Original Stories

Sign To Me

Carmella blinked rapidly as the door of the shed opened filtering sunshine through the crack and into pale blue eyes. She converted a shed on Nitto's property into a little art room. She painted in the dark rather having bunches of light. Her eyes were sensitive to bright lights and sunlight strangely enough. A dark shadowed silhouette stood in the middle of the doorway.
She frowned, dipping her paintbrush into the warm water to soak and wiped her hands on a paint splattered towel. She got off her pale green stool and walked towards the door, squinting. Upon arriving to the door, she spotted something squirming in his arms. She raised an eyebrow. "Sebastian.. What in the world is in your arms?" She cleared her throat.
Sebastian stepped out of the doorway into the outside. He held up a squirming bundle of flesh and blankets. Carmella saw it's eyes dark blue with cat slits for pupils and sandy blonde curls. She thought it might've been a cat until she peered closer to what Sebastian held gently in his arms. It was an infant, not too young nor old enough to be let down.
"This is Millicent, Ambrosia and Michael's daughter.. Your aunt's siblings. She has a brother named Mishka. He is with Nitto in the house. I thought you might want to see her." Sebastian unwrapped the squirming infant and gently placed her in Carmella's arms. The little baby girl instantly became still and looked up at Carmella with big, curious eyes.
"Why? You know Tasley doesn't like-" Carmella began, but Millicent pressed hand to Carmella's cheek and she shut up, glancing down at her.
"Tasley has no choice in what's about to happen. Come on!" He turned around. His boots crunched on the gravel loudly as he walked away. "I'll explain everything."
Carmella assumed she had no choice to follow. Adjusting the heavy babygirl in her small arms, she followed her grandfather's husband to her pale gray farmhouse. She jumped when the screen door shut and gritted her teeth as she walked through the small bare hallway to the living space.
Her two daughters, Tasley and Zully were goggling and giggling at a babyboy laying on a blue knitted blanket in front of the hearth of the warm fireplace. The fire was dying out, leaving charred chopped wood and ashes. She tore her eyes from her daughter's and the babyboy, who she presumed was Mishka.
She raised an eyebrow at her husband, who stared at her blankly, like he wasn't seeing her at all, instead something else entirely. She noticed his hands were gripping his black crutches so tightly his knuckles turned white and he was very dark.
"Mella." She heard her father's voice calling to her. She whipped to the side, seeing her father walking through the door carrying a couple of bags. "You might want to sit down for the news I'm about to relay to you.." He sat the bags beside the gray couch Sebastian plopped onto and pulled Ben closer to him.
Carmella's dark eyebrow furrowed together as she headed to the opposite couch beside her husband, who lifted his head at the sound of his best friend's voice. The babygirl climbed out of Carmella's lap into Nitto's who grunted when her small hand pressed on one of his damaged nerves. She looked up at him wide eyed as if curious as to why he would do such a thing.
Carmella wanted to giggle at her reaction, but figured Nitto wouldn't appreciate her laughter at something he had insecurities about. Plus, she had a feeling something dire happened. Hopefully, someone soon would explain the twin babies lack of parents.
She glanced over at her father, who sat on the opposite armrest, looking at his barefeet. "You're probably wondering why Millicent and her brother are here?" He started, looking at the baby boy who kicked at Tasley when she tried to fix his little black bootie. Tasley resulted into a fit of giggles with her sister.
"Um, yeah?" Nitto said, glancing down at the infant her patted at his broad, buff chest. "I mean, where's Ambrosia and Michael?"
Ben made a distressing noise and buried his face in Sebastian's shoulder.
Carmella exchanged a worrying glance with Nitto.
"Since the loss of Ella, Nemesis, and Sica, everything has been tense and boiling between Richica and Reginell. Today, the tension exploded. Saturn declared war on Reginell." Nikolai rubbed his hands together, glancing over at Sebastian, who nodded to continue. "Ambrosia died protecting the twins. Rhiannon wasn't able to get her to Ben in time. She died in his arms. Michael is grief-stricken and sent the twins to me. I figured they'd need a foster home, Esthalayah agreed with me, and I thought bringing them to you would be our safest bet for these two." Nikolai gestured to the little babies.
"Saturn declared war on a country, who was already suffering the aftermath of losing their greatest leader?" Nitto gasped, looking at Ben, who lifted his head. He looked so sad and angry all in one.
"She blames the wolves for the death of Nemesis. She's lost her last marbles." Ben growled, glaring at his hands. "She's the one who killed Ambrosia."
Sebastian rubbed Ben's shoulders comfortingly. He looked almost as sad as his husband. Loosing two of his sisters and his eldest brother must've taken its toll on the tired male. But Ben had been Ambrosia's first imprint and the death hit him much much harder.
Carmella ignored the glare Nitto shot Ben and scooted to the edge of her seat. "So, what you're saying is you want me and Nitto to foster these children until their father is well enough to take on the responsibility? Why not Kalanii or Wolfsbane?" She asked, quite frankly confused.
"Wolfsbane is injured fatally. He may not even survive the night and as far as Kalanii is concerned, she doesn't want extra responsibilities placed on her shoulders. She claims to have enough with her children and caring for her wounded brother." Nikolai sighed, dejectedly.
Tasley looked over at her mother. Her dark eyes wide, fearful, and knowing. "Can't we keep them? I can help."
"So can I!" Zully smiled up at her parents. Her golden and gray eyes bright and wide. She got Ben's heterochromic gene.
Nitto glanced over at Carmella. "I don't see anything wrong taking these cuties in."
Carmella looked down at Millicent. She lifted a small, well manicured hand and played with the smooth curls atop the infant's head. "Is there anything we need to know about them?" Carmella asked, allowing a smile to curve onto her face.
"Millicent is deaf." Ben immediately spoke. "And Mishka is partially blind. He can't see very well."
Carmella immediately looked at Nikolai. "Their special needs is why you brought them to us! Isn't it?"
"Theoretically, yes."
"And we both have special needs." Nitto added, slipping his fairly large hand into his. "We can handle theirs. Can't we?"
Carmella nodded, squeezing his hand tightly for a few mere seconds. "Yes."