I am so afraid.
Time will steal you away
and I can already hear
his hurried
f o o t s t e p s
-David Jones-
•••|•••|
I glare at the figure sitting in the corner on the floor, stuffing his face with cereal. He looks up to me, with an innocent smile on his face and I scoff, narrowing my eyes at him. He isn't even supposed to be eating cereal at 8:00 p.m, that's just wrong. But of course, he's a child and he will stop at nothing until he gets exactly what he wants. Stupid Nolan!
Now I know I ain't supposed to be mad at some random kid -who also happens to be my cousin- but that's not the point, the point is, I'm frustrated with my parents and everyone else for leaving me with the spawns of the devil. Yes, you read that right, spawns, with a capital S.
I also know it's not supposed to be in capital, leave me alone.
After Austin's drama queen act of passing out, everyone thought it's a good idea to leave us two alone, but not just alone, with the children of the Illuminati! Grandma Cecile, Grandma Leigh, Grandpa Davis and Grandpa Max left us in this whole manor house with four kids that can literally tear the whole place down in five minutes top, and a grown man that doesn't act any different from them.
That's the price you pay for being the smart one.
"Nolan put the bowl in the sink." I groan when he starts stretching but can't even reach the sink. "Just put it on the counter or something." He looks up at the counter and back at me.
"I can't reach the counter." He blinks at me like I'm the child. "Then how did you even get the bowl?" I exasperate and he starts blinking like he's trying to find a way to explain it.
"F-forget, give- just give me the bowl!" I grab it from his hands and quickly wash it.
"Aunty April!" A voice shrieks out as I hear multiple fast tiny footsteps make their way to me.
"What Rayne? What do you want?" I cry when I see the heads of three looking at me with big eyes. "Aunty April, I'm hungry!" They all nod rather harshly as she says that, even Nolan, the dumb kid who just had cereal, again!
"You just had dinner, and I see you nodding Nolan, I will shove you into that sinkhole!" He holds his hands up to his mouth like I said a cuss word.
"Yeah, but I'm hungry again, and I want pasta!" Rayne crosses her arms and frowns. "Nope, no pasta for you!" I roll my eyes and go back to ignoring them when Chad pinches my thigh.
"What the fu-!"
"Don't cuss in front of the children April!" Austin yells from the living room and I growl, narrowing my eyes at the innocent kitchen entrance.
"Yeah, don't cuss Aunty April, if you're not going to feed us then I won't leave you alone, I want pasta!" She starts yelling and suddenly it turns into a chant that all four of them scream at the top of their lungs.
"Okay! You listen here demons, I'll give you the fries Nana Abigail made this afternoon, for that you give me peace or I will tie you four up to the top of the pergola in the rain until your parents get back, I'll do it you, know I will, deal, deal! Now get out of my face!" They shriek as they tumble over each other to get out of the kitchen.
"Awesome babysitting skills April, I didn't know you had it in ya!" Austin laughs as he walks past the children, stepping to the side so as not to get hit.
"Shut it!" I roll my eyes as I grab the fries and reheat them in the microwave.
"I know you're going to be mad if I say this, but I'm also hungry." I turn slowly and give him a death glare which he smiles sheepishly at.
And that is how I ended up making a whole pot of spaghetti.
°•°•°|°•°•°
"Nolan, Uthur, Chad, Rayne, get down here now!" I tell at the top of my voice as I place their plates on the dinner table.
"You'd be so great with our children." Austin muses and I give him a look. "Not the time? No? Okay." He nods and shuts his mouth, taking his plate from me.
I grab the heated fries and sit beside Austin, munching on them as the children rush into the dining room. "Thanks, Aunty April, I'm starving." Chad sighs as he grabs the plastic fork. I don't trust these kids to eat dinner peacefully without turning everything they see into weapons. Who knows, forks might be the new baby pitchforks.
Austin steals one of my fries and pops it in his mouth, grinning at me. "You're going to get constipation," I remark and his grin falls slightly.
"Thanks, Aunty April, I'm full!" They chorus and I look down at their plates and smile when I see that it's empty.
"Alright, I'll-" I'm cut off with the sound of their tiny feet hitting the floor as they rush out with their plates in hand. I follow them, muttering very colorful words under my breath as I watch their legs disappear into the kitchen. For little children, they sure have fast feet.
I walk into the kitchen and nearly choke when I see Rayne sitting on Chad's shoulder with Nolan holding the plates and handing them to Rayne while Uthur is holding both Rayne and Chad steady so she doesn't fall. "They have pretty good teamwork, you know." I jump a solid three feet in the air as Austin suddenly appears behind me.
"Yeah, kill me and hide my body in the backyard while you're at it." I murmur under my breath as I place my hand on my chest. He moves past me after ruffling my hair and walks behind the unsuspecting children.
"What in the world are you doing you rascals?" Rayne shrieks and the last plate slips into the sink with a loud clang and she almost slips off Chad. Austin immediately grabs her and puts her down while stabling Chad and Uthur. "Never do that again, now get to the living room." He wants and they nod furiously and dash out of the room.
I smile and wrap my arms around his waist, kissing his cheek. "You looked so cute telling those demons off." I hum and he grins. "Really? Why don't you reward me for being such a cutie pie, huh?" He wiggles his brows and I smirk.
"Well, if you want a reward so bad, why don't you wash the dishes? Sucker!" I cackle as I escape his clutches, dashing out of the room like one of those demons.
I walk into the living room and plop onto the couch, right in between the four children who are already glued to the TV. They shuffle closer to me, each part of their body touching me. I hug them closer and place a kiss on their foreheads. They might be demons but they are cute little demons.
I relax into the couch, my eyes on the tv but my attention is elsewhere as I watch Austin make his way towards me. His insomnia has been getting to him a lot lately, mostly when he was still in San Diego but it seems like it got worse. I found out that he hasn't been sleeping right, waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep, I guess the exhaustion was too much so he passed out that day. At least that's what the doctor said. He's been on a prescription for sleeping pills and that's just not something I'm comfortable with.
Most times he can sleep without them but he'll get up after an hour or two and not get back to sleep.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" He asks, kissing my forehead. "You," I sigh and his brows raise.
"That's bold, it better be about my gorgeous eyes and amazing hair." He flips his hair that I notice is starting to get longer. I smile and shake my head at him.
"Shut up, we all know I have the best hair!" I argue and he pulls back as if offended. Ha!
"Um excuse me but-"
"What the heck! Saturn's a slut!" Rayne shrieks and I look at her horrified. The boys look confused as they look between her and the TV.
"Rayne, what are you talking about?" I exhale, already tired of them.
"Think about it! She's got many things meaning she's a slut!" She exclaims again and I pinch the bridge of my nose while Austin tries to contain his laughter.
"Rayne, Saturn's not a- how do you even know what a slut is?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at her.
"I heard Mara talking to Marie about it and when I asked, she told me it was a female that can't stay with one guy." She explains and Austin stops laughing.
"For a five-year-old, you all speak pretty good English with clean accents." He wonders out loud and I groan, pulling at my hair.
"You know what, I'm not going to deal with this, it's three hours till New Year and I'm not going to stress myself, I'm going to enjoy this evening like I'm supposed to be doing if I wasn't stuck in this dumb house. You four are going to bed after this stupid cartoon is over and I'm not going to hear a single word from you or else, you'll be sleeping in dark. So shut the fuck up!" They all gasp.
"You said a cuss word."
"Nolan I will kick you!" I glare at the boy and he furrows his brows. "But I didn't say it, Uthur said it!" He cries and I smile.
"Well too bad, I've been wanting to kick for a long time anyway, might as well just have a good excuse to do it and Uthur, there is a very special glue in my room, what would you say if I used it as lipstick on you huh?" He shakes his head at me, looking terrified and I smile widely.
"Good, now watch." They all turn their attention back to the television, trying not to make any noise.
"You're a natural." Austin beams at me.
°•°|°•°
"You know Adam, you look hotter with a beard, makes you look more manly than you actually are." I muse and Adam stops smirking to glare at me.
"She's not wrong." Macy comments, going back to shoving her face with peanut butter. "Babe, you said you loved it on me." Adam whines and she rolls her eyes at him.
"Can you guys shut up, I'm trying to shave Zayan's baby sister's doll's hair off in peace." Temi rolls her eyes and holds the scissors and the doll up to the camera. Half of the doll's hair was chopped and she was still smiling at the camera.
"What did the poor child do to you?" Lola asks, rubbing her forehead while sipping on her iced coffee latte.
"Child? That is the spawn of the first-ever demon to be sent to hell, mated with a creature of darkness and born in the biggest pits of hell with blazing black fire that even Sasuke or Itachi can make with falling snakes that have the most poisonous venom in the entire universe," She sucks in a deep breath, "Now that is a proper description of that child."
"Wow, that is deep." Mia murmurs, blinking fast. It's one hour to Christmas and Adam and Macy, Temi, Lola, Mia and I are on a video call. Austin is putting the children to bed, I can't deal with them for longer than three hours max. Temi holds up the doll's completely shaved head and beams at us, looking proud at her handiwork. She tosses it next to the other shaved dolls just as Zayan walks in.
"Hey guys, I'm sorry, I need to steal my girlfriend, for now, my parents are hosting a party and we have to be there so, bye guys." Temi blows a kiss to us before her screen goes black. "Alright, my sister is gone so I better go too, Storm is taking me to a pub in his countryside, it's going to be lit I tell you, I'll send you guys the pictures!" She giggles as she stands up and cuts the call.
"Yeah, make me feel worse about babysitting." I murmur and Macy and Adam blow raspberries at me. "Mia, they're being mean to me!" I whine and she rolls her eyes while waving me off.
"I'm cooking April, you're a big girl, handle yourself." I glare at her, murmuring under my breath about how underappreciated I am.
"Baby girl, you're still on the call?" I hear Austin ask quietly as he closes the door behind him. I tilt my head back to look at him and he leans towards me, placing a soft kiss on my lips.
"Hmm, they're asleep now, you're welcome." He hums and plops down on the bed. I roll my eyes and turn back to the screen to find Mia wiggling her brows at me with Adam and Macy whistling.
"Shut your face." I groan and they all chuckle.
"Hey, Austin!" Mia chirps and I turn the screen to him. I excuse myself for a quick bathroom break. After I'm done with my business, I wash my hands and then my face, I grab a face towel and walk out of the bathroom. I see Austin laughing and hear Mario's voice in the background screaming and pleading to someone. I dive into the bed with Austin and wrap my arms around his waist. He pecks my head and yawns causing me to smile.
"I guess my therapy is working." I chuckle lowly and he quirks a brow at me. "Alright, I'mma leave you lovey-dovey five-year-olds, I'll see you guys in a few weeks!" Mia waves and we all tell her bye before her line gets disconnected. I look at Macy and see her watching the empty tub of ice cream and I roll my eyes. "What? Don't judge me, I'm a pregnant woman, I'm allowed to crave whatever I want I want more ice cream, with some fries." Adam looks like he's about to tear up as she pecks his cheek, giggling to herself.
"Alright Adam, I'll let you deal with your hormonal psychotic wife, bye, happy new year." I wave at him and he just blinks at me before doing a short wave.
"I wonder what you'll look like if you're pregnant, all round and cute and looking even shorter." Austin laughs, tickling my sides. I groan and smack his chest.
"Shut up and kiss me." I murmur and he hums, rubbing his nose along my jawline and I groan, grabbing his face and taking his lips hostage with mine in a firm kiss.
"Woah, if you're going to kiss me like this every time I imagine you round and short, then don't be surprised if you find out that'll be your new nickname." He chuckles between kisses and I smack his chest again but harder. He winces and rubs his chest, pouting at me.
I grab my phone and lay my head on Austin's chest, snuggling closer into his warmth. As my screen comes on, it pings with a tweet from June. I open it and see a picture of herself and Hakeem partying their life away ans I narrow my eyes at the picture, glaring slightly. I see May and Devin in the background, lip-locking, and scarring probably everyone in the whole entire building.
"Wow, have more fun without me, jerks," I murmur and send her a grumpy face emoji. I turn my phone off and place it on the bedside table.
"Happy fourteen minutes till new years babe." Austin kisses my hair and I smile at him. "Happy fourteen minutes to new Year, old man." I tease and he chuckles.
A scream has us jumping away from each other and I can tell you that it's not from the movie we're about to watch. I jump to my feet, nearly slipping them into my slippers.
I rush to the children's room and fling the door open with Austin in tow. What I see has my eyes narrowing at Nolan with wet streaks coming from his mouth and what looks like cereal and spaghetti on Rayne's pajama shirt.
"Nolan, pack your favorite teddy right now! You're sleeping at the top of the pergola!" I growl out and he looks like he's about to shit himself.
"Hey, calm down, you're going to make him vomit more." Austin voices, his tone full of concern. He takes Nolan and leads him to the bathroom and I groan, reaching for Rayne who looks like she's about to start wailing. I take her to the next bathroom which also happens to be Mara's bathroom and smells a lot like cheap perfume.
I pick her up, trying to avoid any contact with the puke, and place her on the sink, her tiny body sitting perfectly still. I open the tap and start rinsing her shirt off, making sure to get all the stains off before taking the shirt off her. I'll wash it later, but for now, I'll leave it as a new years surprise package for Mara.
I pick Rayne up and smell her to see if she still has any vomit on her. When I'm satisfied, I place her on my hip and walk back to the children's room where Austin is tucking the boys in. I put Rayne on her bed and reach for a new pajama shirt and watch as she puts it on, roughing her hair up in the process.
Austin sucks his teeth in disappointment and crouches down in front of her, putting her hair up in the perfect sleepytime bun. Huh, Layla taught him well.
"Alright you guys, go to bed now." I place a kiss on their heads and start walking out when Chad calls for me.
"We can't sleep." He says and Austin claps his hands together. Alright, everyone wear something thick and your boots, we're going to see the fireworks and scream the countdown, you ready?" All the kids jump up and out of bed, racing to the closet and dragging their boots and jackets out. Austin pulls me to our room and hands me one of his huge jackets as I slip on my Uggs.
He drags me to the back door at the kitchen after he was done and we see the children practically jumping like they're high on sugar, on a sugar frenzy!
We rush out with thirty seconds to new Year, hurrying as I close the door behind me.
"Oh my God, it's HAPPENING!" Rayne squeals as the soft raindrops wet her face.
"You ready? At the top of your voice!" Chad yells, rubbing his hands together.
Ten.
Oh, we're really doing this!
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
Four.
"I need to poo!" God, no!
"Three, hold it in!" Uthur yells at Chad.
"Two!"
"One! Happy New Year!"