Lilac Valley

Hit the Road, Amber

This isn't the first time humans attacked a magical town.

This isn't even the first time that year.

The Anti-Magic Group struck every now and again to remind people:

Magical creatures exist and you should be scared of them.

We are doing you a service.

Humans didn't realize by the early 20000s, so many magical creatures lived among them.

They worked with them, lived with them, went to school with them.

They just hid who they were.

Whenever an attack occurs, the magical town goes on high alert and the Secretary of Magic has his hands full.

"I'm not leaving," Amber says. "I'm not anti-magic. I'm here to help."

"We think it's best if you step down," Carter advises.

"Who's we?" Amber asks. "The mayor?"

"The Spiders will attack next," Carter explains.

The extremists.

Witches and warlocks who take matters into their own hands.

"We need to get through this together," Amber explains. "The Secretary of Magic must believe that. The mayor hates humans."

"The mayor is my father," Carter says. "This isn't the human world. This is Lilac Valley. Any time something happens, it can mean war."

"There hasn't been a war since the '90s," Amber points out.

"Because most humans don't think about magical people daily anymore," Carter explains. "They think we all live in our own towns. They don't know we hide our true forms and walk among them. Then something like this happens."

"What do you want me to do?" Amber asks. "Not your dad. You."

"Lay low for a while," Carter says.

"I want to help," Amber says.

"Then do as I say."

~

As if the day can't get any worse.

Amber plops herself at the barstool beside one of the other men who liked her in high school.

"Amber," Con greets her. "What brings you here?"

"Carter wants me to step down and move back to Greenwich," Amber answers.

"After what happened, such a shock!" Con laughs to himself.

"Where's Eddie?" Amber asks.

"Getting Eddie to go to a bar is like getting a dog to stop chasing his tail," Con explains. "He prefers brunch or wine tastings."

"Doesn't sound so bad," Amber says.

"Not you too," Con says. "When we were younger, Carter was really cool. We were both on the football team in high school, we would party together, but now he and Tori just want to go to brunch and wine tastings with Autumn and Marty."

"Why do you hate brunch and wine tastings so much?" Amber asks. "Upset you don't have a girl to go with?"

"They take away your dignity," Con explains. "It means you're stuck carrying your girl's purse around for the rest of your life and saying, 'Yes, dear. No, dear.'"

"But isn't that what you wanted with me?" Amber asks.

"Is he mine?" Con asks. "Is Kyle my son?"

"He's Eddie's," Amber says. Con nods. "I would like to make something work. Eddie is a good guy. He's Kyle's father. Do you think we could rekindle what we had?"

"He knows about us," Con says. "I told him." Amber takes a breath. "But if you want him to be a father to Kyle, he'll be a hell of a dad."