the
kitchen, Claire is left with no one to entertain her. Cat warned us
that we were spoiling her by accommodating her every little whim,
but I didn't really see it until now.
"No forest animals around for you to play
with?" I ask, watching as she uses telekinetic energy to float a
carrot stick across the kitchen, behind Cat's back.
"Nope, it's too cold out," she replies
grabbing the carrot out of the air and shoving it in her mouth.
"Maybe I can squeeze in a game of chess
before dinner," I make the mistake of saying out loud.
"Ronan, you promised me, you would help in
here," Cat says disapprovingly, then turns to Claire and says,
"Sorry, he's already spoken for."
Claire grunts, and slides down from the
barstool, heading to the great room for what I supposed would be
another round of pleading with the adults in there. Ten minutes
later, there is a moment of dead silence, followed by loud groans,
coming from the direction of the great room.
"What the hell just happened?" we hear
Brandon say.
Cat and I exchange glances then hurry to the
great room to investigate. The large big screen T.V. is completely
blank, and everyone is crowded around, pushing dials and checking
plugs to get it working again. Cat and I simultaneously look at
Claire, who is sitting near the picture window with a smug smile on
her face.
"Claire, turn it back on now!" Cat hollers
and the room goes quiet as everyone turns to look at Claire.
"Claire, did you do this?" Alisha
demands.
"Maybe," Claire says, avoiding eye
contact.
"Claire, I mean it, turn it back on or else
you'll go to your room for a time-out," Cat hisses.
"No! This is supposed to be a family day and
everyone is ignoring me," she says, sticking her chin out
defiantly.
I'm not sure if it's because I'm not much of
a football fan, or what, but suddenly the scene in front of me
couldn't be any more comical and my poor attempt at hiding a smile
doesn't go unnoticed by Claire.
"It's just a stupid football game anyway,"
she boldly announces to the roomful of fanatical fans.
The room explodes with chatter as everyone
begins talking at once.
"Claire, please turn it back on," Brandon
pleads, falling to his knees in front of her, with his hands folded
under his chin.
"Come on Claire, I'll take you swimming
later. I promise," Burke bribes.
"Claire, turn on the damn TV or you can
forget about getting a horse!" Alisha threatens.
Even Elizabeth does her best to coax Claire
into restoring the screen on the TV. No one immediately notices
when I collapse in the nearest chair laughing. It isn't until Burke
throws the TV remote at me a little harder than intended, leaving a
small gash on my cheek, that I am even aware that I have become the
center of attention. Claire is the only one not glaring at me, and
her wide toothless grin, makes me double over laughing even harder,
rendering me completely helpless to the criticism and disapproval
of the others. The sound of the doorbell saves us from an all-out
brawl, when Alisha and Brandon tackle me to the floor.
***
Bernie Stoddard's arrival couldn't have been
better timed. After she is introduced to Cat and Michael, she is
whisked away by a possessive Claire for a tour of the estates,
starting naturally with Claire's favorite, the indoor pool room.
The football game is back on in the other room and the previous
level of excitement is restored when the favored team makes a
touchdown.
"You deserved this you know," Cat says, as
she applies an ice pack to the side of my face.
"I know, but I haven't laughed that hard in
years," I admit as if that alone is justification for encouraging
Claire's poor behavior.
"I need to start her in school, she needs
friends her own age," Cat says, with a troubled expression.
"She'll never fit in, Cat. Trust me, I
know," I say gently. I know it's not what she wants to hear, but
I'm convinced it's the truth. Putting Claire in school would have
disastrous consequences, I was sure of it. I circle my hands around
her tiny
kitchen, Claire is left with no one to entertain her. Cat warned us
that we were spoiling her by accommodating her every little whim,
but I didn't really see it until now.
"No forest animals around for you to play
with?" I ask, watching as she uses telekinetic energy to float a
carrot stick across the kitchen, behind Cat's back.
"Nope, it's too cold out," she replies
grabbing the carrot out of the air and shoving it in her mouth.
"Maybe I can squeeze in a game of chess
before dinner," I make the mistake of saying out loud.
"Ronan, you promised me, you would help in
here," Cat says disapprovingly, then turns to Claire and says,
"Sorry, he's already spoken for."
Claire grunts, and slides down from the
barstool, heading to the great room for what I supposed would be
another round of pleading with the adults in there. Ten minutes
later, there is a moment of dead silence, followed by loud groans,
coming from the direction of the great room.
"What the hell just happened?" we hear
Brandon say.
Cat and I exchange glances then hurry to the
great room to investigate. The large big screen T.V. is completely
blank, and everyone is crowded around, pushing dials and checking
plugs to get it working again. Cat and I simultaneously look at
Claire, who is sitting near the picture window with a smug smile on
her face.
"Claire, turn it back on now!" Cat hollers
and the room goes quiet as everyone turns to look at Claire.
"Claire, did you do this?" Alisha
demands.
"Maybe," Claire says, avoiding eye
contact.
"Claire, I mean it, turn it back on or else
you'll go to your room for a time-out," Cat hisses.
"No! This is supposed to be a family day and
everyone is ignoring me," she says, sticking her chin out
defiantly.
I'm not sure if it's because I'm not much of
a football fan, or what, but suddenly the scene in front of me
couldn't be any more comical and my poor attempt at hiding a smile
doesn't go unnoticed by Claire.
"It's just a stupid football game anyway,"
she boldly announces to the roomful of fanatical fans.
The room explodes with chatter as everyone
begins talking at once.
"Claire, please turn it back on," Brandon
pleads, falling to his knees in front of her, with his hands folded
under his chin.
"Come on Claire, I'll take you swimming
later. I promise," Burke bribes.
"Claire, turn on the damn TV or you can
forget about getting a horse!" Alisha threatens.
Even Elizabeth does her best to coax Claire
into restoring the screen on the TV. No one immediately notices
when I collapse in the nearest chair laughing. It isn't until Burke
throws the TV remote at me a little harder than intended, leaving a
small gash on my cheek, that I am even aware that I have become the
center of attention. Claire is the only one not glaring at me, and
her wide toothless grin, makes me double over laughing even harder,
rendering me completely helpless to the criticism and disapproval
of the others. The sound of the doorbell saves us from an all-out
brawl, when Alisha and Brandon tackle me to the floor.
***
Bernie Stoddard's arrival couldn't have been
better timed. After she is introduced to Cat and Michael, she is
whisked away by a possessive Claire for a tour of the estates,
starting naturally with Claire's favorite, the indoor pool room.
The football game is back on in the other room and the previous
level of excitement is restored when the favored team makes a
touchdown.
"You deserved this you know," Cat says, as
she applies an ice pack to the side of my face.
"I know, but I haven't laughed that hard in
years," I admit as if that alone is justification for encouraging
Claire's poor behavior.
"I need to start her in school, she needs
friends her own age," Cat says, with a troubled expression.
"She'll never fit in, Cat. Trust me, I
know," I say gently. I know it's not what she wants to hear, but
I'm convinced it's the truth. Putting Claire in school would have
disastrous consequences, I was sure of it. I circle my hands around
her tiny
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