The Miranda MacArthur Story

chapter 12

Jen picked up Miranda from the Shortman house early in the afternoon so they could do something together. Brick had to go to a meeting uptown in Megaville about the serious cases of outbreak in war the town had been through lately. Mostly due to Blossom Utonium. She was a very wise and noble woman, it didn't help that she studied conversational Chinese in Kindergarten, but she had been depressed lately. 

Blossom was usually very well-mannered and calm, but depression? Jen had to wonder what was going on with the woman, but preoccupied her mind once she pulled up to the Shortman house, she decided to go in and say hello to Reggie and Arnold while she was there. 

"How was she?" Jen asked as she sat across from the purple-haired mother of her daughter's new friend.

"Very well-behaved, you and Brick raised her well," Reggie smiled. "Must've been hard to take care of her while Brick was in war."

"Oh, yeah, no doubt, plus I had to homeschool her too to protect her... It was rough."

"I can imagine... Plus you're her mother."

Jen nodded. "She's a great kid though, even if she got in trouble on her first day in public school... Sometimes I wonder if Brick and I should have moved to a different town."

"Oh, Jen, it's going to be okay," Reggie cooed. "I can understand how much pressure that might be, but you'll both be okay, plus you got Brick to help you out."

"Yeah... I guess..." Jen shrugged, still sighing a bit. "It's just not easy."

"Sometimes I worry about Sabrina..." Reggie looked distantly to their daughters, looking to hers in specific. "Have you heard what happened to Dawn and Arnie's mother?"

"N-No..." Jen sounded anxious. "W-What happened?"

Reggie looked back to Jen. "Don't worry, when she died, it wasn't a murder... Also, Molly wasn't also Arnie's mother."

"Are you saying Dawn and Arnie are half-siblings?" 

"Yes, they are," Reggie nodded. "Dawn's mother had a price to pay with her enchanting powers. When she and Fortunato wanted to have children, it was said that she or him would have to sacrifice themselves in order for the child to be born."

"Like when Steven Universe was born to Greg and Rose Quartz," Jen sounded familiar. "Rose was pregnant with Steven, but she had to give up her physical form in order for him to be born."

"Yes, Molly Medrek-Evergreen wasn't a normal woman with cosmetic powers... She was a gem."

"She doesn't have the name of a gem."

"Not biologically, but her birth name was Topaz."

"Where'd she come up with Molly?"

"She just thought she looked more like a molly than a topaz," Reggie shrugged. "I go by Reggie, but my real name is Regina and I don't feel like a Queen."

"I'm afraid I don't get it, sorry..." Jen shrugged.

Reggie sighed. "Just forget it, okay?" she smiled. "Sabrina, it's time for Miranda to go home!"

"Okay, Mom!" a distant voice called, who Jen presumed was the voice of Sabrina.

"I'm glad they had fun," Jen smiled. "Even if Miranda didn't get to play with Layla, Devin, and Michelle like she always does."

"She really should expand her social circle more," Reggie advised as she stood up to start cooking lunch for her, Arnold, and Sabrina after Miranda and Jen would go home. "I understand how much she must love hanging out with them. Before I met friends like your sister or Breezie, I didn't think I'd hang around anyone who wasn't Sam, my brother, or Twister."