Three years later
Logan, Zack and Jenna walked into the park. "So what do you two wanna do?" Logan asked the children.
"I wanna go play in the monkey bars!" said Jenna, pointing to the bars at the other end of the park.
"Me too!" said Zack.
"Alright," said Logan as he sat on a bench, "But we can't stay long, Mom's waiting for us for lunch, remember?"
"Okay!" said the kids before running off.
Logan looked around the park distractedly until something registered in his mind. He snapped his head back to see the kids running toward the monkey bars. But there was something very wrong with the image... they were going much too fast... His eyes went wide when the two leaped on the bars, from what he estimated to be a good two feet distance, up nearly to the top. They moved through the bars in record time and no appearance of exhaustion when they jumped down to the ground. He knew what was happening somehow, but didn't want to admit it to himself. Mostly, he was afraid to tell Max about it.
He put the thoughts aside when the kids ran back to him a few minutes later, after a few more turns across the bars. "Daddy, did you see?" asked Jenna excitedly.
"Yes, very good," said Logan, smiling to his daughter as he hid the concern from his face. "How long have you been doing things like that?"
"I don't know, we just could," said Zack.
"Promise me you won't tell your mom, okay?"
"Why?" they asked.
"I'll tell you later." The two looked at each other, puzzled by their father's demand.
*
Later that day
The kids were taking their bath, they could do it themselves as they'd told their parents, so Logan decided he needed to tell Max about the afternoon's events. He didn't want to, but he didn't have much of a choice. She was picking up the toys on the living room floor when he walked up to her. "Max..." She stood up and turned to him. "We need to talk."
"Something wrong?" she asked with concern. He indicated the couch so she would sit. That worried her even more but she did it anyway, soon joined by him. "Logan tell me... you're scaring me."
"This morning I was out with the kids, as you know. We stopped by the park on the way back..." He looked up at her and saw she was listening to him completely. He took a deep breath and continued. He told her how they had ran extremely fast, the leap on the monkey bars, and their ease at crossing them. He could see her breathing speed up and a few tears ran down her cheeks. She looked up, a bit of panic in her face, when she heard them laughing in the bathroom, followed by the sound of water splashing.
*
About an hour later
Zack and Jenna had finished taking their bath, their hair clean and untangled, still a bit wet. They had gotten ready for bed and went to get their mom. She went with them in their room, as she did every other night. They climbed into their beds, which were set side by side. They noticed their mom was acting strange. She was usually so cheerful at this time, but now there was barely any emotion on her face. Except sadness.
"Momma, what's wrong?" asked Zack. She placed a chair between the two beds and sat.
"I want to talk to you about this morning, what happened in the park."
"Daddy told you?" asked Jenna.
"Yes," she said, then, "See, I can do things like that too... I have been most of my life, back when I was your age and beyond that... Remember how I told you about my friends..."
"Your brothers and sisters?" asked Zack.
"Yes. We were all trained to... develop these skills and others," she said, not adding the rest of the story the way it had happened. They couldn't handle that yet.
"What's important, is that you can't tell anyone about what you can do... except for the ones we tell you it's okay to... like Cindy and Bling." He had been told Max's secret back when the twins had begun to walk, and he'd been nothing but helpful since.
"Why?"
"Because, Jenna, there are some people out there... mean people, who would try to hurt you if they knew about this." The kids thought for a second, then nodded. "Alright, now go to sleep, we'll talk more in the morning if you want to." She placed the chair back in the corner.
She walked back to the beds and tucked in her children, who were almost asleep already. She gave them a good night kiss and left the room, closing the light and door on the way. Once outside, she took a deep breath, then headed to her room slowly. She lied down, still in her regular clothes. She remained silent for a few seconds, staring at the wall. But soon, she felt tears run down her cheeks. All those memories she'd buried deep inside her were finally resurfacing. Brin... Zack... Jondy... Tinga... all of them... She forced herself to stop crying, changed into nightclothes and went to sleep.
*
The next morning
Max sat at the kitchen table, playing with her breakfast. Logan walked in. "Good morning," he said as he kissed her on the cheek. She barely noticed.
"Hi," she said.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine," she said with a forced smile. At that moment, they were joined by Zack and Jenna. They sat side by side, across from their parents.
"Go on!" whispered Jenna.
"I am!" Zack whispered back. Logan cleared his throat and they both looked up.
"Morning! What's up?" Zack took another look at Jenna, then sat up.
"Well, last night, after Mom left the room, we started talking about what you'd said," Zack started, looking to Max.
"We've given it a lot of thought," continued Jenna.
"We want to be trained... to use our... gifts."
Max snapped back into reality. "No! No... no... out of the question," she said, shaking her head.
"Mom..." said Jenna.
"I'm not gonna let this happen to you..." she insisted.
"Mom, you've said so yourself, there are bad people out there who might want to hurt us... but if we were trained, we could defend ourselves..." explained Zack.
"... be prepared..." continued Jenna.
"... and not defenseless." The two had developed an ability to finish each other's sentences, and right then, both were completely serious.
"They're right," said Logan. Max looked to him. "I know that we haven't heard anything for a very long time... but we still need to be careful... we never know..."
"Logan..."
"Trust me on this," he said, taking her hand. She looked to the three of them, thinking hard about her response. Finally she sighed.
"I'll call Bling later, we'll start whenever you'd like."
Logan, Zack and Jenna walked into the park. "So what do you two wanna do?" Logan asked the children.
"I wanna go play in the monkey bars!" said Jenna, pointing to the bars at the other end of the park.
"Me too!" said Zack.
"Alright," said Logan as he sat on a bench, "But we can't stay long, Mom's waiting for us for lunch, remember?"
"Okay!" said the kids before running off.
Logan looked around the park distractedly until something registered in his mind. He snapped his head back to see the kids running toward the monkey bars. But there was something very wrong with the image... they were going much too fast... His eyes went wide when the two leaped on the bars, from what he estimated to be a good two feet distance, up nearly to the top. They moved through the bars in record time and no appearance of exhaustion when they jumped down to the ground. He knew what was happening somehow, but didn't want to admit it to himself. Mostly, he was afraid to tell Max about it.
He put the thoughts aside when the kids ran back to him a few minutes later, after a few more turns across the bars. "Daddy, did you see?" asked Jenna excitedly.
"Yes, very good," said Logan, smiling to his daughter as he hid the concern from his face. "How long have you been doing things like that?"
"I don't know, we just could," said Zack.
"Promise me you won't tell your mom, okay?"
"Why?" they asked.
"I'll tell you later." The two looked at each other, puzzled by their father's demand.
*
Later that day
The kids were taking their bath, they could do it themselves as they'd told their parents, so Logan decided he needed to tell Max about the afternoon's events. He didn't want to, but he didn't have much of a choice. She was picking up the toys on the living room floor when he walked up to her. "Max..." She stood up and turned to him. "We need to talk."
"Something wrong?" she asked with concern. He indicated the couch so she would sit. That worried her even more but she did it anyway, soon joined by him. "Logan tell me... you're scaring me."
"This morning I was out with the kids, as you know. We stopped by the park on the way back..." He looked up at her and saw she was listening to him completely. He took a deep breath and continued. He told her how they had ran extremely fast, the leap on the monkey bars, and their ease at crossing them. He could see her breathing speed up and a few tears ran down her cheeks. She looked up, a bit of panic in her face, when she heard them laughing in the bathroom, followed by the sound of water splashing.
*
About an hour later
Zack and Jenna had finished taking their bath, their hair clean and untangled, still a bit wet. They had gotten ready for bed and went to get their mom. She went with them in their room, as she did every other night. They climbed into their beds, which were set side by side. They noticed their mom was acting strange. She was usually so cheerful at this time, but now there was barely any emotion on her face. Except sadness.
"Momma, what's wrong?" asked Zack. She placed a chair between the two beds and sat.
"I want to talk to you about this morning, what happened in the park."
"Daddy told you?" asked Jenna.
"Yes," she said, then, "See, I can do things like that too... I have been most of my life, back when I was your age and beyond that... Remember how I told you about my friends..."
"Your brothers and sisters?" asked Zack.
"Yes. We were all trained to... develop these skills and others," she said, not adding the rest of the story the way it had happened. They couldn't handle that yet.
"What's important, is that you can't tell anyone about what you can do... except for the ones we tell you it's okay to... like Cindy and Bling." He had been told Max's secret back when the twins had begun to walk, and he'd been nothing but helpful since.
"Why?"
"Because, Jenna, there are some people out there... mean people, who would try to hurt you if they knew about this." The kids thought for a second, then nodded. "Alright, now go to sleep, we'll talk more in the morning if you want to." She placed the chair back in the corner.
She walked back to the beds and tucked in her children, who were almost asleep already. She gave them a good night kiss and left the room, closing the light and door on the way. Once outside, she took a deep breath, then headed to her room slowly. She lied down, still in her regular clothes. She remained silent for a few seconds, staring at the wall. But soon, she felt tears run down her cheeks. All those memories she'd buried deep inside her were finally resurfacing. Brin... Zack... Jondy... Tinga... all of them... She forced herself to stop crying, changed into nightclothes and went to sleep.
*
The next morning
Max sat at the kitchen table, playing with her breakfast. Logan walked in. "Good morning," he said as he kissed her on the cheek. She barely noticed.
"Hi," she said.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine," she said with a forced smile. At that moment, they were joined by Zack and Jenna. They sat side by side, across from their parents.
"Go on!" whispered Jenna.
"I am!" Zack whispered back. Logan cleared his throat and they both looked up.
"Morning! What's up?" Zack took another look at Jenna, then sat up.
"Well, last night, after Mom left the room, we started talking about what you'd said," Zack started, looking to Max.
"We've given it a lot of thought," continued Jenna.
"We want to be trained... to use our... gifts."
Max snapped back into reality. "No! No... no... out of the question," she said, shaking her head.
"Mom..." said Jenna.
"I'm not gonna let this happen to you..." she insisted.
"Mom, you've said so yourself, there are bad people out there who might want to hurt us... but if we were trained, we could defend ourselves..." explained Zack.
"... be prepared..." continued Jenna.
"... and not defenseless." The two had developed an ability to finish each other's sentences, and right then, both were completely serious.
"They're right," said Logan. Max looked to him. "I know that we haven't heard anything for a very long time... but we still need to be careful... we never know..."
"Logan..."
"Trust me on this," he said, taking her hand. She looked to the three of them, thinking hard about her response. Finally she sighed.
"I'll call Bling later, we'll start whenever you'd like."