Posted by Purps on November 30, 1999 at 15:14:13:
The group of telepaths were in a safe house, hiding from the bloodhounds as they had been for a long time.The children's room was in what was once a large green and yellow painted pair of bedrooms of the old house.They had to tear out a wall just so the children could have sleeping space with their sleeping mats and the youngest ones got the beds.
The adults had made the lower floor habitable. They also started helping get the upper bedroom ready for the children. While a couple adults went to find food, the others got a wall between the green and yellow rooms down, and books Digging through the old books and papers that were left, Callie, the oldest of the children, found a book called T'was The Night Before Christmas.
After the pair that had gotten the food returned and had prepared dinner they all ate in the living, and dining rooms. After the children's beds had been made, just before bed, Callie went up to the group's blonde black clad leader, holding the book.
"Uncle Byron?" The little pajama clad brunette thought. The older ones were finishing up making their own beds, and had left Byron watching with Diana, Callie's aunt, in the living room. It had a nautical theme to it, there was a painting of the ocean and some sculptures nailed or set on the mantlepiece. They had removed lots of what were called newspapers and put them in the larger orange painted room that had been used for storage long ago on the second floor.
"Use your voice please, Callie." Diana sighed deprecatingly. She was trying to get Callie to speak, although she seemed to be taking after her cousin Simon.
Byron looked down at the little girl and scooped her up on his lap."What is it Callie luv?" He smiled at her and she smiled back.
She held up the book, after wiping the cover clean on a dust rag that had been left on the low wooden table in front of the couch Byron had settled down on.
He got her off his lap."What say we take this upstairs and read it to all the children?" Callie beamed.
They walked upstairs, after he reassured Diana that he'd come back down after checking on the children and Mairi the plump motherly nanny.
"There ye are Callie. C'mon m'dearie t'bed now." Mairi smiled at the pajama clad little girl and fluffed the pillow with Callie's name on the pillowcase. Callie shook her head and held the book up to Byron.
He took the book, and with a hug to both Mairi and Byron, Callie settled on her mat and smiled up at Byron.
The little girl said nontelepathically."Please Uncle Byron read it!"
"Callie found this book earlier, and wanted me to read it to her and the others." The blond man settled down on a chair in the yellow half of the room, and all the children settled down at his feet, eyes upon him. Mairi sat on the bed in the green room, feeding her three month old, Cory his bottle.
Mairi nodded, as the story began read with voice, and telepathically imaged to all the children.
"T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse...."