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Trinity
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When I was done talking to Reagan, I kissed him on his cheek, pressed my face against his hair, and hugged him as best as I could.
“I am going to get all my work done so I can come back and protect Momma some more. I need to make sure that no monsters get you ever again.” He kissed me back and ran from the room shouting. “RIKA! IT'S YOUR TURN WITH MOMMA!”
It didn't take long for Rika to respond to her brother's words. I do believe that she was waiting for her turn at the top of the stairs. That was how quickly she came into the room after Reagan left.
“MOM!” She ran and leapt onto the bed the same as Reagan had. They were their own independent people but, in so many ways, the two of them were so much alike. I liked seeing them express their individuality, but I also like to see them acting alike. It was so adorable to see.
.....
“Hey, sweetheart. I missed you.” She was already hugging me, and I was putting my arms around her as I had with Reagan.
“I missed you too, Mom, so much. I was so sad when you left. I felt like my heart was taken out of my chest when Daddy told me that you weren't waking up. I thought that you died, Mommy. I thought that I would never be happy again. I didn't want to live without my Mommy. I didn't want to be sad all the time. It was so hard. But you're back now. You're back and I am so happy now. I get to be with you and hug you and talk to you. And now I have so much to talk to you about. It's been so crazy and strange since you left. Talia was telling us about how your soul left your body, and she knew that we were having three little brothers before Daddy even told us about the babies. And she made friends with these bears that are really nice. And she was talking to dead people. And she does so much. Do you know what, Mom? Daddy said that Reagan and I had magic when we were little too. But I don't remember ever having magic. What happened to it? Did it go away?” She paused then to wait for a response.
“No, honey, it didn't go away. I put this bracelet on you so that you wouldn't hurt yourself. But I think that you might be old enough now that I should have someone start to teach you magic. We shouldn't hide who you are anymore. As long as you don't use magic around humans.”
“Really, Mom!?” The level of excitement that was on Rika's face right then was enough to make me know for sure that I was doing the right thing.
“Yes, baby girl. I think it is about time that you and Reagan learn to control the magic that is inside of you. We have been hiding it from everyone, including the two of you, for so long. You were so powerful as babies but you were so little when you started to do things.”
“What did I do, Mommy? What magic could I do?” She was just so excited that I couldn't stop the little giggle that escaped my lips.
“Well, baby, you and your brother would float toys across the room so that you could play with them. You did that a lot. Also, your brother stole your daddy's bacon on Father's Day. He just floated it off of his plate and then stuck it in his mouth. He only had a couple of teeth then, and he definitely had never had bacon before, but he still stole it. We all thought that it was funny. Daddy even laughed, despite the fact that his breakfast had just been stolen. It was all quite funny. But, in truth, I was worried that you would hurt yourselves, so we sealed away your magic.”
I want to learn it now, Mommy. I want to be special too.”
“You are, sweetheart. You have always been special.”
Following that little part of the conversation, Rika and I talked for a while longer. We talked about all of the things that happened to her while I was asleep. She told me about the nightmares that she had had. She told me about being scared that her daddy was going to leave her next. She talked about so many different bad things that it shattered me. But then she started to talk about some of the better things too. She told me about the play, just like Reagan had, and she told me about what her friends had been up to. She told me how her dance lessons were going well and what she wanted to do next. She told me about the different things that she had learned in school. And she told me that she had managed to become stronger and more independent lately as well. I had a feeling that she was only getting that way because she felt like she had to.
When Rika was done talking, I hugged her as best as I could. I kissed her cheek once more. And then I snuggled her in my arms before she left. I was sad to see her leave me. I didn't want her to ever think that her Mommy wasn't here for her. I didn't want her to feel this lonely anymore.
Finally, it was time for me to talk to Talia. It was time for me to see what was going on with her. Finally, I would be able to get her side of the story.
When she came in, she didn't run and jump onto the bed like Reagan and Rika had. Instead, she walked calmly to the bed and climbed up to sit with me. She was shorter than Reagan and Rika, and my bed was very tall, so it always took her a minute to get on it when she didn't jump. However, it seemed to me that she was getting on easier than I remembered her doing before. She was not having as much trouble as she usually did. That was making me sad.
“Hi, Mommy.” She smiled so sweetly and looked at me with her beautiful eyes. She was so much like me. That little pale face, those eyes. She wasn't exactly like her mommy, but there were so many similarities.
“Hi, sweetheart.” I hugged her first and asked her to sit on my lap. She did just that and pressed her cheek against my belly for her brothers to feel her presence.
“I am happy that I get to be a big sister. I think it will be fun.” Her eyes were shining as she spoke. I couldn't wait to see how she was as a big sister and how much she loved her brothers.
“I think that you will be a good big sister, Talia.”
“Me too.” That sweet smile was brightening my mood, even though I knew that this was going to be a hard talk.
“So, Tally baby, I have heard from everyone else that you have been busy. Tell me all about it.”
“Oh. That.” She almost grimaced. Was it hard for her to talk about? Was it sad or scary? I didn't want to hurt my baby girl. “I didn't do much, Mommy. And it's stupid and sucky magic anyway.”
“I don't think it's stupid or sucky at all. You did something that no one else could. That makes it amazing.” I don't know why she was feeling so down right now. And all I wanted to do was make her feel better.
“You could have done it better, Mommy. You are so much better than I am.” She hung her head almost as if she were ashamed of herself.
“Stop that, Talia Serene. That is not how we talk about ourselves. You are smart. You are beautiful. You are strong. You are sweet. You are kind. You are brave. And you are so much more than you think you are. Never look down upon yourself. You are just who you need to be. And you can do anything in this world that you want to. Anything at all. And I happen to know that you did something truly extraordinary. I happen to know that you were amazing, Tally, and I am so proud of you. So please, baby girl, will you tell me what happened? And when it might have started to happen?”
“Okay, Mommy.” She was smiling. I think that she was just lacking confidence in herself. I would give it to her. I would build her up everyday so that she knew that she didn't have to be so scared.
“Thank you, baby girl.”
Talia seemed to be a lot more calm now as she turned to look at me more. She was sitting up straighter and I could tell that she was getting ready to regale me with her tale. That was also when I realized that she didn't have her new friend with her.
“Where is Angel?”
“Oh, she is in my room. I can't take her to school or anything, so I thought she needed to stay in there all the time.” The sadness was coming back.
“No, honey, you can take her around the house. She will need to stretch her wings and get to know the place. Just tell her to stay out of places that are private, like bathrooms and other people's bedrooms. She must be considerate of others.”
“Yes, Mommy.” Once again, I got that beaming smile.
