Two Arts

Chapter 12

Sadie raised an eyebrow at me and smiled before answering the video call that must've been my little sister Aurora wanting to show off her certificate award to her too.

I could've never guessed that Sadie was among the list of people that my baby sister would go through when in the mood for video calls. I knew she had our brothers and me on her own Gen-Alpha's version of speed dial, with assigned emojis near our contacts on our moms' phones for her to easily recognize us long before she could recognize our names.

I didn't imagine that Sadie could've kept in contact with her too after our break up, which happened when Rory was barely a toddler.

When Aurora was born Sadie was a senior in high school and about to go to college. We had all been dragged into the delivery room to see her enter the world—which probably had a significant impact on my fear of getting pregnant.

Seeing my mother giving vaginal birth when I was seventeen was the most effective birth control method my parents could've ever come up with.

Maybe alongside making me queer. That had also been pretty effective for several chunks of my life.

Mom Amelia wanted a "magical birth", with the most important women of her life attending and telling stories and singing songs and keeping her company, which was very much on brand with her personality. She had always loved a good party and her people.

She also was the most comfortable person I knew when it came to nudity, so that worked out well too.

My mom Laura obviously had the front row and the most active role—after the medical staff—among everyone, but then my aunts were there, my grandmas, and Chelsea, and Sadie, and I, and so Rory got to be born in our little coven.

To that day it was Rory's favorite story to hear, how so many people were there for her very first birthday ever.

For the majority of it, my main job had been to not pass out.

We did sing her 'Happy Birthday' while she was still slimy and screaming on our mom's chest, but it was mostly for Mom Amelia's benefit, who had just done an insane thing and was finally catching her breath and laughing and crying all at once.

Sadie had stared at me for most of it, a bit embarrassed by the circumstances, a bit actually worried I wouldn't make it, but incredibly happy throughout the whole thing.

She had held my hands and kissed my temples and held me for the parts in which I looked the most pale.

And she had sung my little sister into the world with the rest of my family.

I hadn't let myself think so much about that day for a while, but seeing Sadie picking up the phone made me want to know more about them. It made me want to know about how they kept in touch for years while I was in college and Sadie and I were no longer a couple.

I guessed she was somewhat of a cousin to Rory—if the kid saw her having a similar role as Chelsea and Malakai, my aunts' kids.

"Hey, Love!"

Sadie's voice and words made my heart swell and gallop around in my chest, I had to squeeze my eyes shut for a moment from how overwhelming it was to hear the genuinely happy tone in those words.

It was my turn to enjoy watching her be all cute with my little sister. The difference was that it meant so much more for me. It must've, when she looked at the screen and the child's crooked smile had hints of mine I couldn't help but wish that some of the feelings Sadie had for the kid were a reflection of feelings she might've still had for me.

"Hello, Sadie, guess what!" Rory laughed, unable to hold back her excitement.

In that, she resembled Mom Amelia's character, she was a constant ball of uncontainable joy.