NINETY-SIX

"What are you talking about?"Lucy asked.

Ruby looked at Lucy as Junior, the only one with a raincoat came from behind her.

Seeing she was no more carrying a child, we immediately understood what she meant...he had divorced her and taken both children away...

Rose wanted to do something about it, but Ruby said to just leave him, she knew he had no evil intentions, though it still hurt more than a poison dagger.

We tried to comfort her till she heard the cries of a babe.

She looked at us and we led her to the twins, and she began to cry, showing us a picture of her daughter; Clancy Brair Rose Song...

The child's short hair was already unusual, with red roots and black endings and a few colours between, her blue eyes beamed as she smiled in the picture then Ruby picked our daughter up, at least she was going to have a chance with one...

***

Scarlet Sapphira ran through the living room, naked and into Ruby's arms.

Ruby lifted the child up, giggled and asked,"Why are you running?"

The babe pointed at me, covered in baby powder and with a frown on my face.

Scarlet Sapphira hid her face within her aunt's shoulder as Rose walked out with Jack Johnson, who was fully dressed, nappies, pajamas and all.

Rose tried to conceal a laugh then I said,"It's not my fault, the kid's crazy, she scratched me, flung her diaper at me and poured milk on the floor to slip me, milk!!!"

"Just say it's a woman's job."Lucy said, coming from the kitchen and holding dinner.

Scarlet stretched her small nose in the direction of the aroma, while her brother cringed and hid his face in his mother's grasp.

We served the two year old twins avocado and papaya sauce and had meatloaf for ourselves, Junior was at a friend's house for the night, so it was only left with the triplets and their mother.

Scarlet Sapphira swallowed the soft food in mirth, to the extent we got worried she could choke, but she didn't and even snatched the spoon from Ruby who was feeding her, as the large spoonfuls gulped down her throat.

Jack Johnson was more hesitant, after a single taste, he had enough, but despite that, he ate when I took the spoon from Rose to feed him, I knew my little man could eat it all...till he puked it all on me, and I puked back on him, and he cried...a lot.

After the nauseous me was cleaned up, I went to apologize to my wife and especially son, he probably wouldn't understand me, but I still had to be a better, more matured father to him.

A few days later, I realized he had began talking to himself while finger painting.

The talking was normal as he began months ago, long before his sister, but the to himself part...and painting parts were weird.

Not only was he speaking fluent English, only tainted by his lack of a full mouth of teeth, but he also spoke the exact conversations I had with Rose... downstairs...a week ago, I checked the CCTV footage.

That wasn't all though, the paintings he made were actually quite vivid, they weren't perfect, but we're understandable, of several events that happened in the past.

Of course I silently got rid of one of them, its identity classified, but after hours of bawling, he redrew it, in perfect detail, he really held a grudge, didn't he?

By the time they were five, they were getting ready for their first day of school, a little early because Rose and Ruby had taught Scarlet Sapphira how to talk, and Jack Johnson had learned how to read on his own, so, why not?

The teacher who was probably on drugs to help her tolerate the six year old kids around her with a smile, walked to the front of the class and spoke,"Hello everyone! My name is..."

The rest of her thirty minute long introduction wasn't important as Scarlet Sapphira had realized something about her brother, he seemed queasy and was shifting backwards.

By the end of the lecture, the woman began,"... we're going to have so much fun!!"

Without a thought, Scarlet Sapphira said,"I'm outta here."

Jack Johnson saw his sister leaving and his heart started to accelerate as his breath quickened, the stimuli from all around him was too much.

He ran after her and asked where she was going and she answered,"To have some real fun."

"Co...could I come too?"He asked shyly.

"Keep up."She said with her eyes half closed.

He hurried after her as the five year old girl who was slightly shorter than he, dodged all the adults using secret spots no one seemed to know, built a make shift ladder from the swings, slide and a wad of gum in the playground and jumped the eight foot high fence.

She left her brother behind as he fearfully considered all the possibilities, then his sister from the other side groaned then spoke,"If you're too scared, you don't have to follow me, you'll just be dead weight."

Not even knowing the meaning of that term, Jack Johnson just felt a surge of passion and bravery from his own sister's aura and climbed over the ladder and jumped the fence, with the closest person being one of the instructors who was probably dead drunk.

Scarlet was walking around the street and several heads were turned wherever she went, with people coming to get a closer look of her, her ruby red and orange hair, her Sapphire blue eyes, her dark chocolate skin and her irresistible facial proportions, they had to take photos to see if she was real.

All of this obviously began to scare and stress Jack Johnson out as he tightly covered his ears and closed his eyes, sitting on the floor, hoping for all the noise to stop, till an arm reached out and grabbed his, then dragged him out of the crowd.

Jack Johnson saw Scarlet Sapphira walking forward with a packet of gum in her hand, before he could ask, she looked at him and made the most irresistible and unforgettable puppy dog eyes he had ever seen, and he remembered all of them.

She then changed her expression and said,"That's all it took."

"Could...could I have a piece?"He asked.

"Nah, it's not good for you."She said blatantly, letting go of his hand.

He gasped as the crowd blocked his way again, with all eyes on his sister as she flashed look after look from person to person, giving the occasional poor family story and waterworks and all sorts of gifts were given to her, candy, money, heck someone wanted to give her a house key but she suddenly got scared and fled...or at least, pretended to be.

Jack Johnson could tell just by looking at her that she was lying to gain their attention but also could tell...she was in danger...