Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Adaline Point of View

I smile at Noah, balancing him on my hands as Zoe and I walk to the car.

“How was school, baby.” I ask, placing Noah in his seat, smiling when he falls right back to sleep.

“It was good.” She says, and I run my hands through her hair, then drive.

“Tell me more.” I urge and she giggles, making me smile.

“It was really good, I sat with Cornelia and Cavil, but Aunt Selena separated us, so I played with Elena, Clara and Josh.” She says, and I nod, driving us home.

“Sounds lovely.”

“How was work, Mom?” She asks, when we are few minutes away from home.

“It was okay, there was a new student though, she gave me some odd vibes.” I say, remembering.

“If she was weird, you should probably stay away from her.” She nods at me, making me laugh as I pull in to the driveway, I park the car, and take them out. Noah clings to me, drooling.

“Mom, in school today, something happened.” Zoe says, when we walk inside, making me freeze. I walk to Noah’s room, and place him on the bed.

“What happened, baby?” I frown, sitting her on my lap.

She fumbles with her word a bit, and I stay patient, letting her find the right thing to say.

“In school today, some of my friends were talking about my hair.” She says, and I sigh, looking at her hair. It is red underneath, like her has been divided into equal parts, where red is one. It looks so beautiful.

“I am so sorry, baby.” I kiss her hair.

“They call me Princess of New Orleans, Mom, and they say a lot of things about me. Some of them use to walk away from me before, now many people don’t talk to me.”

I stare at her wide eyes, so innocent, so naïve.

“Zoe, you are my daughter. Let me explain it to you—Your mother is a hybrid, a Witch and a Werewolf, not just any type of Witch, but a Flower. Your Father is a Werewolf, a Lycan, the leader of all Lycans. You are power, Zoe, in your entirety. You breathe power, you exhume it, it is all over you, shielding you, your power. Let’s not forget Grandma Lily used to be a Flower.” I say, and she looks at me, reminding me she is just five.

Flowers are a form of higher witches, our powers are more, wider, farther than a normal witch.

“Your hair reminds everyone of something they might have forgotten, it reminds them that you are a powerful girl, reminds them of your Family, of our power, of the things we do for love, for ourselves. You are the Princess of New Orleans, you are powerful, my love. Your hair shows that.”

“It shows that you have me in you, you have your Grandmothers in you, always, forever.”

“Mom.” She says, after seconds of silence.

“What if I just want to normal Zoe, not powerful Zoe. I don’t want power, Mom.” She says, and I freeze.

“But, what if I don’t have the power, I might be normal, then you will be sad.”

I close my mouth, because I do not know what to say.

__

I walk to Noah’s room, and see he is fast asleep, I was worried with all the sleep he got, he would be up all night, but thankfully, it’s not so. He ate his dinner happily, and fell asleep. I walk to his sister’s room, and see she is also asleep, the fourth Harry Potter book still in her hands.

With a wavering smile, I pick it up, and put it in her little library, while trying not to think of everything she said, it is times like this I wish Alexandru wasn’t out all the time, but I have to understand that he is in New Jersey, and despite the fact that he should have been here two days ago, he is working for us.

I walk back to the Living Room, and put on my Laptop, checking out the work I have to do.

I spend the next hour on the Research, feeling tired than ever, tired from the kids, from University – being a Dean is not a small fit, there are so much I need to do, need to oversee, to sign, it’s a never ending battle, but at least I got what I have always wanted – Family of my own, my children, and husband, with a very good job, Dean of the department.

I hear keys, then the door slowly open to reveal Alexandru, his eyes widen when he sees me on the couch, working.

__

ALEXANDRU POINT OF VIEW

“Baby.” I say, closing the door behind me. She looks at me, waves her hand in the air, and I know it’s the enchanted lock and protection over the house.

“Goodnight.” She says, closes her laptop, and begin to walk away, but I pull her back.

“I am sorry, Adele.” I say, and she looks away, before speaking.

“I married you, Alexandru, because I loved you, because I wanted an equal partner, the Father to my children, but you’ve been gone for two weeks now, and I feel so alone. I married you, now, I don’t know what to think. I don’t want to be a single mother.”

I stagger backwards at the impact of her words.

“What?”

“Oh, you are surprised?” She tilts her head at me.

“You cannot comprehend why I think I’m a single mother. I have two fucking children, Alex, Noah wants his Daddy, he wants to do things himself, and Zoe, she is afraid, Alex, she is afraid of her hair, she doesn’t know what she wants. Our five years old daughter told me she doesn’t want power, she wants to be normal, only for her to tell me seconds later that she is afraid of not having our powers.”

“They call her Princess of New Orleans, she is anxious about her hair, about a lot of things, and there is only so much answer I can give, I want my husband, I want the man I married, I miss that man. I know you are working, I appreciate you, but I am tired.” She says, and walks away, leaving me in surprise.

I sit on the couch, a ringing in my ear, and I wonder how oblivious I have been. I love Adaline, I have loved her for years, and will continue to do so, she is my soulmate, the love of my life, and yet I have been failing.

I walk to our bedroom, and see she has fallen asleep, with tear lines on her face and a Psychology Journal in her hands. I walk to Zoe’s room, see she is fast asleep, I kiss her cheek, and tuck her in properly, I will have a conversation with her tomorrow. I walk to Noah’s room, and see he is sleeping too, my precious gifts, I miss them.

__

I check on the dirty clothes in the washing machine, satisfied that it is still washing, then I take the vacuum cleaner, and it starts cleaning. I wash all the clean plates by hand, thinking while I do so.

Opening another branch of Conri Constructions in New Jersey has not been an easy fit, Zayd and I have been working overtime, sleeping at the Hotel few streets away from the construction, but I need to spend less time there, and more time here in New Orleans.

I carefully fold all the clothes, arrange everywhere, and do everything. It’s pa st one in the morning when I am done, so I walk back to my room, strip to my boxers and get in bed. I wrap my hands around her, and she cuddles me, making me smile.

“Hey.” I say, when she opens her eyes.

“Pause.” She says after some seconds and I nod, because I am at her will.

Pause is something she got from her favorite TV Show – How I Met Your Mother, her favorite couple, Lily and Marshall have a thing where they take a pause when they are fighting to remind each other that despite the argument, they still love and want each other.

“I missed you.” I say, my hands in her blonde hair, she is so beautiful.

She looks at me with her whiskey-colored eyes, and kisses me on the lips “I missed you too.”

Just like that, I know everything will be fine, because Adaline and I are made for each other, she is the best part of me. I close my eyes, and I see it again, the coffin, after that, it takes me some minutes to fall back asleep.