Fifth Sun: The Awakening

Footfalls padded down the hardwood in the hall. Alex burst into the room. He beamed as he presented a large plastic animal. "See, Mum-mum, my grraffee!" Sarah blinked, uncomprehending. "You have to share with Andy." Alex shook his head. "Andy got one too!" He showed it to her again. She frowned as she studied the ungainly toy. It was missing an ear, both of its horns, and its tail as well as the spot of paint where it had fallen from Andy's tricycle basket. Sarah winced as her headache swelled. She rubbed distractedly at her temples. Andy thudded down the hall, joining her brother. "Now we don't have to fight, Mummy!" The girl held out her giraffe. It was also missing an ear, both of its horns, its tail and a spot of paint. Sarah's eyes widened. Where in the world had they scrounged up an identical toy? Andy tucked it under her arm and smiled. "I made it." Sarah shook her head as the ache behind her eyes dug deeper. Maybe Andy's friend had the same giraffe and had left it behind. "No, Andy. Where did you get it?" The smile vanished. "I made it Mummy." She spoke carefully and precisely. Sarah knelt down, wondering why this child had to be so difficult all the time. "No, you didn't. Andy, you are telling stories. Whose giraffe is it?" Tears welled up in her eyes as the girl spun away. "It's mine!" She raced back down the hallway, clutching the giraffe to her chest. Alex bounced onto Sarah's lap, hugging her with his toy in one hand. One plastic leg connected with her forehead. Stars blurred her vision. "I love my grraffee." She winced as she detangled herself from the boy's embrace. "I'm sure you do, honey." Now she had to deal with Andy. She didn't want to accuse the girl of outright lying or worse, stealing, but Andy had to realize it was wrong to claim another's toy as her own. She sighed as she slowly walked down the hall. Alex burst past, thudding ahead. Sarah grimaced at a tumble of sound from Andy's room. The girl had better not be making a bigger mess. Alex held a small hand up to her as he paused in the doorway to Andy's room. "Stop. Just watch." Sarah joined him and looked inside. Andy sat on the floor surrounded by a jumble of plastic animals. A yell swelled in Sarah's chest as she watched her daughter build a tower of animals almost as tall as the giraffe that stood alongside it. She balanced a final lizard on top, then peered at her mother. "Watch," Alex commanded. The animals began to melt and flow together as a subtle glow rose from them. Her shout of caution fizzled on Sarah's lips as the gelatinous shape twisted and stretched and formed a giraffe. The unblinking eyes from the original giraffe matched its newly minted companion. It, too, was missing an ear and the horns were broken in the same place. Sarah didn't need to look to know the same scraped paint marked its flank and it was also missing a tail. Andy held the toy out to her. "For you, Mummy." Sarah's jaw grew slack in disbelief. Alex smiled. "Now we all have grraffees." Excerpt from Chapter 1; Fifth Sun: The Awakening