'Expecting the Unexpected'
Expecting the Unexpected
“What is it? Tell me!”
Kries was covering my eyes with his hands. Itna, Alex, Kries, Emery and most everyone else had been working on a surprise for me for months and now it was ready.
“I can’t tell you… but…I can show you.”
He lifted his hands off of my eyes.
I gasped, as I fell into a seat perfectly placed behind me. Standing before my shocked eyes was a beautiful house. They built a house. We had been staying at Alex’s for months. I should have known there was a good reason why he made anyone from Daddy’s come to see me, and never let me go see them. The new house was right between Alex’s and Daddy’s.
It was painted bright yellow, my favorite color. The whole house seemed to be made of wood, except for the windowpanes. The door had a picture of the entrance way to the Ancient One’s great hall carved into it. Kries reached his hand down to me.
“Come on, I want you to see the inside.”
I grabbed a hold of his hand,
and allowed him to pull me up. We walked in through the door and it was as beautiful inside as out. There were carvings on the railings that led up the stairs. A beautiful rug was draped along the wooden steps. There were hardwood floors, with rugs on them, and a giant bathtub with shells placed in the sides. When I walked into our room, I almost cried. A huge bed with a down comforter looked welcoming in the middle of the room. There was a matching vanity set that was already laid out with a hairbrush and matching comb. A big window overlooked the water. I hugged Kries.
Then he led me into the baby’s room.
This time I did cry. They had painted stars and moons all over the walls. There were stories painted everywhere. The ceiling had a giant dream catcher painted across it. There was a wooden crib, with yellow pillows and blankets. You could feel the blessings that had been carved into the crib. There were stuffed toys everywhere, and the window was draped with a comforting blanket.
“Look my darling, this is your room.”
I rubbed my belly, crying slightly. Kries rubbed it too, lightly kissing my stomach.
“We better get over to Alex’s. We are having dinner with them tonight, remember?”
“Yes, but I want you to see one more thing.”
He reached over and turned the light off.
I gasped. They had made a nightlight that turned on when the light switched off. It was on the wall adjacent to the crib. It was a crescent moon with small openings in the shape of stars on it. The light reflected out of the openings putting small lit stars all over the room. It was beautiful. I reached over and kissed him, wiping a tear from my cheek. As he helped me down the stairs, I looked cautiously at the rug.
“Don’t worry it’s secured down, it’s not coming up.”
He shook his foot over it to reassure me.
When we got over to Alex's, I was pleasantly surprised to see Itna and Emery were joining us.
“Thank you so much you guys, the house is beautiful.”
I kissed each of them on the cheek as I passed by them to sit down. I watched everyone eat, and have his or her own separate conversations. I felt so lucky to be a part of it. I could feel someone staring at me; I looked around the table and saw it was Emery. It made me slightly uncomfortable, as he wasn’t smiling but was looking at me like he confused.. but I smiled at him, and continued to eat. Suddenly, I started to get a burning sensation in my toes. In seconds it worked its way all the way up until it had reached my head. I stood up suddenly, gasping with pain.
“Clara! What’s wrong?” Emery asked.
Kries leaped up.
“I’m burning Kries! From my feet to my head.”
I was shaking uncontrollably, and then I blacked out.
“I am coming for you both Beast... you... will LOSE HER!”
A hissing voice spoke seriously in a low tone from my mouth. Then I collapsed. Emery caught me and laid me on the window seat.
“She’s alright.”
Itna checked my pulse, and listened to my lungs.
“Well, three guesses who that was,” Alex sighed.
“She can’t stay here Kries, it's no longer safe.”
Itna stared at him.
“Let me take her. We will go to the lighthouse.. as you know Itna, it points to a cottage in the woods. I will take her there, where she will be safe," Emery offered.
“No. I will take her,” Kris retorted quickly, eyeing Emery sternly, "she's my wife."
“No, Emery will take her,” Itna commanded.
“What? She is my wife, with my baby, and I will not leave her in the hands of...” Kries yelled angrily.
“Emery will take her Beast. Dumitro will follow you, assuming that you would never let her out of your sight. If you stay here, it will give Emery a chance to get her to that cottage without being noticed. Dumitro’s eyes will be focused on you. He’ll post up his men around these three houses, assuming that you think we can wipe him out. If he does show, we give Emery the advantage.”
Itna laid his hand on Kries’s shoulder
as Kries began to shake. Kries could hardly contain himself. He grabbed Emery by the arm, and looked him dead in the eyes.
“Do not let anything...and I mean anything.. happen to her. Do you understand me?”
He was gravely serious. Emery was extremely offended; he turned and stood at his full height in front of Kries.
“I hear you. Now hear me... do not ever grab me like that again.”
He stared Kries down, prepared to kick his ass.