Sage
It has been two days since Dominic’s funeral, and Jonah has barely spoken to us. Something is bothering him, and he won’t tell us what it is, but I don’t have time to ask him this morning.
Kat came over in a rush this morning. They have summoned her and her friends to the courts, and Marge is in the city for a function she was invited to.
Andrei is feeding Marabella some custard. I watch as he makes funny faces and scoops the spoon into her mouth. His lips appear to mimic hers, as if opening his mouth will somehow convince her to do it.
Marabella, however, stares at him with wide eyes, like she isn’t sure of the faces he is making, or maybe she thinks he looks like an idiot.
Eziah has messed with his custard as he smears it all over the highchair. Cackling his head off. Getting up, I grab a washcloth to wash the boy down. Jonah is playing with his custard berries, moving them around the bowl but not eating any of them.
“Ah, ah Marabella, uncle will do it,” Andrei tells her as she tries to grab the spoon with her mitten covered hand.
I frown. How is she supposed to learn these things if she always has gloves or mittens on? It saddens me that she is restricted in a world with so many restrictions. She is a baby, and she should be allowed to make a mess and play with her food.
“I know what you are thinking,” Andrei says, making me look at him.
“Kat worries over the same thing, her being normal, while she can’t even do the simplest things herself at this age,” he says, spooning more into her mouth, and she blows a raspberry, spraying custard all over his face.
I try to stifle my laugh. Jonah doesn’t bother as he snorts and starts giggling. Marabella cackles loudly while Andrei wipes his face which is covered in custard.
“You think that is funny?” Andrei asks Jonah, who just laughs harder. Andrei grabs him and wipes his face on his neck and all over Jonah’s face. He paws at Andrei’s face, laughing harder as Andrei’s stubble tickles him.
“There is my smiling boy,” Andrei tells him, plopping Jonah on his lap.
“Now, if she does it again, you will be covered in it too,” Andrei tells him.
Jonah reaches for his bowl, and Andrei passes it to him while I walk around the counter toward Eziah, who is scribbling in the mess he made with his fingers.
“Cheeky boy,” I tell him, wiping the table and cleaning his hands and face. I let Eziah out of his seat and place him on the ground.
He is such a cheerful boy and instantly reaches for Jonah’s dinosaur before banging it on the ground. Turning back around, Jonah is finally eating, but Marabella grips the edge of her highchair with her mittened hands to pull herself forward, to see what he is doing. Jonah looks up at her.
“Want to try this one?” He asks, holding up a blueberry.
“She may choke, they need to be cut,” I tell Jonah when he suddenly bites half of the small blueberry, and before Andrei can stop him, he places it on her lips.
Marabella opens her mouth. Andrei notices and goes to snatch his hand away from her open mouth when Jonah sticks his tongue out. Marabella copies him, and he drops the berry on her little tongue.
“Good girl. What about this one?” Jonah asks, holding up a raspberry.
He waits for her to finish eating, and Andrei looks over his shoulder at me and raises an eyebrow. I watch them together, and he repeats the same thing with the raspberry, biting it in half and giving her one-half of the small berry.
It is odd to watch, and I almost feel like Marabella knows she can hurt him and doesn’t want to. She always waits for him to drop it on the tip of her tongue.
I shake my head at the insanity. She is a baby, and her understanding can’t be that good yet.
Suddenly the mind-link opens up, and I hear Zane’s voice reach out to Andrei and me. “We have company, I think it’s Lucas,” Zane says, and Andrei pats Jonah’s leg so he can get up. Jonah moves into Andrei’s seat, while Andrei walks to the door.
“Yep, Lucas and Kyan,” Zane confirms.
“Jonah, Kyan is here,” I tell him, and he looks over at me before looking at Marabella.
“Want to play with Kyan?” Jonah asks her, and she claps her hands, mumbling to herself or trying to speak.
That is the other thing that bothers me. Eziah can already say a handful of words, while Marabella, I never hear her say anything. She is a quiet child, unless Jonah is nearby.
I grab her out of her highchair, and Jonah rushes to the front door when he hears voices. “Kyan!” Jonah exclaims loudly.
I scoop up Eziah and walk out to greet Lucas, one kid on each hip. Kyan is showing Jonah something on his tablet, and they are on their way to the living room when Kyan looks up.
“Hi, Luna.” His words die out when he spots the two kids in my arms, and his eyes glare at Marabella.
“Are you ok, Kyan?” I ask him, propping Marabella higher on my hip.
He snaps out of whatever comes over him and looks at me. “I’m fine, Luna Sage,” he says, tugging Jonah into the living room.
“Sorry, he sometimes gets in a weird mood,” Lucas apologizes.
“He is fine. I will just set these two little ones down with the boys for a few minutes while I put the kettle on,” I tell them.
Andrei shuts the door, and I place the kids in the sectioned-off playpen around the couch the two boys are sitting on. Then I place them both on the mat with their toys.
“Jonah, sing out if they need me, and don’t take off Marabella’s gloves,” I warn him, giving him a stern look.