Chapter 5

Emma's POV:

"Shit," I exclaimed out after looking at what Mila texted me.

"What is it?" Lance pulled his eyes away from the computer screen to look at me.

"Mila wants to tell the kids about the virus, and apparently, a teacher had some conference with her to talk about the kids." I put my phone back up and rubbed my eyes. My eyes are so tired from scrolling and looking through multiple resumes. We've narrowed it down to three candidates, and at this point, I think we may hire all three so we can have more people working on this. "How the hell are we supposed to tell our 4-year-old children that there is a virus spreading rapidly, killing people? That it only affects supernatural beings...." He placed his hand on my shoulder and lightly gripped it.

"Just tell them the truth. They are extremely smart and wise beyond their years. They'll understand. They need to know Emma." I patted his hand on my shoulder.

"I know. You're right. I do need to tell them, and whatever questions they may have, I'll answer honestly." He looked at me with a proud expression, then turned his attention back towards the computer screen.

"Alright, Emma. Let's call these doctors and schedule interviews. I want to meet and talk with them before we hire them." I didn't respond with words but rather picked up the phone and dialed the number to the first applicant I saw. Lance followed in suit and proceeded to call the next one on the list.

Mila's POV:

"Alright, my loves, go to the table and do any homework you may have. If you have any questions, just ask." They both gave me an okay and rushed off to the dining room table.

Our house was a very open concept, so the kitchen and dining room bled into one another. I was appreciative of this fact because I could cook and keep an eye on the kids.

"How does tacos sound? I know we had breakfast burritos this morning." The kids looked up at me excitedly.

"Definitely go with tacos, momma," Alyx spoke first, and Aleksey nodded in agreement.

Alright, tacos it is then. I wanted to make something simple, and that wouldn't take too long. We got back late, and I wanted dinner to be ready or almost ready by the time Emma got home. I was glad that my kids loved spicy food, too, because I make a homemade taco seasoning that has a kick to it. Not only is it already spicy, but I get to add even more to it with some hot sauce. My mouth was watering at the thought of hot sauce. I have a serious problem. I've switched out my addiction to waffles for hot sauce. I could drink a bottle of hot sauce as if it were a beverage. Lately, I've even thought about trying waffles with hot sauce. I don't know though, maybe that's a little too far.

The kids had all their homework done within about 30 minutes, then headed upstairs to get washed up and ready for dinner. I was setting up the table, laying out all the ingredients we would need to make our tacos right in the middle when I heard the front door open. I looked over and made eye contact with Emma. She looked so exhausted.

"I'm just going to clean up quickly; then I'll be right back down." She didn't wait for a response as she made her way up the stairs. She was dragging her feet the whole time.

After about 10 minutes, everyone was finally seated at the table. Luckily the meat wasn't cold. I did have to reheat their tortillas on the stove, though. Everyone just started making their tacos. The silence was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I decided just to break the silence myself since no one else is.

"How was everyone's day?" I heard a quiet groan from Emma and gave her a pointed look.

"It was fine. Very long but fine." Emma's answer was short, and I knew it to be a complete lie. So I just looked at the kids waiting for their answers.

"It was good, momma. Recess was a lot of fun. I kicked the ball really far." Aleksey snorted.

"Because you used your vampire strength." I looked at her, and she kind of shrunk back. She knew better than to use any of her heightened abilities around humans.

"Sorry, momma. I got carried away and forgot." She said in that small voice she does mixed with those puppy dog eyes. I caved.

"You're not in trouble. Just please be more careful. We don't need anyone getting suspicious." She nodded and went back to eating her food. I looked at Aleksey.

"It was fine, momma. Kind of boring. How was your day?" I smiled when he actually asked me in return.

"Why was it boring, sweety? It was good. I got to do a baby photoshoot today with an adorable 4-month-old named Ben." My little bit of excitement caused Emma to flash a small smile. I could tell my happiness lifted her spirits slightly.

"Sounds... like what you would consider a good day. I just know everything they're teaching already. It gets boring being taught something you already know." I sighed at his answer. I'm definitely leaning towards letting them skip a couple of grades so they can possibly feel more challenged. Hopefully, that will make his day less boring.

We didn't talk much after that. We just ate in silence. Once we were done eating, we all helped in the cleanup. It makes it so much quicker when everyone helps. Everyone was starting to make their way towards the stairs.

"We have a family meeting, remember?" Everyone stopped in their tracks, and I heard groans from everyone. I rolled my eyes in response and gestured towards the family room. The kids sat on the bean bag chairs, and Emma sat on the couch.

"Which should we start with first?" Emma shrugged her shoulders. I was slowly becoming annoyed with her behavior. She still has herself completely cut off from me and is being very dismissive. I sighed with some frustration.

"Well, the teacher had me stay after their school day was over. Apparently, she tested their knowledge level or something like that. They both got perfect scores. So she suggested letting them advance to at least the second grade." Emma sat up a bit.

"That's two years ahead. They'll be with kids twice their age." I nodded in agreement.

"Yes, they would. I think we should do it, though. Aleksey said earlier that it's boring learning stuff he already knows, and Alyx is at the same level. I want them to be challenged a bit more." I looked over to the kids. "I think that will help your school days be a little less boring. What do you both think about moving up to the second grade?" Alyx and Aleksey were whispering back and forth between each other. I couldn't really catch what they were saying, though, even with my enhanced hearing.

"We agree. We think we should advance to the second grade." Aleksey spoke out like he was in the middle of a business deal. I looked over to Emma, and she nodded.

"Okay. I'll talk to your teacher and the school tomorrow." The kids were about to get up.

"There is one more thing we have to discuss; then, I promise you all are free to do whatever you want to." They dropped back down into the bean bags and looked at me attentively. I looked at Emma and let her feel how nervous I was. She sighed and sat up straight.

"Do you both know what a virus is?" They both nodded their heads. Of course, they do.

"Well, there is a virus going around that is only affecting the supernatural. This means we are all at risk of becoming sick with it. Now, if you see any supernatural being around you that has a fever, is coughing up blood, just overall seems very sick, stay as far as you can away from them and tell us immediately." She looked at me, and for the first time tonight, her eyes displayed a little bit of emotion. She then turned back to the kids.

"If at any point you start experiencing any of these symptoms or you don't feel good, let us know immediately so we can get you to the doctors. Do either of you have any questions?" Surprisingly Alyx was the first one to speak up.

"This is what that emergency announcement was about, right? That we heard some of in the car." She looked at me for the answer.

"Yes, it is." She nodded.

"So, that means that this virus is really serious." I nodded.

"Yes, it's very serious." She sighed.

"How serious, momma?" Aleksey looked to me for an answer. Why am I getting the hard question? I ended up looking at Emma for help. She looked like she was at a loss for words too.

"I see. So it's deadly." My throat went dry as I looked at him wide-eyed. I knew he could tell from my expression that the conclusion he had come to was right.

"I know I'm right. There's no reason to confirm my statement. If it weren't this serious, we wouldn't be holding a family meeting, and if it weren't extremely deadly, then you both would have easily answered my question." He turned his attention and was whispering something to Alyx. I took this time to look at Emma and found that she was just as awestruck as I was.

"We understand how serious of an issue this is and how concerned you both are. We will take this seriously as well and make sure we take precautions." Aleksey spoke out first, then Alyx followed right behind him.

"And we will keep observant eyes on the people around us. Can we go to bed now, momma?" I don't know if they are actually taking this as well as what they are presenting or if it's an act. I'm sure if they have concerns that they will come and talk to me, they always come and talk to me.

"Yeah, of course. Make-" They cut me off.

"To brush and floss. We know. We love you both, goodnight." With that, they were already on the stairs and on their way to get ready for bed.

"Well, that went better than I expected." I voiced out as I got up. Emma stood up with me.

"Yeah. I just hope they are actually okay with the information they've learned. I don't want them to be overly anxious or in a constant state of fear." I placed my hand in hers and gave her a heartbeat squeeze.

"They'll come to us if it comes to that." She heartbeat squeezed my hand back and headed off to the stairs without saying another word.

I didn't follow her, though. I couldn't lay in the bed next to her right now. I know it may sound absolutely shitty of me to be saying that, but when you lay next to the person you're absolutely in love with, and they feel like they are lightyears away... It's one of the worst, most heartbreaking feelings ever. She didn't want me near her anyways; if she did, she wouldn't be shutting me out. She doesn't like when people pry, so I will give her the space she needs and hope that she lets me in soon.

I made my way to my office once I saw her figure fully disappear upstairs. I can already feel that this will most likely be another sleepless night. But, at least I'll be able to get a lot of work done, and most of my projects will be done way in advance. Maybe that will earn me tips. I never ask or require tips, but sometimes people give them to me. I'm not complaining, extra money is extra money, and as much as people try to deny it, money really does make the world go around.

I'm glad we added onto the house so I could have a darkroom here just in case I needed to meet deadlines while at home. I had a customer who wanted their photos developed that way. I think Emma and I should have Chloe, Julian, and their little girl Jazmine over for dinner. I'm going to call Chloe tomorrow and see when they're all free. I'm glad I scheduled my clients later on in the day, so I can take care of everything with the school and talk to Chloe without having to rush.

I grabbed my cup of coffee as soon as the batch was done brewing and lost myself in my work. I was done letting my mind be plagued with worries. I needed to escape, even just for a little bit. I finished my projects and started to feel everything seep back in, but I wasn't ready to feel or face my problems and emotions right now. So, there's only one thing left I can think of that will help. I need to go for a run. I had to run for the majority of my life, it was the only way to escape myself, and it was the only way I was able to escape the monster who was supposed to be my father.

I shook my head. No. None of that, Mila. All of that's in the past; he's in the past. I stretched a little bit, turned up my music, then took off. I didn't use my enhanced abilities to run. I needed to make this run as long as possible. I needed to savor every moment and, with each pass of the wind through my hair, let it take my troubles with it.