A Growing Child

"Esther, come back here," Samantha screamed. The little girl dashed across the living floor as the older woman tried running after. "Michael, Solomon, Abraham," she screamed. "Yes, grandma, the two boys emerged from their hiding place. "Boys, where is your father." The two boys thought for a moment before speaking. Solomon responded, "I think he is outside on the training grounds." Abraham shook his head in agreement. The older woman slumped down for a second as the task became more complicated. The little girl whizzed past the three giggling along the way. For a two-year-old, she was swift. One of her many gifts forms. "Boys, can you help me catch your sister? She needs to go done for a nap". The little girl briefly stopped. She turned around and looked at the two boys standing before her. At twelve years old, the oldest was Solomon; he developed into a true warrior. The second was Abraham; he was not as built as his brother at ten, but both brothers developed a tremendous muscular build. The two boys were opposite their sister in terms of looks with French roast hair and sienna skin tone. They were the spitting image of their father, Michael. The little girl had a honey complexion, her curly copper blonde hair. However, what made her genuinely different was her eyes. Both boys had hazel eyes, but Esther's eyes were blue hazel. When she was playful and happy, it was blue. Her eyes were an amber-red color when she was ready for a tantrum. This made her extremely special and made the tribe curious about what would happen as she got older. The little girl looked at the two boys, her eyes turning a beautiful blue before she started again. As her brothers were now involved, this became more of a game. Samantha looked at the boys with pleading in her eyes as the boys exhaled before they began the chase of their sister. This was their routine since their sister could move; the little girl was fast for her age, whether crawling or running. Her blue almond eyes had turned a dark blue as she made it over another dune with her brothers close behind. She was getting tired but still had a ways to go. After two hours of chasing, Samantha finally caught the girl. Esther wiggled and fussed in her grandmother's arm. Samantha knew what was coming next and at once rushed to the kitchen with Esther tightly in her arms. She grabbed her bottle and then ran to Esther's room. It was a matter of seconds before a full-blown tantrum would appear. Within minutes Samantha was settled in the rocking chair. She adjusted Esther in her arms with her blanket and bottle and began rocking the little girl to sleep. The two boys followed their grandma to Esther's room and lay on the plush pink carpet in her room. They were exhausted and wanted nothing more than for their grandmother to tuck them in also.

Esther's room was a beautiful morning yellow color. Her crib and furniture were rich dark wood. Esther's room was covered in plush teddy bears, and her crib had a light pink canopy that could cover the entire crib. Within minutes Esther had stopped fussing, and her dark blue eyes had settled back into the hazel blue as she slowly drifted off to sleep. Samantha was gentle and careful in changing the half-sleep little girl's diaper before putting her into her crib. Samantha turned on the white noise machine and gave Esther her pacifier before closing her canopy. The three of them gently left the room and closed the door. Fully aware of what terror would happen if a sleeping Esther were disturbed from her nap.

The three of them went into the kitchen. Samantha asks the boys what they want to eat while wondering where their son-in-law is. Michael emerges through the front door a few hours later, his six-foot-three build taking up most of the entryway. "Hi mom, where is everyone." Samantha looked up at him from her spot on the couch. "I just tucked the boys on for a nap, and Esther should be waking up shortly from hers." "Why are the boys taking a nap. They should be studying". Samantha was starting to get annoyed at her son. He knew exactly why the boys were taking a nap.

Ever since her husband died a year ago, Michael has taken over thoroughly as the tribe's leader, and Samantha took a step back to help raise her grandkids. Losing her daughter and husband took a toll on her, but it affected the boys. She handed many of her queen duties to her second in command while she helped Michael raise the kids. Her taking a step back was not an excuse for him to ignore the kids or, more importantly, miss Esther. The little girl yearned for her father's attention, and Samantha did everything possible to minimize the loss of both father and mother to the little girl. Samantha got up from the couch, ignoring the last statement he had made, and went into the kitchen. Michael stood there for a moment before sitting on the couch. He had an idea why the boys were sleeping. Esther must have gotten out of hand again. He loved her, but she was a constant reminder of his dead wife, and inside, he was still hurting. A few moments later, some tribe members entered. Tribe members started entering the packhouse. The packhouse was for the Alpha, Beta, Omega, and their family. Other members of the tribe lived in private homes scattered across the land. The packhouse was at the center of the land and was heavily always guarded.