Freaks: Year One

QUACK!

She turned to him. "I can't sleep."

"Well, have you tried?" He asked, looking over to her untouched bed.

Adelaide bit her lip, and held up a Transfiguration book. "I was studying Transfiguration. I want to do some spells, like change this teacup into a bird!"

Alabaster noticed the teacup on her desk, and said, "You can't do magic without a wand, Adelaide." Alabaster said.

"Then how does accidental magic happen?" She challenged him.

She had a point there. "Well, you can't do complex spells without a wand."

"I still would like to practise." Adelaide told him. "You should want to practise too. You will be going to Hogwarts soon."

Alabaster shook his head, he really did not need that reminder. "It's late, give me the book please."

She sighed as Alabaster took the book from her. He walked to her door, and added, "And go to bed, if you are not asleep by the time mother, and father are home, I will be in trouble."

She hopped on her bed, snuggled under the covers, and Alabaster said, "Good night." He shut her light off, closed her door, and headed downstairs to put the book back.

As he was heading to the living room, he opened the book himself to try to see what she was looking at, but he could not figure out what she wanted to do. Well, he knew about the teacup to a bird thing as she had told him, but what else had she been trying to do? There was no picture to indicate what. He placed it on the fireplace's mantel, and was starting to turn when a voice said, "Alabaster?"

He jumped, and turned around. It was Adelaide. He groaned, and rubbed his eyes. "What do you need? Go to bed. If you're awake when mother, and father are home we will all be in trouble. Big trouble. Why don't you want to sleep? I really want to sleep, but I can't. Be like Atticus, he is asleep."

"Actually, I was just going to tell you he woke up."

Alabaster closed his eyes. He was tired, this was exhausting, why couldn't Adelaide at least be asleep already? Then he would just have to deal with Atticus waking up every so often. "Okay." He took Adelaide's hand, and went upstairs to Atticus' room. He opened the door, and Atticus was crying in his crib.

"What do you think is wrong with him?" Adelaide asked.

Alabaster approached the crib. "Maybe he is hungry?" He hoped that was it. "Do you want milk?" Atticus continued to scream. "Oh noooo...let's try a bottle." He walked over to a cupboard that was placed in his room filled with baby supplies for Atticus, and grabbed a bottle of milk.

All of a sudden the crying calmed, and Alabaster turned to see Adelaide showing him a drawing of a duck. "Where did you get that?"

"Your sketchbook."

"H-how did you calm him down so easily?" Alabaster asked her, astonished.

She shrugged her shoulders. "He likes ducks."

"Quack." Atticus said pointing to the drawing.

Alabaster stared at the two of them, worn out. "Yeah...quack." He looked at Adelaide. "Go to bed now."

"Give him a bottle of milk first."

"I will." Alabaster turned back to the cupboard, and stared at the bottle, wondering if he should shake it or not.

Atticus continued to quack.

"Okay, you have to stop quacking now." Adelaide said. "It is not proper."