Flutter

Flutter: Onze

"I can jump higher than the moon!" Annabelle merrily stated, flinging her hands up in the air.  
"Oh yeah? Well I can jump to the milky way!" Peyton challenged.
"I can jump to the galaxy!" Annabelle shouted.
"Well I can jump to another universe!" Peyton shouted back with gusto.
"Alright. Alright. That's enough you two. You both can jump pretty far." Nora said,  wanting to avoid the screaming match that was beginning to form.
"As high as the cow, over the moon?" Annabelle questioned, pulling at the skirt of Nora's sundress.
"Even higher." Nora said, tousling Anna's locks.
"Cows can't jump." Peyton commented, scrunching up his nose.
"Oh can't they? How do you know?" Nora asked, crouching down to look him in the eyes.
"Why I've never seen it."
"And people also say humans can't turn into wolves." Nora responding, quirking an eyebrow. Peyton simply harrumphed and stuck his nose in the air, walking away from Nora and going to play with the blocks in his toy chest.
"Peyton doesn't like to be wrong." Annabelle commented.
"No he doesn't. But I wonder if he likes to be tickled?!"
Nora rushed up behind Peyton and grasped him, twirling him in the air. The helpless boy could do nothing but shriek in surprise. The shriek turned into a fit of giggles when Nora began tickling his sides. Annabelle was buckling over herself, enjoying Peyton's demise.
Nora finally stopped and Peyton was left panting and heaving over her shoulder. Nora patted his back and slowly deposited him on the floor.
"Now who's next?" Nora said, pretending to scan the room.
"No! Not me!" Anna let out.
"Oh we have a volunteer!" Nora announced, slinking towards Anna.
Anna began to zip around the room.
"I got cha!" Nora said, sweeping Anna off her feet and commenced to tickling.
Nora had to cut the torture short when the door opened suddenly.

"Nora dear, it's time." Mary said, standing by the door, a warm smile on her face.

Nora placed Anna on the floor.

"Where are you going?" Anna questioned in a tiny voice.

"To my tutor."

"You have to go to school?" Peyton interjected, coming up besides Nora.

"Well yes. Sorta. I have a lot to learn being a wolf's mate."

"But you're a grownup."

"Age doesn't matter when it comes to knowledge." Nora said, poking his nose. "Now I'll be back later, okay?"

"Promise?"

"Promise. Be good." Nora said, blowing a kiss to the two over her shoulder as she exited their playroom.

"How have the children been dear?" Mary asked, closing the door behind them.

"They were excellent. I haven't been hanging out with them lately. I missed them." Nora said, pulling at the ends of her hair.

"Things have gotten a bit hectic as of late."

"Have you seen the tutor?" Nora asked as they walked towards the library where she would be having her lessons.

"No. I don't know much about him at all." Mary answered.

"Oh. Well, I guess it's all gonna be a surprise."

"Don't overly concern yourself. You'll be there for an hour or so and learn valuable information in the process."

"How is it that you manage to see the glass half-full all the time, Mary?" Nora said, cocking her head. They had arrived at the library.

"Honey, as you grow older, you get to a point in your life where you get tired of being upset all the time."

Mary pushed a strand of Nora's hair back, before patting her on the shoulder and walking away. Nora let out a breath before turning around and opening the door to the library. Nora paused at the doorway, eyeing Quinton who was bent over the shoulder of a small, lanky looking man.