Our Little Family Secret.
"What are you talking about, boys?" a ringing female voice interrupted their mutual fantasy. The twins turned their heads and saw a joyful Elena with a large tray in her hands.
She walked around the couch and set a plate of treats on the tea table. Then she sat down opposite the men and stared at them.
Armand looked at the woman with unusual confusion. Something had changed in her, but he could not understand what.
As soon as he opened his mouth, Elena smiled and outstripped him, her index finger pointed to her face, "Look, I have a new eye color! And you, Armand, are the sly one! You knew that we were relatives and kept your mouth shut!"
"It's just your mom-" Armand began to make excuses like a guilty boy. And at that moment he felt that way. What was it? He mentally caught himself feeling strange.
"Mom! You are back!" a childish cry distracted the man from introspection. Sean ran down the stairs, jumping over the steps, and threw himself on Elena's neck. "I missed you so much!"
"My little knight! Mom missed you too!" Elena hugged the child, got up and spun with him, "And we have a gift for you. Would you like to have a look? But this one is not from Santa, but from that mister," the woman nodded towards Marcus, and Sean frowned, "By the way, this mister brought a present from Santa too. But you will get it later."
"Okay! I agree!" the boy shone and clung to Elena. David twisted the child's hair, nodded to Armand, ignored Marcus. "I'll go up to Nick for now. Otherwise, I feel that he will run away if he finds out that Marcus is here," he whispered to his wife and went to the stairs.
Sean was anxiously trying to remove the colorful packaging from his gift. Elena was sitting next to him, her back to the men, and watching the child. She tenderly stroked his head, shoulders, answered questions asked by her son.
Marcus sat closer to Armand and whispered so that only his brother could hear. "Scan her aura while she can't see."
"What for?" Armand asked in surprise.
"Do it and you will understand yourself. I have no one else to ask. I need to make sure I don't have glitches."
Armand gave his brother a blank look. This request was not difficult to fulfill. He looked towards Elena and concentrated.
"W-what is this?" whispered the man. This was the first time he had seen something like this.
Usually, a person's aura was just a small halo around the body, but now it was different.
The light emanating from Elena filled all space. She shone, and there were waves of gold, blue, purple colors in this radiance. They, like threads, went from the woman's body in different directions, permeating objects and intertwining with the auras of others.
Armand raised his hand and looked at it. Golden threads surrounded his wrist and intertwined with his own energy.
He touched one of them.
The thread shuddered as if it were alive, and the return wave went back towards Elena.
"Armand... Armand!" hissed Marcus's strained voice somewhere over his ear. Armand heard him, felt his brother pushing his shoulder, but he could not do anything.
He, as if under a spell, watched the movement of the trembling golden thread with his eyes until it returned to its mistress. Elena straightened her back, as if from a slight push, and turned around.
Armand could not understand what was happening to him. He seemed to fall into the abyss and fly up at the same time. All he saw were her eyes.
Piercing blue with bright sparks. They shimmered and flashed like stars.
"Armand! Armand!" In the distance, Marcus's muffled voice could be heard, but Armand didn't care. He wanted to see only these eyes, to look in them, to dissolve in them, to submit, to obey...
Elena got up and walked slowly towards the men.
Each time she moved, blue flashes, like bursts of energy in the sun, broke off from her aura and dissolved in the air.
It was like living space at palm's length.
This creature was so beautiful and so powerful.
Armand swallowed as a pair of blue eyes, similar to two galaxies, approached and dropped to eye level.
He did not see his body, the mind was there, at the mercy of this cosmic element. With an echo of consciousness, he felt someone's gentle fingers touch his face and stroked his cheek.
"Tsk, what naughty boys I have here. Tsk, tsk, it's not good to spy without asking."
Armand blinked, regaining consciousness. Opposite him, Elena squatted and began looking at him and Marcus with a sly look.
"You know that small children are not allowed on the roller coaster? Safety precautions."
"W-what?" Armand asked in a hoarse voice.
Elena tilted her head and winked playfully, "If you don't want to get hurt, boys, then follow the rules. You are still little to ride the adult roller coaster. And you," she looked reproachfully at Marcus, "Do not incite the younger one to all sorts of nonsense. Have I made it clear?"
Marcus nodded silently.
"It will be done, my-" Elena put her finger on Armand's lips, interrupting the man's answer. He paused and nodded his head as his brother did.
"That's great. It will be our little family secret," the woman got up and, as if nothing had happened, returned to her son.
"Will be done?!" Marcus asked his brother indignantly.
Armand glared at him in response, "You should have warned! How did I know that I would see something like that!" he himself could no longer remember exactly what he wanted to answer to Elena. He wanted to call her some name, but what?
In one thing, Armand was sure that he would not be able to tell anyone about what had happened as if a vow of secrecy was imposed on him.
"I don't know a damn thing what's going on! Let it end soon so that I can finally take up my personal life!" the younger Taubert rolled his eyes and sighed. And even if it was his desire, Armand knew that in their situation, desires could remain just desires.
Elena looked up from the game with Sean when David and Nick came down to the living room. The young man ran up to the woman and squeezed her in a strong embrace and did not release her immediately, as if he was afraid that she might disappear.
Elena ruffled the boy's carefully styled hair just as she did with little Sean and turned to the guests.
"I know that everyone has a lot of questions and there are many important things to do. But forget about them today and show me the power that the family has. Maybe then Santa will notice it and give us his magic? Merry Christmas! Now go ahead! I have a wonderful treat for you!"
Elena picked up a plate and smiled mysteriously.
Everyone tried to look happy, and only the corner of Marcus's mouth twitched in a slight grin.
~~~~
Dear readers, I need your help!
Can you post in the comments any pictures of how you imagine the appearances of our characters? How do you imagine David, Elena, Tauberts? It can be the photos of actors, models. Any person you can offer. Even fictional characters will be ok.
I will use these ideas for future character references and discuss them with my artist. Within the next several months I plan to launch a merchandise line (t-shirts, caps, mugs, post-cards) with your favorite characters. :D
If you don't have any ideas but want a t-shirt or something with your favorite character, let me know who you like. So I will know who to make the first.
I asked some of my readers already, and some of them want a mug with Marcus, t-shirt with Rick or twins, Marcus&Amelia couple picture for the phone cover and David&Elena postcard.
Feel free to share your ideas!
I have many plans for this series and you can become a part of its story!
Thank you for reading and support.
Anya. ^_^