~~
Reece
~~
The twins that Trevor had brought to see me were staying in the castle, in an unused tower room at the moment. They wanted to be high up and far away from the other people. They truly didn't like meeting new people that might not accept them.
It took both Trevor and I a long time to convince the two of them to meet with Talia. She had expressed interest in meeting with others that were like her. Others that could see or hear what she referred to as the whispering people.
To Talia, finding others that could do what she did would most likely make her feel validated. She needed someone to tell her that what was happening to her was normal and that she wasn't a freak because of it. Someone other than her father.
However, the only people that I knew of that could talk to her about all of this, were too afraid to see new people because of the way that they looked. They were permanently trapped in a half human-half bear state, and that meant that they had never been able to visit anywhere with humans in it. People, other bear shifters and witch doctors, had all made fun of them since they were babies. They didn't like people. They didn't trust people. And they didn't want to meet more people.
Talia was insistent though. She wanted to see them, to talk to them about their similar gifts. And she was just too young to understand what it was that the two of them were feeling at the moment. She didn't understand that meeting her was a source of anxiety for them.
Over time though, Trevor and I were able to get both Charlie and Chloe to agree to the meeting. They would only do it in their tower room, though, and they would reserve the right to end the meeting when they felt too uncomfortable, regardless of the fact that Talia was their princess and technically outranked them quite a bit.
I agreed to their terms. That wasn't up for debate. Mostly because I could understand what they were going through. I may not have experienced it personally, but I could see the pain in their eyes and knew that this was not something they took lightly.
Talia didn't care about the status and things like that. She was just excited to make new friends with people that were like her. All week, leading up to the meeting, she kept telling Reagan and Rika that she was going to make new friends. Friends that saw the whispering people. Friends that were grown ups and would probably be very cool. I know she wasn't trying to brag, she was just excited, and it was all very cute.
About five weeks after Trinity had fallen into her coma, and about three weeks after the twins had come to stay with us in the castle, Talia and I were on our way to meet with them. My little girl was literally bouncing with excitement all the way up to their room, talking about the different things that she wanted to tell them.
When Gabriel knocked on the door and called out to the twins, letting them know that we were here to meet with them, Talia quietly squealed in delight. Her eyes were filled with glee and the smile looked like it was about a mile wide.
"Please come in." I heard Charlie call out to us.
Gabriel was joining us for the meeting, there as a trusted advisor, guard, and attendant for the royal princess. This had been a stipulation that I enforced when I told them that we would meet how they wanted. My little girl needed to have someone there that was a 'servant' type so that she appeared more regal and proper. In truth, I just wanted Gabriel there in case something bad happened. One of us would protect Talia while the other would deal with the problem.
I didn't think that was going to happen though, so it wasn't that high on my list of worries. Still, I was prepared for it.
The moment that we were inside, Talia bound forward and rushed toward the two new friends that she was trying to make.
"Hello there. I am Talia Gray. I live here in this castle. I hear that you are like me. You can hear the whispering people."
Charlie and Chloe seemed to be quite taken aback by her sudden appearance and abrupt introduction. And despite the way they seemed to be reacting at the moment, Talia wasn't done yet.
"What is your name? I can't wait to be friends with you. I can't wait to hear all about the stuff that you have done. I am very happy and excited about today."
After a moment, the twins looked at each other with bewildered expressions then they started to smile. They could tell that to Talia, they were just normal people. She didn't see anything but who they were, not what they looked like.
"My name is Chloe." Surprisingly, she was the one to speak first. She was usually the more shy of the two.
"And my name is Charlie. It is nice to meet you, Talia. And you know something, we don't just hear the whispering people. We see them too." He was leaning down toward my little girl and showing her his furry face.
"Yes, my daddy told me that. I think that is amazing." Talia beamed at them, literally she was shining like a beacon.
"Talia, are you not afraid of us?" Chloe asked her worriedly, still wondering what the little girl thought of her and her brother.
"Why would I be?" Talia tilted her head in confusion.
"Well, Talia, we don't look like other people." Charlie informed her. "Most people think we are ugly or scary. They are afraid of us."
"Well, those people are stupid." She clapped her hands over her mouth and turned to look at me. "I am sorry for using the bad word, Daddy."
"It's OK, sweetheart." I nodded at her.
"Well, as I was saying, those people are not smart if they think that about you. I think you're beautiful. I think that you are two of the prettiest people in the whole wide world."
I could see the happiness spreading in their faces. They were definitely enjoying their visit with Talia.
The three of them talked for a long time. They shared what they knew about the whispering people, though not the scary parts. They told Talia that they could teach her how to block out the voices if she wanted to. It was a good night.
"Thank you, both of you." I shook their hands and let them know how much I appreciated what they had done.
"Can I see you again?" Talia asked them.
"Of course, that would be fun."
"We would love that." Charlie and Chloe answered with those respective responses. They seemed to have changed their minds completely.
"Can I have a hug?" Talia smiled at them.
"Of course." Charlie leaned down first, but Chloe followed him and together, they hugged my little girl. It was a group hug and I thought it was sweet.
That is, until the light started to shine around them. They didn't seem to notice it, but Gabriel and I did. It was a light that reminded me of the past, of a light that Trinity used to have. Only instead of white, this light was pink.
The light enveloped all three of them while they hugged. It didn't last long, but it was there. And when Charlie and Chloe pulled away from my little Talia, I saw what the light had done.
"Hey, where did your fur go?" Talia asked them, not understanding what she had done.
"Talia, sweetheart, why don't you go back to your room. I need to talk to Charlie and Chloe."
Once she was gone and it was just the three of us, I had to explain to the twins that my daughter, the wolf, Fae, and witch super child, had blessed them with a full human form. It took them a long time to process this information, and I had to repeat it all over and over again. Though, in the end, when they accepted it all, they were beyond happy to hear the news.
And I now had to come to terms with the fact that my daughter was truly a powerful little girl.
