Life All Over Again.

Chapter III | Training Wheels.

E L O U I S E ' s   P . O . V .

*
*
*

" Mama ! " Josephine whisper - yelled.

Startled, I gasped jolting my eyes open. I shifted over to my right side where she was stationed looking extremely concerned.

" What is it, Jo ? " I croaked, straightening up to place my back against my bed rest.

" She's back, mama. " She hurriedly let out. With half my brain functioning, still partly sleep induced, I looked back at her in question. Was this just another toddler moment of herself taking situations out of context or was I downplaying the situation and was in fact chewing into any remaining reaction time ? " Mama, I said Mrs Hawkeye is breaking down our door like the FBI ! "

" The FBI — What do you know about the FBI, Josephine ? "

" Duh ... The tv. You're missing the point, mama. " She exhaled looking extremely annoyed by my response. " Don't open for her. You hear me, mama ? "

" Josephine ? " I let out a confused laugh.

" I'm being serious, mama. I don't like it when she shouts bad at you. "

I did not even know where I was going to start with reacting appropriately to my four year old. I fixed my gaze on her before releasing a little, soft giggle. I patted the unoccupied spot on my bed summoning her to my side. When she was comfortable I cuddled her as a form of reassurance. As she snuggled onto me a pleasant silence filled in the space between us. I drifted off till my eyes landed on the documents Lukas had delivered the other day which had been my source of reassurance. It was completely off the rails to consider that a few weeks ago, I was a hopeless and clueless being on the verge of going mental on the appropriate way to carry my life forward with minimal damage and now, I was expected to discard of all stresses to just become not just any regular fiancée but Adonis Kosmos' son's pretend fiancée. It seemed promising. We were going to be okay and for once it seemed it was really going to be for the long term.

" JoJo cakes ? " I called kissing her forehead. She hummed a soft response barely moving an inch. " Hon, it's time we get up and get some breakfast in our systems, yeah ? "

She squealed, getting up immediately afterwards to jump on the bed.

A while later, we had relocated to the kitchen. Josephine was quietly seated on her booster chair by the dining table, colouring, whilst I was busying on with breakfast preparations. I dumped Josephine's new favourite cereal into a bowl which had been a new development obviously with my new found financial flexibility, placing it in front of her along with a jug of warm milk. As I prepared a ' Cindi's special breakfast smoothie ' for ourselves, I switched on my phone scrolling through lock screen notifications which of none were of great importance. Before I cupped the drinks, I checked the time, 05 : 49 a.m. It made me wonder who in their right mind would be found pounding at my door at such ungodly hours ?

" Mama, tell me you heard that ? " She questioned in a very low tone.

I held my index finger vertically over my lips, indicating her to keep quiet as I leaned towards the direction of the door to listen in. There it was, the knock she had been yapping about, getting her nerves all muddled. Quietly rushing to my phone, I double checked if anyone had in fact alerted me they were visiting but there were no messages of that nature displayed on my lock screen. So, was it somebody I knew who was trying to break down my door at dawn who had not gotten with the times of dropping a simple message or was I about to be dealing with a total stranger ?

" Stay here. Okay ? " I instructed sternly. " Just finish up your cereal and don't move. "

She nodded. I did not miss the look of fear her face resembled but she did not need to worry. Whoever it was, if they were to cause the slightest of harm, my lungs were fully equipped with screams for Becca's and other neighbours aid. I advanced towards the front door, taking a breath in before swinging it open enough to reveal who it was.