Chapter 2 - Part 9: Relativity

Almost the instant Flora had grown into a child, Morand felt it was his grandfatherly duty to dote on his granddaughter, going in for the hated "cheek pinch".  It was no use fighting it, Flora thought, as it was an inevitable fate of being the first grandchild Morand got to spend most of his time around.

Besides, it did have its perks.  Only after getting your cheek violently pinched did you get such a gigantic piece of cake.  Yes, this granddaughter thing was going to work out just fine, thought Flora.

All too soon it was time for her first day of school.  You would think getting to ride in grandpa's firetruck would have lifted her spirits, but all she could think about was how much of a waste of gas it was, considering they lived just down the road from the school.

Once they arrived, Flora quickly gave her mom a hug before running in the door.  She was definitely more excited than nervous about starting school.  There was so much to see and learn!  She apparently got her drive to learn from her mother.

Faith, on the other hand, wasn't quite ready to let go.  She tried to keep a brave face, but looked on with a tinge of sadness as she watched her big girl go off on her own.

It was only her first day of school, but already she was off on a field trip.  She listened in a state of controlled  panic as the bus driver told them that they'd be lucky to make it out of the cemetery alive.

"Not funny, Rob," her chaperone, Alyson told him as they left the bus, smacking him on the arm.

Regardless of what the bus driver said, the kids were looking forward to exploring Perpetual Rest, the ancient graveyard that served as the resting place for those that lived on the downtown side of the islands.

"My grandma Dixie is here," Flora told her classmate Constance, "I never got to meet her, though."

The other girl looked at Flora with a barely concealed grin, "I know over half the people in this place.  Personally.  That's what happens when you are a perpetual child," she finished.

Flora put on a confident front as the class was about to enter the mausoleum.  She didn't inherit the braveness of her grandfather, however she considered herself a tough enough girl.

"Don't be scared, little one, nothing will harm you," the curiously dark girl stated.  "They are all friends here," she finished as she gestured for Flora to go inside.

She couldn't help but take the girl at her word and slowly made her way into the mausoleum. 

As Flora was busy exploring with her classmates, Morand took to watching the boys.  They were practically inseparable.  If one of them wanted to play with the blocks, the other would follow.  If one got bored and moved onto the toy box, it wasn't long before the other joined in.  It was almost as if there was one mind controlling two bodies.

Pete, meanwhile, was busy with his latest creation.  Whenever he got stuck with what project to work on next, he would take a trip into the future for inspiration.  Things were so different there, so modern and mechanical, there was no lack of interesting things to look.

It didn't take long for the boys to reach their birthday.  It was a small celebration with just some family and close friends.

Flora entertained Uncle Cecil by showing him her many badges she'd earned from scouts as well as telling him of her harrowing adventures in the catacombs below the mausoleum.

"It was amazing!" she told him excitedly, "There were bats and bones and huge spiders and ghosts!  But I wasn't scared because my friend Constance knew them all, she made sure no one scared us."

Faith turned around to find someone standing behind her, "Holy sh-, Drake!  Don't do that," she laughed at herself for being taken off guard.

"I apologize, I forget sometimes that you humans can not always hear us arrive," the Vampire told her.  "I wanted to wish your sons a pleasant birthday.  When my sister, Constance, mentioned that she had seen your daughter today, it reminded me of the celebration."

Faith smiled at her old friend in his young body and said, "Of course, you are welcome here any time."

Faith and Morand brought the boys to their cake and helped them blow out the candles.

While they had been identical as toddlers, it soon became very apparent that they were not the same at all.

OUTTAKES

The prerequisite birthday mutation pics!

The gnome family grows!

A random ghost shows up to scare the paparazzi on the back porch.

Title / Grafton Primary