The Key

15

 "A man of words and not of deeds, is like a garden full of weeds. And when the weeds begin to crawl, it's like a bird upon the wall. And when the bird away does fly, it's like an eagle in the sky."

I run my fingers through Hope's hair as she reads from a book Elijah had gifted her some time ago. Hope keeps going, reading on and on,

"And when the sky begins to roar, it's like a lion at the door. And when the door begins to crack... it's like a stick across your back. And when your back begins to smart, it's like a knife inside your heart. And when your heart begins to bleed, you're dead and dead and dead indeed."

Niklaus looks up from his spot at the table, an amused look on his face,

"Not exactly the most uplifting reading material, darling."

"It's an old book of rhymes," Hope insists, closing it and turning around in my lap to look up at me,

"Dad was trying to tell me earlier that Uncle Elijah can turn into a bat."

I look up into the ceiling's rafters, eyes wide as I look back a Hope,

"I see no evidence that Uncle Elijah doesn't turn into a bat either, he could just sleep up there peacefully."

Hope giggles and hops off my lap. 

I stand up and hold my hand out to follow her,

"Want to help me go through some stuff to take back with us."

Hope smiles at me, 

"I actually wanted to go draw, is that alright?"

I nod at her and tickle her as she hurries off ahead of me,

"Of course, go become a world class artist like your father."

She laughs, the sound filling me up, and she scurries back down the stairs towards the dining room.

I turn towards Niklaus,

"Want to help go through any of this old stuff?"

He quirks an eyebrow at me,

"Are you going to be hosting a yard sale?"

I roll my eyes and head towards the next room over, I feel Niklaus get up and follow me.

"I just figured while we're stuck here, I may as well work out which stuff to keep and which to donate," I shrug as I grab a brown box and sit down on a couch next to a stack of books.Niklaus pauses by the window, looking out of it, 

"Listen, I found Hope exploring the rubbish in the attic earlier. She's restless."

"She's not restless," I flip through an old copy of what appears to be War and Peace,

"She's bored. Most kids her age would be at school. They'd have friends to play with."

Sucking on his bottom lip in thought he responds, 

"Well, once Freya teaches her to hone her magic, she'll be powerful beyond measure. She won't need friends. She'll be worshiped."

"She doesn't want to be worshiped. She just wants someone to hold the other end of the jump rope," I laugh at his train of thought.

Niklaus shakes his head, holding a hand out to the sunlight and having it stopped when he reaches for the window clasp,

"She'll be above such things. She will have power enough to protect herself from anything. We won't have to trap her in bloody boundary spells just to keep her safe."