Chapter 164

Charles

The city was more lively by the time we made it back, and it was easier to focus on the present rather than worrying about how to handle Jackson. More cars were on the road, so it made it a little more difficult to reach the park, but we arrived in enough time.

"There," I said, pointing to where Kelly was seated with Cecil at a park table.

Gregory pulled into the parking lot, and I climbed out. Other people looked up as I crossed the area toward her. Cecil looked up at me with bright eyes.

"Uncle Charles!" She frowned. "You can't play in the show in a suit."

I chuckled. "I think I probably could if I really wanted."

Kelly turned to me, her eyes wide with anxiety as she gnawed on her lip. Richard's stroller was beside her; the bassinet cover was closed.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I didn't know who else to call. Eason isn't allowed to drive, right?"

"You're fine," I said. "Do you need a ride home?"

She shook her head. "I told my brother to meet me here. He's on his way."

"Let's get in the car to wait," I said, scooping Cecil into my arms. "There's no sense in waiting in the cold."

"We're not playing in the snow?" Cecil asked, pouting a little.

I smiled. "Not this moment, but I think we can find something just as fun, hm?"

She looked uncertain but said nothing as I pushed the stroller back towards my car. I got Kelly and Cecil in the car before putting Richard's car seat beside them and collapsing the stroller. Once it was in the trunk, I slipped into the car.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Kelly shook her head, glancing at Cecil. "I think I've done enough damage."

"No damage done. Your family needs you."

She nodded shakily. A car pulled up beside us, and a young man got out.

"That's him," she hugged Cecil. "Sorry, muchkin. Next time, okay?"

"Okay," she said, kicking her feet a little sadly.

"I'll check in on you later, alright?"

She nodded and climbed out of the car. Her brother wrapped his arms around her before getting her in the passenger seat. They pulled off before we did. When I looked at Cecil, she was staring up at me with big, curious eyes.

"Is Kelly going to be okay?"

"I think so," I said.

"And Mommy?"

I nodded. "Your mom is going to be just fine. She went to school."

"I can't wait to go to school!" She said, falling back. "Kelly says it's going to be so fun. I'll get to meet a bunch of people my age. I'll have people to invite to my birthday party next year..."

I paused. "You don't have anyone to invite to our birthday party this year?"

She shook her head, kicking her feet. "Except for Richard, but he's a baby! We can't even play."

How was that possible? Didn't she have playmates? Kelly didn't seem to be the type to avoid kid-friendly places. It had to have been Grace. My head hurt thinking about it. What good was hosting an extravagant birthday party for a four-year-old and a bunch of adults? That would be a disaster. I'd have to find Cecil some friends whose parents weren't against lycans by default.

"So... Uncle Charles, what are we going to do today?"

"Well," I began, considering the options. "We could visit the museum or maybe grab some ice cream."'

Her shoulders slumped. "I like the museum, but... could we go somewhere else?"

I smiled. "Tired of looking at old bones, hm?"

She kicked her feet. "Today was supposed to be a fun day..."

I nodded, relaxing into the seat. "Let me think... How about a fair?"

"A fair?"

I nodded, smiling. "I think we can make that happen. What do you think? You're bound to meet kids you can play with."

Her eyes brightened. "Do you think I could invite them to my birthday party?"

I chuckled at his infectious excitement. "I'm sure we can at least ask."

She looked at Richard. "What about Richard?"

"You leave Richard to me. He'll have fun, too." I looked toward Gregory. "Do you think we'll make it?"

"I believe so, Your Majesty," his voice was tinged with humor. "She may be too tired to have ice cream."

"No way! I could never be too tired for ice cream!"

The drive was shorter than I realized, with Cecil bouncing in her seat. The fair in the Lycan Enforcer base's town was in full swing, a riot of colors and sounds. There was music, face painting, and rides for children. We pulled up and climbed out as a group of children rushed past towards the rides. Cecil clung to my hand as I got Richard's stroller set up.

I looked down at her as she watched the kids running around with their toy swords and arrows. A child cried out in mock agony, falling dramatically to the ground as one of the toy arrows stuck to his shoulder.

"I've been hit!" He cried. "Avenge me!"

The other kids laughed.

I kneeled beside Cecil. "Are you okay?"

She shuffled her feet, and her eyes looked glossy as she continued to glance over at them.

"C-Can we go on the rides?" She asked.

"You don't want to play?"

She said nothing, glancing over at the group. Her eyes looked so wounded and frightened. I wondered if maybe lycan children's games might be a little overwhelming, but I couldn't miss the longing in her eyes and the way her eyes followed the kids. She wanted to play. I took her hand and led her onward, away from this section of the fair. The vibrant lights of the fairground cast a warm glow over the scene, and the distant hum of chatter and laughter provided the soundtrack to our evening. I stopped at the booth that distributed the toy weapons for the game.

"Look out for your sister," a father called. "Or she'll trounce you!"

"Nuh uh--Ah!"

"Trounced!" The little girl declared, landing a solid blow to his shoulder as he tripped and fell. "You owe me ice cream!"

The little boy got to his feet. "Three out of five!"

The father laughed as the attendant turned to look at me. His eyes widened, staring at me. He frowned, looking unsure. I smiled at him.

"I need gear for one. A four-year-old."

He glanced down at Cecil and nodded. I lifted her up onto the stand. She looked between me and the man anxiously.

"What's your weapon of choice?"

Cecil shuffled her feet and shook her head. "I don't know how to play..."

"That's alright," he jerked his thumb to the group. "None of them know how to play either."

I snickered. That much was probably true.

She looked at me uncertainly.

"You know your mom was a fencer?" He asked. "Do you know what that means?"

She shook her head.

"It means she used a sword in the game she competed in."

Her eyes brightened. "Mommy played a game with swords?"

I nodded. "It was a little different than this one, but since you like art the way your mom does, how about giving a sword a shot?"

She nodded and took the sword the attendant offered her. I helped get her into the little set of armor before lifting her and setting her down within the enclosed space. I pointed to where the other parents were.

"I'll be over there with Richard. Maybe he'll make a friend too."

She nodded, but she didn't seem to move. She turned back towards the group and shuffled her feet. She lifted her head and barely moved an inch as a pair of children came rushing past.

"Hey!" Cecil went still at the call of a little boy wearing the same colored armor. "Wanna play?"

"Uhm... y-yeah?"

"Come on, we're going to raid their fort!" He came over, grabbed her hand, and dragged her towards the wooden fort. "Charge! Watch out for the arrows!"

The joy on her face as she rushed forward with the little boy, barely dodging the slow-moving arrows the other kids were firing, made me smile. I wandered over to where the other parents were and where the playpen for babies had been set up.

"First day out?" A man asked, not looking at me. "She looked nervous as hell."

"Something like that." I lifted Richard out of the bassinet and set him down in the playpen. One of the other children rumbled at him, and soon, they were rumbling away.

The man leaned back with a sigh. "They get too big too fast. I swear it was yesterday that I was changing his diaper and fighting to put her in clothes."

I laughed, imagining it. "I can only imagine."

"She's not yours?"

"No," I said. "It's... a complicated situation."

"Bummer." He turned. "I'm Lia--"

His eyes went wide as saucers, his jaw dropped, and I had a feeling that this was going to get a lot more complicated.