The weekend has always been to make the 2 hour drive down to Grandpa's. The man wasn't made of money but he sat on wealthy benefits from being a veteran in both army and police. So he has nicer things then being at home. Large TV he shared watching amazing channels. He had a big backyard with that grill to feed 19 people. If you had been starved enough the whole week, the weekend had always made up for it.
It was family tradition to have three people working the kitchen. The able men did the lawn mowing and Grandpa's in charge of the grill. The big TV had the family choosen gameshows or TV series at play. There was a guest bedroom with a small TV that her brother watched something else on. She was to small or young for much. She sort of just did basic things like table layout, drinks and watching the large TV. The women cooking would occasionally ask for repeat of that the correct game show answers were. Although Little miss can't read, she is a good listener and learnt these triva answers. She was even getting good at answering the questions correctly before they were announced. Something her Grandpa had taken notice a lot about how mature and unlike her age she is. That she never complained about things. She would ask for help if she was really hurt. She may cry through pain but she didn't make attention to herself. She was very independent at sorting out drinks. Although she can't read, she tries and has a good handle of basics. She counts better then her brother. His grades ahead and struggles. But she can do his math homework. Gladly her brother hasnt taken advantage of such things. He is like everyone else, assuming she is stupid.
This evening was no exceptional change of things in how it ran. The women were arguing about some book called pride and Prejudice. It been made into a TV series that they watched often. Little child is setting the dinner table alone. She even got the silverware from the kitchen without being in the way. She sits at the table wiping them to shine, like she seen on TV advertises with big name chiefs. She sets each spot, even having the knife on the correct side of where the dish goes.
"Doesn't Mr Darce have that freind? That best friend married the youngest sister. You said that back in those times that having the youngest girl married made marrying off the older ones like Elizabeth harder." She chimes as the kitchen was silent.
"It's scary that my own daughter knows Pride and Prejudice better then my sister." Her mom sighed and gladly now the argument about that subject was over. She began to now align the chairs correctly. She looks up to the strangers sitting at sofa. She slowly looked to the kitchen to see if her mom, aunt and grandmother noticed. No... She looked for her brother. His sharing the TV with a horned weirdo. She walks in pretending to ignore these guys, making it to the back door and going outside. She sees that her uncle hacking away the big orange tree was being helped by a winged guy. So she stands beside her Grandpa, he has no one around him that is strange. He doesn't look weird. Her mom had a clay mask and a ribbon over her eyes. But she could see with chopping vegetables.
"It's seems wrong." She meant his grill as actually there is something sitting in the flames of the grill, "Are we having grilled lizard, Grandpa?" She asked him, "And do we need another table? These invisible people on your sofa again." He jolts in what she said and looks at her worried expression. He used the tongs and removed the imp from his grill. He also picked her up, holding her ad she felt safer with him. He continued grilling while holding her. He looks around carefully and he sees what she does. He sighed in why his granddaughter had to be this gifted. He scruffed her head in reassuring her. Big hands and bear strong hugs. She was now calm down.
"They will not believe you, so you can't tell your mom. You don't want to be taken away for being right. Keep the invisible people a secret and don't ever interact with them. Do not talk to them or react to the things they do. They aren't there, you can walk through them and understand that." She softly nods agreeing with this, "Good girl. Someday you should talk to them but not yet." He now puts her down. She opens the slide door and one these folks stood in the way. Just as her Grandpa said, they aren't there. She walks through them. They also ignored her as she ignored them. It was for the better to keep it this way. She closed the slide door to stop mosquitos and now it seems the invisible weirdos can't get in or out too. She goes back to the dinner table frowns unimpressed of how it was messy. The imp on her brother shoulder laughed. She works hard at putting it back straight. She doesn't bother with the chairs but she did check them in case that a knife or something was on one. There shadow cat under there, she quickly left that alone. Grandpa doesn't have pets.
"The potato salad is done." Her mom puts it to the table on the coater, "Lovely job with the table."
"Thank you." She says a little sly, unsure of looking at her mom's ribbon covered eyes, "But it looks like a cat knocked things over." Which was an accurate picture of the tables half hazard silverware.
"It does." Her mom looked at it with that passed.
"We put a plate on top to keep flies out." Her daughter resolving the next possible chance a imp has, "Potato salad is important to balance." Trying to babble the nerve out of her system. She has that napkin from before. It gladly still clean. She dusted off the plate before placing it in on the top of the bowl. Her mother straightens the silverware a little, "It keeps the energy inside. The hot escape in the air with that condensation." Trying use bigger words in the correct manner. Her mother blinks a few times in how smart that was for someone that should only be in a grade behind her brother. Even he doesn't use language that way yet. His still learning about it. Her mother can see that her daughter is much smarter then what those report cards come back as. She may watch a lot of TV, but she using what she learnt into understanding and daily life. Being caught gaurd in how mature her daughter can be.
"What was the answer to the question about the stones again?" Her aunt interrupted with placing the corn on a combs down on the other coaster.
"They use uranium or some other radioactive small amount in fire detectors. Using the steady beam of gamma radiation."
"No that wasn't the question." Her aunt huffed, "But close. It was about kitchen work tops being recalled."
"Grait releases small tracing of radiation. Because the crystal formed in it release it from contact with oxygen with air molecular bonds." Better answer, "It's nothing serious unless you're currently going through cancer treatments. The daily background radiation isn't bad but in a long term use could cause problems."
"Impressive." Her aunt sighed, "Can you even spell the word Radiation?" Such a back hand on her aunt was just going to insult her aunt further she continued to be to smart. She shook no to that. In keeping peace, it's sometimes better to pretend not to be smarter then what they think.
The table has the final finishes and the grilled meat comes in. Her uncle gets the big ice water he asked for. Her aunt sorted that, afraid that germs would spread. It was a back way of saying that the child was infection with stupid. Her aunt was never a child raising sort. But her time will come when such things will change.
Everyone went in turn to wash hands. Just to please people, Lea washed her hands twice. Doesn't touch her face unless it was with a napkin. But still a small face that guarantees being messy, regardless of the effort. There wasn't a conversation for the children to be a part of at the table tonight. But it is a lot of references of her grandfather is talking about the invisible people. He talks like he had a phone from them and that he was having to make some difficult decisions because of this call. He talked of cutting back spending for Christmas this year and making these Saturdays every 2 weeks. But he was also pushy about having someone properly have some tests on both children. His grandson is clearly got ADHD and his granddaughter isn't as special needs as she seems. Of which such things being in the air mad her aunt leave the table abrupt. Not sure which parts of it mad her aunt more mad. Her uncle softly excused himself to go sort her out. Her grandmother smashed more potato salad on both children's plates. Gesturing that the should finish their plates. Her brother left the table because he was overwhelmed, he was shivering while trying to finish the plateful he had already. So the added food made him mad.
"I really am enjoying this food but I think this is to much. I don't want to be sick in the car." She always ends up eating to much and had always been sick. She been trying to be good at learning amounts of food, like the chef on TV said. She doesn't like being sick all the time. She also didn't want to hurt her grandmother's feelings for how everyone wasn't eating the potato salad for some reason. Maybe there was something in the potato salad today that does make people sick, but no one want to hurt her grandmother's feelings.
"You don't leave this table until this plate is clean." Her grandmother all red cheek and more awkward feelings.
"There isn't any dessert tonight." Her Grandpa makes sure this isn't a ply on her part to save room for it.
"I know that there isn't. I will try to finish." She really is trying to do this. Waiting not next Saturday but Saturday after for a full tummy. She wanted to make the most of this. She stays as good as she can be. Picking bits as she goes. She knows of she eats the other bits that isn't potato, she can enjoy the salad better. Potato will over fill her tummy later. She eats slow and is the last person at the dinner table, it seems her brother never came back to finish his. So she has to stay. Being the last meant the invisible people were going to bother her. It was one them neat not horned or wing people that removed the boiled demon imp put the potatoes. That explains the sickness around the potatoes at least. She plays with the potatoes bits at her plate. She doesn't want to be sick.
"Your grandmother's in the toilet. You did a good job." Her Grandpa pats her head, "I will sort the plate out."
"I think the mayonnaise went off." She winks and he smiles at likes her excuse. She helps with other people's dishes. Plates, silverware and cups to the sink. She wondered if her aunt was sensitive to sensing the invisible weirdos. But it hard to tell. She can't fault her aunt if that the case. Seeing a boiled demon pulled out from the potatoes would make everyone sick.
"That little girl is sensitive aware." One the invisible people wrote on a crystal slate.
"Keep that to yourselves. She's too young." Her Grandpa muttered and they crossed it that information lightly. He softly nods with them. Her aunt coming from the back door side looks at Grandpa with a odd look.
"Is everything OK there dad?"
"Something isn't right about the mayonnaise in the potatoe salad. I am just wondering how to tell your mother."
"I am not the only one that found the potatoes weird." Her aunt sighed in relief, "I will deal with the salad, so it doesn't get taken home." Lea at the kitchen sink with dirty stacking the plates. Food was neatly in the bin. There isn't a mess at the floor and she even washed her hands after. Her aunt pats shoulder on passing, "You did a good job with that last part. You didn't have to finish eating that potatoe." Her aunt get the bowl tips it to the bin, "If grandmother noticed it gone. You tell her that your uncle packed it."
Soft nod and her aunt took the trash out quickly from that. A smart move on little ones part to have a bin bag ready. She looks sad as one them invisible people puts the corpse in that bin. So now she had to use the excuse of vomiting into the bin. She stood ready with her aunt back in.
"I am sorry auntie... i could get the toilet fast enough. I put the new bag in. The smell." She frowns in holding her mouth like she already had been sick. Her aunt huffed very mad of a child having no contorl. She takes put this bag took and is caught red handed of grandmother being in the kitchen.
"She was sick while waiting to use the toilet. Be glad she used the bin and not the floor." Her aunt puts the blame to little one and her grandmother face is bright red. She puts up with her grandmother telling her off.
"No dessert tonight!"
"I didn't want any!" Shouted back at her grandma, "The mayonnaise was weird and now my tummy aches." She shouted so loud that she actually was sick. She moved past her angry grandmother for the free toilet. Alone to cry and be sick, just another typical Saturday. She doesn't like hurting other people's feelings. She never complained back at them because she seen how bad her brother gets. She knows the punishment he gets for acting up and that of they had equal blame, they get the same punishment. She wipes her face and flushed that toilet herself. She sits on the tub edge continplating if she could handle that better. She can hear the adults all in up roar. She cried a little more for being the cause of problems. Her brother evaded the adults came to at least check on her. He gladly comforts her, knowing she not at fault for being sick from the potatoes.
"I should have had you escape the table with me when I seen the thing in the potatoes." He pats her back.
"It looked horrible." She softly mutters, "The popped eye was really disgusting." He stops patting her back and they looked at each other in that knowing, "I like your friend but I don't think he means you good."
"No, he is always getting me in trouble." He sighed and looked at the ceiling, "Who else knows?"
"Grandpa. He said its a secret. But you said it first so... We have each other at least." He pats her back like normal and she vomited again. It been all potatoes salad. She flushed once she was stopped again. She felt dehydrated and sore from this. A little dizzy from the convulsions. He helps her sit up again. He checked her temp which indeed raised quiet high. He looked worried for her.
"I am starting to wish there was dessert." She very pale now and shivery. He helps clean her up and keeps her steady to the guest bedroom. She lays down on her side like always. He opened a can of fizz he took from the kitchen. He gave her one and opens his own. They stay here watching whatever channel this was. Some sort of adult cartoon show. The imp explains the adult dirty jokes, making it quiet educational in a bad way for both of them. But it's nice. The cola was settling her tummy and she not so pale anymore from the sugar raise.
"Thanks brother." She softly mutter in having finished that drink and softly was nearly asleep.
"Your mom isn't mine. My mom is your aunt. I wish you stop calling me brother." She definitely hear him and she thinks about this. It doesn't seem so earth shattering as thinks it was. He covered his mouth like he wasn't meant to say it.
"But our mom changed both our diapers. The the dictionary states what a mom is never seemed right to me." She poked his head, "You dork."
"Yeah right desk drool." He poked her back but he clearly seem to take that set of words to heart. That family wasn't something written in a dictionary.
"I can spell Radiation. I just didn't to not hurt aunties feelings. She seemed already all upset from the kitchen. I didn't want to poke a sleeping bear." She softly said and he smirks in thinking this over. She all the sudden to his world of veiw was a much smarter. She was crossing the same egg shells as him, but having to do so at other manners. She wasn't strong enough to run away, always being sick it seems. He didn't want to look after her if they did run away together. Just some of the sort things that crossed his mind by this revolution.
"Time to go." Her mom turned the TV off, "Shoes now." groggy in sitting up. She does as told but her shoes are on the wrong feet. Her brother finished with his turned to help her. He has new found respect for her maybe half sister. His not quiet got a feel to what to call her. The girl his mom had wasn't acceptable in his mind anymore. Helps her get off the bed, the little cardigan tossed her way. She can do that herself, opens the front door for everyone waiting for her. She looked back of people leaving the house, her mom with a ribbon around her eyes. Now her brother. She must have missed being ribbon. She can see the invisible people stood at the front lawn trying to rewrite the report. They were at a rush and quickly pulled themselves into a black disc. The disc shattered in bits and a breeze gushed the car door behind and she climbs in. Her brother and mother got in all normal acting. They can't see the black goop on them. She can't talk about it and she fears that her brother will be as blind as mom is. In the future, he might less be. She will just have to hold these things until then.