"I'm telling you, Mama could beat Godzilla in a fight."
"No, no, no, Mama would adopt Godzilla and train her to stomp on people she doesn't like."
"Good job she's got big feet then."
"Fine, Mama versus King Kong?" Charlie smirked at his sisters. Elsie rolled her eyes. They had been debating ridiculous scenarios for almost half an hour. Elsie had zoned them out for most of it, more concerned with not dropping Alokia's new supply of books.
"King Kong," Alokia scoffed, "would take one look at Mama and run for the hills."
"Nah, he'd kidnap Papi first, you know Papi likes being the damsel in distress."
"Papi likes it more when he can pretend to faint in her arms, crying 'My hero'!" Alokia pressed the back of her hand to her forehead, mock-swooning, with a gruff impression of their father. Charlie snickered. Elsie adjusted her hold on the books, smiling. "OK, OK, Papi versus Voltron?"
"Eighties Voltron, Voltron Force or Voltron Legendary Defender?"
"I'm so disappointed you watched Voltron Force." Elsie shook her head.
"I had high hopes for it!" Alokia protested.
"I did too," Charlie sighed, "for Legendary Defender, anyway. Kick."
"Kick." Alokia agreed, pouting. "But you haven't answered my question."
"Eighties Voltron was cheesy and won with a blazing sword, like, all the time, which would be ineffective against Papi 'cos, ya know, fire." Charlie waggled his fingers. "Voltron Force had that whole changing which-colour-lion-was-the-head thing and that was just a nightmare. Papi would hate that."
"True. Legendary Defender?"
"I think he'd want one."
"How can you not want one?" Alokia grinned. "I'd be the Black Lion."
"No you wouldn't! You'd be Green, at least!"
"At least? Fight me, small child!"
"Bring it on!"
"Melody!" That was a new voice, Elsie's ears focused at the panic. She turned, her siblings crying out. Something pink and blonde slammed into her chest. Books went flying and she landed in a heap with said pink-blonde thing, air rushing from her lungs. "Oh my god, Melody! Are you OK?"
"Ow ow ow." The pink-blonde thing winced. Elsie coughed, wheezing. "Oh! I'm sorry!" The girl pushed herself up, hands on Elsie's shoulders. Her hair fell around her face, blonde curls a ruffled mess. "Oh, please don't be brain damaged." Her hands, warm and soft, fluttered about Elsie's face, checking for breakages in her neck and head, sky blue eyes examining hers fiercely.
"Elsie!" Alokia and Charlie leant over her, concern furrowing their brows. Elsie mumbled incoherently, unable to tear her eyes from the blonde's freckled face. She was dimly aware of her siblings getting the giggles overhead, but she was more attuned to her lungs not functioning for a reason other than the collision. This girl was sat astride her stomach, sticking her tongue out as she concentrated.
"Nothing feels broken," the blonde mused, "I'm sorry, I… " She glanced over her shoulder, smiling sheepishly. "I have a habit of head-diving down stairs." She said quietly.
"I told you to tie your shoelaces." A dark-haired girl appeared at the blonde's side. "Look, stop sitting on this poor girl, her face looks hot enough to fry an egg."
"Oh! I'm sorry!" The dark-haired girl helped her friend to her feet. Alokia and Charlie took Elsie by an arm each, yanking her up less kindly and laughing. "Please say something, I'm really worried for your brain now!" The blonde pleaded, nervously wiping her hands on the front of her dress. Elsie was worried about her brain as well. Why couldn't she formulate some sort of her response? Her tongue felt as though it had morphed into sponge. She still couldn't look away.
The girl was shoulder-height to her, which amazed her because they had always been the short ones. She looked even smaller next to her friend, who was nearing six foot, her knee-length dress even pinker next to her friend's dark clothes. Her hair was honey blonde, she anxiously smoothed it back, her nose had a slight upturn that was endearing, her cheeks and nose peppered with freckles. The blue of her eyes wasn't just purely sky-blue, shards of sapphires glittered in the depths.
Alokia looked to Charlie, smirking.
"Alguien esta enamorado!" She whispered. Charlie nodded, smirking at Elsie, who was positively crimson now. The blonde frowned at them, cheeks pink.
"Te entiendo." She said. "Soy Melody." Alokia and Charlie gaped at her. Melody's dark-haired friend cackled at their mystified looks. Alokia pinched Elsie's arm, startling her back into function. Their new companions weren't impressed when they spoke in another language, the younger two flailing, the eldest shaking her head.
"Fine." Alokia huffed. "I'm Alokia. This is Charlie. The girl who broke your fall is Elsie and she'd like your number."
"No, no, no," Elsie's voice finally croaked, "no."
"Oh, that's a shame." The dark-haired girl said. "I'm Martine and Melody would like your number too." Melody squeaked, almost as pink as her dress. Alokia grinned, fishing Elsie's phone from her sister's pocket before Elsie could even protest. Martine rattled off Melody's number, Alokia punched it in, smirking victoriously at her sister. Martine pocketed her phone, clapping Melody on the shoulder. "Talk about knocking a girl off her feet!"
"Shut up, Mart!"
"Never." Martine grinned. Melody's phone chimed in her little shoulder bag, her face flooding scarlet. Alokia grabbed Elsie by the wrist, lifting her hand to smack her phone into her palm.
"You're welcome. And you're going to pay for throwing my books on the floor." She looked back at Melody. "She's free on Thursday, meet for lunch? OK, cool, that's brilliant. We should head back now, Mama and Papi will be wondering where we are." Elsie nodded absently, stooping to gather the books. Melody did too and they ended up headbutting each other. Charlie had to hold Alokia's arm, wheezing, doubled over with laughter. Melody squeaked apologies, Elsie was trying to reassure her and blame herself at the same time. It came out something like 'My no sorry, your fault blame.'
"This," Martine wiped at her eyes, "is the best day of my life."
"Where ya'll been?" Louisa frowned. "We said meet at two."
"Sorry, Mama, Elsie nearly died, threw my books around and got a date."
"No, I didn't!" Elsie protested, crimson. Alokia grinned, ducking as she grabbed at her. Leo cleared his throat and they stopped.
"You nearly died?" He prompted.
"Oh, it was brilliant!" Charlie beamed, hopping in a circle around his parents. "This pink girl fell down the stairs because she didn't tie her shoelaces and she landed on Elsie and then she sat on Elsie checking to see if she had broken anything and Elsie looked like her brain had melted and then the pink girl whose name is Melody by the way was picked up by her friend who is Martine I like her she's big and loud and Alokia stole Elsie's phone and Martine gave her Melody's number and now they're going out on Thursday to lunch considering Elsie remembers how to breathe and not stare at pretty girls she's super disaster gay extraordinaire and Alokia's pissed because her books went on the floor and two of them have bent pages now which equates to something like a national catastrophe giving how much Alokia swore at Elsie on the way back." He grinned at them, still bouncing around them, having explained in one solid breath. Louisa picked him up as he zipped past her, hands under his arms as if he was still three. Charlie smiled over his shoulder at her.
"What've ya had?"
"Cake."
"How much cake?" Leo asked carefully.
"Ooh, don't go there." Charlie kicked his legs to get down, but his mother was far more stubborn than him. She kept him aloft, looking over his head at her daughters.
"So ya gonna meet this Melody on Thursday?"
"Yes she is." Alokia answered first. "Because if my books got damaged and Elsie doesn't go on this date, she will be replacing every single copy."
"I'm broke!"
"That's your problem!" Alokia flicked Elsie's arm. Elsie glowered, flicked her in the head. Leo stepped between them, smiling down at Elsie with his arms folded.
"Sooo, what's she like?"
"Papi!" Elsie covered her eyes. "Not now!"
"Aww, I want to know!"
"What, so you can give her bad datin' advice?"
"Um, excuse you, but I got you, didn't I?"
"Fluke." Louisa claimed. Leo gasped, hand on heart. "Come on, let's go." She set Charlie down, holding onto his arm with a warning look. Charlie squinted at her.
"Kia reckons she'd pilot the Black Lion."
"Nah, she's more Green Lion."
"Say what?" Alokia protested. "I'd make an excellent Black Paladin!"
"Yes," Louisa agreed flatly, "I heard Voltron can't even either."
"I'm going off you." Alokia decided. Louisa shrugged, smiling lopsidedly.
"Long walk home."