Woods Random Legacy: Chapter 8 - Double Trouble

Eliza's labor was much shorter and more comfortable than it had been with Lane.  Soon enough, she was the proud parent of a beautiful little girl.  But wait!  It wasn't just one girl, it was twin girls.

They named the firstborn Crystal, and her sister Faye.  Crystal didn't seem to mind the chill when she laid aside un-swaddled while her sister was born, though Eliza wrapped her up guiltily as soon as she was able.  Then, she turned on Greg.

Eliza: "Twins."
Greg: "I know, aren't they beautiful?  They could be a circus act when they're older!"
Eliza: "WHAT?  My daughters aren't going to be in the circus!"
Greg: "I didn't mean they had to be, I just said they could be!  It was just a thought, dear!  Not serious!"
Eliza: "Ugh, you're so inappropriate sometimes, but whatever.  That's beside the point.  How did you not see this coming?  We're nowhere near prepared for twins!"
Greg: "You DO know I'm just a scam psychic, right?  I can't actually tell the future."
Eliza: "Argh!"

Eliza might not have appreciated Greg's career, but his superiors certainly did.  They offered him a promotion, and Greg accepted, with one condition.  His job title would have to be Pseudo Psychic, to avoid any further misunderstandings with the missus.

Luckily, things back home had smoothed over as the parents got into the swing of childcare.  Greg made sure to help out as much as possible, especially on his days off, which was made easier by the fact that his boss had asked him to please stop wandering around the town sticking his hand on random people's faces.  His logic and charisma skills were being stretched to their limits while he was at work, however, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up.

Lane didn't like either choice of after-school activity available to him.  Ballet was for girls, and scouting was just lame.  He preferred to fill his afternoons with his own choice of activity, usually involving frequent trips to the town library.  It was during one of those trips that Lane got lost in a good book and accidentally stayed past moonrise.  On the night of the full moon.

It was a rule in the Woods household that all family members must be at home - preferably, indoors - on the night of the full moon.  Lane swore a word that his mother would have slapped right off his lips if she'd heard him say it, then hopped on his bike to pedal home.  On the way back, however, he spotted something off by the diner.  He set his bike down on the sidewalk and stepped towards it, rationalizing that he was in trouble anyway, and five more minutes wouldn't make a difference at all.

It looked just like the totem poles he'd seen in books, and appeared to be carved of stone.  He took a step closer to touch it to make sure, and then froze.  He'd heard something, off to his right, in the bushes.  He was sure of it.  A moment later, the noise came again.  It was a sort of rustling sound, as if something was hiding, and Lane thought he could hear a low animal-like growling.  The moon came out from behind a cloud, and glinted off amber eyes, watching Lane through the bushes.

The boy stood frozen, eyes locked on the creature - whatever it was - in the bushes.  He didn't even notice when an old man in a striped shirt hurried over from the diner, not until the eyes blinked out.
Man: "Lane Woods!  What are you doing here?  On a full moon, of all nights."
Lane: "Behind you, in the bushes!  There's something there!"
Man: "I don't see anything there."
Sure enough, the sounds had stopped, and the eyes hadn't made a reappearance.
Man: "You should be at home, Lane."
Lane: "Sorry, I was at the library and I lost track of time.  Who are you, anyway?  And how do you know my name?"
Man: "You can call me Gobias.  As to how I know your name...well, that's a long story.  One for another night.  It's not safe for you here, not now.  Now run along home, or do I have to take you there myself?"
Lane: "No thanks, I'll be going.  Mom told me never to take rides from strangers."

Lane backed away, not taking his eyes off of Gobias - if that was his real name - until his bike was in motion.  Gobias stared after the boy.  Neither noticed the man-sized creature slink away from the bush on all fours.

Back home, neither parent noticed Lane sneak into the house, as they were engrossed in another argument.  Eliza found herself in the grips of a midlife crisis, and was bemoaning the lack of space in the house.
Eliza: "There's no room to think here!  I turn one way, I run into the washer.  I turn the other way, I run into a crib.  And you can't cross the room without tripping over chairs!"
Greg: "What do you expect me to do about it?  Let the babies sleep out in the snow?"
Eliza: "Ugh, no!  We need a bigger house!"

Greg knew better than to argue.  If Eliza demanded a new house, then a new house she would get.

~ * ~

Sometimes I get really frustrated at having the story I'm writing be so far behind the game I'm playing, but other times it allows me to work some very creative elements in.  I didn't realize that Gobias knew what was going on until about a week later in my game, when the next full moon hit.  The story would be a lot less interesting if I was actually caught up in my writing.  Or at least that's what I tell myself so I stop feeling guilty about being so far behind.  Currently about a week and a half behind, for what it's worth.