My plan to sleep in didn’t work out when I was awake at the normal time. It wasn’t very warm outside, but I dressed accordingly and went outside to work through the Yang long form. Everyone else in the house was still sleeping by the time I was done, so I took my computer down to the kitchen and mostly played on it until Rowen’s Mom joined me there.
I helped her with cooking breakfast for six until Mr. Emerson joined us, and then I was sent upstairs to wake Rowen, Patrick, and Scott. Rowen and I got cleaned up and ready for church before having breakfast, and then we took care of the cleanup while everyone else got ready to go out too. Even with the boys slowing us down, we had time to walk to church with a few minutes to spare for a chat with Mom, Dad, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne.
Rowen and I sat with my family until Sunday school. Ethan and Ehlana looked disappointed when they found out that they wouldn’t get to meet Aiden today, but I wasn’t surprised that Uncle Adam sent Hannah and Aiden straight home this morning. They did get to meet Paige Spencer after church, and though there wasn’t much interaction between the three babies; I was interested in watching Ethan’s and Ehlana’s reactions to their future classmate and friend.
My perspective on the Magi Council’s concerns about how Magi and non-Magi kids interact has mostly been shaped by seeing it from both a kid and outsider point of view; and by how great it is to have a best friend that I can share the Magi part of my life with. I’ll ask them about it later, but I do see a difference between what I sense when Ethan and Ehlana are around, for example, Naomi than they were today with Paige or some of the other new, non-Magi babies. Since that is mostly just what I’m sensing, I’m not sure what it means; but I do hope that their ability to know who all of the Magi and non-Magi are isn’t going to affect their relationships with their peers and neighbors. Knowing what we do about our future might have as much of an affect on that for all three of us, but that’s definitely something to spend some time on for the Magi project.
We’re not doing any work today, though, and after church, I went home with Rowen to get my bag before we both went to my house for lunch. Mom and Dad both spent some time working in the office, and we put the finishing touches on our ventriloquist act with Ethan and Ehlana until their mid-afternoon feeding. They had a nap after that, and Rowen and I went to the park to play for an hour or so. The Emersons had invited us over for dinner; partly so that the Moms could help us put the last touches on our teddy bear dummies costumes; so we helped with getting Ethan and Ehlana ready to go out, and then walked down to Rowen’s house.
I hadn’t really thought about it before, but this was the first time since Mom and I moved here that we’d all gotten together at the Emersons for dinner. That was mostly because of their seven day a week jobs during the summer, and our own busy schedules, but I’d been over lots of times, and having Mom, Dad, and the twins there too just made it more fun. Getting out of the post-dinner cleanup was a bonus when Rowen and I were put in charge of Ethan and Ehlana while the parents took care of the work; and then we spent an hour and a half playing with our costumes, including Patrick’s; and the pumpkin carving that only three of us were surprised about.
Ethan and Ehlana let us know that it was time to head home shortly before nine o’clock, so after a round of goodbyes; I carried one of our jack-o-lanterns home while the other one rode in the stroller with Ethan and Ehlana. We set them – the pumpkins, not the babies – up on the porch before going inside; and then I helped Mom with the twins while Dad went into the office to finish getting ready for work on Monday. With a midnight feeding still ahead, an early night wasn’t an option for all of us, but Ethan and Ehlana were ready for a nap, and I was sent up to bed once they were in their cribs.
My plan was to have a short soak in my Jacuzzi and then get some sleep, and I even started my email and entertainment checks while I was in the bathroom; but that led to watching the new episode of Once Upon a Time, and then I ended up spending more than an hour sifting through the Hathorne Industries’ systems. The Hathornes had put on a massive Halloween party on Saturday night, and there was a lot of new information to read up on both from the party and some of the things that had happened since it ended.
The pictures of Gawain, Kellie, and Gwyneth dressed up as an Addams family-like trio were beautiful, and completely at odds with the much darker activities they were involved in. There was a lot of new information, and the flurry of activity on a Sunday said something about how efficiently Gawain and Kellie’s managers and employees reacted to directives from on high; but much more about what they were willing to do for money and power. Stopping them isn’t an option right now, but I wish we could; and it’s tough to read about the lives they destroy without a thought; the factories staffed with child or near-slave laborers; the unbelievable damage they do to the environment in countries all over the world; or any of the other horrors they’re responsible for.
Reading about all of that on the eve of one of the dark power days has been sobering, but it also reminds me of why we’re doing everything with our family business and charities; and at least Ethan, Ehlana, and I know that the Hathornes’ – and all Dark Magi – era of power is coming to an end. Mom’s told me before that she doesn’t like knowing about things that she can’t change, but for me; knowing everything about the Hathornes strengthens my resolve to do everything I know I’ll have to do to stop them.
Being ready to do that is still a comparatively long way away – at least it is for a ten-year old. Ehlana just gave Mom and Dad her ‘I’m awake’ call; it’s after midnight; and way past time that I should’ve been sleeping. I’m going to get on with that, and worry about saving the world from the Dark Magi another day. For this Halloween, I’ll just concentrate on bringing a little bit of Light and happiness to our family, neighbors, and friends.
P.S. I’ve skipped the Grandparents updates for two days now. They had a sightseeing weekend, and moved from Peru to Chile today. They’ll be spending the first few days in and around Santiago, and then spend the last few days in Southern Chile before moving on to Argentina. Hopefully their second week will be as successful as their first!