by R. J. Ross
“Is the kid with you?” I hear Daddy ask.
“She’s here,” Rocco says. “But the moment you do something stupid, I’m turning this off.”
“Yeah, I got it, already,” he says. “Come this way,” he says, heading for a large mountain. The screen follows him and it goes into one of the shadows. We step through a fake version of the Shadowlands and into a large, open area, which is lit by what I think are stars.
“Where is this?” I ask Rocco.
“I… have no idea,” he admits. “Where is this, Pop?”
“The caverns,” Daddy says. “It’s based on a place I found a long time ago. One day I’ll have to bring both of you here.” He reaches out and picks up one of the “stars” showing that it’s actually a—
“A diamond!” I say excitedly.
“Quartz,” he admits, “but it’s pretty, isn’t it?”
“Quartz,” Rocco says.
“Yeah… pretty much worthless. Trust me, I had it all checked,” Daddy says.
“I WANT TO GO!” I say, excitedly.
“I’ll bring you one of the quartzes, sometime,” he promises.
“Dessert!” Mommy calls from the kitchen.
“Time to go, Pop,” Rocco says, and the wall goes dark, again.
“So I can see Daddy in the game?” I ask Rocco.
“Yeah… if you really want to, we can see Pop in the game. But only in the game for now, okay? We don’t want him running off with you because you’re so cute, okay?” he says, messing up my hair. There’s a look on his face that says he’s not very happy about the fact, but I don’t understand why. Daddy seemed nice to me…
*A small card on a stick comes poking out of the shadows, it reads, “Bye Bye!”*
CHAPTER SIX
*That Sunday*
Pan looks at Amara, and then very pointedly tugs at the tie he’s wearing. Oh, sure, he’s being dragged to church, but honestly that isn’t the biggest problem he has, and he wants to make sure SHE recognizes it. Of course, he would never show anyone else how irritated he is by this—
“But you look so handsome,” Amara whispers in his ear as Nico drops down on the other side of him, wearing a T-shirt and jeans.
“She got you to dress up, huh?” Nico asks teasingly, looking far too smug.
“I look handsome,” Pan says, straightening the tie he’d just been tugging on. “When the most beautiful woman in the room tells you that, you do not complain about looking out of place.”
“Oh, but Summer is looking far more dazzling than I am,” Amara says as Summer takes her place. “Pregnancy looks wonderful on you, Summer.”
“I haven’t seen my feet for weeks, and Nico has to help me put shoes on whenever I actually wear them,” Summer says, dryly, patting her belly, “but I appreciate the compliment. Thank you for coming, Amara, Pan. I know this was a little short notice, but it IS children’s day. Ashlynn and Evie have been coming with us, lately, and Evie really wanted the rest of the children to be here to see her sing. Ashlynn’s been helping a lot with the children’s choir.” She points to the back where Ashlynn is helping the children get lined up.
“Yes, but are you certain the rest of the church is prepared for children like ours?” Pan asks.
“Oh, they’re prepared,” Nico says as Jeanie steps up to the podium. Pan blinks, looking a bit surprised.
“This is the Liberty family’s church?” Amara asks, excitedly. “Oh, this will be fun!”
“Hi, everyone!” Jeanie says, smiling brilliantly at the congregation. “Today is a very special day for the little ones in our church, so thank you for coming to watch! They’ve been working extremely hard on this, so I know you’ll enjoy it. For those of you that don’t know how we do this, we’ll start out with our praise worship, and then Ken will have the children help deliver the message. First,” she steps away from the podium and Ashlynn herds the group of children ranging from four to eight to the steps of the altar. Jeanie crouches down in front of them, whispering instructions.
The little ones seem a bit stunned by the lights, but they start singing as the music begins. It’s not perfect, several are off key, some sing much louder than others, and Pan winces slightly as his excellent hearing is assaulted by a particularly sharp note, but he still has a smile on his face as they start doing a little dance to go along with the song. His eyes move to the two boys sitting on the front row, who are squirming as they watch the other children sing.
“Robo would have loved being up there,” Amara says softly. Cubby, on the other hand, has his hands over his ears, just like his daddy wishes he could. “Cubby, not so much,” she admits with a muffled laugh. Thankfully the song finishes and the choir waves excitedly at the audience as everyone starts to cheer. Unfortunately for Cubby, the group launches into a second song. His poor son falls over in the pew, his fingers in his ears.
“We’re going to have to talk to him about manners,” Pan admits, although he’s amused, as well.
“Sunny,” Nico says to his son, who nods, digging in his pocket and heading to the front with a tiny bit of moss. Soon Cubby is sitting up, looking proper again, thanks to his earplugs. Sunny slips back into the seat next to Adanna, who already has earplugs in. One more song is sung and the audience cheers greatly as the children give them highly-accomplished looks and head to the front row where Cubby and Robo are sitting. Evie looks at the other children and then firmly plops down right between the two brothers—having to sit on their laps to do so. They scoot apart so she can fit.
Hana runs down the aisle, dressed to the nines in a fluffy pink dress. She nudges her way into the middle of the tiny group, making herself comfortable between Cubby and Evie. “‘Hana is bossy,’” Pan whispers; quoting something Cubby has said several times before.
“But he doesn’t dislike her,” Amara whispers back.
Adanna tugs her earplugs out. “Are we certain the songs are over?” she asks, making the group fight laughter.
“We got here for the last song,” Kim says as she slips into the pew behind theirs. “Hana’s going to be yelling at me for that for a week.”
“And why were you late?” Nico asks in a knowing tone.
“She couldn’t pick which dress she was going to wear,” Kim says wryly. “Evie looked absolutely adorable up there. She seems to have a good voice, as well!”
“One of the few,” Pan says, only to get a look from his wife. “They are quite enthusiastic,” he says, not exactly correcting himself. But before she can do anything other than roll her eyes, Alyssa steps onto the altar, looking as pretty as a picture with a mic in her hand.
Pan starts reaching for the earplugs that are still in Adanna’s hand, but she shakes her head and pockets them. “You won’t need them,” she says as Alyssa starts to sing. Pan finds himself standing with the rest of the congregation as he claps when the song is over. Oh, he’s heard her on video, before, having seen the Christmas Advents, but there is something deeper, something more, in her voice when you hear it in person.
“Stunning,” he says softly.
“Thank you,” Alyssa says over the mic, looking straight at him. Her eyes turn, though, to the others in the crowd as he shakes his head and smiles.
“Are we certain that’s not a super power?” he asks Nico.
“It’s just her,” he says. “It’s not influenced by any powers, trust me, I’ve checked.”
They blink, though, as people start laughing. The creaking sound of wheels makes them turn, watching blankly as Ken, dressed in overalls and a straw hat, pushes a shopping cart down the aisle.
“Fruit!” he says. “Fresh fruit, straight off the tree! Well, half of them are off trees, at least!”
“Are we certain this is church?” Pan asks the others.
Ken shoots him a grin as he goes past, heading to the group of children in the front. He pulls out a small table from the bottom part of the cart, setting it up as the kids get to their feet, trying to see into the cart.
“Is
that the fruit you’ve been growing?” Adanna asks Sunny.
“Yep,” Sunny says. “They came out great, since we changed the settings of the hot house specifically for each one.”
“Now, now, I’ve got enough for everyone,” Ken says, his voice picked up by the mic on his overall strap. “Let me get this set up, first.” He sets out a metal chair next to the table, and then starts pulling bags of fruit out of the cart. “The loves came out especially juicy, I think you’re really going to like them,” he tells the kids.
“Those are APPLES!” Hana says, clearly thinking he’s crazy.
“Oh, you can CALL them apples,” Ken says, “but these here are actually LOVES,” he says, placing them on the table. “And the joys are nice and ripe!” he says happily as he pulls a large bunch of bananas out of the cart. “And would you look at this peace? Absolutely beautiful,” he goes on, pulling out a peach and showing them. He puts the basket of peaches down next to the bananas. “And then we got your patience,” he puts down a basket of strawberries, “and kindness, of course,” this time it’s a batch of blueberries, “Can’t forget the goodness, or the faithfulness, or the self-control…” he says, almost to himself as he places more and more fruit on the table. Soon it’s practically overflowing with large, juicy looking fruit. “Whoops, I almost forgot the gentleness! That’s my favorite—well, that and the loves!”
“It’s an apple, right?” they hear Hana ask Cubby. He nods, and then shakes his head, and then, much to everyone’s amusement, shrugs.
“Now, everyone, who wants a love?” Ken asks the group, picking up one of the apples. Half of the kids raise their hands. Cubby doesn’t, his eyes are on the bananas. “You don’t want a love?” Ken asks him.
“I want a bana—a joy,” Cubby says, pointing.
“You can have both, you know,” Ken says.
“I want them ALL!” Robo declares boldly.
“You know what? I do, too!” Ken agrees with a wide grin. “But these fruits are special, you know. They have a price.”
The kids look at each other, and Hana starts patting her skirt, finally finding a pocket and digging into it. “I have, um, candy?” she offers.
“Thank you very much for offering, but that’s not what they cost,” Ken tells her very seriously. He doesn’t seem to notice how Jack is sneaking around behind him, but the kids do. “I have to admit, fruits like love, or peace, or joy, they all cost more than I can afford… I can’t just give them away—”
The kids start laughing and he turns, seeing Jack eating a banana. “Hey, now!” Ken says. “How are you going to pay for that?”
“It’s already been paid for,” Jack says, finishing it off and tossing the peel into the trash. “That one was mine.”
“He’s gonna eat all of the joys!” Cubby says, knowing exactly how Jack works.
“And just who paid for that joy?” Ken asks Jack.
“Jesus,” Jack says, sorting through the apples and pulling one out. “These are the fruit of the Spirit, right? He’s the one that came from Jesus. That means Jesus is the one footin’ the bill. And since Jesus and me are buds, what’s His is mine.” He starts munching on the apple. “Joy, love,” he lists, finishing his bite of apple and grabbing a strawberry, “patience. Patience is a bit tart, but hey,” he tosses it into his mouth. “Still good.”
Cubby gets up, heading over to Ken and tugging on his overalls. “I want a joy, please,” he says.
Ken laughs. “And who paid for it?” he asks Cubby as he pulls one off of the bunch.
“Jesus?” Cubby offers.
“Paid in full,” Ken agrees as he hands it over. Soon the kids are munching on fruit and Trent comes out, pushing another cart. “Who else would like some fruit of the Spirit?” he asks the crowd.
Pan looks at Amara as she stands up. “You’re going?” he asks.
“Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness?” she says, “how can I not?” she asks him with a smile. “I want a joy, too.”
He sits there, only to blink as Nico stands and follows Summer up to the front. “Daddy!” Robo calls, waving, “come get some gentleness, it tastes like grapes!” Adanna is right next to him, eating an apple.
Pan stands, slowly, and loosens his tie before walking to the front of the church.
***
*Monday*
“And then the doggy jumped up and he got paw prints on my dress and he ate my ice cream,” Evie says as the kids take their places at the table.
“He did what?!” Hana demands, shocked. “How DARE that dog?! I’m gonna go find him and give him a piece of my mind!”
“Mommy is still trying to get the paw prints off, and it was so sad!” Evie says.
“Doggies are bad!” Cubby says, nodding. “I can’t ever have a doggy.”
“We have kitties,” Robo says. “Big ones!”
“I… I don’t want a doggy anymore, not if Evie doesn’t like them,” Hana decides, frowning seriously.
“You should get a kitty,” Robo says.
“What’s a kitty like?” Hana asks. “Is it like the cartoons?” Cubby doesn’t answer, but instead stands, stretching before jumping onto the table. Hana watches blankly as he starts walking in circles on all fours and then lays down—right on top of their table. He yawns, and then reaches out and bops her gently with his hand.
“That’s my tail,” he tells her seriously before he closes his eyes and pretends to sleep, somehow managing to get a limb on each of their parts of the table without looking like he’s trying.
“Yep,” Robo says. “That’s what a kitty is like.”
“I can’t see my screen,” Hana says, pushing at his leg. His leg moves, but the other one takes its place, leaving her glaring at it. “I don’t want a kitty, either,” she decides.
Cubby starts giggling and the other three start tickling him to try and get him to move. They don’t even notice how Ashlynn and Tony are standing at the doorway, watching all of this.
“It’s like looking into the future, somehow,” Tony says, sounding amused.
Ashlynn watches the group, and nods, picturing it all too clearly after the time she’s spent in this school. One day there will be a large panther where the little boy is, now, and Hana will be scolding him for lying on her designs, while Robo and Evie laugh. The image has her hiding a smile as she walks into the room.
“Okay, everyone, in your seats, please! We have work to do!” she says, clapping her hands. The kids (and the guinea pig) head to their places with excited looks on their faces and she smiles. She had hesitated to take this job, but now she would rather be here than anywhere else. This is definitely the best job in the world.
***
*The black cat crosses the stage again, only to start jumping at the tassel hanging from the curtain. He catches it, and the curtain draws back for one last little holiday special.*
Treat or Treat!
A car pulls to a halt in the parking lot of the apartments, and the backdoor swings open. Hana hops out, wearing the fanciest dress she owns, a little tiara, and several glowing bracelets. She’s got a magical wand in her hand, which says that she’s NOT the princess—she’s the fairy godmother! They have the best job in fairy tales!
It’s Halloween night, the very first Halloween night that Hana’s ever been allowed to go… (Drum roll, please) TRICK OR TREATING! She’s practically bouncing off the walls already and she hasn’t had a drop of candy. “EVIE!” she says, throwing herself at her best friend as the little girl comes out of the apartments.
“HANA!” Evie says, hugging her back excitedly. Oh, sure, they were in class together earlier, but this is a big moment in their lives! Hana pulls back, grinning widely until she sees exactly what Evie is wearing. She tilts her head slightly, confused, and then walks around the little girl, examining her.
“I’m ROCCO!” Evie says excitedly, posing in her special little hoodie uniform. “Look, look, shiny parts!” she says, tugging the hoodie off and showing the inside.
“Nightstep, Evie,” Rocco says. “Tonight you’re Nightstep.”
Hana frowns, and then thinks about it for a long moment. She looks up at Rocco, who’s wearing a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a plaid shirt as a coat. “Your shirt, please,” she says, pointing at it.
He blinks and takes the plaid shirt off, starting for his t-shirt, but she takes the plaid away. “Here,” she says, rolling it a bit before tying it around Evie’s waist, and then reaching for her jeans. She frowns in concentration, but when that doesn’t work, she turns to her mom. “Mommy?”
“What are you doing?” Evie asks.
“Holes here and here and striped socks that glow!” Hana declares.
“We can’t change her costume, honey,” Kim says. “She’s happy with it, that’s what matters.”
“I want striped socks,” Evie says, looking at her boots. They seem a little boring, now…
“I’ll fix it back to how it should be if you get cold, okay?” Kim asks, crouching down in front of the girl. Soon her dark Nightstep uniform has a definitely punkish cute feel to it.
“Looks like you’ve got the start of your own uniform, Evie!” Rocco says, picking her up so she can lift a leg and admire her glowing striped socks.
Hana tugs off some of her bangles and slips them over Evie’s hands, looking quite satisfied with her handiwork, now.
“I’m coming!” Ashlynn calls out, finally making her way out of the apartments. She’s got several bags, an extra coat for Evie, and one for herself. “Are we certain this is a good idea? Going out this late?” The sun is setting even as they speak.
“It’ll be just fine,” Rocco says.
“So… would you like to drive or should I, Kim?” Ashlynn asks, somewhat proud of the little car that Nico had made her as her bonus.
“We aren’t driving,” Jack says, coming out of the apartments with Trent and Sandra. “We thought we’d set up something a little more… private.”
“What?” Ashlynn asks as the teens head for the school campus, cracking jokes.
