The twins return
“Alex! Alena!” Lily hurried down the stairs to greet her cousins.
“Hey! Wow, you’ve grown up,” Alex said, giving Lily a hug.
“Five years does a lot when you’re a teenager.” She looked down at the few bags between them. “Is that all you brought?”
“I guess so.” Alex glanced at the bags. “I’m going to be spending a lot of time at the Sanctuary too, you know. It doesn’t really make sense for me to bring everything back and forth does it?”
“I guess not. How is Helen by the way?” Since her mother brought her to the manor they hadn't been in touch with the Sanctuary very often.
“She wasn’t thrilled with us moving out but she’s fine otherwise. What about you? Have our aunts smothered you yet?”
Lily nodded, Alex and Helen had always been close. “They tried but Mom’s been pretty good about keeping them off me.”
“Where is Jac, by the way?” Alena asked.
“Oh she’s at work. She won’t be back until late.”
“I guess that means it’s up to you to get me caught up.” Jacqueline had gone back to the manor a few years ahead of the twins to get things in order. “Is everyone moved in all right?”
“Yes to both, and everyone is just fine.” Lily reached down and picked up one of Alena’s bags. “Come on, I’ll show you where your rooms are and take you up to the office.”
“You mean I don’t get my old room?” Alex joked. She was still sleeping in the nursery when she left. That was before Lily was born.
Lily chuckled, leading them upstairs. “I see you still have your sense of humor. You get the room next to it, by Aunt Michelle.”
“Which means once people start having kids you will never sleep again,” Alena teased, quickly jumping away from Alex before she could shove her.
“Who says that I sleep now?”
Lily giggled. She’d missed her cousins, and Alena seemed to have opened up quite a bit in the last few years. “I bet you were up all night with Helen last night.” She could just picture the two of them curled up on a couch together and talking until the sun came up.
Alex nodded. “Most of it, we fell asleep eventually. At least I did. I wouldn’t be surprised if she stayed up to watch over me.”
“They were your last hours under her protection,” Alena pointed out. Then she added, “Even if you did promise to call her tonight.”
“I have to let her know how we’re settling in. She is my mother.”
“This is your room Alena.” Lily opened one of the doors and set the bag she was carrying on the floor by the bed. “You’re next to me and Alex is further down the hall by the stairs up to the infirmary.”
“I think you might need to give her a tour later.” The last time Alena was here was before their mother gave her up. She was three months old. Alex nodded down the hall as Alena put her bags on the bed. “I’ll leave my door open; you can join us in there when you’re done.”
Alena nodded and started to unpack while Lily took Alex to her room. “She’s changed a lot.”
“You didn’t expect her to stay the same, did you?”
Lily shrugged, “Sort of, yeah.” Alena was logical, intelligent, and very, very stubborn. It wouldn't have surprised her at all.
Alex gave her a small smile and entered her new bedroom, trying not to think that it used to belong to Alexa. “She and I aren’t going to be the only ones getting used to things, it seems.” As soon as she sat her bag down she opened it and started to unpack her clothes.
Lily sat down on the bed, propping her chin in her hand. “Well I knew that. This is the first time all of us have lived together.”
“Then don’t be surprised when things change.”
After she finished with the clothes her bag was almost empty. From what little Lily could see there were only a few pictures and keepsakes at the very bottom. “Are you sure this is all you wanted to bring?”
Alex picked up her pictures and set them out on a shelf by the bed. “I’m sure. I don’t really need a lot, and it’s not like I’ll be living without. I just won’t have everything here. Plus, I think Mom needed some reassurance that I was coming back.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter as long as you’re here when we need you.”
“I will be, don’t worry.” When everything was arranged the way she wanted, she turned to Lily. “Now let’s see what I’m getting into.”
“Hey! Wow, you’ve grown up,” Alex said, giving Lily a hug.
“Five years does a lot when you’re a teenager.” She looked down at the few bags between them. “Is that all you brought?”
“I guess so.” Alex glanced at the bags. “I’m going to be spending a lot of time at the Sanctuary too, you know. It doesn’t really make sense for me to bring everything back and forth does it?”
“I guess not. How is Helen by the way?” Since her mother brought her to the manor they hadn't been in touch with the Sanctuary very often.
“She wasn’t thrilled with us moving out but she’s fine otherwise. What about you? Have our aunts smothered you yet?”
Lily nodded, Alex and Helen had always been close. “They tried but Mom’s been pretty good about keeping them off me.”
“Where is Jac, by the way?” Alena asked.
“Oh she’s at work. She won’t be back until late.”
“I guess that means it’s up to you to get me caught up.” Jacqueline had gone back to the manor a few years ahead of the twins to get things in order. “Is everyone moved in all right?”
“Yes to both, and everyone is just fine.” Lily reached down and picked up one of Alena’s bags. “Come on, I’ll show you where your rooms are and take you up to the office.”
“You mean I don’t get my old room?” Alex joked. She was still sleeping in the nursery when she left. That was before Lily was born.
Lily chuckled, leading them upstairs. “I see you still have your sense of humor. You get the room next to it, by Aunt Michelle.”
“Which means once people start having kids you will never sleep again,” Alena teased, quickly jumping away from Alex before she could shove her.
“Who says that I sleep now?”
Lily giggled. She’d missed her cousins, and Alena seemed to have opened up quite a bit in the last few years. “I bet you were up all night with Helen last night.” She could just picture the two of them curled up on a couch together and talking until the sun came up.
Alex nodded. “Most of it, we fell asleep eventually. At least I did. I wouldn’t be surprised if she stayed up to watch over me.”
“They were your last hours under her protection,” Alena pointed out. Then she added, “Even if you did promise to call her tonight.”
“I have to let her know how we’re settling in. She is my mother.”
“This is your room Alena.” Lily opened one of the doors and set the bag she was carrying on the floor by the bed. “You’re next to me and Alex is further down the hall by the stairs up to the infirmary.”
“I think you might need to give her a tour later.” The last time Alena was here was before their mother gave her up. She was three months old. Alex nodded down the hall as Alena put her bags on the bed. “I’ll leave my door open; you can join us in there when you’re done.”
Alena nodded and started to unpack while Lily took Alex to her room. “She’s changed a lot.”
“You didn’t expect her to stay the same, did you?”
Lily shrugged, “Sort of, yeah.” Alena was logical, intelligent, and very, very stubborn. It wouldn't have surprised her at all.
Alex gave her a small smile and entered her new bedroom, trying not to think that it used to belong to Alexa. “She and I aren’t going to be the only ones getting used to things, it seems.” As soon as she sat her bag down she opened it and started to unpack her clothes.
Lily sat down on the bed, propping her chin in her hand. “Well I knew that. This is the first time all of us have lived together.”
“Then don’t be surprised when things change.”
After she finished with the clothes her bag was almost empty. From what little Lily could see there were only a few pictures and keepsakes at the very bottom. “Are you sure this is all you wanted to bring?”
Alex picked up her pictures and set them out on a shelf by the bed. “I’m sure. I don’t really need a lot, and it’s not like I’ll be living without. I just won’t have everything here. Plus, I think Mom needed some reassurance that I was coming back.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter as long as you’re here when we need you.”
“I will be, don’t worry.” When everything was arranged the way she wanted, she turned to Lily. “Now let’s see what I’m getting into.”