Eli: I live!!!! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
When they got to the kitchen, they both washed their hands. Eli then started pushing him out. When he wouldn't budge, she looked up at him and pouted. Ian looked down at her confused.
"I'm gonna make dinner by myself." She announced.
"And what will you make?" He asked cautiously. He didn't know if his stomach could take a grilled cheese sandwich with something like pickles in it.
She just smiled, a bit wickedly if you asked him. "You'll see." He could have sworn her eyes flashed red. When he didn't move away, she pulled puppy dog eyes. "Please?"
Ian sighed and gave in. He left the kitchen and left Eli to her work.
Thirty minutes later, he heard Eli yell for him to come. He was extremely worried after the various sounds he had heard. It didn't get better as he entered the kitchen and smelled things he could not identify. The kitchen was a mess, as was Eli. She had white powder on her cheek and something yellow on her shirt. And what the hell was that green guck on her shoes?
She had two plates out on the counter. Matching plates of some undigestible mush. Eli climbed onto the counter. Ian picked up the fork she had put by the plate and stuck it into the messy stuff. It made a squishy sound as he stirred it.
"Well, try it." Eli said. He raised up the fork and put it in his mouth. Instantly, this awful taste filled his mouth. He felt like emptying out his stomach, but then he looked at Eli. She was waiting for him to answer and he just couldn't answer truthfully. He just nodded and swallowed.
"It's good." He told her. She smiled. He hoped her iron stomach would be able to stand it. She took a bite of her plate and made a face.
"Yuck!!! How can you like this?!" She pushed the plate away. "I'm sorry, Ian. I thought it would be okay."
He was relieved he didn't have to finish the food, and he was upset that she felt bad. He took the plates to the sing. "It is quite okay. At least you tried. Would you like to have pizza again?"
"Oh yes!" She said happily.
-Later-
Ian had Eli wait in the bathroom as the water ran and he got her belongings. She stripped off her outer layers and got into the bathtub. She played till Ian came in.
Ian groaned as he entered the bathroom. He stepped into the puddle Eli had made of the floor. He looked at her. "Eli....."
"Sorry, Ian." She mumbled from the bathtub. He shut off the water. Eli looked at his pants and shirt and got confused. "Ian, what's the shiny stuff on your clothes?"
"Something that makes then water proof. Dunk your hair." He told her. Eli did as he asked. When she came up, he started washing her hair.
"Ian?"
"Yes?"
"Can Gabriel come over and play tomorrow?" Her question caught him totally off guard. He stumbled over what to say in his mind.
"No, Eli. He can not." He finally told her.
She pouted. "Why not?"
"Because I am sure Gabriel is very busy. Put your head back." He told her, trying to get her to drop the subject.
"Won't you at least call him and find out? I'll call him if you do not want to." She offered as he rinsed out her hair. He shook his head. She turned her head toward him, whip lashing him with her hair. "What?"
He decided to just be honest since his previous attempt at a lie backfired. "I do not wish Gabriel to be here."
"How come?" Eli asked surprised and annoyed at the same time. He sighed. How to explain this?
"Well, because we do not get along. I attacked him a while ago because I thought he would harm someone I care about. Things have been very bad since then." He didn't add that he also had kissed Sara.
Eli looked at him horrified. "You attacked him! Bad boy!" She exclaimed. He ignored her as he rinsed out her hair of the conditioner. She got even more mad and said "Ian Christian Nottingham, be good and get along with Gabriel!"
Ian's jaw dropped. Had she just reprimanded him. He looked at her as she looked absolutely regal in her scolding. She had left him with no words, so he just nodded his head. She smiled.
"Good Ian." She answered.
The rest of her bath was silent. Ian got her dressed and ready for bed. She wouldn't sleep, though, till he read her a story or two from her new book. She fell asleep in the middle of the third story. He stopped reading and tucked her in.
It was hard to believe something that looked so much like an angel could be so devil like.
He turned off the light and closed her door.
-Later-
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Once again, Ian had to rush to her room to see what was wrong. Nothing was out of place, but she was screaming in her sleep again.
"Nooo! Ahhh! Daddy, no I won't tell, I won't tell! Noooo!"
Ian woke the poor thing up. She was crying again, but silently. "Shhhh." She nodded and pulled her covers back up. "Eli?"
"Uh huh?" She asked as she looked up at him.
"What do you see when you dream?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Eli, please tell me what you see."
"Just scary stuff." She said quietly. "Can I sleep now?"
"Not yet. I do not want you waking up screaming again. What are you seeing?" Eli put her head down and moved away from him. "Eli, I know you are scared, but you need to tell me what you see. So I can help."
Eli put her head back up. "You are nice, Ian. And strong and brave, but you can't help me." She lay down in her bed. She tapped his hip with her hand to get him to get off. "Good-night, Ian."
He sighed and turned off her light. "Night, Eli."
-Next Morning-
Eli woke up before Ian once again. She jumped out of bed and ran down the hall. She opened his door and grinned. She ran a bit and jumped.
This time, though, Ian was prepared for her. He moved over and she landed in the space he previously occupied. He sat up and smirked at her.
Eli crossed her arms and pouted. "Hey, you cheated."
"And you like to wake me up before the sun." He told her. "Are you hungry?"
She nodded. "Yep, yep, yep!" He started getting up. She pulled on his arm. "Piggy back."
"Fine." She climbed onto his back and he carried her into the kitchen. He put her down on the counter. "Now, what do you want for breakfast?"
"Lucky Charms!" She shouted happily.
"You ate them all yesterday. Choose something else." He told her.
"Toast and orange juice, then." He nodded and made her breakfast. She got bored and started asking questions.
"Ian, were you ever married?" She asked suddenly.
"No." He answered
"How come?"
"Because I never was."
"What about Sara?"
"What about her?" He asked suspiciously.
"Is she married?"
"No, she is not."
"Then why don't you ask her to marry you?" She asked. Ian almost dropped the glass he was holding. When he didn't answer, she asked again. "Ian, why don't you ask Sara to marry you?"
"Because..." Ian was lost for words. How do you explain this to a six year old so that she understands and will not ask again? "Because she does not like me."
"Why not?" She asked, a bit upset.
"Things are........ Difficult." He answered. He placed her breakfast in front of her. "Eat your breakfast."
She took a bite out of her toast. "Ow r ings iffiult?"
"Do not talk with your mouth full." He told her. She nodded and swallowed. Before she asked again, he said "Eli, if you are quiet all through breakfast, I will give you something you will like. Deal?"
Eli perked up and nodded. She ate her breakfast in silence. She jumped off the counter. "Now what do I get?"
"Go get dressed first. I need to get it ready." She smiled as he led her back to her room. She rushed through putting on her clothes. He wasn't back when she finished. She pulled out a pony tail holder and braided her hair into one long braid.
Ian finally came back to get her. He lead her to some room across from theirs. She looked in and smiled. "Paints!!!"
She ran over to it. He had set up an easel and paints for her to play with. She picked up one of the brushed and smiled. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" She told him. He nodded.
"Your welcome. I need to get some things done. Stay in here and paint. Okay?" She smiled and nodded. He left the room.
Eli went on and painted for an hour. She had painted lots of things: Flowers, bunnies, ninjas, planes, houses, herself, Ian, her mother, her brother. Anything her mind could think of. She didn't know what to paint now. She looked at the one she made of Ian. Too much black.
"Ian shouldn't wear so much black. He already made me use up my crayons." Eli looked at her paints and then at the picture. She smiled and carefully picked up the red paint and left the room.
-Later-
"Iaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnn!" She called out. In a second, he entered the room.
"Yes?" He looked at her curiously. She was giggling and her hands were behind her back. "What is behind your back?"
She smiled and showed him. Ian was about ready to kill. She had gotten hold of one of his shirts and had painted a happy face on it.
"I made your shirt pretty, see?" Ian was about to lecture her when he looked at her face. He sighed. 'Well, she thought it would please me. How was she to know? How do parents ever discipline their children?'
He smiled and took the shirt from her hands. "Yes, thank-you Eli."
Her smiled was worth the ruined shirt.
When they got to the kitchen, they both washed their hands. Eli then started pushing him out. When he wouldn't budge, she looked up at him and pouted. Ian looked down at her confused.
"I'm gonna make dinner by myself." She announced.
"And what will you make?" He asked cautiously. He didn't know if his stomach could take a grilled cheese sandwich with something like pickles in it.
She just smiled, a bit wickedly if you asked him. "You'll see." He could have sworn her eyes flashed red. When he didn't move away, she pulled puppy dog eyes. "Please?"
Ian sighed and gave in. He left the kitchen and left Eli to her work.
Thirty minutes later, he heard Eli yell for him to come. He was extremely worried after the various sounds he had heard. It didn't get better as he entered the kitchen and smelled things he could not identify. The kitchen was a mess, as was Eli. She had white powder on her cheek and something yellow on her shirt. And what the hell was that green guck on her shoes?
She had two plates out on the counter. Matching plates of some undigestible mush. Eli climbed onto the counter. Ian picked up the fork she had put by the plate and stuck it into the messy stuff. It made a squishy sound as he stirred it.
"Well, try it." Eli said. He raised up the fork and put it in his mouth. Instantly, this awful taste filled his mouth. He felt like emptying out his stomach, but then he looked at Eli. She was waiting for him to answer and he just couldn't answer truthfully. He just nodded and swallowed.
"It's good." He told her. She smiled. He hoped her iron stomach would be able to stand it. She took a bite of her plate and made a face.
"Yuck!!! How can you like this?!" She pushed the plate away. "I'm sorry, Ian. I thought it would be okay."
He was relieved he didn't have to finish the food, and he was upset that she felt bad. He took the plates to the sing. "It is quite okay. At least you tried. Would you like to have pizza again?"
"Oh yes!" She said happily.
-Later-
Ian had Eli wait in the bathroom as the water ran and he got her belongings. She stripped off her outer layers and got into the bathtub. She played till Ian came in.
Ian groaned as he entered the bathroom. He stepped into the puddle Eli had made of the floor. He looked at her. "Eli....."
"Sorry, Ian." She mumbled from the bathtub. He shut off the water. Eli looked at his pants and shirt and got confused. "Ian, what's the shiny stuff on your clothes?"
"Something that makes then water proof. Dunk your hair." He told her. Eli did as he asked. When she came up, he started washing her hair.
"Ian?"
"Yes?"
"Can Gabriel come over and play tomorrow?" Her question caught him totally off guard. He stumbled over what to say in his mind.
"No, Eli. He can not." He finally told her.
She pouted. "Why not?"
"Because I am sure Gabriel is very busy. Put your head back." He told her, trying to get her to drop the subject.
"Won't you at least call him and find out? I'll call him if you do not want to." She offered as he rinsed out her hair. He shook his head. She turned her head toward him, whip lashing him with her hair. "What?"
He decided to just be honest since his previous attempt at a lie backfired. "I do not wish Gabriel to be here."
"How come?" Eli asked surprised and annoyed at the same time. He sighed. How to explain this?
"Well, because we do not get along. I attacked him a while ago because I thought he would harm someone I care about. Things have been very bad since then." He didn't add that he also had kissed Sara.
Eli looked at him horrified. "You attacked him! Bad boy!" She exclaimed. He ignored her as he rinsed out her hair of the conditioner. She got even more mad and said "Ian Christian Nottingham, be good and get along with Gabriel!"
Ian's jaw dropped. Had she just reprimanded him. He looked at her as she looked absolutely regal in her scolding. She had left him with no words, so he just nodded his head. She smiled.
"Good Ian." She answered.
The rest of her bath was silent. Ian got her dressed and ready for bed. She wouldn't sleep, though, till he read her a story or two from her new book. She fell asleep in the middle of the third story. He stopped reading and tucked her in.
It was hard to believe something that looked so much like an angel could be so devil like.
He turned off the light and closed her door.
-Later-
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Once again, Ian had to rush to her room to see what was wrong. Nothing was out of place, but she was screaming in her sleep again.
"Nooo! Ahhh! Daddy, no I won't tell, I won't tell! Noooo!"
Ian woke the poor thing up. She was crying again, but silently. "Shhhh." She nodded and pulled her covers back up. "Eli?"
"Uh huh?" She asked as she looked up at him.
"What do you see when you dream?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Eli, please tell me what you see."
"Just scary stuff." She said quietly. "Can I sleep now?"
"Not yet. I do not want you waking up screaming again. What are you seeing?" Eli put her head down and moved away from him. "Eli, I know you are scared, but you need to tell me what you see. So I can help."
Eli put her head back up. "You are nice, Ian. And strong and brave, but you can't help me." She lay down in her bed. She tapped his hip with her hand to get him to get off. "Good-night, Ian."
He sighed and turned off her light. "Night, Eli."
-Next Morning-
Eli woke up before Ian once again. She jumped out of bed and ran down the hall. She opened his door and grinned. She ran a bit and jumped.
This time, though, Ian was prepared for her. He moved over and she landed in the space he previously occupied. He sat up and smirked at her.
Eli crossed her arms and pouted. "Hey, you cheated."
"And you like to wake me up before the sun." He told her. "Are you hungry?"
She nodded. "Yep, yep, yep!" He started getting up. She pulled on his arm. "Piggy back."
"Fine." She climbed onto his back and he carried her into the kitchen. He put her down on the counter. "Now, what do you want for breakfast?"
"Lucky Charms!" She shouted happily.
"You ate them all yesterday. Choose something else." He told her.
"Toast and orange juice, then." He nodded and made her breakfast. She got bored and started asking questions.
"Ian, were you ever married?" She asked suddenly.
"No." He answered
"How come?"
"Because I never was."
"What about Sara?"
"What about her?" He asked suspiciously.
"Is she married?"
"No, she is not."
"Then why don't you ask her to marry you?" She asked. Ian almost dropped the glass he was holding. When he didn't answer, she asked again. "Ian, why don't you ask Sara to marry you?"
"Because..." Ian was lost for words. How do you explain this to a six year old so that she understands and will not ask again? "Because she does not like me."
"Why not?" She asked, a bit upset.
"Things are........ Difficult." He answered. He placed her breakfast in front of her. "Eat your breakfast."
She took a bite out of her toast. "Ow r ings iffiult?"
"Do not talk with your mouth full." He told her. She nodded and swallowed. Before she asked again, he said "Eli, if you are quiet all through breakfast, I will give you something you will like. Deal?"
Eli perked up and nodded. She ate her breakfast in silence. She jumped off the counter. "Now what do I get?"
"Go get dressed first. I need to get it ready." She smiled as he led her back to her room. She rushed through putting on her clothes. He wasn't back when she finished. She pulled out a pony tail holder and braided her hair into one long braid.
Ian finally came back to get her. He lead her to some room across from theirs. She looked in and smiled. "Paints!!!"
She ran over to it. He had set up an easel and paints for her to play with. She picked up one of the brushed and smiled. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" She told him. He nodded.
"Your welcome. I need to get some things done. Stay in here and paint. Okay?" She smiled and nodded. He left the room.
Eli went on and painted for an hour. She had painted lots of things: Flowers, bunnies, ninjas, planes, houses, herself, Ian, her mother, her brother. Anything her mind could think of. She didn't know what to paint now. She looked at the one she made of Ian. Too much black.
"Ian shouldn't wear so much black. He already made me use up my crayons." Eli looked at her paints and then at the picture. She smiled and carefully picked up the red paint and left the room.
-Later-
"Iaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnn!" She called out. In a second, he entered the room.
"Yes?" He looked at her curiously. She was giggling and her hands were behind her back. "What is behind your back?"
She smiled and showed him. Ian was about ready to kill. She had gotten hold of one of his shirts and had painted a happy face on it.
"I made your shirt pretty, see?" Ian was about to lecture her when he looked at her face. He sighed. 'Well, she thought it would please me. How was she to know? How do parents ever discipline their children?'
He smiled and took the shirt from her hands. "Yes, thank-you Eli."
Her smiled was worth the ruined shirt.