Round Three

This is when I changed to the Pixie series, and it was also about this time I finished off Engaged and Underage. It took me a while to find anything better, but that's another story.

*****

Sweet Charity

The phone rings, and it's Eddie who goes to answer.
"Oh, okay I'll tell her," I finish as I hang up.
"Tell me what?" I ask as my head pops round the door, nearly giving him a heart attack.
"Damn you made me jump!" I exclaim, before explaining this latest task to her.
I get to arrange an education fair? Cool... hold on, education fair??
Just as I feared, she's already getting worried. I haven't even finished yet!
I have to give a speech too? Speech, no problem... about education again...?! Oh boy...
Oh, it gets better...
Now it's him who scowls as he says it's got to include an auction.. auction for what? Oh, him... What?? Auction him off? He's not a piece of meat you know!!
"Come on," I tell her as I lead her to the bookcase, "Let's get the least painful job out of the way, huh?"
Least painful?
I pass her a book before taking one myself. "I don't just learn from the films you know," I smile as I sit by her, "and I need more than them for classes."
"What do you mean?" I ask, looking at the book in my hands.
"You learn more from reading than you might think," I say as I open it, "and you learn more studying with other people."

I've never done this before. If it weren't for him explaining things to me I'd be getting a headache, but the test comes when he hands me my notebook.
"Right, let's get this over with shall we?" I offer.


Ah, now it's making sense. I remember the countless times I've felt the frustration of not being to understand all this stuff, but maybe now I'm heading in the right direction. In fact I'm getting ideas for my speech already...
We're given enough funds to arrange this fair, and I have to say, she's already a lot happier about it. After the kick earlier she still has a spring in her step, which is great to see.
Oh this is perfect... University students? Hehe... and it's to fund the scholarships we could apply for as teenagers. Okay, I only won the Footwork Award while everyone got loads, but still, it's a hefty amount of cash to start you off. I find some good posters to set the mood, and even as the day arrives I only felt the slightest quivering of nerves.

The day goes along without a hitch, even though Karl's there. There's a lot of my family and friends there too, in fact, which makes it easier. Checking my watch, I nearly forget myself and head over to the podium, telling myself it's only for charity and he'll be coming home later on.
"Okay, it's time for the auction to start!" I announce as I beckon him over, "Up for grabs is this very nice man called Eddie Grant, big into sci-fi and Star Wars but open to learn new things..."
I can't help but chuckle as she talks. I just hope I end up with someone reasonable...

As the bidding gets higher among the crowd, my eyes widen as at least two lads join in, and they look as eager as the girls.
"Hey Gino!" I chuckle, "Behave!" I can't help but frown at a green man who also raises the stakes though... he looks familiar, I don't know why...
"Sold!" I close off as the bidding ends, "To... " I smile knowingly as I continue, "to my dear cousin Gwen Staropoli."
Phew. At least now I know I'll be in safe hands for the rest of the day.


"Hello again," she smiles.
"Hi," I reply before Emilia gets back to the stand, and for now we retreat to the rest of the crowd. I can't help but eye the man she introduces as her brother with a wary eye.
"Tell you what," he says, "Can't fault her taste of clothes!"
"Look," I begin, "As much as I appreciate your attention, I'm straight."
He smiles wryly in reply. "Yeah, I figured that might be the case," he says before shrugging, "Doesn't hurt to look though... or at least it wouldn't if every other guy was decent enough to reply with his mouth instead of his fist."
Ouch... poor man. It seems I still have much to learn after all.

"I'd like to wrap things up with a few words," I begin, taking a little breather to gather my thoughts but allow myself a dry chuckle, "Never thought someone like me would be up here promoting education," I remark, happy enough when people giggle as I break the ice, "I've spent too many days struggling over my work, feeling annoyed at myself for not knowing when I should. I'm surprised I got here if I'm honest, but the whole thing has taught me to not take education for granted. It means with any luck I'll be able to start a business for myself instead of helping someone else run theirs on minimum pay being treated like dirt. Hopefully this will give others the chance they need to better themselves... and I hope Evan will wake up and get himself a cure one of these days so he doesn't miss out on this."


As I leave the podium to thunderous applause a wave of emotion hits me at the reminder. I'm only thankful I never went the way he did.
I wait for the applause to die down before I turn to Gwen.
"Who's Evan?" I ask, intrigued.
"A friend of ours," she replies, before indicating another girl she introduces as Amy. "He's her twin brother, but he got bitten by a vampire when they were fifteen."
"Not often you get twins spaced apart by several years," Amy acknowledges dryly, "It's a very long story," she finishes before I get the chance to probe further.
"Hold on," I start again, "Vampire??"
"Welcome to our humble town," Gino proclaims as he gestures broadly.

"Hi Karl," I smile with a hint of sadness and unease.
"You were great up there," he says, "You've come a long way in a short time."
"Thanks," I reply, "I feel a lot better."
"You look it," he says, "Feels weird seeing you without your "face" as you call it."
"Yeah, I'll bet."
"You're better off with him," he says, "I guess I just didn't have the patience in the end."
I chuckle a little. "Thought that's what it was," I observe.
Without saying any more he opens his arms invitingly. I catch a glimpse of Gino out of the corner of my eye as I accept.


"Emilia is it?"
I frown at the voice and turn to trace its source, to find the green guy I saw earlier looking straight at me.


"Yes...?" I reply with a questioning air.
"You have your mother's nose," he smiles.
This is all getting too much. "Who are you?" I ask him, but his reply knocks the wind out of my sails.
"I'm your father," he says simply.

After chatting some more with Gwen and her friends as the atmosphere winds down, I spot Emilia talking with another alien.
"Who's that?" I ask no one in particular.

After the initial shock the talk becomes easier. It's now I realise where I get my confident streak from, but to be honest I'd never thought much about my father before now - as far as Mum was concerned I'd never see him, yet he's here studying art of all things. I'm glad now more than ever I've been given the chance to learn properly, or the things Dad says would fly over my head... things about my very existence, no less.