Ghoul’s POV
Missile comes running into the bedroom covered with paint.
MK Daddy Ghoul!
FG What’s going on baby? Why are you all red?
MK I was painting a picture of Mommy and Daddy when Daddy Poison said I was blue and that I should be red
FG Blue? You mean sad? Why are you blue?
MK today is the day Mommy died, and I said I was sad. And Daddy said I needed to be a happy color and red is happy so he painted me red! Tell Daddy Poison to be nice!
I can’t help but chuckle.
FG Poison!
Poison walks into the room covered in blue paint from his waist down, it’s obvious Missile can only reach so far up. I laugh at the sight.
PP Don’t start. I was trying to be the fun Dad and look I get in return; I’m BLUE!
FG You look good Blue. Real. Good.
MK I want to hear the story of Mommy and Daddy.
PP Missile baby, you know the story by heart.
MK Today is the day and I want to hear it again.
FG Okay, let’s go in the living room.
I grab Poison’s hand before he leaves the room. I pull him into a hug. His hand caresses my cheek as we kiss.
FG I love you.
He smiles at me.
PP I love you too. And now you have blue on your face.
FG Great thanks.
PP Anytime baby.
I smack him on the ass as I follow him into the living room. Missy is sitting on the couch, legs dangling over the side and fidgeting as she waits for us to join her.
MK Hurry up!
FG She sure sounds like Jet.
I take a seat next to her and Poison sits on the other side.
FG Well, let’s see. It was 7 years ago today that Star, your Mommy, did a brave thing. She changed the world.
MK No, no, no you’re telling it wrong! Daddy Poison, you tell it better.
FG Well! I’m horribly offended.
PP No you’re not.
FG How is it supposed to start then?
MK It starts with Doctor Death Defying’s radio report.
FG Oh yeah. Go on Poison, you tell it.
PP Ghoul and I were listening to the radio. We were sad cause your Mommy left that morning and her note said she wasn’t coming back. We hoped and we waited then Dr. D came on and said, “Look Alive Sunshine, reports are coming in from Battery City that Cleric has cleaned house. All tablet factories, and warehouses have been destroyed. Blown up! BLI headquarters too, Korse is dead and so is everyone that led the evil corporation! I have a note from Cleric saying that the destruction of BLI and the evil that inhabits Battery City is my doing. I’ve done so many evil things in the name of Korse and BLI until I met a Killjoy who changed my heart and mind. I do this of my own FREE will; off the tablets and knowing I’m going to my death my joy is that I’m taking Korse with me to hell!” Looks like the Killjoys have taken down Better Living Industries. Sleep well my lovelies; it’s a new day tomorrow.
Poison stops and sniffles. It was a bad day when we woke up and found Star’s confession / suicide note. He looks at me and smiles weakly. I mouth ‘love you’. And he continues.
PP We knew then that your Mommy did something very brave and she wasn’t coming back. She was taken by Korse when she was a little girl and told they were the good guys and the world needed order but what they were doing was destroying all creativity in the world.
MK And then Mommy met Daddy.
PP Yeah. When Jet met Star she was on a mission, a bad mission.
MK She was supposed to kill him. Geez quit leaving stuff out!
I laugh.
PP Who is telling this story?!
FG Do you want to tell it Missy?
MK Okay, I’ll be quiet.
PP She was supposed to kill all of us. But when she met Jet, they fell in love. They were crazy about each other. We thought we were going to be a family of five but then the incident on Route Guano and Jet and Kid died. We all had a hard time after that for a while. Things weren’t good but then we found out you were coming and we got excited.
MK But Mommy wasn’t excited.
PP What do you mean sweetheart?
MK Mommy was too sad about Daddy.
FG What makes you say that?
MK I’ve read Mommy’s journals.
PP Where did you find them?
MK In your closet.
FG What exactly where you doing going through our closet?
MK Looking for Mommy’s journals, duh.
FG Jesus, I knew you should have never taught her to read.
PP That was wrong of you.
MK But how else was I supposed to know what happened?
FG We’ve told you what happened.
MK But you left A LOT out.
PP We would have given them to you when you were older and could understand what was going on.
FG Star was not in a good way back then. She was sick a lot being pregnant, she didn’t eat much and she blamed herself for Jet and Kid and she was depressed.
PP Do you know what that means?
MK She was like in a deep black hole and couldn’t see a way out. She wanted to stay with us but she couldn’t climb out of the pit she was in, inside her mind. Is that close?
FG Jesus, she’s smart.
PP Just like her parents.
MK Don’t talk about me like I’m not here. I hate when you two do that!
PP Yep just like them.
MK CAN we get back to the story?
PP After you were born, we were thrilled. A new baby, a new start but Star…
FG Star just couldn’t be here without Jet. He was half of her and she had such a hard time. I think the grief plus the self-imposed guilt and the hormone shift was what pushed her over the edge.
PP Her note to us said to take care of you and that she was going to do everything in her power to take care of us by going back to the city. We didn’t know she was Cleric at the time.
FG We found her journals later, after the radio announcement.
MK Did you forgive her for lying to you?
PP Yes
FG No
PP Yes but at first we were angry.
FG Then we understood after reading her thoughts. What do you think? You’ve read her journals and Jet’s. Do you forgive her for doing what she did and how she did it; leaving us behind? Leaving you behind and with us?

Notes

Thank you dear Reader for making it this far; please comment and let me know what you thought. I've been working on this for most of 2017, feels odd to finish it. I hope you enjoyed it.
BTW - What is your answer to Ghoul's question?

Missile Kid's reply to Ghoul's question......
She understands why Cleric did what she did and how she did it - she forgives her Mother for leaving. She thinks it is better that Star is with Jet and at peace instead of being with them and tormented.