Tough Love

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Eight

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Eight

Eli's P.O.V.

Ash has stayed for dinner and he's currently showing Dani videos of magicians on his cell. Dani's face is too cute, as she sits watching with wide eyes. Scar is laying at her feet. He's dozing but not totally asleep. He looks around the room every so often. He's got up to pace the lower level of the house a few times too. He frequently stops at the doors to sniff underneath them as well. I may not be able to tell him commands just yet, but from what I've observed, he's showing signs of protecting Dani and our home already. That puts my mind a little more at ease for tonight's transfer.

I hear Dani chuckle as I'm clearing away the dishes and she nearly exclaims, "How did he do that? That's not possible. It's not real. Is it?"

"A magician never reveals his tricks. That's one of the rules. They never tell you how they do their tricks."

She's silent, like she's trying to figure it out and then she laughs. She actually laughs. And it is truly a beautiful sound.

"I know how he did it!"

Ok, so she must have been replaying it in her mind. That is pretty cool.

I almost miss Ash whisper, "No way. How can you know that?"

She shrugs, "I just replayed it in my head slowly. Do you want me to tell you how it's done?"

"No, nu-uh. You'll ruin the magic for me. It's magic. That's all I need to know."

"Ok. Hey, Ash?"

"Yes darlin'?"

"What's a roller coaster?"

My head snaps in their direction, and I watch both of their reactions. Ash looks stunned for a few seconds and I can't quite figure out what he's thinking. Then I see anger and hurt flash across his features. I can see Dani is starting to feel uncomfortable and worried about her question. She probably feels like she shouldn't be asking questions; like she should be seen and not heard.

Ash must realize this too, because he snaps out of his thoughts and asks, "You've never seen a rollercoaster? It's like a train that goes really fast but it goes up in the air and then does loads of loops and stuff. Here, I'll show you..."

Ash brings up a video of a rollercoaster on his cell and for a few moments, all we can hear is the sound from that. Eventually Dani figures it out and her voice is laced with panic when she shrieks, "It's the metal snake, Eli!"

She points at Ash's cell screen and then searches for me while speaking, "That's it, Eli! It's the metal snake! I told you there was a metal snake!"

Scar jumps up and is standing at the ready, so I make sure my voice is low and calming when I respond, "I know, baby, I know. It's ok, sweetheart. That's what helped us to find them. You helped us to find them."

She doesn't look quite so panicked now and she looks sheepish as she apologies to Ash for her outburst.

Ash smiles and says, "You have seen a rollercoaster; you just didn't know what it was called. It kind of does look like a metal snake, actually."

Trust Ash to try and make the situation less serious. His lighthearted nature helps in many situations and this would be one of them. Dani sends him a tight smile and Scar nudges her hands that are tightly squeezed together on her lap. After feeling Scar's presence, Dani's hands immediately open and she buries her fingers into his fur. The gesture makes an involuntary smile form on my lips.

Ash clears his throat and says, "I'm going to head home to grab some things. I'll be back to get you in a half hour, Eli. That work for you?"

"Yeah, thanks man."