Chapter Two
Pat, pat, pat, pat, pat. Bare feet tapped the hardwood floor of the mountain home. There was a squeal, followed by a thud and glash shattering.
"Aelita! Darling be careful, I just cleaned the floors." Antea rushed over to her daughter, setting her on her feet and setting the small table upright again. The lamp couldn't be spared, but it had been a gift from her mother-in-law so she didn't mind.
Aelita rubbed her head where she had hit it in the fall, and looked up at her mother with wide green eyes. She was barely two, but was incredibly bright for her age. "Where's Daddy?" she asked.
Antea kissed Aelita's forehead where she was rubbing it, running her fingers through her short pink hair. Her hair was such a mess, always sticking up everywhere, and Antea sighed, wishing it was longer so she could braid it or something so it wasn't all over. "Daddy went to the store darling. Come on, let's go get dressed, we're gonna go see grandpa soon."
"Grandpa?" Aelita had never met anyone outside her mother and father. Waldo liked the seclusion of the mountain, and other than the occasional trip to the store, Aelita never left home.
Antea smiled down at her daughter, not sure how to explain what a grandfather was. Instead, she picked up the small child and carried her upstairs to her room. The room was a blast of pink, with Aelita's drawings and cute posters hung up everywhere. Stuffed animals were piled on the bed and shelves and, despite being the room of a toddler, it was incredibly clean.
"Mommy, I want my teddy shirt." Aelita climbed up on her bed, fussing with the buttons on her pyjama shirt. Antea smiled and searched for the requested shirt, finding it in the top drawer. She helped Aelita get dressed, matching the shirt with a pair of jeans. Aelita didn't like wearing pants, preferring dresses and skirts, but it was too cold, even for someone used to the mountain snow.
The sound of a door closing could be heard in the distance, and Aelita jumped off the bed before her mother had finished putting on the second sock. "Daddy!"
Aelita stopped at the top of the stairs just as Antea caught up to her. Aelita had never gone down the stairs on her own without falling. Antea held one hand as the child gripped the safety rail with the other. Waldo stood at the door, carrying an armful of groceries. Aelita followed him into the kitchen. "Mommy says we're going somewhere."
Waldo smiled down at her. It was rare that she left the mountain, and he knew she was excited. "That's right, Aelita." Aelita grinned, all her little teeth showing. Waldo dug through the bags of groceries, pulling out a large yellow box. "I got these for you."
"Cheerios!" Aelita took the box, taking off with it. She loved the little round treats.
Antea gave him a look and he shrugged. "She may be incredibly smart for her age but she'll never get the bag open, even if she manages to get past the cardboard." He went back to unloading groceries. "Do you have everything packed to go?"
"Almost. Aelita needs some clothes but other than that we're all set."
"Good. We'll leave in a few hours I suppose." Antea smiled.
Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko
"Hello, sweetie!" Nicolas kissed his daughter's forhead, hugging her tightly but trying not to disturb the sleeping Aelita in her arms. It bad been a four hour trip, boring the small child and putting her to sleep before they reached the bottom of the mountains. Waldo and Nicolas shook hands.
Antea placed Aelita on the couch in the living room, covering her with the blanket she had brought. The adults went into the kitchen to avoid waking her, though it was an open area, giving them the ability to keep an eye on her as well.
"She'll be three soon," Waldo commented. Nicolas sighed, running his hand over his face.
"Already nearly three and this is the first time I've seen her since you brought her home from the hospital." He shook his head. "If I had more time I would visit her more, you know I would." He directed his last sentence towards his daughter, whom he knew regretted that he was hardly ever around. "Will she be going to any kind of schooling programme? Someone as bright as she is could do well with a head start."
"We've decided to keep her on the mountains," Antea replied. "We feel it would be safer, with Waldo's job and everything."
Nicolas nodded, as if he understood, though in the years his daughter had been married to the man, he knew nothing more than the fact that Waldo Schaeffer was some sort of scientist.
There was a groan from the couch and the adults all froze, looking towards the sleeping girl. She was no longer asleep, however. She sat back on her heels, the blankets falling around her and her pink hair a mess. "Mommy, can I have some water?"
Antea smiled and started to move, but Nicolas stopped her. "Let me do it."
Waldo and his wife watched as Nicolas got a small glass of water and sat down next to Aelita on the couch. She watched him, her green eyes large, pulling the blankets around her. She was incredibly shy, even for a two year old, and found this man odd. But he had nice eyes. Like Mommy's eyes, she thought. He held out the glass of water towards her, hoping she would take it, but she scrambled off the couch and into her mother's lap.
Antea laughed, hugging her daughter. "Don't be afraid darling. He won't hurt you. This is Grandpa."
Aelita still didn't understand the word, but she trusted her mother. Nicolas attempted to give her the glass again, and she took it this time, still eyeing him with caution. He laughed. "She's just like you An."
Waldo smiled, happy that Aelita was able to accept others so quickly, a trait he lacked and was afraid she would develop after years of seclusion. Within a matter of hours, Aelita had shifted to sitting in her grandfather's lap, chatting away like the rest of the adults, before she was asleep again
I feed off your criticism! Please don't let me starve or the story will die!
