"Mom, we are sorry that we forgot your birthday." Kathleen broke into Athena’s thoughts while she stared at the missed call from Herbert.
It was Thursday morning, a cold Thursday morning, as rain which had started sometime in the early hours of the morning was still pelting down on the roof, though in a lesser torrent.
"Kathleen, I forgot too. You don’t have to be hard on yourself." She spoke, dropping the phone on the bed with a faint sigh.
She had come into her children’s room to speak with them concerning her upcoming busy and lonely schedule, wanting to prepare them so that they wouldn’t be taken unawares by her absence, and Ewan’s presence which would be more than before.
They all sat on the bed, legs crossed, the twins facing Athena in such a way that they would form a triangle if dots were connected.
"Nathaniel, you too. This period has been a trying one for us all, and I will appreciate it if you let the guilt go. I am not in any way angry, neither do I fault you two in anything."
The twins exchanged glances and nodded slowly.
"Okay Mom. So, why are you in our room this morning...it seems you have something on your mind." Nathaniel observed, his eyes flicking to the wall clock before her. Just half past six.
Athena inhaled softly, clutching her hands together in her lap. "Something came up at work..." she started, meeting their gazes tenderly.
She knew they wouldn’t be pleased with what she was about to say, but there wasn’t a choice really. "A new virus will be released soon, and I have to work to avert it, or find a cure for it, like I did for the Grey Virus."
She watched them watch her, watched their eyes become laden with understanding—understanding and anger.
"Is it the same person?"
Athena knew what her son was asking about, so she nodded her head. "They are working overtime."
"They are stressing you, Mom." Kathleen opined, folding her arms across her chest, lips pressing into a thin line. "I don’t like that."
Athena sighed, shoulders drooping. She didn’t like it either. She wanted peace and normal, but it was like she had done something chaotic in her past life for her to be visited with it at every turn in this life.
"It’s okay, my darlings. I just have to do as before... work in my lab. And you know it takes a lot of my time. Aunt Gianna won’t be around, well not as before, considering the state of her work now, and I can’t burden her more than is necessary... Aunt Chelsea is also busy... so..." she paused, licking her lower lip nervously.
She had noticed that the children were okay with Ewan, but asking them to get used to an Ewan who would now be living with them, on most days...
"We’ll be okay with Father’s presence." Nathaniel spoke then, reading his mother’s hesitation. He had thought about it in the seconds succeeding her statement.
His father was a busy man, yes, but he somehow always found time for them. Surely, he will be the best candidate, alongside their great grandparents.
Athena exhaled in relief meanwhile, touching Nathaniel’s cheeks gently, her eyes softening. Even though she was saddled with chaos in this life, having these children of hers triumphed over everything else, and for them, she would triumph over whatever had decided to chaotize her life. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel⚑fire.net
"He will be staying here, most times though. Will you both be okay with that?"
Kathleen nodded quickly. "Yes. I like him. He is a good man, and he always has time for us."
If only she knew what that statement did to her mother’s heart then...
"That’s... good." Athena stuttered, looking away from her children lest they discovered the emotions splashing across her eyes and face.
"I’m sorry that I’ll be absent most times..."
"It’s okay Mom, we understand that you are saving the world." The twins gave her a thumbs up, which caused tears to prick her eyes.
"We are proud of you, Mom."
She hugged them to herself, feeling a lone tear make an escape finally. "I am proud of you two too. And I love you so much. So very much." She dropped kisses on their heads, her face frowning when her phone started ringing.
"It’s Uncle Herbert..." Kathleen muttered, having seen the name flashing on Athena’s phone screen.
Athena disengaged from the hug then and answered the phone. "Herbert, good morning." A pause where pleasantries were exchanged. "Yes, I am okay. I just need to figure out a way to deal with the new variant. Did you get my message?"
"Okay then, thank you very much."
"He is a good boss, I think." Kathleen noted, when Athena ended the call.
"Yes, he is." A pause. "You both have noticed that there are more people staying with us, right?"
"Yes, Kendra will be staying for a while. I have told Gianna to re-register her back at your school... We don’t know how long this matter will last. So, she will be joining you two at school, and they will be staying at the east wing of the mansion, the quarters painted with a light cream color... should you want to visit."
The twins nodded, a smile on their lips, pleased to play with their friend again.
"There are also two patients in the house, in the two rooms upstairs, so they are off limits for now. One is Kendra’s father, and the other is your father’s friend. They were both in an accident, courtesy of the gang behind this madness. So, maybe, say a prayer for them?"
"Sure, we will. Are they getting any better?"
"Yes, they are." Athena smiled at her son, ruffling his hair. "And lastly... I will need the contacts of your friends in the dark web."
The twins exchanged cursory glances.
"I will need their help to get the locations of people."
"Sure Mom." Nathaniel agreed, unfolding his legs and getting out of the bed.
He hurried to the table where the laptop was, was about to boot it, when he hesitated, thinking better of it. His friends’ contacts were on his phone.
So, he picked his phone instead, and returned to his mother.
"The contacts are here. You can send a message. They already know you are a friend of ours."