A Human’s Guide to Surviving Magical Mishaps by Kit Bryan
Rule 83- A single kind word can flip your day like a pancake—warm, sweet, and definitely more palatable.

I wake up early like usual, but I don't feel particularly refreshed. I'm not sleepy, and I doubt that I could sleep any longer, but I just feel a little dull and lethargic. I force some optimism into my outlook. It'll be fine, I'm sure I'll feel way better after a nice hot shower. I'm not ready to deal with people just yet so I head straight to the bathroom and lock the door behind me. I blast the water in the shower as hot as it will go and step under the spray. I do my best not to get my hair wet under the hot water, it'll make the colour fade out faster. Once I've stood under the hot spray long enough, I adjust the water to the coolest temperature I can tolerate without wanting to squeal and jump out of the water and I finally wash my hair. In winter I usually just wash it in the sink to avoid this particular experience. But despite the early hour, it's already warming up so I'll be fine. I definitely feel more awake after the cold shower at the very least. I hop out the shower and wrap my shivering self in a towel then take the chance to check myself out in the bathroom mirror. Ugh, my roots are growing out, I really need to re-dye my hair but I don't really have the time right now. But I hate how it looks while it's like this, and being summer it's too warm for me to even hide it under a cute beanie or something. At least my hair is naturally light so it won't take a lot to cover it properly when I do eventually get around to it. Maybe I can make time to do it tonight. I bet that Ashton and Fin will get a kick out of seeing the process. They both find it strange that humans have such a limited range of natural hair colours and yet we went ahead and found ways to give ourselves more options anyway. I towel my hair off a bit and add a bit of product so the end won't be too dry then leave it alone to air dry. I didn't bring any clothes with me other than my pyjamas so I crack the bathroom door open, check that the coast is clear, then dart to my room in the towel.

I emerge ten minutes later, fully dressed and wearing a few extra bracelets, a necklace and some oversized earrings. I know they don't make up for how annoyed I am with my less than perfect hair day, but the extra accessories make me feel better and I can almost convince myself they distract from my hair. Not that I really believe that anyone notices or even cares about my hair, but... Yeah, I'm overthinking this. I just wanted to feel pretty and I'm unhappy with how I look today. I'm blaming my hair but to be honest if it wasn't my hair I'm sure I'd find something else to be bothered about. I'd be bloated, or, too pale, or bags under my eyes. Something like that. Maybe I'm nearly due for my period because I am weirdly emotional right now, and probably a little cranky. Still, nothing to be done but to face the day. I can hear something in the living room so I head there first. The lights aren't on in there and I can't see anyone but now that I'm closer I can hear Fin speaking. He must be in his little makeshift bed area and since I doubt that another person could fit back there and not be seen, I am guessing that he's on the phone. I hear him laugh softly and I quietly back out of the room and head towards the kitchen. The only people whose phone numbers Fin has that aren't already in this house are Marcus and Lucy, and I seriously doubt Fin is on the phone with Marcus first thing in the morning. I doubt Lucy is even at work yet, they must be talking while she's driving down. That doesn't seem like an accidental phone call to me. The two of them must have been talking and texting more than I originally thought if he knows her schedule that well and is now comfortable talking to her on the phone. Either way, I don't feel like it's the kind of thing I should be listening in on.

In the kitchen I take the chance to wash a few stray dishes that have popped up overnight, probably from someone having a late night snack or something. Hands slip around my waist causing me to yelp and drop the glass I was washing and splash water everywhere. I wipe my hands on my shirt, it's already wet, no point being careful with it now, and turn to face Ashton. He looks a little sleepy and his hair is messy, he's clearly only just woken up. He smiles at me then pulls me into a hug.

"Good morning, beautiful." He murmurs into my hair.

"Morning." I answer. My mood is instantly brighter, apparently one compliment from Ashton did more than the shower and accessories combined. I should probably be worried that he has such a huge influence on my mood. Pulling away, I decide to make myself a cup of tea.

"Do you want one?" I offer to Ashton but he refuses.

"No thank you. I am intending to go have a shower in a moment. Perhaps I will have a drink afterwards. I just could not resist the desire to see you first." He responds, making me blush. I'm just pouring the hot water for my drink when my dad shuffles into the kitchen, still in his sleeping clothes.

"I'm making tea, do you want some?" I offer. Dad snorts out a laugh and shakes his head then makes a beeline straight for the coffee machine. That's about what I expected. He does offer a manly nod to Ashton as a way of greeting which I'm going to consider a win because at least he isn't glaring or anything.

"So dad, did you actually get a decent amount of sleep this time or were you out all night?" I ask, raising an eyebrow and crossing my arms over my chest. If he isn't going to take care of himself then I'll pester him until he does. "I did actually thank you very much. I slept at least eight hours. It's not my fault you fell asleep before I got the chance to say goodnight." He answers, his tone a challenge. Hmm. I turn to Ashton.

"Did he come back at a reasonable time?" I demand. Ashton glances nervously at my dad and holds his hands up defensively.

"Your father was home much earlier than he has been on previous nights. It would not be unreasonable to believe that he managed to get eight hours of sleep." Ashton confirms before excusing himself from the conversation to go take a shower and get dressed. A few minutes later, I hear the shower stop, Ashton and Fin exchange words in the hallway and then a minute later the shower starts again. Not long after, Ashton returns to the kitchen fully dressed with wet hair. He insists on helping to make breakfast, and under my close supervision, Ashton makes the toast. Breakfast isn't as fancy without Lucy around but we still manage to put together a decent spread of toast, cereal, juice and some sliced fruit since Fin seems extra fond of it. Fin joins us shortly after and while we all eat, we update dad on our plans for the day. He reminds us to be careful, stay safe and not to cause trouble for any innocent families. I can't help but smile, it's like he's sending me off to school, not out hunting for a fae murderer. I guess there really isn't much else he could say anyway. After eating and getting an update on our plans, dad heads off to work while we clean up and then we're also ready to get started with our own mission for the day.