Sanctuary: Grove Haven Commune, Book 1

Three Months Later

The alarm blared sending Greg out of bed with a muffled curse. Amy rolled over and mumbled something waving ineffectually at the alarm on the other side of the bed. She finally groaned and rose turning it off. she could hear Greg in the shower already and Kendall calling for her.
She weren't into the bedroom where their daughter lay in her bed. She sat up hair falling in wild tangles of fine silvery blonde ringlets. How she'd gotten her silvery hair and violet eyes they still didn't know. But Amy wasn't concerned about that as she picked up her damp child, kissing her on her pert nose, stroking the cheek of her heart shaped face.
"You have school today." Said Amy as she undressed Kendall, removing the soiled diaper and wiping her clean. She and Greg didn't hold with the notion that just because Kendall had been diagnosed autistic that she was also slow. that had been another sticking point with the family who all decided to treat her like she was an evil child who was violent and slow.
"School." Said Kendall clearly, "That's right and you will meet lots of kids and make friends." "Friends." Said Kendall bouncing a little on the balls of her feet, "You will be good right?" "Mommy and daddy's good girl?" Amy asked as Greg yelled he was finished. Grabbing her clothes and Kendall's she headed to the bathroom.
"Good girl." Said Kendall as the water cascaded. "Yes and there is something you never ever should do." said Amy. "Magic." Said Kendall. They'd begun calling it magic, for what was it other than magic. "That's right no magic." "Why?" Asked Amy as she lathered them both with soap. Kendall shook her head. "No magic." she repeated.
"Why no magic?" Asked Amy again, "Magic bad." Said Kendall, "Bad magic." Kendall winced as Amy brushed her hair later.
She'd been dressed in a frilly dress with blue bows in her hair. Handing her coffee Greg asked, "she understands?" "She does." Said Amy. "Want cereal." Said Kendall in a demanding voice, "In a minute." Said Amy, "Want cereal!" Kendall said voice raised higher, "Kendall Louise Chambers I said not now." Amy was already flustered this morning. What if she Kendall used magic? What if she hurt someone? It was never intentional. Greg and Amy knew that. Even when she'd pushed a child with her magic, or tied up that cousin it wasn't exactly hurting them. Was the child scared? Of course they were. But Kendall wasn't the hurting kind. She could get angry, annoyed, cranky, ornery even, but never mean spirited. The times she did lash out were really directed inward.
Suddenly there was a crash as cornflakes scatters. "God." Said Amy biting back the curse word she would have said, "Greg."
Greg hurried in and saw the mess. "Damn it." He said as he got out the broom and Amy went to Kendall who cowered in her seat, "Why did you do it?" She asked quivering with anger, "Want cereal." Said Kendall in a petulant pouty voice, "Well now you won't get any." Said Amy, "You can have a banana and a granola bar and orange juice for breakfast. "No!" Kendall wailed as the cupboard was closed on the boxes of cereal.
She finished cleaning the mess while Greg crouched beside Kendall's chair, "That was bad Kendall." He admonished with a stern frown. "No bad." Said Kendall, "Kendall do you want the naughty seat?" He asked, "No naughty." She said lip quivering, "Then don't do that again." He said, "That was very bad."
He hugged and kissed her, "Daddy and mommy love you, but you don't do that anymore." Kendall sniffled and said, "Good girl." "You are a good girl." Said Amy picking her up, "I'll drop her off Greg if you want to get in early."
"I'll pick her up after school." Said Greg, "Take her to Annie's." With more of that luck that seemed to follow them they'd met and fallen in love with a red haired girl named Annie. She'd not flinched when Kendall on their first day had flung with magic her dolls across the room. she had simply waved and and said that strange things happen all the time. They'd asked her later what she'd meant.
"I'm from Ireland." She had said, "My whole family believes in such things as can't be explained." So they had a babysitter thankfully who didn't flinch at Kendall's displays of magic. Greg and Amy had tentatively been calling it that since the cake incident. When Kendall would see things Annie would ask, "What else do you see?"
"What do we do when we are out of the house?" Amy asked Kendall as they hurried into the school, "No magic." Kendall said, a bit annoyed herself. "That's right." She'd cried on the way to the hospital, gone in and washed her face before reporting in. She loved the pace of ER medicine and seeing the examination rooms full only made her perk up with happiness. She'd forget that after a long shift though, as she dragged herself into the car.
Halfway through though she'd gotten a call asking if Kendall wouldn't prefer the afternoon classes since she seemed listless. After texting Greg she called back and they'd agreed that the afternoon class would be better. Annie worked the night shift anyway and this way she'd not have to stay awake until Greg and Amy came home. She'd come and pick Kendall up and feed her something before one of them would come home.
But Annie had a family emergency so it was Amy who on her lunch break picked Kendall up. the teacher left the room for a minute after saying she wanted to talk to Amy. She watched as Kendall played with another girl.
Black haired with vivid blue eyes she looked wise. She looked in her odd way the way Kendall looked. Somehow far away but here, looking all around but also through you. they were playing with a doll house when Amy said, "Come on Kendall."
The other little girl pulled the doll from Kendall. "Mine!" Kendall screamed, "No!" the other girl said, "Mine!" Then Amy's mouth dropped open. Another woman, probably the other girl's mother came in just as it happened. The other little girl did something and the doll was zooming in to her hand. "Aoife!" "Stop that right now!" The other woman was hurrying over to Aoife and speaking low and soft, and in Irish. Amy blinked at that. She'd only heard Irish spoken by her great grandparents. She'd learned a few words, but the younger generations never learned it.. Greg's paternal side was English but his maternal side was Welsh as he'd learned recently.
The woman picked up her daughter still speaking in Irish. She stopped as she saw Amy's pale face. "You?" Amy breathed, "I what?" Asked the woman, "You, your daughter she?" "She threw the toy which she will get punished for." Said the woman tensely, "No." Said Amy, "She, she." Then she twirled her fingers in the sign of magic, "Are you crazy?" Asked the woman, "My daughter, she, she does it too."
"How do I know you are speaking truth and not false?" Asked the woman voice lowered, "Because mine does too." And thank all the luck Gods at that moment Kendall made the toy hit Aoife in the head. The woman stared, "I don't recognize you." "We're new in town." Said Amy as if that explained it.
"Do you have an hour?" Asked the woman, "Yeah I have an hour." Said Amy. She didn't but she could call and say something came up. "Meet me at the park then." Said the woman. "If we exchange numbers." Amy didn't know why but she agreed, "I'm Morgana by the way." The woman introduced herself, "Morgana McCourt." "Amy Chambers." "And this little joy is Kendall."
Why was she driving to the park? How could she so easily get out of working the shift? It had happened, like magic, and Greg was coming to the park. Had this not been, magic guiding all this she'd be following some weirdo. But they sat down at picnic tables in the deserted park. A man joined them in a few moments. "My husband Seamus." Said Morgana. She nodded then said, "Just a moment."
She stared into space for just the briefest of moments then said mysteriously, "No one will see or hear us for as long as we're here."