Episode 9: The Orphan Pt. 2 (Talise)

Talise led the curly haired boy into the toy room. They had dozens of toys there, including ones that were made for the charities. She hoped he would at least be able to have some fun while they sorted out what was going on. She suspected he wouldn’t be going anywhere with his mom again. He was an orphan, but she bet he had been even before she met him. He was a tool.

She doubted the woman was his mom, in a way that she doubted anyone could be such a jerk as the threaten toys being burned. It was a free gift that could enhance his mind through imaginary play and help him problem solve, not some frivolous thing he had begged for them to spend money on.

They probably didn’t see toys the way she did. She had listened to Ach ramble about child-raising psychology way too much.

She secretly read the books too.

She looked down at the curly haired boy who needed more than just a few toys – he needed a bath and clothes that weren’t in shreds and a big meal. Most villagers wore clothes that weren’t perfect, which made sense because they worked, but the level of degrade and wear of the boy’s clothes was excessive even for the poorest villagers.

The boy needed her focus.

“Do you know what a train is yet?” she asked him a she stared at the dozens of options. “Or do you like horses? We have cars…”

“Horsie!” the boy exclaimed.

Talise picked out a few wooden horses to play with. Then, she spotted a stuffed panda. His name,the night before, had been Sir Jaqueles. He had been an imprisoned panda that was known as shackles Jaqueles. The word shackles being said with an accent so that it rhymed.

“Do you want a stuffed panda? Or maybe a stuffed horse?”

Gifts might help him feel safe and comfortable. A panda would be relatable to her.

“I love pandas,” she added.

The boy scrunched his face, “I don’t know what a panda is. Is it fun?”

It wasn’t that surprising; pandas weren’t native to the realm. The band had played in a country with them and Talise had fallen in love with the stuffed animals, more than the species itself.

“It’s a bear that is black and white,” she explained. They had bears in The Dells. Though most were in the Upper Dell, rift, and the mountain, Dragonsback.

The boy blushed and she was reminded of Ach (and herself if she was being honest).

As she reached for Jaqueles, he stated “I don’t know what a bear is.”

She should have given up and focused on other things, like comfort and questions, but she also wanted to know that this was a place where ideas flowed and where he could ask any question and have it answered.

She held the panda so he could see, then walked with him toward a space on the rug, “This is a panda. They’re my favorite animal.”

He shook his head in disapproval, which was awesome because she had just bared her panda loving soul to him.

“Nanna will burn it,” he said.

Talise felt pale and a bit nauseous and realized she hated pregnancy, but this was more about a child not being allowed a toy. She hoped it was something she said to scare them off, not a chronic problem. Not just not allowed. She felt sick, but at least she knew how to keep it together on the outside.

“Do you have anything made out of…” he scanned the room then looked back to her, unsatisfied. “Sword?”

Talise’s heart sank. Even at her crankiest, most exhausted, overwhelmed moments she couldn’t imagine her fire being so out of control her kids needed metal toys. Even more, she couldn’t imagine intentionally destroying their happiness.

She would use her fire to make him an steel if she couldn’t keep him.

“Do you want to tell me why you don’t want to go home?” she asked.

His eyes widened, “No.”

“What if I promised that you’re safe?”

She needed to get it out of him. Even if he exaggerated something to go on would give them some way to move forward.

He shook his head and whispered, “She has her.”

She crouched down to the boy’s level.

“Who is her?” Talise asked in a whisper. She cringed at the grammar but she wanted to be part of the secret, not an adult he was confessing to.

“My sister.”

Talise’s heart quickened. She reminded herself that Niels would have Meldrick and Konrad nearby helping him.

“What have they said they will do to her?” Talise asked.

He stood rigid, hands in fists at his side and his head tilted back.

If she were Spence this would be an excellent game of charades. She was not Spence and she had no clue what he meant. Whatever it was, possibly electrocution, looked painful.

“I am not going to let anyone hurt you and we will find your sister.”

She set the toys down and sat on the edge of the floor, “You can play with all of these. Whenever you want.”

She was about to be a mom of eight, but she promised to take the boy and his twin in, if no better option came up.

“Thank you!” he exclaimed as he began to play with blocks and trains and horses at once.

She watched him play, and soon Val was rushing into the room with Niels right behind.

She stood up and wrapped her arms around him. His lips were a sweet assurance that he was there, that things were under control.

“Everyone okay here?” he asked.

“Just a birthday crisis,” she replied. She leaned in and kissed him again.

“I left once Konrad showed,” Niels said in almost a whisper. “Guesses?”

“He has a sister that’s in trouble. No toys… he won’t be going back.” He’s another orphan, but we can’t send him to the orphanage.

Niels trailed his fingers in circles on her back, “What are we doing with him?”

Talise wanted to say we’re taking him in, but she knew it wasn’t an option for them. They had two more on the way already and there were other options. She also couldn’t tell him she was pregnant; she had a plan to tell him that evening after all of her gifts.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “ I want to ask Spence about a spell. He should…”

“Be right here?” Spence said as he walked into the room.

“Always impatient, aren’t you?” Spence said as he sat beside them. “What can I do for you?”

Talise rolled her eyes, then nodded toward the boy, “Find his sister with a tracking spell? She’s in the Lower Dell, we think, and in trouble.”

“Sure. Does he trust either of you?” Spence asked.

Niels kissed her cheek and heat flooded her entire body as she felt his breath trail up her neck, and the faint pressure of his lips on her ear.

“What are we doing with him?” he whispered.

Talise turned and looked at him, “You want to raise him?”

“A no, then,” Spence said as he stood and left them.

Niels’ eyes widened as he uninfused himself with her personal bubble,“I kind of had the idea you might want to.”

Duh, she wanted to. But they were back to the pregnant with twins and six older kids issue.

“Maybe,” she began, cautiously. “We should talk about it tonight.”

There – they could talk about it after she told him she was pregnant, on her own terms instead of the terms of some crisis.

“After everything and my birthday stuff,” she added.

Niels cuddled back against her, and Spence left the room. Talise turned to relax into his arms, that enveloped her in promises of a good birthday, “After fifteen, you mean?”

“After the gifts,” she corrected.

His hands trailed across her abdomen and she burned hotter for a moment. There was no way he knew. She tried to take a mental deep breath since a real one would let him know she had almost freaked out about losing her secret.

“I love you for noticing this,” he whispered into her ear again. “You have such good instincts.”

Talise tilted her head and kissed him, then moved away to play with the boy and Val while they waited for Spence to return.

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