Like A Snowflake In May

Originally published February 23rd, 2020.

~~~

Dinner at the Wells household ended in a screaming match on that particular Thursday.

It was amazing how something as simple as a single question could set Addison's parents off. After the ordeal with the werewolves, the cheerleader found herself wondering more and more where, exactly, she came from. So, naturally, questions arose.

She was happy with her life. It wasn't that she wasn't happy, because she was. It was just curiosity.

White hair that resisted dye wasn't natural -- for humans, anyway. There had to be some explanation, and now that she was a lot more comfortable with herself, she figured she would ask her mom and dad if they knew anything.

The question was asked over dinner. Vegetable casserole. The conversation fell into a lull as Missy finished recounting her day at the office, and then, the sentence fell from Addison's lips as easily as anything: "Hey, do you guys have any clue why my hair is white?"

She wasn't expecting much of a response. At best, she'd be dismissed again, and they'd cite the testing from the past as evidence that they still had no idea. The hair was just something that... happened.

But she'd just thought that maybe, just maybe, they'd have some kind of clue. Some kind of hint that had resurfaced itself in their memories due to recent events concerning various types of monsters. A distant relative, or maybe something that happened while Missy was pregnant. 

Just maybe.

What she got instead was her parents immediately responding "No," in unison, their tone a little too forceful to be entirely truthful. They gave their answer with the voices of two people who had been keeping up a facade for far too long, and who were about to break.

Before the zombie integration, and before the werewolves, Addison would have kept her head down, finished her dinner, and went upstairs to do her homework. She would have been a little shaken, but she would have submitted to their dismissal.

Now, Addison had a pack. And it wasn't just the wolf pack, either; it was all of her friends. 

And since then, she'd had a lot of time to think about how her parents behaved about her hair.

So, she pushed them a little. Asked about the hair again. Just in case, because she was getting suspicious. 

They said no again.

She asked it if was something monster-related. 

They became aggressive. 

So did Addison. Missy and Dale were insisting that they knew nothing, but she could tell they were lying. So, she accused them of just that. 

She saw a hint of fear in their eyes. Just a hint.

Frustrated, she left the house before she had even finished her plate. Ignored her mother and father who were calling after her, but not putting in the effort to follow her.

And now, about ten minutes later, she was wandering aimlessly through town.

Addison pulled her pink hoodie tighter around her. What on earth had she been thinking? Walking out with nothing but her phone, not having a plan? What a very teenage thing to do.

Where would she even go for the night? She didn’t have many options. 

Bucky and her aunt and uncle weren’t exactly people she wanted to go to for warmth right now, or possibly ever. She loved her family, of course, but that household was even harsher than her own. When it came to conformity, Aunt CeCe had a mean streak like no other.

And as much as Addison enjoyed the company of the wolves, she wasn't extraordinarily close to any of them just yet, and she didn't think she would enjoy sleeping in the den all that much.

On the other hand, Bree was as sweet as pie, and she was who Addison would go to in another situation, after a different argument. But Bree would try and talk to Addison about it, and Addison didn’t want to. Not yet. Her best friend always had good intentions, but a different kind of comfort was needed right now. 

No, she needed to be distracted.

There was only one place left that she could think of to head to, and it housed the one person who distracted her more than anyone else.

She didn’t care if she would have to sneak past the town wall. She needed a big, long hug from Zed. Perhaps one from Zoey and Bonzo each, too, just for good measure. And, if she was lucky, she might be able to sneak one out of Eliza.

Addison had been to Zombie Town at night before, but this part of Seabrook was definitely a lot less intimidating than everyone had always made it out to be in the past. She couldn't understand how anyone could be scared in a place that looked so welcoming.

The streets were lined with golden string lights, hand-crafted street art was everywhere you looked, and the town actually felt like a home. It was the warmest place she had ever been. 

Plus, the people who lived here were her friends. She had nothing to be afraid of and she knew it.

It wasn’t quite curfew yet, but it was getting close, so there weren’t many zombies out and about on Addison’s path to the Necrodopolous household. There was one older man walking near the ruins of the power plant that she didn't recognize, and one girl Addison’s age in Zed’s block. 

Addison recognized her as Paizley, the one that Zed said collected scrap metal in her wagon to be used for lord-knows-what. The girls waved at each other in the way you wave to someone you don’t really know that well, but it would still be rude not to acknowledge each other. The slightly confused look on Paizley’s face was ignored.

Addison approached Zed’s doorstep. She didn’t even feel the need to pause and make sure she didn’t look like an emotional mess; her walk had helped her calm down, especially the part through Zombie Town. She was mostly just exhausted, now.

She rang the doorbell and waited, glancing behind her. Paizley was wandering off down the street, probably headed to her house. There were so many people in Seabrook that Addison didn't know all that well yet; she made a mental note to get to know the other zombies later. She loved making new friends.

Mr. Necrodopolous – Zevon, he told her to just call him Zevon – was the one who answered the door, with Zoey right behind him. The man's eyebrows raised and the little girl's face lit up. He said, “Addison? It’s nearly curfew, what are you doing out?”

Addison waved at Zoey, who was waving back. “Oh, no reason, I… I just...”

She stopped, her smile faltering. Zevon looked concerned, but he waited for her response. He patted Zoey's head. “Hey, kiddo. Why don’t you go see what Zed’s up to? Tell him Addy’s here.”

“On it!” The girl darted up the stairs as if she were on an urgent mission.

Addison shrugged. She figured there was no point in hiding it. Not from this family, anyway. She had nothing to hide. “My parents and I had a bad conversation. I know it’s kinda out of the blue, but I just needed to cool off. And besides, I like it here.”

For a moment, Zevon looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but he just smiled in a hesitant way. “It’s no problem, but we’re a little short on space. These zombie buildings weren't really designed to have guests.”

“That’s alright! I can crash on the couch, easy.”

“No, Addison, I would never–”

Zevon was interrupted by Zed flying down the stairs, taking two of them at a time and nearly tripping over his lanky limbs in the process. He looked happy to see Addison, but his expression was muddled with confusion and worry. His eyes were as big as plates. “Addison?”

She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. “Hey, Zed! I’m spending the night, I think.”

Zoey was right behind her brother. “Spending the night? We’re having a sleepover?”

Zed tilted his head. He was already wearing pajamas, which Addison found unbelievably endearing. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s just my parents.”

“Your parents?” He frowned and took a step towards her. “They didn’t… make you leave or something, did they?”

“No, I walked out on my own. It’s okay, I promise.” She gave a reassuring smile to the family that had gathered in the entry room. “Like I said to Zevon, I just need to cool off.”

Zoey began walking back up the stairs. “You seem pretty chill now.”

“It must be the company.” Addison smiled, and then yawned.

Zevon crossed his arms. “Well, no guest of ours is sleeping on the couch, that’s for sure.”

Zed's eyes somehow widened even wider. “You were going to sleep on the couch?”

Addison sighed, rolling her eyes in a good-natured way. “I can handle it.”

“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” Zed stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug. “You can take my bed. I’ll take the couch.”

Addison sighed and smiled into her boyfriend's chest. She didn’t argue. She had done enough arguing for one night.

The next morning, she ate breakfast at the Necrodopolous household (which was the most fun she'd had in weeks; the family apparently liked to have impromptu karaoke sessions while doing something as simple as cooking breakfast), and headed to school with Zed, Eliza, and Bonzo. 

The other two zombies had given Zed a look upon seeing Addison exit his house with him, but he made a "don't ask" gesture at them when he thought Addison wasn't looking. 

That day at cheerleading practice, Addison felt a little bit off, like she hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before. It made sense; she wasn't really surprised that she was a little bit tired after a stressful evening like that. 

But, regardless, Bree noticed. Not many other people would have, but Bree was fine-tuned to both the intricacies of cheerleading and to how her friend's normal energy levels were (Addison's shake-n-bake wasn't quite as shakey or bakey as normal). 

She turned to Addison as the squad practiced the pyramid; it was a good time to say something, since the cheer captain had to direct and observe the move, and Bree wasn't a part of it. "You doing okay?"

"What?" Addison blinked and stood up a little straighter. "Yeah, I'm great. Just a little sleepy, is all."

"Well, alright. Just checking on you." Bree faced forward, smiling as she changed the subject. Her friend never liked staying on the topic of herself too long. "So did you catch the new Project Runway? Gosh, the finalists are all geniuses, I can't decide which to root for!"

The same day, Addison and Zed left school together, hand in hand. Zed was swinging their linked arms together so comically high that they were about to begin helicoptering, and it was making Addison giggle. 

Zed smiled at her for a moment, enjoying her laugh, but followed the pause by asking, "You headed back home today?"

"I don't think so." Addison stopped laughing, but a faint smile was still on her face as she looked ahead of her. "I'm waiting to hear an apology from my parents first. I asked Bree if I could stay at her place tonight, and I think that's where I'm going to head after we're done hanging out today."

"Aw, can't be seen at my house anymore, huh?"

She lightly punched his arm with her free hand and ignored his shit-eating grin as she responded. "I just figure my mom and dad would rather me stay overnight with a friend than with my boyfriend."

"Your zombie boyfriend."

"Aw, come on, Zed, you know that doesn't matter anymore. That's just how parents are with boyfriends."

"I know, I'm just teasing." He wiggled his eyebrows. "I'm a lot more fun than any human guy, though, you gotta give me that."

"That is true." 

They shared another laugh and walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes after that.

As they rounded the corner and approached their favorite froyo stand, Zed said, "So you're alright? With your parents, and everything? I mean, obviously not entirely, but you know what I mean."

She nodded. "I'll be okay."

"What did you guys even argue about? If it's okay to ask. It's alright if you don't wanna say."

"No, it's fine. I just needed to be distracted last night." She sighed. "I brought up my hair again, and when I pushed about it, they got all defensive. It escalated because I wondered if it was related to a possible monster relative."

Zed whistled. "You sure they're alright with zombies and werewolves now? If their reaction to that suggestion was that harsh..."

"They're not completely there yet with a lot of things, but I know they like you." Addison brought her free hand to affectionately run her fingers across his Z-band scars. The marks from his band's malfunction were healing up now, and Addy liked to think that giving them extra love helped the healing process along. 

She continued, "I'm not sure why they reacted so badly, though. It's not like me having a monster relative changes anything. Speaking of, have you ever heard of zombie hair being white? I know werewolf hair is, but we all know that possibility's been ruled out."

Zed shrugged. "Nah, I've never seen it. Every zombie I know of has, or has had, green hair."

"Worth a shot. Anyway, I just got mad and left. And... I don't know, I guess I'm taking it kind of personally." She looked at the ground. "They haven't even sent me a text to try and check on me or anything."

"Wow. I can't blame you for not going back just yet, then." 

"I probably will in a day or two. It'll be fine, I promise. Let's just have some froyo. I hear they're selling peanut butter and brains now!"

As they arrived at the cart and greeted Coach, Addison thought about how she was glad to have people in her life that she didn't have to watch her words around, who she could be goofy with and just relax. She felt at home around Zed, around Bree, around the cheer squad and the zombies and the werewolves. Her actual home life was like walking on eggshells.

As the week went on, the sleepiness worsened.

After that first night, Addison went to stay at Bree's house as promised, and had a nice time. Bree's house was smaller than Addison's, but they still had a guest bedroom (all Seabrook houses were equipped with one). 

She texted her parents that she would be staying at a friend's house (without specifying who). They ordered her to come home. She didn't respond.

During a time on Saturday that she knew both Missy and Dale were at work, she went back to her house to grab a couple things, so that she wouldn't have to borrow Bree's clothes until she went back. 

She practiced, like normal. She hung out with Zed, like normal. She did her homework, like normal. She was so engrossed in distracting herself with school and extracurriculars that she didn't notice her fatigue levels worsening until the start of the next week.

Addison chalked it up to being away from home for the first few days. She was nodding off in class by the end of Monday, but it didn't really affect her performance until the next day.

She made it through classes that Monday, but she nearly dropped another cheerleader while doing a tossing stunt at practice; she didn't drop the flyer completely, but her grip on her loosened, and it messed up the formation. 

This was so incredibly un-Addison that Bucky ended up stepping in. (He wasn't the cheer captain in title anymore, but he still acted like it sometimes, and came to practice on a regular basis.)

He called her aside as the other cheerleaders continued their drills, crossing his arms as he talked to her. "Are you sick or something, cuz?"

Addison's eyes went out of focus, and she had to make a conscious effort to un-blur her vision. "I... I don't think so. I'm so sorry, Bucky, I don't know what's up with me the past few days. I've just been kinda tired."

"Kinda?" Bucky glared. "That fall could have caused a head injury. You need to take time off until this... whatever this is sorts itself out."

"What?" Her eyes widened. "No, I can cheer! I don't feel sick at all, I'm just tired!"

"Well, catch up on your Z's and get back to me. Go see the nurse or something. Take your medicine. I can't have you pulling this kind of thing, not even at practice."

Bucky walked away, and that was that.

After Addison could barely focus on her and Zed's conversation on the way home on Tuesday, she decided that yes, maybe she was a little sick. 

But she had never heard of any sickness where you were just super tired. She was getting the same amount of sleep she always did, and she didn't have any other symptoms.

Well, maybe she had a few minor symptoms, but they were probably just a part of the sleepiness. Her chest felt kinda hollow, and everything was loud. So incredibly loud. It hurt her ears at times.

That day, Zed refused to take her anywhere after school but Bree's house, insisting that she get some rest. And, truthfully, that was all she was up for doing: napping. So, she went back to the house before Bree was even home (she was in Zombie Town visiting Bonzo for a little while) and fell asleep as soon as she hit the guest bed.

Bucky wasn't the only one who noticed Addison's sleepiness. Bree noticed, too. 

It persisted through that week. Bree hadn't brought it up much to Addison after the first day, since she didn't want to bum her bestie out, but she was really getting worried about her. 

The condition was shaping up to be all too similar to one that had almost killed her uncle Archibald once.

It couldn't be... could it? Would Addison be that neglectful to her own health? 

Surely, before leaving her parents' house, she would have grabbed the supplies she needed. Enough of it for a few days, at least.

But, by Wednesday, Addison was more sluggish than anyone in Seabrook had ever been, and she had so much trouble getting out of bed that she had to take a sick day. She clearly wasn't happy about it, but she had no other choice.

Bree had to go to school (it was her last chance to make up the pre-algebra test), but she made up her mind. She would ask Addison about it as soon as she got home. 

Addison spent the day alternating between watching bad reality shows (Dance Moms and South Beach Tow were two favorites, simply for their utter ridiculousness) and sleeping. She never felt rested when she woke up. In fact, if anything, she felt even more tired.

Maybe this was why active people almost never took naps. She almost never took them anyway, but she had heard of people sometimes being more fatigued after waking up from them. Maybe this was the same thing.

Zed texted her and snapchatted her throughout the day, sending her dumb pictures of himself, random thoughts, and seemingly every compliment he could think of. It made her smile, made her feel less useless while stuck in bed. 

Bree arrived home relatively early (usually, Seabrook students would hang out for a little bit after school, or attend practices or clubs; it was rare for a Seabrook student to go home immediately after school), entering Addison's room before she had even taken her shoes off. Zed was close behind her, opting to pay a visit to his bedridden girlfriend.

He immediately sat beside her and smiled at her as he took her hand. "Hey, Addy."

She smiled back. "Hey, Zed. I miss you guys."

The peppy girl slung her backpack onto the floor and sat at Addison's bedside as well. "Feeling any better?"

"Not really." Addison's voice had a slight hoarseness to it now after several hours of unconsciousness. "Still tired."

"Well... you got everything you need from your house when you went back for a little bit, right?" Bree sounded a bit hesitant, like she was dancing around a subject.

"I guess." Addison's brow furrowed. "Toothbrush. A few clothes. I grabbed what I could while my parents were gone."

"Sure you didn't forget anything?"

Zed turned to Bree. "What do you mean?"

Bree wrung her hands, looking at her lap as she continued. "Anything you might need to take daily? I dunno, like maybe you're on meds, or something different."

Addison stared for a moment, confused by her friends' questions. "No, no meds. DIfferent how?"

"Different like ichor?"

Bree's question had come out so quickly, it was barely comprehensible. Addison blinked. "Come again?"

"Ichor. You know." Bree's hand flew to her mouth. "Or... maybe you don't?" 

"What are you talking about?"

"It's just that my uncle had the same kind of sickness at one point, I think. And that was the only thing that helped him get better." Bree looked at Addison, half expectantly and half in fear that she had said the wrong thing.

Addison shook her head, sharing a confused look with her boyfriend. "No, never heard of it. Is it some kind of prescription? Should I try it? It sounds like it's worth a shot, if it helped your uncle."

Bree shook her head, standing up quicker than anyone should have been able to. The girl was like a hummingbird. "No, I'm sure it'll be fine. It's only for really special cases. I just wanted to make sure. Excuse me!"

Bree scurried out of the guest room, ducking back in to grab her backpack before running out of the door frame.

Addison and Zed looked at each other for a moment again and shrugged. It was Bree. Behavior like this was an everyday occurrence. Addison would ask her about it later.

Zed relaxed in the guest room with Addison and watched some TV for the rest of the evening, but she was out of it. She was trying hard to focus, but it was clear she needed to go back to sleep. She wasn't even awake when he left; he just gave her a quiet kiss on the forehead and slipped out, saying goodbye to Bree before he left.

The next morning, Addison's fingertips were see-through.

She noticed as soon as she woke up, when she moved her arms to rub her eyes. It wasn't very noticeable, but Addison was perceptive. The very tips of her fingers, from her pinkies to her thumbs, were disappearing. Like a ghost.

She bit back a scream. She wasn't sure she'd even have the energy to scream, anyway; she didn't even think she could get out of bed, much less strain herself to be loud enough to scream. 

Instead, she used all her energy to pick up her phone from the nightstand and text Bree:

HELP

FOR REAL THIS TIME

Bree was in the room within fifteen seconds, buzzing around Addison like a bumblebee, her mouth going a mile a minute. Addison couldn't keep up; it was hard to focus, and she could only mumble, "call the hospital... call Zed... call my parents..."

Bree complied with the second two requests, because she knew from personal experience that this was beyond the hospital's reach. 

Zed arrived first, and he didn't even take his shoes off as he sped to the guest bedroom.

He took Addison's hand, and his breath stopped when he saw her fingers; they had faded away down to the ends of her fingernails, now. His voice came out broken. "Addy?"

She feebly squeezed his hand and stared at him. "Zed."

"Addy, what happened?"

She made a quiet groan.

"Hey... it's gonna be alright, yeah? Your parents are coming, Bree told me she called them. She probably called an ambulance, too. You're gonna be alright."

Zed didn't know if his words were true, because he didn't have the slightest clue what was happening, but Bree sounded like she did. If Bree didn't make it seem like the world was ending, then Addison would be alright.

It was just... so scary. It was like something out of a movie.

Zed's hand went to her cheek, and he used his thumb to gently push her hair behind her ear. "I'm gonna be with you until you're okay again. I won't leave you, I'll be right here, okay?"

Addison hummed, and stroked his hand with her own thumb. Whatever was going on, it was good that she could hear him and respond. He continued to hold her hand and talk to her, using his free hand to give her other varying forms of affection, such as hair stroking and face holds.

Bree wasn't far behind him. She walked in with a glass of something that looked like liquid gold He could have sworn there was a faint light shining from it.

Zed looked at the glass, and questioned her with his eyes. She shook her head and set it down. "Don't touch that. It's... a home remedy I fixed up. I'm not gonna give it to her unless her parents say it's okay."

"What the heck did you put in it to make it glow like that?"

Bree grimaced. "Family secret...?"

Zed furrowed his brow. "Wait, Bree, is this that stuff you brought up the other day?"

Just then, Missy and Dale entered the room; Bree had left the front door open for them, and the guest room wasn't hard to find, since the door was open. The two teenagers that weren't about to pass out looked at them in apprehension.

When they saw Addison, Dale's jaw clenched up, and Missy made a choking noise. 

Bree picked the glass up again, drumming her fingers on it in anxiety. "I have some. Ichor, I mean."

Dale's brow was straight. "Where did you get that? Are you--"

"My Uncle Archie. He's a, um... he needs ichor, too. We keep some of it in the fridge in a thermos, um, just in case he visits."

The Wells parents nodded, their faces serious. 

Zed blinked and looked at Addison, whose fingers were faded down to her knuckles, and whose eyelids were drooping closed. He asked, "Will this ichor stuff help her get better?"

Missy nodded. "Yes."

"Then give it to me."

Bree nodded and approached the bed with the glass of ichor in her hand, her face contorted in anxiety. She stared in apprehension at her friend as Zed took the glass and kneeled back down beside Addison.

Missy inhaled sharply. "Just be sure not to get any on yourself, Zed. It'll burn you if it touches your skin." 

Dale nodded in agreement. "It'll burn you. It won't burn Addison, though. Just be careful."

He nodded at the strange instruction, but never took his eyes off of his girlfriend. Whatever this medicine was, it better work.

Zed tipped the glass with one hand and supported Addison’s head with the other as he helped her sip it. He started by only giving her a tiny, minuscule amount at first, on the off-chance that it was dangerous (because the warning from her parents was worrying him), but after seeing how it Addison seemed to respond well to it, he let her drink a bit more.

He was so focused on making sure his girlfriend was doing alright that he didn’t notice Bree exclaim in awe. After a moment, though, the ichor’s effect was impossible to ignore, and he found himself spellbound by the sight, unsure of what to say or think.

The drink was glowing stronger now, and Addison’s veins now glowed a faint icy color, not too bright, but still noticeable under her skin. Her eyes fluttered open slightly, and a peek of white light glowed from under her eyelids. 

Zed stopped breathing for a moment. “Is she okay?”

Missy nodded behind him, holding back tears. “Yes. She’s regaining her strength.”

As if on cue, Addison feebly moved her hands from resting at her sides to where they were both wrapped around the glass, guiding it herself. The ends of her fingers were now reappearing, like they were being filled in by an artist.

Zed nearly began laughing in relief; his hand was still on the glass, but his fingers were now being intertwined by Addison’s after she had taken over. He had missed her.

As she drank more, the glow strengthened a bit, but died down as she finished the glass. She rested her head back down on her pillow, and Zed removed his support as she did. She looked much less fatigued now, and she was able to turn her head and look around, which she promptly did, knowing that her boyfriend was there.

Addison smiled her cheerleader smile at him (which was really her normal, genuine smile; she was a cheerleader through and through). Her voice was raspy, but clearly cheerful and energized. “Zed?”

He let himself laugh in joy. “Addison! You’re okay!”

She seemed to get stronger by the second, sitting herself up a bit so she could wrap her arms around his neck. “I’m okay.”

The two, in their usual way, seemed to engulf each other when they hugged, putting every ounce of their love into every show of affection. Bree made a sound of joy and clapped at Addison’s recovery, and Mr. and Mrs. Wells were both able to exhale, Missy trembling as she did so.

Addison and Zed stayed in their hug for a moment longer, and pulled away after a few more moments. Both of their hands stayed held as Addison beamed at Bree, whose smile was equal in measure.

As she looked towards her parents, her smile faded. She regarded them, her hands squeezing Zed's a bit tighter. "Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad."

"Hello, sweetie." Dale stepped forward, and she could see where a single tear had slid down his face. His voice was nearly as shaky as hers was. "I... I'm glad you're alright."

"What happened to me?" Addison shook her head like she was shaking something off. "I'm confused."

Zed nodded. "Me, too. What's going on? Why was she so sick?"

Addison looked towards Bree with a look of confusion and emotional weariness. "And what was that gold drink? It was really sweet. Like cotton candy. And I feel so much better after drinking it."

Bree's expression was sad. "Don't you know what ichor is?"

"I've got no clue." Her eyes shifted towards her parents, and she didn't like their guilty expressions. "I'm glad I'm okay, but... what's going on?"

Missy looked away, almost as if it were in shame.

Dale's eyes were dark. "There's... something we should have told you a long, long time ago."

The fair folk have always been a secretive people.

Only a select few loved ones knew about their existence. Throughout time, they've always kept their true natures a mystery, either living far away from humans, or disguising themselves to live among them (and later, among zombies, as well). 

Dale Wells (his given fey name was Dain, but he didn't dare tell anyone) chose the second option a long, long time ago.

He felt shame at his translucent blue wings and his stark white hair that was impervious to modification. Even though he went by a human name ("Dale" was the one he felt comfortable using; he cringed every time his family called him by his true name), bound his wings to his back, wore hats, and wore expensive wigs, it still wasn't enough to push his feelings down. 

He didn't care that the strands of his hair (they could only be plucked by him) had magical properties. He was hidden, and he looked human, yes, but he felt like just his surname alone could potentially a large, flashing sign above him saying "I'm a fairy! I'm inhuman! I'm an aberration!" Growing up in Seabrook does that to a person, even with a name as innocent as Wells; he was afraid of connotations with wishing wells.

How would people react if they discovered he was a fairy, of all things? It was unheard of. At least people knew what zombies were.

So, as soon as possible, Dale Wells left behind his parents and their traditional fairy home life, only taking a reasonable amount of ichor with him. 

That was all he truly needed from his old life: ichor, the self-regenerating nectar that all fairies had to drink to live. Without it, a fairy would fade away completely, but he never thought about that, not really. He just drank a little each morning like it was something as common as taking cold medicine.

He married his high school sweetheart: the captain of the cheer squad, Missy Concord. He met her at his first football game of the season, and it was like he was under a siren's spell from the get-go. 

Turns out, he was.

Upon an accidental, embarrassing, mutual reveal during a senior house party, while they hid away in a bedroom, Dale found out Missy was half siren. There were blue scales trailing down the small of her back, and her voice made his brain fuzzy.

Despite this, he trusted her, because in return, she had seen his wings and his hair, and she didn't run. 

They stayed together after that. They made each other feel normal, which was all they had ever wanted. 

Plus, they both had little faith that anybody else would ever want them. Insecurity had destroyed their psyches and driven them to find consolation and a sense of normalcy with each other. They were both good at hiding, so they got married, despite the fact that neither of them would say that they felt "in love".

Missy immediately began working in the government once they had graduated, and Dale took a job in zombie containment. It was simply the first job listing he had seen; he had no dreams career-wise, and just took the first place that would hire him. 

Life was good. Dale was paid well enough, and his duties were mostly educating young ones about the dangers of the zombie's natural state, as well as rounding up the teenage undead for being out after curfew. In addition, Missy had landed the position of mayor after pouring her heart (and some of her persuasive magic powers, whether intentional or not) into her campaign, and their combined salaries allowed them to live in one of the nicest homes that Seabrook had to offer.

Some days, he didn't even think about his lineage and his powers and his wings. At times, he forgot that his own wife was a monster, too. He just took his ichor every morning and that was that. 

And then, Missy became pregnant. 

It wasn't planned, because they had no intention of spreading their misfortune onto another person, but the Wells were overjoyed nonetheless. Worry loomed at the back of their minds about their child's fate, but their happiness at the notion of having a daughter was stronger. 

When the baby was delivered, both Dale and Missy held their breaths as the infant was presented to them, and they were only able to exhale when they felt her shoulder blades and found no telltale bumps that signaled she would grow wings later in life. Every fairy baby was born with those, but she was only half-fairy, so the trait was absent. And she was only a quarter siren, so she had no scales, either.

They named the baby Addison, after Missy's grandmother, and it seemed like a good, samey name. One of the samest names.

Dale realized later that it also meant "child of Adam". Adam. The original human. The epitome of normalcy. The standard for humanity. It was the perfect name for his perfect daughter. 

Despite this, he felt the obligation to give her a fairy name, something unknown to others. He didn't want to bring any of his old heritage into his new life unless it was necessary, absolutely not, but he was afraid there would be magical consequences if he didn't grant her a true, secret name, the same kind all fairies had. The universe always knew when something was off-balance, and there was power in names. Nobody knew that better than the fey.

He snuck out of bed one night while Missy was asleep, and went into Addison's room, blessing her with the name Avlon. It was his own grandmother's name. After he had spoken, the infant reached towards him as he leaned over her crib, and her hands grabbed at his white hair, free from any disguise. Dale simply kissed Addison on the forehead and quickly retreated.

The first few months of her life were blissful, aside from a stressful first few days. They tried withholding ichor from her to see if she could live without it, but her health and energy sank as the days went on. So, her parents reluctantly gave her a drop of ichor (only a small drop, since non-fairies couldn't consume the substance without it burning their flesh), and she smiled after it hit her tongue. She reacted to it the same as if she had been given sugar or honey.

Perfect Seabrook baby Addison Wells needed ichor, the same as her father. The same as all fairies. She had no wings, but she still needed the fey's lifeline. There was no telling what other powers she had inherited, but Dale and Missy weren't about to try anything else out.

To make matters even more complicated, when her first hairs began to grow, they weren't a sunny blonde like her mother's, but a frosty white, inherited from her father. Cutting and shaving didn't work, and Missy vehemently objected to using dye of any kind on her baby's head. 

So she wore hats. The wigs didn't come until later, when she was older. 

Addison was an understanding child; she welcomed the wig. She didn't enjoy feeling abnormal any more than her father did, it seemed. Dale and Missy let her try cutting it, dyeing it, everything; they didn't tell her why her hair was the way it was. They told her it must be a genetic mutation or something of that nature.

The Wells did not raise their daughter with any knowledge of her fantastical heritage. They fed her her ichor in sneaky ways; baked into pancakes, for example. 

They didn't teach her how to utilize fairy dust (which Dale still shed a good amount of himself, by the way; he just disposed of it when enough had accumulated). 

They didn't instruct her on how to control her siren powers, because they were weak enough to be a non-issue as long as she didn't know about them. Those abilities required intent to be potent.

They didn't even tell her about her family tree (beyond her grandfather's zombie attack, of course; that was a true story, and it was best to tell her these cautionary tales, since they served a purpose). 

They figured that telling her that she was half-fairy, quarter-siren would have no positive outcome. Either she'd embrace it and want to learn more, or it would heighten her insecurities. Both were undesirable.

No, Missy would just continue incorporating ichor into Addison and Dale's meals, disguising it in sauces and dressings, baking it into cakes. The minimums for Addison's survival were supervised by her parents, and that was all that was needed. 

When she asked her mother why her cooking tasted so delicious, when she asked what her secret was, Missy only winked and laughed it off. 

And so was the life of the Wells household for fifteen years. Until the zombie merger happened. Until the werewolf uprising happened.

Until monsters and confidence and Zed happened.

When the Wells had finished telling the story, silence hung in the air like a fog for what felt like ages. Addison stared at the ceiling, her brow furrowed, but her face stayed otherwise blank.

Zed and Bree stared at Addison, his expression bewildered and her expression guilty. He kissed his girlfriend's cheek as her parents approached her so they could stand at her side, and he went to stand by Bree in the background. He wanted to stay with his girlfriend, but he knew when to step back.

Missy sighed defeatedly and decided to be the one to speak first. “Dale, you never told me you gave her a fairy name.”

He stared at the floor. “I haven’t spoken it since I gave it to her. I don’t know what could have happened if I didn’t give her a true name. It’s unheard of.”

“It’s Addison.”

Addison’s voice cut through the silence like the blade of a sword, as opposed to Missy’s cutting more like a butter knife. Her parents both looked at her, guilt and pleading and sternness in their eyes all at once.

Addison still hadn’t looked at them. She continued, “My true name is Addison. That’s who I’ve been my entire life. Not Avlon. Addison.”

“Sweetie, I…” Dale rubbed his forehead. “I’m so sorry.”

“So you were just going to keep me in the dark forever?” She was looking at them now, her expression hurt and frustrated. “You knew why my hair is different this entire time, you knew I wasn't fully human, and you weren’t planning on telling me?”

“I thought you loved your hair now.”

“I do! That isn’t the point!”

“We were just trying to protect you.” Missy placed her hand over Addison’s. “We didn’t want you to feel even more different than you already did. We wanted you to be happy, to fit in.”

Addison pulled her hand back with a sharp motion. “Just because both of you are afraid of not fitting in doesn’t mean you can push it on me.”

Dale’s eyes were sad. “We would never push anything on you–”

“It’s a bit late for that, isn’t it? You couldn't at least have told me that my fairy heritage meant I needed to drink something special to stay alive?” There were tears forming in Addison’s eyes now, but she wasn’t letting them fall. “Why did it take me almost fading away for you to tell me about who I am?"

Her parents were silent for a moment, wiping away a few tears of their own. Missy said, “I got so used to mindlessly cooking ichor into you and your father's meals every morning that I forgot about it once you left last week. We should have told you earlier--”

“You didn’t tell me earlier, though. I'm sixteen now. I deserve to know. I needed to know."

Dale’s face now was as hollow as his daughter’s had been a moment ago. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. We need to make it up to you.”

Missy nodded, her eyelashes glistening with tears in silent agreement.

Addison sighed and fought back tears.

She knew her parents would just try and buy her love back, maybe offer to get her a car or something. Shower her with affection and love and try to make her forgive them.

But that wasn’t going to work. Not after this. 

She shook her head. “If you want to make it up to me, I need time. Leave me alone for a little while.”

Dale looked at the floor and shut his eyes, but Missy just frowned in displeasure. “Again?”

“Yes, Mom, again.” Addison took a deep breath. “I’m going to stay at Bree’s house for a little bit longer. If I need ichor, I can get it here. Is that okay, Bree?"

Her friend nodded vigorously. "Of course, Addy! You stay as long as you want! I'm sure my parents will understand, since my Uncle Archie is a fairy and all. My dad was fostered into Archie's family when he was really little, so we know all about fairy stuff. I'm so, so sorry, Addy, if I had known that you didn't know, I would have helped you sooner, but I thought that you knew, I really did, I promise--"

"It's alright, Bree," Addison gently cut her off and gave her a soft, appreciative smile. "I know you would have helped me. And you did try and help; it's not our fault that I didn't know what you were talking about yet."

The passive-aggressive jab at Missy and Dale didn't go unnoticed.

Zed stayed silent, but he looked at Addison with a silent reassurance: I'll be here for you, too.

And she silently replied: I know you will.

The Wells gave each other an uneasy glance, and then looked back at Addison. "Well... come home any time you need us, alright? Or text, or call. Whenever you're ready," Dale assured with a defeated voice.

Addison nodded, but didn't respond verbally.

Her parents left with much less urgency than they came. They didn't look back.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched her arms once she was certain they were gone. "Well... that was a lot to take in, huh?"

Bree rubbed the back of her neck. "I still can't believe you didn't know. I mean, I knew the moment I saw your hair."

Zed cocked an eyebrow, and his voice took on a playful tone to try and lighten the mood. "Wait til the wolves hear about this, huh? Their Great Alpha has been a fairy-siren the whole time."

All three of them giggled. Addison added, "Is Willa even going to believe it? I know Wynter will, and Wyatt's gonna go along with Wynter cause it'll annoy Willa."

Bree shrugged and smiled. "It does sound kinda made-up, but after zombies and werewolves, I don't know why fairies and sirens would be so far-fetched."

"Is that why you told me you wanted to fly, Bree?" Addison inquired. "I'm kinda bummed myself that I'm not even going to get wings after going to all this trouble, but I can't imagine growing up with fairy cousins."

"Yeah, I was jealous." She pursed her lips. "Recently, I've been getting over it, though. Cheerleading is a pretty good substitute."

"Nobody can do those tosses like you, Bree." Zed smiled and nudged her shoulder. "I don't know as much about cheerleading as the two of you, and I still know you're the best flyer on the squad."

"Seconded. You've got perfect form." Addison grinned as Bree blushed. She continued, "You're gonna have to teach me about fairy stuff while I'm here, though. I have a feeling I'm not gonna learn much more about it from my parents."

"Absolutely!" She stepped back. "Now, I'm gonna go get us some breakfast; I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving."

Now that only Addison and Zed were left, she saw him frown. It was one of the few times Addison had seen her boyfriend look angry; he was such a cheerful and charismatic guy, and he rarely got riled up. But now, he looked the same as he had in the werewolf den, when he thought they were trying to hurt her.

He shook his head and said, "Addy, that was scary. You could have died. And your parents just... forgot? That's not right. That's not fair."

"You're right. It's not." Addison felt a pang in her heart. "I'm mad, too."

She wasn't angry that she wasn't human. Learning the truth had been a relief. No, she was angry about the behavior exhibited by her parents, and Zed knew that.

He held his hands up defensively. "Listen, I know we've been gaining better control of our full zombie forms now, but if my Z-band malfunctions around your parents, I cannot guarantee their safety."

She chuckled and looked at him warmly, but sadly. Her legs finally stable enough to hold her up, she stood and walked over to him, holding her arms out for a hug that he gladly reciprocated.

He moved to kiss her, but she pushed him back. "No way. I haven't brushed my teeth since yesterday morning, my breath smells awful."

"Do you really think I care?"

"But I care, is the thing. It smells bad to me, too. Not everything is about you."

"Ah, I see." Zed nodded sagely. "Now that you're a fairy, a siren, the cheer captain, and the Great Alpha, you're too good for me."

"That's exactly it. Glad you understand."

They laughed, and she hugged him tight, burying her face into the crook of his neck. He held her back just as tightly.

As they stood in the guest room, they heard Bree call from the kitchen and ask if they wanted to come and help her cook some waffles, and started rambling on about some songs they could play while they worked. Zed hummed into the top of her head, amused and content.

In that moment, Addison knew she was going to be okay. Fairy or siren, zombie or werewolf, human or not.

As long as she had the people she loved, she was going to be okay.