The Lunchbox Incident
"Lily's first use of accidental magic; reactions of Paul and Julie and/or Petunia included."
...
It had felt to Julie Evans that morning as if it would be as every day before since her youngest daughter's birth - busy. The only difference being that today Petunia would be going to primary school like a big girl instead of spending her days at home with her and Lily as she had when she was a little girl. Her daughter was still reluctant to go to school and had declared class would be dumb because she already knew how to read and count all the way to sixty-two (every number after seemingly non-existent to her young mind).
Despite this, Julie had still tried to enthuse Petunia…With limited success. The one thing that seemed to be working in the mother's favor was her daughter's interest in making a new friend. Opening the door decorated with drawings of princesses and flowers, Julie grinned at her youngest daughter. Lily. She was a good baby, quiet in the mornings and always with a smile. Going to Lily's cot, the mother picked her up and made several funny faces at the two-year-old to earn a happy grin before she went and shook Petunia's little shoulder.
"Up, my little flower," she cooed at her. "The sun is waiting to greet you!" And with a skip in her step, Julie pushed aside the purple checkered curtains and said, "Today's your big day, Pet! It's the day you get to make your first best friend!"
Sitting up, the little girl scrubbed at her eyes and then shook her head. "No, Mummy," she grumbled. "I have a best friend already."
Bouncing Lily as she began to squirm to be put down, Julie asked, "Oh? Who's that?"
"Lily!" Petunia declared exasperated, her finger pointed at her sister.
Hearing her name, Lily quit her squirming to instead shout, "'Tuney!"
The mother had to blink back a few tears. Sometimes her daughters were the most beautiful creatures to ever cross the earth (that is, when Lily wasn't cranky and Petunia wasn't feeling naughty). So with a nod, Julie changed her answer, "Then I guess your just making a new friend!"
"Yeah," her daughter agreed. "To play with when Lily's napping or something."
There was flawed logic there, Julie knew, but she didn't have the heart to correct Petunia. Instead, she reached out and ran a hand through the little girl's bedhead. "Get dressed in that outfit I laid out last night and I'll braid your hair while you eat, okay?" she told her daughter.
"Okay!" Petunia yelled as she tumbled out of her bed to get ready.
Satisfied with what she saw occurring, the mother left with Lily still on her hip. A few minutes later as she was finishing cutting up Lily's toast, Julie heard her older daughter come down the stairs. Turning to smile at her, the mother gushed, "Oh you look wonderful, Pet! That dress is perfect on you! And your shoes..."
Petunia preened under the attention as Lily babbled with equal exuberance beside her. The baby didn't know what was so exciting about a dress, but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy seeing her big sister smiling at them.
From behind her pretty daughter, Julie saw Paul coming down the stairs. Grinning joyfully, the mother called, "Paul! Take a look at our big girl, isn't she just darling?"
Petunia stopped mid-turn, eyes on her father. The man's face was stern for all of a moment before he lifted her into the air and spun her around. "She looks just like a movie star, Julie! You can't send her out like this! What if someone tries to whisk her off to Hollywood?! I can't lose my Pet!"
Giggling, her daughter wrapped her arms around her father's neck and said, "Don't worry, Daddy, I won't go with anyone! I love you an' Mummy an' Lily too much to want to be on the telly!"
Pulling her away, Paul held her with one arm and wiped his forehead in an exaggerated manner with the other. "Well! Isn't that a relief?" he sighed as he put her down on the ground. "Now you go on and eat, Pet," he instructed.
The little girl ran to her spot at the table and began to eat the toast Julie had put out for her. Accepting the kiss as it came to her, the mother smiled at her husband. "Are you going to eat breakfast this morning?"
"Can't," he muttered. "Got a big meeting in thirty minutes."
Shoving an apple at him, Julie fussed. "At least eat that - you know you do better when you have something in your stomach."
"Right you are," Paul chuckled as he bit into the apple. "Where would I be without you?" he murmured as he leaned in for a kiss.
Laying a peck to the corner of his moving mouth, the mother grinned. "Oh, starving in the middle of a meeting somewhere," she replied.
An uproarious laugh shook his body and with glittering eyes, he kissed her back. "I'll see you tonight," he reminded her. Turning to his little daughters, he smooched each girl loudly on the cheek and with a wink at Petunia, Paul said, "I expect a full report on your first day, little lady!"
"Of course, Daddy!" Julie's daughter returned with a serious nod.
Then, with soft eyes, he tickled Lily and whispered, "And you little miss have a good day!"
"Daddy." Lily smiled. "Bye-bye!"
Paul waved as he went out the door. "Bye-bye, my loves!"
Shaking her head, Julie moved on to Petunia and began to braid her hair as she took a bite of her eggs.
"Okay Lily! Say bye-bye to Pet! She's going to be gone all day!" Julie told her little daughter as she kept a firm arm around her waist.
The baby looked at her and then at Petunia who was smiling proudly with her horse-adorned tin lunch box. "Bye Lily!" she said, echoing her mother's sentiment.
"No!" Julie's little daughter fussed. "No bye-bye!"
Kissing the pudgy cheek, the mother attempted to sooth her baby. "Oh Lily, your sister will be home even before Daddy!"
"NO!" she shrieked this time, stomping her little feet. "'Tuney no go!"
Unhappy with her daughter's sudden stubbornness, Julie attempted to wrangle her struggling daughter into her arms. However, the little girl proved to be quite strong.
Ripping herself from her mother's grip, Lily fell to the ground and howled, "NOOOOO!"
And Julie would have reached out to grab her up and give Lily a swat for her unbecoming behavior, but Petunia gave a frightened cry and she looked up just in time to see her daughter's lunch box fly half-way across the blacktop and open with a clatter.
"My lunch!" Pet wailed, tears streaming down her face. "It's r-ruined!" And promptly, she began to sob right along side Lily.
Blinking, Julie just gaped. How...? Had Petunia - no. Her daughter wouldn't have thrown it. Couldn't have! It traveled much too far for such a little girl to have hurled it. And why would Pet have? She was just beginning to get excited for school...Julie realized then other mothers (and fathers) were staring at her. Blushing an awful red, she gathered up her angry daughter and snagged the bawling Petunia by the wrist and dragged them off to retrieve her older daughter's likely ruined lunch box.
Picking it up, she left the scattered food and stared sadly at the dent. Maybe they could take a hammer to it? It was unfortunate to have such an ugly imperfection on her pretty box so early in the year...
"I-I don't w-want to go to school anym-more!" Julie's daughter hiccuped as they stood there.
Frustrated with all the commotion, she snapped, "Well, you bloody well can't anyway!" Holding out the bruised peach she'd packed for Petunia, she snarled, "Look at this! It's ruined!"
The little girl only cried harder - which made the baby cry louder. "Stop!" Julie yelled. "Stop crying! No one's going to school and we're all going home!"
Lily's tears ebbed, but Petunia continued to sniffle as she gazed at her lunchbox. "Mummy..."
"We'll get Daddy to fix it," Julie sighed. "What happened Pet? Did you throw it?"
Her daughter gasped. "No!" she roared absolutely furious. "That was mine!"
"Did someone run up and do that then? What happened my lovely?" the mother questioned as she set Lily aside to take Petunia into her arms.
Accepting the hug, her little girl told Julie, "I don't know, Mum! It was in my hand and no one was near me and then! Then it flew away like it was a bird!"
Julie just didn't know what to think. The look in Petunia's eyes told her she was telling the truth; as did the shaking. Her little girl was scared and so was she as a matter of fact. She was thinking that she and Paul would be having a little talk tonight. If this was the sort of thing that happened at this school, her daughter wouldn't be going here!
"Alright, let's go home," the mother said, getting up and taking her daughter's hand.
Lily, lifted her big green eyes to meet Julie's. "Home? Wit' 'Tuney?"
"Yes, love," she replied as she took her baby's hand. "Pet's going to come home with us today."
Her daughter grinned. "Yay! 'Tuney 'tay wit' Lily!"
"Yes, that's right," Julie murmured as they began the walk home. As they left, Julie mused Lily would be the only happy one today.
(She'd gotten what she wanted, after all).
This little fic is thanks to The Dark One Rising's prompt: "Lily's first use of accidental magic; reactions of Paul and Julie and/or Petunia included."
Now, I know Lily's feat isn't all that exciting and Paul isn't there to react to it in person...but I hope you still enjoyed it Dark One!
Thank you a ton for reading everybody and pretty please review!