TAKE TWO, kotlc

Chapter 1- Sophie

"Sit still Arella, I can't brush your hair when you're squirming around like that-"

"I'm not squirming, I'm fidgeting," Arella argued, fussing with her blonde hair. "Besides, that brush is nonsense anyways-"

"It's your first day of Foxfire, you can't go in looking like you just rolled out of bed-"

"But I did just roll out of bed!" she argued.

Keefe poked his head through the doorway, grinning. "Need a little help there Foster?"

Arella lit up, hopped out of her stool and happily raced over to him. "Daddy! You're here! Mommy's torturing me-"

"Is she now?" Keefe asked, raising an eyebrow at Sophie and restraining a smirk.

Arella nodded vigorously. "She is! Her brush is too poky-"

"Oh you handle her!" Sophie sighed happily, tossing the comb over to her husband.

Keefe laughed as Arella happily waddled back to the stool and sat obediently on the edge, already spewing nonsense that Sophie was pretty sure only the two of them could understand.

"Oralia, are you ready yet?" she called.

Arella's identical twin sister dashed through the doorway and nodded. "Yup! I woke up two hours ago and I've already braided my hair five different times like Aunty Biana showed me how to! And I got all my stuff ready by the door so when we leave, I don't have to rush!"

She glanced down at her Foxfire uniform and added as an afterthought, "And I put on the nerdy outfit too."

Sophie laughed and guided her other- much more cooperative -daughter into the kitchen. Her children were basically polar opposites.  Both had blonde hair and were just turning twelve, but the similarities stopped abruptly at that.

Oralia, named after Sophie's biological mother, had ice blue eyes flecked with golden specks.  She was a million times more cooperative than her twin- which was definitely a relief -and her and Sophie were forever scolding Keefe and Arella for causing who-knows-what chaos around the house.  Oralia had manifested, like Sophie, extremely early for her age as a Telepath- and Arella was always being teased by her twin because of it.

Meanwhile, Arella took after her father with a troublemaker attitude, a matching smirk, and a love to cause chaos wherever it could be caused.  Her ice blue eyes were practically mirrored from Keefe's and the two of them were plotting new pranks and schemes every waking day- in the most adorable way possible.

"Do you think Aunty Biana and Uncle Tam will meet us during Opening Ceremonies?"  Oralia asked nervously, fidgeting with her braids.

Sophie leaned over to kiss her daughter on the forehead.  "Of course they will, Braelynn be starting Foxfire this year too, right?"

Oralia grinned.  "Yay! Then we can go over to their house and Aunty Biana can teach me and Braelynn more braids.  I think I forgot the last one she taught me..."

Sophie laughed.  That was probably the only thing that Oralia hadn't inherited from her- her dislike of fancy clothes and makeup. Her daughter loved going over to their house to learn all sorts of fashion things from Biana.

"I think you mean Uncle Bangs Boy,"  Keefe corrected, walking into the kitchen carrying Arella on his shoulders.  Sophie sighed- even grown up, the two boys still kept up their everlasting friendly rivalry to this day.

"Linh and Wylie will be there,"  Sophie piped up, mostly speaking to Keefe.  "I know baby Kenric is only two, but Brennon's a Level Three this year I think."

"Sounds about right," Keefe promised.  "Too bad Fitzy's a single pringle. No kids to teach pranks to use on him..."

"You're impossible," Sophie informed him.  "Girls! Come on! We have to go now!"

"Okie doke!" Oralia agreed happily- and, to everyone's surprise -Arella chimed in too.

"What did you do to get her so neat and cooperative?" Sophie whispered to Keefe as she lead Arella and Oralia down the stairs to the Leapmaster.  "Don't tell me you've satisfied her with a new prank idea..."

"Don't worry about it!" Keefe told her, sounding much too happy.

Sophie sighed. "Ready?"

"Yup!" Both girls agreed.

Sophie laced her fingers through Keefe's as the rushing warmth swept the family away.