Cassie's Journal - September 5, 2012

Day Two is Day One – at least it is for our class schedule this week. It’s also going to be my favorite of the two days.

Some of my classmates would think that was nuts, since we have Math, English, and Science; but it’s the Phys-ed, Music, and Spanish classes that I’m going to have the most fun with. Of course, I actually have fun in the other three subjects too, but my new favorite class this year is going to be music.

I’ve never really put much thought into playing musical instruments – except maybe to learn how to play guitar like Dad does. In the past, that was partly because Mom and I were trying to keep hidden; and being a music prodigy is something that gets noticed as much as prodigious academics or sports. Mom and I have also had other priorities, and while we both love music; Mom was never into playing it even when she was a kid and teen. This year, we get to start learning how to play the usual range of wind and percussion instruments that you’d normally find in any small high school band; and while we won’t pick ‘our’ instruments for a few weeks yet, I already know after today that the saxophone is the one I love the most. This isn’t the Sight, or some other Magi power, but a simple connection that I didn’t feel with any of the other instrument demonstrations today. Rowen told me that she felt exactly the same way about the flute and piccolo; despite the fact that those demonstrations weren’t very good compared to some of the other instruments.

Our Instrumental Music teacher is Mrs. Robinson, and please don’t go there. Yes, she’s very pretty, and a Mom; but she’s also happily married to Mr. Robinson; he teaches at the school too; and they’re only thirty-one. There might even be more girls with crushes on him than boys crushing on her. Anyway, just in case someone might think my instrument choice was teacher-related; it’s not. Mrs. Robinson’s best wind instrument is the oboe; though she also plays the piano and cello; and can at least demonstrate every instrument she showed us today with varying degrees of success.

A downside of finding a new passion for me is that I can get a bit too focused on it. I’m better at controlling that than I used to be, but that didn’t keep me from memorizing a book on musical theory and another instruction book for learning to play the alto sax tonight. That added forty minutes to my bedtime computing, but I probably wouldn’t have gotten to sleep without that bit of extra studying. I’ve jumped ahead now without even writing anything about the rest of the day, so let’s take a moment and go back to the beginning.

Tai Chi by the river is always one of my favorite parts of the day, and then we jumped into our usual school and work day routine. That meant a normal breakfast, and it didn’t take me long to get cleaned up and ready for school – at least compared to yesterday. The sundress was exchanged for shorts and a sleeveless top. It was going to be another hot day, and though I’m now acutely aware of the fact that I don’t fill out a shirt like most of the other girls in my class now do; I won’t be trading off comfort just to wear something that would mute that obvious, if temporary, fact.

Yes, I know. I think I’ve mentioned before that Magi Masters aren’t immune to the forces of life that apply to everyone. Understanding all of that doesn’t always make dealing with the reality of being an eleven-year old girl easier. If you really want to think about that, keep in mind that I actually have to ability to affect things like my physical development if I chose to do that – just as Mom didn’t have to go through the usual physical post-pregnancy issues. For that matter, I could help every girl in town too if I could do that without revealing my secret identity. All of that’s a moot point, though, since I won’t be making any changes like that to myself or anyone else.

Moving beyond discussing my lagging physical development, Mrs. Warren hopped right into our Math and English classes this morning, and it looks like the review phase is going to be very short this year. We rounded out the morning with Phys-ed, and Rowen and I are both glad that we have that right before lunch. You only have time for about a two-minute shower if you have one of the first two class times of the morning or afternoon; and there’s no time to dry long hair.

The top lunch topic, at least for the guys, was the first home game of the season for our football team. I haven’t written about our school football much, and didn’t pay any attention to their first away game last Friday; other than to know they’d lost a close match. Some of the girls were either actually – or pretending to be – interested in talking football; though they still managed to work the usual fashion, entertainment, and general gossip chat into the conversation too. Rowen and I can think of a lot of things we’d rather be doing, or talking about other than football, but I suppose we are going to need to actually show up and support our team once in a while; and it’s practically mandatory once you’re in Grade Nine and above. There’s rain in the forecast for Friday, though, so don’t expect that to happen this week!

I wonder if that would be different if Dad had played league football when he was in high school? There aren’t likely very many alumni players that don’t at least go to the home games.

Getting back to school, we start the afternoon with Science, and then wrap up with Music and Spanish. By the time Rowen and I went home to do the after-school snack with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana; we had a fair bit of homework. The good news is that it wasn’t a work night; and we could blast through all of it in about fifteen minutes thanks to a little Magi power. We sat up in the lounge and talked for another half hour after we were done the work before deciding that it was safe to go over to the park and play without looking suspicious. Every kid and teen in town knows who does and doesn’t have the strict, homework first rules; and Rowen and I are definitely on that list.

That still left us with an hour or so to play before we needed to be home for dinner. Rowen was staying for that; mostly because she and I did a Magi lesson with Mom after dinner. I didn’t really notice it last night, but not having baseball at all this week feels a bit strange. Mom and Dad both had work they wanted to get done tonight, though, so after Rowen went home; I took care of Ethan and Ehlana while they worked in the office. We played in Ehlana’s room; had a nice chat; and I took care of the bedtime bath and story before having our snack with Mom and Dad in the office.

I’ve been working on my computer since coming up to bed, and with the extra studying; it’s now... past one-thirty.

Oops. Time to wrap this up.

Say ‘goodnight, Cassie’.

“Goodnight, Cassie.”

Cassie's Journal - September 4, 2012

Even in small towns, the first day back to school is a big deal. There are always a few exceptions, but nearly all of the kids and teens take a little more time getting ready; wear their favorite and best new school clothes; and even get to school early to hang out and talk with friends that they’d seen regularly, if not daily, all summer anyway.

When you think about it, the whole annual right of passage custom is a study in human oddity – but it’s also one that I’m not immune to being a fairly enthusiastic participant.

My day started out as usual with Tai Chi by the river, but then I spent way too much time getting ready – mostly because it took over a half hour for Mom and I to get my hair done up in curls; four thin strands of braids; and have it all cascading in a tumble down my back. Mom earned bonus hugs for that, but that extra play time meant that I needed to hurry up with getting dressed; having breakfast; and then grabbing my book bags and heading out to meet up with Rowen at her house.

We hadn’t picked out clothes to match, but Rowen and I had decided to wear sundresses, and she and her Mom had put some extra time into her hair too; so I think we both looked great today. Owen needed some pictures before we were able to head off to school; and Patrick went with us; including for a little detour to my Grandparents’ house. Grandpa was having fun with what was becoming an annual front porch tradition of teasing some of the kids about being stuck going to school while he got to play all day. That had been the main reason I’d wanted to stop by to see them; but the hugs, kisses, and best wishes from Grandma and Grandpa were nice too.

Once we got to the school, Patrick had to be cool and go hang out with Scott and the rest of their buddies; and Rowen and I went in search of Dillon. I had a little gift for him, and a hug that had Jake teasing me that I’d just been waiting for Violet to go home to make my move on her boyfriend. That wasn’t exactly the kind of joke I wanted to start the new school year with; but I’m not sure if I helped myself or not by assuring him that if I was the kind of girl who would steal boyfriends – which I’m not – I’d be trying to steal Stephanie’s boyfriend. That might come back to bite me sometime, but at least it made Dillon and Stephanie laugh; and Dillon really needed some cheering up today.

After that little cameo, it was time for Rowen and me to hang out with our own friends and classmates where we belonged – in theory. Reality can be something completely different, and when you’re the only two members of your class at a different social level than the rest; even being friends with everyone doesn’t save you from those moments when you just don’t quite fit in.

It’s still been a really good day, but there were quite a few of those moments too. Before first bell, one of those moments was when Rowen and I were confronted with the reality that there’s apparently a big difference between still being little girl cute and developing young woman hot. Even the usually dense boys around our age can tell you the difference. Being upwards of six inches shorter than the other girls isn’t the most appreciated difference by anyone except us, and the couple of girls who are only a bit taller than we are; but it was something that was even more pronounced than when school ended in June. The fact that we still had a slight height advantage over a couple of the guys, and weren’t much shorter than even the tallest boy in our class wasn’t much consolation.

The next moment of the day came when it was time to pick our desks for the year. Last year, there was still an obvious division between guys and girls. Today was the launch of the boy-girl group phase; and Rowen and I were once again the only exception. We chose two front-row desks right away, and then watched the action as boyfriends and girlfriends paired up first, and then surrounded themselves with pairs of best friends. Since Aunt Leanne already grilled me on this during dinner, and will razz me some day if she finds out I didn’t include it in my journal; I’ll add that though Michael and Tim aren’t among the guys with girlfriends; they were paired up too; and were sitting with Vanessa and Nora. Since Rowen and I aren’t playing those games, which leaves ten guys and nine girls in our class that are; at least they’re not the two odd guys out who are both chasing after the same girl. That kind of thing can be bad for best friends.

Anyway, moving along, Mrs. Warren is back in her usual Grade Seven class; and Rowen and I are both really happy to have her teaching us again. There are big changes that come with Grade Seven at our school; with the biggest being a two-day class rotation. We can’t have the same course options that bigger, city schools can; so we have twelve subjects; and six classes each on the two days. Day One classes are Mondays and Wednesdays; Day Two classes are Tuesday and Thursday; and we rotate between the two schedules on alternate Fridays. We’ll be doing this from now until the end of high school; though we’ll be able to have some spares if we want them in Grades ten, eleven, and twelve.

We started with the Day Two rotation, and that’s Geography, History, and Health for us in the morning; lunch is at the same time for everyone; and then we had Social Studies, Art, and Computers in the afternoon. Our class schedule didn’t matter at all to Rowen or me, but most of our friends seemed to like ending our mornings and afternoons with easier classes for both days. One other thing that’s different in a small school is that we don’t move from classroom-to-classroom for most of our subjects. The only exception for our Day Two schedule is Art class. Everything else is taught in our home room; and Mrs. Warren teaches us everything except Computers and Art.

Since the academics are all an act for me, I can do the work while letting my mind wander. Today I spent a lot of time thinking about our Magi project. The dynamics in Grade Seven make for some interesting observations. I’ve mentioned the fluctuations in the aura ranges for Magi, Latents, and Normal people before; and on a super-charged day like today, those fluctuations are pronounced. A new note that I’ve added to that archive is just a suspicion right now, but I think that there might actually be a suppression of aura – and of power, for Magi – in cases where those connecting auras don’t mesh. In other words, perfect matches augment both people; while mismatches diminish them. That might seem obvious, but I also think that it may be quantifiable; and might affect every part of you. Imagine, for example, if a diminished – or augmented – aura affected the genetic choices being made during something like conception. Something like that could be a factor that explains such varied power levels within the Magi families in Witch Falls. It could explain why Ethan and Ehlana are so extraordinary too.

Deep thoughts didn’t fill up my entire day. Lunch was a weird-fest filled with new dynamics. In our school, the grades are lumped together in four groups – five if you include the Kindergarten. The seventh and eighth-grade classes are one of those groups; and end up lumped together at lunch time. That meant that hanging out with Rebecca and Jenny again was an option for Rowen and me, but while we did talk with them for a few minutes to see how their classes were going so far; we didn’t do that. They were hanging out with a group of girls and guys that included some of our classmates, and we just didn’t fit in on any level. Both of our friends seemed to be enjoying the attention from some of the boys, and I was only a little surprised that Jenny seemed to be completely over Martin already.

Fast-forward through an uneventful afternoon, and we were set free with more homework than we’d ever had on a first day so far. I went to the computer store with Rowen first, and did the daily update with Owen and Patricia before leaving Rowen there and going home. With last-minute back-to-school shopping, Rowen was working at the store, and we were both getting started on our usual school days routine – which meant work nights on Tuesday and Thursday.

I repeated the daily recap for Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana; and then once more at dinner for Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne. Between story times, I did my homework; spent an hour on the family business; and helped Mom with making dinner. We’d just done the big family meal at the Inn yesterday, but tonight’s visits weren’t just so we could talk about my first day back at school, or the Grade Nine studies and Magi lessons with Naomi that kept Ethan and Ehlana entertained all day. That kept us entertained during dinner, but when we moved into the living room after the kitchen clean-up was done; it was time to talk family business and future plans.

The ground-breaking for what will be the main street of the new residential part of town was the top news story everywhere in town except at the school; and I’m sure it will be number one there tomorrow. While construction on the new houses and apartment buildings won’t start until spring, and even finishing the roads and services will take years; everyone can feel that it’s the beginning of big, exciting changes for Witch Falls. I haven’t been involved much in the day-to-day work that got us to here; mostly because Dad, Aunt Leanne, Grandma, and Grandpa were able to handle all of the legal and political issues. For some reason, they don’t think anyone will need me to help build roads; lay sewer, water, or electrical lines; or do any of the other heavy lifting.

It’d be cool if Ethan, Ehlana, and I could, though; and it’d make for some awesome Magi lessons!

Since I’m not in on the daily work, I also didn’t contribute a lot to tonight’s meeting. Dad and Aunt Leanne led the discussion; and went over the timetable for the next few years; going into more detail for what they were coordinating during the next few months. We spent nearly two hours doing that, and then Mom did a short healing lesson with Uncle Adam and me before we finished up with a bedtime story and snack that wiped out a few Olde Bakery treats that were left over from the weekend.

I’ve been in bed with Mandy since Ethan and Ehlana went to bed and our grandparents, aunt, and uncle went home. While I didn’t get much family business done earlier, I did still want to get back to my language studies too. Next up on my list was Portuguese; and I’ve spent an hour and a half reading tutorials and listening to the corresponding audio files. There were email to deal with too, and the nightly news, sports, and entertainment checks; but it’s after midnight, and I’ve had enough fun for today.

Say ‘Goodnight, Cassie’.

“Goodnight, Cassie.”

Cassie's Journal - September 3, 2012

Violet and I didn’t get much sleep last night, but we didn’t let that stop us from keeping up with the rest of the girls while we were shopping this morning.

Before we could get to that, though, everyone was up early; and we basically ran around like crazy getting ready for the day; having breakfast; and helping our guests – including Violet – to pack and load up their cars and SUV for the trip home. Once Dawn was packed, we bout helped Violet when we had time; and we managed to have all of the work done by the time the stores started opening for the last big shopping day of the summer.

Try not to be shocked, but I actually only bought three things all morning. I know – it really is hard to believe! Rowen and Dawn did better than I did with their shopping, but in my case, I didn’t pick out more clothes mostly because there really wasn’t anything I didn’t already have for back-to-school and Fall-weather clothes. At the rate that Rowen and I are both growing at right now, there’s no point in buying anything that won’t fit anymore three to six months from now.

It’s a bit scary just how much that sounded like my Mom. Maybe Aunt Leanne’s right, and I need to get away from them more often!

Anyway, so the shopping was fun, but ended too soon when we needed to meet up with everyone at the Inn for the first buffet at noon. The boys, including Ethan, had done their own shopping, and the girls had ended up in three groups; so it took ten minutes or so before we were all seated in the dining room at a handful of tables. Dillon was working all day, but Stephanie and Miranda had him take an extra break so he could have lunch with Violet and say goodbye to her before getting back to work again. I’m not sure if that was easier or harder for them, but they were still happy to have just a little extra time together before Violet had to go home. I hadn’t really thought about Aunt Grace and Mark being in the same position, though in their case they’d only spent a week together; but Aunt Leanne might have been; since she had both couples sitting with her and Uncle Adam.

That last hour and a half or so together felt more like minutes, and then it was time for a too-short round of goodbyes outside of the Inn before all of our visiting guests headed out toward the highway. Rowen was helping out at the computer store for the rest of the day, so I went home with Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana; and helped Mom get started on the loads of laundry, and post-holiday weekend cleaning. Ethan and Ehlana helped out too for a while when Mom let them join in for a bit of Magi-powered cleaning, though that tired them out; and they had a late afternoon nap. Dad was working in the office all afternoon and evening, and he only took breaks for the snack dinner we had at around six o’clock, and to do the bedtime snack and story with Ethan and Ehlana.

I don’t think it’s going to become an annual event, but the twins and I had a long after-dinner future plans chat that included another look into our collective futures to see if anything new had become clearer as we moved forward. Tomorrow isn’t just a big day because it’s the first day back to school for the kids and teens – or the start of Ethan and Ehlana’s high school education. Nearly everything we’ve done up until now has been behind the scenes. Twenty-four hours from now, there are going to be the first visible signs of our plans taking shape that everyone will see. That’s going to be amazing to watch as it all comes together!

You’re probably reading those last sentences and wondering whether we did see anything new.

Yes.

Some day, I’ll be able to write about that in this journal, but that won’t be anytime soon. Trust me; you’re better off not having the burden and responsibility that goes along with having the Sight. There are times when Ethan, Ehlana, and I didn’t know what we do.

I have been thinking about our future plans all evening, though, and sometimes it all seems a bit overwhelming. Having a long soak in my Jacuzzi after Ethan and Ehlana went to bed helped, and so did a computer chat with Rowen and some email exchanges with Aunt Grace, Mark, Dawn, and Violet. My nightly computing included some extra research to be ready for school in the morning – all the usual news, entertainment, and sports information that an average, informed, seventh-grader needs to know even in a small town school.

The last thing I was doing before writing this was a Hathorne Industries check. Mom, Dad, and Aunt Leanne keep regular tabs on the Hathornes, and keep me posted of anything important; but I still like to do my own snooping now and then too; and they usually have more going on around long weekends. They had a party out at their estate today.

Note to all Hathorne employees: You’re corporate calls, emails, and messages are all saved on the company systems. You might want to think about that before you type or say anything – especially if it has to do with your bosses or their family.

Of course, I appreciate the information those saved communications provide us. For instance, while Ethan and Ehlana are advancing their education in leaps and bounds that only a few people know about; Gwyneth’s brilliance is being trumpeted and bragged about to anyone and everyone. I’m sure she’s more advanced in her studies than they’re publicizing. If I had to guess, she’s using the development path from one or more of the recent kid phenoms as a guide for her genius-level development. Of course she also seems to need to be just a little better than the best too. Hopefully, getting that kind of attention won’t bring more trouble on her than she already needs to worry about just from being the Magi Master of a family with a lot of very dangerous enemies.

There have been some changes at Hathorne Industries too. Kellie and Gawain are doing some things differently now, but unfortunately, that doesn’t really mean better; except from their perspective. From what I’ve seen, the only real difference is that the pain and suffering they cause is strictly for power and money; where nearly everything Corwyn had done was for the dark joy and satisfaction he got out of inflicting his will and power on others. If the end results are the same, though, their victims could care less about the motivation behind the actions.

That’s a fairly dark tone to end today’s journal entry on, but I do always need to remember what the Magi of the Light are up against – even when we’re not directly in conflict with the Dark Magi. The Hathornes, and the others around the world like them, won’t give up their power easily, but the Ascension of the Light is coming, and when it does; we’re going to change the world!

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Cassie's Journal - September 2, 2012

Happy Forty-fifth Birthday, Miranda!

Yes, I love you a lot, but having my Rovers team playing your Witch Falls Wayfarers on your birthday instead of yesterday did not mean that we wouldn’t play our best so you could have a Championship win for a present.

Before we get to the big game, though, let’s start with the usual holiday weekend, Sunday morning rush.

I didn’t mention the obvious last night, but Tai Chi was indoors yesterday, so it was nice to get outside again this morning. Nicole apparently needs nearly all of the space in whatever bed she’s in; and it didn’t take Dawn and Mandy long last night to decide that sleeping on the sectional sofa was far safer. I stayed with Nicole, and tried to sleep when I wasn’t being kicked, pulled on, climbed over, or keeping her from falling off the bed as she travelled around the bed; waking up just once for a little washroom break that I helped her out with too.

Dawn cuddled with Nicole while I was exercising with Mom and Dad, and then we all went downstairs to ‘help’ Dad and Uncle Rick with making breakfast and warming up the dishes that we’d be donating to the food booths later today while Mom was busy with the twins, and the bathroom sharing got started. Clothes were dropped off for Nicole by the time it was our turn to get ready for church, and Dawn and I played dress-up with Nicole before passing her off to Aunt Melissa while we got ready too.

The next item on my Sunday morning to-do list was to give Miranda the birthday present I’d picked out for her when we were on our back-to-school shopping trip; and I did that when we all met up with the Stone family on our way to church after we joined Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, and their gang at our house.

Yes, Aunt Leanne, it was quite a coincidence that the earrings I gave Miranda went so nicely with the bracelet that Michael got his mother. That’s all it was – a coincidence. I’m happy that you were able to entertain yourself and some of the other girls; but let’s move along, shall we?”

It seemed strange having a holiday weekend church service at the church, but it apparently wasn’t just because of the rain behind the change in plans. The park set-up needed to be done for today’s celebrations; since that work hadn’t been possible on Friday or Saturday. That also meant that there were dozens of people missing the church service to do that work, but this was one of the biggest fund-raising weekends of the year; and those charities were doing what they could do to keep from losing something like a quarter of the money they’d earn to spend on their various programs.

The teen-led service was as amazing and fun as always; and it didn’t seem like nearly an hour and a half had passed when it was over and we could head home again. Since nearly everyone had work to do before going to the park; there wasn’t a greet-the-Pastors line today; and we were soon home and busy getting the truck loaded up with our donations and day camp gear. The coed Championship game was being delayed until twelve-thirty just because of how much needed to get done before food booths were ready to open; though the park was already more than half full by the time we walked to the park. We met Dad there, and helped unload the truck; set up our little spot of picnic paradise; and then moved on to pick up food before wandering over to the near ball diamond to watch at least part of the coed game.

It was really different to not be cheering for Mom and Dad’s team – and not having a cheerleading squad at all. Carolyn Landry had some girls helping her cheer for Landry’s Lasers, including Rebecca and Jenny; but Rowen, Dawn, and I didn’t want to join them, and wouldn’t really have fit in with the older girls anyway. Taylor’s Torpedoes had a smaller squad cheering them on, but that competition wasn’t really much of a challenge for Carolyn. I don’t know how much their cheerleaders helped them, but the Lasers won their Championship easily, with a final score of eighteen to six.

We didn’t end up staying for the entire game. After finishing lunch, it wasn’t long before Nicole, Ethan, and Ehlana weren’t the only members of our combined family wanting to go and play games for a while before Rowen and I needed to get to the school for our team warm-ups. Mom didn’t try to win any giant prizes for Ethan, Ehlana, or Nicole; but all of the kids, including Dawn, Rowen, and I, had one or two little stuffed animals by the time we finished running the gauntlet of game booths.

Finally, after a day and a half-long rain delay, it was time for the biggest baseball game of the weekend – at least for all of the Rover and Wayfarer players, coaches, and sponsors. I’m sure that Miranda and Aunt Leanne had nothing to do with the weather that caused the move to a Sunday game, but they might have been involved in whether our game was today or on Monday. I just think it’s too bad that there weren’t a lot of spectators at the school to watch their cheerleading competition. The ones that were there had a lot of fun, and nearly all of them also ended up with coupons for free food at the Inn – even the few people that Miranda couldn’t convince to come over to her side of the ball diamond and cheer for the Wayfarers.

To the members of my family who did make the move, I don’t mind; and you just helped to motivate me even more! Mark won’t read this, but hopefully someone pointed out to him that the coupons he negotiated with Miranda for won’t do him any good at the all you can eat buffet tomorrow, so unless he’s just going to give them away; the only way they’ll be of any use to him is if he comes back again before they expire on the Labor Day weekend next summer.

It’d make for a great story if some free fries, drinks, and desserts tipped the scales for his decision on our job offer!

Getting back to the game, while everyone there gave Miranda the cheerleading squad win, her tactics didn’t work to help her team; mostly because the better she did, the more fired up I got. I’m not going to write about just how well Rowen and I played today, but we definitely did our part to help our team to a very big, sixteen to four win; earning both the Championship and an undefeated season.

I’m sorry that you didn’t win the cheerleading match too, Aunt Leanne, but it’s not your fault that most of your squad picked the food and fun with Miranda – especially after most of their parents, including mine, ended up on the Wayfarers’ bleachers. I think that you and Ehlana still did a great job!

After the game, Rowen and I both wanted to go home and get cleaned up. Dinner was already starting at the park by then, so we were skipping the usual post-game ice cream celebration, but we still needed to hurry and get back to the park have dinner with the rest of our family. The food had already been picked up by the time we got there, so we ate; helped with the clean-up; and then had time for some more games before the dance started.

The band hitting the stage was my cue to exit stage anywhere except where Aunt Leanne could attempt to set me up on the dance floor, and Rowen and Dawn were happy to help me make my escape. The game booths were still running, snacks and drinks were available, and the dock along the river turned out to be a good place to sit and talk while dangling our feet in the water and listening to the music that alternated between sets of upbeat dance tunes and soft, melodic ballads. We checked in with the parents once, and I danced for one song each with Dad and Ethan, but went back down by the river before Aunt Leanne could maneuver me into any other dances – mostly thanks to the fact that Michael was already busy dancing with Vanessa at the time.

Ethan and Ehlana needed to go home by ten, so Dawn and I volunteered to take them; and stay home to babysit them while Mom and Dad played at the park with their friends for the last hour or so of the dance. Rowen came home with us too, and it didn’t take us long to get the twins changed and in bed. After tucking them in, we got drinks and snacks, and sat in the living room to watch a movie until Patricia came from the park with the rest of our family to pick up Rowen and take her home.

Dawn and I helped out with the work that needed to be done to put lawn chairs and the rest of our picnic supplies away, and then we had a little visit in the living room before most of us went up to bed. That didn’t include Martin, since he wasn’t back from walking Jenny home yet, and Violet and Dillon were left on their own in the living room when even Chris figured out that this was going to be their last chance for some alone time before they’d be separated again for one last school year apart.

With everything else that’s been going on today, I hadn’t really thought about that much, but I am now. Dawn’s been asleep for nearly two hours now, but I’ve been sitting in the window alcove, working on my computer, and waiting for Violet to come upstairs to bed. Martin got home a while ago; and I haven’t heard him moving around for a while. With most of our families here, there wasn’t any email, and I didn’t feel like studying in the archives, so I’ve mostly just been surfing and listening to music.

I was staying awake for Violet, but she and Dillon weren’t the only people I was thinking about tonight. Watching Aunt Grace and Mark today was fun, and reminded me a lot of Mom and Dad during our first summer here. It’s just a matter of time now before they decide that having a long-distance romance isn’t enough for them anymore; and I can hardly wait for them to let us know when – I mean whether – they’re going to move here.

Since babies were the other top story this weekend, I was thinking about that too. Ethan, Ehlana, and I aren’t doing anything at all about that part of our collective future, but the plans we are working on aren’t really any more important than kids will be for our families and friends over the next few years. We haven’t been allowed to see everything about that, but what we do know is going to be amazing!

Finally, inevitably, I’ve been thinking about the impending start to Grade Seven. I’ve been there, but it’s still funny to know that Ethan and Ehlana will be starting their Grade Nine level studies while Rowen and I are playing at school. Sometimes I really wish I could just be me and not have to hide my real abilities from nearly everyone; but that’s one wish that won’t ever happen. At least the school work is easy. We can’t say the same for the social part of our lives; and the dance at the park tonight emphasized that to Rowen and me in a big way. It wasn’t like we were the only kids in our class who weren’t there with a boyfriend or girlfriend; but we were the only two who weren’t either with a date, or paired up with a classmate or friend of the opposite sex for the evening. I can see parts of the next year being very awkward for us; and hiding out by the river like we did tonight won’t always be an option.

Violet just came upstairs, so I’ll have to thank her sometime for saving me from that train of thought; but I need to wrap this up. Once she’s ready for bed, I’m going to volunteer my services as cuddle buddy. Hopefully I’ll be able to help her through another tough night.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Cassie's Journal - September 1, 2012

Well, it didn’t rain all day, but all of today’s Championship games were washed out. So was our trail ride; barbeque; and campfire.

The good news is that we replaced all of that with a lazy, indoor play day; a family dinner for everyone at our house; and a girls’ movie night marathon in the lounge while the boys played video games in the living room. Dawn and I spent a few hours playing with Rowen this afternoon, but she was mostly busy with her own family, and at the store, for the rest of the day.

We weren’t surprised when Jenny spent most of the day with Martin; though I’m fairly sure they’ve both either moved on already, or at least they don’t expect there to be anything ongoing between them after they go back to school. Rebecca didn’t come over at all, but I’m sure that wasn’t only because Jonathan wasn’t here for the weekend too. She might not be ready to move on yet, but there is no shortage of guys around here wishing she would – with them.

No, I’m not going to be doing any matchmaking for her.

So we played around the house most of the day, though Dawn and I went for a walk down to the falls and back after it stopped raining. Rowen was still with us for that, and then we walked her to the computer store before going home again. We didn’t need to stop in at the park to know that the playground would be too wet to play at for the rest of the day.

The top stories at dinner were Aunt Deborah’s pregnancy, and Aunt Grace’s and Mark’s job offers. I was happy to hear everyone in our family agreeing that a move to Witch Falls would be perfect for them; though Grandpa Duncan and Grandma Mercy also assured Aunt Grace that they’d miss having her close to home – just not as much as they would if she was thinking about a move to Seattle instead. Mark’s sure that his family will think he’s nuts to even be considering it; but then they don’t know what Ethan, Ehlana, and I do. Just as Mom and Aunt Alison had shared pregnancy time, Aunt Deborah had Aunt Elaine a few months ahead of her with their second child. Aunt Elaine was just getting over the morning sickness phase, and though it sounded like that had been harder on her than on Mom, she and the baby were both healthy; and she looked great. Nicole is going on three now, and doesn’t seem quite sure whether a new brother or sister will be a good thing for her little family or not; though she does think that if the baby is a nice as Ethan or Ehlana that they’ll probably decide to keep it.

Dawn and I were on twin-watch after dinner, and got out of helping with the cleanup. We played in my room until the rest of the girls were ready for the first of two movies; and then we sat on the floor or in the window alcove while our Moms and the other women sat on the sectional or the table chairs. Martin and Jenny were mysteriously absent for the movies and gaming; and Martin didn’t get home until after most of our guests had either gone home or to bed for the night.

Nicole wanted to have a sleepover with Dawn, Mandy, and me; so we agreed to keep her for the night. She was asleep before the end of the first movie, so we put her in my bed with Mandy, and if it gets too crowded for Dawn and me, one of us will sleep in the lounge tonight. Violet went to meet up with Dillon after the first movie was over, and we only had a few girls staying in the lounge for the second movie. It’s just kids up here now, and Dawn’s currently having another Jacuzzi bath while I’m doing this and my usual nightly computing.

We’ll find out by morning if baseball is on for Sunday or not, and if it is; our Rovers’ game is tentatively booked for three-thirty at the school ball diamond. According to the town intranet, the only confirmed change for tomorrow so far is that the church service will be at the church instead of in the park.

Side note: I just found Martin and Jenny. They’re sitting on one of the benches by the river. (I’m doing this while sitting in the window alcove) I wouldn’t have noticed them if not for the headlights from a car passing by on River Road. I’d ask Martin if Dad was right about moonlight kisses by the river, but it’s too cloudy to see the moon right now; so I guess he wouldn’t know.

It sounds like Dawn’s nearly ready to get out of the tub, and I’m ready to get some sleep, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!