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Chapter IV
They spent the car ride back to Faith's in silence, glancing at each other every so often. Faith couldn't believe how quickly things had escalated back there. One second they were joking around, the next Loki was strangling Mike! She felt grateful that Loki had defended her, but she was completely capable of doing that herself. This was not like her! She was a calm person, and she liked to take the high road and ignore people who insulted her. She had gotten rather good at it too. People in town had whispered about her for almost 9 years now, the only juicy news for Umpamine in a century. The wild little girl, who no one dared let play with the other children, who wasn't worth keeping so her parents had abandoned her.
She had overcome the whispers, Gran and Gramps had taught her patience and love. And now she was the most popular teacher at the kindergarten, to the children and staff. Certain mothers had issues with her still, but she could ignore their jabs.
But when Mike had lumped Loki in with her, she felt pure, cold fury. She didn't know if it was because she didn't want to be compared to an alien, or if she felt Loki had needed someone to defend him too.
Loki was thinking along totally different lines. He had tried to conjure a snake to coil around the gross little man's neck, but nothing had happened, and he had a lot of trouble lifting him in the first place. Now he was trying desperately to levitate, then to conjure a double of himself. Nothing happened. He was breathing heavily and trying not to panic. Being without his powers was a horrible feeling. He felt even more broken and lost. No wonder he had felt so weak when Faith first found him, somehow by falling through realms he had lost his abilities. No, did that mean he was mortal!
Loki leaned back in his seat. Angry, frustrated, confused and worried. Nothing new, he thought. For a second he wondered if it was alright that he was practically human now, He had developed respect for Faith, and she had even defended herself with style, and she was a tiny Midgardian. But no, he needed answers and something told him he could wait for them. He could sense his magic, like it was hovering nearby, out of sight, gleefully evading him. Things were all right, for now, but he would get his magic back.
Sunday's in June, when the world seemed sunny, the birds chirped outside the window, and Faith wore pajama's most of the day. She was very attached to her Sunday's, when she could do nothing all day. So she had forced herself not to worry about Loki, he could do whatever she did. She found she didn't have to be worried anyway; he wasn't bored at all like she had thought he might. He spent hours on Faith's slow laptop, after she had showed him how to use Google search, and he perked up bit by bit throughout the day as they watched TV, ate junk food and talked.
Gramps had suggested that Faith bring Loki to help her at work on Monday, and that maybe she could get him a job there if he was up to it. If he wasn't he said he could get him a job at the mechanics. They agreed it was worth a try.
That Monday morning Faith felt drained. She nearly smashed her alarm clock as she got out of bed. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she rammed into Loki in the hall, and she nearly spilled her cup of tea all over her new blouse. So it was with a good self-administered dose of determination that she led Loki into her work place.
He followed her, keeping his eyes open and observing everything. Midgardians behaved so strangely, he thought for the fifth time that morning. Chaos surrounded him. Men and women with young children in tow buzzed around him, dropping children off into classrooms, chatting in the hall, fussing over everything. Loki grimaced at the discordant noise that ricocheted through the halls.
"Faith! Over here!" a middle aged woman called through the melee, waving her hands.
"Wait over there; I'll be just a minute." Faith pointed to an office door that read 'Principle", as she walked over to greet the excited woman.
Loki reluctantly stood by the door, and watched Faith closely, noting her interactions with the people surrounding her. She was calm and happy, directing adults and waving to some of the children.
"Ok, let's get in here." She said as she got back to Loki. She walked in immediately. The door closed behind them, enveloping them in silence. They stood in a small waiting room with a couple chairs backed along one wall.
"I'm going to ask if you can help me today. I work in the daycare on Monday's and Tuesday's, so it shouldn't be too much." Faith paused. "Is this alright with you, I mean,"
"It's fine." Loki gave her a small smile.
"This is probably all kinds of fast for you. It's like, bam you hit earth, then wham "get an occupation" pronto. Must be stressful, I'm sorry."
"No, don't be. It will teach me more about you midgardians."
"Yeah, maybe from now on you should pretend to be one of us, some others might not be as…open minded the way Gramps was." She chuckled.
"Very well, for today, I will be at your command. What do you wish of me, miss?" Loki bowed, hiding his grin.
"Uh, no…you, I mean… just follow my lead, but, uh wait here for now, I have to talk to Mrs. Weller…yeah, I'll just be a minute." Faith hurried through the door to the inner office.
Loki smirked and sat down in one of the uncomfortable chairs. He was trying to convince himself to not feel lost, to just accept that Faith was helping him, that he was going to find a new purpose, but he was having a hard time adjusting so quickly to this life. She was right, this all happened very fast, like it was all planned. Loki got a strange nagging sensation in the back of his mind. He had something to tell Faith, but then he'd forgotten. He resigned himself to be quiet and observant the rest of the day, this was his lot in life, to fall from grace, to lose his home, so now he must work with what he had. And, he thought morosely, be grateful.
After several minutes Faith emerged from the office smiling, with another, older woman in tow.
"Loki, this is Mrs. Weller, Ma'am, this is my…cousin…Loki…Anderson." She smiled sweetly, stepping behind Mrs. Weller.
"How do you do Ms. Weller."
"A Pleasure, Loki. What an interesting name, where are you from?" She eyed him head to toe, smiling slowly. Loki glanced over her shoulder at Faith.
"He's from…Norway! …A relative of my Grandfathers, he's visiting." Faith said, hoping she sounded confident.
"Yes, how nice, you don't get many visitor's out there much do you? Well Loki, I've grown very fond of Faith over the years, so I'm going to allow her to have you tag along. As for considering you for a permanent position…we'll have to see some credentials and you're …résumé." She drawled.
Faith looked at Loki nervously.
"Thanks Mrs. Weller, I really appreciate it." Faith quipped, and taking hold of Loki's wrist, pulled him out of the room. She dropped it as soon as they entered the hall.
"That was a rather suspiciously quickened exit." Loki said, striding easily to keep up with Faith as she sped down the hall.
"Yeah, well… I don't think she meant 'résumé' when she said 'résumé'. If you get me." She cringed, thoroughly disgusted, and, though she would never admit it, a little bit jealous.
Loki cocked his head to the side, then wrinkled his nose and continued after Faith.
The day passed slowly for Faith. Children cried, whined, made messes, things she usually took in stride, but today everything got on her nerves. Loki had been a little help, though he was pretty standoffish with the kids.
It grew to be late afternoon, the time of day when the sun shone through the windows, making Faith either drowsy, or gave her a headache. Today it did both. She groaned. She needed a break.
"Loki," he turned to her from where he had been examining a little boy's Hot Wheels. "I need to get some air; I'll be back in a little while."
"No. You really can't expect me to watch over this…herd on my own!" Loki tried to look insulted, though he just felt overwhelmed.
"Oh just read them a book or something!" Faith huffed, and spun on her heel out of the room.
Her fifteen minute break spanned into a half hour, then forty five minutes. It was nearing an hour when Faith jerked awake where she had been sleeping, curled up on the couch in the teachers' lounge. She glanced at the clock. "Darn!" She thought and sprinted out of the room and down the hall. She stopped to catch her breath just outside the door to the daycare. She froze. She couldn't hear anything. Which wouldn't have upset her, accept there were supposed to be about twelve tiny humans rampaging about in the room right in front of her. What had she done, leaving them alone with Loki?
She opened the door slowly, fearing the worst. She gasped. Loki was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, surrounded by twelve sleeping children. His head was resting against the wall, a book lying forgotten against his knee.
Faith felt like crying suddenly, she didn't know what was coming over her. She put her head against the door frame, keeping silent. Loki had the smallest child, Ava, curled in the crook of his arm, one of her little hands playing with the buttons on his shirt while she slept. His breath gently brushed her hair, and each time it did the little girl twitched.
Faith moved away from the door, sitting on the sill of one of the large windows that lined the hallway. A couple tears slid down her cheeks and she flicked them away. She didn't know why she was crying, she wasn't sad at all. In fact, the little tableau she had just seen made her feel all melty and warm inside, like she was covered in honey. How clichéd, she smiled, I got the "warm and fuzzies".
"Faith."
She looked up quickly at the sound of her name.
"What-"
Loki held his finger to his lips, he still had Ava cradled in his arm, her head resting on his shoulder.
Faith nodded, smiling. He sat down next to her.
"You got a little admirer there." She whispered.
"She insisted on seeing the pictures the entire time I read. I did not have the heart to…to put her down when she began to slumber." Loki looked at the floor sheepishly.
They were quiet for a minute, and then Faith whispered, "I'm sorry I left you high and dry like that. It wasn't very responsible of me. But it looks like you did alright on your own. You must have a way with kids."
"I wouldn't know. I was the youngest…back in Asgard. There weren't many children; there are none in the palace."
"Some people just have a special touch with them. People say I do. I think you do too." Faith leaned against the warm glass of the window at her back.
"They are easy to understand. They are uncomplicated, and easily placated. They don't have complex thoughts, and they don't have purpose yet. All they care about is fun and whatever they desire at the moment…their very peaceful when they sleep, do you not agree?" he breathed, looking bashful again.
"Mmhhm." She nodded, sighing.
Ava stirred and Loki took her back into the classroom closing the door behind him when he returned.
"On Asgard, what is it like at this time of day?" Faith asked her eyes closed.
"Much the same. Although…" he turned towards her, looking out the window. "The sky becomes a paler blue, with tinges of orange and pink. You can see, um, planets and stars all through the day, but they sparkle when the suns drop to this level."
"You have more than one sun? It sounds spectacular. Gosh I'd love to see that." She turned towards Loki, watching him. When he turned to her again, and their eyes met, what felt like an electric shock coursed through them both.
Faith gasped, her eyes falling shut, but in her mind's eye she saw two little boys running through a courtyard towards a garden. She watched as they flopped down on the grass panting. They were watching the sky. Then she saw it, purples and blues swirling amidst planets and stars, covering the huge canvas of the heavens. It was just like she imagined.
Then her vision changed she saw the same two little boys, older now, riding horse like creatures through a vast field. And now she saw the dark haired boy, even tinier than the first time, wrapped in a woman's arms, being rocked on a great wide balcony, under the same sky.
Loki's eyes remained wide opened; he could see Faith reacting, to what he did not know. He felt shock wave after shock wave ripple through his body, and a light blue-green mist surrounded his hands. His powers were returning. His whole body felt stronger for it. For another few seconds he concentrated on it, wrapping it around him and winding it into place. Then it snapped.
Faith's eyes flew opened and Loki met her stare. Her mouth shaped an "O" but Loki was beaming. He gripped her shoulders, elated.
"Faith! Do you realize what that was-"he gushed, but Faith cut him off with a gasp.
"WHAT IN ODIN'S NAME WAS THAT?!"
