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"Riley, you have to leave for school in half an hour. If you miss your carpool, so help me God, you'll-"
Grace rolled over onto her side and pulled her pillow over her head as Luke's yelling invaded her dreams. She glanced at the alarm clock through bleary eyes, a red 6:45 glowing back at her.
She sat up quickly, kicking the sheets off her bare legs and letting her feet drop to the ground. Evi would wake up soon, and Grace wanted to be there. Her daughter had never responded well to change, and waking up in an unfamiliar room wouldn't help.
Shuffling from the bed and throwing on a long robe, Grace paused at the door. Entering the hallway would mean confronting Luke, and after their conversation the previous night, she wasn't sure she was ready for that.
Heaving a deep breath, Grace edged the door open slowly, peeking down the hallway in the direction of Luke's voice. He stood outside Riley's door in black dress pants and an unbuttoned white shirt, tie loose around his neck. He turned his head slightly and caught her gaze.
Grace swore under her breath as he smiled.
"Morning, Grace. I wasn't sure if I should wake you up..."
God, how did he look so good in such a state of disarray? "Uh, it's fine. I'm just going to go check on Evi..."
"Oh, okay, she's downstairs. First door on the right."
Grace stared at Luke for a minute as he turned his attention back to Riley's door. "Thanks," she said slowly, shaking her head and turning to go downstairs.
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"So, what's on your list for today?" Luke asked as he and Grace ate breakfast.
Grace gestured toward the living room, where Evi was watching television. "I have to get Evi enrolled in a school, find a place to stay, find a job, a pediatrician, obstetrician..."
"Well, I was going to offer to show you around this morning, since I don't have to go in for work until this afternoon. But if you're too busy..."
Grace frowned at the sliver of hurt that had crossed Luke's face. "No, no. That would work out nicely, actually. Arcadia's changed a lot since we... since I moved away, and I wouldn't even know where to start."
"Yeah?"
Grace nodded. "Yeah."
"I could call Kevin and Lily, see if they could watch Evi while we take care of everything."
Grace's eyebrows flew up in surprise. "They're still together? I would've thought..."
"Lily would've dumped him? Me, too. No, they're together. Two kids, too. Kenneth is going to be seven in September and Melisande will be- god, fourteen in April. I feel old.
"Melisande?" Grace asked.
Luke nodded. "Named after Lily's favorite character in some book."
"Oh." Grace bit her lip. "Let me talk to Evi and then you can call. She doesn't- she can be kind of shy."
"Okay."
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There'd always been something so naturally beautiful about Grace that it was unearthly. Luke watched her from the doorway as she spoke in quiet tones with Evi, squatting down next to the little girl and gently squeezing her shoulder.
He knew he shouldn't be watching this, this private moment between mother and daughter, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. There was some silent understanding between Grace and Evangeline, some inherent connection, something he and Riley had always lacked.
He remembered the talks he and Grace would have in the middle of the night when they first moved in together.
They'd sit in bed and make small talk over ice cream or soda, Luke always too scared to make the first move and Grace just not caring. Grace had told him point blank she didn't want kids and she didn't want marriage when he'd asked her to move in with him, so if that's what he wanted, they should just break up on the spot.
Luke had laughed and told her they were barely done with their freshman year of college and kids were the last thing on his mind. Usually, the conversation would end there, with Grace cutting him off with a passionate kiss and straddling his lap.
It wasn't until a year and a half later, when Grace hadn't kissed him after his "We're only juniors in college, Grace, and I'm not ready for kids," that he'd realized that the sex was just a way to put off the conversation. Instead, Grace had broken into tears, telling him she didn't want to be a mother, that she was scared she'd end up like her mother, that she couldn't do this.
Even as he'd comforted her, pulling her to his side and running a hand lazily through her hair as his shirt was soaked by her tears and his words filled the silence, it had hit him like a freight train. He and Grace were living two entirely separate lives, at varying stages of existence and human growth, and the only place their lives overlapped was in the middle of the night. Grace was ready to start a family- she wanted one desperately; she was just afraid.
But Luke? He'd meant it when he said children were the last thing he was thinking about. He was a junior in college and he was planning on being in college for at least another nine years. He had planned his life out until he was thirty- it included working in a lab, groundbreaking experiments, and Grace.
It didn't include kids.
"Oh, Luke, I didn't see you there. Don't do that."
Grace's voice jarred Luke from his thoughts and he blinked rapidly, eyes and mind readjusting to the present. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
"You didn't," Grace rolled her eyes. "You just seemed... out of it."
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Luke pulled to a stop in front of Kevin and Lily's modest ranch. "Do you want to come in with me or...?" he asked, glancing over at Grace.
Grace shrugged. "I might as well. They know I'm back, so sooner or later...
"Good point," Luke sighed, pushing open his door and getting out. He made his way to the back door and helped Evi out before looking back over at Grace, who was standing uncomfortably next to the car. "You don't need to go in right now, if you don't want to," he reassured her, taking Evi's hand in his. "I'm sure Evi won't mind if I bring her inside, right Evi?"
Evi looked up at Luke through big emerald eyes and squeezed his hand tightly.
Grace glanced over at Luke and shook her head. "No, I'll go in."
"You sure?" Luke asked quietly, returning Evi's squeeze.
Grace rolled her eyes. "Will you stop treating me like I'm some kind of delicate-"
"I didn't mean that," Luke held up his hands in mock surrender. "Fine. Lets go inside." He gently tugged on Evi's hand, who fell into step behind him as he approached the house.
With another eye roll Grace followed, hands crossed over her stomach.
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The first thing Grace noticed upon entering Kevin and Lily's home was the darkness. She looked at Luke curiously as she followed him down a hall, unsure about the dim lighting.
Luke opened a door slowly and ushered Grace inside. Grace was relieved to see a well-lit kitchen, and Kevin, Lily, and a little boy sitting around the table.
Luke cleared his throat, glancing around. "Hey, I think you remember Grace."
Kevin laughed good-naturedly and stood up to greet her. "Not well, but I remember her," he joked, laughing at Grace's expression. "What, did you always expect me to be confined to the chair?"
"Uh..." Grace wasn't sure what to say.
Kevin shrugged. "Well, I kind of still am. I can walk little distances- across the kitchen, you know? But not much further."
"He won't go to physical therapy," Lily sniped, shaking her head at Kevin.
"We've got enough to worry about as it is, Lily," Kevin responded, ruffling Kenneth's hair lightly. "Grace, this is our son, Kenny. Kenny, this is Uncle Luke's friend, Grace. And her daughter... Evangeline, right?"
Kenneth waved to Grace.
"She goes by Evi," Grace responded, as Luke pushed Evi forward to greet Kenneth and his parents.
"Where's Melisande?" Luke asked. "I'd like to say hi before we take off."
"Downstairs," Lily responded. "Just remember to close-"
"I know." Luke's eyes fell on Grace. "C'mon, I'll introduce you."
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Melisande was a startlingly perfect combination of her parents' best traits. With hair as dark as still water in moonlight and eyes the color of onyx pools, set against milky pale skin, Melisande's beauty was ethereal.
Even in the thick darkness Grace had been plunged into upon entering the room, she could still make out the girl's features.
She stood up gracefully as Luke and Grace entered, a dark eyebrow raised in silent question.
"Meli, this is Grace. An... old friend."
"I know who Grace is." Melisande's eyes narrowed into slits. "I thought she'd be more saint-like, though, the way you talk about her."
"I don't-" Luke started to protest, but Melisande's arm on his forearm cut him off.
"Not in lucidity. But that night you got drunk at Pa's birthday party, you rambled on about her for a good twenty minutes before Mom had the sense to quiet you down."
Grace was sure Luke's cheeks were reddening, if hers were any indication.
Luke sighed, gesturing at an overhead light Grace hadn't noticed in her confusion. "Can I...?"
"It's covered," Melisande confirmed, nodding.
Suddenly the room was immersed in light, albeit dim and grainy. Grace glanced around the room, taking in the aluminum covered windows, partially veiled by curtains, as well as the strange plastic over the lights.
"UV protectants," Melisande supplied, her voice breathy, and off of Grace's cloudy gaze, "You didn't tell her," this part thrown accusatorily at Luke.
"It... didn't come up?"
It was then Grace's mind starting pulling together the facts. Melisande's unnaturally pale skin, the lack of sunlight, the UV protectants...
"Are you an albino?" Grace asked, instantly wishing she had a filter between mind and mouth.
Melisande only laughed, even her laughter oddly musical. "Wouldn't I have pink eyes or something?"
Grace frowned. "Oh, right."
Melisande stared at Luke for a minute before sighing. "XP. It's kind of like I'm allergic to light."
Grace gulped. Now how the hell do you respond to that?
Well, the only way she knew how.
"Oh."
Melisande let out a small laugh. "It's not as bad as it sounds, really. I can do everything any other person can. Just not in the sunlight. My DNA can't be repaired, so any damage..." She trailed off, her words hanging in the air like smoke, too heavy to take in without choking on them.
"Oh."
Melisande shrugged. "With Uncle Luke's help, though, it's not bad. He had special lights and filters installed, so it's safe to be inside, and a room can be normal when I'm not in it."
Luke cleared his throat. "Were you sleeping, Meli? I didn't realize that you would've gotten in a few hours ago."
"No. I was just reading. My tutor gave me a lot of homework yesterday, so..." Melisande paused. "Why are we talking about me? I'm pretty sure what's going on in your life is more interesting," she smiled, gesturing toward Grace. "Are you pregnant?" she asked bluntly, her eyes running down Grace's body.
Grace shivered at the intensity. "Yeah, but how...?"
"It's one of her talents, Grace. Even if you weren't showing, she'd probably pick it up in your body language."
Melisande nodded, eyes narrowing to slits. "Hands crossed over your stomach, scrunched forward... are you embarassed?"
"No. I'm just... I don't know how you could know. Or how he could tell," Grace muttered, turning to glare at Luke.
Melisande raised an eyebrow, gaze flickering between Grace and Luke, before lingering on her uncle. When he didn't pick up the meaning a minute later, she sighed. "Could you give us some girl time, Uncle Luke?"
Luke laughed, already stepping toward the stairwell. "Sure."
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Luke had been gone for a few minutes, but Melisande had failed to say anything. Instead, she studied Grace, teeth biting her bottom lip in thought.
"You're concerned," she said finally, her tone so light it was almost lilting
Grace frowned. "No, not really. No more so than I normally am." It unnerved her this teenage girl could read her so well.
Melisande shook her head. "I've spent my whole life interacting with family and tutors and doctors, and in the dark. It gets boring. If there's anything I've learned to do, it's read people."
"So what am I thinking right now?" Grace challenged.
Melisande heaved a sigh, as if it were the most stupid question she'd ever heard. "That you shouldn't be listening to some kid you just met. And I'd agree. If you didn't know I was right."
Grace's expression faltered momentarily and she sighed. "I'm just confused, that's all."
"About the baby?"
"About everything. But yeah, the baby is high on that list. I... I don't know. I think something's wrong. I shouldn't be big enough that I show yet, unless I miscalculated by... a few weeks, I guess. And it's possible, but..." Grace trailed off, realizing the girl she was talking to was, in fact, a kid, despite her maturity. "Well, it's not likely."
"And that's it?"
"No. I've been sick a lot."
"Isn't that a symptom of pregnancy?"
Grace sighed. "More than normal."
Melisande nodded. "Have you spoken to a doctor about your concerns?"
Grace groaned, bringing her hands to her head. "Aren't I supposed to be the adult?"
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