Taken

It's hard to believe just how stormy this winter has been. I've seen ones this bad before, but they're few and far between. We have scarcely seen any blue sky let alone the sun. The clouds are always gray and low-hanging. The snow falls so fast and so often the town can barely keep up. Calun, Ithilas, and Galir have had snow day after snow day. This means the school is actually considering keeping classes going later into the summer. Of course, the boys are complaining about it. Now they're seeing all these days off do have consequences. There has to be equality in all things. Thankfully, the winter season is almost over. I do so miss the sun and my garden.

We had a small, quiet celebration for Calanon's birthday. He is an absolutely delightful little boy who seems to be impressed by just about everything. It's both easy to catch his attention and hard to keep it. While he does have Sind's hair, Calanon also has Griselda's pretty dark blue eyes. He is a good blend of both his parents in a way that is also slightly different than his brother. I find it interesting that Calanon appears to be more attached to Sind, unlike Galir who is more attached to Griselda. I would assume this is because Sind has an easier time waking up in the middle of the night to care for him.

Snowflake Day, either by coincidence or the Goddess' grace, ended up on one of the few nice, sunny days we had. Naturally, I had to call as many as were able to come over as possible for a gift giving party. Most of my older children showed as well as a third of their fathers. I smartly declined to send Mr. Clemens an invitation, and I made sure to tell everyone there not to say a word about the party to him. Having all heard my stories about him, they agreed.

Our household managed to get a pretty good selection of gifts this year. We normally end up with things we either have or have no purpose for. This time around we received a lovely candle, a new boombox, 3 attractive potted plants, a teddy bear, a dollhouse, an orchid, a vase, a bouncing bee rider, and a painting. Ithilas and Calun got some gag gifts though- some coal and a very ugly frog plushie.

Eleme's birthday was so close to the party that we celebrated big when everyone was at the house, and had a much smaller party on her actual birthday. She was glad just as long as she got her gifts. I know I have already gushed over Eleme quite a lot. I really don't know how much more I can say without overdoing it. My daughter is everything I could have hoped to have. Eleme has a mild-mannered personality, and loves trying all sorts of things. I find her doing something new each time I check up on her. She also manages to keep up rather well with Ithilas, Galir, and all their antics.

Unfortunately, Eleme's birthday also meant something negative for me. Since she is now able to take care of her basic needs by herself, I was left with few legitimate excuses to keep her away from Mr. Clemens. The fact that he has proven to be a terrible caregiver and threatening man allowed me to refuse the first couple requests he made to have Eleme stay the night. Then he came personally to ask again. Mr. Clemens was in his decently mannered mood. Still, I would have refused him again had it not been for Eleme's own persistence. I've done what I can to make sure she only saw the best sides of him. It makes sense then why she didn't understand my hesitation towards letting her go with her father. Her pleading obviously swayed my heart enough to the point where I allowed her to leave for the night.

I was worried the whole time. I couldn't even do anything other than pace about the house madly for the first hour. Sind let Eleme take his cell phone so she could call if something went wrong, and I had to stop myself from texting or calling her myself every five minutes to see if she was alright. Needing to do something to control myself, I checked the mail.

That's when Eloril provided me with a good distraction. Another one of his letters had come. There was not too much out of the ordinary that he spoke about. Everything was going well with my family back home. They sent their blessings, and made the wish like they always did that I could return home sooner rather than later. Eloril did have some other news to tell me about though. Carawen, his childhood friend he named Nikara after, was getting married. I was surprised by this. Carawen is older than even Eloril, but she is still very young to be getting married. Most elves start looking at potential suitors when they reach the age of adulthood at 400, start courting casually at around age 600, and generally don't begin seriously courting or marrying until they turn 1,000. That Carawen is only around 800-years-old and engaged is highly unusual. I wondered if Eloril was upset about this. I knew he always got along well with Carawen, but I never knew if his feelings went deeper. By the genuinely excited way he wrote, I think it is safe to surmise even if he did have feelings for her he has long since gotten over them.

Because it was the weekend, Eleme stayed over Saturday night and didn't come home until later in the evening on Sunday. I wasn't the only one who was concerned about her being gone with her father. Ithilas was perhaps just as nervous as I was. It was sweet to watch him wait on the sidewalk for her return, and then take her arm in his as he walked her back to the house. I was much more than glad to have her back safely. Eleme revealed the weekend had been disappointing and boring. As soon as she and Mr. Clemens got to his house it became as if she wasn't even there at all. Eleme could get him to talk to her for a bit if she tried hard and he would cook for both of them, but he ignored her otherwise.

I was incredibly indignant. Mr. Clemens was doing the same thing now as he did before. I couldn't understand why he makes such a big deal about spending time with Eleme only to completely ignore her once he gets the opportunity. Eleme is convinced he simply needs more time to get to know her. I knew she would realize the truth soon enough.

Similarly to how it has happened before, and happened too many times before for my liking, a thief showed up in the very early morning on one of my children's birthdays. Our sleep was disrupted, and we had to deal with the thief making quite the racket. The only positive thing about it was that the situation was dealt with quickly. Sind was thankfully willing to make the report with the police for me so I could go back to bed.

What was even better than Sind's generosity was that the burglary did not in any way put a damper on Ithilas' birthday. Alphonso came over for the dinner celebration we had. Most of us completely forgot what happened earlier entirely. With this most recent birthday, Ithilas suddenly looked a lot more like his father. The connection between him and Alphonso was unmistakeable. This development will make it a lot simpler to tell him and Galir apart once Galir has his birthday as well.

Surprise, surprise. Even though spring had been around for a couple weeks, winter refused to go out so easily. There was a huge, unexpected snowstorm late one night that cancelled school again the next day. The children muddled about for a bit not having a clue what to with their unanticipated day off. Eleme eventually began playing chess on the computer, Sind and Ithilas chatted it up, and Galir resorted to playing pretend as a king again.

When Galir got bored of that, he went into the nursery to play with Calanon while Griselda took a much needed relaxing bath. Galir is always willing to play with his brother. The two absolutely adore each other. Galir's favorite activity is trying to teach Calanon how to play catch. Calanon does well enough when the ball is rolled to him, but most of the time he ends up smashing the ball into the ground instead of throwing it. He did manage to actually throw it once though. Right into Galir's face.

Eleme chose to go outside despite the frigidly cold temperatures. She wanted to make a snowman that badly. Honestly, I have no idea how she managed to make what she made on her own. When I looked, the base was already half her height. I became busy with my work, and did not look again until after she had finished and come back inside. That snowman somehow ended up being 2 feet taller than her. How she was able to get the head on and decorate it is beyond me. The whole thing made me surprised at her though. Eleme has quite the determination hidden under that complacent attitude of hers.

Griselda made another visit to my bathroom a few days later. Her running into the room gave me a heart attack. I was writing quietly at my desk, and the next thing I knew she nearly ripped the bathroom door off its hinges as she flew to the toilet. I realized her nausea wasn't going to go away quickly so I went to steady and comfort her in Sind's place as he had stepped out. Griselda and I were near the toilet as she struggled with her stomach for about fifteen minutes or so. Then she had to sit and relax a bit for ten minutes before she was able to stand.

Griselda, clearly embarrassed, tried to run away from me. It would be clear to anyone by this behavior that she had been trying to hide the truth from me. I was too fast for my daughter-in-law. I blocked her before she could get out of the bedroom. It was awkwardly silent for a moment until I asked her if she was pregnant- to which she hesitantly replied to the positive. I must admit, I was a little angry. She and Sind had said they were done. I had been planning to go out that day to become pregnant myself. I had already delayed the task long enough. Now there was no way I could continue. The house was already full to capacity. This child Griselda was carrying would push us to the absolute maximum limit we could hold. If I wanted to have a child as well the house would have to be expanded again. It was the last thing I wanted to do.

And I knew I wouldn't do it. A whole expansion was not worth it for one child. Griselda could tell my displeasure. She looked so disheartened that I had to apologize. I wasn't going to let myself be upset over this. I told Griselda I was mostly just concerned for her, which I was. She is truly pushing her body's time limit by having this child now. She might be able to conceive a child, but at this age she really shouldn't have.  Griselda understood. The child definitely hadn't been planned. Her periods had become incredibly irregular. While she and Sind usedsome methods of birth control, they sometimes didn't use them at all. They thought they would be safe since she hadn't had her period for four months.

I reassured her again for Griselda continued to look so disappointed with herself. I emphasized this remained a happy thing as it had been a happy event in the past. We merely had to keep a close on her and the baby's health. Griselda at least became a bit happier looking.

The amount of snow falling finally began to let up. Ithilas went out to hang out with some friends, but apparently while coming home he suddenly had the desire to go swimming. He didn't want to swim in our heated pool, but in the sea instead. I guess he thought he would be able to stand the cold water. He couldn't. I only wish I could have seen his face when his bare skin contacted those icy waves. Ithilas rushed back home to draw a hot bath that he remained in for over half an hour.

Galir's birthday was a very merry event mostly because he and Ithilas were excited at being the same approximate age again. The two of them really don't like being separated. As long as they don't become like Elvaran and Analinde during that one little episode they had, they should be fine. I thought their antics would become more extreme now that they're both teenagers with raging hormones, but Ithilas and Galir seemed to have reined themselves in pretty well. Neither is coming home with welts on their heads anymore.

I really do have trouble spending time with Calun lately. He doesn't want to do anything other than work out. If he's not working out here, then he has gone to the gym. While a bit excessive, Calun doesn't seem to be physically pushing himself beyond what he can handle so there's not much for me to complain about. He's a joy at the points when I actually can find a minute to spend with him. I have a feeling his shy nature might also be becoming his dominant point again now that his daredevil attitude has cooled off somewhat. Calun does occasionally do other things to preoccupy his time- like building an igloo with the snow that just didn't want to melt. I understood at the time the space in front of my window was the only area with enough room to build it in, but my nice view was blocked for a week until the warmer weather finally came and melted the darn thing.

I'm sure it won't surprise you to learn Eleme feels more like she has three big brothers instead of two big brothers and a nephew who just happens to be older than her. She actually tends to get along better with Galir than she does with Ithilas. Ithilas just loves to tease her too much while Galir is more gentle. He'll even stop what he's doing in terms of his homework to help Eleme do hers instead. Galir also makes sure she is always walked to and from her occasional visits to Mr. Clemens' house- all of which have gone just as well as that first trip.

Griselda is managing her pregnancy well. It is unfortunate in that it is causing her considerable more pain than her pregnancies with Galir or Calanon, but the doctors said there shouldn't be any long-term damage for her or her baby. That good news has caused her to remain positive and relatively carefree. Then there are those times when I catch glimpses of Sind and Griselda that make me think they're still a young couple and I don't need to worry so much. They live their lives so much simpler than the way Elioviel and Morti did. They're not as overt about their relationship, but their relationship is really just as strong as my little Eli's and that wacky Morti. I sneak around to watch Sind and Griselda perhaps a bit too much, but when I get to see such a strong love story unfold before my eyes I can't resist.

It took too long for my liking, but I was able to start gardening again. Griselda wasn't able to help because of her belly being in the way and her back hurting too much, and I silently complained about missing her help. Our poor plants were in a terrible condition because of the unexpected cold spring weather. About a third of the plants were completely lost. The work it took to revive and strengthen the others was ridiculous. I was outside for so much of the day each day. Thankfully, it was the plants I really wanted to survive the most that survived and blossomed again.

The weather continued to grow warmer, and the days grew longer. The whole family was preparing for the new baby coming soon and Calun's graduation. Each day was a good one. However, it has proven to be when the days become good and I feel most at peace that the worst of events reveal themselves.

Making that phone call filled with me fear I have not felt since when Garthon called me on the day of Cirabel's death. Over time, I had become more relaxed with Eleme going over to Mr. Clemens' house. He had proved harmless so far despite all his big words. I should have known better, but I had no idea just how wrong I was in thinking Mr. Clemens wouldn't do anything bad. It was getting late. Eleme had not come home. I called Sind's phone that he always let her borrow when she went to her father's, but she did not pick up. I tried Mr. Clemens' home phone instead. He didn't pick up either, but his answering machine's recording was his response to me.

I had to call and listen a second time to the horrible thing he had done just to believe it. He said he was sick and tired of me. Despite how patient he had been, this was the last straw. He had warned that there would be consequences, and now I had to face them. I was not the one fit to raise his child. He had to save Eleme from me before I damaged her further. Mr. Clemens was leaving, and he was taking Eleme with him. Naturally, he wasn't going to say a word about where they were going. But Mr. Clemens said it wasn't like this mattered to me at all. If I even cared in the slightest about Eleme not being around then I should just go and give birth to another brat with some other man to replace her.

It was as Mr. Clemens was hanging up that I heard Eleme's voice. She called to me for help. She was most likely crying, but even if she wasn't she sounded incredibly panicked.

I fought my own desire to panic beyond control, and did something more sensible. I called Lithaldoren. He was over right away to listen to the message. Afterwards, he called a bunch of people. I told him Eleme was completely mine when he asked about custody, and that Mr. Clemens had been very threatening in the past when he needed to know if I thought Eleme might actually be hurt by him. I also said it's quite possible he would be so low as to threaten and use her as a hostage if we tried to go find him. Lithaldoren asked me many more questions. Just when I was about to lose patience with standing there and answering, one of the others Lithaldoren called responded. His face dropped. He told me when the call ended that he had news for me, and not good news.

Mr. Clemens had a record. Not only that, he had been proven certified mentally unstable. The files the other police officer looked up said that he could have brief periods of normalcy, but then his mood would rapidly change. Mr. Clemens didn't hear and see things the way healthy individuals did, and his thoughts would be all over the place. He was prone to intense anger and possessiveness, but also forgetfulness and a tendency to victimize himself. The description fit him perfectly. 

Lithaldoren then went on to tell me why Mr. Clemens had a record. In high school, his room was in the mother-in-law suite his parents had in their backyard. He had locked one of his friends in the suite's basement, but apparently forgot he was there even with the boy's cries echoing up to him. A week passed before Mr. Clemens' mother went to clean up the suite when she found the friend. He had been trapped there with no food, no toilet, and nothing to keep him warm from the winter chill that seeped in through the walls. The only reason the boy survived was because there had been a sink for him to drink from. Mr. Clemens was naturally found guilty, but because of his mental state and his being a minor he was sentenced to community work and years of psychiatric therapy in place of jail. He completed everything with only a few small bumps along the way. While he had been clean since then, it was obvious his condition was never going to go away. Lithaldoren didn't know why he lived alone or where his income came from.

He made more calls. I tried to keep myself collected as best I could, but it was near impossible to do so. I never would have left Eleme alone with that man if I had known the truth about him- and this truth is something I should have expected. I ignored my instincts to run from him, and now my young daughter was paying the price......