twins, siblings, and cousins

September 2042 - Alex and Piper Smith are 31, Joey and Lizzie are 7, Alice and Charlie are 5 (Jacob Smith is 9, Elijah Smith is 5).

Alice and Charlie are starting kindergarten this year, and the house is empty for the first time in seven years.

loneliness of an only child

February 2042 - Arthur Cornwall is 63, Ellie Cornwall and Richie Gaunt are 34, Morgan Cornwall is 9 (Edward Gaunt is 36, Cassiopeia is 13, Regulus and Bellatrix are 10, Sirius is 7).

Morgan is part of the largest class at Arcadia Elementary School (4 students!), but that hasn't helped her make friends. She's a serious kid who prefers to spend her time at home with her family than playing with the other kids. As far as her parents can tell, her best friends are her parents, her grandfather, and their cat Nimue.

"I just don't understand it. She's such a wonderful kid, but she's always by herself. She never talks about the other kids at school or invites any to come over," Ellie tells Richie.

"She's just serious," Richie says. "It makes it hard for her to relate to other kids her age."

"You and I are both serious, and we had friends when we was her age," Ellie tells her husband.

"We had each other," he reminds her.