Inhuman

Chapter 19 - Admit

Admit

verb – 1. confess to be true or to be the case. 2. allow to enter. 3. receive into a hospital for treatment. 4. accept as valid.

Not all the time.

The next week seemed to fly by. Molly everyday learnt a broader vocabulary at a somewhat alarming rate. It wouldn't be too long before my daughter who was barely days old would be far more intelligent than I.

Nonetheless, at times, there were cases when I could tell she was still just a baby, still just my baby. One morning I woke up and heard her whimpering for her teddy at the end of her cot.

"Just sit up, sweetie, you'll be able to reach it." I told her.

"I can't though!" she wailed. "Please give him to me Mummy!"

This was the first moment the rate of her development really hit home. Molly, with her advanced alien mind, was more well spoken than any child more than ten times her age, but with her human child's body, she couldn't even prop herself up. Similarly I gave her a pencil and asked her to draw something, but she could barely grip it.

However, my daughter's intelligence level was high enough for her to realise how special she was, and she didn't even need me to tell her to simply act the way Nathaniel did, as there was only meant to be a few days, weeks at most, difference in their ages. I found that when leaving for school, all I had to do was prop Molly up on the sofa at one end and Nathaniel at the other and leave them there burbling happily to each other. Somewhat amazingly, where I'd expected Molly, with her superior intelligence and love of attention to dislike Nathaniel, she completely adored him. She told me secretly that when no-one was in the room, she spoke normally to him, hoping he'd just talk back. Though she knew she was different, it was taking her time to learn patience, and to realise exactly how different she was.

Xandrell's mood did not change much in the passing week. He remained as sullen as he had on the Monday at school, and at home, he would brighten up for a while to play with Molly, but the moment he put her down for a nap, his sunny smile seemed to sag until he looked like he should have a little black raincloud floating around over his head. His behaviour was seriously starting to confuse me. How could he go from overly happy and ridiculously bubbly to a mixture of an emo, and Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh? I tried to confront him about it, but the answer was always the same.

"There's nothing bothering me." he told me earnestly. "Nothing you should worry about anyway."

Of course, typically his answer only made me worry all the more.

My father still wasn't happy with us keeping Molly, or with Xandrell being in the house, but considering he was leaving not long after prom to go on another work trip, he left it up to my mother, who was in such a good mood nowadays now she had a son, she let me have more or less anything I wanted.

The weekend arrived only too fast. I hadn't intended to go with Xandrell shopping on the Saturday, but for some strange reason, I was appointed official shopper of the week, so I still ended up catching the bus into town with him at about lunchtime. He sat tensely beside, playing with his hands uncomfortably.

"What's wrong?" I asked looking up at him.

"Nothing." he croaked. "Nothing at all."

His whole 'I'm-totally-fine' attitude was starting to peeve me off something rotten.

"There's obviously something wrong." I said frowning at him. "Is it James and Charlie?"

He glanced up. "Might be."