Anastasia Elianna Paige Schultz sighed softly, looking out of the window of her cozy, tiny bedroom. The eleven year old wore black velvet sweatpants, a white tank top, caramel fake uggs and a blue denim jacket. Bright blue eyes were made brighter with the tiniest bit of white eyeliner and black mascara, and she wore pale translucent powder over her face, making her gorgeous porcelain skin blemish less and even. Long black hair faded into blonde at the curled ends as she stared at the water outside. She fiddled with her pointy, long black nails, locking eyes with one of her friends from inside her room, before turning away, looking at the bakers shop as he brought out a fresh batch of bread from his oven.
"Anna! Mom says lunch's ready!" Her twin sister called for her. Nodding wordlessly, she stared out of the window for a second more, eyes locking with a birds', before getting off her wooden windowsill and stepping on her carpet. Quietly, she opened her door and stepped down the small, tall staircase, before going into the dining room.
"Hey, baby," Her mother smiled at her, placing a plate of carbonara down in her space.
"Hey, mommy," Anastasia smiled softly, hugging her mother gently, before sitting down at her place, waiting for her brothers to get back from their sports practice.
"When's Aiden getting home?" Anastasia's twin asked their mother, placing a pitcher of non alcoholic limoncello on the table that she helped her mother brew.
"In a few minutes, Talia. Your brothers' with him. Tell me if they come home earlier, i'm going to quickly get the washing in from the line, okay?" Their mother asked them.
"Yes, mommy." Talia smiled, before the elder woman walked out of the little room, passing the kitchen which was a little bit bigger, before rushing down the stone staircase that lead to the large strip of grass they called the back garden.
"The boys are back!" The eldest of the siblings boomed as he came inside their little house.
"Aiden, ssh! Mrs. Gabler is sleeping, she's not well." Talia, the youngest of the siblings shushed quickly. "Now sit, mommy should be in soon."
"Sure, squirt." The two boys walked into the room and sat in their places.
"How was practice?" Anastasia asked, brushing dirt from her elder brothers' hair.
"Good. Scored in soccer, got a touchdown in football, managed to get big brother down for a three count in wrestling and we won in baseball."
"Nobody likes a bragger, Eli" The eldest of the household came into the room, smiling at her children whilst holding a white wicker basket with folded pieces of clothing inside, a small bag of clothes pegs resting on top of the last shirt.
"Yes, mom." They all chuckled.
"I'll help you, it looks heavy." Aiden, the eldest of the siblings, got up and took the basket from his mothers' arms and lifted it with ease. His mother smiled gratefully at him.
"Thanks, just put it in the laundry room. I'll fold it up later.
"Sure, momma." Aiden left with the basket and his mother went over towards her children and sat down at the head of the table. She brushed some dirt from her second sons' dark brown hair.
"Why do you always get so dirty when you come home from practice, dude? You were gone for like three hours."
"Yeah, Eli, you're filthy." Talia teased.
"Sorry mom, really wanted that goal." Elijah smiled sheepishly. His mother chuckled.
"Well, you and your brother are washing your uniform tonight."
"Mom!" He wined. "We were gonna go out and play more later!"
"It won't be a problem, my little philosopher, your grandfather sent us some stuff a few weeks ago. The package is in the post office, i'm sure he sent some more gear for you two. We'll get it after lunch."
"Yes!" He fist bumped the air, making his mother and sisters chuckle, as Aiden came into the room again and sat next to his brother.
"What's the yessing for?"
"Grampa sent us another package! It probably has training gear in it!"
"Sweet." The protective eldest smiled, before the youngest spoke again.
"Should we eat then?"
"Let's do this."
Lunch went down a treat, with jokes, stories and laughed being shared by all. When the plates were cleaned and the drink had been drained, the twins set out to wash the dishes whilst their mother finished up the laundry. Aiden and Elijah did a little housework, before being ushered out the door by their sisters, both eager to find out what was in the package their mothers' father got them.
"Hey, mom?" Anastasia asked softly, peaking into the kitchen, where her mother was putting some freshly made soup into a few plastic packages for the next few days.
"Yes, honey?" The blue eyed woman asked, standing up straight.
"Mrs. Mertel said we could all stay for dinner, is that okay? We'll be back in about an hour and a half."
"Sure, babe. I'll see you later."
"Okay, mommy. Love you."
"See ya, sweetie."
Dinner with their neighbour went very well. The layout wasn't all that different to the one that their own home had, so they found their way easily around the house to help their beloved neighbour out in any way they physically could.
What was amazing about the four Schultz children was that they were all fluent in French and English. As Leighla had moved to the little French island Mont Saint Michel when Elijah was six or seven months old and the twin girls were born and raised in the little island, and it was a mostly a French speaking island, all learned how to speak in the two languages. They spoke English to communicate with their mothers' family, who lived in America, Italy and Germany, and to tutor their friends how to speak the different language.
When it was time to leave the Mertel household, they left with a plate full of chocolate chip cookies and having taught the middle aged woman and her husband a few more English words.
"Au revoir à vous quatre. Je vous verrai le matin. Bonne nuit."
"Bonsoir, M. et Mme Mertel. Nous vous verrons dans la matinée. Dormez bien."
They entered the house with the key Aiden had and went inside. Talia placed the cookies in the kitchen cupboard and tidied up the shoe and coat rack they kept in the entrance way.
"All right, i'm gonna have a shower and get ready for school in the morning. Night, you three."
"Night Ana," Elijah called after his sister, before going over towards the coat rack, placing his jacket and shoes in their appropriate places.
"I'm gonna pack my bag for the morning and maybe make a snack, want anything?"
"No thanks, bro. I'm gonna iron everybody's clothes for tomorrow. Just leave'm by the bed and i'll get them in a minute."
"Sure, Aiden. Later."
"Later bro."
Aiden quickly did what he offered to do and placed everybody's ironed clothes on their dressing tables, before packing up their bags for the next morning. Just as he was going to say goodnight to his mother, he heard her talking on the phone to somebody.
"I just hate not being able to see you. We're so close, yet so far away. I shouldn't be separated from my child, Leighla, and you shouldn't be separated from me for something you couldn't control."
"I know daddy. I miss you more than anything. The kids do too. But, we'll see you and Mama in a couple of months when you come down."
"I know, but i know who they won't be seeing." His grandfather growled. Leighla sighed.
"Will you stop? Me and Colby ended years ago, yeah, i hate him more than anything, but there's nothing that can be done now, is there?"
"I know what i should've done a long time ago. I have no problem doing it now."
"I know you wanna find him and hunt him down, but you can't. He chose her. And he betrayed me and threw our family aside like we were nothing. We can't find him now. There's no trace of him anywhere. He could be dead for all we know."
"I wish he was."
"Hey. You know what he did to me, and us, i don't ever want to see him again. We made a life without him."
"I know you did, baby girl. But i just miss you."
"I know you do, i miss you too. I'm perfectly happy with my life, and my kids, i don't need him or want him. The kids don't remember him, but i'll tell them about him when the time's right. There's no reason to wish death upon him, dad, severe bodily harm, yes, but not death."
"How are you so forgiving? I despise him."
"I do too, but, life worked out just fine. He's doing whatever he wants to do with his life, and if the kids want to know about their father, i'll tell them, and he can deal with the consequences when leaving his wife and children behind bites him in the ass and he finally'll have to deal with the consequences. I'm just waiting for the right time."
"Scheming?"
"No, making sure my kids are mature enough to handle the truth, and making sure that he doesn't try to go all Romeo and Juliet on me and try to get us back."
"If he does, you tell me and-"
"But he won't. If he wanted us, he wouldn't have left us. That's fine. I'm mom and dad to them, and they didn't turn out too bad, did they? I don't need a man. I provide for us, and i make us happy."
"I know you do. I'll speak to you tomorrow, my schöner schmetterling."
"Bye, daddy"
Leighla hung up the phone and sighed, raking a hand through her long, raven locks. She looked over in the near-bye mirror and smiled softly. Blue eyes bright and alive, make up holding together perfectly, hair done well and clothes nice and pristine.
She didn't need Colby Lopez.
Did she?