A Risk I'm Willing to Take

Nine

"What do you mean 'You're children' "? He leaned against my bed, still trying to get a grasp on the situation in front of him.

"It's a long story..."

"You didn't kidnap them, right?" His breathing was heavy.

"No. I rescued them."

In that moment it clicked in his head. The story. My trip to Area 51. The locked door.

"Did you take three kids from Area 51?" He eased himself down onto my bed.

I sat down next to him.

"Yes, they were prisoners being used for the government's science projects."

"Gemma."

I placed my hand one his back, trying to calm him.

"These are my children, Orion, Marigold, and Lavender."

I looked at the three children sitting across from me in their all white outfits. They blended into the bedding they were sitting on.

They were all also incredibly pale. I hadn't really noticed that but it made sense. From what Marigold was telling me, they had never been in the sun before I broke them out.

Even Lavender, who had warm toned skin and dark brown hair like me, was pale.

Playing outside was definitely on the bucket list of things to do with them.

"Did you name them?" Logan looked up at me.

I nodded. "They didn't have names when I found them, only numbers."

Logan stood up and walked around the bed. He held his hand out to Marigold.

"Well, I'm Logan."

Marigold looked up into his blue eyes. "I know who you are. Gemma showed us your music."

He crouched down to be eye level with her. "And what did you think?" He smiled.

"I thought you were really good." She giggled. "You're really cute too."

Logan chuckled. "Well thank you."

He stood back up and took a step to stand in front of Orion.

"And what's your name?"

Orion stood up and held out his hand. "I'm Orion."

Logan shook his hand and screamed.

Orion had adopted Logan's shoulder length curls.

"Logan!" I shouted.

"He... what..." He turned around to face me. "What the fuck was that?" 

"Logan, come with me." I hooked my arm around his and drug him to the kitchenette.

"Watch your language around my kids!"

Logan buried his hands in his hair. "Did you not see what he did?"

"He's a shapeshifter, Logan." I playfully grabbed his arm. "I think he liked your hair." I smiled in the kid's direction. "Take it as a compliment."

"So not only did you randomly take home three kids from the raid but you took home at least one with special powers."

"They need someone to take care of them and give them a good life." I crossed my arms.

"Gemma, you can't just randomly adopt kids."

"Logan, that is who I am. I can't leave something that is in need of a mother. Rescuing is what I do."

"Gemma, you can't save everything. These are children, not stray dogs or baby birds." He grabbed my shoulders and looked me directly in my brown eyes. "Also, these kids are government property."

"So?"

"So, aren't you afraid the government...or the military is going to hunt you down to get their kids back?"

I shook my head. "I'm not afraid because if they try to pursue me and take the kids back they first have to admit that they exist."

I lifted his hands from my shoulders and walked back to the main area.

Lavender sat in the middle of the bed with her arms out.

"Food, food, food." She opened and closed her little fists.

I turned to Marigold. "What does Lavender eat? Does she eat like a twelve year old or a one year old?"

Marigold shrugged. "I don't know. We all eat the same things."

I furrowed my brow and sat in the desk chair in front of the bed. "And what is that?"

"Whatever gross gray or brown mush we have that day and a thick tan drink."

"Wait have you never had solid food?"

"What's solid food?"

"Like..." I pause. "Here read my mind. I'll show you what I had for dinner last night."

"Wait. She can read minds!?" Logan looked even more confused than before.

We nodded.

So I stood there picturing the burger I had had for dinner the night before. The crisp green lettuce, the sharp taste of the onion. The softness of the brioche bun. I made the most vivid picture I could. I wanted her to get the full picture.

I opened my eyes just as she opened hers.

"What...was...that?" Her mouth hung open.

"That, was a burger."

She squealed. "I want one!!"

I held her hands in mine. "Easy, we have to work you up to that." Her face dropped. "We can do it, it's just you've never had solid food before."

She nodded.

I looked to Logan. "Logan do you think you could hang out with Orion while I take the girls to go get some clothes and food and stuff from Target?"

Logan shrugged. "That's up to him." He looked over to Orion who was still playing with the curls he had copied from Logan.

Orion nodded. "I want to talk about music."

"Sure, I can show you my band's new singles."

"What's a single?"

"Our songs, our music."

Orion's eyes lit up. "I'd like that."

I squeezed Logan's hand. "Well than, we will be back later."

Logan looked down at our hands briefly before I let go.

I knew I thought Logan was cute but what I thought did not matter. He was taken and that was that. Besides, he was going to be going on tour in six months and I was going to be glued in Mississippi for at least the next three and a half years.

He was cute and I was glad he was starting to take me having three kids in stride but he was not the one. It would never work.