A Child's Choice

Epilogue - Ten Years Later

"Jacob!" came the shout, seeming to be just outside of his room, "Time to get up!"

Jacob rolled over and hit the floor with a thump. "What the,"

"Language!" his mother said, banging on his door, "You know you can't say that at home. Get up, school starts in an hour, and we need to leave early to get photos of everyone. It's your first day back!"

Jacob groaned, and slowly got up, putting the doona back on his bed. He stumbled over to his door in time to see his sister smirk at him, as she wondered down the stairs, fully dressed and ready to go to school. "Show off!" he called after her.

"Slob!" Dakoda yell back up at him.

"What's a slob?" Simon asked, coming out of the room he shared with his twin sister Jean.

"A messy person!" Dakoda called, "Which he is!"

"But she's a messy person." Jean said, popping out from behind her brother. "Her room is really messy."

"It doesn't matter." Jacob said, staring down at his younger siblings. "Are you ready for school?"

"Nope!" They grinned up at him, showing off their new full sets of teeth.

"Then you better hurry up." He said, going back into his room and slamming the door behind him. He stumbled over to his bathroom and took a quick shower, throwing on some clothes that his mother would deem presentable enough for his first day of school.

Going downstairs for breakfast, and seeing his three younger siblings eating breakfast, with Dakoda eating hers on the couch, he wondered, not for the first time, if it was a good idea to have plotted with Dakoda to get their parents together. The twins and Kyle were getting food everywhere, meaning that he had to take his food over next to Dakoda, who was watching a show about fashion, as was usual.

"Top model, really?" he asked her, sitting down, "You know it's not real, right?"

"I know. But if I want to work in fashion, I have to know what's happening." She said primly, pretending to ignore him.

Jacob just rolled his eyes and kept eating.

"Oh my babies, all of you off to school today." His mother said, "Jacob and Dakoda off for their last year, and Kyle starting his first." She stood and looked at them all, finishing their breakfast. "Now hurry up so we can get photos. Jacob, go and brush your hair, Dakoda, you need a longer skirt than that, go and change, Simon and Jean, make sure that you take Kyle for lunch today, and show him where everything is. Kyle, make sure you do what you're told, and no dirt from outside is allowed inside." Ebony paused, and looked at her five children. "You're all so grown up now." She said, tears welling up.

Jacob and Dakoda looked at each other and rolled their eyes, and went to do as they were told. The sooner they got out of the house, the sooner they could see their friends. It was their last first day, and they were both eager to get to school to see everyone, and make sure that the younger ones knew who was boss.

After having the photos taken, and being rushed off to school, Jacob felt better. He was surrounded by his friends, and they spent the day lording their status as top of the school over everyone else. He hung out with them after school, and spent his time avoiding going home. It wasn't that he had anything against home, but he wanted a bit of freedom to himself. He'd been out over the holiday's but not much of it had been done alone. He was happy for the solitude. It was nice to have a big family, but sometimes he just wanted some quiet time.

When he got home, he found his dad sitting at the counter, watching his mother make dinner, something she still did daily. All five of them could cook, something Jacob had made use of more than once.

Saying hello, he went upstairs and got changed into some comfortable clothes, and started his homework. When he got hungry, he went downstairs to see what he could have for a quick snack, knowing dinner was still and hour or so away, and he wanted a few biscuits.

He met Dakoda going down as he left his room, and they went down together.

"Have a good first day?" She asked him. She had changed into a pair of pants and a t-shirt, not the skirt and halter neck she had been wearing at school.

"It was okay. Got homework. You?"

"Yeah."

They probably would have kept talking, but they found their three younger siblings crowded at the bottom of the stairs, as if scared to go any further down.

"What's going on?" Dakoda said, propping her hands on her hips.

"Shhhhh." The younger ones said, hushing her. "Look!"

They pointed to the couch where Ebony and Alex were sitting, the TV going, but not being watched.

Jacob and his siblings watched a for a minute at their parents making out, mingled looks of horror, disgust, and for the younger ones, curiosity on their faces, before Jacob turned to Dakoda.

"Are you sure we did the right thing, making them get married?" he said loudly.

"I don't know," Dakoda said, just as loud, starling their parents. "Should we have?"

"Children!" their mother said, jumping up and going to the kitchen, "What were you doing?"

"Watching you." Kyle said, unable to lie.

"Oh?" Alex said, raising an eyebrow at them, looking directly at Jacob and Dakoda. "What have you got to say for yourself?"

"Ewwwww." The five of them chorused, grinning.