Eyes on You

Lin

A/N: Thanks for your support on the original, Eye of the Hurricane.  I hope you enjoy!

Luna was finishing up her breakfast at the table, perfectly on time and ready for school.  Her cousin Ellie was on her booster seat, getting most of her Cheerios in her mouth, but many on the floor.  I checked my watch again and saw that it was about 15 minutes before the girls needed to leave for school. I sighed and strode down the hallways once again to Isabel's room. For the third time this morning.

I was done with knocking. I pushed the door open and found Isabel with her head slightly off the bed, her mouth open as she snored.

"Isabel!" I said loudly, striding to her bed. I stripped the covers off her and gripped her upper arm. She groaned. "Get up. Now."

"I don't wanna go to school," she mumbled to me, trying to turn over on her tummy.

"We're not doing this," I told her as I pulled her up to sitting. "You are fifteen years old. You need to be able to get up without being harassed."

"Why can't I homeschool?" she asked. That was a recipe for disaster. The kid had zero initiative. If she did homeschool it would turn into a non-stop nap and video game session. I didn't answer her, not wanting to get into an argument. The truth was my niece was far from trustworthy. I would never in a million years allow her to be at home by herself with the responsibility of getting things done on her own time. It would be a recipe for disaster.

"Up," I said simply. "I'm not leaving until you stand up."

She rolled her eyes and then yawned. She took her time, pulling the hairband out of the bottom of her braid. She pulled it onto her wrist and began raking her fingers through her hair.

"Isabel," I prompted her.

"Okay!" she moaned, finally pushing herself up. I sighed and walked down the hallway to finish making the girls' lunches. They were in different buildings now but were close enough that they left at the same time and took the same subway. Isabel was a sophomore and Luna was in third grade. They couldn't be more different. Luna was level headed and very conscientious about school. She was excelling in New York City. Isabel, on the other hand, had never quite found her stride. School was a constant battle.

Our daughter Ellie was now three and into everything.  She was constantly laughing and getting into everything.  She was all dressed and ready to go to preschool, except for her shoes.  I got a paper towel and wiped up a little milk she'd gotten on her shirt.

I heard Isabel in the bathroom and Pippa walked down the hall dressed in a professional-looking dress and cardigan. She filled her water bottle and grabbed a banana from the basket.

"Ready, Ellie?" she asked our daughter.  I helped her down and she ran to find her shoes.

"Alright, we're out," she told me, taking Ellie by the hand. My wife gave me a kiss on the lips and tousled Luna's hair before heading out the door. We had married two years before, making her a step-mother to Luna and Isabel. I was still their uncle but I had adopted them three years before. They both still called me Uncle Lin or Lin.

Their father had married his girlfriend, Guadalupe, down in Puerto Rico about two years ago. His wife had a daughter one year younger than Isabel, and they'd since had a son together. Isabel had never gotten over what she saw as a betrayal. He'd basically given up rights to them three years ago when I brought them back to New York City after his arrest and the hurricane. Isabel couldn't understand how he could now have a new family without her. She hadn't seen her father in two years.

Since Luna was all ready for school I let her watch TV for a few minutes while she waited for Isabel to get ready. She finally emerged just a few minutes before it was time to leave. She went to the cabinet, standing on her toes to reaching for the breakfast bars. As she did, the back of her shirt rode up and I saw something dark on her skin.