LINCOLN AVAH: WINTER, 1977
Lincoln stood on the platform with Kinley, anxiously awaiting the return of Caliban, Adry, and Bond. All three kids would be coming home for once, since Caliban was finally eighteen and Kinley had strictly told him that she wanted all of her kids together one last time before Caliban decided to "up and leave them all" (which was just mum language for moving out). Lincoln chose not to think about the fact that Caliban was likely to "up and leave them all" the moment he got the chance, thinking about it always made her feel quite sick.
Kinley greeted the group with wide, open arms. Arms that Adry took no hesitation to run into. Arms that Caliban shoved himself into. Arms that Bond...stared at with horror and backed away from?
Bond, backing away from a hug from their mother. Bond, the biggest mama's boy on the planet, backing away from the loving embrace of his mother. Bond, her youngest sibling- her only younger brother-, refusing the opportunity to shove himself into a hug and pull Lincoln in with him.
The boy had been slowly changing throughout his time at The Academy, becoming more closed off. More standoff-ish towards Adry. More disrespectful towards Nick. More attached to Lincoln, but keeping so much of his world away from her. Lincoln noticed all of this, but she hadn't thought it truly meant anything.
Caliban had changed too, spending much more time with his friends and not with Lincoln. Barely coming home for the holidays because he was with other people. Barely sharing his world with Lincoln, even though she shared everything about hers with him. She didn't fault him for it, he was a busy boy and he wasn't doing it to hurt her, she knew that.
Adry was quite possibly the only one who hadn't changed, only grown. Grown around the other's and their changes. Becoming standoff-ish with Bond, once he had solidified his standoff-ish-ness with her. Becoming more inviting towards Caliban's friends, once he started spending more time with them than his family. Becoming more forthcoming with Lincoln about her world, once Lincoln started asking.
Overall, Lincoln had decided that change and The Academy were synonymous, which was why she didn't question any of the prior changes that Bond underwent. Now, however, Lincoln decided that she couldn't just suck it up and accept this one, as she had with the rest of her siblings and their changes.
Bond would not pull himself away from the family, no matter what. She would discover the meaning of this, and she would discover it soon.
***
The Academy had started their Winter Holidays on December 23rd this year, which meant all the winter decorations had to be put up without the help of Adry, Bond, or Caliban (usually Nick was absent, as well).
Sometimes, Lincoln felt as if Kinley and Nick had never gotten married at all. She felt as if she and Caliban weren't legally related, she felt as if Bond and Adry had never been born. She felt lonely due to it, more often than not.
All of that aside, this meant that the group of kids that hadn't seen the house were waltzing in with awe on their faces (even Bond, who's face had been screwed up with clear anxiety the entire car ride home). Caliban complimented the handmade snowflakes that hung from the ceiling (he complimented Kinley, even though Lincoln had made them; Lincoln didn't tell him), and levitated his things into his room as he walked upstairs leisurely. Adry told them that the Christmas tree (which was mostly done for the sake of Kinley's tradition) looked wonderous, then ran upstairs to continue on her presents for the members of the family. Bond, however, wiped the awe clean off of his face and ran (a loose term, as he struggled heavily with getting his trunk up the stairs and refused Lincoln's help) upstairs without a word.
