I was feeling pretty good. Everyone else was upstairs, so I had the whole first floor to myself. I had some plans for later on that Saturday afternoon, but until then I was going to be as lazy as possible. The rational part of me screamed from the back part of my mind that I was going to regret at least not being lazy outside. Summer was gone, and autumn was here. Chilly though still bearable winds scattered the already thick coat of leaves all over the ground. It wouldn't feel like that much longer until the cold bite of winter forced me inside most of the time. I really should have tried to enjoy the decent weather while I had it, but, nope, I opened the fridge to pull out one of the left over grilled cheese sandwiches I had been saving. I would start with it before seeing if it was far enough past breakfast for me down one or two more.
"Coal!" an angry call erupted from behind me to jolt me and send my heart racing.
I was already cringing in my head. It hadn't taken long for me to grow used to that tone and know what it entailed. I turned around doing my best to be impassive. However, I already knew I was on the losing side of whatever ridiculous argument was about to start.
"How many times have I told you not to leave the television on when you're not watching it?" mom reminded me disapprovingly, folding her arms and giving me that mom stare.
I sighed mentally. This was even more ridiculous than normal.
"I was watching it though. I only got up for a few seconds to grab this sandwich," I explained as I motioned to my plate, "It would waste more electricity to turn the television off and then on again than to simply let it run as it would have anyway."
"Why are you even watching television?" mom instantly changed her reprimand, "I thought I told you to clean the upstairs tub."
"You said I could do it after I finished my show." I pointed out with a frown.
"Well, I'm changing my mind and telling you to do it now. Otherwise it's never going to get done." she said tartly.
"I was definitely going to do it. I'm not Prism, you know." I said with defiance I should have learned by now to keep out of my voice, but it was there because I had had every intention of completing my chore.
"I was definitely going to do it. I'm not Prism, you know." I said with defiance I should have learned by now to keep out of my voice, but it was there because I had had every intention of completing my chore.
"Get upstairs and clean that tub now, Coal." mom commanded, not happy with my non-compliant response.
"Why am I the one who has to clean it anyway? Desi was the one who got it all goopy with her stupid, cheap bath bomb." I complained.
"Are you going to make me repeat myself a second time?" mom asked warningly.
"But I've been looking forward to this episode all wee-"
"Now, Coal," mom demanded irritably, "I know you have all the episodes set to record. You can be lazy in my house after you do your chores."
I must say, I was sorely tempted to grumble and complain a thousand miles a minute. However, I had discovered a few times what would happen if I did. Those hadn't been pleasant experiences. Wisp and Prism hadn't been exaggerating when they had been talking about mom's changed attitude thanks to her pregnancy hormones. Her bump was really starting to get big at a much faster pace. How long it had taken for it to show was now being made up as it felt like every other day it had doubled in size. Of course, with the baby having grown so much it had long been possible to find out the gender. Mom had debated back and forth, and she had gone ahead and asked to know. Frustratingly for the rest of us, she had chosen to only tell grandma and grandpa whether they would be getting a granddaughter or grandson. The rest of us had to wait until the baby was actually born to find out.
I slowly trudged over to the stairs while mom pulled out some stuff to make a cheese platter for an event Aunt Sunflower was helping host.
I was thinking the whole time while I cleaned the stupid tub Desire made dirty was of how I wanted to cut corners and just get the annoying task done as quickly as possible. What I actually did, however, was scrub that tub so clean that even I was proud of what I had done. You could fill the thing with pudding, and I would gladly eat from the giant, spotless bowl I created.
Uncle Blaze had told me that mom was beginning to 'nest'. That apparently meant everything had to be impossibly clean and in its place all the time. She wasn't too bad about it yet from what he had said, but if what I was experiencing was 'not bad' then I dreaded seeing what 'bad' was.
I was a tad bit sore from bending over and kneeling on my knees for such a long time. I moved gingerly as I returned downstairs to find mom in a somewhat better mood, although, for some reason, the normally smart Wisp was pushing her about something when usually he wouldn't even dare.
"I get why you don't want to tell me, partly because of how it could makes the others feel, but I just...I need to know. What harm is it going to do to tell me? Do you have an actual good reason to not say anything, or do you just not want to?"
"I have my reasons," mom said, "And they're not something I have to reveal to you. We've talked about this before, and I gave you all the answers I could give you then. I know you're getting impatient, but the rest of us have had this worked out for years. Trying to push us before the proper time isn't going to do you any good." mom denied with a deceptively cheerful tone.
"Why do the rest of you get to exclude me on something that directly involves me? It's not like I'm a little child anymore. I'm quite mature enough to deal with the situation." Wisp protested.
"That's hardly the issue here, and you know it. You have a right to be involved, but there are the feelings of the others involved that have to be taken into consideration too. It's not all about what you want."
"But I don't get why-"
"Wispy, dear," mom interrupted with a beaming smile that was not kind but dangerous, and it was emphasized by her using the nickname for my brother that she only used when he was in trouble, "Can it."
Wisp sighed and shook his head.
"Fine." he relented, a lot less annoyed than I would be.
Mom, putting the finishing touches on her cheese tray, wrapped it up and put it in the fridge before making her way to her room. It was clear she was leaving so she didn't annoy us further and so she didn't get further annoyed herself. I approached Wisp while he picked a broken piece of cracker on the counter and munched on it.
"What were you trying to find out?" I asked.
"Something you don't need to know about yet." Wisp smiled mischievously.
"How quickly the roles have reversed!" I laughed, "Now I want answers and you're the one not budging."
"Guess it makes me understand mom's position better, I guess." Wisp chuckled.
"I think that's 'momzilla' you're talking about there."
"She's really starting to get on our cases a lot more, isn't she?" Wisp agreed with a nod and chin rub.
"I can't even watch one episode of my shows without her barking at me about how lazy I am!" I exclaimed with a mix of annoyance and amusement.
"Well, if I'm not watching something of mine or doing homework, I guess I can open up my television to you." Wisp offered.
"Really? You're a lifesaver!"
My hair was ruffled.
"Hopefully, mom should go back to being more agreeable soon. I don't think finding out about what Uncle Eden and Aunt Deny have to deal with now with that custody case is doing her any favors when she's already dealing with so much. The shock should wear off before too long though." Wisp said.
"Hopefully."
"I can't believe you knew about the case all this time." Wisp added in amazement.
"What can I say? I can keep a secret." I boasted proudly.
"Says the one who told dad that I had stolen a box of his Trail Scout cookies minutes after I told you not to tell him." my brother reminded me.
"You can't blame me for that!" I laughed again, "I was four. No four-year-old can keep a secret. I certainly wouldn't trust Ceri with any of mine."
"Still doesn't mean I can't be annoyed about it." Wisp teased, ruffling my hair again- a bit harder this time.
I played along on the outside, smiling and joking around and whatnot, but my mood had sunk somewhat on the inside at the mentioning of the case. Despite Uncle Eden and Aunt Deny's best efforts, they had not been able to reach an agreement out of court with Rosemary's birth parents. There was indeed going to be a proper case, and the arguments for the official proceedings were being put into motion.
Wisp went back to doing his own thing as well, and I was able to finish my episode without further interruptions. I was even able to eat my sandwich. I continued to be lazy until it was time for me to head out. The meeting place was the library on the other side of the park. Riding my bike, it only took several minutes to get there. The two I was meeting were already there though. I hurriedly locked my bike up before rushing up to them.
"Hi, Coal!" Mimosa greeted me happily.
"Hey." I responded, looking in turn at her and then Azure.
"Ready to find a book?" Azure asked with sarcastic enthusiasm.
"I guess. I still don't get why I needed to come along to help you two find a book for your book report. We don't even have a similar assignment in my class." I put that out there.
"But you like books, don't you?" Mimosa responded, "You're sure to lead us to something good."
"I mean, I don't dislike reading, that's true, but..."
I trailed off after I glanced Azure's way and he shrugged. I realized I did know why I had been invited along. It was simply an excuse for Mimosa to spend time with me.
My hand was gripped with her iron clench as usual as she lead us inside the library. Azure went towards the books that held his interest while I followed Mimosa to the children's section. Thinking she had merely seen something that had caught her attention momentarily, I furrowed my eyes in confusion when she started sorting through the books.
"Mimosa, you do know we're here to find a book for your report, right? Not to find something for you to read for fun?" I asked.
"I know!" Mimosa giggled at me, "I am looking for something for the report. There's one book I really like that I've read a hundred times. I want to use it. It should be...right here!"
She smiled grandly as she pulled a surprisingly thick book off the shelf, but I could tell the reason for the thickness was the inclusion of a heap of pictures.
"Mimosa," I started slowly, "You can't use that one."
"Why not?" she wondered with a pout.
"The reading level is too easy for the grade we're in now. All the books in the section are. See the number on the spine? It has to have at least a six on it. That one only has a two."
"But if I ask Mrs. Crisp, surely she'll let me..."
Mimosa trailed off as I shook my head gently.
"Even if she was the kind of person to agree to that, which I don't think she is, as a teacher she has to make sure everyone follows the rules the school system has in place for level requirements." I explained.
The pout on Mimosa's face deepened immensely, and I saw the threat of tears in her eyes as she reluctantly put the books back. I grabbed her hand and smiled.
"Hey, trust me. There's plenty of awesome books out there you'll like that'll be at the right level. We can have fun searching together." I encouraged.
Mimosa blinked to force her tears away, and she nodded with the tiniest of smiles while holding my hand tighter.
It took a while before Azure and I were able to pull out any book Mimosa would even consider. Upset about her favorite book being out of the questions, she didn't want to accept any other quickly. The three of us had to go up to the second floor before we found a good candidate.
"I think this one could work really well," Azure began, flipping through the pages, "It's a fictional historical fantasy. It's got cool sword fights and ice dragons for me, and the second main character seems to be a princess who kicks butt while still wearing those ridiculous poofy dresses."
"I do like poofy dresses," Mimosa noted, "Does it have any pictures?"
"Well, no."
"You're not going to find a book at the right level with any pictures in it." I told Mimosa as I could see rejection building in her expression again.
"You could draw your own pictures. We could include them in the report to shake things up." Azure suggested.
"That could work!" Mimosa agreed with renewed interest.
"Great! There's three copies, so we don't even have to worry about waiting for someone else to return it. You could even read along with us, Coal."
"I don't-"
"Yeah! If you read it along with us, you could use it for when Mr. Trail gives your class a book report. We'd even have a lot of the work done for you!" Mimosa said, grabbing a copy and placing it against my chest.
"That is an idea." I realized, smiling mischievously.
We took out all three copies of the books before heading up to the third floor patio. Azure and I took a spot on the southern wall and stared out as the landscape before us.
"I can't believe summer's over. It was there, and then fall was here the next day." he complained with a dramatic sigh.
"Hey, at least it's not snowing."
"Don't even say that word," Azure warned so seriously I laughed.
"Be grateful for fall then."
"Fine," he huffed before looking out again, "I guess it isn't so bad right now. It hasn't been raining at all, so the leaves are good and crunchy. Do you remember that time with your dad..."
His sentenced faltered, and he glanced at me uncertainly. I motioned for him that it was perfectly fine to continue.
"That one fall where you dad raked that ridiculously huge pile of leaves that pretty much was as high at the first floor ceiling."
"And he jumped off the swig at the very top into it. Yeah, I remember," I grinned, "Mom caught him doing it the second time. She was freaking out about him hurting himself as he nearly missed on that jump."
"I would hate to see how'd she react now."
"You've been wise not to come over. She'd make you clean the whole house or something!"
Azure opened his mouth to say something, but a loud squeal blasted from behind us.
Azure and I whipped around. Holly had come from somewhere, and it looked like she had just given Mimosa the fright of the century. Both of their expressions were priceless, and Azure, Holly, and I all laughed until Mimosa burst into tears.
"Holly!" she squeaked frustratingly at her sister.
"What?"
"That was mean!" Mimosa whined furiously.
"Oh, come on. It was just a bit of fun. Getting a little bit frightened isn't the same as me randomly punching you in the face or something. There's not even a reason to cry." Holly frowned.
"I didn't like it!"
Holly folded her arms and huffed. Mimosa continued to cry as if someone had just died. I sighed mentally again. There really wasn't a reason for Mimosa to be bawling quite so intensely, but I knew it was something she couldn't help. Holly shouldn't have been getting so annoyed so quickly either, but, then again, I also couldn't imagine the emotional drainage it took to constantly deal with outbursts caused by things most people wouldn't bat an eye at.
I walked over to Mimosa first as I knew I was the best one in that moment to calm her down the quickest. I gently petted her hair as she liked people to do.
"Mimosa, it's alright. Holly really didn't mean to frighten you so badly. She did just mean for it to be in innocent fun. I know she's sorry." I reassured quietly.
I gave a slight warning look at Holly, who had given a noncommittal nod.
"Why don't we go down to the park and get some ice cream?" I suggested, "I know they're still selling it at the stalls."
The amount of tears spilling out of Mimosa's eyes instantly decreased noticeably at that. She rubbed at her face with her hands to further halt them, and I received a nod of acceptance. The situation seemed to be resolving itself without any more problems. Then I shifted to turn away to get my things when Mimosa suddenly kissed me on the cheek. It wasn't a quick peck, but her pressing what felt like half of her wet face against my skin for a lingering amount of time that went so far as to be quite uncomfortable.
"Mimosa!" I rebuked as I pulled away, "You know I don't like that."
"I was just thanking you."
Yet another giggled escaped her lips, and she gave me that dreamy stare I really didn't like- usually because she ignored everything I said when she wore it.
"Then thank me with words. That kind of kissing bothers me."
"But it's just a little one." Mimosa pleaded with puppy dog eyes, definitely ignoring me.
"Don't make me recite the lecture again, or I'll have to tell mom and dad." Holly stepped in for me, literally- as she got between me and her sister.
"Alright," Mimosa said reluctantly, "Sorry, Coal."
"It's alright." I said.
I just wanted to move past it and get some ice cream.
The ice cream wasn't gotten right away. Our attention was pulled to the stage where a familiar face was pulling off a series of intricate tricks.
"I didn't know your dad was putting on a show today." Azure said as we rushed closer.
"He's not. He's auditioning for the main show at the festival." Holly explained.
"I forgot he was auditioning today. I guess that explains why you showed up." Mimosa realized.
"Plum was complaining way too much about how her pulled muscle hurt. I needed to get out of the house, and dad gave me a lift." she shrugged.
"Doesn't your dad perform for the festival every year?" Azure wondered, "Why does he even need to bother to audition anymore?"
"Apparently, they're hiring some big names from out of town this year. They were finally going to let him just join until the line-up was changed."
"Well, looks like he's doing great to me." I said.
Uncle Al was a professional magician. He was so skilled he was constantly doing fancy gigs. He didn't even have to bother doing random birthday parties if he didn't want to, but he them occasionally just for the fun of it. There was nothing about his performance then that showed any signs of nerves. Uncle Al winked at us before performing several tricks that were some of our favorites.
The four of us departed when he was finishing up. Azure and Mimosa went with fudge popsicles while Holly and I went with classic cones. We milled about while eating. I walked around with Mimosa, who had no interest in sitting down, for a bit until I sat on a bench while she meandered here and there. Azure and Holly took up spots at a table with a large umbrella to shade them from the sun. It was a peaceful moment where we all relaxed. My ice cream was almost gone when an identical, scared squeal just like the one from before hurt my ears.
I glanced up, and my expression dropped. Midas had come from somewhere, and he, too, had thought he would have a bit of fun in scaring Mimosa. He looked rather pleased with himself, but the look that spread across Mimosa's face was not pleasant.
The expected happened. Mimosa burst into tears, and Azure, Holly and, I sighed loudly.
"Midas!" we called out together in exasperation.
"W-what?" Midas stuttered, the poor guy having no idea what he had done.
I was shaking my head and sighing more for the next minute or so. Luckily, a freed up Uncle Al was able to come over to comfort Mimosa that time around.
It was nice to have a refreshing bike ride home. I only wish the ride had been longer, for I could have never imagined what would be awaiting me when I opened the door. Mr. Trail, my teacher, one of the people who should never be in my house...was in my house. I ground to a halt when I saw him and mom chatting comfortably, and I stop there not knowing what to do or if this was a trap of some kind. Had Mr. Trail somehow magically heard that I was thinking about doing something cheaty about a book report he hadn't even assigned yet? I held the bag that had my copy of the book from the library behind my back tight.
"Oh, Coal. Welcome back." mom greeted when she noticed me.
"Hi." I said slowly.
"Sorry to keep intruding," Mr. Trail laughed when he saw my expression, "Like I've been taking walks, I've also slowly been visiting my new neighbors in turn. I didn't know this was your house until I got here."
"Uh-huh." I replied with, perhaps, unwarranted suspicion.
"Coal." mom chastised with a hint of a smile.
"It's fine. I would hate to see my teacher randomly in my house if I was his age." Mr. Trail bartered for me merrily.
"I can't say I wouldn't say the same. Still, the two of us are going to talk for a bit though," mom shifted towards me, "So you are free to go upstairs to hide until he leaves if you feel it necessary."
"I'm going to see if Wisp will let me us his television then." I answered eagerly.
I rushed towards the stairs at first, but I slowed as I went up them. Mom and Mr. Trail sat down in the chairs by the front entrance bookcase, and curiosity had me going even slower to catch them restarting their conversation.
"If it isn't too weird or awkward to say, I do have to say that I'm a little star struck. As someone who had a History major on top of his Education major, meeting the Ethereal of all people feels like a once in a lifetime experience." Mr. Trail gushed a bit.
"No need to feel weird. I know meeting me is the first experience a lot of people have with meeting an albino, and with me having been involved with all that I know it can be like meeting a celebrity. That's what some people have said, anyway," mom laughed, "To me, I've always merely felt normal though. I certainly never intended to change history. I was just living my life."
"I'm sure even that was a battle sometimes though. You had to endure a lot, and to come through it so strongly is remarkable."
I didn't hear any more of that part of the conversation besides mom saying thank you. I couldn't delay going up the stairs any slower or else it would have become obvious I was listening in. Curiosity getting a hold of me, I thought of one way I could eavesdrop without being caught. However, I really had to use the bathroom, so that came first before I could put my plan into action. I managed to avoid the one thing that could totally ruin my plan too- Prism being in his room. He had a vent under his dresser that connected to a vent by mom and Mr. Trail. His room was also right above them, so it provided me with a pretty easy way to listen in. From what I could tell, Prism was playing video games with Wisp in Wisp's room, so I was safe for a while.
I got down on my hands and knees, lowered myself comfortably to the ground, and strained hard for the sound.
Just like I anticipated, I could hear everything they were saying almost as clear as if they were right next to me. The two of them had moved on from the topic about mom's fame.
"It is disheartening to hear the story a few of the other teachers have told me about your husband is true. I can't imagine what it must be like to have such a thing happen, much less not even know what truly happened. Especially..." Mr. Trail said before pausing.
I assume that pause is when he motioned to mom's baby belly.
"It has been rough, and I would be lying if I refused to admit there haven't been points where I have not been alright in the slightest. We're all learning to cope. Amaranth wouldn't want us to let ourselves be broken for long, so we're allowing life to continue while having hope and faith for the best outcome in the end." mom said softly.
"I've always believed that holding optimism even when things are their darkest will lead to a happier path. I have to say I was surprised to learn though of what your family has to deal with. Coal has been so cheerful and content in class. He's never shown any signs that there was anything wrong."
"He's a resilient one, just like his father," mom said gently with pride, and I imagined her smiling, "Of course, it was a battle for him to get where he is. He was close with Am. After it sank in that Am wouldn't be returning home anytime soon, weeks went by where Coal hated being home. He did everything he could to stay away. There were a few instances where days went by and I barely got the chance to say good morning to him. Then things switched around. Weeks passed where Coal refused to come out of his room. It was next to impossible to even get him to eat, let alone see his friends or go outside. I was starting to think about sending him to a therapist when his friends managed to reach him and break him out of his slump. It's not like things have been perfect since then, but it's all been much, much better."
"I'm glad to hear it. I know Coal won't want me hanging over him now that I've invaded his birthday party and his house," Mr. Trail said with amusement, "But if I see any changes with him in class that seem to signal something deeper, I'll let you know."
Mom said something quietly. I think it was another thank you and joke about me having to interact with Mr. Trail more than necessary. What I heard for sure was the two of the laughing before the topic changed.
"It's nice to know I have another set of eyes to help me. I've had a great amount of them assisting me over the years, but it's never felt like enough. It's unfortunate a divorce was part of the reason you moved to Berrybrook though." mom said.
"It's not as unfortunate as you might think, thankfully. The split was, blessedly, quite amicable. My wife and I simply stopped loving each other, were mature enough to accept that without grudges, and worked hard to remember what we initially liked about the other so that after the divorce we could return to being friends."
"That's a blessing indeed. I remember the struggle of remaking the friendship I had had with my first boyfriend after we broke up. To have to go through that with someone you promised to spend your life with must have been on a whole other level. You're also living quite far away from your daughters now too, aren't you?" mom asked.
"That part is unfortunate, but we've worked it out so that I am talking to them everyday. They'll also be around for all vacations and the like as well. Moving to Berrybrook was my choice alone, so I have no right to complain either."
"It was hard to remain in a place where a lot of your life was now changed?"
"Not at all, at least not in regards to the breakup of my marriage. No, it was the changes to the school system. An almost entirely new city council was elected several years ago, and they were slowly turning everything I had loved about teaching in Lodge into things I hated. The atmosphere and the shift to relying on standardized testing was horrible. I had every intention of remaining there after the divorce, but the drain my job had become forced me to look for a place that understood teaching children how to think was much more crucial than teaching children what to think."
Mom laughed again.
"I'll be honest and say that if you had been one of my teachers, then you would have been one of my favorites. As someone who has a different style of learning, I craved anything that would let me use my knowledge instead of having to simply memorize knowledge in hopes it would be useful."
It was Mr. Trail's turn to laugh.
"You honor me with your praise," he said with a joking air, "Perhaps I will have to annoy Coal and come around more often. Goodness knows I don't get a lot of compliments from my students even if I don't hear a lot of grumbling either."
"You're more than welcome to visit often. Am and I specifically built this house so big because we planned to have company around all the time, besides having rooms for the children too, naturally." mom offered.
"I must just have to. There's nothing more enticing than walking into see a pool table directly in your line of sight."
"Am's idea. I didn't want it there as I thought it was an eyesore, but he wouldn't budge."
"That drum set is pretty eye-catching as well."
"Oh, do you play?" mom asked with intrigue.
"I'm no professional, but I play well enough."
"Would you like to play something? The set was another one of Am's ideas, but he didn't stick with it. Surprisingly, none of the boys have been that interested in it either. They'll randomly beat at it when they want to make noise, but nothing of what they make resembles a song in the slightest." mom explained excitedly.
"If it's a request, I can't refuse," Mr. Trail agreed eagerly, "It's been some time since I've gotten the chance to play too."
I had started to frown at the idea of Mr. Trail definitely coming around more. I was making a gagging sound in the next second when I was yanked to my feet by my collar. Prism had returned without me noticing, and I had been caught in my crime.
"Can't let the poor adults have one conversation in peace, can you?" he rebuked disapprovingly.
"It's weird having them talk though. I don't-"
"Nope, I don't want to hear any of that," my brother interrupted firmly, "I don't care if it bothers you or whatever that your teacher is in our house. Talking to him is the first thing that has made mom act normal all day. Heaven forbid she catch a break without you listening in when you shouldn't."
"But-!"
"No, Coal. No more. Now, go to your room or go somewhere else, because you're not welcome in here- especially if you're going to do stuff like this."
My frown returned, but I left Prism's room without any further arguments. I did head to my room. Seconds later, the sound of a steady, catchy beat played on the drums echoed throughout the house. I could ignore it no more than I could ignore the hesitancy in my chest. There was something more than my teacher being in my house that bothered me when seeing Mr. Trail here, but I couldn't figure out what it was. Truth be told, that I couldn't figure out the problem unnerved me just as much too.
"Still doesn't mean I can't be annoyed about it." Wisp teased, ruffling my hair again- a bit harder this time.
I played along on the outside, smiling and joking around and whatnot, but my mood had sunk somewhat on the inside at the mentioning of the case. Despite Uncle Eden and Aunt Deny's best efforts, they had not been able to reach an agreement out of court with Rosemary's birth parents. There was indeed going to be a proper case, and the arguments for the official proceedings were being put into motion.
Wisp went back to doing his own thing as well, and I was able to finish my episode without further interruptions. I was even able to eat my sandwich. I continued to be lazy until it was time for me to head out. The meeting place was the library on the other side of the park. Riding my bike, it only took several minutes to get there. The two I was meeting were already there though. I hurriedly locked my bike up before rushing up to them.
"Hi, Coal!" Mimosa greeted me happily.
"Hey." I responded, looking in turn at her and then Azure.
"Ready to find a book?" Azure asked with sarcastic enthusiasm.
"I guess. I still don't get why I needed to come along to help you two find a book for your book report. We don't even have a similar assignment in my class." I put that out there.
"But you like books, don't you?" Mimosa responded, "You're sure to lead us to something good."
"I mean, I don't dislike reading, that's true, but..."
I trailed off after I glanced Azure's way and he shrugged. I realized I did know why I had been invited along. It was simply an excuse for Mimosa to spend time with me.
My hand was gripped with her iron clench as usual as she lead us inside the library. Azure went towards the books that held his interest while I followed Mimosa to the children's section. Thinking she had merely seen something that had caught her attention momentarily, I furrowed my eyes in confusion when she started sorting through the books.
"Mimosa, you do know we're here to find a book for your report, right? Not to find something for you to read for fun?" I asked.
"I know!" Mimosa giggled at me, "I am looking for something for the report. There's one book I really like that I've read a hundred times. I want to use it. It should be...right here!"
She smiled grandly as she pulled a surprisingly thick book off the shelf, but I could tell the reason for the thickness was the inclusion of a heap of pictures.
"Mimosa," I started slowly, "You can't use that one."
"Why not?" she wondered with a pout.
"The reading level is too easy for the grade we're in now. All the books in the section are. See the number on the spine? It has to have at least a six on it. That one only has a two."
"But if I ask Mrs. Crisp, surely she'll let me..."
Mimosa trailed off as I shook my head gently.
"Even if she was the kind of person to agree to that, which I don't think she is, as a teacher she has to make sure everyone follows the rules the school system has in place for level requirements." I explained.
The pout on Mimosa's face deepened immensely, and I saw the threat of tears in her eyes as she reluctantly put the books back. I grabbed her hand and smiled.
"Hey, trust me. There's plenty of awesome books out there you'll like that'll be at the right level. We can have fun searching together." I encouraged.
Mimosa blinked to force her tears away, and she nodded with the tiniest of smiles while holding my hand tighter.
It took a while before Azure and I were able to pull out any book Mimosa would even consider. Upset about her favorite book being out of the questions, she didn't want to accept any other quickly. The three of us had to go up to the second floor before we found a good candidate.
"I think this one could work really well," Azure began, flipping through the pages, "It's a fictional historical fantasy. It's got cool sword fights and ice dragons for me, and the second main character seems to be a princess who kicks butt while still wearing those ridiculous poofy dresses."
"I do like poofy dresses," Mimosa noted, "Does it have any pictures?"
"Well, no."
"You're not going to find a book at the right level with any pictures in it." I told Mimosa as I could see rejection building in her expression again.
"You could draw your own pictures. We could include them in the report to shake things up." Azure suggested.
"That could work!" Mimosa agreed with renewed interest.
"Great! There's three copies, so we don't even have to worry about waiting for someone else to return it. You could even read along with us, Coal."
"I don't-"
"Yeah! If you read it along with us, you could use it for when Mr. Trail gives your class a book report. We'd even have a lot of the work done for you!" Mimosa said, grabbing a copy and placing it against my chest.
"That is an idea." I realized, smiling mischievously.
We took out all three copies of the books before heading up to the third floor patio. Azure and I took a spot on the southern wall and stared out as the landscape before us.
"I can't believe summer's over. It was there, and then fall was here the next day." he complained with a dramatic sigh.
"Hey, at least it's not snowing."
"Don't even say that word," Azure warned so seriously I laughed.
"Be grateful for fall then."
"Fine," he huffed before looking out again, "I guess it isn't so bad right now. It hasn't been raining at all, so the leaves are good and crunchy. Do you remember that time with your dad..."
His sentenced faltered, and he glanced at me uncertainly. I motioned for him that it was perfectly fine to continue.
"That one fall where you dad raked that ridiculously huge pile of leaves that pretty much was as high at the first floor ceiling."
"And he jumped off the swig at the very top into it. Yeah, I remember," I grinned, "Mom caught him doing it the second time. She was freaking out about him hurting himself as he nearly missed on that jump."
"I would hate to see how'd she react now."
"You've been wise not to come over. She'd make you clean the whole house or something!"
Azure opened his mouth to say something, but a loud squeal blasted from behind us.
Azure and I whipped around. Holly had come from somewhere, and it looked like she had just given Mimosa the fright of the century. Both of their expressions were priceless, and Azure, Holly, and I all laughed until Mimosa burst into tears.
"Holly!" she squeaked frustratingly at her sister.
"What?"
"That was mean!" Mimosa whined furiously.
"Oh, come on. It was just a bit of fun. Getting a little bit frightened isn't the same as me randomly punching you in the face or something. There's not even a reason to cry." Holly frowned.
"I didn't like it!"
Holly folded her arms and huffed. Mimosa continued to cry as if someone had just died. I sighed mentally again. There really wasn't a reason for Mimosa to be bawling quite so intensely, but I knew it was something she couldn't help. Holly shouldn't have been getting so annoyed so quickly either, but, then again, I also couldn't imagine the emotional drainage it took to constantly deal with outbursts caused by things most people wouldn't bat an eye at.
I walked over to Mimosa first as I knew I was the best one in that moment to calm her down the quickest. I gently petted her hair as she liked people to do.
"Mimosa, it's alright. Holly really didn't mean to frighten you so badly. She did just mean for it to be in innocent fun. I know she's sorry." I reassured quietly.
I gave a slight warning look at Holly, who had given a noncommittal nod.
"Why don't we go down to the park and get some ice cream?" I suggested, "I know they're still selling it at the stalls."
The amount of tears spilling out of Mimosa's eyes instantly decreased noticeably at that. She rubbed at her face with her hands to further halt them, and I received a nod of acceptance. The situation seemed to be resolving itself without any more problems. Then I shifted to turn away to get my things when Mimosa suddenly kissed me on the cheek. It wasn't a quick peck, but her pressing what felt like half of her wet face against my skin for a lingering amount of time that went so far as to be quite uncomfortable.
"Mimosa!" I rebuked as I pulled away, "You know I don't like that."
"I was just thanking you."
Yet another giggled escaped her lips, and she gave me that dreamy stare I really didn't like- usually because she ignored everything I said when she wore it.
"Then thank me with words. That kind of kissing bothers me."
"But it's just a little one." Mimosa pleaded with puppy dog eyes, definitely ignoring me.
"Don't make me recite the lecture again, or I'll have to tell mom and dad." Holly stepped in for me, literally- as she got between me and her sister.
"Alright," Mimosa said reluctantly, "Sorry, Coal."
"It's alright." I said.
I just wanted to move past it and get some ice cream.
The ice cream wasn't gotten right away. Our attention was pulled to the stage where a familiar face was pulling off a series of intricate tricks.
"I didn't know your dad was putting on a show today." Azure said as we rushed closer.
"He's not. He's auditioning for the main show at the festival." Holly explained.
"I forgot he was auditioning today. I guess that explains why you showed up." Mimosa realized.
"Plum was complaining way too much about how her pulled muscle hurt. I needed to get out of the house, and dad gave me a lift." she shrugged.
"Doesn't your dad perform for the festival every year?" Azure wondered, "Why does he even need to bother to audition anymore?"
"Apparently, they're hiring some big names from out of town this year. They were finally going to let him just join until the line-up was changed."
"Well, looks like he's doing great to me." I said.
Uncle Al was a professional magician. He was so skilled he was constantly doing fancy gigs. He didn't even have to bother doing random birthday parties if he didn't want to, but he them occasionally just for the fun of it. There was nothing about his performance then that showed any signs of nerves. Uncle Al winked at us before performing several tricks that were some of our favorites.
The four of us departed when he was finishing up. Azure and Mimosa went with fudge popsicles while Holly and I went with classic cones. We milled about while eating. I walked around with Mimosa, who had no interest in sitting down, for a bit until I sat on a bench while she meandered here and there. Azure and Holly took up spots at a table with a large umbrella to shade them from the sun. It was a peaceful moment where we all relaxed. My ice cream was almost gone when an identical, scared squeal just like the one from before hurt my ears.
I glanced up, and my expression dropped. Midas had come from somewhere, and he, too, had thought he would have a bit of fun in scaring Mimosa. He looked rather pleased with himself, but the look that spread across Mimosa's face was not pleasant.
The expected happened. Mimosa burst into tears, and Azure, Holly and, I sighed loudly.
"Midas!" we called out together in exasperation.
"W-what?" Midas stuttered, the poor guy having no idea what he had done.
I was shaking my head and sighing more for the next minute or so. Luckily, a freed up Uncle Al was able to come over to comfort Mimosa that time around.
It was nice to have a refreshing bike ride home. I only wish the ride had been longer, for I could have never imagined what would be awaiting me when I opened the door. Mr. Trail, my teacher, one of the people who should never be in my house...was in my house. I ground to a halt when I saw him and mom chatting comfortably, and I stop there not knowing what to do or if this was a trap of some kind. Had Mr. Trail somehow magically heard that I was thinking about doing something cheaty about a book report he hadn't even assigned yet? I held the bag that had my copy of the book from the library behind my back tight.
"Oh, Coal. Welcome back." mom greeted when she noticed me.
"Hi." I said slowly.
"Sorry to keep intruding," Mr. Trail laughed when he saw my expression, "Like I've been taking walks, I've also slowly been visiting my new neighbors in turn. I didn't know this was your house until I got here."
"Uh-huh." I replied with, perhaps, unwarranted suspicion.
"Coal." mom chastised with a hint of a smile.
"It's fine. I would hate to see my teacher randomly in my house if I was his age." Mr. Trail bartered for me merrily.
"I can't say I wouldn't say the same. Still, the two of us are going to talk for a bit though," mom shifted towards me, "So you are free to go upstairs to hide until he leaves if you feel it necessary."
"I'm going to see if Wisp will let me us his television then." I answered eagerly.
I rushed towards the stairs at first, but I slowed as I went up them. Mom and Mr. Trail sat down in the chairs by the front entrance bookcase, and curiosity had me going even slower to catch them restarting their conversation.
"If it isn't too weird or awkward to say, I do have to say that I'm a little star struck. As someone who had a History major on top of his Education major, meeting the Ethereal of all people feels like a once in a lifetime experience." Mr. Trail gushed a bit.
"No need to feel weird. I know meeting me is the first experience a lot of people have with meeting an albino, and with me having been involved with all that I know it can be like meeting a celebrity. That's what some people have said, anyway," mom laughed, "To me, I've always merely felt normal though. I certainly never intended to change history. I was just living my life."
"I'm sure even that was a battle sometimes though. You had to endure a lot, and to come through it so strongly is remarkable."
I didn't hear any more of that part of the conversation besides mom saying thank you. I couldn't delay going up the stairs any slower or else it would have become obvious I was listening in. Curiosity getting a hold of me, I thought of one way I could eavesdrop without being caught. However, I really had to use the bathroom, so that came first before I could put my plan into action. I managed to avoid the one thing that could totally ruin my plan too- Prism being in his room. He had a vent under his dresser that connected to a vent by mom and Mr. Trail. His room was also right above them, so it provided me with a pretty easy way to listen in. From what I could tell, Prism was playing video games with Wisp in Wisp's room, so I was safe for a while.
I got down on my hands and knees, lowered myself comfortably to the ground, and strained hard for the sound.
Just like I anticipated, I could hear everything they were saying almost as clear as if they were right next to me. The two of them had moved on from the topic about mom's fame.
"It is disheartening to hear the story a few of the other teachers have told me about your husband is true. I can't imagine what it must be like to have such a thing happen, much less not even know what truly happened. Especially..." Mr. Trail said before pausing.
I assume that pause is when he motioned to mom's baby belly.
"It has been rough, and I would be lying if I refused to admit there haven't been points where I have not been alright in the slightest. We're all learning to cope. Amaranth wouldn't want us to let ourselves be broken for long, so we're allowing life to continue while having hope and faith for the best outcome in the end." mom said softly.
"I've always believed that holding optimism even when things are their darkest will lead to a happier path. I have to say I was surprised to learn though of what your family has to deal with. Coal has been so cheerful and content in class. He's never shown any signs that there was anything wrong."
"He's a resilient one, just like his father," mom said gently with pride, and I imagined her smiling, "Of course, it was a battle for him to get where he is. He was close with Am. After it sank in that Am wouldn't be returning home anytime soon, weeks went by where Coal hated being home. He did everything he could to stay away. There were a few instances where days went by and I barely got the chance to say good morning to him. Then things switched around. Weeks passed where Coal refused to come out of his room. It was next to impossible to even get him to eat, let alone see his friends or go outside. I was starting to think about sending him to a therapist when his friends managed to reach him and break him out of his slump. It's not like things have been perfect since then, but it's all been much, much better."
"I'm glad to hear it. I know Coal won't want me hanging over him now that I've invaded his birthday party and his house," Mr. Trail said with amusement, "But if I see any changes with him in class that seem to signal something deeper, I'll let you know."
Mom said something quietly. I think it was another thank you and joke about me having to interact with Mr. Trail more than necessary. What I heard for sure was the two of the laughing before the topic changed.
"It's nice to know I have another set of eyes to help me. I've had a great amount of them assisting me over the years, but it's never felt like enough. It's unfortunate a divorce was part of the reason you moved to Berrybrook though." mom said.
"It's not as unfortunate as you might think, thankfully. The split was, blessedly, quite amicable. My wife and I simply stopped loving each other, were mature enough to accept that without grudges, and worked hard to remember what we initially liked about the other so that after the divorce we could return to being friends."
"That's a blessing indeed. I remember the struggle of remaking the friendship I had had with my first boyfriend after we broke up. To have to go through that with someone you promised to spend your life with must have been on a whole other level. You're also living quite far away from your daughters now too, aren't you?" mom asked.
"That part is unfortunate, but we've worked it out so that I am talking to them everyday. They'll also be around for all vacations and the like as well. Moving to Berrybrook was my choice alone, so I have no right to complain either."
"It was hard to remain in a place where a lot of your life was now changed?"
"Not at all, at least not in regards to the breakup of my marriage. No, it was the changes to the school system. An almost entirely new city council was elected several years ago, and they were slowly turning everything I had loved about teaching in Lodge into things I hated. The atmosphere and the shift to relying on standardized testing was horrible. I had every intention of remaining there after the divorce, but the drain my job had become forced me to look for a place that understood teaching children how to think was much more crucial than teaching children what to think."
Mom laughed again.
"I'll be honest and say that if you had been one of my teachers, then you would have been one of my favorites. As someone who has a different style of learning, I craved anything that would let me use my knowledge instead of having to simply memorize knowledge in hopes it would be useful."
It was Mr. Trail's turn to laugh.
"You honor me with your praise," he said with a joking air, "Perhaps I will have to annoy Coal and come around more often. Goodness knows I don't get a lot of compliments from my students even if I don't hear a lot of grumbling either."
"You're more than welcome to visit often. Am and I specifically built this house so big because we planned to have company around all the time, besides having rooms for the children too, naturally." mom offered.
"I must just have to. There's nothing more enticing than walking into see a pool table directly in your line of sight."
"Am's idea. I didn't want it there as I thought it was an eyesore, but he wouldn't budge."
"That drum set is pretty eye-catching as well."
"Oh, do you play?" mom asked with intrigue.
"I'm no professional, but I play well enough."
"Would you like to play something? The set was another one of Am's ideas, but he didn't stick with it. Surprisingly, none of the boys have been that interested in it either. They'll randomly beat at it when they want to make noise, but nothing of what they make resembles a song in the slightest." mom explained excitedly.
"If it's a request, I can't refuse," Mr. Trail agreed eagerly, "It's been some time since I've gotten the chance to play too."
I had started to frown at the idea of Mr. Trail definitely coming around more. I was making a gagging sound in the next second when I was yanked to my feet by my collar. Prism had returned without me noticing, and I had been caught in my crime.
"Can't let the poor adults have one conversation in peace, can you?" he rebuked disapprovingly.
"It's weird having them talk though. I don't-"
"Nope, I don't want to hear any of that," my brother interrupted firmly, "I don't care if it bothers you or whatever that your teacher is in our house. Talking to him is the first thing that has made mom act normal all day. Heaven forbid she catch a break without you listening in when you shouldn't."
"But-!"
"No, Coal. No more. Now, go to your room or go somewhere else, because you're not welcome in here- especially if you're going to do stuff like this."
My frown returned, but I left Prism's room without any further arguments. I did head to my room. Seconds later, the sound of a steady, catchy beat played on the drums echoed throughout the house. I could ignore it no more than I could ignore the hesitancy in my chest. There was something more than my teacher being in my house that bothered me when seeing Mr. Trail here, but I couldn't figure out what it was. Truth be told, that I couldn't figure out the problem unnerved me just as much too.
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