Two plus six plus five equals family

Chapter 11

"There, that should do it," Kara said, nodding approvingly. "You can all open your eyes now."

Logan opened his eyes first, frowning as he touched the glasses that were covering his eyes. "You gave us glasses like Harry Potter, Kara," he observed, feeling around the frame.

"These glasses are magical, like mine," Kara said, to add a special touch to it all for her children. At least those glasses should help keep their heat vision and x-ray vision under control.

Lucius slowly opened his eyes, gasping when nothing happened. "It stopped," he whispered to Logan, who immediately nudged him. "Thank you, Kara."

"You're welcome, my sweet son," Kara replied, smiling. "Each one of you has powers, just like me, and I know this can be a bit scary at first, but I'm going to help all of you. Astra has the same powers and she's going to help as well."

"Magic snowflakes," Lucius whispered, silencing himself when Logan nudged him.

Kara sighed silently. "Logan, sweetie, you don't have to nudge your siblings when they speak, okay?" she commented with a soft tone, hoping not to come across as angry or reprimanding. "You're all free to talk and tell me things or tell each other things."

"Okay, Kara," Logan replied, staring at the floor.

"It's very cool of you to look out for your siblings," Kara said to Logan, knowing he meant well. "I wish I'd have had such a great big brother."

Lucius and Larissa glanced at the piano when Lena began to play, but otherwise they remained frozen in place.

Lena paused for a moment and turned around, smiling at her youngest son and her oldest daughter. "I'm missing two assistants," she said, beckoning them closer.

Lucius and Larissa took their time to walk over to Lena and sit down next to her, although they made sure to leave as much distance as possible and avoided brushing against Lena.

Lena felt like the fact they weren't shivering was already an improvement. Perhaps one day, she would truly be able to play piano with them, to hold their hands to guide them if they pressed the wrong keys. She played a few notes and then stopped to let her children have a try.

Larissa cracked her knuckles before she began to play. "Like this, Lena?" she asked, pressing the keys Lena had pressed.

"Yes, sweetheart, very good," Lena answered appraisingly. "Go ahead, sweetie," she said gently to Lucius. She tried not to wince as he, too, cracked his knuckles before he began to play. Despite being aware they weren't human, she worried they'd end up breaking something. They appeared so fragile in her eyes.

"This isn't the same thing we played last time, Lena," Lucius observed.

"You're right, it's not," Lena confirmed with a smile. "Did you like the other one more?"

Lucius nodded.

"I liked it better, too, Lena," Larissa said silently. "I'm sorry," she immediately apologized, eyes widening behind her glasses.

"Thank you for telling me, sweetie," Lena replied gently, relieved when Larissa's tensed shoulders sagged. She hoped that one day, her children wouldn't be afraid anymore to speak their mind. "We can play the other piece," she suggested, wiggling her fingers rather than cracking them. "Do you remember how to play it?" she asked, glancing between Lucius and Larissa.

"Only a little bit, Lena," Lucius answered, eyes shifting over the keys.

"Okay, try," Lena said, encouraging her youngest son with a smile.

Lucius worried his bottom lip between his teeth. "What if I get it wrong, Lena?" he asked, frowning.

"If you get it wrong, you can try again," Lena answered simply. "I can help if you'd like and if you're in doubt, you can always ask me."