They See Four

Chapter 1 ~ Cage

Arriving back at their apartment, #121, Sarah opened the door tiredly. Lucas ran inside with no regard to his muddy feet, and Sarah called after him while hurriedly removing her boots.

"Lucas! Honey, shoes!"

Lucas paused down the hallway and leaned over to inspect his feet himself. Sarah finished the job of removing her boots and made her way over to her befuddled son, still studying his feet.

"They're not that muddy," he smiled at her as if she might let him go.

Sarah untied his laces without so much as a glance at him. The apartment was dark. They always kept windows and blinds shut from the outside world, which meant it'd be darker than usual; however, the storm outside was no help.

As she started removing Lucas's shoes, the little boy momentarily lost his balance and gripped onto her shoulders for help. Sarah hesitated for a moment. Lucas had had four arms since the moment he was born, and she thought she'd be used to it now, but sometimes the four hands that were holding onto her so tightly would remind her of how different her son was.

After removing his second shoe, Sarah began to glance at her son's arms. As she reached out to touch them softly, Lucas escaped the moment he could. He giggled and pointed at his mother with one arm on each side.

"Mommy got muddy hands!"

Sarah realized her son was right as she balled her hands into fists, feeling the rough mud that had caked her hand in different areas. She smiled and stood up.

"Why don't you go play while I make dinner?"

Lucas's eyes widened with excitement. "You're cooking?!"

Sarah laughed a bit. "Yeah...do you want a grilled cheese?"

Lucas grinned wider. "Mmmhmm!"

As he ran back towards his room, Sarah immediately felt the cold air of the apartment pull her back to the real world again. Making her way into the small nook they called a kitchen, she began pulling out sandwich stuff and zoning out as she remembered what her life had been like before Lucas entered her life.

"Sarah, want an omelet, honey?"

Sarah sat on their couch in the living room, snacking on cherry tomatoes as she absentmindedly watched the commercials that played out on TV in front of her.

"Mmm?"

Her husband, William, laughed from their kitchen. "Omelet? For lunch?"

Sarah pondered the idea a moment before her stomach rejected the idea. "No thanks, William!"

William poked his head out. "Really? You've never rejected my famous omelets before. You okay?"

Sarah looked back at him with an incredulous look. She pointed down at her basketball belly.

"Pregnant, William. Remember?"

"Well then, what do you want to eat? You can't just sit and snack on cherry tomatoes all day." William shook his head as if he couldn't believe his wife.

Sarah immediately held the small bowl of cherry tomatoes closer to her as if her husband might confiscate them. She thought about what she wanted to eat for a moment before giving him a pleading look.

William crossed his arms, trying not to smile at Sarah's classic antics. "What is it?"

Sarah set the bowl of tomatoes down and sat up further. "I could always go for some vanilla ice cream?"

William just stared a moment until he pinched the bridge of his nose in disbelief. "I'm sorry. You're telling me you want vanilla ice cream for lunch?"

Sarah just grinned back. "Yep."

William looked her over again, and with a slight chuckle, he gave in. "Alright, but promise you'll try to eat something nutritious tonight?"

Sarah rolled her eyes but smiled back at him sincerely. "I promise."

William nodded satisfactorily. "Alright then, let's go get some ice cream."

Sarah watched him grab the car keys as she struggled to get up. Even at six months, this baby was already weighing her down. As she began shuffling to the garage, she suddenly gasped and grabbed onto the counter at a new sensation in her belly.

William heard her and rushed to her side. "Sarah? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Sarah stayed in that position for a moment before moving her right hand over her belly tentatively. William was still panicking as she grabbed his wrist and maneuvered his hand to rest on her stomach, her hand atop his. She smiled as the sensation returned.

William had the same reaction as they both realized what was happening. "I think with those kicks, she could be a professional soccer player."

Sarah laughed softly. "What makes you think the baby's going to be a girl? It's a surprise, remember?"

William glanced at her, his hand still resting on her belly. "Just wishful thinking is all. She'd be beautiful like her mother."

Sarah laughed, a little embarrassed. "Or she'd look like her handsome father."

William feigned disgust for a moment. "Don't put that image in my head. No girl wants to look like me."

Sarah's eyes softened as she reached out to touch her husband's face gently. "Why not? She'd have your blonde hair, your green eyes, and..." Sarah looked him up and down teasingly. "Your lovely facial hair, too, of course."

Her husband placed a chaste kiss on her wrist before playfully swiping it away. "You're terrible, Sarah Kohner."

Sarah just smiled at him as he took off towards the garage again, obviously racing her so that he could have a win for the day. Following, she passed a decorative mirror that hung on the wall, and she paused to study herself.

Scary pale skin, glasses, freckles, dark brown wavy hair, and dull brown eyes were what made up her appearance. As she thought about what the baby might be again, she realized she didn't mind: boy or girl. All she wanted was for their baby to resemble William more than herself.

Inside the garage, William honked the horn, playfully impatient as always. Turning from the mirror, Sarah ran out after her husband.

~

Sarah hissed in pain as she burned her finger on the skillet as she went to grab Lucas's sandwich with her hands. Sucking on it a moment, she removed the skillet from the heat and left it for a moment. Sighing in frustration, she studied the burn, thinking her husband would have scolded her back then for not being self-aware while in the kitchen.

"Mommy?"

Sarah turned to see Lucas standing at the edge of the nook, clutching his stuffed dinosaur. Realizing he must've seen what happened, Sarah shook her hands hurriedly.

"Oh, I'm okay, sweetie, see? It was just a little hot, and it surprised me."

Lucas didn't look convinced of her safety as his brown eyes searched hers. Sarah felt a chill crawl up her spine. Lucas had inherited every single gene from her, except for one. He shared the same intelligent gaze his father had once upon a time. It always made her feel like she was in an interrogation when he looked at her like that.

Sarah just smiled, retrieving Lucas's sandwich from the skillet now that it had cooled down. Setting it on a plate, she brought it to their small wood table and set it down for him. As Lucas clambered up onto the chair, Sarah affectionately pet her little boy's curly brown hair a moment before going back into the kitchen to find herself something.

As she began messing with the skillet again, Sarah watched Lucas quietly eating his sandwich. Despite what she had gone through so far to provide him a comfortable life, she knew it wasn't enough. Right now, this wasn't home. It was a cage for both of them.