A Tale of One Deviant (Book One)

Chapter 21: Sky Diving...*Scratch Off Bucket List*

Bonzai!

Bonzai! Bonzai! Bonzai!

I was currently being passed around in the hands of all the maids who had tried their best to get me to wake up for half a year. They took care of me while I was in a suspended sleep they made, making sure my muscles didn't atrophy or starve myself to death.

Takuya had said I spent a year (fourteen months in this world, Tasega) in my head, and since I spent half a year unconscious in reality, that meant there was a really strong time difference between this and that.

For every day outside, it was two days inside.

     Interesting, I thought, calm as my body switched to the next person's relieved arms.

I hardly payed attention to the maids' softness when they squished my face in, but I had to really snap awake when they let Frederick and Terrence join in with their unknown strength.

I scrambled down from Head Maid's grip just as Terrence was about to receive me, and forced my legs to work. I had been crawling around all this time because they wanted me to and I didn't want them to think I was a genius, walking at four months old. So, I freely used my legs here when I dropped to the ground and toddled back to Mother who had been beaming up until now.

She froze when she saw me running so proficiently. I ran up to her legs and squished right against them since she was still standing, but Mother simply stared at the spot I used to be.

Geez...was it that much of a shock?

Miffed, I tugged on her skirt and threatened to take it off while frowning.

"Mama!" She turned her dazed gaze to me and stared. "Mama Mama Mama!"

Her skirt would seriously tear off if I kept going more, and since I didn't want to be labeled a trouble maker, I stopped and huffed.

I turned to Father, faking tears. Well, it was a little real. Maybe I was actually about to start sobbing.

"Papa, Mama doesn't like me anymore..." I clung to the surprised him who crouched down instantly so I didn't start tugging on his pants.

"Nonsense. Mama-I mean, Ana. Don't ignore your daughter." He scooped me up and held my twenty one month old self, frowning. That frown soon turned upwards a bit when I lay my head on his shoulder and snuggled to get comfy.

I guess it must have been comforting, because he uncharacteristically started rubbing his cheeks against mine to assure I was there. There was stubble though, so it hurt.

"Papa, no."

I used stubby hands to push his face away, but he gladly budged.

He held me out at arms length to Mother as if to say, "Your turn."

Mother was still staring, confused. I thought she was startled because I talked to her, but I was starting to think that was not the case.

She accepted me cautiously, holding me so much more cautious than she ever had before.

I settled against her and stared into her eyes patiently, waiting for a reaction.

As if taking this as some sort of que, the maids and others who were here left with giggles barely hidden and smiles on their faces. It was odd to see even Thérèse like that.

She was one of the first people by my side when I woke up the second time, about to shake me awake to prove what Mother had told them.

Father stayed with a tired smile on his face. I had hoped he would because I thought Ana would squish me because she had too much happiness or something.