Flicker

Flicker: Huit

Nora pulled her shawl around her tighter, keeping out the chill. The library was cavernous and drafty. It was no longer the sunny days of autumn and the change of weather was evident of that. Nora had long since quit reading the book that lay face upside down on her lap. She looked over at Tifa who sat on the settee across from her, flicking through pages of a novel.

"Oh, give it up Tifa, you're not reading that book anymore than I am reading my own."

Tifa looked up and her, like a child who had been caught with its hand in the cookie jar.

"Am I so obvious?" Tifa said.

"Of course. I think you flicked through more pages than read actual words."

"Alright well, now the jig is up." Tifa flung the book on the coffee table and laid back on the settee with her legs up.

"You know it's stopped raining. Maybe we can go out. For a hike? I always love hiking after the rainfall. The Earth smells so fresh and new."

"Mm. I'm not really feeling it right now," Nora said, looking at the raindrops that still clung to the window pane. "I'd prefer to stay inside."

"Boo. You're no fun," Tifa said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't you get tired of seeing these walls again and again."

Nora just shrugged and looked at Tifa with curiosity.

"What?" Tifa huffed. "Do I have two heads?"

"No. But why are you so eager to get out. You've been bugging me to leave the house all day."

"I mean I'm a woman of the land, Nora. What do you expect?"

"No. No. Something's up." Nora said, sitting forward. "What's going on with you?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Well, you seem like all jumpy and itching to get out of here. What's got you looking over your shoulder?"

"Huh? Nothing. I'm just bored I guess."

"Bored? A house this big and you can't find anything to occupy yourself with."

"Sad isn't it?"

"Just a little," Nora said with a small chuckle. "But, no. I think you're hiding something. You said yourself that you were happy to come to live here - have some downtime. I mean after running around with the army brats all the time."

"True. I'm not bored, I'm just -"

Tifa was cut off by two screaming children who busted into the library, crying out the two women's names. Either child flung themselves on Tifa and Nora.

"Goodness me!" Nora said, tickling Peyton to hysterics. "Where did you come from?"

"We were just playing with daddy," Annabelle answered for her brother, clambering on top of Tifa.

"Were you? And where is daddy?"

"Right here," Blaine answered, leaning against the door jam. "Sorry, but they just sniffed you out."

"Did you now?" Tifa asked Annabelle, capturing a curl with her index finger. Anna gave a toothy grin and nodded vigorously. 

"We missed you," Peyton said.

Nora felt a little guiltily. She hadn't been interacting with the children as much as she used to, though that wasn't necessarily her doing. She still felt that Catherine's decree was still in place regardless if she and Blaine were on rocky ground. So, not knowing how the situation was playing out, she did limit her time with the children best she could.