Strings of Fate

217- Routine and rigidity

Over the next week, we all settle into a mostly comfortable routine. We all work during the day, myself and Bellamy on managing the Shifters and Megan works on finishing her final assignments and planning her future business. Darrien spends most of his time helping Megan or hanging out with Kiara. We’ve decided to wait for the new school year to send her back. Partly because she’s missed so much it just makes more sense that way, and partly because she has been through so much we don’t want to rush her. No, her only job right now is just to heal and recover. She still isn’t really talking. Just an occasional word here or there. She hasn’t done much this week but we’ve discovered she enjoys reading and we made plans for a playdate with her and Logan on the weekend that I believe she is looking forward to. Since the work Bellamy and I do each day does vary, the most consistent part of our routine is the evenings. We all try to have dinner together as a family, the five of us. Then after dinner Kiara will get ready for bed and at eight on the dot Bellamy and I go up to say goodnight to her. She is very consistent and seems to enjoy routine. We didn’t even set her a bedtime, although we probably should have. No, apparently she always went to bed at eight before so she just naturally started doing it now.

It’s Friday night and about five minutes to eight. Bellamy is on a phone call sosture to him that I’m heading upstairs to ch*ck on Kiara and he mouths to me that he will follow in a

minute. I find Kiara in the bathroom brushing her teeth. She startles as I walk in. She does

that a lot these days and I can’t say I blame her. In her shock, she whirls around and elbows a

porcelain soap dish off of the counter and onto the floor where it cracks and breaks into two pieces. Her big eyes widen even more than usual and she looks horrified. I wave it off.

“No harm done.” I tell her, carefully picking up the pieces and dropping them in a bin. I ch*ck the floor for splinters but it seems to have broken cleanly. Kiara finishes with her teeth but she still looks tense. She shuffles down the hall to her bedroom, keeping her eyes on the floor. Her room has had a bit of a makeover this last week, we’re still working on it but rather than a pretty, but generic looking guestroom, it now looks like a girl’s room. There is an increasing amount of pink and purple throughout the room and already she is building up possessions. Mostly because every adult who enters this house seems to bring back gifts.

Myself included. Still, standing in the doorway something looks off about it. It tak

me a moment to realise what it is. The room is just TOO clean. Too tidy. I mean Kiara doesn’t appear to be a very messy child, but she is still a nine year old girl. There should be some sign of her spending time here. But there isn’t. The bed is perfectly made, the toys perfectly arranged. It all makes for a bit of a ‘show home‘ type feeling. I fight a frown, not wanting

a

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and rigidity

I’m upset

covers over her. I’m about to tuck her

wrong?” I ask, ducking my head to see her face better. I didn’t really. expect Kiara to answer me out loud since

mean to break anything.”

her. She continues to cry and she seems almost scared. Actually scratch that, she is scared. One look around this room and I can suddenly see what the issue is. She is scared that if she does something wrong,

your home now. We don’t expect you to be perfect all the time. I’m certainly not perfect. None of us are.” I tell her gently. She continues to cry and shakes her

up. But I don’t have a family anymore.” She lowers her tear stained eyes to her lap where she is clutching the blankets. Fluh, it seems like I’ve stumbled onto a pre–existing case of anxiety. Something from

parents growing up?”

nod slowly.

I didn’t have a family like

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Routine and

became my family too. Now I have Bellamy and Megan, Darrien, Aaron and all the others. And of course I have you.” I pause and I can see