As It Is

Chapter 1

August 2019

"What are you doing, Ten?"

"Avery-ee. You're supposed to be sleeping." I whisper back to my niece.

"That's not my name." She replies.

"Ten isn't my name."

Avery Lee glares at me.

"Declan lets me call him D." She argues.

"And how do I feel about that?"

"You feel as though I am inserting myself into your relationship."

"Good little parrot." I tease as always.

"Tenielle, what are you doing? You have a new notebook."

"Now that I've cleaned and gotten all your classmates to sleep, I'm going to write."

"I'm not asleep."

"You're a quiet child."

"Jain says you have to watch out for quiet children or they turn out as depressed as you."

I roll my eyes.

"I'm not depressed."

"Now that I'm in your life, you aren't."

"Child are you conceited?" I ask.

"Jain says all children should be."

"Jain talks too much."

"She said you would say that."

"I'm so glad you spend 5 hours with Jain on Saturdays and Sundays."

"You're not very good at sarcasm."

"And there's the Sam influence."

"Sam sarcastically tells me, they are stuck with me because you get sick of me after a week together."

"Why don't you call him by his full name?"

"That belongs to Jain." She says, smiling mischievously. 

"But my nicknames don't. Of course. How do you know Sam says it sarcastically?"

"Because any time he does, he hugs me and gives me candy."

I'm going to have to talk to him about conditioning the little to accept meanness.

"Hmmm." I say, out loud.

"Well, I'm bored. Good nap."

"I say that to you. I'm not taking a nap."

Avery Lee giggles and pats my hand before curling up.

We deliberately didn't instill a respect for people just because they are older, the way we were raised, but how did Helena birth my quadruplet instead of a normal child?

I listen to Avery Lee's breathing and start my fanfiction

LP, MB, and Enby RR

June

"Go to sleep." Deb whisper-yells.

I look at Grant. He grins.

"Shall we?"

I don't want to sleep!

"Sure."

He stands and offers his hand. I take it, not really understanding.

He leads me out of the room and down the hall. We enter a side bedroom.

"Now we can talk without bothering anyone." Grant says, closing the door.