Nnghh… just like always, the light of the day is the worst after waking up… it feels so intruding! I'd rather wake up to some kind of alarm during the middle of the night than wake up naturally during the day, but Millie needs to get her "beauty sleep", so there isn't a point in that.
Vaguely realizing that I was wrapped in my mother's arms, I snuggled up against her, absorbing the warmth from her body. After I was all warmed up, I yawned, rubbing my eyes and climbing out of "my" bed. Technically, it was my mother's bed, but she didn't really sleep there all the time.
Snore…. Snore…
I don't really like the sound of snoring, but my mother's patterns are quite comforting. Watching her sleeping face for a moment, I felt the icy coldness of the wooden flooring seep into my bare feet. Waddling over to the windows, I climbed over some stacked books, throwing the shades aside.
Ah, the light of the day!
Now, it didn't seem as annoying.
Just like every day for the past year, it had been peaceful, and there wasn't much change to my daily routine. In fact, I had probably woken up the same way about three quarters of the time during this time. Hah… just two months, and I'd be three years old! What a milestone!
Lingering thoughts disappeared from my mind.
There wasn't a point in dwelling on things too far away from me.
I must focus on the present!
"Mommy! Wake up!" I shouted, waving my hands near her face, casting a dancing shadow on her. After screaming in her ear, I was pleased to say that she had quite an annoyed look on her.
As she grabbed me and tickled me ferociously, I devolved into clusters of laughter, falling over and losing all control of my body. Ah, damn you! The feeling wasn't that bad though. Since it happened every day.
"Come on, let's get ready for breakfast." My mother took a look at her own face in the large mirror propped up in the corner of the room, sighing slightly. Running her hands through her frizzy hair, she tried to fix it to no avail.
We headed into the bathroom.
She started with me— why wouldn't she? Although it felt a little bit weird being taken care of, it wasn't a new feeling. Hopping into the tub, my mother drew a bath. Once the water began to steam, I jumped in happily, burbling and swimming around like a little fish.
The bath felt heavenly.
After twenty minutes, I was out, and the cold air hit me. While I shivered, my mother laughed while wrapping both me and herself in a large towel. After that, we went through her morning routine, which were just several steps that gradually made her look better and better, so that her beauty turned into well… beauty.
Honestly, I didn't see the point!
But what can I do…
It wasn't long— actually, that's a lie. It took a long time, maybe about an hour before we would actually head downstairs to prepare breakfast. Even though this was just two hours from noon and fairly cutting it close, my father, Cidris, Sara, and Millie all woke up at around the same time: eleven thirty.
This gave my mother a long while to cook food. Sometimes Sara would help, but that was mostly for dinnertime. But truthfully… I preferred my mother's cooking over Sara's any day— not that her food was bad, though!
"What's for breakfast today, mommy?" I asked while rubbing the sleep from my eyes. My mom had gotten me prepped up in some overalls and a hat to help block the plethora of natural light flooding into the cottage.
"Just the usual, Am-Am! Grilled cheese, salad, pasta, you know, all that! Oh— but if you run a little errand for mommy, I'll cook your favorite!" Bumping elbows with me, my mother chuckled as she teased me. Of course, she always did have an errand— she just tried to sugarcoat it every time.
Hah… I couldn't keep doing this…
"Sure, mommy! What is it?" I asked, feigning interest.
"Just go to the attic and fetch me some new pots and pans, will you? I've been meaning to wash those up for a while now…" As she began to mumble on and on, I sighed, looking at her wistfully. Staring at the spiral wooden staircase that led to the second floor and eventually the attic, I began to climb.
It wasn't long before I reached the second floor. Even in my toddler's body, I had been significantly strengthened due to the influence of Am. It really was a potent life energy.
I peeked into my father's study.
He was passed out, a book strewn across his lap, glasses hanging from the bridge of his nose. Stifling a laugh, I turned my attention towards the attic. Father deserves the sleep.
After all… he never gets a break at night, does he?
I swear, I want to rip Cuswoth's throat out! Why doesn't he just come here and fight? Is there something preventing him from leaving Sherwood? Actually if I think about it, that seems pretty plausible…
The door to the attic was more like a trapdoor instead of a real one. Pushing it open, it strangely didn't make any squeaking noises, which made me a bit relieved. Maybe the cottage was beginning to fix itself back up!
A musty, swampy scent filled my nose after I climbed the ladder.
As always, I looked around for any stray items. Under the dust-caked furniture, broken bits and pieces of everything, and hah! There's something! A key! A little silver one.. It doesn't look too useful, but there's always a chance.
Unfortunately, it was much too small for the hidden door.
Speaking of that door, I hadn't actually tried to go through. Just because the door itself was pushing me away. I couldn't physically go further than behind the painting on the wall, because such hostile energy was oppressing me. It didn't feel exactly like Am, but very similar.
I wonder what that was?
I picked up the key, as well as the pots and pans.
Breakfast after that was a flash.
My father came down, groaning and grunting as usual, with Cidris on his back trying to cheer him up, and Sara carrying Millie in her arms trying to stop her from biting something or breaking something. Just like me, her speech had gotten good recently, and she was a full-fledged toddler now.
All that was really separating her from a kid was intelligence.
Millie was… how do I put it… lacking.
That sounds a bit mean.
Well, it's supposed to be!
Because she was about my height now, she felt less like dead weight and more like entertainment, solely because of the stupid things she would do. Like babbling incoherently when she could obviously speak, or softly banging her head against the wood like she didn't have the confidence to do it seriously.
Give your full effort for things!
"Father, can I—" I pleaded as he began to walk back up the stairs.
"No, Amir! I told you— training begins once you turn five years old. You aren't even three yet! However strong your body is, it has to be bigger and more mature before you start practicing." My father crossed his arms, walking backwards up the stairs. I thought he looked a bit funny doing this.
Well, it didn't really matter.
What was there to do until lunch? Either go outside and frolic in the grass, or play with Millie… actually both options included playing with Millie. Instead of going outside, I'd rather just stay inside today. I could sense the injuries in my father's body— I'm no longer oblivious to these things.
Hah… I can't quite get over it.
No dreams, no messages, no nothing.
It's like the world has gone silent on me.
Only the slow, sure ticking of time treks on by.
"What does bwud-da Am-Am wan-tah play?" Giggling happily, Millie waddled on over to me, almost breaking into a run. She was wearing a frilly little dress as always, though it was baby blue with sunflower patterns now. Interesting, I hadn't seen that before. Did Sara sow a new one for her?
Pah, no matter.
"Let's play tag!" I shouted, tapping her lightly and then instantly breaking into a sprint. I made sure not to use too much Am, but it was just too fun to predict her movements and reinforce my body with the natural flow of Am.
There was just a… great feeling to it.
"Oka-ay!" Millie flashed some random hand gesture, chasing after me immediately. We bickered and laughed while running around the house, denting the floor in our wake. Toys weren't left untouched, and our parents weren't left sane. I saw my mother talking with Sara in a hushed tone in the kitchen.
Obviously today, no tea party with Queen Remi…
Sometimes, I look forward to those!
This lasted… about two hours? After that, it was already time for lunch. Lunch went just as well as breakfast, except my father wasn't attending this time. Cidris was trying his best to strike up a conversation with both Sara and my mother, but his jokes weren't really hitting.
It was a bit endearing to watch.
...
Ahh… my stomach's full!
Hell, that was good! Pork roast, steak, salad, spaghetti, and about a thousand other things! We didn't farm anything, but we grew our own vegetables. All trade came from the Sherwood, which actually specialized greatly in meats, contrary to what I was expecting from elves.
Hah… it didn't matter.
"I'm going up to the room to read, mommy!" I shouted, waving.
She was lodged knee-deep into a conversation with Sara, so I just left them talking. My mom gestured for me to go so I knew she approved, and I happily tap-danced up the steps, throwing myself onto the blankets.
Lately…
I've been playing too cheerful of a persona.
I sound too floaty… too ignorant…
It wasn't something I liked very much, but it was necessary to maintain the thin sense of normalcy we still had in this household. With all the Cuswoth and Sara and Iyad and the door shit, it was tight.
Next, time for Am.
Plopping myself into a meditative position, I took deep breaths, waiting for the world to fade to black and for my body to be immersed into the surroundings. My eyelids fluttered on and off like I was going to fall asleep, each blink heavier than the last, but I stayed strong.
Soon, the feeling of drowning and water rushing came over me like always.
What was I specifically working on?
Am control.
I tried to take some specifics from my father, but I realized that I should just take these things one step at a time. Instead of trying to do extravagant tasks with it like my father could, I just let my energy follow my heartbeat, and I tried to control its flow to the best of my ability.
Six months in, I could make a sphere the size of Millie.
Now, I was much better at controlling Am, and even extending my presence to others. Although my intimidation game wasn't quite up there, just exerting pressure on others made me feel powerful.
Bright energy danced around my fingertips like fairies. I squeezed my hands, moving them gracefully through the air like a wave's patterns. I watched all the Am in the surroundings move around me with fluidity, piercing through the air with technique and strength. Even though there was some excess, I liked this.
Shit… it's been about four hours already…
Dinnertime is soon.
Guess I have to check the door again, huh?