Page 35 of The Dark Elf's Secret Twins

“No thanks but please don’t let my presence hinder your breaktime. I’m simply here to get some fresh air.”

“You’re it,” says Colson, jabbing my leg.

“Alright, well I’m going to give you all one minute to hide,” I laugh. Covering my eyes, I begin the countdown, sending them scrambling for a hiding place. “Three, two, one! Ready or not, here I come!”

There rings through the air the sound of squealing and laughter though I can’t quite discern the direction from which they come. I walk toward the fountain. As I come nearer to the worg, I see a flurry of movement from behind the stream. Running around, I see nothing but hear the clamber of footsteps.

Closing my eyes, I take advantage of my advanced hearing, honing in on the opposite side of the fountain. I know for sure that one of the kids is hiding beneath the small wall. Deciding to make use of my magic, I silently cast a spell to throw the sound of my footsteps around one side.

I wait patiently as I hear a child’s footsteps approach around the wall of the fountain. It’s Colson, keeping his eyes glued behind him. I grasp him by the shoulders as he runs right into me, unleashing a shriek so loud it almost pierces my eardrums.

“Got you!” I exclaim. “Now tell me where the others have hidden themselves.”

He shakes his head, mimicking a zipping gesture across his mouth.

“Team player eh? Go wait where we started.”

As he runs off, I scan my eyes over the garden laying before me. Its sheer size is enough to intimidate me but I can’t imagine them running off too far. I suddenly hear the snap of a twig nearby, spinning my head around to the hedges.

I sneak up to the corner, peeking my head around it. I see nothing but the broken twig at my feet. I move forward, making use of my old stealth tactics from my miou days as I creep along the ground.

My noise level reduces to nothing as I hold my breath. From under the hedge, a child’s shadow passes. Judging from the direction in which he heads, I presume he’s about to turn the corner that lays just ahead of me. Smiling, I patiently await for him to emerge.

When he does, I jump up and grab him. He laughs with delight before returning to the starting area. With only one person left to go, I submerge myself deeper within the hedge maze.

Creeping around a corner, I spot Cyra up ahead. She peeks cautiously around another corner, totally oblivious to the opening behind her from where I came. Sneaking up to her is easy work. As I surprise her, she jumps back and lands in my arms. Her wave brown hair falls down over her eyes, creating a gorgeous still shot of her that I’ll keep in my head forever.

“Good job,” she says, clearly flustered as she straightens herself up.

We return to the starting area, rejoining the children where we then spend some more time playing. The time comes for Cyra to resume her duties and so she begins rounding up the children.

“I’d love to see them some more. Maybe I can come back later on or tomorrow?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” she sighs. “It’s hard to say when you can come. This isn’t my home after all, it’s my workplace.”

“Wait a minute,” calls Nasthyn, stepping forward. “It’s quite alright if you wish to visit every day, Lykan, but Cyra, you must make sure this doesn’t affect your responsibilities.”

The children squirm with delight as Cyra and I make notes of what times I can come over. I am more than thrilled to be able to start spending quality time with them.

* * *

“I knowit sounds crazy but just hear me out Cyra.”

“Let me just make it clear, you’re asking me if I want to move into your estate? And that I can bring the kids with me?”

It’s been a few days since I first met the kids. Since then, I've made it part of my daily routine to visit each day but I just can’t get enough of them. In my efforts to see them more, I decided to take a chance and invite Cyra to take the kids and come live with me in my estate.

“That’s right Cyra, I mean it when I say I want it.”

“But… why? Why now?” she asks. “Is seeing them every day not enough?”

“Honestly, not nearly enough. They’re my children too, and I’m not asking you to hand them over to me. I also want to give you a place to live again, where you don’t have to share space with others. It’s really no big deal.”

“I don’t know… Wouldn’t we get in the way?”

“Not at all Cyra. Here’s what I propose. You keep your job here so you earn some money for yourself. I’ll be able to look after the kids in the meantime, and then when you get home, I’ll leave for work. It’ll work for both of us, and I’ll get to spend more time with my kids.”

Cyra strokes her chin in deep thought.

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