The Triplets Episode IV

The trip home was louder than Cai would have liked, the darkening sky meant even Dixie couldn’t interoperate his Auslan for the others.  The townhouse wasn’t much better volume wise through a small blessing came since the late hour meant Sam and Gorgia wanted the kids all sent straight to bed. Cai was unceremoniously dumped on his apartment’s roof by his mother, receiving a goodnight kiss from her and his sisters blew him kisses as they left the room for their own, his luggage was placed beside him, and he was left to sleep in his new home.

The next morning Cai stirred awake in his miniaturised bed hearing the sound of his wall being swung open like a cabinet door, rolling over to see his sisters looking in and smiling at him. 

“Morning sleepy head,” Ollie cooed and gave a slight wave. 

“I was hoping it wouldn’t open like that,” said Cai not interested in his sister’s greeting, his voice aided by the designer acoustics on the little apartment, having been custom made to amplify his voice outwards so the big people could still hear him.

“And how did you think we set your furniture up if we couldn’t open it?” Dixie asked smugly.

“By…” Cai pondered the question his sister had proposed, “…shut up.”

“Oh, I knew we should have tried that!” Ollie joked nudging Dixie.

Dixie rolled her eyes and reached into Cai’s room offering her hand to him, “c’mon get out of bed, or be taken out.”

Cai tossed his blanket off of himself and raised his hand, to his sister’s allowing her to take him out of the tiny house,  Cai had appreciated the, to him, high ceilings of his little home, but was now very aware that they were like that so the big people in his life could reach in and manipulate his belongings, not actually for his benefit.

He tried to put those thoughts to the side, he knew there’d be compromises here and there to make his life liveable, but he’d wanted his little apartment to be his sovereignty, seeing now that wasn’t really an option, he wanted to focus on Dixie’s faltering as she was handling of him.

“Careful,” Ollie warned, cupping her hands under Dixie’s.

Dixie glared at Ollie trying to little-walk towards the kitchen, not shaking her brother more than she already had.  She looked down at him, saw him smiling back at her with no detectable hint of fear, “I can do this,” she thought to herself quickening her pace as best she could, though still noticeable slower than her typical walking pace.

Ollie removed her hands but kept close to the two in case she was needed.

Molly flinched as the tiny teen was placed gently on the table, she lowered her head to see him better and gave a light wave wanting his attention.  Cai waved back and started walking towards her she smiled at him and nervously poked her finger towards him, she was gently edging her finger close to him. 

“You’re a homunculus” Molly said, her tone laced with fascination and confusion.

“You can just call me an Unco, Molly” Cai told her, closing the distance between them, “Unco’s actually short for homunculus.”

Cai had known Molly could be erratic when touched especially with new sensations, he took a deep breath and grabbed her finger. Discomfort quickly became easily identified on her face, she stimmed her legs and started tensing and relaxing her arm, shivering due to the feeling of his tiny hand in her finger.  She endured for only seventeen seconds before violently pulling her finger away. 

Cai was pulled over by the wind from her hand moving away, landing hard on his chest, Dixie and Ollie both rushed to help him up with Ollie heading over to comfort Molly who was yet to settle down after her ordeal, she began getting louder and louder, so Ollie led her away to protect Cai’s ears as Cai and Dixie were left alone in the kitchen.

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