Page 59 of Journey to the Elderoak
“Yay!” the children squealed as they dug in.
Kai sat at the head of the table and served himself food, the others following suit.
“So, Ava. We haven’t had time to ask you…what was your life like in the human world?” asked Jorrar.
Ava leaned over, piling vegetables on her plate as she spoke. “Well…it was very different from here as you all might guess. There’s no magic.”
Griffin gasped. “No magic?”
Ava gave him a small smile as she continued, “It’s kind of boring. People go to their jobs all day and come home and do it all over again.”
“That sounds awful,” said Quinn through a mouthful of food.
“It’s not all bad,” she replied.
“What was your job?” asked Kai.
She took a sip of wine. “I was a wildlife biologist before I inherited the farm.” They looked at her in confusion. “I studied animals and their behaviors and wrote reports about it.”
“Why?” asked Raine.
“Good question.” She set her fork down. “To learn about their behaviors. And keep record of it. To protect certain species from dying off. That’s a problem in the human world. People keep reproducing and having children. They use up the resources and tear down forests and other habitats to build their homes and end up killing or displacing animals. I wanted to help.”
“That’s awful,” said Quinn.
“It is.”
“Would you ever want to go back?” asked Kai.
Ava shook her head. “There’s nothing left there for me anyway. Plus…I like it here…with you all.”
Thorne looked at her and smiled. “You belong here. With all of us.”
“Thank you.” She smiled back and glanced across the table. Casimir was watching her intensely.
“Are you a princess?” Aria interrupted.
“Yes,” she answered awkwardly. She wasn’t good with children.
“You’re pretty,” Aria stated.
“Thanks.”
“Can I touch your hair?” Aria jumped out of her seat and ran over.
“Um…sure,” she said, tensing as Aria ran her fingers through Ava’s long locks.
She met eyes with Casimir again who was holding back a smile at her obvious discomfort.
“Griffin, Aria,” said Kai. “If you’re done eating, why don’t you go play outside until Casimir is finished?”
“Okay!” they shouted, disappearing down the hallway.
“You are terrible with children, Ava,” said Raine.
“I know,” she lamented. Curious, Ava turned toward Kai. “So…your grandchildren…they live here with you?”
“Yes.”
