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She rang the doorbell. It was a rather long wait, but just when she was about to ring it again, the door opened, and a burly man stood before her.

Her eyes widened.

He was easily twice her size, if not three times, and though he had a large belly on him, his arms were certainly not lacking in muscle, easily filling out his pale blue sweater. A broad, clean-shaven face looked down at her with big, hazel eyes. “May I help you?” he said.

And Gina had to stop and blink, because the man’s voice did not match his face or stature at all. It was actually quite airy and soft, not the least bit intimidating.

The man waited patiently for her to answer, though he did turn his head slightly to show his concern.

“Ah!” she said. “Are you Mr. Edith?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I have news about Lynnette.”

And the man gasped, rather lacking in composure. “Is she okay?!”

“I believe so, yes, but--um. Well, it’s difficult to explain. Is the rest of your family home? I’d like to tell all of you at once. I know this is very sudden, but it’s something of an emergency, you see.”

“Yes, please come in!”

She entered, frankly surprised at how smoothly that had gone.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Gina,” she said, following him into the den.

The mother and sister were watching television together, both fixated upon the news. Gina might have liked to join them if matters weren’t already so pressing. Hector hadn’t bothered to explain exactly what happened at the castle, but it was obviously big enough to get him on television again. Twice in one day was a new record for him.

“Honey, this is Gina,” said the man. “She’s come to tell us about Lynnette. She says it’s an emergency.”

And immediately, Gina could tell where Lynnette had gotten that penetrating gaze from. The mother’s hair was darker, but she had the same sharp cheekbones.

“First of all,” Gina started, “allow me to tell you that Lynnette is safe.”