Sebastian Bear (complete)

FOURTEEN

FOURTEEN

Madeline woke to the sun and the distinct sounds of children laughing. She detached herself from Sebastian's arms, walking soundlessly across the carpeted flooring. She could hear Ethan, she'd recognize his giggle anywhere. The second laugh was foreign to her ears, more high-pitched, more frequent. It wasn't normal for Ethan to have a playdate. What with his bashfulness and Maggie's busy work schedule, the kid only hung out with other kids during the school year.

A few feet down the hall, Madeline peaked in Ethan's room. He sat on the floor surrounded by multicolored blocks, a little girl with bright red hair helped him build a tower. "It will reach the moon!" She squealed excitedly, popping three more long blocks together. Ethan agreed wholeheartedly, his tiny glasses sliding so low they almost tipped off his face.

Madeline smiled. It was good seeing him interact with someone his own age. She tiptoed away toward the kitchen, following the smell of coffee down the stairs. Maggie was cooking breakfast, humming to some muted tune coming from the radio. She smiled at her niece when she entered, probably happy to see her moving around after the first few dark days sans Nolan.

"Who's that little girl playing with Ethan?" Madeline grabbed a piece of toast from a plate and took an obnoxiously loud bite.

"What little girl?" Maggie made a face.

"The little girl playing with him in his room," Madeline laughed at the question. What was she on? Maggie stopped with her scrambled eggs and gave Madeline a pointed look over her shoulder. It would've been funny, the sight of her young aunt with her frizzy blonde curls and bright orange satin pajamas looking so intensely confused but it wasn't because Madeline realized that she didn't know about the little girl in Ethan's room.

She didn't know about her because she couldn't see her.

Madeline froze, toast sitting idly on her tongue. She shook off the shock that came with her most recent realization and took two more bites of toast. She tried to think of something to tell Maggie who still watched her carefully near the stove.

"Just messing with you," that had to work. It was the only thing she had. "You should see your face right now."

"No offense, but that wasn't funny." Still, she laughed, moving back to her cooking. Madeline finished her toast and poured herself a quick cup of coffee. After making the excuse of needing a shower, which in reality she could probably benefit from, she ran back up to see if she was right.

Madeline could still hear the highs and lows of childlike conversation when she reached the top of the stairs. She tiptoed toward her cousins' door, peaking in at the young couple playing with blocks on the floor. The tiny redheaded child was cute, her laughter fell from her mouth effortlessly and often. Ethan seemed equally as pleased, his usual calm demeanor traded in for a more enthusiastic tone. Madeline paused, taking in his exuberance and basking in the warmth of his happiness. He was always so contained. Sometimes, he was even hard to read. Madeline bit her lip before pushing the door just slightly signal her presence.

"Hey, Madeline!" Ethan smiled fully. She returned his kind expression, then turned her eyes to the redhead who hadn't paused even a second with her tower building.

"Hey, little guy! Who is your friend here?" Madeline watched the young girl freeze, her fingers going still against the blocks clutched in her hands. It was a full five seconds before her bright blue eyes trailed up to meet hers. Madeline was surprised to see genuine fear shining through them.

"This is Rosie," Ethan shrugged.

"Hey, Rosie. My name is Madeline. I'm Ethan's cousin." The young woman explained quietly. Rosie nodded curtly, her gaze moving carefully back to Ethan.