The look on Sheryl's face has my brows furrowing deeper, a snarl escaping my lips in a silent manner. "I'm sorry?" Comes her annoying voice, she stares back at Austin and then at me, a confused look marrying her face.
"Just because she's black doesn't mean you have to be mean you know, she's a child and that's racist." I say and her brows shoot up, a knowing look entering her eyes.
"No, I didn't mean- I'm sorry- that's not what-" She starts but I sigh and turn back, cutting her off as I press resume, the loud gunshots blocking her words.
I catch a glimpse of the surprise on her face, it seems she has never been cut off before, Mrs Big Shot. I tune out every other voce, focusing only on the anger silently, slowly brewing within my chest, seeping it's way through my veins and coloring my thoughts black.
Austin and Sheryl start talking animatedly, no familiarity between them, unlike when he's with Kai. They're talking like business partners, like two people who are forced to partner, and are extremely bored with their meeting. Well Austin seems bored, it's like Sheryl's the only one in the conversation.
I hear my ringtone from the stairs and look up, Neferankh's small legs taking each turn down the steps until she's in full view. She rushes to me, her hand held out with my phone tightly in her grip. I smile and collect it from her, looking down at the caller ID.
"Hey Mia? What's wrong?" I ask into the phone as I press it to my ear, standing up and waking out of the living room.
"It's nothing, Gramma wanted to speak to you, but she's already asleep and I'm afraid if I wake her up, she's going to whack me with her cane." She chuckles into the phone and I roll my eyes, a small laugh leaving my lips.
Mia had left with Mario for Spain for early Christmas, at her gramma's house. The old woman was extremely wicked, in a good way. Sarcastic, disgusting and will take any chance to smack you with her cane, I'm pretty sure she's not even asleep right now, just waiting for Mia to make a wrong move.
"How's Mario? Is he behaving?" I ask and I hear a him then some movements and a crack in the background, then yelling, and a hard smack. "I gotta go, Gramma is going crazy over Mario, I don't think I want him to die yet, bye love you." She rushes out and the line goes dead.
I shake my head in laughter and walk back to the living room. Neferankh is on Austin's leg, laughing and giggling away at something on his laptop. I notice how Sheryl is looking at the two of them, like Neferankh is a piece of chewed gum attached to an expensive Prada shoe, or a spec of rust on a warriors blade. An abomination in the eyes of man.
I make a loud entrance to turn her attention from the two, her sharp eyes fixated on me as I move back to the couch. "So, April, what do you do?" Sheryl asks and at that moment, I feel like slapping the tan out of her.
"I'm an artist." I simply say, aiming for the head of a woman. The loud gunshots has her jerking, her eyes going amicably wide. "Oh, uh, upcoming?" She asks and my eyes narrow.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I question, giving her a side glance with a raised brow. She stutters and blinks rapidly. "No, I don't mean it in that way, I just have never heard of you before."
Hmm, who else hears the lie in that? She was right there on the show when Gaia Allen was playing twenty questions with my boyfriend, she heard how many times she mentioned my art, she heard many times when people tweeted about me and our relationship, so what in the world is she up to?
"Cool." I reply, punching a guy and stealing his car. "You know, you don't have to be extremely violent with the game." She mumbles and I snap my head towards her, pausing the game. "Wanna have a try?" I ask, holding out the controller to her and she shakes her head with an intimidated smile.
I smirk and look back at Austin and Neferankh who are still playing on his laptop. I pick up my phone when I feel the vibration. A picture pops up and I laugh at Mia's Gramma beating Mario with her cane.
The old woman really doesn't need the cane, she just thinks it's very devious, deceiving and a very conniving look, probably a witch looking for her next victim.
Neferankh's loud laughs and Austin's small chuckles has me turning my head to them, a smile taking over my lips. I catch a glimpse of Sheryl squirming, her eyes closing in something like annoyance.
I turn to her and she starts taking deep breaths, her chest heaving up and down in slow motions. I make a face and when her eyes fly open, she sees me staring and makes a small smile.
"My doctor said I shouldn't be around loud noises." She says and I hum, turning back to the game.
"So, you have siblings?" She questions and I look at her, "Five." I mumble and her brows shoot up. "Woah, that's a really large family."
"Yeah." I sigh, closing the game and taking my phone, going to check out my unread messages. "You're related to Kira Freeman?" She asks and I smirk.
Bingo! She finally remembered my last name. "Yep." I answer, she smiles widely. Sitting forward, she crosses her legs like a proper lady, her face written with excitement.
"Kira is one of my close friends, I go to her restaurant every now and then, but we hardly see each other, I-" She's cut off by another squealing from Neferankh and she has a menacing glare on her face.
"Austin, would you please, stop being so loud, and that child too." She snares, her glare aimed at the seven year old kid on Austin's lap.
"She's a child, she has every right to be as loud as she wants to be." I say with annoyance and she turns her head to me, her eyes filled with an incredulous glint.
"I hate it when there are so many loud noises, that's why I don't like children, they can be obnoxiously loud, and annoyingly dirty." She growls and I roll my eyes.
"Well then, if you really love your peace and quiet, the doors right there, no one invited you in the first place." I say and turn back to my phone. She gasps, her eyes drawing from me to stare at Austin and then back at me.
"Austin?" She questions, hoping for a little backup. I look at Austin with a challenging look and he just shrugs at her. "I'm sorry, Sheryl but you walked right into that one all by yourself." He confesses and she starts whining, huffing and puffing as she grabs her bag, stomping out.
"Seems like someone hasn't ever been shut up before." I breathe out once the door slams shut. I hear her car revving and skidding out of the driveway.
°•°|°•°
The cool wind that ruffles Neferankh's hair has me smiling as she colors the drawing of the little girl I did for her. After Sheryl had driven out like a mad woman, Austin went back to his laptop, not even batting an eye at how she slammed the door. Neferankh looked like she was about to cry, then I just took a paper and started drawing. She got interested soon enough and forgot all about her.
Neferankh's mind is a wide land, she understands things that are too complicated for her age, she's seen things no child should see, she's done things that would never be seen among adults, she's something else. She's black, and she's strong, stronger than anyone I've ever seen.
We were on the patio, the late afternoon breeze caressing my skin, Austin was still on his laptop, doing only Neferankh knows what and he seems pretty adamant on not letting me know.
"I'm done!" Neferankh cheers, grinning at me as she holds up the drawing. I smile, taking at from her, what's even more complicated is that the coloring is perfectly inside the lines.
"You're going to be a great artist one day!" I praise her and she blushes. "Wanna go out?" Her eyes brighten and she nods her head up and down rapidly.
"Alright, go get your scrunchie, I'll tell Austin." She rushes out, her small footsteps carrying her faster than you can imagine. Hmm, I guess she doesn't go out much.
I walk down to meet Austin, he was bent over, searching the fridge for something, I tiptoe up to him, wrapping my arms around him from the back. He raises his head up and hits the edge of the fridge. I laugh as he groans, rubbing the back of his head as he turns to face me. He looks down at my face, his blue eyes holding mine.
I smile when his arms wrap around my waist, the pain at the back of his head forgotten. "I feel like you want to kill me." He whispers, leaning down and pressing his lips to my cheek, I hum, chuckling lightly.
"Maybe." I whisper and pull back, unwrapping my hands from his waist. I grab the Hooch bottle from his hand and open it, taking a swig. He mumbles, something under his breath and I laugh, putting the bottle down. "Neferankh and I are going on a little trip for about three hours, is that okay?" I look into his eyes, he takes the bottle, looking down for a second in thought.
"I guess, just make sure no one talks to her a lot, Kai will have my head if she finds out I let you go without me." He explains I nod in understanding. Kai doesn't trust me, I don't trust her either, but I know she's worried about her child, even though she has another personality that is hell-bent on ruining her life.
"It's okay, I'll take the car, the tracker will be on if we don't come back early enough." I say and he nods, taking a swig of his drink. Neferankh's little legs walk up to me, an adorable wide smile on her face. "Can we go now?" she asks, excitement in her voice. I grab the Polaroid on the kitchen island and turn to her "Well, can we?"
°•°•°|°•°•°
Small legs crunch up dry leaves as we make our way down the footpath. The setting sun cast a beautiful pinkish orange on the horizon, the sound of the water calming the heavy thoughts on my mind "Is this what ma meant when she said you were boring?" Neferankh whispers, almost as if she's scared that the piece might be lost. Typical Kia, badmouthing me to everyone even her child, I turned to Neferankh a chuckle escaping my lips "Don't worry young one your brain won't get fried from boredom." I laugh.
I halt, sitting down on the stone that has been there for as long as I've known the twins. We used to come here all the time during the summer all five of us sometimes Chase would tag along, jumping and swimming in the lake then Storm came along tripping, falling whatever you want to call it for Lola.
I take out the Polaroid wondering how she will be able to hold it "Do you know how to work a Polaroid?" she nods gingerly taking it from me which catches be by surprise. How a seven year old can hold a Polaroid, I don't know "My uncle thought me when I used to live with my grandpa" she mumbles, her hands bringing up the camera to her eye the click caught me by surprise, a proud smile displaying on her face as the photo prints out. she takes the photo and blows at it, I take the photo before she cab afraid she might burn herself again a wondered gasp escapes as I stare at the picture she caught a kiwi with it's bick in the water "This is amazing when did that bird even get close enough?" I breathe out, she blushes hiding behind her hair "I just took it" I just laugh and looked back at the view.
°•°•°|°•°•°
Neferankh had taken a total of seven pictures each one mesmerizing, breathe taking. We'd gotten to talk and once she starts talking she doesn't want to stop. I think our talk is more than she has ever said to me in all the days she has spent with us. I look in the mirror watching her sleep in the back seat out three hours are almost over and Austin has been ringing my phone non-stop. It's like he didn't understand when I said three hours, I meant three hours and a thirty minute drive back home.
Males.
I don't usually find myself driving in the night, but when I do, I always try to remove any distraction, God knows if Neferankh were to be in an accident, Kai wouldn't let me see the light anymore.
I pull up in front of the condo, seeing Austin sitting on the steps, waiting for us to get back. His head lifts up but he immediately shields his eyes from the headlights.
I turn off the car, pulling the key out of the ignition and opening my door. Austin walks up to me, his brows furrowed. "April, it's just 6:30in the evening, why are you using your headlights?" He asks, confused and I smile.
"Oh dear boyfriend, because I don't think I want to get into trouble with Kai, only God knows how grumpy she'll feel since she hasn't been with her daughter for two days." I say and open the back door.
"Awn, she looks so cute." I coo as Austin goes to carry her from the backseat. "Yeah, and devilish." He snorts and she turns in his arms, like she heard him.
I shut the car door, locking it and walking to meet Austin and Neferankh inside. I lock the door behind me, taking off my jacket and my shoes and keeping them at the side. I follow them up the stairs, walking to Austin's room. I take off my shirt and pants, grabbing the towel and walking inside the bathroom.
I let the hot water clean me, leaving red trails down my skin. When I'm satisfied that I'm clean enough, I grab the towel, wrapping it around my body. I dry myself, stepping out and taking my PJ's.
I tug them on, walking out of the bathroom but I stop when I see Austin laying down on the bed, shirtless. Hot damn.
"Hey babe."