Broken Wings - IV -
It was after dinner, the small band of people had moved into the another room of Logan's apartment. Max sat on the sofa with Cassi situated on her lap...talking non-stop. Greg and Amaliya were behind Logan who sat at his computer, processing the latest information for Eyes Only. In the corner, Miranda was kneeling on the floor next to Nita who lay on a blanket. The young girl, not quite three years old, was something else to watch. Miranda was rubbing the girl's back and humming softly. Max looked at Cassi and brushed a hair out of her face. Miranda hadn't changed even if Cassi had.
Max remembered the first time that she had heard Cassi speak, really speak. It had been quite a shock. The first alert they had had of a change was when she asked for her, Max, by name. The week after Miranda's rescue was when the true transformation occurred. She started sleeping more and more at night and interacting with the others. According to Greg and Amaliya, Cassi had been talkative when she was younger. When she became more withdrawn, they had thought that it was probably the effects of moving, losing her sister, and growing up. No one had expected what they actually found...a young girl holding a secret of such magnitude that it closed her off from everything else. Occasionally, she would have a rather quiet day, only speaking an hour or two instead of her usual 5 or 6. She still had her gifts and abilities but Greg, Amaliya, and not Miranda, were working with her as to using it in the appropriate situations.
"So, what do you think of Nita?" Max asked Cassi when she could get a word in edgewise.
"My boo?" Cassi replied and then laughed at Max's facial expression.
"I still use some of the words I learned from you and Cindy." She looked at her parents as if hoping they wouldn't hear her. "Momma and Dad like it better when I talk right but it gets boring..."
"Ok." Max whispered. "You make sure you behave yourself with that. Don't need to go getting into trouble."
"Like you?"
"Yeah." Max chuckled. "Like me. You have to set an example for Nita."
Cassi furrowed her brow and sat pondering that for a minute. "Yeah, I suppose. She's a strange little kid, isn't she Maxie?"
("Maxie, are you alright?")
Max shook the thought of Zack from her head. No one had called her Maxie since Zack and she was still unnerved occasionally when Cassi did it. She looked at the girl. It was still a mystery to her what went through the mind of this child.
"You think Nita is strange?" Max asked, regaining herself.
"Well, she isn't like the other babies we see at home. They have trouble crawling, walking and it takes them forever to talk. Nita's been running around like a nut since she was a year old and she talks pretty good, in English anyway..."
Max gave Cassi a playful shove. "Not everyone known four languages by the time they are five."
She giggled. "Parlez vouz francais?"
"Je ne parle pas francais. " Max responded and tickled her.
" Okay, okay... I give up. "
Cassi collapsed on the couch and grew serious.
"I hope she's okay."
"Why? Well, lately she doesn't talk to me like she used to. I think maybe she doesn't like me."
"Yeah, right." Max said.
"No, it's true. She spends more time with her imaginary friend than she does with me."
"Imaginary friend?"
"Yeah. It's really weird. Sometimes she just stares at nothing and starts talking. Kids..."
Max tried to stifle the laughter that was threatening to overcome her. "Come on, old lady. Let's go see Nita."
Half-carrying, half-dragging Cassi, Max made her way over to where Miranda was sitting.
"How are you doing?" She asked Miranda.
"Fine." Miranda responded quietly but from this distance, Max could see signs of fatigue on her face.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. She's just been quiet lately. I get concerned that she will be..." Miranda trailed off before she completed her thought. Her eyes glanced quickly at Cassi. Max took the hint.
"Cassi, why don't you go tell Logan it's time for dessert."
Squealing, she ran off in search of him.
"You're afraid she is withdrawing like Cassi did?" Max finished.
Miranda nodded. "She was never as talkative as Cassi. We knew that she would be different. She is more active physically, and strong. Now she seems fine, but she is quieter."
"Except for her imaginary friend?"
"Cassi told you."
"How did you guess? Does she talk to her often?"
"From what I can tell, it's a him. Not all the time. Then, I will come into the room and say her name and she just zones out."
The crash of a glass shattering on the floor made Max and Miranda jump. They heard the sounds of Amaliya rushing into the kitchen and sobbing apologies from Cassi.
"So much for helping." Max said. Miranda was staring at Nita. "What's up?"
"That's strange. She is usually a very light sleeper."
Max took her finger and touched the child's cheek. Her eyes popped open. Max turned to Miranda. "Ever think of having her hearing checked?"
Miranda shook her head. "I wouldn't know where to go."
Max thought about it and then pulled herself up off of the floor. "Let's go have dessert and talk to Logan. We may know a person who can help."
It was after dinner, the small band of people had moved into the another room of Logan's apartment. Max sat on the sofa with Cassi situated on her lap...talking non-stop. Greg and Amaliya were behind Logan who sat at his computer, processing the latest information for Eyes Only. In the corner, Miranda was kneeling on the floor next to Nita who lay on a blanket. The young girl, not quite three years old, was something else to watch. Miranda was rubbing the girl's back and humming softly. Max looked at Cassi and brushed a hair out of her face. Miranda hadn't changed even if Cassi had.
Max remembered the first time that she had heard Cassi speak, really speak. It had been quite a shock. The first alert they had had of a change was when she asked for her, Max, by name. The week after Miranda's rescue was when the true transformation occurred. She started sleeping more and more at night and interacting with the others. According to Greg and Amaliya, Cassi had been talkative when she was younger. When she became more withdrawn, they had thought that it was probably the effects of moving, losing her sister, and growing up. No one had expected what they actually found...a young girl holding a secret of such magnitude that it closed her off from everything else. Occasionally, she would have a rather quiet day, only speaking an hour or two instead of her usual 5 or 6. She still had her gifts and abilities but Greg, Amaliya, and not Miranda, were working with her as to using it in the appropriate situations.
"So, what do you think of Nita?" Max asked Cassi when she could get a word in edgewise.
"My boo?" Cassi replied and then laughed at Max's facial expression.
"I still use some of the words I learned from you and Cindy." She looked at her parents as if hoping they wouldn't hear her. "Momma and Dad like it better when I talk right but it gets boring..."
"Ok." Max whispered. "You make sure you behave yourself with that. Don't need to go getting into trouble."
"Like you?"
"Yeah." Max chuckled. "Like me. You have to set an example for Nita."
Cassi furrowed her brow and sat pondering that for a minute. "Yeah, I suppose. She's a strange little kid, isn't she Maxie?"
("Maxie, are you alright?")
Max shook the thought of Zack from her head. No one had called her Maxie since Zack and she was still unnerved occasionally when Cassi did it. She looked at the girl. It was still a mystery to her what went through the mind of this child.
"You think Nita is strange?" Max asked, regaining herself.
"Well, she isn't like the other babies we see at home. They have trouble crawling, walking and it takes them forever to talk. Nita's been running around like a nut since she was a year old and she talks pretty good, in English anyway..."
Max gave Cassi a playful shove. "Not everyone known four languages by the time they are five."
She giggled. "Parlez vouz francais?"
"Je ne parle pas francais. " Max responded and tickled her.
" Okay, okay... I give up. "
Cassi collapsed on the couch and grew serious.
"I hope she's okay."
"Why? Well, lately she doesn't talk to me like she used to. I think maybe she doesn't like me."
"Yeah, right." Max said.
"No, it's true. She spends more time with her imaginary friend than she does with me."
"Imaginary friend?"
"Yeah. It's really weird. Sometimes she just stares at nothing and starts talking. Kids..."
Max tried to stifle the laughter that was threatening to overcome her. "Come on, old lady. Let's go see Nita."
Half-carrying, half-dragging Cassi, Max made her way over to where Miranda was sitting.
"How are you doing?" She asked Miranda.
"Fine." Miranda responded quietly but from this distance, Max could see signs of fatigue on her face.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. She's just been quiet lately. I get concerned that she will be..." Miranda trailed off before she completed her thought. Her eyes glanced quickly at Cassi. Max took the hint.
"Cassi, why don't you go tell Logan it's time for dessert."
Squealing, she ran off in search of him.
"You're afraid she is withdrawing like Cassi did?" Max finished.
Miranda nodded. "She was never as talkative as Cassi. We knew that she would be different. She is more active physically, and strong. Now she seems fine, but she is quieter."
"Except for her imaginary friend?"
"Cassi told you."
"How did you guess? Does she talk to her often?"
"From what I can tell, it's a him. Not all the time. Then, I will come into the room and say her name and she just zones out."
The crash of a glass shattering on the floor made Max and Miranda jump. They heard the sounds of Amaliya rushing into the kitchen and sobbing apologies from Cassi.
"So much for helping." Max said. Miranda was staring at Nita. "What's up?"
"That's strange. She is usually a very light sleeper."
Max took her finger and touched the child's cheek. Her eyes popped open. Max turned to Miranda. "Ever think of having her hearing checked?"
Miranda shook her head. "I wouldn't know where to go."
Max thought about it and then pulled herself up off of the floor. "Let's go have dessert and talk to Logan. We may know a person who can help."
