Chapter 32: Delicate Dilemma

**Sandy's POV**

           I twirled the pencil around in my fingers. Turned it around. Made some doodles on the lined blue paper. Erased them. Basically anything to give my parents the impression that I was doing homework. I had already finished my homework (as well as Buzz's) long ago, but if my parents knew I was done they would make me do something creative... or whatever they called it. If they thought I was busy, I could do whatever I wanted, like thinking.

           Thinking was something I liked to do a lot. Buzz didn't care for it. He told me that if I spent half of my life thinking then I'd miss out on the rest. Buzz liked to be spur of the moment and jump into things. Sometimes that gets him in trouble. Dee told me that while I should think things through, I shouldn't over-think them. I don't know. I disagree, really. Thinking is the spawn of so many great ideas and inventions, innovations and evolutions and... revolutions!
           A muffled explosive sound went off above me. I glanced up at the ceiling, blinking away the dust that drifted into my eyes. Right above where I was sitting was a bathroom, and above that, on the third floor, was the chemistry set. Probably another case of Buzz not thinking.

           I folded my notebook and laid my pencil on it before getting up and pushing in my chair. I brushed out the creases in my dress before taking a breath and heading upstairs.
           "Buzz!" I said with annoyance once I reached the third level. Buzz turned to me, completely covered in black ash, his hair on end. Even though we were twins, Buzz and I were nothing alike.
           "Shush!" Buzz said, looking around quickly. "I don't want to get in trouble! Andy asked me to. I really want to help him."
           "Help him with what?"
           "Help him make the potion that will turn his imaginary friend real!" Buzz said excitedly.
           "Oh, please, you don't actually believe that crap, do you?" I said, rolling my eyes. Imaginary friend? C'mon. I was younger than Dee, but only by a year. I was smart enough to know that imaginary friends and monsters weren't real.
           Buzz's eyes widened. "You said a bad word!"
           "Whatever. You'll get in more trouble by messing around with the chemistry table when you're not supposed to," I said with a sigh.
           "Not if you don't tell anyone," Buzz grinned, a twinkle in his eye. "Besides, technically I'm not the one who isn't allowed to use the table. Just mom and Andy."
           "Dad said that he doesn't want anyone fooling around with the table! The only reason we still have it is because grampa said not to throw it out!"
           Buzz narrowed his eyes at me. "Wow, aren't you a little party pooper? Since when did you turn into the little snitch goody-two shoes who does everything daddy tells her to?"
           I felt tears come to my eyes. "Take that back!"
           "Make me!"
           I took a step towards Buzz, my eyes burning, my fists curling into little balls. Wait, wait, think it through, think it through, think it through...

           I relaxed. He was my brother, and I loved him no matter what. I knew that he didn't mean what he said. There was some truth in it, though.
           Something in the next room caught my eye. It was mom! She was running on the treadmill. I was confused for a moment on why she didn't stop the fight between Buzz and I until I noticed the ear-buds in her ears. "Mom," I said, walking over to her. She didn't turn. "MOM!!!" I bellowed, causing her to jump and slip on the treadmill.
           "Holy shi-shoot! Sandy, darling, don't scare me like that," mom said with a sigh, picking herself up off the treadmill and putting her ear-buds away. "I suppose I'm done anyway," mom continued, turning off the machine and doing some stretches.
           "Why are you exercising mom? You're already so skinny! If you exercise anymore you'll disappear into nothing!" I wasn't an idiot-I knew that my mom was always complaining about having pregnancy fat she never worked off and all that. But she was really skinny and I didn't want her to develop eating disorders.
           "Sandy," mom said, her face relaxing, her eyes twinkling slightly, "Thanks. Go take a bath now."
           Ugh. "Fine..." I said, turning around.

           I made sure to grab my periscope before bathing, like always. There wasn't anything particularly amazing about it, but it was a time where I could let my thinking drain away and let my imagination wash over me...
           "Do you see any enemy ships, Miss Sandy?" That would be my second in command. He knew the submarine better than I did!
           "No, but the radar clearly states that there is one nearby. Keep a lookout," I said, making a full circle, trying to find the enemy.
           "Yes sir, Miss Sandy ma'am!"

**Buzz's POV**

           Sandy just didn't understand how to have fun in life. She did her homework like a goody-two shoes and cleaned up after herself. She did do my homework as well, though, so I couldn't complain. Having no homework left me plenty of time to do more important things... like pranking! For some reason, I got a juvenile thrill every time one of my pranks was successful. Mom and dad laughed it off and I never got in trouble, partly because they couldn't prove it was me, and partly because they knew it was funny. I was lucky to have such easy-going parents, honestly. Sometimes my dad could be tough, but I understood that he had gone through a tough time a while back with mom. That still didn't stop me from putting down one of my fifty whoopee cushions on his favourite couch.

           I was still covered in ash from my failed experiment. I had made a stupid mistake, really. There was still one part I needed to perfect, and it was the most difficult part. The iffiest. The only thing that I could do was try different combinations over and over and over. I trusted Andy. I knew he was being truthful. I had seen Jessie lift things. Well, I had seen floating objects which obviously could only be explained by Jessie's presence. Besides, if the potion existed then Jessie had to.

           I was a little nervous about dad seeing me covered in ash, because for some reason he was really against it. But that wasn't going to stop me. I had a way with the chemistry set, even though I was young. I couldn't wait to learn all about it in school.

           I laid down one more whoopee cushion before darting away to bathe.

           I made a quick stop at the mirror to make sure my maturity level was still as low as a four year old's. Yep, all good. I always heard mom and dad whisper about how my blue eyes and brown hair would make all the ladies fall for me. They said they expected me to be a 'bad boy'. Wasn't I already a bad boy? I did clean up after myself and got good grades (thanks to Sandy), but I still did well on tests without cheating and I wasn't any real trouble. I got the impression that mom and dad meant something else when they said 'bad boy' though.

           As for the ladies falling for me, girls were gross. They were stupid and cried and didn't do anything cool. Besides one girl in my class with white-blond hair and pretty green eyes. Uh, she was okay. Cool I supposed. That was it. I did not like her like that. Cooties and all that.

           While I waited for the bath to fill up, I decided to try a new prank. A more complex one that was clever and well thought out. For some reason, I had a natural skill with plumbing and electrical stuff, handy stuff. Dad said I got it from my mom. 

           I fiddled around in the shower, trying to find the right adjustments to make to make my plan perfect. And what colour? I was limited, but I decided that the most vibrant colour would be neon yellow. Perfect. I poured in the powder, screwed some knobs back on, and stepped out. I could be creative if I wanted.

           By the time I got in our exquisite bathtub, I had left the water running a little too long, and needless to say... it got all over the floor. I would clean it up, though, because I was a good son. Not a good boy, though.

           As I scrubbed the black powder off my body, I considered why I was doing all this. My brother and I weren't especially close. Nor my sister and I. My mom and dad and I were close. It hurt me a little, too, because my brother and I were supposed to be best buddies, sharing a bunk and everything, and Sandy and I were twins. Yet Sandy and Andy were really close. I couldn't understand it. I wanted to be their friends. Why couldn't they just give me a chance?

**Andy's POV**

           I peered into the periscope excitedly, trying to imagine myself in a submarine, but I really just got nothing. Dad said I had quite an imagination with my 'fake' friend Jessie, yet I couldn't even pretend I was in a submarine! Sandy's imagination was obviously much more vast than mine was. Sandy told me stories she made up all the time. She probably got dad's love of creating stories. I got dad's responsible attitude, I think. I looked after my brother and sister and made sure they didn't get into trouble. For the most part, at least. There was no saving Buzz from himself. Sandy, on the other hand, would probably get pulled into some scam that some creep made or something like that. Mom told me that I was mature for my age. Dad said I needed to stop pretending.

           Jessie was real, though. I would prove it to them. To Sandy and dad. The only two who didn't believe me. Buzz helped, thank goodness. I didn't know what I would do without him. I had no sense with potions. Sandy was smart and making the potion would be easy for her, but I knew that she was on my dad's side. My mom and brother trusted me though. And because they trusted me, I respected them.

           After I dried off from my bath, I walked into my parents room to get changed... only to find my parents attached at the lips. "GROSS!" I shouted and they jumped meters apart. Okay, I was mature when I wanted to be mature, but that was just disgusting. No one wants to walk in on their parents kissing.

           "One day you'll be doing that with your wife," dad said, chuckling. Mom elbowed him in the stomach.

           "What if I don't want a wife?" I asked. Dad had explained the whole baby-making thing to me by now. It was a fairly awkward conversation. I had kept silent, and I understood that men loved women and women loved men and they got married. But to me, everyone was the same. Boys were boys and girls were girls. Besides Jessie. Jessie was different. We had a connection.

           "Then you'll grow up alone and we'll be sad that you won't give us grandchildren," mom said.

           "No, I mean, why can't men marry men? And why can't women marry women?"

           Mom and dad shot each other looks. "Technically they can," mom started, but dad cut her off.

           "Cind!" That was what my dad called my mom when they were serious.

           "What? He asked! What's wrong with that?"

           "He's not old enough to understand," dad said. He looked at me. "In a few years, we can talk about this again. But for now, just... Men and women have children together."

           "Yes, dad," I said, nodding towards him. Dad nodded back towards me and left the room. Mom sighed.

           A few days later, I decided to ask my mom again. This time, without dad in the room. "Come in," mom said, and grabbed a hammer out of her dresser. "I'm just going to work on this fireplace... I'm making it fireproof. Like, so that fire doesn't escape it. I've always been worried about having another fire in this place."

           "Mom," I said once she started banging away on the fireplace, "I wanted to ask you about men marrying men and women marrying women."

           She didn't even blink. "What about?"

           "Is it allowed or not? And why wouldn't it be allowed?"

           Mom turned towards me, looking serious. "You're not old enough to understand."

           "Can you just tell me?" I shouted. I didn't mean to shout. "Please?" I added politely.

           "If I tell you, you have to promise to not say another word about the subject until you're older, alright?"

           "Promise."

           She turned towards the fireplace again. "The marriages you're talking about are called 'same-sex' marriages because that's what they are. People who are attracted to the same gender are called 'homosexuals'. People who are attracted to the opposite gender are called 'heterosexuals'."

           "Why?"

           "I don't know. Don't ask anymore questions. Anyway, for a long time, people believed that it was impossible to love someone of the same sex because of what certain religions state and because same-sex marriages obviously can't produce children. Only recently have same-sex marriages become legalized. Many people still frown upon it," mom explained.

           I struggled to understand this information. "Can I ask a question?"

           "Okay."

           "What if you like both genders? Then what?"

           "Those people are bi-sexual. There are also asexual, pansexual, and polysexual people. I'm not explaining them though. Do you identify yourself as a male?"

           That question surprised me. "Yes, why?"

           "That's enough for today. I'm sure you're straight, sweetheart, but you won't know until you're older. Go see what your brother's up to; I think I heard an explosion."

           "Hey Buzz," I said cautiously, meeting him at the bottom of the staircase. He was covered in soot, his eyes wide open, looking very bewildered. I felt a pang of guilt.
           "Three mixtures, not four! Bromine, bromine... Magnesium and a touch of potassium... Bananas would do the trick..."
           Oh no, he couldn't be crazy... I probably made my brother crazy! No, no, no! "Buzz!" I cried worriedly, taking him by the shoulders and shaking him, "Buzz! Wake up!"
           Buzz's eyes snapped close for a brief second and adjusted onto my face. He grinned. "Fooled ya!"
           "Jerk!" I said, laughing in relief. I should've known. Buzz was Buzz, after all. "Wait, ssh," I whispered, halting Buzz's laughter. I strained my ears.
           "I'm just really stressed out, hun. I'm going to try and work on my book," dad said, obviously speaking to my mom. I heard his feet trodding on the staircase.
           "Shoot! Buzz! Quick, go take a bath! Dad'll kill you if he sees you like this!" I quickly pushed Buzz into the nearest bathroom, shutting the door closed behind him. It wasn't uncommon to have to hide Buzz after an experiment which went sour. We had years of practice.

           Dad walked past me and sat down at his computer on the kitchen table. I started to travel up the stairs until dad spoke up, leaving me frozen in my tracks. "You're going to be a teenager soon, you know that?"
           "Yeah... in a few years." I didn't like where the conversation was headed.
           "There are going to be girls you like as more than friends," dad continued. Oh, great.
           "Look, dad-" I said, but he cut me off.
           "I heard the conversation between you and your mother," dad said, turning his head towards me. "Son, if you like boys in that way, please, keep it a secret. I'm not asking you to date girls if you're not interested in them, but people pick on gays."
           "Gays?"
           Dad sighed. "Is that really all you got out of the conversation?" I paused, unsure if I was supposed to answer. "'Gays' are homosexuals, AKA someone who likes another of the same sex."
           "Oh. Why do people pick on gay people? Aren't they like everyone else?"
           Dad's mouth twisted into a brief smile, but ducked his head. "You're right, Andy, but some people don't see it that way, and they could go as far as to try and bully and hurt homosexual people."
           "Well I'm not sure if I'm gay," I said, extremely confused. "I just don't know."
           Dad looked relieved, and turned to his computer again. He flicked on a football game. "Give it time, Andy."

           I went to consult Buzz on the matter. "Andy, get out!" he said as I barged into the washroom. He was soaking in the bathtub.
           "I want to talk," I said, sitting down on the cold tiles.
           "Can't it wait? I'm kind of naked," Buzz muttered.
           "I don't see why it has to. I can't see anything," I said with a chuckle, "And we have the same parts anyway."
           "Fine. What is it?"
           "Do you like girls or guys?" I wanted to know if what I was feeling was normal or not.
           "Girls. Duh."
           My heart sank. "You're positive?"
           "Of course."
           So it really was just me who was confused. I would have to ask Sandy later. "Okay, well, have fun," I said, standing up to leave.
           "Wait, why?"
           "Doesn't matter, Buzz," I said, walking out of the washroom.

           That evening, I cornered Sandy as she was brushing her teeth before heading to bed. "Sandy, do you like boys or girls?"
           "Boys are stupid idiots and girls are mean," she said.
           "No, I mean, like, like like," I stuttered. Oh, goodness. I could see where she got the impression that the male species were just a load of stupid idiots.
           "As in romantic? Guys, I suppose, but I'll be looking a long time before a find a guy smart enough for me," she said huffily.
           Great... So my brother was sure of his sexual orientation (I had looked this up after my conversation with Buzz), my sister was stuck up, and I was confused. I probably wasn't straight (hetrosexual's other term), though, or I would know.

**Cinderella's POV**

           My life had been such a mess in the last few weeks. Buzz was blowing himself up, Sandy was turning snippy, Andy was probably gay, and Prince was constantly crusty. Of course, it was up to me to sort it all out.

           "Sandy?"

           "Not now, mother, I'm bathing! What is it with this family and talking to people during bathtime?!"

           She had a point, but that wasn't what I wanted to talk to her about. I refrained from rolling my eyes-I was supposed to be the mature one-and said, softer, "I know that you're starting to hit puberty, darling, so your hormones will probably be a little crazy. But you need to remember that girls hit puberty much earlier than boys do, which means you need to be conscious of Buzz and Andy's confusion towards your attitude."

           "What attitude?" she snapped.

           "That attitude. Can you tell me what's on your mind?" I said, as sweetly as possible.

           She opened her mouth, turning towards me, but then her eyes regained their hostility and she said, "Nothing's on my mind except that I want to wash myself in peace, thanks."

           I left, but I hadn't given up. I would get her to open up to me if it was the last thing I did.

           Andy, annoyingly enough, was having a bath, too. "Mom! Really?"

           "I'm your mother, I've had to look at your naked body every time I changed your diaper when you were a baby," I said with annoyance.

           "Rude!" he said, sinking into the bathwater.

           "Anyway, I just wanted to ask you to not confuse your sister and brother about what their sexual orientation is. They know they're both straight, and that's all that matters to them," I said. The twins had both marched up to me and asked why Andy was wondering if they liked boys or girls. It was important for them to eventually understand different sexual orientations, but when they were kids... Not the time.

           "It's not fair," Andy muttered, sulking, "Why am I so confused?" He searched my face for answers, any. But I had none.

           "Sorry, kid, that's not my field of expertise. You won't be confused for too long. Don't let others influence you, though; I think this is a matter you need to work out on your own." And with that piece of advice, I departed.

           "Hey, Buzzy boy, can I talk to you for a sec?" I was relieved that he wasn't taking a bath.

           "Sure, mom," he said, stepping down from his little chemistry table step-ladder. It was kind of cute how small he was.

           "I acknowledge and appreciate the work you're doing for Andy, but I never, ever want you to put yourself in harm's way. It doesn't matter what this potion is for, Buzz-I want you to stop working on it," I said, firmly. I hated to do it, but I had to put down my foot eventually. My boy was too precious to lose.

           "What?! Mom, that's ridiculous! No!"

           "No is right, Buzz. No more using the chemistry set."

           "Mom, please! Please! If I set off even one more explosion, I'll promise to stop using it right away! But this is so important to Andy, mom. It's the only thing that can help dad trust Andy again and vice versa."

           I couldn't say no again. Not to that. "Okay. But if I even smell one dusting of ash, I will throw out that table," I said sternly.

           "Thanks, mom! I'll be extra careful from now on, I promise!" Buzz said excitedly, and returned to his potion making. It was nice how much he was willing to do for his brother. Not many siblings were like that.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

           The last one to talk to was my ever-loving hubby, Prince. I walked in on him staring at himself in the mirror. "When did we get that table down there?" Prince said once he noticed me.
           "I bought Sandy a baking table. She wants to learn how to bake. Honestly, it's the last thing I want her to do, but I couldn't say no," I said with a sigh, kissing him on the cheek.
           "You spoil our children so much," Prince said, kissing me back.
           "And you don't spoil them enough. Take it easy on Andy, okay? Your relationship is really suffering because of your stubbornness. First the chemistry set, and now his sexual orientation? Really, Prince? I love you to pieces, but this has to stop. You don't treat the twins like this."
           Prince bowed his head. "I know, and I'll try to back off... but it's weird, you know? My whole life, I was taught about how homosexuality is wrong and then boom, here we go, it's okay. I honestly don't see anything wrong with having romantic feelings towards the same gender, but it's not suited for royalty."
           "What do you mean?"
           "I mean, who are we going to pass all of our money onto? Only one of our children can become the heir of the title of king or queen. Who do we pick? Andy is the first born and therefore rightful heir to the throne, but if he's gay then he won't be able to have... proper children."
           "Proper children?" What the hell? Prince had never properly explained all of this heir business.
           "Proper children as in someone that Andy can pass the throne onto. The children have to be of royal blood, so they can't be adopted," Prince explained.
           "What if a woman carried Andy's child? With Andy's sperm. Wouldn't that work?"
           Prince coughed at the word 'sperm'. "No, because the father or mother of the child has to be married into the family. So if Andy is gay, then he can't be the heir, which leaves us with Buzz and Sandy."
           "Oh, Prince, I couldn't pick between the two! That wouldn't be fair!"
           "Technically, assuming Andy is gay, we should pick Buzz, because he is male and was technically born first."
           "But Buzz is a trouble maker! There's no way that he's responsible enough to become king," I said with a sigh. Buzz also would never like the idea.
           "And we have our dilemma there."

           "Do you understand why I was so against the idea?" Prince said, pulling me into a hug. "It's not because I'm prejudice against homosexual people, it's just the rules."
           "Yes, I do, and thank you for explaining that," I said with a sigh. "I'm sorry for judging you."
           "You know, if you really want to make it up to me..." Prince said, raising his eyebrows and pulling me in for a kiss.
           "Men. They only ever have one thing on their mind," I tutted.
           "Don't deny that it's running through your mind too," Prince said, kissing me.
           It wasn't, though. There was only one thing that I could think about after that discussion.

Who was the heir going to be? Andy, Buzz, or Sandy?