A/N: Ugh. I've got a huge number of notebooks in my room with a few chapters of stories written in them. After years of collecting dust, I'm going to try and type up some of them and see if anybody is still interested. If not, I'll go back to whatever else it is I should be doing. I'm not the greatest with kids having no kids of my own and they might not act appropriately for their age. -shrug- Well, I tried.
Disclaimer: Alabella is mine and so are the other girls...but they're related to Albel, who belongs to someone else.
"Fayt? Fayt Leingod?"
Hearing his name, the tiny eight-year old looked around guiltily. He was playing in the front yard without his mother's permission. It was a feminine voice, although it didn't really sound like his mother.
"Right over here, honey. Turn to your left and look over the fence."
Large green eyes finally settled on the speaker, a slender woman with a kindly smile. She looked friendly, but Fayt remembered the warnings. Even on calm rural worlds like Hydra, there were always a few unsavory characters who kidnapped children and sold them as slaves.
Frantically, Fayt gathered up his toys. His family wasn't very wealthy, but his mother had insisted that Fayt get a few good toys for his birthday every year. Fayt was especially fond of his voice command ball and the flying disc with a homing mechanism. Even though his life was in danger, he couldn't bear to leave them behind.
"It's okay, Fayt," the woman said soothingly. "I'm your next door neighbor. She indicated the house behind her. "I'm not a stranger.. I've already talked to your mother. She's very sick, isn't she?"
Fayt cautiously set down his armful of toys. It was true. His mother was very ill and confined to her bed. The doctors had suggested the fresh, clean air of Hydra for her health. No child snatcher should know that.
"There now," the woman said cheerfully. "I'm Mrs. Nox. If you want some company, you can always come over here. I know your mother feels bad that she can't do more with you, but you're always welcome to play with my children."
Fayt nodded. "Okay," he said softly.
Mrs. Nox smiled. "Good. Why don't you come on over and you can meet the girls. They'll love having a neighbor to play with."
The Nox house was warm and inviting. Digital photo frames displayed pictures of the Nox family vacationing on off-planet resorts. Fascinated, Fayt wandered through the hallway, examining the photos of exotic destinations he would never see. His father was a researched in an outpost across the galaxy, but most of the money he made went to pay Mrs. Leingod's medical bills. Thus, the Leingod home was very bare, the only furnishings being Fayt's bed and his mother's medical equipment.
"Here they are. I've rounded them all up-"
Startled, Fayt spun around. He hadn't heard Mrs. Nox go upstairs to fetch her daughter and he hadn't heard them all come downstairs. He had been too absorbed in the photos. He looked down at his feet, feeling his face flush with embarrassment.
Mrs. Nox smiled. "It's okay to look. Pictures on the walls were meant to be seen. Right, girls?"
The eight Nox girls smiled at Fayt, trying to put him at ease. However, the effect was slightly disconcerting. All the girls looked like miniature versions of their mother. They were all slim with shoulder-length brown hair. However, only the youngest had her mother's red eyes. The rest had hazel eyes. They all wore a different colored outfit, presumably so everyone could tell them apart. They looked remarkably alike with their heights varying only slightly.
"We'll start with the oldest," Mrs. Nox said briskly. She stood before the row of girls and put her hand on the shoulder of the tall girl in a blue sundress. "This is Analiese. She's twenty."
"And Aeryn is eighteen." The girl in the yellow jumper nodded.
"And then we have Aramir, 16, in the red, Araya, 15, in the green, Antalya, 13, in the brown, Ashael, 11, in the orange, and Ari, 10, in the pink. Last but not least, we have Alabella, the baby of the family."
The youngest girl pursed her lips. "I'm not a baby. I'm taller than him. Probably older too." She sniffed disdainfully.
"How old are you, Fayt?" Mrs. Leingod asked gently.
"I just turned eight," Fayt said quietly.
"You're the same age as Alabella," Mrs. Nox said cheerfully. "You two will probably play together. You don't want to hang around and old bat like me."
"I'm not playing with him," Alabella declared loudly, hands on her hips. "He looks like a wimp."
"Alabella," her mother said warningly. "Be nice to our guest."
"I thought you said he was a boy," Alabella said scornfully. "I thought I would finally have someone to play catch and shuttle ball with. But he's not a boy. He's a spineless worm. With one last fierce glare at Fayt for daring to exist, she stomped upstairs to her room. The distant sound of a door slamming filled the momentary silence after her outburst.
Mrs. Nox sighed. "I'm sorry, Fayt. Alabella is a little spoiled I'm afraid. She was really hoping for someone a little older to play with. She misses her father and I'm sure she was looking for another grown-up to replace him. She'll come around eventually and be glad for a playmate her own age. Come, I'll walk you back home. I ought to pay a visit to your mother and see how she is this week."
Fayt smiled gratefully at Mrs. Nox. He turned to say good-bye to the girls. His gaze lifted to the top of the stairs where Alabella was now standing, glaring down at him. Resolutely, Fayt took Mrs. Nox's offered hand and started for home.
Fayt was told to go play in his room while the adults talked. Fayt pulled his container of toys out from under the bed and tossed his ball back inside. He crept closer to the doorway and listened intently. Yes, the adults were still talking in his mother's room next door. He could hear Mrs. Nox's silky voice and his mother's raspy voice answering.
"What did the doctors say?" Mrs. Nox asked softly.
"It doesn't look good," Mrs. Leingod rasped. "But I can't give up hope. Fayt needs me."
"You just rest and recover," Mrs. Nox said soothingly. "Don't worry about Fayt. I'll look after him. You just worry about regaining your strength. I don't want you to push it."
Fayt's mother sighed. "Poor boy. I hate to see him cooped up all alone in a strange new house with only a sick woman for company. A boy his age needs friends to play with. It's a pity I had to drag Fayt all the way to Hydra with me. I'm sure he'd love to be back home with all his friends. He's all alone here."
"Fayt won't be alone. We'll look after him. Now, I've got to get back and check on the girls. You just rest. Fayt is welcome over here anytime."
As Mrs. Nox headed out the door, Fayt nodded to himself. He wasn't going to give up etiher.