Strange Dreams

I knew it would happen one day, but even still...

I was not prepared for that moment when I finally realized Wesley was old. His aging had seemed to be happening so slowly. He had steadily been acquiring more wrinkles and had been complaining about his body hurting in greater quantities, but he simply had that kind of face that stayed youthful far past the youth it showed. I took it for granted that he would always stay that way. I really was in for a rude awakening. It should have been a more subtle transition as subtle is how it happened. I just hadn't been paying attention. When I looked at Wesley before, I saw him instead of his age. What should have been obvious escaped my notice. Then the obvious became clear all at once, and I was left sad and afraid. Wesley's years on this earth and with me were coming to an end. The vast amount of time it felt we had together was now steadily slipping away from us.

Try as I might, I could not speak of my realization to Wesley. It was too hard to get the words out of my mouth. He was well aware of what I was feeling though. He was dealing with the same emotions as I was. I started noticing small changes in his behavior. He was obsessed with dying his hair so that no gray could be seen, and he would sneak pain killers when he thought I couldn't see so he could complain less about how it was getting harder to move. Longer clothing that covered his arms and legs became his preference as he wanted to hide how thin and fragile his limbs had become. The only time he wore something sleeveless was at night when we went to bed. He liked when I would run my finger along his tattoo. It became amusing to me how I had worried he would regret getting it. Now it was a calming reminder of how all this had started, how much time we had had together, and that some small piece of me would forever remain with him when his time came.

Other than that moment looming closer over our heads, not too much else changed. The only other thing I can point out is that Tridia had been given a promotion of sorts. She was still doing the same work, but she was now allowed to do some of it from home. That meant she could sleep a bit later and even take a few extra days off. This was gladdening for both me and her. The early schedule had finally been pulling her down, and I was happy we had some time to actually spend together. Getting to hang out with her always brightened up my day, and I think only a small part of that was due to the sunny shine she gave off thanks to her determination to always wear yellow. Since she had been so used to getting up early it made it much easier for her to deal with the morning than the rest of us. I remember complaining one night about how everyone just ate what they wanted without considering how much extra work it meant for me to replace what they devoured. Well, the next morning we all wake up to find Tridia had tried to make breakfast since Thralas and Elemir had decided the previous afternoon to sneak all the leftover breakfast food for a snack before dinner. Tridia accidentally burned the waffles, but I was honestly just so overwhelmed with joy that I didn't have to cook that I treated those waffles as if they were a blessing from above. Despite Tridia's protests, everyone else ate them as well. They tasted a lot better than they looked.

Wesley and I were both proud, and relieved, when Maldor had his birthday. I was a little disappointed he looked so much like me. It had been an exciting prospect to see what he would look like as it would have been something of a guessing game trying to figure out what he had inherited from the donator. I couldn't complain too much though. Since he really did look so much like me it was expected that he would be absolutely adorable. I kept quiet about calling him that aloud though for he didn't like my coddling so much. He was all grown up and attending school now, so he couldn't possibly have his mother gushing over him anymore. I simply rolled my eyes, and enjoyed as much as I could what cuddling he would allow.

With his birthday, him attending school, and Wesley retiring from the stadium so that he was now home all the time, it allowed both Wesley and me a moment to breathe. I was actually able to go out and do things again. Sure, those things might have only been me going to the store to refresh the supply of ingredients that made the food my children so quickly gobbled down, but for those first several trips it truly did feel like I was going on an adventure. It was so strange to be out of the house that the entire town felt like a whole new place. Going to the grocery store made me recall that one spring afternoon where I tried to chase that watcher in the alley nearby. I had completely forgotten about him. He had not made any sort of reappearance since that afternoon, so I was left to assume me almost catching him had scared him off for good.

I thought about him for a while after that though. I was finally starting to really wonder why he had been paying such close attention to our family. It was just when I began brainstorming ideas that my mind became distracted by something that was problematic. Another letter from Eloril had arrived as well as one from my parents. The letter from ada and naneth was a simple "Hello" and "How are you?", but it was Eloril's that caused me concern. He had been hinting before in his previous letters, but now wrote much more directly about him coming to visit again. It was clear from how he wrote that he only needed my confirmation in the letter that I would send back for him to start his travels here.

I went into the house where I found a quiet place where Wesley, who was upstairs with the triplets, wouldn't find me, and cried. The guilt that I had felt somewhat from his previous letters hit me with so much more force then. I wanted Eloril to come. So badly I wanted him to come. Deep fears had begun to grow within my heart ever since Maldor was born and I had realized my time here was dwindling that there really was no hope of me being able to live at home changed as I was without it driving me mad. There was also the terror that haunted me that I truly would lose myself to grief after all of my children had passed. I had talked about these things to Wesley, but his comforting hadn't done much as I knew he couldn't understand exactly what I was feeling very well. That was why I so desperately wanted to see my brother. His presence was always a reassurance that my home would forever be my home, and that there was a life waiting for me when the order was all over and done with.

But he couldn't come here now. Not while Wesley was alive. Not while he would see first-hand how I was breaking the laws of our lands. I had a fair guess that he wouldn't care so much, but he would definitely tell ada and naneth. I was fairly certain ada would let the whole thing slide and keep it a secret as well, but I couldn't have the same certainty with naneth. Too many of her lessons had been her indoctrinating me of the laws of our people and how I could never, ever break them. I know I said before that elves do not take on titles, but let's be honest. I am a princess. I cringe whenever I associate that title with myself, but it cannot be denied that it is the status to which my people associate with me. I am held to higher obligations. As naneth always told me, I have no choice but to be the example. That is why I know that, as harsh as it makes her seem, she would let the truth be known. I would have to face the repercussions of my actions honestly and with grace- even if it would mean dooming me to being truly alone for the rest of my life.

It took me days to write a response back to Eloril. I didn't have the slightest clue how to break it to him that he was not to come. I put something along the lines of it just not being the best time for me, but what kind of explanation is that? I was confident Eloril would somewhat understand and honor my wish for him not to visit just yet. However, I realized he was going to want some sort of real explanation when he did come. I was going to have to do a lot of hard thinking before that moment arrived.

After I sent the letter, I did my best not to focus too much on it though. I used Aneviel, Anemir, and Anadien to keep myself distracted. Their fast physical growing had lessened to normal development as had been my wish, but in other areas their development was still abnormally rapid. All three of them were talking in what felt like days. They were able to hold actual conversations with the rest of us, and each day they picked up more and more words. Their progression at learning to walk went a bit slower, but not by much. It was sort of scary to see them reach such a degree of conscious and awareness far beyond what children their age should have. Yet, they were still children and it was relieving to not have things as difficult as it would have been otherwise with the three of them.

Having given Wesley plenty of warning, I went ahead with what I had to do when it was time for me to become pregnant again. I considered simply going to the hospital once more. However, I knew that really wasn't the way the Goddess wanted things to go. I was to only rely on donation if I was truly in a pinch. As it was, I had made a decent acquaintanceship with one of the workers at the grocery store since I had started going there so often. His name was Mr. Conrad Durham, and he was more than willing to come over one afternoon when he got off work. Wesley had been surprisingly open and encouraging about arraigning that afternoon. I had suggested to Mr. Durham that we go to his place, but it apparently had no proper place where we could do anything. I hated the thought of sleeping with him in the bed that was now firmly mine and Wesley's, but what else could I do? Wesley reassured me. If it was for the task, he didn't mind. It wasn't like we were doing anything anymore as he had truly just gotten too old. I blushed furiously when he told me he would take all the children out that afternoon so I could fully enjoy myself. That was a bit too much teasing from him for my liking.

But, in the end, Mr. Durham did come over, and the encounter was somewhat satisfying.

The children all began to stress as they had winter exams to deal with. Well, I don't think Maldor's were that difficult. It was more once he saw how Tridia and Thralas freaked out over theirs that he thought he had to do the same. The result was that he joined them at the table when they did their homework and studying copying their looks of worry as well as reluctance to doing the work. Elemir was concerned at first over his own studies too, but he wasn't as bothered as he apparently had one of the nice teachers who made sure everyone was ready and actually put what she said was going to be on the test on the test.

Elemir was also in high spirits as his scouting activities had been going well. He had joined the club not long after he started school, and had been very involved ever since. The result was him earning the highest honors at the awards ceremony at the school where the leader handed out the patches. Wesley embarrassed him by cheering constantly when it was his turn. To be frank, it was embarrassing for the rest of us too. One negative thing about Wesley getting older is that he has stopped giving a darn as to what he does in public. Not that he ever does anything out of line or truly inappropriate, but he is more overt about expressing what he thinks or feels.

Elemir was quick to forget his annoyance and embarrassment when the ceremony was over. He was much more eager in showing off all his badges. It wasn't just enough for him to show them off to us all at once. No. Elemir had to come to each of us individually to explain what each one was. We were standing around for a while, but of course we were all patient with him.

Wesley lamented some days over how much he missed working, but he simply hadn't been able to keep up with all the stressful and physical demands his job had required. He was quick to perk up though when I expressed how happy I was that he could be home with me all the time now. It was a fair trade off, he said. He also could never be down when we played with Lenn, which was often. It was plain to see playing with our little mutt made him feel young again. I became a tiny bit jealous when Wesley spent more time with Lenn than he should have, but that boy and his dog constantly being so cute together wasn't something I could complain about too much.

It was in the first week of spring when I was able to sense the signs that changes were happening with my body. Another pregnancy was imminent. When I was able to confirm I was carrying my 81st child for the task I had mixed feelings. I was excited to be having the baby, who was later discovered to be a boy, of course. Yet now I truly was entering the home stretch. I continued thinking as I had been already of how these last days might play out. Mostly I concerned myself with where I would be when I gave birth to my 100th child. Unless something big happened or another prompting from the Goddess came, I had no intention of moving from Twinbrook. I was tired of all the effort it took to go to someplace else. If I did stay here, it would be the place where I bore the most children. It was strange to think the view I could see out my window now could be the same view I would see when I could be carrying my last baby.

With my pregnancy causing my hormones to go all wild again, I became moody much more frequently. I suppose I was a saint compared to how I had been when carrying Elemir, but I felt bad as I always did when I created friction between me and the others. Being used to me being pregnant though allowed Wesley and my children to deal with me patiently. Wesley was great at convincing me to lay down and rest when I got worked up, and dear Elemir loved assisting in taking care of his adopted alien siblings.

There was a horribly infuriating incident that occurred one night which became hilarious afterwards when everything settled down. It was a Friday night, and Wesley had begun Thralas' driving lessons as promised since Thralas had finished all his homework. The two had no other obligations and Thralas was so into the lesson that they stayed out well past curfew. He was with Wesley though, so everything was fine.Or it should have been.

One of the issues about getting old that bothered Wesley the most was that he had to make trips to the bathroom much more than he used to. The two pulled up at a store that was still open so Wesley could relieve himself. Thralas didn't go into the store, but got out of the car and leaned against it so he could enjoy the refreshing spring air. That was when the policeman came around. He spotted Thralas, and refused to believe he had an adult with him. He made no effort at all to go into the store to find Wesley and get everything sorted out. Thralas was instead made to get into the police cruiser where he was promptly brought home.

I opened the door thoroughly confused. Wesley had let me known the two of them would be out late, so the policeman didn't understand why I didn't go off at Thralas like I suppose he expected me to. Then my phone started buzzing like crazy. It was, of course, Wesley. He was freaking out as to where Thralas had gone. I explained the situation to him. Thinking back on it now, I shouldn't have given my phone to the officer as Wesley told me to do. I mentioned it before, but Wesley had stopped caring how obvious he was with his emotions in public. I could hear every word and curse that he ranted at the police officer. I finally took my phone back and told Wesley to calm down, reassured the officer who had become very embarrassed and ashamed, sent Thralas to bed after he left, and got Wesley to stop his ranting when he returned home.

Wesley and I couldn't believe it when Aneviel, Anemir, and Anadien had their birthday. Our unexpected triplets were now fine young children. I think I was the most excited out of all of us to watch them grow older. This was partly because I was so interested in seeing what made the presence radiating from them different from my other alien children. Anondil, Melui, and Navinai each had their own special thing. I was sure Aneviel, Anemir, and Anadien would show me theirs before too long.

And I was absolutely right. However, instead of being interested in seeing what gave them their strange presence I became concerned. As soon as they had their birthday, the triplets stopped needing everything. I was expecting that they would stop requiring sleep when they reached adolescence like Anondil, Melui, and Navinai, but already as children sleep among seriously everything else became useless to them. They didn't need to eat. They didn't need to use the restroom. They didn't need to shower as they were always as clean as if they had just bathed. It was perplexing, and so unnatural that it became mildly disturbing. Aneviel, Anemir, and Anadien claimed when I expressed my worries that all they had to do to stay satisfied was play chess. It gave their minds the logical and strategical challenge their bodies craved. I couldn't possibly understand how chess could give them energy, but as the weeks went by and all their free time was spent playing or watching the others play I noticed they were being sustained by it just fine.

The three of them were always moody when I forced them away from the chess table to spend time with the rest of us, but it was Aneviel alone who gave me the most trouble. Honestly, that girl quickly proved to be such an imp. She rivaled even Rithranduil's high tally for booby-trapping whatever sink, shower, or other appliance she could get her hands onto. It was worse when I saw she got true joy from creating so much chaos, and it frightened me that she took too much pleasure from watching the rest of us getting caught in her traps. Anemir told me something that I'm sure he meant as a reassurance, but it only disturbed me much more deeply.

I wasn't to think too deeply about Aneviel's behavior. She was just evil, but I didn't have to worry because she had simply been modified that way.

Modified?! I asked Anemir what he meant by that, but he shrugged and walked away. It was then that I knew I was way in over my head. I had assumed the aliens had sent the triplets my way because they wanted to see what alien-human mixed children would turn out to be like when raised by a father-figure as well being raised by me. I understood then that there was something much more serious going on. I tried not to panic too much since besides being fueled by playing chess and Aneviel apparently just being programmed to be evil, the triplets were normal children. That kind of deluded thinking was the only thing that stopped my mind from melting due to over-worrying.

But then the dreams started.

It was always blurry. It was so hard to focus. I wanted to scream out in frustration as I could never move. Each and every single time I was frozen there to the porch as one by one I watched Aneviel, Anemir, and Anadien run out to that ship. It was the same kind I remember seeing before during all the abductions. The triplets would jump up into it, and though the ship would remain they would vanish from sight. And that was it. That was the dream. However, it kept coming to me over and over again. It felt so real. Each time I would wake up I would have to go check on Aneviel, Anemir, and Anadien to make sure they were still about the house. Part of me became convinced that the dreams were actually happening. That the children were going away, but they would come back just in time before their absence could be caught. I asked Wesley to begin keeping an eye on me and the triplets during the night. He reconfirmed to me time and time again that I never got out of bed, and Aneviel, Anemir, and Anadien never left the house.

However, I couldn't fully believe him. It wasn't too long after the dreams started that the triplets became much more secretive. They began pulling away from the rest of us. I would sneak about when they thought they were alone, and I would find them having private discussions. Aneviel, Anemir, and Anadien would speak in a language I had never heard before and one I had no idea they knew. It was all too clear though that the three of them were making plans. There was something that they knew that was a mystery to the rest of us, and they had to be prepared.

The more I watched them, the more I gave up. Something was going to happen, and I had no control over it. Whatever the aliens had in store for my adopted alien babies was going to occur whether I liked it or not. All I could do was accept it, and hang on for the ride.

It was my acceptance of my inability to do anything that strangely enough calmed me down. The dreams and the triplets' discussions simply became a part of my normal routine. That normal routine also began to include playing a lot of video games with Wesley. With Aneviel, Anemir, and Anadien attending school, I finally had so much free time to do what I wanted. Wesley insisted he could make me a good video game player, so I took up the challenge. Surprisingly enough, he turned out to be semi-correct. I couldn't be called a professional by any means, but I actually began to hold my own. It was an absolute miracle.

My period of laziness didn't last too long. I had been far along in my pregnancy. Just when I was getting used to not having any young children to look after, I went into labor with my new son. Conrad actually came over like he promised, which was a nice change after dealing with Clifton and Carlton. Wesley pouted as he had to step aside to let Conrad take his proper place as Naldir's father, but we both knew it was the best way for things to be......