As I melted into the sofa, snuggled deep into a cocoon of thick blankets, I groaned miserably. I could feel my stomach pulsed with pain. It ached, throbbing in a type of agony that was slowly bringing me to tears.
“Are you okay?” From the voice, I could tell it was Joaquin talking to me. He poked me through my swathe, “You sound horrible.”
“Nooo,” I whined, “Tummy hurts.”
“I’ll grab your heating pad.”
I grumble out a muffled, “Thank you.”
As I heard Joaquin shuffling away, I could feel someone else move closer to me. I snuggled closer to the body heat, ignoring the hand that began to pat around my blankets. “Do you want your stomach rubbed or back?” Antonio asks.
“Back,” I answered, “Don’t want to move.”
It wasn’t long before his hand found my back. He gently began to rub, snickering quietly at my pain as I slowly began to drift off to sleep. The warmth was nice. It helped ease the pain, but it wasn’t enough to dissolve it completely. I would need my heating pad for that.
I desperately needed that heating pad.
“Is Noémie asleep?” A voice spoke up. It wasn’t hard to figure out that it was my papa that was talking.
“I think so.” Antonio answered.
“Should we wake her?” Another voice pipes in.
“We could just re-explain everything to her later.”
“Did something happen? Did one of us do something wrong?” Antonio asks, “I’m pretty sure I haven’t done anything.”
“You’re pretty sure?”
There was silence.
“So you had something to explain to us?”
“We need to go over some rules,” I could hear my papa speak. “You know, just in case he does come down for dinner.” He continued. It took me a second to wiggle out of my cocoon. I poked my head out, curls falling messily and my tired gaze falling on my dads. “Did you want to start Tony? We should-”
I interrupted, “There’s more rules?”
Antonio yelped at the sight of me arising from my cocoon. I ignored him, struggling to sit up so I could face my dads. Noticing my attempts, Antonio reached over to help. “I thought you were asleep.” Antonio said.
“Was trying to.” I spoke grumpily. “Talk too loud. I wasn’t able to.”
Papa cooed at the sight of me. Hair strewed everywhere and a tired scowl seemingly permanently resting on my face. He reached over, brushing stray curls away from my face. “Sorry honey.”
I merely shrug. “So there’s more rules?”
“Yes-”
“Found the heating pad.” Joaquin announced proudly. He sauntered down the stairs, waving the object in the air. “Why the hell-”
“Joaquin!”
“Why are you sitting up?”
“They were talking about more rules.” I shrugged again, “It sounded important.”
“It is important.” Dad insisted. He motioned Joaquin to join us back on the couch. With a roll of his eyes, Joaquin ventured down to join us. Dad waited until Joaquin settled onto the couch before continuing. “I’m sure you all realize that for the first couple of weeks, he’s probably going to want to be left alone.” Dad began, “He’s normally not sociable with the people around him, less so when it comes to strangers. It's going to take time for him to begin to warm up to us.”
“I heard from the people that have interacted with him that he’s a bit-” Antonio paused. “…..rude.”
“If I had to live the life that he has, I would be a bit “rude” too.” Papa huffed, “He’s just a boy that needs a little love. Something genuine. We can handle that much.”
I thought back to the moment I spent with him a few hours ago. He was reserved, barely engaging in my blabbing. From that interaction alone, it was hard to tell what kind of life he lived. “What was his life like?”
“I’ve heard some rumors. Nothing that has been confirmed or denied.” Papa answered, “But whether it is true or not, it isn’t my place to tell. That’s his story and his life to share. You’ll have to wait to see if he’s ever comfortable enough to share something like that.”
“The fact that there are rumors is suspicious enough.” Joaquin spoke, “Who would leak or start rumors about royalty.”
Papa sneered, “Bitter people.”
“He was nice when I talked to him.” I piped up.
I didn’t think there was anything wrong with what I said. But from the looks that I received and the silence that followed, I’m assuming that I shouldn’t have mentioned that. Papa was too busy glaring at dad to notice the looks my brothers were giving me. They were confused and concerned, but I could see the rage starting to build.
I did not want to deal with that.
“Talked?” Papa echoed.
“You were with the prince?” Antonio asked.
“Yeah.” I answered truthfully, “Dad asked me to give him a tour around the house while he-”
“Alone?” Joaquin interrupted.
I nodded, “.....yeah?”
Antonio and Joaquin turned their attention to our dad. “You let Noémie spend time with a man, alone?” Antonio asked.
“He’s only a few years younger than you. I would hardly call you a man, let alone the prince. He’s still very much a child.” Dad argued, “And I was in the kitchen the entire time. I would hear if anything would’ve happened.”
“I’m confused.”
I eyed the clump of weeds that sat in the blistering heat. Dewbells. Gorgeous clusters of flowers that made At the moment, they were hideous. Clumps of skinny seedlings that struggled to rise in the sweltering sun. They were an odd shade of green and blue, scrawny stems that were covered in unblossomed leaves and tiny colored bulbs. I couldn’t wait for them to fully bloom. This is my first time growing plants by myself. After papa helped me settle on what I should grow, he left me to my own device to learn how to grow them. It took a while for me to actually plant them. My magical ability was nowhere near powerful enough to grow tulips, let alone Dewbells.It took a few months of training with papa to finally muster enough magical prowess. Dewbell seeds grow off of a specific type potion laced water, sunlight, and magic energy. My energy levels were pathetic. Not enough to summon a ball from my palms nor enough to seep into the soil to feed into the hungry seeds. It took
Thick welts of green vines bloomed with colorful flowers and weeds. They coiled amongst each other, tangled in a dangerous mess of pretty petals, poisonous bristles, and gentle lavender. The smell, slight and comforting, wafted from the entwined heap into the air, mingling pleasantly with the smell of my papa’s homemade fertilizer and my dad’s honeycomb. It was soothing. Sitting in the midst of my family garden, surrounded by the lot of pretty poisonous flowers, plump veggies, and thickening honey, it was something I found comforting. Perhaps it was the familiar smells that brought on my favorite memories. Whatever free time I have is usually spent here. I would be curled up at the top of my favorite tree, either with my tablet or my book, enjoying the atmosphere the garden offered. Hunkering down in the treehouse my dad made me, peeking out to watch my favorite plants slowly bloom and grow. Sweet strawberries. Ripening peaches and plums. Tart green apples. Blooming honeysu
I eagerly began to make my way towards our home. The idea of filling my stomach with as many grilled cheeses as I want excited me. Though the sun was shining, a cool breeze recently began to threaten the once warm weather. A warning that winter was approaching. Knowing that winter was coming, the craving for something hot has become a familiar occurrence. It usually happens when winter begins to roll around. Beef and potato riddles stews or spicy chili are my favorites for times like this. But since I'm hungry now, and papa doesn't have the time to make either one, I'll happily settle on a cheesy grilled cheese. I flung the door open, skipping into the kitchen. I tossed my gloves in their usual spot beside the door before making a bee-line towards the living room. I was tired from working in the garden all day and I wanted nothing more than to snuggle into my blanket cocoon and watch cartoons. Diving for the piles of blankets that I left on the couch, I easily manipulated it i
Papa hated it when people disturbed him while he was cooking. It doesn't matter what he was making. He could be boiling water, the second any of my brothers or my dad tries to talk to him, they get his wrath. It wasn't long before Antonio's dramatic tale turned into a squeal of pain. "What have I told you about coming into my kitchen while I'm cooking?!" Papa hollered. I peered around Joaquin, watching as papa dragged Antonio into the living room. With a firm grip on his ear, papa continued his scolding. "You may look like your dad, but you have my brain! How could you do something so stupid?!" "You just said I had your-ow! Papa!" Antonio screeched as papa tugged, "This is abuse!" "I'll show you abuse if you finish that sentence!" He threatened. Papa scowled down at my brother, rolling his eyes at the pout that grew on his lips. "You pout like your dad." "I'll take that as a compliment." "Do that." Papa turned his attention towards me. "Why did my second gremlin come barging
I wiggled out of my cocoon, ready to devour the mountain of sandwiches I’m sure my papa made me. My brothers hurriedly followed after me, stomachs loudly rumbling at the thought of eating their food. As we entered the kitchen, we were met with plates piled high with our desired sandwiches. I made a beeline towards my chair, plopping down and snatching a sandwich from the plate. Slivers of melted cheese and crunchy bacon poked from the sandwich. The bread was still warm, slightly greasy from the amount of butter he used to make it. I gave it a light squeeze, “Thank you, papa!” “Welcome, sweetie.” I sunk my teeth into the grilled cheese. Crispy bacon and hot cheese. It was one of the best things on earth. As my feet wiggled happily, barely chewing what was already in my mouth, I went in for another bite. I couldn’t shovel away like my brothers could. They both mastered the art of inhaling a mass amount of food. It’s a skill I yearned to have. “Slow down, Noémie.” Papa warne
“I smell sandwiches!” “Dad!” I squealed out with my mouth full. “Papa made me grilled cheese!” “I see. It looks delicious sweetheart.” He ruffled my messy curls. As I tried to dodge his rough tousle, dad turned his attention towards papa. “Do you think papa made dad any?” I grumbled, “I don’t know.” Papa snorted at my comment, swatting dad’s hand away from my hair. He planted a kiss on his sweaty cheek, grumbling in disgust at the feeling. “Tony, your face is covered in sweat.” “Don’t act like you don’t like it.” “Not when I’m not the cause of it.” Papa pouted. His pout grew as he gestured towards dad's shiny face. “This is disgusting.” “I’ll go wash my face.” “And I’ll plate your sub.” As dad left to wash his face, papa turned his attention to plating dad’s food. Unlike papa, dad enjoyed his meatball sub without any cheese. He’ll get a craving for one with it every now and then, but usually he enjoys it without it. It wasn’t long before dad came back downstairs. His face wa
I hated sweating. It made my curly hair poofy and I always felt gross afterwards. The yearn to scrub my grew as I laid sprawled out on the floor, huffing and puffing as I attempted to catch my breath. I’m taking a bubble bath as soon as I get home. Maybe I can convince my dads to let me use a bath bomb. I was in the mood to smell like a rose. “Break over!” A loud wave of groans echoed throughout the room. I slowly heaved myself off the cool floor, sauntering over to the cushioned rails. I easily shifted my body as the instructor demanded that we got in position. She glared at us, eyeing our position with a stern gaze. Her gaze would sharpen when she noticed something she didn’t approve of. A foot a few inches away from its proper place. A back not straightened as it should be. It took a few minutes before her gaze softened. She nodded in approval, “Good.” She gracefully sauntered over to the other side of the room, fishing a remote from her pocket. I forced myself to rel
Ruby snorted loudly when she heard that. Wandering over to where we are, Ruby joined me on the floor. She smugly teased Tawny, “I told you so.”“I forget that you two are so violent.”“You also forget that you're annoying.”“I’m not annoying!” Tawny scowls, “I’m unique. My mom says it's a part of my charm!”I giggled, “Uh-huh.”“Right.” Ruby sarcastically agreed.A playful scowl grew on Tawny’s face as we giggled at her. It took Ruby’s giggling turning into her familiar cackling snort for her to break. She shoved Ruby, “You sound like a pig!”“I can’t help it!” Ruby covers her face as she snorts again. “I’m unique! My mom says-”Tawny’s cheeks slowly began to bloom into a bright red. “Ruby!” She whines, “Shut up!” Ruby cackles at the sight of her flushed face. “Y-Your face!”“I can’t help it!” Tawny placed her hands on her cheeks. She slowly began to rub them, attempting to will the redness away. I raised my hands above my head, stretching my aching limbs as I listened to Tawny grum