✅ The Last New Start [NaNoWriMo2021]

92. A Milestone

I'm sharing this one a few minutes early, so that I can start writing for Camp NaNoWriMo on the stroke of midnight. This bonus chapter is for Eladon; I hope you enjoy!

As they opened some more of the presents from under the tree, Tess found that she was getting unusually impatient. All the presents were fun to play with, even the silly ones, and she wanted Gabby to take a picture of her every time she tried on a new pendant, or a hairclip with a giant plastic flower on it. But she could only play with each one for a couple of minutes before she wanted to know what was in the other boxes as well. Somehow, boxes in shiny paper were more interesting than even the fanciest of toys.

It wasn't just that she was greedy, or that she wanted to have everything. After a while, she started to realise that she was more excited to see what Ffrances was getting next than about her own. And once she spotted that, she could understand better. It was the magic words she'd said before; she had agreed that they would get really excited about each other's presents, and want to share all the fun. That was really interesting, because the curiosity building up inside her felt completely natural. When she thought about it, Tess could imagine that this was an artificial emotion placed in her head. She couldn't analyse the details, she was too little for that, but there was something exciting about knowing that she was being manipulated and controlled. It was amazing to find that her feelings could be changed like that; and somehow knowing that she was the one in control made it even more fun. She could see what was happening, but her emotions ran away with her and she was starting to realise that she couldn't stop it if she wanted to.

She was helpless and in control at the same time, her thoughts being changed only in the ways that she had agreed to. And even if it was weird, she loved that feeling. It was like being able to have your favourite sweets and try new things all at the same time, the best of both worlds. She liked feeling herself changing, and she loved being the one making the plan, so she could enjoy this twice as much.

She used the magic words again a few times while they were opening the presents, and each time felt like more fun than the last. She made Ffrances a little clumsier, so it was easier for her to need help opening the presents; and she said that both of the little girls would see be surprised but enthusiastic about their presents, meaning that every box they opened was just as much fun, even if it was a repeat of something they'd had before. There were a few things where they got one each, like an executive toy with swinging pink marbles on, and Tess found that they both got just as excited about the second one. It was amazing and entrancing, and she wanted to see what it did even though she had been watching her own, identical, one a couple of minutes before. Knowing that it was going to happen and stil feeling exactly what she'd expected was the most wonderful thing ever, as far as Tess was concerned.

But as the pile of presents slowly got smaller, there was still one big one, with the bottom branches of the plastic Christmas tree resting on top of it. And the more they opened, the more Tess wanted to know what that big one was. She found herself wondering if she could try opening it, and say that she hadn't been able to read the name, Ffrances was probably too little to read, and Gabby might believe it because she really wanted Tess to be littler. But Tess still wanted to be good, and she was taking pride in looking after the baby. She was curious about the the bigger box, and excited to open it. But she was sure that craving was because of the things she had agreed to feel earlier, the magic changing how she thought. And that just made it more exciting. She could keep on playing, and see if she could find a way to see it soon without pushing Ffrances too much.

Another present, and again Tess was looking at the big box. It was her turn to open something, but she wanted to see what her sister had got. And once she'd realised that it was the words from earlier making her want it, every time she tried to resist it just made her want it more. Her mind was filled with thoughts that she couldn't even put into words, and she knew she wouldn't be able to fight those suggestions for long. It was like magic. So she turned to Ffrances and asked if she wanted to see what was in the box; hoping it was something they would be able to play with together. It could be a game, she thought. The box was about as wide as some board games she'd played, but it was a lot taller. Could it be a whole stack of games? But she didn't know if Ffrances was old enough for those, and if there were a bunch of them she thought that they would have gotten a couple each. What else could it be?