Elandra LaCroix

Prologue

(12 years ago)

Screams fill the house as Henri LaCroix, the oldest of the family, tickles their youngest. "The Tickle Monster is gonna get you!" he shouts out. 

"Daddy! Stop it!" the sweet 4 year old screams out, eager to get out of her dads arms. "Andi! Ben! Cal! Dame! Ric!" she calls for her brothers as loud as she can.

A zoo of footsteps can be heard rushing towards where the father and daughter sit. "What, what is it ma douce fille. (My sweet girl)" the oldest of the siblings huffs out, tired from the run here. 

"Andi!" the 4 year old reaches out for the 13 year old, wanting her older brother to save her from the tickle monster. 

"Aww est-ce que le bébé n'aime pas le monstre chatouillant? (does the baby not like the tickle monster?)" Benjamin, 7 years old and the second oldest, teases his baby sister. grabbing her cheeks, he pokes at the small dimples gracing her round and chubby face.

"Calvin! help me!" using her best puppy eyes on him. calvin, the third oldest and sitting at only one year younger than benjamin, only kisses her head and listens to her beautiful laugh as their father and older brother attack her with kisses and tickles. he could listen to her laugh on repeat for days on end. Whipping out his phone, he takes pictures and videos of this beautiful moment- not forgetting himself in the photos too.

looking at their baby sister, Damien and Eric have already set their minds on a plan to help their petite étoile (little star) escape from these mad men. "ne t'inquiète pas petite étoile i will save you! (dont worry little star)" and at that Damien and Eric charged at their oldest brother and their father, instantly kicking them. Damien snatches the small girl from his fathers grasp and instead clutches her to his chest and retreats back with eric by his side. "I wont let you attack my baby sister anymore Papa!"  

looking down at his baby sister with pure love in his eyes, he vows himself to always protect her when the time comes. Placing  his sister on his lap so Eric could come and play with her too, he doesnt notice the pairs of eyes admiring the trio from afar. At this point Elizabeth, their mother sneaks into the room with Six glasses of warm milk and a plate of cookies to share with the kids. slowly she makes her way towards her husband. 

She gazes adoringly into her husbands eyes then scans her children- all of them surrounding and laughing with their baby sister. "we did good, Henri." she lays her head on his shoulder, him wrapping a loving arm around her "we did." he replies.

Henri's heart swells with love, hes so proud of his kids. looking around he wishes he can freeze time. keep his children from ever growing up, its like their all slipping through his fingers and he doesn't know how to stop it. They all just keep on growing up too fast. Looking at his daughter, he gets a feeling- a feeling that hes gonna lose his little girl forever, without even entering her world  at all.

The group of siblings spots the milk and cookies on the coffee table and race to get them. each sibling trying to get the most cookies. "Hey! Elandra's a cheater!" Eric points at her, the whole family turns to look at her when they notice that she had five small cookies stuffed into her mouth, making her look like a chipmunk. 

The family chuckles and gather around for story time. Their Father sitting on a big comfy chair. Elandra and Eric sitting on either side of him tucked neatly into his sides. Andre sits on an arm of the chair not really interested in story time. Damien and Calvin sitting on the floor, their backs leaning on the foot of the big chair. and Finally their mother sitting infront of them all holding Elandra's favorite book, Goldilocks.

at this moment in time, it wasn't too chaotic nor was it too calm, it was just right. The happy family of 8 sit together, not knowing what would come in just two years time.