Eunoia 2 [{V.H}]

35

Kitty

Okay, I've got three sides, and a main dish, plus desert. The table has been set, and everything is clean.

I wipe my hands on my apron, zoning out as I think long and hard of the things I had on my mental checklist.

I changed the sheets for my brother, put soap in every bathroom, got dressed, made their welcome baskets, did my hair, wrapped their early Christmas presents, cleaned the litter box so it didn't smell, and shook out all of the drapes.

I bite my bottom lip and snap out of my unfocused gaze when I hear the front door start rattling and Finch's nails click against the floors to the entry way of the house. I loosen up my stance, and hurriedly walk to the hallway to see across the house to front door, just in time to see Vinnie swing the door open with a suitcase in his hand. I smile brightly without trying, as soon as I see the comforting face of my mother following in behind him. Mabel is behind her, and Lucas in tow, both of the kids eyes looking around my house with wide eyes.

My mom immediately greets Finch, lowering herself down to greet my puppy, not yet noticing me in the doorway, but when I call out "Mom," her entire body shifts quickly toward my voice. Her eyes land on me, and I wave, but she barely gets the chance to holler in excitement before Mabel and Lucas both drop their suitcases and come barreling in towards me. The two almost knock me off my feet in a massive hug, the both of them talking at the same time in rushed voices about the flight, how they missed me, and the random "your house is huge."

I laugh at the two of them, "wow I thought for your first time flying that far you two would be exhausted!"

"It was only 8 hours." Lucas tells me knowingly, and he pulls back to look at me. "You look-"

"Good." My mother cuts him off, and she pushes both of my siblings to the side to get in on her own hug.

She squeezes me tightly and takes a stuttered breath, holding her hand to the back of my head, pressing her body against me to the point where it's almost hard to breathe.

"I missed you." She whispers to me.

I pull back from her, moving her short hair out of her face. Mom smiles at me and then snaps out of it, the relief visibly lifting from her shoulders while she looks around.

"Some place you two have here." She comments while Vinnie picks up the other two suit cases that the kids dropped.

"Thank you, it's not done yet, but it's getting there." I explain and then I gesture to Vinnie. "He's been doing it all himself."

"What have you done?" My brother comments, teasing me, so I push my palm into the side of his head.

"Follow Vincent." I instruct Lucas, "You guys can go check out the house, just be careful on the dock out back, there's brain eating plankton out there."

"You have your own dock?" Mabel questions, almost bouncing up and down.

I nod my head, gesturing behind me with my thumb. "Go look. I'm gonna show mama around."

Both Lucas and Mabel take off toward the back of the house, leaving just my mom and I since Vinnie went up the stairs to take their suitcases to their rooms. Mom stands there, listening for any sign of anyone until she hooks her arm with mine.

"Can you show me around? A little house tour?"

Smiling at her, we begin walking. I show her house, every part of it from the kitchen, our animals room, to my walk in closet. She makes goofy comments the entire time, and in sometimes she's completely in awe. But we all end up back downstairs not too soon after, all sat around the dinner table in the kitchen with laughter surrounding us. Vinnie eats silently next to me, his eyes downcast but he looks up when Lucas calls his name.

"Vincent, Do you okay any video games?"

Vinnie shakes his head no in response, and after a beat of him chewing his food, he gestures to me. "I used to but we've been so busy that we haven't had time."

"Fixing up a house this big will do that." My mother shakes her head in agreement. She looks around our kitchen again, and her eyes flicker up to the ceiling, making me tense up. Her eyebrows pull down, her eyes focused on the hole in the ceiling, but before I can draw her attention from it, Vinnie does it for me.

"We got lucky in finding it."

She side eyes him, seeing right through him, but he continues.

"It was an estate sale. The woman who lived here before us got put into a home and her kids didn't want any of the stuff, so we got the house and all of the furniture for dirt cheap."

Mom finally looks at him dead on, opening her mouth to say something but Mabel cuts her off.

"You guys should put in a game room or a movie theater. That would be so sick- or even a pool!"

I smile, "that's actually a great idea. What kind of games are you thinking?"

"Oh!" Lucas peeks up, "What about those old arcade games like pac man or-"

"Dance dance revolution!" Mabel finishes for him, "My friends and I go to the arcade at the mall all the time and that's my favorite game."

Vinnie laughs, making everyone look to him. He waves his hand in front of himself and explains between laughs, "Sorry I just imagined Kitty playing that and-"

I scoff, pointing my fork at him. "Excuse me but I think I'd be great at it!"

"Oh I know, if you could get your feet to coordinate." He almost giggles, "It's all about memorizing the patterns right?"

"Exactly!" Mabel agrees with him, "that's why I'm so good at it." She taps the side of her head, "I've got a photogenic memory."

I look at her in surprise, "You do?"

She nods her head, shyly smiling, "I didn't know until recently, I thought it was normal for everyone to remember everything."

I glance to my mother, who looks slightly slumped down in her seat now.

Does Mabel remember that day?

Now I eye Vinnie from the corner of my eye, to find that he's doing the same, glancing to me with the same thought behind his gaze.

"Can we take Finch for a walk after dinner?" Lucas asks and it shifts the conversation completely.

"Absolutely not." My mother tells him and he slumps in his seat, "Youre allergic." She reminds him.

"Plus," Vinnie turns serious suddenly, "There's wild animals out there."

Lucas rolls his eyes, "Right."

"No he's serious." I confirm with a nod of my head, "Lynx, moose, bears, cougars, coyotes, and bobcats."

Lucas, my mom, and Mabel look suddenly terrified, causing Vinnie and I laugh but it eases their nerves. We spend the rest of the night sitting in the living with the fireplace lit, talking, catching up and my mom becomes increasingly attached to Hera throughout the night, all the way up until bed where she decides that tonight Hera is staying with her. Vinnie and I don't mind though, especially when Mabel takes Finch to her room too, so we get to sprawl out in bed like we're doing now.

It's weird having my family here, but I feel so relaxed and less on edge, like everything is going to be alright finally.