Twinbrook

Eleme's visit to the hospital proved what I thought- that she was in good physical health. She was a little malnourished and somewhat sleep deprived, but after two days those issues went away quickly. Though this was naturally a good thing, the following weeks were still tough as we had to deal with Mr. Clemens' trial. He was found guilty, but escaped jail time again because of his condition. The ruling was that he would spend a good five years at a special holding facility for other individuals like him with him then being heavily monitored after his time was served. Eleme and I were free to move on after the sentencing finally happened. Everything, for the most part, became happy again. Calun had his birthday and graduated from high school. He was easily able to get a decent job at the stadium because of his hard work towards strengthening his body, and he promised before he left for his new place that Eleme only had to call him if she needed him to beat up anyone for her.

Then there was the merry event of Beriadan's birth- Sind and Griselda's now youngest son. He has my fair hair like Galir does, but he has Griselda's blue eyes like Calanon does. It had been hoped that he would be a girl, but his parents are content that they at least know very well how to raise a boy. Beriadan's conception might not have been planned, but he is proving to be loved by everyone just as much as his older brothers. He also thankfully came out healthy and strong after an easy enough labor for Griselda.

His birth distracted us for a while, but the days passed and the reality of the move could no longer be ignored. Despite Mr. Clemens now being on the other side of the country, Eleme remained terrified. She had a hard time sleeping. There had been some nightmares, and she always had to have someone else around her or else she would panic. It was breaking my heart to see her be so stressed out. I asked her what I could do to help, and Eleme pleaded to go somewhere else. With her being so desperate, I had to say yes.

The day before we left for our new home was Love Day. It seemed to be appropriate timing. We would have this one special day to spend our time together before we had to separate. Sind, Griselda, Galir, Calanon, and Beriadan would not be coming along with Ithilas, Eleme, and me. Sind, Griselda, and I decided it would be best if their family remained at the house. I was doing what was best for my family, and they had to do what was best for theirs. Besides, it was more than time for Sind and Griselda to be fully on their own without me around. I realized when I saw Griselda standing there with her three sons that they need the chance to be their own little family.

I used most of my time at the festival dancing and talking with Sind. He is the child that has been with me the longest. I've never been apart from his presence, and I didn't know what it was like to not have him around. To be honest, I was scared of the separation. It was going to be hard to let him go. It was going to be hard to not have him there to make me a new painting whenever I wanted. It was going to be hard to not have him around to play a silly song when we all needed a laugh. I could tell Sind was having just as difficult a time coming to terms with reality as I was. However, we both tried to keep a smile on our face for the other's benefit.

Eleme managed to enjoy the day without being afraid. I think the thought of finally leaving the next day brightened her mood greatly. I thought she would run about enjoying all the activities at the festival, but she stayed on the bee spring rider the entire time. She uses the one we have at home all the time as well. Some part of me wonders if she likes to pretend she's riding away from here. Moving is all she talks about. Why wouldn't it invade her playing too?

Ithilas, who was being quietly upset about the move, roller-skated alone most of the time. Leaving Sunset Valley hadn't been in his plans, and he didn't like that he'd be separated from Galir. However, he had not said one word of complaint for Eleme's sake. That's why I let him sulk in peace instead of making him join the rest of us in the other things we did at the festival. We did what we could as a group in order to make the most of the afternoon.

But the time did eventually come to separate no matter how much I wished for the hours to slow. Our ride and the moving van came early the next morning. The house we were moving to came furnished so there wasn't much for us to load. Everyone did their best to be cheerful at breakfast, but then the goodbyes had to be said. Ithilas and Eleme got into the car and Griselda, Galir, and Calanon went inside, but Sind and I lingered. In all honesty, I did not want to leave Sunset Valley. I wanted to stay even more than Ithilas did. My heart still firmly belonged there. It was heartbreaking to have to tear myself away from it willingly. 

I smiled though as I gave Sind one last hug before I turned around without looking back to get in the car that would take me from the place where I truly wanted be more than anywhere else besides home. I held my head high so as not to burden Eleme. I silently told myself the thing I told Mr. Clemens back when this mess all started- the thing that had to be done is what is best for your child.

The move took us south and a bit east from Sunset Valley. It felt like we were traveling forever, but in reality our new home in Twinbrook was only two days away. It wouldn't really be a horrible drive if we wanted to visit Sunset Valley. The town we had come to was certainly not my ideal preference, but I had let Ithilas and Eleme decide where they wanted to go. This was the place they chose. At least there was a very nice house available for purchase. It even has more bedrooms than our previous home, so I shouldn't have to worry at all about expanding. What's even better is that it has a large yard and is close to town. The only thing I have to complain about is that it's not the place I want to be, and that's not much of a complaint at all. Ithilas and Eleme were excited when we pulled onto our new street. Their excitement rubbed off on me so I didn't wallow in self-pity for too much longer.

My very first proper look at the inside of the house showed me our family would pretty much lack for nothing. I liked that this house has an older architectural style. It made things interesting after living in a more modern building for so long. This house definitely has a lot of charm and appeal. However, with so much space it felt rather empty with only the three of us.

Ithilas and Eleme wanted to run about and explore, but I made them help unpack the basics first. We didn't have to bring too much with us as I mentioned before, so the work didn't take long. We left the nonessential things in their boxes afterwards to set up our backyard instead. Ithilas and Eleme were going up and down on the seesaw so fast I was scared they might break or crack an ankle. I made them slow down as I took a seat on the swings to watch them have fun. We enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere. It certainly is quieter here. The air also has this rich, spicy scent to considering we were so close to a swamp. While different, the scent wasn't unpleasant.

Ithilas, Eleme, and I were able to finish unpacking the next day. We could have taken the process slower and easier, but I needed to get everything in its place as fast as possible so I wouldn't have any distractions. I granted my children their request to go explore the town as long as they made the promise to stick together. It was good that they were willing to head out for I had my own agenda. I could not wait any longer to have another child. I had delayed more than long enough even with the previous space constraints and the stress of dealing with Mr. Clemens.

Though I searched with vigor, it was hard to find men who could be potential fathers. I did meet a man who I thought at the time who would be the best candidate. Mr. Doug Downey was a man who actually lived a couple towns away from Twinbrook, and was only visiting for a few days. I thought this was perfect. The ideal situation would have been to get to know my new neighbors and the other residents better before I began sleeping around in order to have children. It is impossible to completely avoid a reputation, but I had hoped making friends first would give everyone a chance to understand who I really am first before they automatically assume I'm just a woman with low morals. That's why I thought having a child with Mr. Downey who lives out of town would give me that distance I needed. However, he was too busy that evening. He promised to meet up with me the next day.

At dinner I listened to Ithilas and Eleme as they told me about their day. They had used most of their time taking classes offered around town, which allowed them to meet some of those who were going to be their classmates. The biggest news of that day came from Ithilas who revealed he had gotten a part-time job offered at the high school. He desperately wanted to get some work experience in before he graduates. I was a bit concerned he was taking too much on after just moving to a new place and already having so many stressors, but Ithilas really was being upbeat for the first time in weeks so I didn't press the matter. I instead used the lull in conversation to look down at the mostly empty table. It was amazing to think there was going to be a time when all of the seats were filled.

Ithilas and Eleme prepared for bed early in order to rest well for their first day at their new school. I took the opportunity to call Sind to tell him know how everything was going. It was wonderful to hear his voice again even if we really hadn't been apart that long. He admitted the separation was hard to adjust to for him as well, but he knew he would come to accept it soon enough. Galir and Calanon had suggested the idea of them coming to visit during the summer, which I was more than happy to agree with. I would always love to see them again. I said he, Griselda, and Beriadan should come along too if they could manage.

My plan to have a child with Mr. Downey fell through. He called me early in the morning to let me know a small family emergency had forced him back home the previous evening. I told him I understood, but I inwardly cursed the bad luck and felt frustrated. My best option had slipped away, and I then had to spend the whole morning trying to find someone else to assist me. I thought I would come home having failed since most people were at work. Then some good luck did come to me. I made the acquaintance of a man name Mr. Buddy Bailey, and he invited me inside his house.

After a bit of talking, he was more than willing to give me a tour of his bedroom. It appeared we were both a bit rusty, but when you consider how we had only just met the experience wasn't that bad. I knew any experience I would have would be better than my last though.

I stayed a lot longer at Buddy's place than I normally do at a man's house after we sleep together. I hoped to show him there was much more to me than what I had presented myself as, and I have a good feeling I managed to present myself well. During my time there I was able to play with Buddy's adorable kitten, Kim. I may still not be overly fond of cats, but Kim was so sweet and soft. When I returned home I actually checked the local shelter's online website for dogs available to adopt for a dog is what I suddenly wanted. Unfortunately, I just couldn't find one that I could connect with. I decided it probably meant it just wasn't the right time to take on the responsibility of a pet. Perhaps I will look into the matter again once our family had adjusted to Twinbrook some more.

In the days following my time with Buddy, I got into the habit of taking long walks around the town again. There is no chance this will ever stop being a habit of mine for I not only got to meet many other residents, but I also happened to stumble across a variety of seeds ripe for planting. I gathered all I could find though I was unfamiliar with most of them. It just seemed like an exciting prospect to plant them and be surprised at what they turned out to be. When I felt I had gathered enough of a collection, I marked off an area for my garden and got to work.

It didn't Eleme long at all to make a best friend. The adorable Miss Bunny Curious is at our house almost everyday, and when she's not visiting Eleme makes a trip over to her house nearby instead. I am ecstatic to see my daughter doing so well now. She smiles wide each day, and is no longer haunted in any manner by what happened. It was seeing her be so relaxed and happy again that made me realize this move was more than worth it......