Purple Sunrise

Twelve

Chapter 12.

"Erm..." Lily didn't know what to do next, playing with her fingers, twisting them every which way she could; she let out the biggest smile she could.

Scratching her forehead slightly; Lily started to hum looking every way bar at Rose, swinging back and forth onto her toes pretending as if she hadn't done anything.

With slight laughter in her voice, Rose attempted to sound as stern as she could.

"Now Lily, you know it's dangerous to get up on the sides. You could fall and hurt yourself. We don't want that happening because then we would have sad Lily on our hands wouldn't we." Rose left a long pause to endure more squeamishness onto Lily. Knowing that she had suffered enough by how Lily was looking down not knowing where she was meant to go from there.

Rose asked politely: "What were you hoping to find in there?" Lily looked up with a shimmer of light in her blue eyes. "Well, I was looking for a snack to eat."

"Have you eaten breakfast yet?" The sheepish smile smothered itself across Lily's face once more.

"I'm going to take that as a no. Why don't I get you some breakfast and leave a nice treat out on the side for you for later." Lily gave an encouraging nod, happy with this solution.

She was just rejoicing in not being in any serious trouble for climbing on the side again. Especially after the last time when she had bruised her bone on her arm by falling off.

As Rose was preparing Lily's breakfast when John waltzed into the kitchen with a massive smile gracing his features. It reached all the way to his eyes.

John had been on the other side of the door when he had heard the two women conversing. Hearing the slight amusement in Rose's voice as she told Lily off for being a rascal again. Climbing on top of things with not a care in the universe that she could end up hurt. Seeing all as an exciting adventure. He reminisced of the joys of being a child with no worries.

Remembering back to when he would play in the dirt on his best friend's farm; rolling around with the animals, climbing trees all the way to the top. Some of the branches almost snapping under his weight, but ultimately not having a care in the world. Still not knowing properly the consequences of his actions. Lily reminded him so much of him when he was like this. He supposed it was just how all children were. Innocent towards dangers.

John bent down slightly as he gave Rose a morning hug. He knew how much she enjoyed having some type of normality and did her the world of good.

She embraced into the hug, he felt soft but firm. Almost as if hugging a teddy bear that had just been stuffed. Rose melted into the hug, it reminded her of when she used to get attention from her family. The safety it came from, feeling complete like a person who has OCD with a spotless house. Lily jumped up to get into the hug, Rose let out a faint laugh of joy as she snuggled back into Lily. With a sigh of content, she pulled away from the warmth of the penguin huddle grabbing some cereal before walking out of the kitchen.

No words were needed between John and Lily as they both proceeded to get their food to feed the starving beasts in their stomachs.

"What did you want to do today?" John asked in between slurps of the last drops of milk in the scarlessly empty bowl.

"We could do some painting. Maybe even go outside for a bit?" The last part of her answer came out more like a skeptical question, afraid that he would say no again.