “Uma is from Twikkii! Uma happy transfer student!”

Mercutio just snorted and went back to ignoring Tybalt.

“If you’re done, I can tell you who’s going to be making you miserable for the next two semesters.”Meadow looked at the expectant faces and nodded, “Good. I’ve got your attention. Here we go.”

Glancing down at a small piece of paper in her hand, she started, “Pratt and Bransfield. Turner and Cho.Yes, that’s you, Uma. Doran and Summerdream. Boyle and Muller. Monty and Capp. Kaperski and..”

“WHAT!?!?” All of Mercutio’s calm disappeared in an instant, “No way. No way at all. You’ve got to bekidding me. There is no way in hell I’m sharing a room with that bastard!”

Simultaneously, Tybalt started yelling as well, “You’re joking, right? You’ve got to be joking. Please tell methis is someone’s idea of a practical joke. You can’t expect me to share a room with one of those immoral,backstabbing thieves.”

“Hey, who are you calling an immoral backstabbing thief you prissy son of a bitch. At least my familymakes an honest living and doesn’t live on the sweat and blood of people slaving away in factories overseas.” Mercutio came around the couch towards Tybalt who met him halfway.

Tybalt snarled, “Oh yeah, and all those migrant workers your grandfather employs are so legal and nottaken advantage of at all? I’ve heard of what goes on at that processing plant on the outskirts of town.”

Meadow looked down at the two arguing men, “Oh come on guys, it’s not that bad. All you have to do issleep in the same room together. You don’t even have to talk to each other if you don’t want.”

“Hah! I’ll have to sleep with my eyes open or he’ll stab me in the back.”

“You’re not the one that’ll end up with the knife between the shoulder blades, I am!”

“Oh hell no!”

“Hell yes!”

Meadow buried her face in her hands, “Is it May yet? Can I leave? Please?”

“I’m going to guess there’s some history there. Are they always like that?” Ainsley asked as Bottomapproached her from the other side of the arguing pair.

Bottom snorted, “You could say that.” Quirking a grin, she said, “I’m going to guess that you’re Doran?I’m Summerdream.”

The half-alien turned and smiled, “Ainsley.”

“Bottom, but you can call me Bo.” She held out a hand that Ainsley took in a friendly handshake, “Ishould be a little irked that we’re not getting private rooms, but what the hey. This just means we’ll get toknow more people.”

Ainsley smiled and nodded, “It’ll be nice to have connections right off the bat. What program are you in?”

“Well, liberal arts for the first semester, but I’m planning on majoring in Math once we hit Springsemester. You?”

“Theater with a focus on Dance.” Ainsley smiled. Things were looking up. She already liked Bottom andfound her easy to talk to.

“Oh, that’s awesome. They’ve got a great arts program here. My brother is in the fine arts program. I’vebeen trying to get him to do some graphic design so he’s got some modern skills too, but he’s an amazingpainter. The theater and dance stuff is all in the same building as the arts stuff, so you’ll probably run intohim there.” Bottom replied with a grin.

Ainsley laughed, “I’m sure I will, but I figure faces and names are going to be blur for a long time. I can’tbelieve how may people are in this dorm, let alone the whole school. I’ll never be able to keep everyonestraight.”

“Aw, don’t worry about that.” Bottom grinned, “It’s easy enough to fake it until you’re sure you remembera person’s name. I already know a little bit of the campus, so I can show you around until you get yourbearings. My brother already filled me in on the cool off campus spots too. There’s a great beach in thetown down the hill.”

“That would be absolutely lovely. I’m used to letting my cousin navigate and she..” Ainsley trailed off andthen smiled, “Well, she’s not headed to university right away, so I’m on my own now.”

Bottom laughed, “No worries. I’ll keep an eye on you. Let’s go check out our room. We can flip a coin tosee who gets which bed.” As she turned, she gave a little toss of her head to flip the hair out of her eyes. Aside effect was a shifting of her hair that revealed one of her delicately pointed ears.

For a moment, Ainsley did not register what she was seeing.

“I’ll warn you, I’m a bit of a slob. I’ll try and keep my mess confined to my side of the room and if youever smell my socks, just give me a smack upside the head. I may be a slob, but I do know how to dolaundry.”

Ears. Pointed ears. An elf ’s ears. “No..”

Bottom blinked, “Huh?”

“No. No.” Ainsley recoiled and rushed past Bottom, careful not to touch the other woman, “No, no, no.”

Bottom blinked after her, “Huh? Did you forget something? Hey, where are you going?”

Downstairs in the cafeteria, a breathless Ainsley found Meadow. Struggling to catch her breath, she said,“I.. I.. there.. there’s a problem. With my room.”

Closing her eyes for a moment, Meadow sighed, “Could I at least eat some of my breakfast before I dealwith another emergency? Oh wait, you’re a freshman. The world is going to end if I don’t give you my fullattention right now, is it?”

Ainsley just gave her a plaintive look, “Please?”

“Oh for the.. Go ahead.”

“I don’t want to be a problem, but I need to be assigned to a different room.” Taking a deep breath to calmherself, she said, “I don’t mind sharing a room, but could I please have another roommate? Anyone,please?”

Meadow arched an eyebrow as she looked up at Ainsley, “You’ve got a problem with the person you’vebeen assigned with?”

Ainsley nodded her head, “Yes, I do. It’s not going to work out, if you could ...”

“Look, I’ve already heard it all from Monty and Capp and you aren’t nearly screaming as much as they are.They’re stuck together, so you’re stuck with who you got too. The assignments are made and that’s final.”

Ainsley made a plaintive, frustrated sound as Meadow raised a fork of pancakey goodness up to hermouth. Around a mouthful, she said, “Look, I’m sorry but you have to deal with it. Maybe at the breakbetween semesters you can find someone else to switch with or you can find a place off campus.”

She paused and added, “I wonder how these would taste with vodka?”

~*~*~*~*~*

Despite her best attempts at finding another room, Ainsley quickly learned that she was stuck. Therereally was a housing crunch on campus and all the dorms were full. It was suggested several times thatshe move off campus, but the small living stipend she earned with her meager scholarships weren’t nearenough to cover renting a room, let alone a house.

Sighing, she put the last of her things into the chest of drawers that Bottom had left for her. So far she’dbeen able to avoid her roommate. Maybe it...

.. or maybe not.

“Look, I don’t know what I did to piss you off, but running off like that really kind of hurt. I was getting agood vibe from you and I thought I’d actually found a new friend.”

Ainsley had been so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn’t hear the door open or Bottom come in. Hershoulders tensed as she swallowed and slowly turned around. Very deliberately, she kept her hands at herside even though she wanted to reach up and check that her ears were covered. “It was.. I just don’t thinkit’s going to work out.”

“But why?” Bottom was obviously really bothered by the situation, “I meant it when I said I was getting agood vibe off of you. I just want to know what I said that pissed you off. I know I can be a bit rougharound the edges, but I really don’t make it a habit to go around randomly making people hate me.”

Ainsley opened her mouth to say something, but then just shook her head, “I just want to get my degree.I’ll stay out of your way.”

“Let’s just try and start over again, okay?” Bottom offered with a hopeful smile, “Hi. I’m BottomSummerdream. I’m going to be your roommate for the year and I’d really like to be able to have a civilconversation with you, and eventually maybe we can be pals?”

Ainsley’s expression grew pained, “I.. I’m sorry, Bottom. But I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to befriends.”

The other girl blinked, “Huh? What does that mean?”

“I just... your kind..”

“My kind?” Bottom was incredulous as she stared at Ainsley, “MY KIND?”

“I mean..”

“Oh forget this.” Bottom turned and started towards the door, “Screw it. Serves me right for thinking I gotlucky for once. I’d have thought YOU of all people wouldn’t be some prejudiced jerk. I mean, you mustget all kinds of crap for being green, but no... turns out you’re a freaking racist after all.”

With that, she stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her, earning a couple of shoutsfrom neighboring rooms.

Ainsley’s shoulders slumped in defeat as the door stopped quivering in the frame. In a very small voice,she said, “I’m not .. not racist. You elves are.” Blinking back tears, she turned towards her bed, fullyintending to crawl in and curl up with a stuffed animal that wouldn’t judge her for breaking down.

“Maybe I should have gone with Fee. Maybe I..” She stopped in mid sentence.

A buzzing sound filled her entire mind, making her teeth feel like they should be chattering out of herskull. This was unwelcome and familiar. “No, no, no, this isn’t supposed to happen any.. any..”

Balance fled as quickly as her words, collapsing her to her knees as the vision took hold uncaring of whatshe wanted or hoped.

Blood.

Anger.

Fury.

Anguish.

Blood. So much blood.

“No.. No.. not again...”

~*~*~*~*~*

And here ends Part One of The Boolpropian Round Robin Legacy’s Generation Five!

I’m really excited and nervous to be taking over for this generation. Everyone that’s come before (Marina,Gin, Lark, and Cait) have all done a fantastic job. If, for some absurd reason, you haven’t read their partsyet, you really should! They did an amazing job and the little flashback that Titania gave doesn’t covernearly as much as it should have.

I’m hoping to have the next update out within a week or two. So, cross your fingers for me. I hope youenjoyed!

Thanks for reading!