A Lifetime Ago

Chapter 30

(21 years old - April)

Since our return Saul and I had been staying with his mum, and Sarah had returned to her schooling at Alfea, but we still hear from her at least once a day.

My sleep was interrupted by the piercing whaling coming from the crib at the foot of the bed I shared with Saul. I groaned as I became more conscious of the little two year old Sky that was awake once again. I peered over at the clock on the bedside table: 4:00am. Not too early I suppose.

Shortly after we had returned home, Saul had decided to take in Sky, Andreas' son. The effect of inexperienced parenting quickly taking its toll on both Saul and I. Exhausted as I got up, I realized Saul and I must've fallen asleep rather unexpectedly. I detangled myself from Saul and our spot on top of the comforter, my hair still in its messy bun from earlier, and still dressed in my day clothes. I scooped Sky out of the crib and gently started to rock him back and forth as his crying slowly subsided. I peered up and saw Kathleen standing in the doorway. Knowing there was no way neither Sky nor I would fall back asleep again, I quietly made my way out of the bedroom and followed her down the stairs into the cozy living room

"I hope he didn't wake you." I said as we settled down in the living room.

Kathleen gave a small, sincere laugh. "Trust me darling, after two children that could not sleep through the night until they were about five, I've practically got a sense for it now. Very hard to believe that Saul can sleep through such a ruckus."

"I don't know how he does it." I smiled, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

We continued chatting about light topics - most of which involved Saul or Alfea -, Sky had been fed his morning snack sometime along the way. I hadn't even noticed the time that had passed until I noticed Saul descending the stairs, yawning.

"Morning mum." He said, making his way into the living room. "Morning Sunshine." He said to me, one hand on the couch behind me, the other cupping my cheek as he leaned down to greet me with a kiss. He fell into the spot on the couch beside me, taking the calmed Sky from my lap. "Someone," He smiled, holding Sky up so they were eye to eye. "Needs to stop waking Farah up so early." He gave a kiss on the young child's forehead before letting the boy settle into his lap.

Sky suddenly became very aware of the many eyes watching him. He'd gotten used to the attention since his first year at Alfea, but his baby moments were truly embarrassing - even if he couldn't remember half of them. He knew there were probably at least a handful more to come since his life was as entwined with Farah's as it was Saul's. Hopefully not many more of those moments were shown, he thought as Bloom pinched his cheek, barely able to contain her laughter.

(Shortly Later)

I trudge the small path through the forest to the clearing. I conjured up a small portal and quickly stepped through. I came out on the sidewalk in front of the Big Ben. I glanced around, trying to collect my exact location. I spotted the London Eye across the way. I took in the busy streets and the aroma that was mixed with freshly baked goods from the bakery down the street and the not-so-clean River Thames. Nothing had changed and it felt like my 16 year old self was right back here again. I couldn't believe it had been five years since I'd last walked these busy streets. I slowly navigated my way through the crowds of people that populated the busy streets at the heart of London.

Once I'd made it deeper into Westminster the streets became a little less dense, then once I had made it onto the street where my childhood home resided, the streets were bare. I hadn't been home since before her parents' passing. God, I didn't even know if there was anything left of the house. Whether it had been burnt down to a crisp and rebuilt for a new family or had been somewhat salvaged and left untouched after all these years.