Prowess

Trying

The sight of the empty bed almost killed Abigail on the spot. Scrambling her feet, she put on her pajama pants and rushed out of the room.

The hallway was silent, all the doors shut. No signs of struggle. The entrance she made into the boys' room was furtive. There were no attackers on sight. She did, however, startle Arthur awake, making Blaze stir in his sleep.

Husband and wife stared at one another for one utterly confused minute during which time stopped. Abigail breathed deeply, attempting to bring herself back down. There was no catastrophe. They were all right there.

And then, before anyone could ask questions, the gazes of the adults were drawn to Blaze, whose hand reached out, still fast asleep, to grasp at Arthur's pants. The two awake inhabitants almost audibly cooed.

The shot of adrenaline the perceived attack gave Abigail was enough to substitute any coffee she might have wanted. Analyzing the situation, she decided the best course of action would be to take a shower and get ready for the job interview.

About an hour later, mere minutes after Abigail left the house, the doorbell rang. The boys were still asleep. Arthur almost hoped it was The Organization, instead of Maya. Thankfully, his wish was not granted.

Once the front door was open, the woman didn't wait for an invitation to come in and sit on the couch. All Arthur could do was helplessly watch.

Maya seemed to be only slightly older than Arthur and Abigail. Her hair was a deep brown colour, possibly artificial, to cover the whites. The skin was pale, adorned with bracelets and necklaces, sparkling and jingling. That day, she wore a baby blue pencil skirt down to her knees and a matching blazer, over a white blouse.

-I'm sorry for the intrusion-Maya said.-I'm not usually this forward, but I came to talk to you about something.

When Arthur took a seat next to her, the neighbour opened her mouth to go on. Before she could, however, her eyes got lost in the mostly empty living room.

-Yes?-the man spoke up, bringing her back to the conversation.

-I-I came to ask if your sons have been enrolled in school yet.

-Austin and Blaze?-Arthur repeated quietly.-In school?

-Aren't their names Hugo and Blake?

All the healer could hear for the next few seconds was his heartbeat in his ears. Damned morning brain...

-Yes!-he ended up saying, so as to cover for himself.-Those are their second names. We always call them by their seconds names...

-Your son is called Blaze Blake?

-B-Blake Austin and Hugo Blaze.

Maya gave a nod cloaked in doubt.

-Of course-she even said, although she meant the opposite.-I've been seeing them around all day, so I assume they're not in school. You must not have had time to enroll them. With the last minute moving and all...

Arthur could have sworn he was actually sweating.

-They- They're homeschooled, actually.

Maya's forehead creased.

-Homeschooled?

-Yes! By me-Arthur said.-I'm a teacher.

-And you teach... Everything?

Praying she wouldn't ask a physics or math question, Arthur shrugged.

-What can I say? I'm a very eclectic learner. And teacher.