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Chapter Forty-Six
Prudence's New Talent
"Nightstar, move away" Ethel told her familiar as the cat was sitting by the baby as she changed her. Nightstar was getting in the way and Ethel couldn't move.
Ethel had been worried about how the cats would take to Prue as they had never really seen a baby before but Nightstar took to her instantly. She was treating her like she did Ethel as if she was her mistress that needed protected. She was always sitting by Prudence as a form of protection.
Prue made a gurgle noise and touched the kitty next to her and Nightstar purred loudly as she did that.
"Nightstar please just move for a minute" Ethel said as she tried to put Prue's nappy on but Nightstar walked in front of her. Nightstar meowed at Ethel and jumped down and Prue giggled as Ethel finished changing her.
"Hey you" Ethel said picking her up gently and smiling at her "Do you like the kitties? Do you find it funny them getting in the way?" Ethel asked her and the baby giggled again as Ethel kissed her nose.
All of the cats in the flat had taken to the baby though. They all seemed to know she was so little and vulnerable so they had to look after her. Esmie's cat, Morgana, was basically her mistress in cat form. If Prue was in the room, Morgana was as well, she was always sitting by Prue, demanding some attention. She was always coddling her just like Esmie was. Currently Ethel was rocking Prue as Morgana lay across her legs sniffing the baby. Ethel could not move and moaned, though she was glad they loved her daughter.
"Morgana come here" Esmie said seeing her sister shifting uncomfortably, The cat meowed but didn't move and Ethel sighed but Prue just giggled finding it amusing.
Tabby and Sparkle loved the baby too but they were not always with her and demanding attention, they would look after her still but they gave her space to breathe.
The cats were not the only ones who could not get enough of Prue however. The rest of her family were head over heals in love with the tiny baby. Today they were popping into town as Julie needed a few things and Mildred and Sybil actually got into an argument as they both wanted to push the pram at the same time.
"You two stop, you can both have a turn" Julie scolded them seeing them trying it push the other away from the handle.
"Stop that or none of you will push her, behave yourselves" Julie told them as she told Mildred she could push her as she was nearest.
"It isn't fair" Sybil complained annoyed as she walked next to her sisters with her arms folded.
"You can push her after Mildred has" Ethel told her seeing her sister was upset thinking she would not get a go but Julie let Mildred push the baby around two shops then let Sybil have a go. Her face brightened as she got a go and she pushed her happily.
"See, all it takes is some sharing, that wasn't hard was it?" Julie told the girls as they walked and Sybil walked in front happily with the pram.
"Julie have you heard anything from the social worker?" Esmie asked her soon to be adoptive mum as they walked.
"Not yet hun, these things can take a long time" Julie told her knowing her and her sisters were all desperate for the adoption to be finalised. Just then Sybil came walking fast towards them with the pram.
"Sybil slow down!" Julie told her not wanting her to crash.
"Look!" Sybil said as she pointed to Prue.
Everyone looked at the baby curiously. Prue had a scowl on her face because Sybil had just taken the shoes out of her hand that she wanted and said she couldn't have them because they were shoes for children. Prue had loved the lights on them and was very angry when they were taken. At first everyone was wondering why Sybil was telling them to look and it was then they noticed, Mildred of all people noticed first and gasped.
"Her hand!" Mildred said and at her words it caused everyone else to look closer.
Prudence's hand was glowing orange, the way Esmerelda's had been when she had gotten her powers back from the founding stone and the magic was soaring through her fingers. The rest of the family gasped and Ethel started to cry but could not talk to loud considering it was a non-magical place they were shopping at.
"Magic" Ethel whispered as tears fell down her face in happiness as it was confirmed her daughter was a witch and had magic. Baby's and young children could not control their magic, the first few years they had no control over it as their powers were still developing. Normally, they showed their magic when they were angry or extremely happy. Prue's anger had made her powers come out as her body was going into defence mode.
"I assume this is a good thing?" Julie asked as of course she had never had a magical baby. Well she had but she had not known the strange things that happened were her powers showing.
"It is an amazing thing" Esmie said also crying as she was so happy her niece had working powers. Granted she was not performing spells yet but it meant they were starting to show.
"Mummy is so proud of you Prudie" Ethel said picking her up and kissing her all over. Prue still had a scowl on her face, not dissimilar to her mother's own scowl.
"Oh look she has your annoyed face" Esmerelda told Ethel who glared at her. Mildred and Sybil looked at each other and snorted, forgetting their fighting earlier.
The family had stopped in a cafe for a bite to eat and a drink as they had been walking all day and it was starting to get warm out, Julie played with Prue who was happy again after she had been brought a new toy for her pram as a present for showing her magic.
"I just hope she doesn't do any magic in public" Mildred said knowing it would not normally matter but they were living in the non-magical world and it would be hard to explain how a baby turned someone's shopping into a pile of books without revealing their world.
"Well it is bound to happen, all children show their magic in public at times, they can't control it" Esmerelda replied knowing Mildred was worried about people finding out, in all honestly she was too but there was nothing they could do.
"We will just have to think of an excuse" Sybil replied trying to be helpful.
"She is right, we have no other way around it, we can't keep Prue locked up for fear she will do magic in front of someone, I am sure we will manage I mean you must have revealed yourself at times" Ethel said looking at Mildred who had grown up in the non-magical world but had powers.
Mildred racked her brain now and remembered times she had done magic in public. There had been the time she had being angry at a teacher who was telling her off for something she had not done and she had somehow managed to turn her hair yellow and the time she had been scared by the thunder on a school trip and had made her classmates bag disappear trying to defend herself. Mildred remembered she didn't even have a reason for why things kept happening as she didn't know she was magic, people had just assumed she was weird but some people had whispered that she was cursed. Mildred had cried for hours about that but nothing made sense until Maud crashed onto her balcony. Somehow with all the weird stuff that happened around her no-one suspected it was magic. Non-magical people wanted to believe anything but magic existed so she assumed Prudence would be fine, no-one would believe she had powers because they were too small minded to do so.
"Yes there was a couple of things" Mildred said coming back to reality. She smiled at her adoptive sisters and then looked over at the giggling Prue and her mum. She was thankful that the tiny girl would never think she was cursed like Mildred had thought of herself before she found out about her powers.
"She will be fine, we will think of ways around it" Esmerelda told her sisters as she stole one of Ethel's chips.
"Hey!" Ethel said laughing at her sister stealing her food.
"Sisters share Ethie" Esmerelda told her laughing as she chewed. Mildred watched them but was not listening as she looked at the baby and her mother.
"She will be just fine" Mildred whispered to no-one, determined she would never let her adopted niece feel like she is strange or odd. Prue would never feel like that.
"Come on let's go home, wait till the cats see Prue they will be all over her" Sybil said as they all stood up to leave the cafe to go home and show the cats Prudie's new talent.