Page 3 of Sobek’s Joy

“She’s climbing the bookshelf.”

“Of course she is.” Rudy set down the flour and headed for the living room, where Rose had indeed scaled halfway up the built-in shelves and was reaching for a potted plant that Rudy kept forgetting to water. “Sweetness, we’ve talked about this. Furniture is for sitting on or for looking at, not climbing.”

Rose beamed at him, all dimples and dark curls. “I’m a monkey.”

“You’re a cute little menace.” Rudy scooped her off the shelf, planted a kiss on her forehead, and carried her back to the kitchen under one arm while she shrieked with laughter. “Jack, grab those purple pants off the table. We’re getting this kid dressed if it’s the last thing…Tim, baby, out of the flour please.”

Timothy had somehow acquired the bag of flour and was currently sitting in a small cloud of white powder, examining his dusty hands. His fingers looked slightly scalier than usual, which meant he was stressed about something, but the scales faded as soon as Rudy crouched down beside him.

“Hey, you’re okay.” Rudy gently brushed flour off Timothy’s nose. “Just a little messy, that’s all. Want to help me crack eggs instead?”

Timothy nodded, solemn and quiet as always, and Rudy’s heart squeezed. The kid barely talked, barely smiled, but he followed Rudy everywhere with those serious dark eyes like he was afraid Rudy might disappear.

“Alright, team, new plan.” Rudy stood, planted Rose on the counter where at least he could see her, and handed Jack the whisk. “Jack, you’re in charge of mixing. Rose, you’re in charge of not kicking anything. Tim, you and me are the official egg crackers. We work together, we eat together. Sound good?”

“Can I lick the spoon?” Rose asked.

“Why stop at one? You can lick two spoons.”

They dissolved into the comfortable routine of making breakfast - or more realistically, Rudy was making breakfast while three tiny tornados orbited around him asking questions, spilling things, and occasionally sprouting patches of fur or scales or claws that Rudy carefully ignored because some things were just part of who they were. He’d learned early on that making a big deal about any of that only stressed them out more.

The pancakes turned out lumpy but edible. Rose actually kept her clothes on for a solid twenty minutes. Jack managed to eat without wearing most of his breakfast. Timothy smiled - just a tiny one, but still a smile - when Rudy gave him an extra pancake shaped vaguely like a lizard.

“Okay, monsters, I need to throw in some laundry and maybe convince the upstairs toilet to stop making that weird noise.” Rudy started stacking plates. “You three can play in the yard, but stay where I can see you from the windows. No wandering off. No going near the pond. There’s someone staying in the house next door at the moment, so you can’t go over there.”

“The pond is fun.” Jack protested.

“The pond is also deep, and I would like you not to drown, so yard only. Got it?”

He got three nods, and Rudy was just going to have to take them as an agreement, because he did have things to do. Chores didn’t magically do themselves. “All right then, love you guys. I’ll be right back.”

Rudy headed upstairs with a basket of laundry and the vain hope that he’d actually accomplish something on his to-do list. The toilet gave up its secrets fairly quickly. It just needed the chain re-attached. He’d just started sorting light clothes from darks when he glanced out the window and checked the yard. The empty yard…as in, it was completely empty.

“Oh, no, no, no, no…” Rudy dropped the laundry and took the stairs two at a time, heart hammering. “Jack. Rose. Timothy.”

Nothing. The back door hung open, screen flapping in the breeze. Three sets of small muddy footprints led across the porch and disappeared into the grass.

“Dammit.” Rudy grabbed his shoes, shoved his feet in without bothering with laces, and bolted outside. “This is not funny. If you guys are hiding, you win. Come out where I can see you, right now.”

The yard remained silent except for birds and the rustle of wind through the overgrown bushes he kept meaning to trim. Rudy’s mind spun through increasingly terrible scenarios - the pond, the woods, the road that was half a mile away but still way too close…

A knock at the front door made him jump. Rudy sprinted through the house, hope and dread tangling in his chest, and yanked open the door to find the tallest, most intimidating man he’d ever seen standing on his porch. For a start, the man was completely bald, and Rudy couldn’t see a single shaving mark. He also had aristocratic features, broad shoulders, and he was dressed entirely in black, despite it being a hot day. His rigid posture suggested anything from military, mafia boss, royalty, or simply “I could snap you like a twig.”

And behind him, looking like drowned rats, stood Jack, Rose and Timothy.

“Oh, thank goodness.” Rudy’s knees nearly gave out. “Thank you so much. I only looked away for a second, and they were just…” He dropped to a crouch, reaching for the kids who immediately swarmed him, soaking wet and smelling like pond water. “You guys scared me half to death. What were we just talking about at breakfast?”

“Sorry,” Jack mumbled into Rudy’s shoulder. Rose just squeezed tighter, and poor Timothy was shaking.

“Shh, it’s okay. You’re okay.” Rudy straightened, keeping one hand on Jack’s head and Rose plastered to his side while Timothy gripped his pant leg. Only then did he really look at the stranger, whose expression was locked somewhere between stunned and deeply uncomfortable. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t even thank you. Really. Did you find them by the pond? Because I swear I told them to stay in the yard, but they’re quick, and I was just upstairs for five minutes…”

The man said nothing. Just stared.

Rudy’s brain, which had been pure panic for the last several minutes, finally caught up enough to register that the man was not just intimidating. He was also rather stunning in a way that made Rudy’s mouth go dry, and his thoughts scatter like those cheerios earlier.

“Right. Um.” Rudy cleared his throat, very aware that he probably had flour in his hair and definitely had syrup on his shirt. “Can I… Would you like to come in? Coffee? It’s the least I can do. These three are escape artists and I really can’t thank you enough for bringing them back.”

The stranger’s jaw tightened. His hands flexed at his sides. For a long moment, Rudy thought he might actually say something, but then he took one step backward, then another.