I'm sure you've all noticed that Pi is now the cover for this story. Isn't it exciting! I love that Stitchpunks are so easy to draw in paint! :D
This whole chapter is… in 8's pov. It has turned out to be quite a thing. Mostly because 6 can't stay out of everyone's hair. :P
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Enchanted
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8 couldn't help but feel very excited. 7 was feeling well enough to bring the baby into the common room for the first time. He wasn't the only one of them who hadn't seen 10 yet; 6 hadn't seen her, either, though he certainly seemed to be worried about her. 8 wondered what was going on with his little brother, and if he had seen some sort of bad vision about the baby. He hoped this wasn't the case…
Pi also hadn't seen the baby yet. And frankly, 8 sort of preferred it that way. He hadn't really thought about it until the night 10 had been born, when 6 freaked out in front of everyone and used him for a shield. But once his brother mentioned it… Yeah, there was something about Pi that gave him the creeps. He had no idea why; she seemed like such a sweet, nice young girl, and she was very pretty. It didn't seem possible, for someone so pretty to be so bad.
But the more he thought about it—admittedly, a bit of a strain—the more he felt a strong, seeping badness radiating from her. But he had no clue what it meant, or what he was supposed to do about it, so he chose to remain silent, as always. Instead, he focused on his excitement. After a long, surreal week without his sister or his leader around, he would finally get them back. And he would finally meet 10, his niece.
Only six of them were in the common room, yet, sort of divided into three convenient groups. 1 and 2 were sitting on the sofa against the wall, carrying on a fairly pleasant conversation about something or another. 5 and Pi were sitting by the fire, and he was attempting to engage her, but every topic he brought up was dropped after a few exchanges. She didn't really seem interested in anything he had to say—in fact, she looked ready to snap and slap him soundly if he didn't stop soon. But he was oblivious, and went on trying, anyway.
8 and 6 sat together against the far wall in companionable silence, talking not being a hobby of theirs. However, given this second chance, they were attempting to change that.
"Are you excited?" he asked his little brother.
"Yeah," 6 answered quietly, the nod of his head more of an answer than his voice. "And you?"
"Yeah. Real excited," he agreed.
Eh… That felt like a pretty good conclusion to that conversation. 8 was considering saying something else, but his line of thought was interrupted by the twins dashing in, looking over the state of the room.
"Everything's off the floor, right?"
"If mama tripped carrying the baby, it would be a nightmare."
"The floor is clean, my dears," 2 informed them gently. "We picked everything up earlier."
"Oh, thank goodness," 4 said with a grateful sigh, and then proceeded to shoo 1 and 2 off the sofa. "Go on, get up, make room."
"Whatever for?" 1 demanded, sounding a little miffed.
"They're putting Dixie down here, so everyone can see her."
At this, 5 immediately lit up. "We're calling her Dixie now?"
"Sure. It was your idea, silly," the girl answered with a smile. "That's half of why they liked the name 10 so much."
9 walked in as 4 finished speaking, a couple of blankets over one arm, looking amused at how earnest the twins were being. 3 stood at attention before him with a very serious face.
"I think the room is pretty baby-proof, dad."
"She can't go any farther than the sofa yet, 3," 9 answered with a smile.
"But she's too smart! She'll be running all over the place soon. We have to get ready now!"
"Alright, whatever you say, son," he agreed, patting the boy on the head. 7 came in right behind him, cradling a squealing, wriggling bundle in her arms.
"Tada," she sang proudly. "Here she is." 9 gave her a loving smile, and then knelt beside the sofa, arranging the blankets in a little nest. When he was out of the way, 6 got up first and crept forward, in his cautiously curious way.
"Look, 6," 7 said sweetly, stooping a bit so he could see. "This is my baby."
His eyes were wide as he marveled at the tiny Stitchpunk—probably the smallest in the world. 8 couldn't see her face, but he heard her squeal in wonder at the first sight of her uncle. Of everyone she had met so far, 6 was surely the strangest; he didn't look like a part of their family at all. He wondered if her little baby brain was capable of processing that, or even comprehending it. But then, maybe everything around her seemed just as new and foreign, each new thing as strange as the last. Maybe she just accepted 6 and his strangeness, and loved him without even bothering to think about it.
While 6 admired the child, 4 came up beside him and held his hand.
"I told you she was pretty. Isn't she the most beautiful thing you ever saw?"
Instead of nodding, he looked up at 4 and kind of bobbled his head from side to side, maybe a yes, maybe a no, maybe something in between. 8 could guess what his brother wanted to say—that she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. But his very nature kept him quiet. Somehow, he also got the feeling that 4 knew, anyway.
8 finally got up and came to stand with the rest of them. Since he towered over 7, she held the baby up at a slight angle for him to see, without depriving anyone else of the view.
"Wow, look at these goofy-looking guys, Dixie," she said. "They're those uncles I've been telling you about. See this big guy? 8 is my big brother, like 3 is your big brother. What do you think of that, baby?"
Gosh, 10 really was beautiful, for a baby. But 8 wasn't entirely surprised, since it was his beautiful sister's child. Only her little round face and her arms were visible, and they were made of stark white canvas. She was like a miniature version of 7, from what he could see; but it was his understanding that she was burlap from the waist down.
10 regarded him with the same wondrous look he imagined 6 had gotten. He wondered if his size intimidated her at all, but she didn't seem frightened in any way. In fact, she cooed loudly at him, as if to say hello, pleased to meet you. To his surprise, she extended her little baby arm toward him, reaching for him.
"If you'd like to let her grab your finger, you may," 7 informed him gently. "Just as long as you don't mind her sticking it in her mouth."
Oh, he was allowed to actually touch her? Having his sister's permission felt like being bestowed a great privilege and honor. Mindful of his largeness, and the relative smallness of his niece, he slowly lifted his hand towards hers. Apparently, 10 was thrilled; as soon as he was close enough, her little hand shot out with a speed and a strength that 8 hadn't expected. It startled him, and he jumped back in surprise. 10 was startled by his sudden movement and, also looking a little disappointed, began to cry a little.
7 shook her head gently, exasperated and amused with her brother, and reached for his hand.
"Like this, silly," she said, guiding his hand back towards her daughter's. As soon as his hand was close enough, the baby reached up and snatched one of his fingers in a herculean grip. Her itty bitty little hand couldn't even reach all the way around his one big finger; but she held on so tightly, it didn't matter. For a few seconds, she marveled with wide eyes at this enormous new set of fingers, as if they were the most amazing thing she had seen in her short life.
Then she surprised him yet again by fitting his whole knuckle into her little mouth; he kind of couldn't believe that she could still breathe around it. Still gazing intently at him with her huge, gleaming eyes, she started sucking in his knuckle as hard and loudly as she could. It tickled a little, and he fought back the urge to laugh too loud, or pull his hand back, or anything else that might frighten her.
7 smiled up at him. "Fancy that: someone as big as you, frightened by a little baby," she mused. "She likes you already, see?"
8 kind of didn't hear her speaking; he was focused too deeply on 10 to notice anything else around him. He returned her mesmerizing gaze, looking her straight in her huge, jewel-like eyes. He felt like he was having a silent conversation with her, something that was between the two of them—him and his niece—and no one else. What a delightfully enchanting little girl.
After another minute, 10 got tired of sucking on his finger, and released him. 7 carried her to the sofa and sat down, carefully setting her down in the nest of blankets. Apparently, 10 didn't like leaving her mother's arms, because she started crying softly again.
"Ooh, look what we have here," she said when the baby began to fuss. "Look what daddy's made for you, so you won't fall off the sofa. He must love you an awful lot to do something like that, huh?"
At the word "daddy", 10 stopped fussing, and her eyes darted back and forth until she spotted 9, still sitting on the floor. She squealed and flailed around excitedly, thrilled to have found him. He reached up and let her grab his ring finger as she went on flapping her arms.
"What are you doing?" he chuckled. "Are you going to fly away? Are you taking me with you? Where will we go? What are we going to find there?"
"Questions, questions," 7 teased, unwrapping 10's blanket; she had been flailing so hard, she had already kicked it most of the way off. "She'll be asking plenty of her own, soon. Then you'll be the one being constantly pummeled with questions, and we're all going to laugh at you."
9 gave her a bright, excited smile. "Good. I can't wait."
8 and 6 stood at the end of the sofa, peering down at 10's whole self for the first time. Her closure was a small safety pin; even though it was one of the tiniest safety pins 8 had ever seen (and he wondered how 9 had managed to find something so specific), it was still half as big as the baby, herself. As they had been told, her chubby legs were made of dark burlap, and so were her feet. And so were her hands, now that they looked closely at them.
8 mentally thanked his brother and sister for crafting their baby's digits from cloth instead of wood or metal. A grip like hers with such hard material would have been painful and begged for all sorts of trouble. But today, she was soft enough for any of them to handle safely. While her parents continued to play with her fingers and toes, 2 came and sat on the other end of the sofa.
"Any amazing changes in the last few days?" he asked.
"She's trying to laugh, now," 7 answered. "When we play with her, you can tell that she's amused; she's learning to make faces and sounds that fit her mood."
"Already? I hadn't expected such behavior for another week or two."
"Our baby's advanced," 9 informed proudly. "It seems like she does everything a week earlier than she's supposed to. She's probably a genius."
"Which wouldn't surprise anyone at all."
"You know what else she's already doing? Labeling things."
"What do you mean?"
"She can't speak yet; but she only makes certain sounds for certain things. She has her own words for 7 and I, and they sound almost exactly alike. But there's the barest difference in pitch between the two, and it makes all the difference."
"So she can speak," 7 concluded, fiddling with 10's toes. "We just don't speak her language, and she doesn't speak ours. But she's figuring out how to communicate out loud, and she's figuring it out quickly. I'll bet she'll be speaking clear, whole words in a month or two."
"Astounding. Simply astounding," 2 marveled, leaning over into 10's line of sight and giving her a great big smile. "Oh, hello there, blessed. You remember your old granddad, don't you? Your granddad, who delivered you into this world? That was quite a night, wasn't it? Oh, and just look at you now, already so brilliant, just like your daddy. Ah, you're going to be trouble, one of these days."
While 2 went no talking to the baby, 6 plunked himself at his sister's feet.
"2, when should she start walking?" 9 asked from the floor.
"Probably not too long after she starts to talk."
"9?"
"Talking before walking, huh? At least she won't be able to follow me around with her questions for a while."
"9?"
"Relish it, my boy. If she's anything like you, her first whole sentence will be some sort of inquiry, and a darned good one, at that."
"9?"
"I hope that she asks lots of questions. I want her to be curious, I want her to want to know things. And I want to be there to teach her. My own father wasn't there to answer any of my questions—"
"9?"
"Yes, 6, what is it?" 9 finally asked.
"I need to tell you some things."
"About what?"
"About Pi. All about Pi. You must listen to me."
"Not the best idea in the world right now," 7 said warily, and slid off the sofa to join her brother on the floor. She crossed her legs and pulled 6 into her lap, holding him tight around the shoulders and running her fingers through his hair.
"No! You must listen to me!" 6 insisted, sounding impatient and a little worried.
"Shh," she interrupted, using her crossed legs like a rocking chair to gently rock him back and forth. "Not now, 6, not now."
"But, but, you—"
"Later, little brother. We'll talk about this later. I promise, okay?"
6 struggled a little more, but eventually resigned himself to wait patiently for his turn.
"But, you, I, but, I, but, but, you, I, okay."
7 smiled at him, even though he couldn't see; but there was definitely concern behind her smile. She looked up at the twins, who had moved out of everyone's way and fallen silent watching them.
"How about the two of you go on to the globe. Your father and I will be there in a little bit to say goodnight, okay?" To this, the twins nodded reluctantly and left. With them out of the way, she turned her attention back to 6. Still rocking him and stroking his hair, she began to hum quietly to further soothe his nerves.
"Remember you used to sit in my lap like this, when we lived in Sanctuary?" she said after she'd only hummed a few bars of her song. "You called it the sister-chair, remember? Maybe 4 will do this for Dixie when she's older, and she can have a sister-chair, just like you."
6 nodded vaguely, and 7 resumed her humming. It soothed him so well that he rested his head against the crook of her arm and fell asleep within minutes. When she realized that he was sleeping, she sighed sort of sadly and looked up at her husband.
"It never fails," she said quietly. "Whenever he had nightmares, I would do this for him. That could have been several times a night, sometimes. I think, after a time, the sister-chair just became part of a routine that he followed."
"He does like a certain order to things," 9 agreed.
"It just became instinct to him. And now, whenever it's me, it's like his whole mind and body just shut down and he goes to sleep, because that's what the sister-chair is for. He can never just enjoy it, now."
"He must enjoy it, 7. You take such good care of him; you make him feel safe."
"Oh… You're right."
While all of that was happening, 8 looked up and realized that 5 hadn't joined them yet. He was still sitting by the fire with Pi, who had suddenly taken an interest in something he was saying. And 1 was standing apart from the rest of them, as well. He stood in the middle of the space with a resolute look on his face. To 8, he looked like some kind of grand guardian or gatekeeper, monitoring some unseen portal between where Pi was, and where 10 was.
1 knew something that the rest of them didn't. Alright, 6 probably knew whatever it was, as well. But what was it they weren't saying, or trying to say? And what was going on with 5, that he would be so distant? He couldn't have grown tired of the baby, could he? He was being so unlike his social, loyal, dorky self. For one of the few times in his life, it occurred to 8 to be very concerned for one of his brothers.
But he had no idea how to bring it up in front of the others, so he decided to maintain his silence. Instead, he returned his attention to 10, leaning over the side of the sofa and tickling the bottom of her foot, sending her into another flail-fit.
"Now we're even, Dixie," he rumbled.
"Hey, everyone."
They all looked up to see that 5 had finally joined them. But he hadn't sat down yet.
"There you are," 7 greeted him. "What's kept you so long? We've missed you."
"Oh, I thought I'd give the big guy some space to see the baby," 5 dismissed with a wave of his hand. "There are enough people over here, without me getting under everyone's feet."
"That's not true," 9 said, sounding hurt that his brother would think such a thing. "There's always room over here for you, 5."
"I had also been talking with Pi," 5 continued, changing the subject. "She had hoped she could see 10."
To this, 9 and 7 exchanged a very uncertain look. Was 5 really the only one of them who wasn't totally creeped out by her? They clearly didn't want her near their baby… But what were they supposed to say? 7 gave her husband a brief nod, trusting him to make the best call for their family. 9 thought about it for a moment, and…
"I suppose it's okay," he said slowly, a very disapproving note in his voice. If 5 caught it, he didn't let it show. He dashed back to the fireplace and helped Pi to her feet, letting her use his shoulder for a crutch. As they limped past 1, he cast Pi a suspicious, stony glare. He didn't like this, either. Once again, whether 5 was oblivious or staunchly ignoring them was hard to tell.
When she came near, 8 felt a shiver run down his spine. He didn't like her being this close to the baby, any more than the others did. 10 didn't seem to like it either. Her eyes fixed on the newcomer, unable to look away, and she began to cry fearfully, flailing her arms and legs again. 9 hopped to his feet and scooped his child up, trying to comfort her.
"No, no, my precious girl, don't cry," he said gently. "Daddy's here, daddy's right here with you. Everything's just fine."
8 didn't doubt that. There was no safer place than her father's arms; 9 would never let anything bad touch her. Pi didn't seem to understand that she was the one causing the problem, and reached out her hand without an invitation.
"I'm sorry," she said demurely. "I just wanted to see—"
She hadn't even touched her yet, and 10 suddenly began to scream in what must have been terror. 9 clutched the screaming baby to his chest and turned her away, using himself as a shield, but never taking his eyes off of Pi for one second. Everyone else was just as horrified as he was. Even 6 was stirring a little in his deep sleep; if he woke up, who knew what he was going to do.
Pi retracted her hand at once, looking as alarmed as the rest of the clan. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "9, I'm so sorry."
She looked sorry enough. But looks can be deceiving. 8 couldn't bring himself to believe her.
"I think it's time you went to bed, Pi," 9 answered defensively.
Instead of protesting that she wasn't a child to be sent to bed so easily, she just nodded obediently. "I think you're right," she said placidly. Recognizing his queue, 5 helped her turn and hobble to the door, looking more confused and disbelieving than alarmed. How unusually quiet he had been on the matter…
"5, you're coming back, aren't you?" 7 asked from the floor.
"Of course, sis. I'll be right back," he assured her as he and Pi vanished into the hall. Once they were gone, 10 calmed down considerably, but she was too frightened to stop crying altogether. As much as she wanted to, 7 saw that she couldn't stay on the floor, cuddling her sleeping brother. She stood up, dumped 6 on the sofa as gently as she could, and took her child back.
"There, there, my little love," she whispered, discretely adjusting her catch so 10 could nurse. "Mommy's here, too. We won't let anything hurt. You're safe here."
10 latched onto her mother's catch at once, and was finally comforted enough to quiet down. Relieved, 7 sank down beside 6, being careful not to sit on him. She looked up at her husband with worry in her bright eyes.
"9, what just happened?"
"I don't know," he admitted, sounding upset and ashamed of himself for putting formalities above the safety of his child. But how was he supposed to know this would happen? It didn't matter, because he was supposed to protect her. He looked down at 6, still deeply asleep. He knelt back down and patted his brother on the head.
"In the morning, 6 and I are going to have a nice long chat about this," he decided. "2, how much longer until she can walk again?"
"It would have been sooner, had we been better supplied. I had planned to operate tomorrow morning, now that I have some tools to work with," the old man answered apologetically.
"And for her to recover?"
"Perhaps another week."
"It's taken all of us half that time to recover from injuries like that."
"Pi is a delicate young lady; she isn't sturdy or strong like us. But then, she may surprise us. I wish I could tell you now, but I simply can't. There are too many variables."
"I wish I knew right now…"
"Patience, my boy, Baby steps. We'll deal with the operation in the morning, and then cross those other bridges when we come to them. And in the meantime, you are in excellent charge of this clan. You'll keep us safe."
"2… Who or what is she?"
2 sighed heavily and looked down at the floor. "I… I don't know."
It wasn't in 8's general nature to be curious or so badly concerned about things; but tonight, he was both. And, more true to his nature, was angry—and therefore determined to get to the bottom of this in his own way. What if they couldn't wait for tomorrow? Sure, his way was a little violent. But it would get something accomplished right now. He silently stalked out of the room with no one noticing him.
Except, one of them noticed…
As he lumbered down the dark hall toward the infirmary, he crashed into 5, and they both nearly fell over. When 5 righted himself and saw who he had bumped into, he made a face.
"Off to bed?" he asked nervously.
"…Yeah, off to bed," he agreed.
"A little early, isn't it?"
To that, 8 snorted loudly in his face, warning him to save pestering questions for someone with more patience. 5 got the hint and reluctantly slunk away. 8 continued down the hall, cracking his knuckles as he went, preparing himself for an epic confrontation.
If that Pi intended to hurt his little niece, or anyone else in his family, she would have to go through him, first.
He barged right into the infirmary, and caught Pi with her forehead bowed against a big black stone in her hands, whispering to it. Crazy, as well as bad news, he thought. She looked up at once, very surprised to see him.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded, sounding a little frightened.
"I want you gone," he growled, advancing on her without caring how scary he was. "We all want you gone."
"Please, don't hurt me."
"Why shouldn't I?" he demanded, leaning menacingly over her.
"No, 8, listen to me," she insisted calmly, reaching up to caress his face. "Surely, we can work something out, you and I."
Her touch felt like it was burning him, but not like it had burned 6 before. It was kind of nice. It reminded him of the sensation he got from using his magnet—part of his brain shut off, and he forgot for a long, pleasant moment why he had come in here in the first place…
But the distraction passed, and his anger returned twofold. First she terrorizes his family, and then turns around and starts flirting with him? How dare she! He had half a mind to tear her head off her body, right then and there. He growled a warning, hoping that she was as afraid of him as they were of her, but she didn't seem fazed at all.
"Now, now, 8, you wouldn't hurt a pretty girl, would you?" she said sweetly. The pleasant, tingling feeling continued as she ran her hand down his neck and over his shoulder. "You've seen how happy your sister is with her man, right? Haven't you ever wondered what that's like?"
He wasn't sure how Pi was so good at distracting him, but somehow her sweetly spoken words made a lot of sense in his suddenly fuddled mind. He supposed that, as an afterthought, he had always wondered what that kind of love was like. But he had never seriously considered it, because, really. There were no other women around. And even if there were, who would want to love a big, dumb brute like him?
She gripped the strap on his chest and pulled him dangerously close to her face. "I could show you what that's like, 8. Come on. Let me show you."
He couldn't find the presence of mind to resist as she pressed her lips against his. He honestly had no idea what was happening anymore, but it felt… Exquisite. Just… Wow. Was this what it was like to be loved? It was amazing. No wonder 7 and 9 were always so happy.
7 and 9, huh…? And 10. And the others. No! Reality hit him in the face. This was just another one of her tricks! Whatever she had done to 5, he couldn't let her do it to him, as well. He pushed her away as violently as he could and backed away, wiping his mouth on the back of his arm. He would probably have to have them cut off, later.
But for now, his rage was too great to be put aside any longer. Maybe he would just snap her pretty neck and be done with it. He prepared to charge at her, and she gave him a furious glare. He had never seen such an ugly look on her face before.
"You too, huh?" she growled, and cast her fingers at his head. "So be it."
Everything that had just happened flashed through his mind in reverse, and his head began to spin. And then, all at once… Nothing.
8 blinked his eyes and looked around the room, completely confused. He had been in the common room, with his family, mere seconds ago. What was he doing in the infirmary? And when did he get there? He didn't remember walking down here. What on earth just happened?
"8? Are you okay?"
He was alone with Pi, and that was a little frightening. Whatever had brought him here without realizing it, it must have had something to do with her. She looked concerned, but he refused to believe that she really was. He walked backwards to the door, not daring to look away from her.
"Did you want something?" she asked. He shook his head vehemently.
"6 was right about you," he mumbled, and ran out the door down the hall.
Halfway back to the common room, he tripped over his own feet and landed face-down on the floor, feeling dizzy and out of breath. It was so dark. He still wasn't sure where he was, or what was happening. He shivered intensely. He was suddenly so scared.
A bright light exploded into his vision, momentarily blinding him. When he looked up and his vision cleared, he was beyond relieved to see 1 kneeling beside him with a lit match in hand. He placed his free hand on the giant's shoulder, his weathered presence solid and reassuring.
"Get up, 8. This is unsightly."
8 wasn't sure what "unsightly" meant, but he pulled himself together and slowly got to his feet, with 1's help. The old man looked up at him with a stern expression.
"8, listen to me very carefully. Don't go near her again," he said darkly.
He nodded slowly, wordlessly. He would be glad to never have to look at that strange girl ever again. 1 took him by the arm and led him back toward the common room.
"Come. Let us go back with the others, where there's more light," he said gently. Yes, indeed. He knew something deep and terrible. But 8 was so confused, he didn't care to know what it was.
The match suddenly went out, leaving them in darkness. But there was warm, comforting light ahead of them, guiding them back to safety.