"So are you ready, my little warrior?" Valerie questioned her daughter as she had already emboldened her for the first day at school, holding her smaller, smooth hand in her, walking together up to the school where not only Shona attended, but also Kit's children did too.

"More than anything." Shona's obvious uneasiness was worrisome for the red-haired maid as she was equiped with her daughter's rucksack on her as she didn't want her daughter to endure extra ounce on her light-heavy body. Shona wore a sheepish smile that has formed on her face within seconds after they left their home.

"That's good! Are you actually excited?" The Russian-American woman moved on as she relished to speak to her daughter just like mutual best friends as she couldn't suppress a broad, radiant smile on her shining face, illuminated by the warm, glowing sun rays.

"Of course, I am, mom! Why wouldn't I be excited?"

"You are uneasy. It doesn't seems oblivious to me at all." They kept on with walking as they walked next to one another in one direction. Their clicking footsteps mingled with the strangers' roaming footsteps and the eloquent songs of the chirping birds in the background just like an artist's abstract, life-like landscape. Their four pair of hazel irises darted to their direction, contemplating abundance of trees, people, facades and nature. The young lady execrated whenever her daughter is either melanholic, insecure or even outraged. Her frail heart sorely ached once these disasters dwelled spiritually.

"A bit!" The young girl with the red braided hair admitted effortlessly as her mother turned to her, facing her as her hazel green eyes scrutinized sceptically her sole creation from her blood and flesh. "But I can't wait to see uncle Frank, Thomas and Julia." She furthered gleefully as a grin distorted across her lips.

"It's evident you have a reason why you like the school itself."

Shona nodded her head in agreement, affirming her mother's response for the stark truth. It granted her joy and reassured her that her daughter at least one reason why she liked the school and attended it with ginormous pleasure. The red-haired girl with the bread couldn't help as a sparkling smile loomed on her face, oozing glee and pride.

"Yes especially when I have friends and uncle Frank!"

"Exactly! I am so proud of you, Shona!"

***

When the Howards headed to the twins' kindergarten, the couple hired Kit to look after Agnes as he was amidst the reliable babysitters and old friends.

"Mommy, Daddy?" The twins exclaimed in unison as Ellie was sitting on Timothy's neck, whilst Tristan was held in Jude's secure, loving arms. The both siblings were unsure where they were currently located, their eyes scrutinizing the uncertain surroundings for them with startled, huge eyes.

Jude and Timothy have been waiting for straight 15 minutes in front of the kindergarten's tutor office in the hallway, encompassed by some parents and children, wandering around the hall with some teachers, whether guiding them or speaking to them in face-to-face. Their impatience escalated as they wanted to meet in person the tutor, who is going to supervise the twins for almost a half day in the week days. They were partly blissful, partly anxious, partly distressed.

The twins' eyes scanned the long, profound corridor as there were variety of multicoloured, expressive, however, incarnating soothing atmosphere, drawings on the pale yellow walls of the old building. Doors galore clinged to the walls. Lockers. Scads of rectangle medium sized windows bathing the hallway with natural sunlight. They were beyond flooded with incredulity, in spite of they weren't at home, where they have mustered lastly.

They were blissful because their eldest children are going to socialize with their peers and expand their inner circle with more friends and acquaintances. In the other case, they were partly anxious, crucially because of they weren't sure how they will adapt since they have acknowledged utterly their children's complex personality even if they are that young. The agitated parents felt some kind of turmoil overtaking them intangibly underneath their skins. At last but not least, they were partly distressed, in fact, they figured out eventually how much the twins have grown and the first four years of their lives passed as swiftly as it had come the time, when they were neither toddlers, nor babies anymore. They were young lovely kids who should tee up themselves by walking forward in their lives with their parents' guidance, of course. And most of all, adapt to the kindergarten. It's going to be like an adventorous mirage for them.

"Yes, sweethearts?" Jude enquired as she peered at the twins, offering them a smile that conceals her eager uneasiness, gnawing her slowly as if she was the prey. She enjoyed the moment to be with them until their kindergarten teacher emerges eventually. Her hand caressed the softness of Tristan's downy golden hair, her fingers tangled in its honey curls. "Is everything alright?" She carried on as she tried to soothe them.

"Yeah, Mommy! I am so excited and impatient." Ellie confessed cockily as she faintly tapped Timothy's shoulder as they couldn't endure a silver-tongued chuckle. Subsequently a smug grin curled up in the corner of her thin, rosy-coloured lips.

"How about you too, sweetheart?" The blonde posed the same question to her son optimistically as she strived to be idle as much as possible, disinfecting her plagued mind with brain cells which are the essential reason for her perturbation.

"M-me too, Mommy!" In the interim, Jude pinched playfully her son's nose after he struggled to answer her as he was dumbfounded where he was currently with his slightly older twin sister and parents.

"We are either too! I hope the tutor is open-minded and friendly." Timothy said gleefully, although there were sparkles of grief in his voice. It was peculiarly unusual, factly, he and Jude are going to be tormented to be seperated from Ellie and Tristan for a half a day in the week days. Even Jude recognized her husband's undercovered grief in his undertone. "You know how upsetting is its seperation part daily especially from now on." He admitted bluntly as he shed a bittersweet, heavy tear, gushing down his cheek as Jude wiped it from his face, snaking an arm around his upper back as she rested her head on his broad shoulder, opting to comfort him though their hearts throbbed severely in anguish in their chests.

"Yeah, Timothy! It's so heartbreaking but we should get to used to it. Our children cannot be forever with us as they used to be constantly in their first four years."

"Absolutely, for sadly! But..." Whereas he held Ellie's petite, creamy hand in his larger as his single free hand managed to rap lightly Jude's back as they cackled inwardly to themselves. Meanwhile, one of the presupposed teachers left her office with a young woman and her child standing outside as the little girl grasped her mother's hand into hers. Unfortunately, the former priest stuttered once when he and his wife beheld the strange woman with the child.

The pressumed tutor of Ellie and Tristan looked in the beginning of her 40s as she has a fair skin color, average body build, sky blue eyes, dark blonde bob with fringe, blanketing her forehead, heart shaped lips, clothed in black and white garments such as a plaid white shirt with a handful of udone buttons, black trousers with leather belt, black and white pumps, adding two bonus inches to her height as she was considered barely 5'3 tall in barefoot. Her eyes were shielded with round framed eyeglasses, framing her austere but pretty face for her age yet.

When Jude's regular eyeing turned into gape at the younger woman with the child, she was beyond mesmerized. It was her who was in her dreams weeks ago. The most famous oracle in Massachusetts.

"This woman was in my dreams and that's her daughter? It's insanely unreal." Jude thought to herself as she surveyed her, incapable to take her eyes off her. She blinked and blinked as the blonde didn't want to comprehend that she wasn't dreaming.

"Do not tell me I am dreaming!" The former nun's pensive monologue echoed in her head, her hazel eyes fixed on Sally and Kaitlyn.

In this moment, the brunette wore boho garments again, however, smarter ones as she was trim. Whilst her daughter really resembled her mother, although she inherited her father's physical features. The Howards weren't aware Kaitlyn is also Father McKenzie's daughter though via rape case. It was deliriously oblivious for them so that within seconds Sally and Kaitlyn left and the dark blonde woman walked up to the couple with the twins.

***

"Where are Mama and Daddy?" Agnes questioned sceptically while she seated on the sofa, equipped with crayons and a sheet of paper as she yearned to draw. In the meantime, Kit was watering with a water can the pots with flowers in the living room.

"I don't know, sweetheart! But as far as I know they are supposed to be back at home within hours." Kit explained simply though little did he know how bitter Agnes perceived it and she couldn't wait any longer for her parents and siblings be back at home at last.

"Hours?" The little girl inquired ruefully, chewing her lips nervously as her hazel eyes were goggled at the sheet of paper.

"Yes but not too long." In the meantime, he left the emptied water for can on the window's ledge. Strolling up to the youngest Howard as he stroked her hair gently, looking down at her face. "And that's why I am here. To look after you!" The young man reassured the little girl as she relished the moment when her hair is being stroked. Little did he know how she loves it when somebody touches her hair even fondling it. A small, genuine smile waved up in the the corner of his lips.

"Huh?!" Agnes Jude enquired quizzically as she shook her head bashfully, sensing his hand caressing the softness of her golden hair.

"Everything is fine, Agnes Jude! I am your parents' old friend. You should trust me." Agnes liked Kit though she was tremendously shy, innocent. Furthermore, she had trust issues, developing it via her parents and Tristan.

"Are ya?"

"Yes, of course!" 

***

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Howard!"  The middle aged woman, clothed in black and white clothes, walked up to the sitting anxious parents, offering them a handshake with a stern, little smile on her mildly wrinkled face. Timothy faced the lady who was slightly younger than him with a handful of years behind as Jude eyed her sky blue eyes, giving her an embarrassed smile as she didn't want to miss a detail of the odd woman who emerged in her dreams once. She was still in the long kindergarten's hallway with her daughter who had light brown hair, overlooking the both former pious faces of the church.

"Oh hello, ma'am! I pressume you are our children's kindergarten tutor, if I am not mistaking." Timothy spoke instead of Jude though she greeted the younger woman, addressing her formally. In this time, the twins looked up as they fixed their big, self-conscious eyes on the woman who stood in front of their parents, disquetly pouting their lips. 

"Yes, I am! I am Winter Johnson." The both adults shook their hands as Mrs.Johnson introduced herself. "It's a pleasure, Mr. and Mrs.Howard!" Then she carried on with the brief, professional, firm handshakes as she headed up to Jude. "May you come in my office, please?"

 The both parents responded in unison with "Yes!" as they got from the chairs as they held the twins in their arms, escorting the future kindergarten teacher of Ellie and Tristan. It wasn't necessary a reply at all. It was all obvious what a grave discussion awaited them in the office. 

***

"Oh, hey Frank! You are so early at school." Valerie held Shona's hand, greeting the security guard mockingly as he couldn't suppress a cackle as the young maid joined him. 

"Hi Val and Shona!" He cupped the little girl's head as he felt underneath his palm the softness of her silky scarlet red scalp. He was drinking his morning coffee as he seated on school's porch chair, wearing a smug smile on his shining face. "Yeah, they just want me early here before the kids arrive, ya know!" Then he cackled inwardly, joyously. The both females watched him with broad, untroubled smiles.

"I see." Then the young woman turned away as she glimpsed quickly the school's yard, looking for Kit and Julia though they weren't here yet. Howsoever, there was a sea of other schoolers from different ages, crowding the yard as they talked to one another, played together and ran and scream and shouted in felicity. Afterwards she shifted her gaze on the middle aged man. "How is the work?"

To be continued...