“Sure,” she says, grinning up at me. I quickly heat up a bun and fill it with sausage, sauce, and just a little mustard.
“Thank you,” she says as I hand it to her. “I still want ribs, though. And chips.”
“Are you a bottomless pit?” I ask, laughing as I tickle her. “I know you’re growing fast, but where do you put all that food?”
“Mommy says it’s my magic,” Cassie says, giggling as she avoids my tickles. “When we use magic, we use more energy, and we need more food.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
“We especially need sugar,” Cassie says, very seriously. “Like cookies and cake.”
“I think Mommy may be working an angle here,” I say, raising an eyebrow.
“No way,” Cassie says, winking. “It’s honestly the truth!”
I reach out to tickle her again, but she bounces away, eating her hot dog as she joins up with the other kids. I shake myhead as I turn back to tend to the grill, marveling at how much my daughter has grown in a few short months.
Since the spell, Cassie has seemed far more mature, and after celebrating her fourth birthday a couple of weeks ago, her intelligence made a massive jump. Suddenly, the games Jean runs for the other kids were too easy for her, and it looks like she’s ready for “big school.”
Jean warned us that we’d have to be very careful because a child prodigy like Cassie would attract attention in the human world, and we’d have to decide very carefully if the benefit outweighed the risk.
At least we don’t have to worry about that right now, I think to myself, looking up into the trees again. I close my eyes, feeling the heat of the sun rippling on my face as the cool breeze rustles the leaves again. All around me are sounds of laughter and contentment, and I literally can’t believe how lucky I am.
“Hey, you,” Sadie’s lips brush against my neck as she whispers in my ear, and I feel her arms link around my waist. “Are you daydreaming over the grill again? If you burn those ribs, Rafe will never forgive you.”
“I’m not burning them,” I protest. “They just need to be properly caramelized.”
“You said that last Sunday, and they ended up black.”
“Not my fault!” I protest. “It’s you, woman, showing up like this and distracting me. I will not be blamed.”
Sadie presses herself up against my back, running her hands up my belly as she rests her chin on my shoulder.
“Hmm. I guess I'd better stop, then.”
“Don’t you dare,” I laugh.
For a few moments, we stand quietly together, enjoying the closeness as we look out across the park. The children are happily playing. Even the older folk of the pack are moving around freely, enjoying a new vitality that surpasses the energy levels they had before the sickness struck.
“Even before the disease, we were sick,” I say softly. “We just didn’t know it.”
“It’s wonderful to see everyone doing so well,” Sadie says.
Even though she’s come so far, I know she still carries the weight of Rachel’s death and the others who died before we could break the curse. Every day that goes by, she heals a little more, but she may never forgive herself for not being able to save her friend.
“Alright, you two,” Rafe says, walking up to us and taking the tongs out of my hand. “I’m not having a repeat of last weekend. You two, get out of here, and I’ll take control of the grill.”
“Mighty generous of you,” I reply, laughing. “I happily concede control.”
“You’d better,” Rafe says, waving the tongs.
“I’m sorry to ask, Rafe,” Sadie says. “But have you heard from the others?”
Rafe looks down, sighing as he shakes his head. “The news isn’t good.”
“Tell me,” Sadie demands.
“The council members from the other packs have not improved,” Rafe says. “Only Faye and I got better, and the cure has only worked for our pack.”
