Eli sat on the counter in the kitchen as Ian made her lunch. Her sugar high
had disappeared and she was unusually quiet. She kept staring off into
space.
"Eli, what is the matter with you?" She shrugged her shoulders. "That is not a good answer."
"I don't know what you're talking about." She replied quietly.
"You have been acting strange ever since Gabriel came this morning."
"It's nothing."
"No, you are lying. There is something. Why were you so scared of Gabriel when you first saw him?" He asked her.
"I didn't know him." She answered. "Remember to put the carrots inside the sandwich too, please." She told him. Peanut butter, Jelly, and carrot sandwich. Ian just did as she asked and gave her her sandwich.
"Are you scared of everybody you do not know?" He asked her. She shook her head as she took a bite. Ian grimaced as she did.
"Onl oys." She answered.
"Only boys? Not girls?" She nodded her head.
"I ws scare of oo to." She told him. She took another bite. He stopped his questions till after she finished eating. She jumped down off the counter and put her plate in the sink. "I need to go to the bathroom."
"Just across the hall." He told her, and she left the room. When she didn't come back for half an hour, he decided he should check on her. He knocked on the door.
"Eli?" There was no answer. He slowly opened the door and.......
"BOO!" She jumped out at him. When he didn't get scared, she crossed her arms and pouted. He looked at her curiously.
"What is wrong now?"
"You didn't get scared." She answered.
"Oh, was I supposed to?"
"Uh huh. Lily always did. Or at least she did till......." She stopped talking and put her head down.
"Till what?" He asked her. She looked back up.
"Till the bad men took her away." She replied sadly. "Daddy has to go get her back with Iron man."
"I thought they took your mother." He asked confused. Eli nodded.
"Lily is mommy." She told him. "Can we watch another movie?"
"Okay." She took his hand and he led her back to her room where she looked through her backpack for another DVD. "So, you call your mommy by her name?"
She nodded as she looked through her backpack. "It's what I always called her. Even before she was mommy."
"Before she was mommy?"
"Yeah, before mommy she was sissy." She told him. She held up a DVD. "Want to watch this one?"
"Okay." Ian was getting more confused by the second, so he thought up something. "But before we do that, you need to help me with something."
She nodded. "Okay, what?"
"I will show you." He took her into the living room and had her stand by the computer. He logged on and typed in 'Carver, Jacob' into his search engine. Eli couldn't see the screen, so she tried moving around. She still wasn't tall enough, so she made Ian scoot back in his chair as she crawled onto his lap. He wasn't sure if it was normal for little girls to do this, so he jus shrugged his shoulders and went with it. Ian continued looking through the files till he found Eli's father.
"That's my daddy." She exclaimed when his picture popped up. He nodded. Other pictures of Jacob's family appeared, including Eli's. She scowled. "I don't like that picture. Lily made me wear the pink bow. I hate the pink bow. I don't have to wear the pink bow here, do I?"
He smiled a little. "No, you do not have to wear the pink bow here."
"Good." She replied. Ian came across two pictures of two different women.
"Eli, who are these women?" He pointed at the pictures. She looked at it and smiled.
"That's old mommy." She said, pointing to the first picture. This woman had dark hair and brown eyes and looked like she was in her thirties. "And this is Lily." She pointed at a young blonde girl who looked about eighteen to twenty.
"Okay." He read the name and bio under the woman Eli had referred to as 'old mommy'.
Name: Angelina Calliope Dantes Carver. Birthdate: September 15, 1968
Status: First wife of Jacob Carver, deceased as of 2000. Two children: Antony Jacob Derrick Carver, Eliza Amelie Morgan Carver.
'So her real mother is dead. Lily must be her stepmother. But what did she mean that before Lily was sissy?' He thought to himself. He read the bio under 'Lily' as well.
Name: Lillith Denise Matthews Carver Birthdate: June 16, 1981
Status: Second wife of Jacob Carver, currently living and happily married. No truth to rumor of Ms. Matthews being his daughter from an affair, making their marriage thus illegal.
"So Eli, Lily is your mommy?" She nodded her head. "And Lily is also sissy?" She nodded her head again.
"Is something wrong, Ian? You look sick." She asked curiously.
'You have no idea how wrong, little one.' He thought to himself. Out loud he said, "No, I am fine. It says you have a brother." He scrolled down to her brother's section.
Name: Antony Jacob Derrick Carver Birthdate: March 25, 1986
Status: First born son, disowned as of 2000, deceased as of 2001.
"That's Tony. He was my friend, then daddy said he was bad and made him go away." Eli said sadly.
"Why was Tony bad?" Ian asked her.
"Daddy said he said bad things about Lily."
"Where did he send Tony?" Eli didn't answer. She put her finger to the screen and traced Tony's face with her finger.
"He used to play with me, now he can't." She stopped suddenly and got down from Ian's lap. "I don't want to help any more. Can we watch my movie now?" Ian closed the screen and turned off the monitor.
"Yes, you may." He watched as she put in the DVD and jumped onto the couch. He sat down next to her and looked at the box. 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1,2, & 3' He sighed and just sat back as Eli went through about two movies before she fell asleep.
"Eli, what is the matter with you?" She shrugged her shoulders. "That is not a good answer."
"I don't know what you're talking about." She replied quietly.
"You have been acting strange ever since Gabriel came this morning."
"It's nothing."
"No, you are lying. There is something. Why were you so scared of Gabriel when you first saw him?" He asked her.
"I didn't know him." She answered. "Remember to put the carrots inside the sandwich too, please." She told him. Peanut butter, Jelly, and carrot sandwich. Ian just did as she asked and gave her her sandwich.
"Are you scared of everybody you do not know?" He asked her. She shook her head as she took a bite. Ian grimaced as she did.
"Onl oys." She answered.
"Only boys? Not girls?" She nodded her head.
"I ws scare of oo to." She told him. She took another bite. He stopped his questions till after she finished eating. She jumped down off the counter and put her plate in the sink. "I need to go to the bathroom."
"Just across the hall." He told her, and she left the room. When she didn't come back for half an hour, he decided he should check on her. He knocked on the door.
"Eli?" There was no answer. He slowly opened the door and.......
"BOO!" She jumped out at him. When he didn't get scared, she crossed her arms and pouted. He looked at her curiously.
"What is wrong now?"
"You didn't get scared." She answered.
"Oh, was I supposed to?"
"Uh huh. Lily always did. Or at least she did till......." She stopped talking and put her head down.
"Till what?" He asked her. She looked back up.
"Till the bad men took her away." She replied sadly. "Daddy has to go get her back with Iron man."
"I thought they took your mother." He asked confused. Eli nodded.
"Lily is mommy." She told him. "Can we watch another movie?"
"Okay." She took his hand and he led her back to her room where she looked through her backpack for another DVD. "So, you call your mommy by her name?"
She nodded as she looked through her backpack. "It's what I always called her. Even before she was mommy."
"Before she was mommy?"
"Yeah, before mommy she was sissy." She told him. She held up a DVD. "Want to watch this one?"
"Okay." Ian was getting more confused by the second, so he thought up something. "But before we do that, you need to help me with something."
She nodded. "Okay, what?"
"I will show you." He took her into the living room and had her stand by the computer. He logged on and typed in 'Carver, Jacob' into his search engine. Eli couldn't see the screen, so she tried moving around. She still wasn't tall enough, so she made Ian scoot back in his chair as she crawled onto his lap. He wasn't sure if it was normal for little girls to do this, so he jus shrugged his shoulders and went with it. Ian continued looking through the files till he found Eli's father.
"That's my daddy." She exclaimed when his picture popped up. He nodded. Other pictures of Jacob's family appeared, including Eli's. She scowled. "I don't like that picture. Lily made me wear the pink bow. I hate the pink bow. I don't have to wear the pink bow here, do I?"
He smiled a little. "No, you do not have to wear the pink bow here."
"Good." She replied. Ian came across two pictures of two different women.
"Eli, who are these women?" He pointed at the pictures. She looked at it and smiled.
"That's old mommy." She said, pointing to the first picture. This woman had dark hair and brown eyes and looked like she was in her thirties. "And this is Lily." She pointed at a young blonde girl who looked about eighteen to twenty.
"Okay." He read the name and bio under the woman Eli had referred to as 'old mommy'.
Name: Angelina Calliope Dantes Carver. Birthdate: September 15, 1968
Status: First wife of Jacob Carver, deceased as of 2000. Two children: Antony Jacob Derrick Carver, Eliza Amelie Morgan Carver.
'So her real mother is dead. Lily must be her stepmother. But what did she mean that before Lily was sissy?' He thought to himself. He read the bio under 'Lily' as well.
Name: Lillith Denise Matthews Carver Birthdate: June 16, 1981
Status: Second wife of Jacob Carver, currently living and happily married. No truth to rumor of Ms. Matthews being his daughter from an affair, making their marriage thus illegal.
"So Eli, Lily is your mommy?" She nodded her head. "And Lily is also sissy?" She nodded her head again.
"Is something wrong, Ian? You look sick." She asked curiously.
'You have no idea how wrong, little one.' He thought to himself. Out loud he said, "No, I am fine. It says you have a brother." He scrolled down to her brother's section.
Name: Antony Jacob Derrick Carver Birthdate: March 25, 1986
Status: First born son, disowned as of 2000, deceased as of 2001.
"That's Tony. He was my friend, then daddy said he was bad and made him go away." Eli said sadly.
"Why was Tony bad?" Ian asked her.
"Daddy said he said bad things about Lily."
"Where did he send Tony?" Eli didn't answer. She put her finger to the screen and traced Tony's face with her finger.
"He used to play with me, now he can't." She stopped suddenly and got down from Ian's lap. "I don't want to help any more. Can we watch my movie now?" Ian closed the screen and turned off the monitor.
"Yes, you may." He watched as she put in the DVD and jumped onto the couch. He sat down next to her and looked at the box. 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1,2, & 3' He sighed and just sat back as Eli went through about two movies before she fell asleep.