| author note: Listen to link while you read this |
The sun was slowly setting, casting long shadows across the ground. Filtering through the windows, the light in the room darkened significantly, casting everything in a half-light. No lights were on. Only the sunlight desperately attempting to remain was illuminating the lounge.
As far as she was concerned the house was empty.
Entirely empty.
Reuben was off with his friends. Bailee was visiting Jennifer. David had to stay behind late after school to work on a class project. Alastar was buying groceries.
She could feel the soft fake fur of the white rug carpet between her toes as she stood in the middle of the lounge. The music playing in the background was beautiful to her ears. Taking in a deep breath, she let the lids fall over her brown eyes.
When no one could see her, she would dance. Even when the music had ended she could dance on. She made it up as she went along. She knew she had someone she could go to for professional lessons, and her 'aunt' often did teach her, usually when there was a school party coming up, or she needed to dance like a ballroom dancer.
But home alone, she could let her mind go free and her body dance however she wanted it.
Eyes closed, back to the hallway door, she was unable to hear the door opening, nor see the figure passing on his way to the kitchen. Spinning around, her summer blue skirt flowed around her knees, drifting outwards like the petals of a flower. Blue was her favourite colour. David had tried to get her to be the little 'pink princess', but she had never taken to it. At age eight, Alastar had let her pick out the colour paint for her bedroom. Cornflower blue.
Alastar was like a mother and a father combined. Not that she had much experience of a caring mother. He also held the ability to be like the older brother she could look up to. David was fun, and immature despite his age. a big with bundles of energy, which was what she needed after three years of nothing but ruin. But Alastar....Arista was right in calling him a 'star'. He was never the one that stood out, but his light was there, you just had to know where to look. She loved both men dearly and could never pick a favourite.
She didn't know that he had returned home and was now watching her with his own brown eyes.
Al said that she stole his heart the moment he met her.
She could feel someone moving behind her. Spinning around to face them, she looked up into the face of a father. Eyes wide, her hands fell upon his chest where his own larger pair fell over them.
"I'm looking for someone," he rumbled affectionately. "She's about five foot four and looks like you. Only she has two left feet. Answers to the name of Daphne."
She frowned up at him. "Starry..." she whined playfully "I don't have two left feet."
She was free to call either man father, and considered them as such. But as not to get confused between the two, she took nicknames for them both, based off their names. David became Daisy (and she had had a hard time saying David when she was first welcomed into the family) and Alastar became Starry (because it had to end with a 'y' to match)
"Well, the Daphne I'm looking for doesn't dance." He leaned down to whisper to her "Or at least, that's what she tells Daisy."
"I don't dance with Daisy because its not fair to you, because you can't dance."
Al smiled and released one of her hands. With a careful hold on her fingers, he helped her spin around on the spot. "The words you were looking for is 'do not' rather than 'can not' when it comes to dancing," he replied, showing her just what Lyra had spent years teaching him. He was not a public dancer. Even David had quite the time convincing him to dance with him on several occasions in the past. "Your aunt LyLy is a professional dance instructor. Do you honestly think her little brother would get away with not being used as a practice partner?"
The fifteen year old smiled and leaned in close, resting her cheek on his chest. "Thank you."
Al frowned, unsure what she was thinking him for. He looked down at the top of her head. "What for?"
"I don't think I've ever thanked either of you for what you did. There were plenty of other children you could have adopted."
"Don't make me repeat the David Speech."
She laughed softly, looking up at one of the two men who were more of a father to her than the biological one she had never met. "But you already had Reuben and Bailee. What need for me did you have?"
There was a soft sigh from Al, and he smoothed a hand over her soft brown hair, placing a soft kiss to the top her head. "Because you needed someone. Ben was my son while Bailee was David's. You - Daphne Hughes-Malone - became ours. I also do believe that was part of the David Speech."
Again she laughed. "You could have adopted a boy."
"What, and go through what I went through with Ben again?" Al chuckled, shaking his head. He brushed some of her hair from her eyes. "Because you were beautiful. I saw you and it felt like it did the day Ben was born. I don't know what it was like for David, but he agreed that you were the one." He tilted his head ever so slightly to the right. "What's brought up these questions anyway?"
Daphne smiled sweetly at him. "Because you were sharing. I felt like asking."
"You are my daughter. Never let anyone say otherwise. Biologically we're not related, but your heart beats in my chest."
"Now you're starting to sound like Daisy."
Al chuckled, shrugging. "Heh, after living with him for as long as I have he's bound to start rubbing off on me." He pulled away and started for the kitchen. "I should go a scrub it off before it gets too infectious. Next thing we know I'll be baking cookies in a 'kiss the cook' apron."
As Al moved away, she trotted after him. "If you're not going to bake cookies, can we have strawberry tarts instead?"
