A New Beginning

Chapter 71

Tessa's POV:

I rejoined my family under the heat lamp later in the evening, picking the cooler end this time. The visit seemed to be winding down as the sun approached the horizon.

Maria yawned again, and Adeline kindly told her, "Why don't you go to bed? You stayed up late last night, and it's been a long day filled with a lot of excitement. Your father and Tessa will be here in the morning. They can even take you to school, if you want."

"Yes, please. I would like that," Maria replied, getting to her feet. She gave her mother and father a hug before looking over at me. "Good night, Tessa. I'll see you in the morning."

Like usual, I gave the same soft whistle that I gave everyone who said good morning or good night to me.

Mom lifted her head, watching Maria go into the bathroom.

"Does Maria normally go to her bedroom after this and not come out until morning?" she asked me.

"Yes," I replied, "Sometimes she uses the bathroom in the middle of the night, although Soranto and Adeline have a smaller bathroom attached to their room."

"You realize that this might be the best time to break the news to Adeline, right? It isn't wise to let Soranto try to keep something this important from his wife, even for a short time. He loves her very dearly, and it will tear him up inside."

"Oh. I was going to ask him tomorrow when and how he wanted to tell her."

"Since you plan to include her, do it tonight. Preferably while Taureen and Aeria are here. Being able to talk with other handlers helps them cope with the surprise."

My head turned towards Soranto, and I waited until he finished speaking with Taureen. "Are you alright with telling Adeline about me once Maria goes to sleep? Mom kind of wants Taureen and Aeria here in case she has questions."

Soranto glanced at me and subtly nodded his head. His silent reply both made my muscles relax in relief, but also tense up slightly.

Mom nudged me with her nose. "Don't worry. She cares about you. I barely knew Aeria when I had to speak with her the first time. This will just give her a bigger support group."

The bathroom door opened and Maria went into her room, closing the door behind her. Time seemed to pass far too slowly as the Kymari kept visiting as I waited for Soranto, Taureen, or Aeria to bring the conversation back to the topic of the dragonets.

"I did discover one other thing while in that hidden base," Soranto said, becoming more serious. Recognizing my cue, I glided down to land on his shoulder pad.

"What did you discover?" Adeline asked, noticing her husband's unusual solemnity.

"That Tessa is much, much smarter than I had realized."

"I'm not sure I understand. We both know that she is very smart."

I jumped down to Soranto's knee and lifted my head to look right at her, tilting my head cutely. "But did you know that I can talk?"

She blinked slowly as a stunned expression crossed her face. Her eyes darted over to Taureen and Aeria before moving swiftly back to Soranto and me, unsure of how to react with our company

"It's okay," I reassured her. "Taureen and Aeria also know. Mom and Dad have talked to them for years."

Taureen and Aeria both nodded to emphasize my words.

"I wasn't supposed to talk with Soranto for a while yet, but Mom gave me permission when I got kidnapped. Since he knows, I also wanted to include you. It is a secret though. A big one. Only the other dragonet handlers know about it."