8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Aria

“ M ommy! Wake up! Wake up, Mommy!”

The soft weight of Elias lands squarely on my stomach, followed by a cascade of giggles wakes me up. His tiny hands grab my face, and the warm, sticky kiss he plants on my cheek sends a jolt of energy through me before my brain has even caught up.

“Good morning to you too, sticky fingers,” I mumble, squinting one eye open at him. His wide grin lights up the room, and his dark curls bounce as he wiggles against me.

“I’m not sticky!” He laughs, pressing his nose against mine.

“No?” I arch an eyebrow, feigning seriousness. “What’s this then?” I point to the faint smear of chocolate on the corner of his mouth.

“It’s… um…” His face scrunches up like he’s solving a riddle. “It’s cause… I was… brushing my teeth!”

“Elias,” I say, trying to keep my voice stern, though I’m already smiling.

“Okay, okay!” He throws his hands up, giggling. “It’s from the candy, but I didn’t mean to!”

“Candy? At…” I glance at the clock on the bedside table. “Seven in the morning?”

“I was extremely hungry, Mommy!”

I grab him, pulling him into a tickle attack that sends him into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. “Hungry for trouble, maybe!”

“No, Mommy! Stop, stop!”

“Say you’ll listen to Mommy from now on!”

“I will! Promise!” He gasps between laughs, squirming against the onslaught.

“You promise?”

“Pinkie promise, Mommy!”

I stop tickling him, pull him close and press a kiss to his forehead. He smells like a little boy and chocolate, and my heart aches with a kind of love so fierce it scares me sometimes.

“Alright, mister. Time to get up and ready for school,” I sit up and stretch.

“Do I have to?”

“Yes.” I flick his nose. “And we both know you love school.”

He groans dramatically but hops off the bed, grabbing my hand to pull me toward the bathroom.

Elias stands on the small stool by the sink, gripping his toothbrush like it’s a sword. I hand him the toothpaste, watching as he meticulously squirts an enormous blob onto the bristles.

“Elias,” I warn.

“What?” He looks at me with wide, innocent eyes, the kind that makes it hard to be mad at him.

“That’s too much toothpaste, baby. It’s going to foam everywhere!”

He giggles, wiping a bit off with his finger and sticking it back in the tube. “Is this good now?”

“Much better.”

As he brushes, his little voice bubbles with questions between swipes. “Mommy, why do we gotta brush teeth every day?”

“Because if we don’t, they’ll get yucky, and you won’t be able to eat all your favorite foods.”

“Like candy?”

“Exactly. And broccoli.”

“Eww! I don’t like broccoli!” He sticks out his tongue, covered in foam, and makes a face in the mirror.

I laugh, shaking my head as I hand him a cup of water. “Rinse, you silly boy.”

He does, and as he spits into the sink, I notice his pupils flash gold again, just for a heartbeat. My stomach clenches, but I force my face to stay neutral.

“Alright, hop down. Time for a bath.”

“Can I bring my boats? Please?”

“Of course. Captain Elias needs his fleet.”

He runs to grab his toys, and I turn the water on, letting the warmth chase away the chill of the morning. My hands shake slightly as I adjust the temperature. The flashes of gold are happening more often. I’ve seen them enough to know what they mean.

Elias is a wolf like his father.

The thought sends a pang through me, a bittersweet ache I’ve carried for years. I haven’t let myself think about Bane in a long time, at least, not intentionally. But Elias makes it impossible to forget.

“Mommy, can I come in now?”

“Yep, the water’s ready.”

Elias climbs into the tub with a splash, his boats immediately taking over the space. “I’m the captain, and the shark is gonna get the bad pirates!”

“Yes, you are,” I sit on the edge of the tub as he narrates an elaborate rescue mission involving sharks, pirates, and a very brave rubber duck.

By the time we’re both dressed and ready to leave, the house feels alive with the sounds of Elias’s endless chatter.

“Mommy, why’s the sky blue?”

“Because of the way sunlight scatters in the atmosphere.”

“What’s a ‘mosphere?”

“It’s the air all around us.”

“Can we touch it?”

“Nope, it’s too high up.”

“That’s not fair.”

I laugh, ruffling his curls. “Life’s not always fair, baby. But you make it fun anyway.”

He beams at me, and my heart feels lighter than it has in days.

The drive to school is very short. Every place in this town is within a very short distance. When I came here 5 years ago, I knew immediately it would be the perfect place for me. But I wonder how long before it is no longer accommodating. How long before they raise sticks and stones against my child.

Elias leaps out of the car as soon as I unbuckle him and runs toward the entrance with his backpack bouncing against his back.

“Wait for me, Captain!” I call, laughing as I hurry after him.

His teacher, Miss Clara, greets us at the door with a warm smile. “Good morning, Elias. Ready for another fun day?”

“Yeah! I’m going to build the biggest tower in the block corner today!”

“I can’t wait to see it,” she says, ruffling his hair before turning to me. “How’s everything, Anna?”

“Good,” I lie smoothly. “He’s been looking forward to school all weekend.”

“That’s wonderful. He’s such a bright boy.”

I nod as I watch him disappear into the classroom.

“Miss Anna, what’s gonna happen if you mix all the colors together?”

“Miss Anna, can we make it explode?”

“Miss Anna, can I eat this?”

“No, Ethan, you absolutely cannot eat baking soda,” I say, shooting him a look over the top of my safety goggles. The seven-year-old beams at me, unrepentant, his mouth stained with what I can only assume is leftover juice.

“Why not? It looks like sugar!”

“It isn’t sugar, buddy. Trust me on this one. And Chloe,” I turn to the little girl waving both hands in the air, “nothing’s going to explode unless I’ve seriously miscalculated, which I haven’t. And mixing all the colors together just makes brown.”

A chorus of groans ripples through the class. “That’s boring!”

“Brown’s a great color! It’s the color of chocolate, and you all like chocolate, don’t you?”

Their enthusiasm shifts immediately, and their tiny faces light up at the mention of sweets. I laugh, carefully pouring vinegar into the small volcano-shaped container on the table.

“Alright, everyone. Watch closely. This is called a chemical reaction. When we mix baking soda and vinegar, something cool happens.”

The kids lean forward in their seats. As the mixture starts to bubble and foam, spilling over the edges of the container, there’s a collective gasp followed by wild applause.

“Whoa!”

“That’s so cool!”

“Do it again, Miss Anna!”

Before I can respond, the door opens, and one of the other teachers, Miss Clara, steps in. Her expression is tight, her eyes scanning the room until they land on me.

“Ms. Anna, can I speak with you for a moment?”

Something in her tone makes my stomach drop.

“Of course.” I smile at the kids. “Alright, class. I want you to draw what you just saw while I step out for a second, okay? And no touching the volcano!”

There’s a scattered chorus of “Okay, Miss Anna!” as I follow Clara into the hallway.

“What’s wrong?” I ask the moment the door shuts behind me.

“It’s Elias,” she says. “Something happened on the playground.”

My heart skips a beat. “Is he hurt?”

“No, but…” She hesitates, glancing toward the playground. “You should see for yourself.”

By the time we reach the playground, my mind is racing with worst-case scenarios. I spot Elias sitting on the ground near the jungle gym, his small shoulders hunched, and his face buried in his hands. Another child, a girl with blonde pigtails, is crying loudly nearby while a small group of kids stands around them, looking on with wide, uncertain eyes.

“What happened?” I ask, kneeling beside Elias.

He doesn’t look up, his little body trembling.

“Elias,” I say gently, brushing his curls away from his face. “Baby, talk to me. What happened?”

“I didn’t mean to,” he whispers, his voice shaky and full of tears.

“Didn’t mean to what?”

Miss Clara steps forward, her expression a mix of sympathy and concern. “They were playing tag, and the girl, Lily, screamed. When we got to her, her arm was red, like she’d been grabbed too hard.”

I glance at the girl, whose sobs have quieted slightly. One of the teachers is crouched beside her, inspecting her arm. The red marks are unmistakable. Five small finger-shaped streaks against her pale skin.

I swallow hard, forcing myself to stay calm. “Elias… did you grab Lily’s arm hard?”

“I didn’t mean to!” He looks up at me, and tears start streaming down his face. His pupils flash gold for the briefest moment, and my heart breaks.

“I know you didn’t,” I say softly. “But we don’t grab our friends very hard, okay? We always must be gentle.”

“She was going to fall!” he cries, his voice cracking. “I was trying to help!”

I close my eyes for a second. “I believe you, sweetheart. But even when we’re helping, we have to be careful. Can you apologize to Lily for scaring her?”

Elias nods, sniffling, and stands up on shaky legs. He walks over to Lily, who’s still clutching her arm.

“I’m sorry,” he says, his voice small. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Lily looks at him, her bottom lip trembling. “You’re scary.”

The words cut deeper than I expect, and I can see the way they hit Elias too. He steps back, his tears starting up again, and I reach for him instinctively, pulling him close.

“He’s not scary, Lily,” I say gently. “He just didn’t know his own strength. And he’s very sorry, aren’t you, Elias?”

“Yeah,” he whispers into my shoulder.

After making sure Lily is okay and apologizing profusely to the other teachers, I gather Elias’s things and take him back to the classroom. The rest of the day goes by fast, but my thoughts are miles away, and they circle back to the same problem over and over.

Elias is changing. It’s happening faster than I thought it would, and I’m running out of time to figure out what to do.

That night, as I tuck him into bed, he looks up at me with those big brown eyes, still puffy from crying earlier.

“Mommy, am I bad?”

The question knocks the air out of me.

“No, baby,” I say quickly, sitting on the edge of his bed and cupping his face in my hands. “You’re not bad. You’re good. You’re the best thing in my whole world.”

“Lily said I’m scary.”

“You’re not scary,” I whisper fiercely. “You’re strong. And brave. And kind. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

He nods, but his little face is still uncertain.

“Can you promise me something?” I ask.

“What?”

“Promise me you’ll always be gentle, even when you don’t feel like it. Can you do that for me?”

“Okay, Mommy.”

I kiss his forehead, and return back to the living room.

Elias needs guidance and it's the type of guidance I can’t give him. He needs someone who understands what he’s going through, someone who can help him control the parts of himself that are starting to emerge.

And there’s only one person I can think of who might be able to do that.

Bane.

The thought sends a shiver through me, equal parts fear and longing. I haven’t seen him in years, and I haven't allowed myself to even think about him for too long. But the truth is, I’m out of options.

My father is still not an option. He’d never accept Elias, because he's not human.

But going back to Bane means returning to a man who rejected me. I close my eyes. Tomorrow, I’ll decide.

But tonight, I let myself cry. That is until I hear a knock on the door.