Generation 1: Chapter 7

 

Marrick and Sadie got ready for the day and Marrick soon came into Hitomi’s room, her eyes lighting up when she saw him and she wiggled within her crib happily. Marrick smiled and let out a pleased laugh at her behavior.

“Hey birthday girl, are you ready to turn 2 today?” Marrick asked as he picked her up within his arms, holding her close and kissing her forehead as he brought her out of her room and made his way downstairs with her. He couldn’t believe it had already been two years, the time was flying by and it seemed as if he had just moved in yesterday. Sadie and him had a private wedding, only inviting over Sadie’s parents, her older brother that didn’t care much for Marrick, and Marrick’s great aunt. Marrick didn’t take too kindly to any of Sadie’s family since none of them really got along or liked that she was marrying Marrick, but his great aunt and Sadie got along wonderfully. He didn’t care one bit if he never saw any of those people again, convincing himself that he only needed Sadie, Archor, Hitomi and his great aunt in his life to make him happy.

Marrick brought Hitomi into the kitchen and Sadie came up to them, kissing Marrick and bending down slightly to kiss Hitomi’s cheeks a few times.

“My beautiful birthday girl!" She expressed excitedly, then looked to Marrick, "Are you excited? I am! I’m so happy to see our baby turning two, she’s already growing up to fast,” Sadie’s tone was first excited, then it grew slightly worried and she didn’t like where the time had magically slipped off to. Marrick snickered at her behavior and put his hand to her face, pulling her into another soft kiss and as he pulled away he noticed the lack of a ring upon her finger.

“Where is it?” Marrick somewhat demanded rather than asked.

Sadie took a moment to think about what he was talking about and she noticed him look to her hand, soon making a rather displeased expression with herself.

“Oh.. It must still be in the bathroom after the shower, I’ve been distracted since it’s her birthday, not to mention you were distracting me in there, as well,” she said flirtatiously and Marrick couldn’t help but give a coy grin in return.

“Well, it’s a good idea to leave it off anyways, I’ll do it too. I wouldn’t want to risk losing it at the carnival today,” Marrick replied and Sadie smiled and nodded in agreement. Marrick looked down to Hitomi, admiring her bright blue eyes.

“She is growing up fast, looking more beautiful each day, too, just like her Mom,” Marrick replied with a smirk, looking to Sadie and watching as she gave a shy smile towards him. Archor came into the kitchen and ran around in circles, excited for Hitomi’s birthday as well and Sadie stopped his excitement by calling him to her and petting his side to calm him down a little. 

“Ready?” Marrick asked Sadie, watching her nod ecstatically with a huge smile and walked over to the table to light the candles standing up in the cake. Marrick held Hitomi in front of it and instructed her to blow out the candles, watching as she couldn’t and he blew it out for her just behind her shoulder so she could feel as if she had done it herself.

Hitomi aged up beautifully and she looked more like Sadie than she did Marrick, Marrick somewhat wishing she at least got his eyes or hair or nose. But, he soon warmed up to the fact that she looked like Sadie, knowing she was going to grow up to be a stunning young lady and he was proud of their creation. Over the past two years, Hitomi was already showing signs of how much of a genius she was by how fast she had learned to talk. Learning to go to the bathroom on her own and also walking, however, were still something she needed to work on. She crawled for the most part; there was even one time she somehow got out of her crib and crawled all the way to their bedroom looking for them when they had thought she was sleeping. Sadie had even been reading Hitomi art books and they always colored and finger painted together. Hitomi was turning out to be a real artist just like Sadie.

“My special baby girl! Happy Birthday,” Sadie said happily when Marrick handed Hitomi off to her, watching as Hitomi giggled and bobbed up and down in excitement as well. Sadie cuddled her close and kissed her cheek a few times to make her laugh, Marrick unable to wipe the smile from his lips as he looked at the two things he loved most in his life. 

“How old are you, count it out for me!” Sadie requested of her.

Hitomi brought her hand up and put up her index finger, then her middle finger, “One.. Two!” She replied happily.

“That’s right!” Sadie said excitedly and kissed Hitomi’s cheek once more.

Marrick couldn’t have been happier with how everything had been turning out; he was convinced that he was normal, never acting out of the ordinary and keeping his dark side at bay for the most part. Marrick’s relationship with Sadie had only gotten better the past years and he was beginning to feel as if he had a chance at beating the insanity that he knowingly held within his bloodline; hoping it would stay hidden from Sadie and hoping she would never become a corpse at his feet as he looked to his own blood stained hands like so many of his ancestors before him.

“I’ll be right back,” Sadie said softly, walking over to Archor and setting Hitomi down in front of him, “Isn’t she such a pretty lady, Archor?” Sadie asked him and he wagged his tail happily. Marrick watched as Sadie gave him a kind smile before leaving the kitchen, him then looking over to Archor and watching as Hitomi touched his nose and tugged lightly on his fur, Archor sniffing her hair and licking her ear. Hitomi let out a loud giggle at Archor tickling her and Marrick couldn’t help but smile.

“I like her, she smells like flowers,” Archor said softly and Marrick came over to them, picking up Hitomi and kissing her cheek and she let out another giggle at the feeling of his scruffy beard on her skin. 

“She is you?” He asked, Marrick looking to Archor and trying to understand his question.

“No.. Well, she’s half me, half Sadie, so.. I guess, yes."

"I see.." Archor replied.

“Are you tawking to Archor, Daddy?” Hitomi asked with an excited smile.

Marrick looked to her with a blank expression, looking to Archor then and he wagged his tail, barking softly and putting his nose up to smell Hitomi’s feet that hung down as Marrick held her. He didn’t really know what to say back as he continued to hear Archor letting out dog noises instead.

“He just probably wanted to know where you came from, at least that’s what it looked like he wanted to know,” Marrick replied and she laughed as he gently rubbed his scruffy face with her hands.

Marrick brought Hitomi to her high chair and set her down, giving her a tiny slice of cake and getting a fork for her. He sat down next to her and just as Hitomi was about to grab at the cake, Marrick stopped her by pulling the plate back.

“Nope, you’re not getting all messy, you should start using utensils now,” he said softly and dipped the fork into the cake, getting a small amount and feeding it to her. Marrick then offered it to her, pointing the handle towards her and she gripped it within her whole fist, stabbing at the cake first to try and redo what he had showed her. Marrick only chuckled as her first attempt sent the piece she had gotten over and onto the table. Hitomi’s face went sad and Marrick hated it, instantly taking her hand and showing her how to hold it, then guiding it into her mouth for her as she held it as well. 

“See?” He asked, soon seeing her smile and he let out a relieved sigh.

By the time Sadie had come back to the kitchen, Hitomi had finished her cake and so had Marrick. She joined them at the table and Marrick put his hand to her back, “You okay?” He wondered and she gave him a warm smile.

“Yes, just fine,” she answered confidently and he smirked, watching as she ate her slice quietly with a smile glued to her face. He wondered what was on her mind, why she looked so happy, but then again he thought it was stupid to question something like that. Sadie looked to Hitomi and smiled.

“Are you excited for the carnival, Hitomi?” She asked.

Hitomi bounced excitedly in her chair, “Yes, yes! I wanna win a stuffed animal!” She called out and both Marrick and Sadie let out a pleased chuckle.

Around 4:00pm they made their way to the small carnival that had came to the city for the weekend, luckily for Hitomi’s birthday, too. Hitomi cheered on Sadie as she tried her luck at whack-a-gnome, but she only scored 2,000 points, not enough to make it on the leader boards. She sighed and Marrick chuckled at her determination, Hitomi then squirming within his arms and clenching his shirt as she looked to something. Marrick looked to her and noticed she was looking at a claw machine, smiling softly as he knew what she wanted.

Marrick gave Hitomi to Sadie and they both watched in excitement as Marrick attempted to get what Hitomi wanted, he wanted to give her everything she wanted today and he wasn’t going to stop until she was perfectly content. 

“Which one?” Marrick asked Hitomi and she looked around at the stuffed animals within the glass cube and took her time, trying to decide which one she wanted most.

“That one, that one! The bunny, Daddy!” She finally decided and pointed to a pink bunny within the machine. Marrick smiled and nodded, putting a few coins in and the machine started up. Hitomi pressed her hands against the glass, helping her father from the side as he looked to it from the front and with both of their minds put together, not to mention Hitomi’s genius mind, they were able to maneuver the claw right over the bunny and got it on the first try. They all watched in anticipation as the claw brought it over to the slot, the bunny shifting within it and they all held their breath as it luckily stayed within the claw and dropped it into the slot. Hitomi threw her arms up and Sadie spun her around.

“Yay!” Hitomi let out and Marrick smiled, pulling it from the machine and giving it to her, “Thank you, Daddy,” she said with a kind tone, taking it from him and holding it close between her and Sadie.

The three of them walked around a little more, the sun soon going down and Marrick and Sadie thought it was time to go soon. Marrick bought Sadie a few souvenirs and elixirs she wanted to try out since all that Hitomi’s things were won and he wanted to treat Sadie as well. They had come on the last day of the tiny carnival and no one else seemed to be there, but Marrick knew it wasn’t anything special and they barely had anything to do there despite the few games, fortune tellers and a shop.

“Daddy, a fortune teller!” Hitomi called out and Marrick was shocked she even knew what that was. 

“Please?” She asked and he shook his head.

“No, not tonight, it’s late,” he replied and she grew displeased, causing Marrick to regret his answer but he still didn’t want her to do it.

“B-But why?” She asked and Marrick could tell she wanted to cry and it pained his heart.

“Because, they’re people that tell you your so called ‘future’ for money and that’s nonsense. No one knows your future but you, your own future is what you make it, not what someone else tells you. You need to find your own path, you need to be strong and know that you’ll find your own way without the help of a stranger putting it before you. Understand?” He questioned and Hitomi simply tightened her grip upon him as he held her on his shoulders, knowing by her silence that she understood but she didn’t like it, though she didn’t want to tell Marrick that she disagreed. Marrick knew that even though she was only two, she was smart beyond what he could put into words, and although her childish manner came through in her personality from her age alone, he knew she was wiser beyond her years.

They soon left before it got too dark out and went home, eating dinner and soon spending some time together within the living room. Marrick watched Hitomi as she played with the stuffed animal he had won her, they seemed to be inseparable and he smiled at the sight of her being so happy. Sadie soon laid upon the floor with Marrick after washing the dishes and watched Hitomi play as well, Marrick hearing Sadie giggle every now and then as Hitomi played with her stuffed animal and Archor soon came in to try to play with her as well; or, he more so wanted to chew up her toy and she struggled to keep it from him.

“Archor,” Marrick said demandingly and Archor grew discouraged, bowing his head as he walked away from Hitomi in defeat. Marrick looked down to Sadie and she looked up, smiling at him and he couldn’t comprehend where he would be right now without them. He realized that him and Archor haven’t been spending a lot of time together anymore and he was turning more into a pet than a friend, but he was still happy that Archor was with him.

It was soon Hitomi’s bed time and Sadie and Marrick stood up from sitting on the floor, Marrick picking up Hitomi while she was playing and she laughed as he flew her through the air like an airplane. Sadie giggled happily at their behavior and Marrick soon brought Hitomi into his arms, walking over to Sadie and kissing her cheek.

“Say goodnight to Mommy,” Marrick said softly, Sadie leaning in to kiss her daughters cheek.

“Goodnight, Hitomi,” Sadie said happily and Marrick smiled, Hitomi wishing her goodnight as well and Marrick walked her upstairs to her room.

“Did you have fun today, Hitomi?” Marrick asked and put her into her crib.

“Yes! It was so much fun!” She replied and he chuckled, bending down and kissing the top of her head.

“Goodnight, birthday girl,” Marrick said with a smile and she smiled back as she yawned.

“Night, Daddy,” she replied and she laid down, Marrick covering her with her blanket and walking towards the door, shutting her lights off and closing her door softly.

Marrick came into his room and noticed Sadie looking at herself in the mirror, still wondering how he had gotten so lucky to have her, and what was even better was that they now had Hitomi. Sadie looked over to him and smiled, then looked back to the mirror and playing with her hair.

“What should we do when she turns three? Should we get her an actual bunny or something? We could try and take her to a different carnival, this one was lacking and I felt as if it could’ve been better. But she seemed like she had fun, right?” Sadie asked, Marrick continuing to look at her with a smirk on his lips and she looked to him.

“Yeah, she had fun,” he replied simply, watching as Sadie’s smile only grew happier and he could tell her mind was at work on how to make her next birthday even better. Sadie then moved her neck around a little, bringing her hand to her shoulder and rubbing it softly as she shut her eyes.

Marrick thought she looked tense, his smile fading and he walked over to her and placed his hands were hers were, beginning to message her neck and shoulders. Sadie stood there and enjoyed the treatment, being sore from carrying around Hitomi all day and she was a little exhausted after the carnival. Sadie let out a gentle sigh of relaxation and Marrick smiled, kissing her bare shoulders lovingly and she seemed to melt within his grasp. 

Marrick continued to message her as she spoke, “She’s so tiny and wonderful, I want her to stay this size forever,” she said with a concerned tone, not wanting Hitomi to be growing up so fast and Marrick chuckled lightly.

“It’ll be nice watching her grow into a lady, I’m looking forward to it,” he replied softly and Sadie smiled, turning around and looking into Marrick’s eyes with an adoring expression, “What is it?” He asked, his hand traveling down her arms as he waited for her to speak.

“I want more,” she said with a shy tone, Marrick raising his brow in confusion and Sadie continued, “Let’s give her a little sister, or a brother.. I want at least two or three more.. Don’t you?” She continued excitedly, beginning to play with the buttons on his shirt and beginning to undo them to try and coax him to get started on making another baby that moment.

Marrick instantly let her go and got her hands off of him, Sadie flinching and withdrawing herself as he walked away from her a few feet, “No, no more,” he demanded and he heard her gasp slightly.

“Marrick.. B-But why? Don’t you want to-” Marrick cut her off.

“I said no,” he added again as his tone grew deeper and more intimidating, tears beginning to well up in Sadie’s eyes and she grew angry with him.

Sadie turned her attention away from him and he turned around as well after her, hearing her beginning to cry and although she tried to hide it, he saw it in the mirror.

“I-I don’t understand. I don’t understand how you could be so selfish,” she said as if she was at a loss on what to do and Marrick didn’t feel regret for saying no, but he felt terrible for making her cry.

“Selfish? Me? Isn’t Hitomi enough for you?” He asked and she only cried harder.

“Of course she is, but I just thought.. I just wanted more. Don’t make it seem as if I don’t love her and want to try again.. She’s not a mistake in my eyes, I’ve wanted her the moment I found out I was pregnant. And I wanted you, too. I wanted you to want her and I thought that you’d eventually want more, like I do.. I love her more than anything, I just.. Why don’t I get a say in this? You saying no like that isn't fair.. Why can’t we try for more?” She asked.

“She’s not a mistake in my eyes either, Sadie, I just don’t want any more children. She’s perfect, I can’t imagine making anything better than her, why do you want more?” He asked in return, beginning to get frustrated with the conversation.

“Why not?” Sadie rebutted, turning around and her cheeks were wet from tears but her expression was angered, “We have the money, we have the room, and if we don’t we can make room. I’m sure she would love someone to play with.. What if we just.. What if we had a boy next? He’ll be just as handsome as you! Just a boy and a girl, I want to reason with you! Just please reconsider, Marrick.. I want a family with you, a bigger one,” she finished and cried softly to herself.

Marrick couldn’t take it, the fact that she wanted a boy broke his heart and he walked out of the room.

“Marrick, where are y-” Sadie began but he shut the door before she could finish, walking slowly into the living area just outside of their room and sitting on the couch. Marrick didn’t know what to do, he couldn’t think of a way to sway her mind, she has too much love to give, he thought to himself and sighed heavily. Marrick was happy that she wanted to have a family with him, but he considered him, Sadie, and Hitomi the family already and he didn’t want anything more. He had struck gold when Hitomi was born, he didn’t want to risk getting coal the next time around..

Marrick soon laid down on the sofa, refusing to see Sadie for the rest of the night since he didn’t want to get into another argument again over more children. Honestly.. I wouldn’t mind having another little girl, but it’s a 50/50 chance.. Those odds are too against me, he thought to himself, not caring for the family name and not caring if it didn’t live on; he hated being a Dubois, he was ashamed to call himself one and he knew that any future son of his would eventually feel the same way, and possibly go through something that no man ever should; Marrick even began to think when his time would come, but he shook the thoughts from his head and remained positive that he would never hurt his family in the end. He began to think of alternatives, making a deal with himself that if he ever noticed his insanity beginning to make his way into the family, he would rid himself from their lives and the world in order to keep them safe.

____________________

Original chapter written and posted on March 7, 2013