NOVEL FROG 103. Domesticated
I was just putting away the last of the dishes from brunch when my phone started ringing. I checked the display and immediately smiled.
I grabbed my coffee and sat down at the kitchen table as I swiped the screen, "Hey Sue! How are things?"
"Hello Tegan," she replied. "Things are well here. How are you and the twins? How's your dad?"
I rolled my eyes, "You mean my cousin. Or just say Elise. We're not calling her 'dad' anymore."
Sue was probably rolling her eyes too as she said "I know Tegan, I was teasing. Anyways how is everyone?"
After a sip of coffee I replied, "We're all doing really well. Kelly and Keira finally got caught up on everything and are actually relaxing for spring break. Elise is here too, the four of us have been taking it easy during the time off."
Her next question was almost predictable, as she asked "How's school going?"
I didn't mind her asking. Considering I'd already dropped out twice I knew it was something Sue was worried might happen again. She wasn't acting bitchy about it though. It was just a guess on my part, but I suspected her renewed youth combined with having Kaitlyn there with her meant she was less uptight about me. She had so much going on in her own life, and with Kaitlyn she had 'a kid of her own' to worry about again.
Or maybe it was just that she finally realized my life was going to be on a different track and moving at a different speed, and it wasn't up to her to try and control it.
Either way she no longer had that disappointed and bitchy attitude, which I felt was better for everyone. Especially her and me.
"School's good," I finally replied. "I know it's early days, I've only been at it two months, but I'm really enjoying the program. I think part of it is there's no pressure? Like I'm doing it for fun, I don't need to worry about making it a career. And it's something I can actually use both here and over there? Like one of the reasons I thought jewelry making sounded so interesting is I'm figuring out how to do enchantments. I'll be able to custom-make jewelry and build magic right into pieces as they're being made. It's honestly pretty neat!"
She sounded pleased as she said "That sounds great Tegan! I'm not going to comment on the enchantment stuff, but I'm glad you're doing something, and you're enjoying it. How about your girlfriends, you said they're finally taking a break?"
I nodded, "Yeah they finally got caught up around the end of February. So the first part of March it was back to normal hours for them, and when spring break started they both decided to take the time off and relax. And Elise is here too like I said. The four of us have been pretty lazy these last couple days."
"Anyways what about you? How are you and the kid doing? I saw the pictures, the house looks fantastic. Have you moved in yet?"
Sue sounded very happy as she responded, "Yes! We moved in on the eighth, so we've been in here ten days now. I've been busy doing some cleaning and painting. The first few days were a little rough trying to organize furniture deliveries and get Katie sorted out with school, but that's been settled. She's a little grumpy right now, I've got her doing schoolwork over the break to try and catch her up to the rest of the students for this semester."
I couldn't help but grin at the thought of the six-hundred-year-old former fae being forced to do homework. "How's that working out? She's not giving you any trouble is she?"
"No, she's a dear Tegan." Sue replied. "Katie sometimes grumbles and complains but she does what I ask, and she seems to be taking her studies seriously. To be honest, the only actual trouble I've had hasn't been from her, it's been trying to explain her."
I frowned, "What do you mean?"
After a slight sigh she said, "The two of us came up with a very convincing back-story. That was honestly pretty easy. We're step-sisters. Eight years ago, her father Keenan married my mother Laura. Her mother died of cancer when she was five, and my father walked out on us when I was young. Then last year, our parents were killed in a car accident. We're the only family each other has left, and we moved out to Cape Breton for a fresh start together."
"Wow," I commented. "That's a pretty good story. A little tragic but it makes sense. So you kept your mother's last name Shaw, and Kaitlyn has her dad's last name Connolly."
"Exactly," Sue stated. "So that part's been easy. The hard part was trying to explain Katie's um, peculiar skillset? Getting her into the high-school involved the two of us meeting some of the teachers and the principal, and I hadn't really thought to discuss some important details with Katie before-hand. So she was a little too honest with them when it came to answering their questions. That led to the teachers and principal asking even more questions, that were a lot harder for me to answer."
That sent some alarm-bells ringing in my head and left me cringing. "Like what? What sort of questions?"
Sue replied, "Well, for one thing trying to explain how a fifteen-year-old girl is fluent in English, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, French, German, and Fae. And she's passable in Spanish and Italian. Or how she's fairly well-versed in some areas of math, especially relating to investments, interest calculations, and international banking, but she didn't even know what algebra and trigonometry are. Nor did she know the first thing about science, although she did say chemistry sounded similar to alchemy."
It sounded like Susan was smiling now as she continued, "I managed to get her to stop talking right about there. Needless to say she's also an expert on twentieth-century history, and fairly knowledgable about some aspects of geography and politics."
By now I was rubbing my forehead and cringing even harder. "Ok... How did all that play out?"
"It's fine Tegan," Sue replied. She still sounded amused, "We lied, bluffed, and joked about it. In the end they just let it go. It's not like they actually suspected my little sister's been around for six centuries or that she's from another world. Nor would they believe it if we told them."
"So things are going ok?" I asked. I was still anxious about the whole thing, but it sounded like Sue was taking it all in stride. "You're not having any problems with her at all?"
"She's a dear, Tegan." Sue stated again, and I could hear the conviction in her voice. She really liked the girl. "I know you said she was a horrible person before, and Katie's told me a little of her past herself. But she's honestly trying to put it all behind her. And... I don't like to admit this too loudly, but I'm grateful to have her here with me."
There was a pause, and her voice dropped lower as Susan explained "You know I was a little leery about making this trip by myself. Not so much about the distance or the drive, but as much as I love it out here and wanted to live here, it was a huge step to take completely on my own. And without knowing anyone here... It just left me worried I might get too lonely. I worried I might give up if I couldn't handle being out here by myself."
She continued, "But when Katie and I started to get to know each other at your place over the holidays, it just felt like a perfect match. She desperately needed a parental figure, someone to take charge of her but who'd also care for her without the baggage of her past getting in the way. And I needed someone to keep me focused, keep me grounded. And she really is a dear, Tegan. You know, when I suggested that we could be sisters she actually cried? She was so touched that anyone would want to be family with her."
Sue finished, "So no, I have no problems at all with her. I have a feeling she's going to get good grades, and she seems to enjoy learning new things. She's also been helping me get my business set up. You know she knows all about budgets and finance and bookkeeping? Anyways, Katie and I are fine. I think everything's going to work out great. So enough about me, what else is new with you? Have you been back to visit your other family again lately?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "I went back for my birthday at the start of February. It was just me, the twins were still bogged down with studies at that point. And I was only there for three days, I didn't want to miss too many of my own classes. But things over there are good."
I blushed as I told her, "Maeve sent me home with more gold again. My share of the ransom, for that guy who'd been messing with us for the past hundred years. His sons coughed up the thousand pounds so Maeve handed him over."
Sue laughed, "So you got another sack of gold coins for your birthday did you?"
"Uh, not exactly..." I blushed brighter as I admitted, "She actually sent me home with a chest. Like a literal treasure chest? She gave me ten percent of the ransom, so a hundred pounds of gold."
Sue was silent for a few moments, before she finally asked "What in the world are you going to do with that?"
I sighed, "Maeve wants me to get more land? So we're talking with the neighbours. Trying to buy one or both farms on either side of us. I have no idea what we'll do with them. Maybe rent the land back to farmers so it's still being productive? Though I might add more trees, a little more forest on either side of us would be nice."
"I suppose you can think long-term like that, planting trees and waiting for a new forest to grow," Susan commented. She didn't sound jealous about it, not anymore. It was another indication to me that her attitude had indeed shifted significantly over the past six months. "If you're impatient though, I think some evergreens can grow fairly quickly? If I remember right, cedars were a popular choice for privacy and wind-breaks."
I blushed slightly and admitted "I'm a little too impatient to wait a few decades, even if I do have the time. I know some spells that can speed things along. Maybe one season would be a little too noticeable, but if I spread it out over five years that'll probably be enough to go under the radar. And I'd be looking at mixed trees, like in the ravine? Hardwoods, softwoods, evergreens, deciduous."
Sue laughed, and I could almost picture her shaking her head slightly at my talk of using magic to grow a forest.
"Oh, speaking of magic," she said suddenly, "That reminds me. Katie asked me to tell you, she's pretty sure she's found a place where the 'veil is thin enough to allow passage' that's within teleport distance to our home here. She said that you'd probably need to come out by car or plane for your first visit, to get a feel for the location yourself. But after that she suggested you'd be able to come and go as you liked with your magic."
I was surprised but pleased to hear that. "Thanks! That's good to know. It's too late to do anything during spring break but maybe at the start of summer I could come out by myself on a one-way plane ticket, then you and she can show me the spot. Then at the end of my visit I can get home on my own."
I added after a moment, "Or even for a long weekend, actually. Maybe in May? I could get a flight out on the Friday, spend Saturday and Sunday with you and Kaitlyn, then get myself home on the Monday morning."
Susan asked, "As I understand it, once you know the spot you'll be able to bring Elise and the twins over to visit whenever you please?"
"Right," I nodded. "Well, not anytime we please. It's easiest to travel at dawn, which is a bit inconvenient but still beats driving or flying. Or riding horses, or walking."
She laughed again then said "We'll have to talk more about it later Tegan. I'd better get going now. Take care of yourself and your girlfriends. And your cousin."
"You too! Take care of yourself and the kid," I replied.
We bid each other goodbye for now, and finally disconnected.
As I finished tidying up the kitchen, I suddenly came to a halt as a thought crossed my mind. "How was Kaitlyn able to sense a spot out there where the veil was thin?"
End of Book Two
