1.13 - We All Have Growing Up to Do

This pregnancy was different on Shae. Even in the first couple of months, she felt much bigger. Her energy was depleted, and she had no desire to do anything other than sit on the couch and watch television. Aoife constantly left the KidzZone channel on, and Shae didn't even bother to change it.

Aoife couldn't really understand what was going on with her mother, why she was getting so much bigger. All she knew was that her mom was constantly in a bad mood. So she stayed out of her way by playing with Dagon's toys. "You will never grow big and round, Mr. Robot. You are cold, hard plastic. And you better stay that way. Or I'll feed you to the bed monster."

Even Illdrid was affected by Shae's mood swings. But she knew just the thing to cheer her sister up. Shae used to talk about  how she wished she had read the baby books during her pregnancy with Aoife. So while the older kids were in school, Illdrid decided to take Evandrus and run to the book store. She'd be able to get a gift for her sister and maybe pick up some recipes for herself.

Illdrid pushed the door open with an excited little grin. Shae was still sitting on the couch. Illdrid bounced up to her, and with much effort, pulled her sister to her feet. "Tada!" she exclaimed, producing a wrapped gift from behind her back.

Shae grumbled in response. "Come on. I'm too tired for this. Thanks and all, but I'll open it later."

Illdrid frowned. "Come on, you brat! I walked all the way over to the store for you. I even wrapped the damn thing. The least you can do is open it up!"

Shae rolled her eyes. "Fine." She ripped off the wrapping paper and took out the pregnancy book. "You're a little late with this," she said, referring to Aoife. Shae's eyes met with Illdrid's and the twins burst into a fit of giggles. The laughter was just the medicine Shae needed to pull her out of her funk.

With Evandrus down for his afternoon nap, Shae and Illdrid had some quiet time to just sit beside each other on the couch and read. Shae realized there were so many things she'd done wrong during her pregnancy with Aoife. She vowed not to repeat those mistakes. Illdrid intently memorized a recipe for chili con carne. She'd been craving something spicy lately. She just hoped that the kids would be able to handle it.

Dagon brought a friend home from school with him. They sat at the kitchen table and struggled with their homework together. Her name was Carina, and Dagon liked her because she reminded him of Aoife. She wasn't all prissy like the other girls in their frilly pink dresses with their fear of dirt and bugs.

Carina was different. She didn't even mind when Aoife transformed into her werewolf form. "I will destroy you!" Aoife growled, pillow in hand.

Carina roller her eyes. "Please. I am the pillow fighting champ."

Evandrus intently studied the blocks. They were very exciting. He had a hard time thinking of anything else that might be more exciting. Except possibly the wooden floor. Or the blank paper. Or the walls. Or the fact that it was his birthday. That might have been the most exciting thing of all.

When the full moon ascended into the sky, the kids gathered around the cake. Shae carried Evandrus over to the brightly shining candles. "Make a wish," she whispered into his ear.

Evandrus was so excited he couldn't even think of a wish. So he just blew the candles out and waited for the sparkles to come.

"I bet I can eat my piece of cake the fastest!" Aoife shouted, alreading digging her fork into it.

"Puh-leeze, girl!" Carina responded, certain that there would be no competition. She didn't bother with a fork, just started shoveling pieces of cake into her mouth with her hands.

"Oh man! That's disgusting. You're both going to get poisoned. I bet there's pesticide in the icing. That's what makes it blue. Ugh gross!" Dagon shrieked.

Evandrus quietly ate his slice of cake and shied away from the table. He suddenly knew what he should of wished for - to be surrounded by fewer people.

Evandrus had his first day of school and hated all of his classmates. Shae grew more and more pregnant each day. And Carina became a staple at the Maesson household.

"Shae, your obsession with these kid shows has to stop. If I see one more cartoon, I think I'm going to scream," Illdrid said, attempting to wrestle the remote out of her sister's hand.

"Aw, come on. You have to admit these Phineas and Ferb kids are funny. Plus, I think they have to be part Fae with how good they are at making these intricate inventions. It's gotta be magic."

Carina and Dagon were having their own argument beside the tv. "Artist-schmartist.You should be a scientist. That's where all the dough is. You do want dough, don'tcha?"

Dagon quirked an eyebrow, "Money isn't that important to me. Plus...I could become a rich and famous artist some day. If I work hard enough. I'm really good at it. In fact, I bet you one million dollars that I'll be a great artist when we grow up."

"I ain't betting you squat! Besides, it doesn't matter because you're not going to make a million dollars!"

"Will too!"

"Will not!"

Dagon did his homework in the grass beside the house so he could hide from the other kids. They were too loud. He couldn't concentrate on his homework with all their shouting. Plus, Carina wasn't very nice to him in school. When he tripped and fell down the stairs, she was the first one to start laughing at him.

Suddenly, Evandrus heard his Aunt Shae screaming. He peaked his head around the corner and saw her on the porch, clutching at her stomach and wailing. Dagon was already out there, in a full blown panic. He was rambling on about how it was the birthday cake and its poisonous chemicals. Dagon went back to his hiding spot and leaned up against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut. When the sounds were all gone, he took another peak. Everyone was gone. He sunk to the ground and buried his head in arms. He was pretty certain he had just killed his aunt. He knew she was out here to look for him. And it killed her. Somehow.

His mother found him a couple of hours later and made him come inside. She promised that he hadn't killed his aunt Shae. And the next morning, his mother took him into the tiny bedroom beside the one he shared with Dagon. 

"What are they?!" he exclaimed, looking at two larvae type creatures in the cribs that were once his and Dagon's. One appeared to be sleeping. The other one was surrounded by a cloud of red stars. 

"They are your new cousins. That is why your aunt was in so much pain. They were growing in her belly and they decided that yesterday they were ready to come out! The sleeping one is Diarmuid. And the other one is Elisedd." 

Evandrus would have to ponder this. He wasn't thrilled at having to share his house with more people. Trying to hide from everyone was hard enough as it was. However, these tiny people were new. And they seemed to have no interest in him. And new things were pretty exciting. Evandrus was conflicted.

 It didn't take long for Evandrus to decide his initial suspicions were correct. These babies were tiny, but they were incredibly noisy. And they were just more people for Evandrus to avoid. He took to hiding in his room, where he much preferred the silent company of his stuffed bunny.

Illdrid, however, rather enjoyed having the babies around. She hadn't wanted to admit it, but she really missed the feel of soft, cuddly bundles and their new baby smell, they delicate skin and bright, gurgling smiles. It seemed like so long since a baby had been in their house. And Illdrid knew they didn't have much time left before she and Shae were too old to have any more.

Like Evandrus, Aoife was also not thrilled about the new babies. She had been her mother's only child. And now she had to compete for affection. And with TWO new babies plus a full time job, that affection was extremely limited. So Aoife started spending a lot more time outside, wandering the neighborhood. That's when she came across a wild horse for the first time. In that moment, she knew what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. She was going to save all of the stray animals she saw wandering around. They needed a home, and one day, she was going to give them a home.

 There was another reason Aoife was spending a lot of time outdoors. She had entered a scavenger hunt to find specific butterflies. She was determined to win, but was having a lot of trouble finding the elusive moth. Her search had to be called off early, however, because it was a very special day. It was Dagon's birthday.