THE CHILDREN OF MAGIC- a sequel to Valkyrie

Chapter 1

"Iris? Did you steal my bracelet? When I find out what you did with it, I'm going to KILL you!"

Faun's thirteen-year-old voice rang out through the quiet house, and ten-year-old Iris appeared in the doorway, her chocolate brown eyes widened guiltily.

"It wasn't me! It must've been Ben. He likes shiny stuff..." Iris's voice trailed off, and she blushed.

"Iris! I know it was you! You are so DEAD!" Faun's forget-me-not blue eyes narrowed, and her mouth clenched tightly, and her fists were balled up.

"Wait, I'll give it back, I promise, just give me a second to find it!" Iris frantically exclaimed, then raced off to find it.

Faun followed, glaring as she looked into Iris' cluttered room. Iris returned, holding a shiny silver bracelet in her hand, reaching out to Faun.

"Sorry," Iris said meekly. Faun snatched it out of her hand, and marched off before looking back at Iris.

"Oh, and Iris? Don't you dare take anything else of mine, or there'll be trouble," Faun shot out, then walked into her room and slammed the door behind her.

The youngest child in the family, seven year-old Benjamin Smith, slowly walked out of his room, rubbing his eyes with his brown teddy bear clutched in his arms.

"Were you fighting with Faun again, Sissy?" Ben asked, his brown eyes wide with shock.

Iris walked over to Ben and gave him a hug, saying, "Don't worry, Ben. It's okay now. We aren't fighting anymore," she assured him.

Ben beamed, his gap-toothed smile flashing in the light of the morning sun. Soon, two new figures appeared in the hallway, Juno and Eric Smith.

Juno had aged wonderfully, being 39 years old and still looking like a beautiful model. Her jet-black hair glistened in the light and her brown eyes twinkled whenever she looked at anyone. She had a few wrinkles and laugh lines, but if they mattered, they only seemed to make her more attractive.

Eric also seemed to stay young, and he cut his hair a bit shorter, making him look older. His broad shoulders and defined muscles gave the illusion of a sports player, while his smile was bright and his wrinkles were almost unnoticeable.

"What's going on?" Juno asked, rubbing her eyes with the sleeve of her fluffy white bathrobe. Faun popped her head out of her bedroom, fuming.

"Iris STOLE my bracelet! Again! I can't believe her! And then she lied about it! Do something! Ground her, or punish her somehow!" Faun shouted, livid. Her parents stayed completely calm, much to her frustration.

"Faun, relax. You shouldn't get this angry about something so simple. It's okay. You have your bracelet now, and Iris apologized, didn't she? So it's settled." Juno looked expectantly at her children, crossing her arms.

"We didn't teach you to get this angry about small things. It's not what we do," Eric said gently, pulling Faun in for a small hug.

Faun hung her head and nodded slowly. "Sorry, Iris. I just got kind of panicked when I couldn't find it. I did get it from Mom and Dad," she reluctantly sighed. Iris bobbed her head up and down as well, accepting the apology and saying she was sorry again.

With that out of the way, Juno led the way to the kitchen near the center of the house. Everyone followed, and while Juno and Faun made some breakfast together, the rest of the family sat on the gray couch and laughed with each other, switching on the television and watching cartoon reruns.

After about an hour, sugary smells wafted from the kitchen, causing stomachs all around to grumble. Faun called out, "Breakfast!" Everyone gathered around the table as breakfast was served. Warm, buttery cinnamon rolls drizzled in mouth-watering icing, melting over the top in sweet, tantalizing swirls dripping onto the ceramic plates in a sticky, gooey breakfast treat.