The Sisters of the Woods Ch.15

Night had just fallen when they finally returned to the house. The gecko had been kind enough to give them both a lift, demanding only more pets as payment. Geniveve had been more than happy to oblige, earning only the happiest of hisses for her efforts. It had been a struggle to leave him at the treeline.

“You ready?” Nic asked.

Geniveve looked at the house, her eyes going briefly distant until she shook it away and nodded. Nic did the same and the two of them set off towards the house, making it all of six steps before they got ambushed.

A loud cry broke out as a dark shape descended from the sky, Lunette dropping onto Geniveve’s shoulders in a flurry of shifting forms. She settled on human, grabbing tight to Geniveve’s side and refusing to give so much as an inch.

“Bad!” Lunette said, pressing her face into Geniveve’s shoulder. “No again!”

Geniveve was stunned for a moment, then a small smile spread across her face. She gently shifted her sister into a position where she could hold her properly, Lunette immediately grabbing hold again the second she could.

“I’m sorry,” Geniveve said. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Lunette said nothing, just purred into her sister’s shoulder.

“Geniveve!?” Renee’s voice called from the house. She came flying out through the veranda, followed close by the rest of her daughters. Nic stepped aside as they swarmed Geniveve, Renee joining Lunette in the hug while the other started peppering her with questions.

“Are you alright?” Sylvie asked, fussing over a wrinkle in Geniveve’s dress.

“What happened?” Adelaide added, springing back and forth between her sister and the treeline.

“Are you stupid?” Celeste asked, quickly shushed by Selene as she popped out of their shadow.

“you were worried about her too,” she said, turning to Geniveve. “seriously, are you alright?”

“BAH!” Estelle cried, reaching out for Geniveve to take her.

“Girls! Girls! Enough!” Renee interrupted, silencing the crowd at a stroke. She turned back to Geniveve, her features softening instantly as she moved in to hug her daughter.

“I’m so sorry Geniveve,” she said.

“Mom, you don’t-”

“No, no, let me finish.” She drifted back, holding Geniveve by both shoulders and looking her square in the eye.

“You are my daughter, and I love you more than anything in all the worlds. I should have noticed that you were struggling.”

“Mom…” Geniveve said.

“You can tell me anything Geniveve. Any problems, any worries.”

“Even if they’re us,” Sylvie interjected, moving to place a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “We’re all here for you Ve- Viv.”

Geniveve turned to her big sister, a completely stunned look on her face.

“I just,” she began. “I just didn’t want to disappoint you all.”

“Viv,” Sylvie replied. “You’re not-”

Geniveve looked away, her face threatening to tumble back down into sadness. They were losing her again.

“But I am. I, I’m just so crap at all this, and, I just-”

A loud snap pierced the scene, making everyone jump and look over at the remnants of the stage. Adelaide stood there; her new broomstick held in one hand. In the other, she clutched a piece of metal that had until recently been attached to the machine, one that clearly wasn’t supposed to come off going by the ragged tear along one side. Without a word she struck the rocket against the ground, causing a gout of flame to jet out the end and send it soaring. It flew for all of six seconds before careening to one side and crashing into the lawn, flaming out in a small explosion that left it a smoldering wreck.

Many confused eyes turned to look at Adelaide, who just smiled at them with a perfectly innocent expression.

“Oops,” she said. “Clumsy me.”

There was silence for a moment, all parties processing what had just happened. Then, slowly, realization dawned, and matching smiles sprung up through the crowd.

Sylvie was the first to act, crossing the lawn to where her own project sat. With a wave of her hand, each box tipped over, their tops flying off to spill soil and flowers everywhere.

“Oops,” she said. “Guess it’s catching.”

“Ooo! Ooo!” Estelle mimicked, chucking away her rattle on top of the pile of destroyed plants.

At the same time, Celeste and Selene crossed to their projector. Or rather, Selene crossed to it, dragging Celeste along with her, the latter fighting every step of the way.

“Oh, come on!” Celeste said. “You know how long it took to calibrate this!”

“don’t be an ass,” Selene said, unmoved.

“Bu-” she turned to the crowd for help, finding none amongst them. She held out a moment more before heaving an aggressive sigh.

“Fine,” she said.

Bracing a shoulder against the side of the machine, Celeste began to push. Reality quickly asserted itself, the slim girl struggling fruitlessly against the enormous metal bulk. Just as the scene was getting out of hand, Selene rolled her eyes and intervened, vanishing into the projector’s shadow. Whatever she did worked, and the entire thing came crashing down in a clatter of metal and shattering glass.

“There,” Celeste said. “Oops or whatever.”

Her annoyance was somewhat undermined when her sisters all unguardedly smiled at her, which she returned with a small smirk of her own. She rejoined the group just as Lucile stepped forward, removing a vial of her potion from a pocket. Even now it still glowed dimly, clearly visible as she held it up for everyone to see.

With a casual grace, she tossed it over her shoulder, letting it fall to the ground where it failed to break. She looked at it, then picked it up and placed it on top of one of Sylvie’s planter boxes. Taking up the hammer from earlier, she smacked it and once again failed to even scratch the surface.

Showing some genuine frustration, she uncorked the vial and dumped the contents onto the ground. Though likely to cause problems the next time someone mowed the lawn, it finally allowed her to destroy the vial. Or at least visibly crack it.

“Well, that’s the best I can do,” she said. “Also, oops.”

Everyone laughed at the absurdity, Geniveve included, which did wonders to diffuse the tension. Surprising everyone, she then stepped forward herself and approached the remnants of her painting. Little more than just a canvas now with only a few scraps of colourless paint squirming around the edges. She stared at it for a moment, an unreadable expression on her face. Then she lashed out with a foot and kicked it square in the middle. It tipped over, crashing to the ground with a thud, tearing the surface and scattering the last remnants of the paint in all directions. She looked at it, everyone watching her with bated breath. When she turned to look back, her expression was clear and unburdened.

“Is there any food?” she asked. “I’m hungry.”

“Oh shoot!” Renee said, shocking everyone. “We left the stove on!”

She took off at a dash, trailing daughters and commands for them to resume dinner preparations. Nic and Geniveve lingered behind, Orlin approaching them, Nic having completely missed his arrival on the scene.

“Miss Criore,” he said.

“Hello Master Greytower,” Geniveve said. “Are you staying for dinner?”

 Orlin glanced at Nic, who nodded hopefully, earning a tolerant look from his teacher.

“I believe so,” he said. “It’s been a long day.”

Nic certainly agreed with that.

“Come,” Orlin continued. “We should get inside before they eat everything.”

They both nodded, watching as Orlin turned to walk towards the house. Nic went to follow but slowed when he realized Geniveve was still lingering, staring at her twice destroyed painting. He wouldn’t call the expression on her face happy, but it was getting there.

“For what it’s worth,” Nic said. “I think it looked good.”

Geniveve turned to him, seemingly unable to decide if she should smile, blush, beam or look away.

“Thank you,” she said.

Then, in a move Nic could not have seen coming, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his cheek. It was so quick that Nic didn’t realize what was happening until after it was over and Geniveve was walking away, furiously not looking at him. Nic just stood there, stunned, utterly confused and about ready to burst from happiness.

He would chalk this up to one of the good days.

Explosions and all.

*

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