With Christmas break approaching, and a long winter break ahead, Stephanie was looking forward to seeing her grandparents Martin and Marilyn, as well as her adoptive mother Jackie.
It felt like ages since Jackie had been home, the college age woman busy at Cornell with finals. Now that finals were finished, Jackie would be hone. Hopefully the teen would now be able to catch up with her and tell about everything that had been going on. Still, chances were Jackie would be busy catching up with her friends who were also now home for the holidays. It was going to be a busy few weeks regardless, especially with Stephanie's grandparents staying over.
Martin and Marilyn O'Toole would be spending a couple of weeks at Stephanie's home. While the two were familiar with magic, it didn't mean Ann was any less anxious about their arrival. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on who you spoke with, Ann had the largest home and plenty of space to house Martin and Marilyn. Despite Ann housing a pair of future teens in Pam and Stella, she still had a spare bedroom for her parents. Needless to say, Ann wasn't exactly thrilled when her sisters out voted her and volunteered Ann as host. "Cmon mom it will be fun," Stephanie had said. The panicked look on Ann's face though said otherwise.
Pulling into the driveway, Stephanie could now see that her grandparents had arrived. Martin and Marilyn stated they would be arriving early, Marilyn concerned about Martin's ability to drive when the sun went down. During Thanksgiving, Stephanie had begun to learn about her grandparents. Marilyn was 70, a fiery, confident woman who despite being shorter than Stephanie , commanded respect with her very presence. Stephanie had heard stories about her grandma fron Ann and her sisters.
Marilyn was firm in how she raised her daughters. A fiery redhead who would put up with no nonsense when Ann was growing up. Ann recalled how her sister Lisa often times butted heads with their mother when Lisa was a teenager. Ann would try her best to stay out of that battle of wills. Years later, the sisters would joke at Lisa's expense, that both Marilyn and Lisa were exactly alike.
If Marilyn was iron willed and fiery, than Martin O'Toole was her polar opposite. The 72 year old man was skinny, sporting a full head of grey hair with thick glasses. Martin, as Stephanie learned, was the quieter of the pair. After talking with her mother, Stephanie learned how growing up Martin was the one who gave his daughters a kind smile or acted as a counter balance to the more energetic Marilyn. An injury in his youth, that he never spoke of, had left the man with a distinct limp and a cane. It struck Stephanie as odd but, in many ways Martin reminded Stephanie of her own mother Ann.
During Thanksgiving, Stephanie had taken a moment to talk with the man. In those brief conversations, she learned that Martin was well aware of magic, as well as the supernatural for far longer than anyone thought possible. He had apparently met Merlin when he was a teenager and while he didn't have magic if his own, he was aware of it. Stephanie had paused when Martin spoke of this. She couldn't be sure but she had a feeling her grandfather had quite a few secrets he wasn't sharing.
As Stephanie looked at the cars in the driveway, she smirked. Ann's car was missing, Stephanie deducting her mother probably took the opportunity to get out of the house shortly after her parents arrived. Stephanie loved Ann but the anxiety attacks she nearly had everytime she saw her mother were ridiculous. Grandma was intimidating but Ann was almost neurotic about her. With her mother now trying to spend time out of the house and Pam and Stella involved in after-school activities, Stephanie would have sometime to talk with her grandparents. As she now approached the front door, she paused.
From behind the front door, Stephanie could hear panicked whispers. Although she couldn't make out what they were saying, it caused her to stop dead in her tracks. It sounded like a pair of teenagers not two elderly people in their 70s. Had someone broken into her house?
Nervously, Stephanie now reached for her cellphone. Maybe her grandparents were hurt? Maybe those Normal people were setting a trap for her? As she started to call the police, she screamed as the door flew open as she was pulled inside.
"Stephanie don't scream," a voice said. "We're not going to hurt you. It's grandma and grandpa." Stephanie furrowed her brow. This most certainly wasn't her grandfather. The guy standing in front of her couldn't be more than 17 years old. He was skinny, his straw colored hair thick and full showing no signs of grey. He wasn't even wearing glasses.
"Stephanie?"
Stephanie turned, noticing a very attractive teenage girl with fire red hair descending past her shoulders. This girl couldn't be more than 16, looking very similar to Stephanie's Aunt Lisa. As Stephanie looked at the girl, her eyes began to grow wide in surprise. What kind of a teenage girl would wear a blouse and khakis? Let alone a blouse and khakis that were hanging on the teenage girls frame.
Turning to the teenage boy, Stephanie felt as if she was now seeing him in a new light. A buttoned down shirt that hung on him like a scarecrow. A pair of khakis that sagged on his body. If Stephanie wasn't so familiar with magic, she never would have believed it.
"Grandma? Grandpa?!"
The teenage Martin and Marilyn nodded, Martin now closing the door as Marilyn approached. "How did this happen," Stephanie exclaimed. Both regressed grandparents shrugged, they honestly had no answers how they had gone from 70 to 16. Stephanie now dumbfounded as she tried to figure out what to do.