I have exciting news which none of you will probably care about but hey, it got a good chapter from it. I'll talk more at the end of the chapter ;)
Copyright: Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses (don't judge me, I love that movie)
Photo #56: Antibiosis
Eadlyn knows that her father was never an 'outdoors' type of kid growing up. Seeing how her father is now, Eadlyn could guess that he doesn't like playing in the dirt as much as desk work. Or maybe her paternal grandparents wanted her father to focus more on his royal duties as opposed to getting dirty.
Not all boys were made for running around.
Unlike Maxon, Eadlyn's maternal uncle Gerad had an adoration for nature. He loved being outside and looking at trees and little creatures in comparison to schoolwork. In fact, whenever Gerad would visit the castle, he always brought his knowledge with him to show off.
This next photo not only shows Gerad's intelligence but Maxon's fear as well. The picture has Gerad showing Maxon something and Maxon has his eyes opened as wide as they can be, as if they were screaming. Eadlyn moves her head closer to the picture, as if that would help her get a better view of what Gerad was showing her father.
-o-
"Hello, my youngest brother!" America exclaims, opening her arms for Gerad.
Gerad runs through the royal hallways, excited to see his sister. America gets on her knees and leans back with joy as Gerad runs into her arms. She hugs him tightly, smothering him in multiple kisses.
"How are you?" America asks, running her hands through his hair. "How's school?"
Ever since America's family moved to Angeles, Gerad and May attended new schools with better education programs. Especially now since the castes are demolished, they were free to study whatever they wanted and not be bound to what their former caste dictated (especially since Gerad didn't favor the arts).
"School's fine," Gerad replies unintentionally vague.
"What does fine mean?" America asks, wanting more of a story.
"Maxon!" Gerad exclaim, running to hug him.
America rolls her eyes, not because of her husband stealing her brother away but because she's never going to get a school day chapter. Maxon swings Gerad around when he's in his grasp before carrying him. Gerad scream for joy as he flies around.
"Hey, buddy," Maxon says. "My god, you've grown so tall since I last saw you."
"I eat my vegetables," Gerad says, making the adults grin a little. He leans in closer to Maxon's ear to whisper, "except for spinach."
Maxon cringes a little in a mocking tone as Gerad laughs. America raises an eyebrow at Maxon, wondering what that was all about. Maxon winks, meaning that either it's a boys only topic or that she'll be informed later. Most of the time, it was the latter.
"So," Maxon says, putting Gerad back on the ground. "How was school?"
"Fine," Gerad repeats. He suddenly lights up. "Oh! I learned a new word today!"
"Really?" America asks, excited for her little brother. "What word?"
"Antibiosis," Gerad responds.
Maxon and America's only response is to blink with a blank expression on their faces. Gerad looks up at them proudly of the newest addition to his vocabulary. Maxon and America are surprised at that word, that's for sure. They don't even know what that word means. Gerad is barely ten-years-old. They thought his new word would be something like 'accountant' or 'rocket'.
"Wow..." America mutters. "Can you use it in a sentence?"
That's so it helps all of them out.
Gerad hesitates and shrugs. "I'll think of a way later."
Gerad then kneels on the ground and takes off his backpack. Maxon and America look down and watch as Gerad opens his backpack. He takes out a stack of little blue boxes with glass covers and small holes in them.
"What have you got there?" Maxon asks. Little does he know that America already knows the answer to that.
"Meet Malloy," Gerad says, showing the first blue box.
In that box is a live grasshopper. America gasps, getting a closer look at the insect name Malloy. Maxon's eyes open up as he feels his body tense up. Unlike Gerad who loves insects, Maxon gets squeamish around them. Despite the vast royal gardens, he wasn't particularly fond of the little creatures that lived in it.
"Meet Whitby." Gerad shows a silver-blue beetle in the second box.
America smiles to herself, looking at the two boys she loves in different ways. Both of them have special places in her heart. She can't help but take a picture of them - especially since Maxon is trying to remain calm at the sight of bugs.
Gerad opens box for the bug and gasps when he sees an empty box.
"Where's Foley?!" Gerad exclaims.
Maxon feels his brain shut down due to a rising sense of panic. If there's one thing he doesn't like more than bugs, it's the idea of a bug being loose in his castle. Especially since he doesn't know what type of bug is currently MIA. His gut instincts tell him to scream. Not only does he do that a little bit he also jumps on the closest chair.
"What is he?!" Maxon panics about the bug. "A spider? A scorpion? A snake?!"
Gerad laughs a little which turns into a lot when Maxon points and wails at the sight of something crawling underneath the tablecloth. America takes a step closer to take control of the whole situation but Gerad beat her to the table. Gerad lifts the tablecloth and lights up at the sight of his missing bug.
"Foley is a caterpillar," Gerad says, showing Maxon and America the bright green bug.
Maxon, dumbfounded by his now-useless panic attack, slowly steps down from the chair. He glances at America and her cheeky grin says that she will remain him of this exact moment everyday for the rest of his life. Despite that, Maxon is relieved that the missing bug wasn't anything harmful. He understands caterpillars as the first stage to being a butterfly and butterflies were safe.
"Maxon, meet Foley," Gerad says, shoving the caterpillar in his face.
Maxon jumps back a little. America bites down on her lip, trying her absolute hardest not to laugh.
Maxon clears his throat. "Nice to meet you, Foley, I - uh - I'll be right back."
And he runs off.
Gerad turns around and faces America with a bright smile as she puts her hands on his shoulders.
"What does that smile mean?" America questions, tapping his dimples.
"Maxon and Foley have an an antibiotic relationship," he says.
America takes a second to process that. She smiles, now having an understanding of what that word means.
Anyways, my exciting news is that I have published a new story titled Antibiosis. It's an Avengers fic that's a part of my Project: New Generation series. Just thought that I would point that out since I self-promote all the time and my other story, The Princess's Choice is from the same series.
Stay Tuned - what's your name?
