Calamity and Her Whims, Chapter 3

“I never knew Iris could be this beautiful,” Sophia whispered, staring up at the pooling sky. At the very edge of their land chunk blown into space, the atmosphere was fairly strange. Thin enough to see the void of space, yet still enough to breathe. Wide eyes stared into the infinite beyond. The usual twinkling suns appeared like sprinkles in a soft pink and golden cake. Cool tones swirled incessantly, as if trying to find order in the chaos and confusion of color.

Eleanor kicked her shoes off and waded into the river. At the end of it, the running stream ran off into the abyss, falling into the endless starry sky. Sometimes, bubbles of crystal clear water would float up, only to pop and shower on the children seconds later. Eleanor held her breath and waited for the waterfall to finish, but Sophia relished in the rain.

“It’s my favorite place. I love it a lot,” Eleanor said.

Sophia nodded. “I can see why!”

“Thanks. I have good taste.” Ellie rubbed her neck.

Silence grew between them, before Sophia eventually managed to teeter her way into the shallow water. She giggled when the sand dug itself between her fleshy toes. “I like water. It’s refreshing.” Sophia struggled to move her prosthetic deeper into the river, but she managed to get close enough to hold Eleanor’s hand in her own.

“You’re forgiven,” Sophia said.

Eleanor’s brow raised. “For what?”

“For being a jerk earlier.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

Sophia giggled again. “You’re already forgiven, Ellie!”

“Sorry.”

“Stop apologizing already!” she laughed.

Eleanor was quiet.

It was so strange being here with another person. Daddy didn't like her going this close to the edge of their home all alone, but he'd never seen this place. He never would, if things went accordingly. She liked this place being her spot.

Well, now her and Sophia's. She didn't mind Sophia knowing this place.

Eleanor squeezed Sophia's hand. "Are you excited about school?"

"Not exactly," Sophia admitted. "It'll probably end up being boring. And awkward. Imagine how many other kids are gonna be messed up like us?"

Eleanor blinked and her eyes widened. They were messed up? How? Ellie believed herself perfectly normal. There was nothing wrong with her. But other children? Oh, they were going to be nightmarish. Eleanor scanned Sophia up and down.

Well, maybe it was going to be nice to have her around. Sophia was like a lifeline. A normal weirdo, in a way. Maybe Daddy wasn't completely wrong about the new kids.

"Hey, Sophie?" Eleanor spoke up, turning away from the sparkly sight of the milky way and facing Sophia, "Can I call you Sophie?"

Sophia grinned. "Nobody's called me that before. I like it! Sure. Call me Sophie."

"Cool," she replied. "Sophie it is. So, Sophie, right? I was thinking maybe you could, um," Eleanor stammered. It was the first time in a while she felt the need to share. Especially after looking at the old, loose and dirty clothes her new friend wore. She doubted that there were any nicer clothes in her closet. Or if Sophie even had a closet. "You can borrow my clothes for school tomorrow. We look the same size." Actually, Sophia was a bit taller and her shoulders were broader, but that wasn't the end of the world.

Sophia's eyes lit up. She bounced in place, her smile brighter than the sun. Her cheeks pushed against her eyes. "Of course! I'd love to! If you'll let me. Thank you!"

Eleanor's own face lifted up a bit. Something felt nice about this, but she couldn't pin it down. She looked back out into the swirling sky. The constant changes in colors and stars was mesmerizing, but Ellie had already upset Daddy once today. It wouldn't be wise to do it again, especially with Taylor running off.

"We should head home," Eleanor said.

"Yeah," Sophia shrugged. A mischievous glint was in her eyes. She squeezed Ellie's hand tightly. Her hazel eyes locked with Ellie's deep green. She reached out and poked a bubble of water rising between them, letting it splatter on the two of them. "But I don't wanna."

So they stayed there.

Eleanor had never felt so comfortable. No wars could happen here. Nothing could ever go wrong.

“Ellie! There you are,” her daddy yelled.

Well, except for that.

—

Atticus rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses. “I can’t believe you went out there by yourself! We were searching for you everywhere. Ellie…” He tried scolding her, but every time he looked into those sweet eyes, the words vanished. He sighed. “How about we just go to bed? I’ll wake you up early this morning so we can bathe you then.”

Eleanor responded with just a slight nod.

Atticus stared at his daughter for a moment. Then he sighed louder. In their years of isolation, he came to know every reaction his little girl had. Every slight hiccup, every stutter– they all revealed something. Atticus slowly lowered down to Eleanor’s height and lightly placed his hands on her shoulders. “Are you sure? You can tell me if something’s wrong, Ellie.”

The girl looked up at him, her face tight with discomfort. His touch became even lighter.

“I saw the shirt and skirt in the bathroom.” Oh. That explained it. “It’s for school, isn’t it?”

Atticus chuckled softly, “Yes, the school has a uniform. You’re not used to that, are you?” Eleanor nodded hesitantly. He placed a kiss on her forehead. Even in her shyness, she was just adorable. “I know. It’s going to be a lot, isn’t it? But I know you can be a big, brave girl and get through this. We can even wear your favorite sweater tomorrow. Will that be okay?”

Eleanor’s smile was just large enough for him to see. “That’s my girl,” he whispered. His grin grew across his cheeks, and suddenly he attacked his daughter with thousands of pecks across her face. She was giggling madly by the end of his frontal assault. “I love you, baby,” he said, then putting one long kiss on her forehead again. “Now go change into some pajamas. I’ll come read you my latest chapter in a minute.” Ellie ran off without a word.

Atticus stood up slowly and watched her turn the corner into her room. Sometimes, he could only wonder what went through his daughter’s head. He tried caring for her, making her feel safe and loved, but with school the next morning, it wouldn’t be so easy. He doubted if she’d even be able to handle the first day. Carefully, he walked into his office and made a straight line for a stack of papers on his desk. There were millions there, but thankfully, he dated everything. Yellow sticky notes were littered everywhere.

Just as he finished fixing the stapled forty-fifth chapter of his newest novel, his eyes wandered to the documents of his daughter. There wasn't much there, besides an IEP and a few numbers and addresses for the admins to process. He knew the IEP would likely be ignored by most, but it was still something to try. He knew how badly those were implemented. Would it really be best for her? Was anything on this planet good for her?

She loved Iris, war-torn or not, but something churned in his stomach. Maybe moving back to Earth was the right choice, but she was making friends! Eleanor hated change, and he knew that.

“Oh, Rosaline…” Atticus whimpered. He lifted his eyes from the documents to be shoved in Eleanor’s backpack. What he was met with was an old family photo, the glass frame cracked. He was on the right, a woman with long locks and deep brown skin was on the left, and a newborn baby was cradled in his arms. He gently picked up the photo, carefully rubbing his thumb across the shattered glass. “What do I do?”

His heart grew heavy in his chest. His feet shifted uncomfortably under all the weight. “I miss you,” he admitted under a shaky breath, “and I know this is going to be a long, scary ride. All I hope…” He had to speak carefully. One wrong word and he knew he’d break down in tears. Atticus rubbed the corner of his eye quickly. “All I hope is that you’ll watch over us and… and maybe give us a bit of luck this time around.”

“Daddy! I’m ready.”

He couldn’t reminisce any longer. Rosaline wouldn’t want that, and Eleanor needed routine (despite how much she tended to grumble about it). Atticus took a deep breath and wiped his face one last time, just to sturdy himself. It’ll be alright. He had a daughter to tend to. It’s what Rosaline would want. “Coming, Ellie!”