Chapter 56 - Consequences

 "In today's top story - the verdict has come down in the Alto trial. After months of shocking testimony, crime boss Nick Alto has been found guilty of multiple counts of racketeering, extortion and criminal conspiracy.

"Later in our program, Dr. Richard Owen will discuss whether the fall of the Alto and Landgraab crime families marks the beginning of the end of organized crime."

"So, how was your summer?" Aadi asked. 

"Well, you know how it is," Genie said, "My dad's PR guys are pulling their hair out trying to distance him from the Altos. I'm not supposed to know, but I can tell mom's juggling meetings with the Families and the prosecutor's office. Probably trying to play both sides against each other. I moved the last of my stuff out of the house last week."

"I'm sorry, Genie," Mariah said.

"Don't be," Genie smiled. "It's not your fault my folks got in bed with Nick Alto. In my mom's case, literally, which is gross when you consider I did too. Anyway, how was your... oh... um?"

"Yeah, how was prison?" Aadi asked brightly.

"Prison was just like I remember juvie," Mariah chuckled. "So, pretty bad."

"I still can't believe the Agency had you arrested," Genie said, shocked.

"Well, it preserved my cover," Mariah said philosophically. "Picking me up with at the same time as the rest of Britechester crew means no one suspects I was the one to give Villareal's file on Uncle Nick to the authorities."

"Technically, I did that," Aadi smiled. 

"Yeah, but no one knows either of you were involved at all," Mariah said firmly. "Which is good because if they did, the Altos would probably have you killed."

"The burden of being a secret agent," Aadi sighed.

"Anyway, I mostly spent my time in the prison infirmary recovering from Miranda's vampire cure," Mariah added, "and Liberty got the charges against me dropped on technicalities. So, it's all good."

"The cure worked right?" Aadi asked. "No more fang-y stuff."

"Yeah," Mariah smiled. "No more fang-y stuff."

"Hey guys," Miranda came quietly into the room. "Uh, Mariah, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," Mariah smiled reassuringly.

Between Mariah's legal and medical issues, they hadn't seen each other much over the summer. Now, together again, it was clear something was bothering Miranda. Mariah had been trying to give her space, hoping she'd speak up when she was ready. Maybe she finally was...

Miranda led her to the house's little office / study room, clearly wanting some privacy. 

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Mariah said carefully. 

"I've been thinking a lot about what you said last spring," Miranda said.

"Oh," she said out loud while thinking, Madonna, what did I say? 

"About you wanting to grow old together," Miranda said, answering her unspoken question.

"Oh," Mariah sighed. "If you don't..."

"No... I mean yes," Miranda stammered. "I mean... damn it, I've been thinking about this all summer and now I can't talk. I love you!"

"I love you," Mariah smiled. "We don't have to... I mean, I want... I guess I... Madonna, I can't talk either."

"OK," Miranda took a deep breath. "Have you ever looked at this picture?"

"Umm... not really," Mariah said, puzzled at the sudden change of topic. "That's Dr. Psyded, right... the guy who founded Britechester like a hundred years ago or something? Is that his wife or something?"

"A hundred and fifty years... and no," Miranda huffed out a short laugh. "No, that's Ceridwen... Ceridwen Silveroak. Gwen's grandmother."

"Really," Mariah said, remembering her strange holiday in Glimmerbrook and talking to an empty chair which everyone assured her held the ghost of Gwen's grandmother. "Wait, a hundred and fifty years. I know you said she was old when she died, but that's... that's not possible. Is it?"

Miranda turned to the bookshelf, taking down a book.

"I want you to look here," Miranda said gently. "This is a picture of the Moonwood Mill Labor Collective... a mill workers' union... about a hundred years ago."

"OK, where are you going with..." Mariah said, puzzled.

"She looks the same," Mariah gasped, looking at the picture. "Are you sure about the dates?"

"Yes," Miranda said. "This is a hundred years ago... those men are the leaders of the Moonwood Collective at the time... and that's Ceridwen and her daughter, Arianrhod... and her granddaughter Gwenivar." 

"Gwenivar," Mariah breathed. "Gwen?!"

Miranda nodded.

"How..." Mariah stammered. "That can't... How?"

"The way Gwen explained it, there are two answers to that," Miranda said. "The first is that time doesn't... work... the same way in Glimmerbrook. Gwen says the further we are from the world... the less we're involved with mortals... the slower time moves for us. When she was child, she didn't have much contact with mortals... so she 'lived more slowly' ... she was child a hundred years ago, and a teenager when she moved to Willow Creek about thirty years ago. At that point she started aging at a more or less normal rate... for a little while."

"For a little while," Mariah said.

"She... stopped," Miranda said. "When she was about twenty, she stopped getting any older. It's a potion witches who are involved in both the mortal world and the witch world use. She doesn't age. We don't age."

"We," Mariah gasped. "You... you took this potion."

"Before I met you," Miranda said desperately. "Before all the stuff with the vampires... Gwen gave it to me, in case she couldn't later."

"I... I can't grow old with you," Miranda sighed, "because I'm never going to grow any older than I am now."

"I..." Mariah took a deep breath, "I think I've dealt with all this stuff pretty well... I mean, from the first time you told us your story on the beach, I was willing to believe. I've seen you do magic and I've tried to accept all the weirdness that comes with that. I mean, come on... I was a vampire, if only for about a day. But this... you're never... you're never going to get old. Never?"

"No, never," Miranda said.

"I... I need a minute. I just need a minute," Mariah said, turning and walking out of the room.