Day 9: Will you look at this?

I don't own fablehaven

Kendra breathed in the warm, bread-scented air and leaning against the counter. Her grandmother took the loaf of fresh bread out of the oven, filling the air even more with its homely smell. Kendra moved to shuffle things around the counter so the bread could be placed.

"Seth," Grandma Sorenson said, "would you get the others for dinner?"

Seth looked up and nodded. He got up and headed to the staircase. He dashed up, calling, "the dinner is ready! The dinner is ready!" Kendra rolled her eyes at the similarity between "the British are coming, the British are coming!" He could be such a dweeb. She smiled.

With the troops called down, they started leaking into the kitchen. Kendra chauffeured food from the counter to the table, it already been placed earlier. The job was done soon, and everyone took their self-appointed seats, much like students do without a seating chart.

"Will you look at this?" Warren said, cracking his knuckles. "You've our done yourself, Ruth."

From end to end, the table was full of steaming food, all completely homemade. Kendra felt a surge of love for her family. It brought a smile to her face every time they did little things like sit down at dinner together. Before she had discovered Fablehaven, her brother and parents had never ate together and never at the same time. Kendra preferred it this way. After all the crap they'd gone through, things were finally normal. And they were doing normal things.

Warren kept talking. "In try words of my uncle Robert, that's a hook you can hand your hat on." Warren grinned. "He also has a fondest if saying 'this is why animals devour their young'. You'd be surprised how many times that fits into a conversation." He has already liked food on his plate, and he took a big bite of it.

"Warren, your family is messed up," Seth said. A disgruntled look came on his face. "Unless your referring to the Burgess side."

"Sadly, it's the other side," Dale said, also eating his food but not quite like Warren.

Mindless chatter filled the group, people breaking off to discuss their different topics. Kendra didn't talk to anyone, but merely leaned back and basked in the love she felt right then.

The talking and clicking of utensils went on as food was shuffled so crazily, Kendra had a hard time keeping track of all it. Later, peach and pit broke out. Like high and low, everyone would tell of the worst and best part of their day. Kendra enjoyed it but she saw Seth's immediate dislike. Each time he was last, and by the time it rolled around to his turn, everyone had tuned him out. His desperate attempts to get their attention back made her giggle every time. Tonight was no different.

Dinner went on and came to an end after. This was one of Kendra's favorite parts. Dish was handed person to person in an assembly line type thing. Warren and Vanessa gathered the dishes and silverware, handing them to Tanu and Dale, who brought them to Kendra where she cleaned them and handed them to Seth to put in the dishwasher. Something about them banding together and helping each other filled Kendra's heart.

Grandma Sorenson, after finishing wiping down the table, came to Seth and Kendra.

"You'll make a good husband, Seth," Grandma Sorenson said. "Your wife will love a man who does dishes."

"Yeah right," Seth said. "Like that's happening." He shook his head. Grandma Sorenson chuckled before leaving them. Kendra saw her chance.

Leaning against the sink, she asked, "You sure there's no one special?" Seth looked at her through the corner of his eye.

"No. Absolutely not."

"No, there was that one girl. Oh, what was her name? Wasn't it E—"

"Look no more dishes!" He turned away and speed walked upstairs. "I'm going to bed!"

"You're in denial," Kendra called after him. She put her towel down. He did like her! Kendra was never going to let him live it down. He hadn't even retaliated with embarrassing her back. Nice.

Grandpa Sorenson put a hand in her shoulder and he gave her a wink.

*Fun fact: I have an uncle Robert, those are direct quotes :) lovely fellow. He's also a doctor. And has a southern accent.*