"Lottie that's my cousin, Lukas." Angela announced, smiling brightly.
A little blond boy of perhaps no more than two years old was in her arms.
It was like seeing Angela as a baby, he was literally her twin, the blue and the reflection of the eyes, the hair, the shape of the nose and the mouth.
"He's cute." Lottie simply replied with a shrug. "He looks like you."
The blonde rolled her eyes and shook her head, stepping aside letting Lottie into the house.
"So my dad and my uncle went hunting for the weekend. Leaving Lukas to me and Timothy." She said putting the child on the couch carefully.
"What kind of hunt ?" She asked curiously.
Angela turned her head with a frown. "You don't want to know."
Lottie just sat on the other end of the couch, away from the baby. She didn't want to make a bad move, or make a mistake. Hanging out with kids was new to her.
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"He won't eat you, you know ?" Angela said playfully as she continued to hand the spoonful of vegetables to Lukas.
Lottie just continued to watch them from afar, her heart and smile melting at the sight of her girlfriend and the little boy babbling together.
The blonde giggled with each little spit of drool, or big or slow chew, or when he's giggling too.
"I'm going to get him his dessert, will you mind watching him during this time ?" She asked as she stood up.
"Sure." Lottie nodded as she watched the blonde walk away.
She turned to the child again, approaching her finger hesitantly to his cheek. He looked at her with big blue eyes. She poked his cheek and blinked making her jump.
He chuckled before violently grabbing Lottie's hand and began chewing on her finger.
She made a disgusted face when she saw all the drool coming out of his mouth.
Angela came back and had a moment of confusion. "Lottie, what are you doing ?"
"I try to remove my finger. But he's too strong !"
----------------
After Lukas had his nap, Angela had decided to invite lots of other children to come and play with him.
Which was a bad idea, because handling Lukas was one thing, but an order of kids another.
"Why are you dressed like a boy ?" A little girl asked pulling the blonde's sleeve.
"Because I'm out of clean laundry and that's all I have left." Angela rolled her eyes.
"Then why don't you wash clothes ?" The little girl insisted by pricking Angela's cheek without stopping.
The blonde was going to rebuff her badly but she received a handful of cold pasta in the face. She turned her face to see a little brown boy with Timothy's leftover pasta in his hands.
"Hey ! Where did you get that ?" She got up quickly and the little boy started running through the house.
Lukas looked at his cousin running after his friend while continuing to chew the remote control silently.
"Why are you running after Alvin ?" The little girl asked, clinging to Angela's leg.
"Can you spare me two seconds with your stupid questions ?" The blonde spat trying to shake her leg to get away from the girl.
The child's eyes fill with tears. "I am stupid ?"
"I said your questions were stupid. Not you. But if you can't tell the difference then yeah well you're stupid." Angela replied dryly as she snatched her hair brush from the hands of another child. "I literally bought the whole toy store ! Why do you guys touch anything but that !"
A soccer ball hit the back of her head hard and Angela gasped as she turned back to the little boy.
"Alvin !"
Meanwhile, Lottie was hiding in Angela's room. She was lying in bed and was on her phone. Looking up from time to time when she heard her girlfriend screaming from the living room.
But her peace was soon to be disturbed by a timid knock at the door.
A head poked out of and the little girl made direct eye contact with Lottie.
She frowned. "What are you doing here ?"
The girl sniffled before bursting into tears.
"I'm sorry." Lottie said dropping her phone and slowly approaching. "Tell me what's wrong."
10 minutes later Angela finally managed to catch Alvin and neutralize him by putting cartoons on his iPad.
She was about to sigh in relief when she turned around and saw the mess the other kids were making while she was taking care of Alvin.
She turned pale and opted for a sigh of defeat. And she was not at the end of things.
"It's her !" A small voice exclaimed.
Angela spotted Lottie coming down the stairs with the little girl from earlier.
Lottie made a confused expression and pointed at her girlfriend. "Her ? She's the one who broke your heart ?"
"Yeah." She nodded, glaring at Angela from behind Lottie's leg.
"What-" The blonde shook her head. "What are you talking about ?"
"You said she was stupid." Said Lottie crossing her arms. "She's four. How can you say that to a child in love ?"
"She started it with her stupi-" She cleared her throat. "Her questions with no sense."
Lottie raised an eyebrow with a serious expression.
Angela rolled her eyes as she approached the two girls. "Fine."
"What's your name ?" She asked while kneeling in front of the little girl.
"Vada." She replied by pretending to be stern, taking the same expression as Lottie.
Angela giggled and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry Vada, I shouldn't have said you were stupid-"
The blush came to the little girl's cheeks as her eyes widened.
"-Or your questions, just be a little less intrusive next time okay ?"
She nodded and hugged Angela, hanging her legs around her waist. The blonde got up and the child remained glued against her like a koala.
"Since you are here, take care of the others." Angela told Lottie. "I'm going to get some snacks with Vada."
"Wait but-" Lottie looked at Vada as Angela was already facing away from her. "You traitor !"
Vada chuckled and kissed the back of Angela's neck making eye contact with her.
The blonde frowned. "Vada, stop it."
"Yeah Vada stop it !" Lottie exclaimed as she followed Angela into the kitchen.
Her girlfriend turned around. "Lottie go take care of them and quickly ! We're coming back with the snacks !"
Vada turned her head and kissed Angela's cheek. "Yeah Lottie ! Go with them ! Me and Angela are good without you."
"Vada. You too. Stop it." Angela said menacingly turning her head to see the child.
-------------
"Angela ?" Alvin asked as he entered the kitchen. "There's something weird in the living room."
"What's up ?" The blonde responded by continuing to chew her frozen grapes.
"I think Lottie started a cult." He announced with a worried expression. "She says there's a spirit in the house."
"She's crazy." Vada said shaking her head while putting her tiny arm around the blonde's shoulders. "You should be with me."
"What ! Vada you're my lover !" Alvin exclaimed offended.
"Not anymore." She chuckled, smirking.
"Okay that's not the point." Angela interrupted, looking at Alvin. "And what makes you think it's a cult ?"
"They're all in circles holding hands like cult members !" He exclaimed, pointing behind him. "And she mutters in French sometimes !"
"This can't be." Angela chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Lottie sucks at French."
"Come see then." He said shrugging his shoulders. "They kicked me out because I said it was STUPID. Because it is."
Angela shrugged and grabbed the various snacks and motioned for Vada to follow her. "Let's go see this."
The three entered the living room. And like Alvin had said, they were all in circles, holding each other hands like a ritual.
Lukas was in the middle of the circle chewing on a Barbie doll.
All the toys had been placed on the floor so as to make a strange symbol around them.
"Everyone choose a color, and listen around you. Is this color similar to you or is it different of the feeling the smell and the noise is giving you ? All your senses must be awake to be able to feel the energy of the house. All that energy will help our baby Alvin to finally talk to us."
"What the fuck ?" Angela was speechless seeing how calm the children were and had all their eyes closed in concentration.
"Vada ! Where are you going ?" Alvin whispered as he saw the freckled girl walk away.
"I'm going to hold Mia Reed's hand !" She exclaimed excitedly as she walked into the circle.
Alvin and Angela exchanged a look.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking ?"
"Yep." He nodded.
The two took all the snacks and went to Timothy's video games room to go watch TV.
---------------
"Okay it's my turn now. You've had him for hours !"
Lottie turned to Angela with raised eyebrows. Lukas still in her arms was playing with her hair. "But I like being around him. Our baby-"
"He's my cousin." She rolled her eyes. "And since when do you love him so much ? This morning you were afraid when he coughed on you !"
"Things are different now." She responded by lowering her gaze to Lukas. "He's special."
"Your cult leader era is over." Angela sighed as she got up to grab her phone. "All the kids left."
"They're not the only ones who like my sessions." Lottie frowned, turning to see Angela from the couch walking away. "Van and Taissa love them."
"Your sessions ?" She asked in disbelief with a grimace. "Can you hear you talking there ? I bet Nat must be laughing at you guys. That's ridiculous."
Lottie ignored him and turned to Lukas. "Don't listen to her, she's jealous."
"And stop whispered weird shit to this baby !" She spat as she stomped up the stairs.
"Don't be vulgar in front of our baby !" Lottie replied in the same tone.
Angela quivered the lid of one eye. "I'm going to kill that girl.
---------------
"He's supposed to be sleeping." Angela grumbled from the other end of the couch.
Lottie didn't give her a look and continued to play with her finger from above Lukas' face. "He told me he's not tired."
"Shauna should kick her ass more often." She mumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes.
"What did you just said ?" Lottie asked making a face.
"Nothing." She took out her phone. "I'll call Jackie."
Jealousy began to sting Lottie's neck. "Why do you want to call Jackie ?"
"Don't you have a baby you need to teach how to speak by the weed tree power or whatever ?" Angela answered immediately bringing her phone to her ear. "I'm bored and I'm calling Jackie because she's funny."
"And I'm not ?"
Lukas watched the two girls in disbelief with his big blue eyes.
"I didn't say you weren't-"
"Don't call her then." The dark haired girl cut her off by snatching the phone from her hands. "We're all going to watch a movie together."
"But-"
Lottie put Lukas in her arms and grabbed the remote control.
"I choose the movie." She says while clicking on the Netflix icon.
Angeka raised her eyebrows half surprised half amused "You're giving me orders now-"
"Shut up."
The blonde giggled and kicked her feet. "Oh I like that tone-"
Lukas rolled his eyes.
Lottie sat back on the couch next to Angela and put her arm around her shoulder.
----------------
The next day, the girls had to say goodbye to Lukas. It was really emotional, even Angela shed a few tears.
But the worst part was Lottie who fell into a depression as soon as she saw the boy waving at her from behind the car window as he fade away.
"Are you okay ?" Angela asked rubbing her girlfriend's back gently. "He'll be there during the July 4 barbecue you know. It's not too long."
Lottie sighed sadly as she toyed with her food on her plate sadly.
"I'm sure he misses you too." She reassured him by kissing his shoulder. "Come on stop being so sad."
She just shrugged.
Angela sighed in defeat, and pulled out her phone. "I'm doing this for you."
The phone rang and then the caller picked up. She took on the voice of an angel. "Hello Mrs. Cavell, would Vada and her friends want to come here for the afternoon ?"
Lottie was suddenly interested in the conversation and raised her head. "What did she say ?"
An hour later, an order of children were listening to Lottie's instructions carefully.
They went the same way as the last time. And when Alvin was about to run away, Angela grabbed his hand and forced him to join them with her.
Vada frowned. "I thought you found this ridiculous ?"
Angela grabbed Lottie's hand as she sat down and shrugged. "If it can make my girlfriend happy."
"Yeah but-"
A petite blonde nudged Vada. "Focus."
"Sorry." She said straightening up with flushed cheeks.
After a while, Timothy came home and frowned.
"Since when did you guys start a cult ?"