Page 34 of Triplets for the Dark Elf
Gods, I am so going to get Annalise for reinforcing this ‘Mimi’ thing.
I cross to the living room, crouching before the kids. “I know I said it, and I shouldn’t have. You shouldn’t either, okay?”
Their pouty faces are too cute as they nod solemnly and I smirk. Twisting to look between the evil duo and their mistake cataloging sister, I ask, “Who’s hungry?”
“Me!” Indie screams, rushing toward the table. “Me, me, me.”
I chuckle beneath my breath as I help him into his seat. Once all three are settled, I plate the sad-looking meal, manage to convince them to eat half of it, and let them gorge themselves on cookies. No, I will never learn.
After, it is a battle in the bathroom. It turns out that when they said no bath, they really meant it. And group bath is really not a thing – which is why there is water splattered everywhere. One toddler is enough to wrangle, but when wet, it’s impossible. And Maeve slipped past me with ease.
Maybe their meal was lackluster and their bath was more of a quick rinse, but half past eight – yes, I know Annalise said eight but I’m trying here – they are in their jammies and back in the living room. I’m not sure how I am going to win the bedtime fight.
I pause as I watch them argue over their toys, shaking my head. Never, in my entire life, have I been this exhausted. Somehow Annalise has done this all on her own foryearsand I am in awe of her.
All night I’ve felt like I’m drowning. I definitely need to help her more if this is what it’s like. I took her for granted for sure, and I plan on telling her that tonight.
The tentative peace is quickly broken as Maeve stumbles over a toy, knocks into Indie, and Hazel deftly sidesteps them. The two go tumbling, and in his flailing, Indie punches Hazel in the face. Now, all three are screaming.
And I thought it was hard before.
Sighing, I go to them, sitting on the floor as I pull all three sitting upright and lean them against my legs. Instead of trying to calm them or talk over their wails – lesson learned there – I lean into the one skill I do have. Magic.
Being raised in a human area, I doubt they have seen much of it, so I start with something little. I open my palms in front of them as best I can, and with little thought, dark indigo snowflakes bloom in the air.
They sparkle and dance of their own accord, and all three of the kids freeze to stare up at them. Indie is the first to push to his feet, pointing up at the glittering illusions.
When he touches it, it disappears, and he stares at the empty spot and then at me. He grunts out something like, “‘Gin.” Then he claps his palms together and plops back in front of me.
I chuckle softly, conjuring more snowflakes this time. Indie gets up to poke another one, and Maeve sits with her hands out, watching as they fall in her palms.
Hazel stares at my hands and then tries to mimic my posture. At first I think she wants to catch them, too, but then I realize what she’s thinking.
She wants to conjure them, too.
A thrill runs through me at the thought of teaching my children magic. I was their age when my father started to show Imris and I parlor tricks such as this. I had more of a knack for it than my brother, which makes me wonder how potent their magic will be.
As Maeve gets up to join her brother in the miniature winter storm I started, I lean forward to help Hazel. “Keep your hands flat.” I push her wrists so that her palms are exposed and the magic can be easily directed. “Now picture a snowflake. Can you do that?”
She squeezes her eyes closed tight and after a moment, she nods. I grin wider but fight the laughter building in my throat. “Good. Now imagine it in this room.”
This should be easy since it’s fresh in her memory. If she has any magic inclination, one should appear just above her little hands.
And just as I think it, it does.
I gasp. “Hazel! Look!”
Her eyes pop open and she stares at the light blue snowflake swirling above her skin. She moves her hand slowly, watching it as it comes with her. “Woah.”
I’ve never seen her impressed, and it fills me with such pride to have been the one to do that.
It takes almost no time for Indie and Maeve to notice what we are doing and come rushing over. Maeve gets it quickly with her extreme imagination. In fact, she creates an entire snowman, and I have a hard time reeling her in after that.
Indie struggles for so long that I worry he didn’t inherit my skill. But then I realize he’s just too distracted. Instead of having him close his eyes, I have him stare at one of the flakes in the air that Hazel places in front him.
And then it is multiplied, violet instead of blue.
He screams and instead of rushing at as I expect, he spins around and throws his arms around my neck. I hold him tight, savoring this moment, and all I can think is that I wish Annalise was here to see it, too.