It’s been just over half a week since the girls showed up and the two of them have just opened up enough since we first met. The younger one hasn’t spoken since we first met, but since then they have definitely been a handful during the nights, I’ll tell you that much. It’s possible that she’s mute, but I don’t want to assume anything until I’ve been shown proof.
I am constantly woken up by loud crying and after a while, I instinctively rush towards their bedroom to check up on the two of them. I found it really annoying, but that’s the pain of being a temporary father figure, so I didn’t mind the change of routine. Although, it did leave me with a very sore headache every time.
‘Come on, it’s okay.’ Attempting to keep my voice calm and soothing to a pair of ginger-ish, blonde ears.
Right now, I was in the middle of consoling Lucia, the young blonde girl. Despite their nightmares waking them up, they can now easily sleep through each other's episodes as long as I’m around. It sucks. However, it’s what I currently have to deal with. Knowing my top would be a little damp from the tears and … something snotty, it’s strangely kinda worth it after feeling either one of the girls relax against me.
That’s the cue that they’ve finished their nightmare episodes, as it had just so happened in the spare bedroom. The one the two girls use.
‘You good, Lucia?’ I whispered.
I dared not break the comfort I was giving her, feeling her shifting her head against my chest. The poor thing fell asleep minutes later. Right in the middle of a cuddling and head stroking session.
‘Welp, guess that solves that problem.’ I thought, as I gently stroked the back of her head and getting a half-smile in response.
The girls have definitely become a lot more attached to me. Emylia and her girlfriend are both supportive of my choice to take care of them for the time being, but I still think I need to do something different. One thing I had noticed, is since I met them, I’ve not really experienced another panic attack myself. It’s like something switched inside me. It helped to have a distraction, but it was definitely not something I was expecting. Not in the least.
The new changes have been having an effect, not sure if good or bad, on my waking life. I felt the anxious tug of my episodes buzzing, but when the anxiety increased prior to their arrival, the anxiety waves no longer occurred.
Looking at the time on my watch, with the barely visible glow of the photo-luminescent display, I knew it was half something, but I couldn’t tell what the actual time was as my eyes weren't focusing. Maybe two, possibly three thirty.
‘Dang it.’ I whispered as loudly as I dared. ‘I needed a bedside clock. And ay-sap.’ I added as an afterthought, without realising I drifted off to sleep with her in my arms.
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My watch peeped softly, nudging me awake. The room felt different, so I knew it wasn’t my room. Opening my eyes, I was stopped by a pair of glistening eyes staring back into mine from the side of the bed.
Lucia had been staring at me while clutching her tail between her legs, the tips of her ears pointing straight towards the head of the bed, twitching a little. I slowly reached up and rubbed her head, resulting in a little “eep” in response. But followed by a warm, calming vibration against my hand.
Unlike the other girl, Lucia had been the faster one to open her feelings around the apartment. This was shown by her adorable affection towards Emi, Rue and I. Rue likes to call her ‘Little LuLu’ and I think it kind of suits her personality. The latter part, that is.
‘You okay, LuLu-sweetie?’ I mumbled.
‘Mhmm.’ She hummed in response, alongside her purring.
Her eyes closed after I started scratching behind her right ear before I reached down to tickle her. Earnt me a rather loud giggle fit from her that ultimately ended up waking her sister up in the process. I really don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before, but being a fatherly figure for these girls just warms my heart and feels like it’s replacing but not completely filling the gap that was there before I met them.
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I still wanted to help them, but I didn’t know what to do. I knew I needed adoption papers, but I had never thought of the chance that I could actually use them. Putting this thought to the back of my mind for the time being, I was just sitting there enjoying the company of the two girls.
I don’t know how, or why, or anything else but the thought that these two needed someone to run to if things got sour. Taking this opportunity, I decided to reach out for my phone and check my messages. The bright light of my screen flickered on for a brief second, before the filter turned on, blinding the three of us.
Lucia briefly gripped my shirt tighter in response. I comforted her with a head pat, before scrolling down to find a music playlist I usually listen to when I wake up. She’d relaxed into my side while the black-haired girl sleepily made her way to our side of the double bed. The clumsy placement of her hands barely grazed her knees as she made her way to my side.
The tracks I’d picked were from a Lo-Fi playlist by a well-known artist. Perfect for waking up on a weekend. Today was a Saturday, but we were already up rather early.
‘I like this song.’
Looks like I wasn’t the only one to enjoy Lo-Fi music. It helps keep my mind calm and relaxed in the mornings. I just wish I wasn’t woken up almost every night to their nightma–
‘What’s for breakfast?’ Lucia caught me off guard with her groggy but soft and adorably cute voice.
‘Let’s go find out shall we?’ A gentle nod of her head was given in response as she placed her index finger in her mouth.
I picked up her younger sister, who was making a grabbing motion with her hands, and then carried her while I guided Lucia to the kitchen. Luckily, there wasn’t much in terms of food, but there was indeed enough for us to have for breakfast. The creaking of the wood beneath our feet seemed to amplify in the early morning as we tiptoed our way to the kitchen.
‘What would you girls like to have?’ I asked, placing the quiet girl carefully on a seat and helping Lucia onto hers.
‘ChocoCrocs please!’ She replied, with a bit more volume.
Her half-awake giggles from the tickle-fest I gave her were still somewhat present whilst her sister just nodded sleepily in agreement. We sat quietly, the girls having their sugary cereal whilst I had a few of the remaining slices of toast and a coffee. I don’t usually drink caffeinated coffee, but for the time being, I just sat there whilst the boost of caffeine started to boost my system.
Knowing full well I’d crash later this evening, it was definitely a plan to keep these girls active. The thought of the gym started to sound interesting as I sipped at my coffee. I'd never been often in the past five years, but the thought of returning was like relighting an old candle lamp; easy to get back into doing.
‘Would it be a good idea to take Lucia with me? I don’t think her sister will be able to come along yet...’ I mentally checked my options, while Lucia’s sister was nibbling quietly at her breakfast.
The day was progressing slowly, but there was just enough sunlight to bathe the lounge area in a soft, dimly lit glow. As I stared out the kitchen towards the windows, a series of rapid knocks rattled against my front door. I let the girls know they could follow or stay behind and finish their breakfast as I got up with the last of my drink in hand. The sight before me was of Emylia and Ruella. I was going to ask what was wrong, but Emi’s glare of concern shut me up.
After ten minutes of asking the two girls to sit in their temporary bedroom, Rue put the TV on, quietly enough to not be heard by the two children, but loud enough for the three of us to hear it. The very quick swap to the news left me speechless when the live feed displayed a crime scene not far from our apartment block.
‘-his is the scene of a horrific murder made by one of the local gangs in the area. Police nearby at the time were unaware of the crime as they were in hot pursuit of a reckless driver with a passenger firing back at their vehicle. The criminals have since been caught and imprisoned, but upon their return route to their posted area, they’d stumbled across a mass of people at the entrance to the alleyway, where they had discovered the scene of two adults murdered.’ The newswoman looked a little queasy as she caught a lump in her throat before continuing.
‘The information of this has just been revealed to us today after an investigation into the situation at hand. This couple was well known in the area for the past decade, but some people were aware that they were told of how afraid the couple were of the accusations towards their young children.’
The scene cut to a picture of the couple during a public photoshoot with a timestamp from two days before. It looked like the first outing of the couple with their children.
‘The couples were Mary and David McCormack, both in their late twenties. As you can see, their suspicions were valid. Their children are the first known documentation of the rumoured fox-girl appearance since the reveal of ABM Positive members of the public. Unfortunately, these children have not been seen or heard from since the murder of their parents. If anybody has seen these two girls, please report to us as soon as possible.’
However, the image lingered in my mind as I stared at it in shock. The pieces clicked into place as I stared at it for way too long to be normal. Luckily, as it shifted off that news report, I realised I’d been holding in a deep breath. That’s when it clicked in my head as I turned to look at Emi and Rue across from me.
It was an image of Lucia and her sister.