The Girl of Colours (Book TWO)

Glitch

Luke was coming home! He was finally gonna met Sky, the girl he'd wanted to be like dad to! I couldn't wait for him to get here! "Morning, Sky." Clyde yawned, as my little girl came into the attic, and I wrapped my arm around her as I finished my make up.

"Well, I think I've got everything he wants." Sarah Jane sighed, looking at her shopping receipt. Luke was a greedy person at the moment, he forgot to eat at school, so ate everything when he came home. "Oh, it doesn't matter, Mum, baby, he says, and then when he turns up, it's straight to the fridge, and why haven't we got any bacon?"

Clyde scoffed. "Well, let him starve. When I went up to Oxford, the cupboards were bare, the only thing left was the self heating meals Callie sent him as a joke." 

"Are you all right, Sky?"

"I'm just a little nervous." She admitted, resting into me. "I'm meeting Luke face to face, not just on the screen."

I stroked her hair fondly. "Well, you couldn't have a better dad, my Diamond." And then he came into the attic. "Luke. Oh, welcome home."

"Hi, Mum. Hi, Callie. Hi, Clani." He smiled, and I wanted to just hug him and never left go.

Rani groaned a little. "Don't call us that."

Except Sarah Jane was thoroughly confused now. "Clani? Who's Clani?"

"Clyde, Rani, Clani." I laughed, hugging him when his mum finished. "It's meant to be funny, and it is."

"He can't keep away."

Then I took my little girls hand, moving her forward. "Luke, meet Sky. In person."

He smiled at her. "Sky. Hi. Hi, Sky."

She frowned a little. "You're taller than you look on web cam."

"Yes, yes, I am." Luke agreed, and I saw that he was just as nervous about meeting her as she was meeting him. "Sorry, I just went in your room. I forgot it's not mine any more. Baby, I've put my stuff in your room, guessing it's ours now?" Yes, we were finally allowed to share all the time.

"It's the best room, and you don't live here any more." Sky gabbled, and I squeezed her hand softly. Motor mouth.

"It's fine. It's really fine." He agreed, taking my free hand. "Means I can share with your mum at last."

And then Clyde went over board. "Hey. Finally, face to face. It's the clash of the nerds. Sky, behold my greatest success. Frankenbane's monster, now a normal human student living off Pot Noodles, rising at twelve sharp to watch Loose Women and be bugged by his future wife."

We both sent him a silencing look. "Yeah, shut up. Sky, I really hope we can be friends."

Which really threw her. "Of course we'll be friends. I suppose we're sort of father and daughter, because Callie's like my mum, and you're marrying her."

"Tea?" Sarah Jane asked after an awkward pause. 

Luke nodded quickly. "Yeah."

So we ate breakfast, before going back up to the attic, and I was cuddled into Luke, Sky sat next to me as I absently stroked her hair. I see why dad did it with me now, it was very therapeutic. "I had to leave K9 back at Uni. But look. I made this." He held up a small piece of metal. "A dog whistle. Because you never know."

"What's he doing up there?" His mum asked, sitting not that far away. She missed her son a lot.

"He's backing up the Bodleian Library." He explained. "The whole lot. He wouldn't come back with me."

At which point Mr Smith spoke up. "Oh, good. Ness me, what a terrible shame."

Rani sent him a look. "Oi, Mister Smith, don't be nasty. We could always swap you for another computer, like the SerfBoard."