Knocking on my own bedroom door before I enter the room, I am finding kind of funny. Amusing enough to have me standing here for a while just laughing. However, it is something that I am having to do at the moment, as Granite and Mace are temporarily living in our bedroom.
Granite finding more of Gravel's dodgy stuff hidden under the floorboards in Forrest's house has had the police evicting them all, while they thoroughly search the whole house. Every floorboard in the house is coming up, so everyone who normally lives in that house is now living here for a week or two.
Granite yells "come in"
"Is it safe to come in?" I peek my head around the partially open door.
"Seriously Tap!!" Granite laughs at me "The door would be locked if it wasn't."
"Yeah, I was going to advice you about locking the door. Everyone just wanders in and out of this place. ... if you don't lock the door you will never get any peace or privacy."
"Where is Crystal, I haven't seen her yet?"
"She's asleep in Granddads room." I smile at him "She doesn't do much else these days, I think the babies and constant sickness are already draining all her energy."
"This feels awkward. We feel really awful for turfing you and Crystal out of your room!!" Granite mumbles. "and your Granddad!!"
"It's find don't worry about it. On the quiet, Granddad was quite happy to move upstairs. He has not been sleeping in his own room much lately anyway." I laugh quietly "He has been sneaking in and out of Crystals Mom's room and they think we haven't noticed yet!!"
"Seriously!! Are they still capable at their age?!" Granite starts howling
"Berry knows, but I sure as hell am not going to ask him!!"
"I thought your purple Granddad was very anti colour mix!"
"He is, or he was. I think he has just realised colour is only skin deep ... and we guess he is too ashamed to tell us he no longer practices what he has been preaching and ramming down everyone's throats all these years!!"
"Another one converted!" he laughs "You know, we could always take his room instead of you and Crystal having to move out of your own room."
"There isn't a lot of space in Granddads room, especially not for Mace's chair, or a cot. Besides, there is a single step between the two halves of the living area, which he will need to get up and down to get in and out of that room. So it is more practical that he stays in here." I smile at him
"What about your two, you are away from the nursery."
"Honestly it really isn't a problem. Vanilla sleeps straight through the night and Snow sleeps in with us anyway, so stop stressing!!"
"As long as you are sure!"
"It's not a problem really!!" I smile at him "I will enjoy having Bay, Slate, Saffy and Atlas here, and Mom is loving getting to spend more time with Amber. We are happy to have you here, especially because it has helped us to get rid of Coral for a bit!!" I smirk at him.
"Yeah your Dad said you could all do with the break from her stupidity, especially your Mother!" he frowns at me "Why has she gone so off the rails? I know she has never been an angel, but your Dad is seriously pulling his hair out with her."
"Its Gravel I think. We think she does genuinely love him and everything has knocked her stupid. Amber and Poppy she has really fried our brains with, she WAS happy about being pregnant, and I think she had convinced herself the twins were Gravels. When they arrived not his, after that she just seemed to switch. Since Gravel has been locked up she has been a nightmare!!"
"Yeah I seriously doubt my so called brother even knows how much destruction he has caused, or cares for that matter!!"
"Oh, before I forget, Mace's drawing table has just been dropped off ... its in the hallway outside."
"Okay Thanks. I'll get it sorted out in a bit."
I glance over at Mace who is in the rocking chair. I can see that he is openly crying, and am very amused by the two spirits that are just sat together, intensely watching him.
"Is Mace okay?"
"Yeah he will be fine when he's had a snivel."
"What has upset him?"
"He is just a little overwhelmed with today I think." Granite smiles in his direction "His emotions have been on a roller coaster ride today!! Getting engaged had him on a high, then everything else since has knocked him sick. You know he has had to get permission from the court to move temporarily and he was shitting himself, thinking they were going to lock him up rather than let him move." he rolls his eyes "He's also seen Tami's missing jewellery which has knocked him and Dad about, and he is missing Jasmine."
"Didn't you say finding Gravels shit will delay the trial." I frown at him
"Yes, unfortunately." he mumbles
"I thought you would have been happy about the trial being delayed."
"We both were at first, then reality struck. I've only got 12 months leave ... another three months and I HAVE to go home and back to work whether I want to or not. He obviously can not come with me, so now we are scared this is going to drag on, and he is going to be left here on his own."
"Could it really take that long?"
"Berry knows ... it has taken them this long already, and the amount of stuff they found under Forrests floorboards, is going to take forever to sort out. They haven't even started pulling up the rest of the floorboards in the house yet, so there could be even more ... I am honestly scared!!
"So what is happening with Jasmine?"
"She's with my brother Shale at the moment. I've just got off the phone with him, I've arranged to have her brought back at the weekend, which I need to speak to your Dad about ..." he looks at me sheepishly "We are going to need another bed."
"Its fine." I laugh at him "She can bunk in with Cotton .. or that sofa is a pull out bed, if Mace wants her in here."
"Bunking in with Cotton will be fine." he laughs quietly.
"So how did the wardrobe move go?"
"Oh Berry!!" Granite laughs "His face was a picture!! On the quiet he nearly shit himself!!" I think that has unsettled him a bit too."
"Is he starting to believe."
"I think so ... how could he not believe after watching the wardrobe seemingly move itself." Granite laughs "So which of your spirit friends moved it?"
"Cosmic, Storm, Saffy and Sunny I think." I smile at him
"So what does Sunny want to talk to us about?" he frowns at me
"It will keep ... I'm not sure Mace is up to it today." I laugh, also hearing Sunny laugh.
"Yeah, I guess not. He has had enough shocks and upsets for one day." Granite laughs
"So when are we going to spring a toddler on Forrest?"
"Oh Berry, in all the commotion, I forgot about that." he mumbles as he glances at Mace "I do need to go into the hospital soon anyway, to tell Forrest what is going on, before the gossip gets to him. El said she would let me tell him, as they doubt they will get a chance to interview him until later, there is so much stuff there, they need to know what they are dealing with first." he chuckles "I guess we can do the toddler thing at the same time. Let me just get Mace sorted out then, I'll come and find you."
"Okay, I'll be in the living room." I smile at him
The door opens quite hurriedly, and River walks into the room holding a screaming vanilla. I thought I could hear her before the door opened. River looks far from happy!
"Tap we need words!" he frowns at me
"Why is she crying?"
"Naughty River!" Vanilla snivels as she thumps his chest
"She is crying because I have just had to shout at her!!" he snaps as he glances at Granite then I watch him looking around the room, like he is looking for something. "You need to come to my room." he mumbles
"Naughty River!!" she snivels
"No, Naughty Nilla" River laughs at her
"Why what has she done .. attacked one of your books with a crayon?" I laugh at him wandering why he is having a hissy fit.
"No." he snaps as he grabs my arm and starts tugging me out of the room.
I roll my eyes at Granite who is laughing at us.
"Well that was very rude!" I snap at him as he closes my bedroom door behind us. "They are already feeling awkward about turfing us out of our room. I bet you have just made them feel even worse!"
"I am sorry, I will apologize to them later."
"Then why do it?"
"I have things to say that I couldn't really say in front of Granite and Mace."
"So come on spit it out .. what has got your boxers in a knot."
"I have just worked out what all the hostility is about."
"What hostility?" I frown at him
"The fighting and arguing going on with Vanilla and Ocean." he rubs his neck nervously "This little madam has been scaring him half to death!!"
"How?" I frown at him
"She has been showing him your spirits!!"
"What?" I frown at him "How?"
"How do you think!!" he laughs at me sarcastically "We have got a BIG problem, because it looks like she has inherited you know who's immortal abilities. Berry Help us if she is capable of doing everything that Sh ... you know who can do!"
River rolls his eyes because he nearly said Shadow in front of Vanilla.
He puts her down on the floor, then opens the door to the living room.
"Nilla go and play with Ocean and Snow please." River smiles at her
"Well make your mind up!" she tuts as she stands there with her hands on her hips. "So am I naughty or not?"
This cracks me up, especially as River is standing there like he is about to combust.
"You need to stop being so cheeky, and remember who you are talking to young lady." he snaps at her
"I know who I am talking too ... Uncle River." she grins at him sarcastically "You flap way too much!"
"Nilla, go and play please. I will be in to talk to you in a minute." I jump in knowing River is going to lose it in a minute with her. "Please don't show Ocean and Snow the spirits because you are scaring them."
"Okay Daddy." she mutters.
I laugh as I watch her toddle off back into the living room.
"You need to do something about that attitude of hers!" River frowns at me "Not laugh at her, you are just encouraging her!"
"What attitude? She is head strong and opinionated just like Shadow, and you think its funny when he does it." I laugh at him "And she did have a point ... I bet you have just been in there flapping and ripped her away from playing with them. Minutes later you are sending her back!"
"Okay I did, but I can't talk freely if she is here."
"Well you should have thought about that before you dragged her away and shouted at her ... she doesn't understand she is doing something wrong!!" I tut at him "Not that it is wrong, IF she actually has the ability to do it."
"It is wrong when she is scaring Ocean and Snow half to death!!" he snaps
"Don't be stupid, anyway how is she showing Ocean the spirits."
"Exactly like Shadow does .... "
"You must just be guessing that she is showing them the spirits!"
"No I know she is!! Did you not notice that she had her hand on my face when I walked into your room." he raises his eyebrows at me as he laughs quietly "So who was that female spirit sat in your room with Sunny just. They were sat on the couch watching Mace?"
"You actually saw them?" I am a little shocked
"Yes!! I am telling you, she can do exactly what Shadow does." he frowns at me "So who was she? Was that Glimmer?"
"No." I shake my head slowly "You seriously don't want to know who that is!"
"Tell me!"
"It is Tami." he frowns at me "Tamarin ... Mace's wife. Granite's Sister." I mumble
"Oh Fudge!!" he stares at me wide eyed "Where has she come from?"
"She didn't pass over obviously!" I laugh at him
"No idiot ... how did she know to come here. How does she know Mace and Granite are here."
"You might guess ... the idiot told her ... Sunny." I roll my eyes "He found her in Apple. She has been hanging around Mustard since she faded. Sunny brought her to Sugar, so they now have another spirit hanging out in the den."
"This is getting ridiculous ... what are they doing, stopping everyone from passing over?"
"No!" I laugh at River "She chose not to pass over, nobody stopped her. She was troubled by Mace being missing, how she faded, Jasmine being left an orphan and never seeing Granite."
"So now she has seen Mace and Granite and that Jasmine is okay ... is she staying?"
"Yeah I think she is ... so she can watch over Jasmine." I mumble "Sunny has been driving me crazy, because she wants to talk to both Granite and Mace."
"Seriously!?" he frowns at me
"Yeah." I mumble "I've tried to talk her out of it, but she won't listen. Sunny has things he wants to say to them too."
"I guess she is not happy with Mace and Granites relationship."
"No she isn't!!" I laugh quietly "She's really hacked off with Mace, not so much Granite."
"So HOW is she planning to talk to Mace?" he frowns at me.
"Through me obviously." I laugh at him.
He just stands there for a moment laughing.
"Anyway, what are we going to do with Vanilla ... this is all getting a little bit too much!! What if she can hear what everyone is thinking like Shadow does - then we really do have a seriously problem!!"
"Well I am not taking her and hiding her in the den with her brother, if that is what you are suggesting!!" I snap at him
"Don't be stupid, that is not what I was suggesting!!" he snaps back at me "What are we going to do if she can hear everyone like he can. It won't take her long to work out Shadow is not buried in the cemetery, then how are you going to keep them apart and her out of that world?"
"Vanilla is right ... you flap too much!!" I laugh at him "Of course she is not going to hear what everyone is thinking, I don't so why should she!!"
"On your own, can you show us mortals the spirits?"
"I don't know, I've never tried ..." I mumble "If Vanilla can do it, I guess I must be able to do it too."
"Well maybe we should try and find out for sure." he frowns at me "I'm worried, being his twin that somehow she might have ALL of his abilities."
"Don't be stupid!! She would have to be a vampberry to do everything he does!!"
"Well she did have the vampire venom running through her at some point. Shadow is a 50/50 split .... what is to say Vanilla isn't the same."
"Seriously you need to get a grip, and I am supposed to be the stupid one!!" I start howling at him "She is not cold with fangs for a start ... her heart beats because she is completely mortal, so how can you even think she is anything like Shadow!?"
"I'm going for a nose to see what is happening at Forrest's house." Sunny grins at me as he floats past me.
"Wait, don't float off yet!!" I laugh at the spirit
"What's up Tap?"
"I need to try something, to shut this idiot up." I smile at the laughing spirit before I hold my hand out to River "There is a spirit in the room .... can you see him?"
River takes my hand and looks around.
"Oh Fudge!!" River laughs "Yes I can, it's Sunny."
"You can seriously see Sunny?" I frown at him
"Yeah." he smirks as he points at him
"Hi River." Sunny laughs as he waves
"I can see he is talking, but I can't hear him." River mumbles as he waves back
"You would if Shadow was here." I mumble. River frowns then smirks
"Wait!" he laughs as he looses my hand "We need Vanilla."
"Seriously River!!" I snap at him
"Just humour me, I want to try it."
After he has collected Vanilla back out of the living room, I laugh at River as he takes Vanilla's hand. I think he is nuts.
"Nilla talk to Gangy." I smile at her
"Hello Gangy." she giggles and waves at him
"Hello sweepea." Sunny laughs as he smirks at River "So what is your silly Uncle trying to do I wander."
"Hey!!" River snaps "Less of the silly!!"
"Oh Fudge ... he heard me!" Sunny starts laughing "Tap I think Daddy Clone can hear me!"
"You can drop the Daddy Clone too!" he laughs quietly
"Okay, I'll drop the Daddy Clone, but River, seriously you are a mini Mango!!" Sunny laughs at him
"Yeah so I keep being told." River mumbles quietly
"Well this is just ... awesome!! I can actually see and hear Sunny!" River is laughing "Now I have let go of Vanilla's hand, he has completely gone again."
Vanilla holds her hand out to me, so I hold it. I just stare wide eyed at River who is grinning at me.
All I can think is Shit me, this is bloody madness!!
"Naughty Daddy!!" Vanilla frowns at me
"What?"
"Naughty swear words!!"
"What?!" I frown at Vanilla then River "I didn't say anything .. did I?"
"No you didn't!" Sunny laughs as River shakes his head and frowns
"I swore in my head ... but I didn't say it out loud ..." I stare wide eyed at River, wandering if she heard my thoughts.
"Naughty Daddy!!" Vanilla laughs at me
"Nilla what did you hear." she just stares at me with a pout on her face. "Tell me what you heard - I won't be cross with you if you say it."
"You said ... Shit me, this is bloody madness." she mumbles "Which is a lot of naughty swearing!!"
"Oh Fudge!! That is exactly what I thought" I choke "She heard my thoughts."
"I told you Tap!!" River mumbles "Test her, see if you can communicate with her like you do with Sh .. you know who." he chuckles
I stare at Vanilla for a moment thinking I am going mad
Nilla can you hear me ... I think loudly
"Yes Daddy." she grins at me, telling me with her mouth
Tell Uncle River, Daddy says he is a Muffin Geek ... I think
"Daddy says you are a Muffin Geek." Vanilla grins at River
"Well thanks Tap!" River laughs at me
Nilla can you talk to me without using your mouth? I think
Yes Daddy I hear her in my head and her mouth does not move
Nilla, can you talk to anyone else like this, in your head and not with your mouth. I think
I don't know. she thinks back
Do you hear anyone else thinking?
Yes Mommy sometimes
Can you hear Mommy and Daddy thinking all the time?
Only when you are carrying me or holding my hand.
How did you know you could show Ocean and Snow the spirits?
I don't know, I just did.
I stare at her for a moment and she smiles at me.
"Okay. You can go back in the living room and play now." I smile at her as I let go of her hand. River puts her down on the floor. "Remember, DON'T show Ocean and Snow the spirits."
"Okay Daddy." she mumbles as she runs off back into the living room.
I stare at River wide eyed for a moment
"What?!" he frowns at me
"I think you might be partly right!! I can communicate with her like I can with Shadow." I choke "And she says she can hear me and Crystal sometimes, but only when we are holding her or her hand!"
"Seriously?!" he stares at me wide eyed "I told you didn't I!! Me and Dad have had a sneaky feeling this might be coming with Vanilla."
"How?"
"Have you not noticed just how intelligent your little girl is becoming. She is miles a head of Ocean, most of the time she makes my son look like a half wit," he chuckles quietly
"Intelligence doesn't prove anything."
"She is just like Shadow, abnormally years ahead of herself, and people are starting to notice. Did you know she is reading Cottons books, a hell of a lot better than Cotton is, and Crystal for that matter."
"No ... " I frown at him "You know I don't take any notice of books. I leave that to those of you who can read." I laugh quietly
"Well, at the rate she is going, she will be reading and writing like a high school child before she even gets to school!! We might need to have her home schooled with Snow, to hide her." he laughs "Her speech and vocabulary are very advanced, obviously not at Shadow's level, but still they are miles a head of where they should be at. She is seriously starting to stand out way above all the other toddlers around her. Like Shadow she doesn't talk like she is still a toddler, you can actually have an intelligent adult conversation with her. I bet you anything, if we go into the living room right now, she wont be playing like the other two, she will be reading something. The other toddlers and 'playing' are starting to bore her."
"I have noticed lately she is reading a lot." I laugh "I've also noticed something that I'm not too happy about. Vanilla would much rather be hanging out with Cotton lately than playing with her brother and cousin. I don't like it because I'm worried the drama queen brat will start rubbing off on her, or the brat princess teaching Vanilla stuff she should not be knowing!!"
"Yeah, like I said, the toddlers are boring her and she wants to hang out with Cotton to be doing more grown up stuff." he rolls his eyes.
"She asked me for a phone and tablet the other day. She said she wants to go on Berry Book like Cotton. I actually thought Cotton was being sneaky and sly, trying to get me to buy Nilla a tablet for her to use."
"No, Dad bought Cotton a tablet a few weeks back, Vanilla has been playing on it up in Cottons room." he laughs "I bet she was genuinely asking for herself. She is more than capable to doing stuff on the net like Berry Book."
"Seriously!?"
"Yeah." he grins at me.
"I have given her a dictionary." he sniggers "Just to see what she does with it."
"And what is she doing with it?" I frown at him
"Exactly what her brother is doing ... memorising it and her vocabulary is growing rapidly. I have even seen her looking words up to find out what they mean. She is also showing signs of having a photographic memory." he chuckles quiet "Me and Dad have been testing her. When we ask her what a word means, she quotes the dictionary word perfect, just like Shadow does!"
"This is nuts when I am as thick as bloody pig shit!!"
"Naughty swear words." he starts howling as he wags his finger "That is something else, I am sure you have noticed, some of Shadow and Vanilla's fetishes are identical."
"Yeah .." I laugh "The no peeing when they are being watched, the obsession they both seem to have about whether they are naughty or not, and the way they react to anyone swearing ... they are both always telling me off for it, you would think they are the adults!" I laugh
"Yeah, they both have the same attitude and character as you pointed out earlier." he rolls his eyes "It worries me just how alike they actually are ... it is almost like they are the same person split into two. Vanilla is progressing just that bit slower than Shadow, obviously because she is not a vampberry ... well at least I don't think she is. I can't help but keep thinking that the venom ran through her too - it must have had some effect on her, it just didn't stick with her like it did Shadow."
"Seriously don't start that again!! She is NOT a vampberry!!" I laugh at him
"Think about it ... Shadow appears to be a vampberry but he has mortal abilities, which he shouldn't have. I am beginning to think Vanilla who appears mortal, might just have some vampberry abilities that she shouldn't have. They BOTH had the venom running through them while it was in Honey, it has to have affected both of them." he smiles at me "Just like the alcohol that Granites Mother was drinking while she was pregnant with him ... it has affected him."
"You are nuts!!" I laugh at him "When she grows fangs and starts craving blood, then I might start believing you!"
"Do you hear Crystals thoughts? You hold hands a lot, so do you ever hear anything?"
"No never."
"Vanilla can .. like Shadow she can project spirit sight and sound. You can only project sight. Vanilla can hear your thoughts and communicate with you through thought .. you can only do that when you are holding one of their hands. Berry knows what else she is capable of!! Her abilities are already showing signs of being stronger than yours AND don't forget, not even the vampberries or originals can get into your head ... but Vanilla can just like Shadow!!" he raises his eyebrows "I think you are doing what you do because of the white in you ... she is doing what she is doing because of the white AND vampberry in her!!"
"You and Dad are driving me nuts with this white thing!!" I frown at him
"Yeah well, when your Quads arrive, I am HOPING they will give me the proof that I need to prove that white is an actual colour.
"What kind of proof?" I frown at him
Dad distracts us, as he comes running down the steps looking mightily stressed.
"You two need to get yourselves ready." he mumbles "Scarlet is in labour."
"Oops!" I stare at River who just closes his eyes and shakes his head
"It's more than oops!!" Dad laughs sarcastically "We could really do without this today, on top of Gravels disruptive floorboard shit!!"
"Get ready how?" I frown at him "I'm supposed to be going to the hospital with Granite very soon, to do the toddler thing with Forrest."
"That's good ... I'll come with you." Dad laughs quietly "It has you at the hospital where I need you. You can tell them everything that you know and I could do with you staying up in Neurology with Bay. I get the feeling he is going to need you!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No comments:
Post a Comment