Terrance

I take in a breath before walking to Cole’s door. It’s 2 hours past midnight, but I know she isn’t asleep yet. 

I open the door slightly peeking in and she stares up at me. “You can’t knock?” She says sarcastically. I stare at her nodding slightly, “I guess you don’t want to hear my very… Very. Heartfelt apology,” I turn to leave and the door slams shut. 

“No. I’m listening.” He says, staring at me. I hold back my smile and sit on the bed next to her. “Go on…” She mumbles and I suck in a breath.

“I’m sorry I overreacted. I didn’t know where you stood with me adopting you both. So I assumed you weren’t okay with it?” Cole scoffs and rolls his eyes, “I don't know why when I signed consent? I could have just gotte emancipated. But I didn’t because I want to stay with you…” 

Emancipated? She’s been thinking about getting emancipated? 

Cole clears her throat as if reading my mind he says, “I don’t want to get emancipated anymore… But I was planning to? It’s why I got my working papers and I was looking at apartments. But I couldn’t leave Nova…” She sighs, “That’s why I asked you to adopt us. I couldn’t leave Nova with her” 

“What if I said no?” I ask hesitantly. 

We both know there’s no way in hell I would have said no… But I ask anyway.

“Were you just gonna leave her?”

 “You left me.” She says flatly and I bite my lip slightly, “but that’s different from you getting emancipated Cole? I had things to do…?” “Things to do?” She scoffs. “You left with zero explanation for what? For college? You didn’t even have a dorm on campus.”

“We got into a fight? About… Everything? She said she wanted me to pay rent. I told her to be nicer to Nova. Things kinda escalated, and I told her next time she hit Nova I was going to hit her. And she told me to leave… So I stayed at an Airbnb for a few weeks until I got this apartment… And yeah.”

“Things did get better? After you left. She was nicer? Besides the transphobia? You know… I think she knew.” Cole mumbles fidgeting with her hair. He shrugs, “And I mean I was fine with not coming out at first? But going by two different names? Not being able to dress how I wanted to… Never being able to bring friends home because they know me as Cole and she didn’t? Or days where I wanted to bind? And I couldn’t at home… Or how she didn’t let us cut our hair? It just… It got old? I shouldn’t need her permission to be me?” 

I nod slightly. “And she treated Nova like shit” She continues. “She purposefully pushed Nova to her limits and then got upset when Nov couldn’t handle it? And I can’t believe Nova’s still in denial that she’s autistic?” “No no no” I interject. “It’s 100% in her right to get a second opinion, Cole? If someone suddenly told me I was autistic I’d ask someone else too?” 

“But it isn’t sudden, Terrance!” She groans loudly, falling onto her back. “I think… She’s in denial. And those thousands of dollars it takes to get her assessed could be used to put her in therapy or something.” 

I scoff and hit her with a pillow. “I’m not putting her in therapy because she’s autistic? Isn’t she considered high functioning anyways? Or-” 

“We’re not supposed to say that,” She says quickly and I look at her confused, “Why not?” She shrugs, “I dunno? But if it's offensive?” I nod slightly and look up at the ceiling. 

“Terr… I’m really worried about her?” He says seriously and I sigh. “Don’t be.” Cole scoffs, “What do you mean don’t be worried about her? She’s… Different from everyone else?” Cole says, glancing at the door. 

“Yeah? She is?” I mumble. “But that’s what we love about her right?” I nudge her slightly but his depression stays the same.

“She’s still having those panic attacks? And what are we gonna do when she goes mute again? Or lashes out at one of us? Because I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I cry when I’m yelled at. It’s like a fucking reflex or something?” I laugh slightly and she smiles. 

“I have found my solution…? Moving. Reassessing her. And then accommodations and stuff to make things easier on her” I say confidently.

“See! You do think she’s autistic.” She says loudly before pausing. “Wait… Moving? Where?” I scratch my head slightly before sitting up. “We are moving in a week or two? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. But I found a really nice house okay? And I already paid first and last rent and stuff so I wouldn’t back out”

 I pause slightly, searching her face for a reaction but there isn’t one. “You’ll both have your own rooms? And there’s an arts school that’ll be open for auditions around the time we get there? And the house has a garden? And patios and shit” I chuckle slightly. She doesn’t.

“You have to tell Nova.”

That’s it. Two months of searching for a house. Weeks of planning on how to tell her and that is it…

“Of course, I’m going to tell Nova, in fact I planned to tell her this morning. So… It’s really just gonna come out like any moment now…?” I say awkwardly, and she squints slightly. “What aren’t you saying?” 

“Nothing?” I say quickly looking away. Just look at anything but him and you’ll be fine. Just anything else, anything else…

She kicks me and I sigh, “We’re going past the border.” I say quickly. “Because that’s where mom is…” 

“Wait? She’s with the supernaturals?” Cole blurts out and I roll my eyes, “There are no supernaturals.” 

“Then what’s the border protecting us from?” She asks confused, “Because anyone I ask other than you say it segregates humans and supernaturals” 

“Cole. If those thin ass walls were what are protecting us from "vampires and evil leprechauns" we’d be dead by now.” I say flatly. “Leprechauns aren’t real.” Cole interrupts and I stare at her confused. 

“Okay… Vampires. If there are so many of them and that wall is the only thing keeping us apart why haven’t they tried to… I dunno, get out and kill us all?” I ask, confused.

“I… I don’t know.” He mumbles. 

“If it was true I don’t think they would be letting us move there. Or let me see the house? And by the way, I didn’t see any vampires.” I whisper and she smiles slightly. 

And I said it still smiling because I didn’t. I’ve never been a believer in the impossible. Which is getting ironic now because that’s exactly what I am. The impossible.

“And… Powers?” She mumbles. “If the other side isn’t filled with gay supernaturals besides the disappointment… That’d mean there’s no explanation for our powers”

I nod slightly before saying, “You know- mom used to say we weren’t human” I sigh and Cole lies in my lap. “And that at some point she would leave, and I’d have to keep an eye on you both when you start to use magic. And not to let you try and become superheroes” She chuckles and I shrug, “I mean I did think she was going crazy like my entire 9 years of childhood. But out of all the craziness, she’s told me… This is the only thing that was true?” Cole stares up at him and mumbles, “Obviously… But can’t we do more than move water…?” 

“Well, I… Think I’m telekinetic. I mean water too? But… All I can do with that is heal myself with cuts and burns.” Cole quickly sits up nodding quickly “Me too! But telekinetic?”

He pauses, “I can just… Do whatever I want? Telekinetic is the best way I know how to explain it” He laughs. And I smile slightly, “My favorite thing so far is…” 

I move my fingers in a zooming-in motion and a screen opens showing Nova sitting in front of Cole’s room door. 

“Nova!” Cole yells and the door slowly opens. “What's that?” She points to the screen and I quickly close it. “What’d you hear?” She asks hesitantly. 

She crosses her arms and says, “I heard all of it? You're both talking about me…” She cocks her head, “How I can’t deal with change and I’m “Different” than everyone else… Oh and that we’re moving to live with the supernaturals” 

“They aren’t supernatural!” I say, groaning. “You're literally the only person in the universe who thinks that,” Nova says, shrugging before she looks at us, seriousness washing over her face. 

“You said kids out and for us to go to bed? But you really meant Nova get out. Nova, go to bed.” I scratch my head slightly and mumble, “I… Guess I did?” 

“Then just say that next time…”

I nod and she smiles before asking, “So? When do we start packing?”