Chapter 5
Things were quiet for a few days, but Isabella's mind was in a whirlwind as she woke up one morning. The night prior, when saying good night to her parents, she felt awkward calling them 'Mrs. Witch' and 'Mr. Magician'. She wondered why, since the two had said it was fine for her to call them that when they had first taken her in. She sat up in bed, seeing it was still rather early, but dawn was approaching. She spotted Starla nearby and waved to her.
Starla, seeing the child was awake, waved back and flew over to the child's bedroom window. "You're up early, kiddo," she said, smiling.
"Starla, can I ask you something?" Isabella asked.
"Sure," the cyborg fairy said, sitting on the window sill as the child sat on the window seat.
The child took a deep breath. "When did you start calling Mr. Magician and Mrs. Witch by their first names?" She asked.
"Mr. Magician and Mrs. Witch?" Starla asked, confused as she tilted her head to one side before realization struck her. "Oh, you mean Susan and Tom?"
"Yeah," the child said.
Starla gazed out at the sunrise as she fell into thought. "Well, I called them 'sir' and 'ma'am' for a long time before I felt comfortable enough to call them by their first names," she admitted before looking curious. "Why do you ask?"
"Well...last night, when I called them Mr. Magician and Mrs. Witch, it felt...odd," Isabella said.
"Like all of a sudden, it didn't feel right to call them those titles anymore?" Starla asked.
"Yeah," the child said with a nod, looking relieved that the cyborg fairy understood.
"Hmm," Starla hummed thoughtfully. "Well, it sounds like you've gotten comfortable enough around them that maybe you're starting to think of them as something else, like parental figures."
"Parental figures?" Isabella asked in confusion.
"A mom and a dad," the cyborg fairy clarified gently. "I've seen how Susan and Tom treat you and I can honestly say that it's obvious that they both love you as their daughter."
"How can you tell?" The girl asked curiously.
"Well, they've never made you call them 'Mom' and 'Dad', yet they show you affection just like they do your siblings. Tom brought you to meet the Ents, which means he loves you as his daughter to have the Ents meet you so that they and I can protect you if danger arises. Susan made you a new sweater as she did for Amy and Dylan and she used her magic to help create it. She only does magical sweaters for those she sees as family."
Isabella blinked after hearing Starla's explanation. "Should I call them 'Mom' and 'Dad'?" She asked.
The cyborg fairy blinked a little at the blunt question before smiling. "Well, only you can really decide the right answer to that one, kiddo," she said. "But...when you think about them, does it feel right to think of them as 'Mom' and 'Dad'? Do you want to call them that?"
The child looked unsure. "I...I think so?" She said hesitantly.
Starla realized what worried the child. "You want to call them that, but you're afraid of how they'll react?" She asked gently. "Like...you'll be sent away if you do?"
Isabella looked at her and nodded. "I know they said they'd never let The Lady know where I am, but...,"
"Okay, stop right there," the cyborg fairy said gently, covering the child's mouth with a gentle hand. "Isabella, any promise that Susan and Tom make to you is ironclad, meaning they will never break a promise they make you. Not even if they faced their worst enemy would they ever break a promise."
The child gently pushed the other's hand away so she could speak. "They've never broken a promise to you? Ever?" She asked curiously but also hesitantly.
"Nope, never," Starla said before gesturing to her hair. "Remember when Tom gave me my hair?"
The child nodded and the cyborg fairy continued. "He promised me he'd find a way for me to have hair because I felt so ashamed of this form after a horrible incident made me like this. I felt ugly, but both Tom and Susan helped me to overcome that shame and then Tom made the promise to me that I'd have hair again. And now look." She gestured to her hair, which was braided with a flower chain weaved into it. "One of the Ents is really good at doing hairstyles and did this one for me."
"I like it," Isabella said, smiling. "It's really pretty."
"Thanks," Starla said, also smiling. "What I'm trying to show you is that you can trust Susan and Tom, kiddo. Plus Amy and Dylan are always calling you their sister when they talk to everyone."
"They do?"
The cyborg fairy smiled. "Girl, they are so ecstatic to have you as their sister. They've actually begged their parents for another sibling for a long time and when you arrived, they haven't stopped talking about you. Almost every day, I hear them telling all the people who live here and the creatures about you."
Isabella was stunned, but then smiled and had an idea. "Starla, can you take me flying? Please?" She asked.
"Um, okay," the other agreed. "But it's almost time for breakfast, so we shouldn't go too far."
"Just around the house," the child said, looking at Starla with puppy eyes. "Please?"
The cyborg fairy chuckled and playfully booped the child's nose. "I'm always happy to take you and your siblings flying," she said, now hovering in the air as she held her arms out to accept the child, who eagerly jumped into her arms. "Hold on tight," she cautioned before flying around the house, the child in her arms giggling happily.
Tom and Susan woke up at hearing the laughter and opened their window to see it was Starla and Isabella, the child laughing happily as the cyborg fairy flew around with the child holding onto her. Isabella then saw her parents looking out the window and she waved to them. "Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!" She called out before the two disappeared around the house.
Starla nearly stopped flying in surprise when she heard what the child said, but then she smiled. "Oh, I see now," she said with a grin, tickling Isabella's sides to make her laugh as they continued to fly around a bit. She then saw the two other children were awake. "Oh, your siblings are awake too."
Isabella waved to them as they flew by. "Hi, sis! Hi, bro!" She called out.
The two were stunned before cheering and Susan came outside, flying to catch up to Starla and Isabella on her broomstick. The child in the cyborg fairy's arms giggled. "How fast can you fly, Starla?" She asked.
Starla grinned and flew faster with Susan flying right behind them, making the child laugh before the witch caught up and looked at the cyborg fairy. "Think you can outfly a witch?" She asked in a friendly challenge.
"Let's find out!" The fairy said, flying faster before seeing Tom come out and she winked at him before indicating to Susan. The magician, seeing what the cyborg fairy had in mind, smiled and nodded, to which Starla flew around the house with Susan flying behind her to catch her. Starla then flew a bit low and turned the corner, sharply flying upwards.
Susan, not seeing this, flew around the corner and collided with her husband, a startled yell escaping her as they both fell in the garden and into the pumpkin vines. Starla laughed as she saw this, which made the children laugh too.
The witch got up and smiled at her husband. "Oh? Is that the game?" She asked before playfully tackling the magician, who laughed as he caught her and she laughed too. Starla landed in the garden as the two adults stood up and the other two children came outside.
Tom looked at Isabella. "Isabella, did you call us 'Mom' and 'Dad'?" She asked.
The child now seemed rather shy and hid her face into Starla's shoulder, to which the cyborg fairy smiled and rubbed her back. "Kiddo, remember what I said?" She asked the child gently.
That gave the child some courage and she turned to her parents, taking a deep breath and nodding. "What brought that on?" Susan asked gently.
Isabella took a deep breath. "Well, it doesn't feel right to keep calling you guys Mrs. Witch and Mr. Magician," she admitted. "And...Starla reminded me that you two don't break promises." She bit her lip before looking up at them. "Are you guys okay with me calling you 'Mom' and 'Dad'?"
"Is that what you want to call us?" Tom asked gently. "Because you genuinely want to?"
The child nodded and they both smiled. "Then, yes, you may, our daughter," Susan said.
Isabella felt relief and sagged in Starla's arms and the cyborg fairy chuckled. "See? I told you," she said, tickling the child's sides to make her laugh again.
"Tell her what?" Tom asked curiously.
"That she'd never have to worry about you two sending her away if she decided to call you 'Mom' and 'Dad'."
"She called us her sister and brother too," Dylan said.
"Yay!" Amy cheered.
Susan smiled. "Alright, let's go inside for breakfast. Starla, you're welcome to join us," she said.
"Thank you," the cyborg fairy said, smiling.
"As if she'd turn down your cooking, my love," Tom said jokingly.
They all laughed and the forest nearby heard their laughter and smiled while keeping an eye on the small boy moving as quick and quiet as he could, determined to get to his destination.
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