"Good morning, love." Sarah whispered, shaking me gently. The sun streamed through the curtains.
"What time is it?!" I asked, panicked.
"Don't be mad... I called the school and told them you weren't feeling well. I figured we could take today to get used to things. Is that okay?"
I sighed in relief. "Yes, one hundred percent. I was just terrified I was going to be fired or something."
"You know they wouldn't do that, nobody wants to teach anymore. I have so much respect for you for putting up with all of that mess."
I laughed as the adrenaline started to wear off. She was already dressed. She was wearing a pink cardigan over a light blue shirt that reminded me of a princess dress, and white pants. I sat up, and maneuvered our seats so that I was sitting behind her.
"What are you doing love?" She said, through her melodic laughs.
"Hold still. I want to french braid your hair. It would look perfect with your outfit." I said, beginning to weave her strands of hair in between one another.
"Alright, but I can think of another type of frenching that would be much more enjoyable." She said. I couldn't see her face, but I assumed she was smirking, and she probably winked too.
"Let me finish your hair and then we can get right to that." I muttered, struggling to end the braid. I decided to leave the ends of both braids out so she'd have braided pigtails. I got to working on the other side.
As I braided her hair, the motions became mechanical and I lost myself in thought. She had done all of this for me, and what had I ever done for her? Sure, I helped her and her sisters find targets, but she helped me become a witch, she married me, and she made sure the kids were safe for me. I began to wonder if I was good enough for her, but before I could get too deep into that insecurity, I was done with the braid. I wrapped the hair tie against the end, and sat back, admiring my work.
"Done!" I said. She stood up, and offered me her hand. I accepted as she began to rummage through our wardrobe and dresser for an outfit for me. She pulled out a dark purple turtleneck and a black skirt.
"Isn't this your shirt?" I asked.
"Does it really matter?" She responded. She had a point. I got dressed, and we made our way to the kids rooms, hand in hand. As we got to Anya's room, I asked, "Do you mind waking Anya up, or do you want to wait for me to grab Phoebe?" The baby had slept through the entire night, or at least since she got to the house. Sarah glanced at me, and she looked uneasy.
"Actually, would you mind waiting for me?" I asked. I saw her face flash with relief, and she smiled and nodded. I opened Phoebe's door, and she was lying asleep in the bed, content as could be. A thought flashed through my mind.
'Is she alive?'
I rushed over to her crib and began to pick her up, somewhat anxious. She began to stir in my arms, and I let out a deep breath.
In the hallway, Sarah and I stood in front of Anya's door. I twisted the knob to discover Anya awake and playing with her tarot set.
"Good morning!" I smiled.
"Hi!" She said, not even bothering to look up from her cards. The spread in front of her contained 3 cards, being the queen of cups, the seven of wands, and then the lovers, all in an upright position.
I couldn't help but make my own inferences about the implications of those cards.
{should i continue this after halloween? lmk}
