Something Like Home

[Julie Moon]

The sibling bond between Jake and his brother was stereotypical to a fault, Julie observed, weathering their excitable exchange with clinical patience. She then climbed the stairs and stepped inside at Tonio's invitation, only to retreat swiftly to the porch again at the sight of a small, feathered... dinosaur. A thick haze engulfed her otherwise razor sharp instincts as she watched the creature peck at Jake's brother, and when the men regarded its appearance with complete indifference, Julie had the distinct impression she'd stepped into one of her more surreal dreams. The introductions began, suddenly the pieces came together, and the dream rolled back. Oh, happy reality.

Surprise and fear gave way to awe as she re-entered the house and, with some effort, tore her eyes away from the yoke-eyed reptillian, and found the shy little girl holding onto Jake's hand. She smiled.

"Hello, Jamie. I'm Julie," she then nodded at the velociraptor, making every effort to regard it as if it were a perfectly normal presence in a family house, "And who might this be?"

[Jamie Morrigan]

"Hi, Julie."

Jamie thought of making the raptor disappear - Anna had told her more than once she shouldn't include people in her fantasies without their permission, especially strangers, but now that Julie had acknowledged him, it just seemed cruel to send him away.

She reached down and ruffled the dinosaur's neck feathers, and he closed his eyes and whistled appreciatively. "This is Spike," she said. "He's not real, I just imagined him. Sorry if he scared you."

[Antonio Fernandez]

"Shrunk!" Antonio blustered, ignoring Julie and Jamie as they chatted. "Had to get rid of that freshman fifteen, man. I've been hitting the gym. I don't want to make you feel inferior but six-packs are for losers. I've got an eight-pack going on now." He pretended like he was going to lift up his shirt, but Jake punched him in the arm and he hopped sideways, down the step into the living room.

"Anna's fussing over me so much, its like having another mother. I don't know how you do it, Jake." Tonio rubbed his arm where he'd been socked, and pretended it hurt.

[Jacob Foley]

"What are you talking about? Anna is another mother. They're like two peas in a pod, man, totally in their element commanding an army of unruly kids. It's scary!"

Antonio's theatrics prompted an amused smirk from him, he had been a clown since they were kids, and Jake turned away to retrieve his key and shut the door. A tilt of the head aimed at Julie encouraged her to follow him, but she was too wrapped up in conversation, a flicker of wonder in her eyes; it wasn't the first time Jamie charmed a guest like that, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Upon entering the living room, his conversation with Antonio was resumed with a look of disbelief:

"And that's a bit rich coming from you, isn't it?" he said, his voice scaled an octave, "El famoso niño de mamá! Remind me again, who does your laundry?"

[Julie Moon]

"That's alright. When I was your age, I was obsessed with dinosaurs, and the triceratops was always my favourite. Spike is a very handsome raptor."

Julie revisted her pediatrics bedside manner with ease and crouched, not to patronise the girl, but to get a better view of her impossible companion. It was a vibrant creation, full of colour, and detail, and life, which sounded utterly convincing and moved independently of its author, its young brilliant author. She extended a cautious hand.

"May I?"

[Antonio Fernandez]

Antonio managed to look wounded. "She likes doing it! Besides, I hate going to the laundromat and Joaquin..." He paused. "Joaquin doesn't have a washing machine. Hook ups for one, of course, but no machine. What the hell is up with that?"

He started walking down the hall backwards. "He likes to pick up chicks while doing his laundry, I guess." Then he raised his eyebrows and made a rounded gesture over his abs. "In other news, you and Anna certainly are good at keeping secrets, lately!"

[Jamie Morrigan]

There was little that could make Jamie emerge from her shell like a willing audience. Julie's compliment of her handiwork warmed a smile out of her.

"Thanks," she said. "And, yeah, go ahead. Just, you have to pretend you're touching him. Otherwise your hand goes right through."

Spike sniffed cautiously at Julie's outstretched fingers like a wary cat, then strutted forward to be scratched. Little motes of light spiraled off of him where Julie's fingers broke the boundaries of the illusion, but the dinosaur moved with such fidelity and balance that you almost could feel its cool resistance against your skin.

"Are you from England?" Jamie asked with the directness of all children.

[Julie Moon]

"That's right. I'm from a place called Manchester."

Interacting with the dinosaur gave Julie a thrill of childhood delight, and she bit back her laughter as the creature responded to her touch with a soft melodic trill. It was not the marvel of mutation or the bending of reality which impressed her most, but the studious attention to detail poured into the illusion. This was not Steven Spielberg's velociraptor, which towered over men and opened doors, but a scientifically accurate representation of the elegant feathered predator that stalked the Cretaceous earth millions of years ago. Finally, curiosity won out.

"Excuse me, Spike."

She penetrated the dinosaur's tawny breast and her finger was wreathed in a corona of light which bled in bright plumes every colour of the spectrum. Now there was no hiding her pleasure and she regarded the youngster with admiration.

"You have a wonderful imagination, Jamie."

[Jacob Foley]

In body and mind, Jake became immediately weary at the mention of Anna's secret. It wasn't a surprise Antonio knew, he was after all in regular contact with their parents, and had an uncanny knack for wheedling the dirt out of people. He followed him en route to the kitchen, dragging a hand down his face.

"Don't I know about it? And it was not by choice, let me tell you. But Anna, she- it shook her up."

His arms folded suddenly, and he stalked his brother across the room, "So who else knows?"

[Jamie Morrigan]

Jamie's smile broadened, though Spike sputtered at the rough handling and trotted back behind Jamie with a self-important flick of his tail.

"Thanks. I don't always do dinosaurs, but I saw a new show on Animal Planet yesterday, and I just couldn't believe how many things they got wrong."

She stepped back and let Julie get back to her feet. "Are you a friend of Jake's? And - are you a mutant, too?"

[Antonio Fernandez]

Antonio put up his hands to protect himself in case his older brother decided he needed a good thumping, and said, "Well, kind of everyone. But its cool, man," Jesus, his face got serious all of a sudden, "We understand she feels awkward about it, I'm not going to say anything. But -"

He bumped against the island as he was backing up, and stopped, trying to look cool. "Look, I'm sure she's planning on making a big announcement on the 4th. Alonso just wanted me to make sure she was okay in the meantime. And to find out what you know." He put two fingers to his temple and pantomimed using non-existent mind powers on Jake.

[Anna Fernandez]

"Know about what?" Anna struggled a moment with the screen on the back door, a basket of long beans on her arm. "Stupid door," she grumbled, making it inside finally, the rickety screen door slamming behind her.

Setting the basket on the island behind Antonio, she peered down the hall where someone was talking to Jamie. "Do we have a visitor? Is it a social worker?"

[Jacob Foley]

Jake opened his mouth to speak, practically able to taste the warning he was about to slap on his brother for giving Anna a hard time, when he realised two things; first, he was being a hypocrite, and secondly, she was in the room. His mouth was agape, frozen by Anna's question, and he exchanged a glance with Antonio, praying that his ability to speak fluent bullshit would not fail them now. And yet, by a miracle they were saved, that miracle's name was...

"Julie," Jake answered eagerly, "New to the neighbourhood. Just moved into the... shack, actually."

He finished his sentence in an undertone, speaking out of the side of his mouth, eliciting from them both an uncomfortable grimace. Perking up, he granted Antonio some breathing room, adding:

"She's British - wait 'til you hear the accent. Anyway, I thought it be nice to have her over for coffee, or tea, and do the whole... neighbourly thing."

[Julie Moon]

"Are you a friend of Jake's? And - are you a mutant, too?"

"No, I'm a regular old human, I'm afraid. My only superpower is the ability to spot a teapot at a hundred paces."

There was a note of consolation in her voice; she wondered what it was like for a girl in Jamie's position, to be surrounded everyday by a host of colourful mutants, it was hard not to imagine her disappointment at meeting someone like her - a mundane. Inwardly, she bristled at the word, but swallowed it down like a bitter pill.

"I've just moved in down the street, you see. And Jake, he... carried a few things."

The story sounded rather weak to her ears, it required tweaking. She pressed on, giving her spacious surroundings a once over: "So, it must be pretty cool living in a house full of mutants, huh?"

[Antonio Fernandez]

"British? That's cool," Antonio peered down the hallway again, trying to get a better look at this new neighbor of Jake's. "Tea, huh? Are you planning on puttin' th' tea kettle on?" The last half of the sentence was delivered in an atrocious approximation of a British accent and earned him another punch to the chest that he deftly deflected.

"I'm beginning to sense a trend of hitting Antonio," he said mournfully. "I wish she was a social worker, she could take me away to safety." Antonio kept a straight face for about two seconds and then flashed Jake a wicked grin.

[Anna Fernandez]

"A new neighbor?" Anna's face brightened, and she walked to the stove, making sure there was enough water in the kettle before turning on the gas. "That is great you invited her over, Jake." She socked Antonio in the arm lightly as she passed him on her way down the hall to say hello to Julie and welcome her further into the house.

[Jamie Morrigan]

"So, it must be pretty cool living in a house full of mutants, huh?"

Jamie nodded spiritedly. "It's amazing. Everybody here can do so many incredible things. Anna can shoot ice out of her hands, and Aidan makes this really cool blue fire and shapes it into things, and Scott can turn all different colors like a chameleon--"

She drew up short, reminding herself that not everyone liked to show off their talents the way she did. Besides, Julie was human, and Jamie didn't want her to feel left out.

Spike nosed at her hand, giving her just the nudge of inspiration she needed. "Regular humans can be interesting, too. I mean, most paleontologists are humans."

With that word of affirmation, she turned to lead Julie into the family room. "Well, come on! You don't want to sit here all day, you have to meet everybody else!"

[Julie Moon]

On their way to the kitchen, Julie and Jamie were intercepted by a woman whose body language radiated hospitality, and with a smile that practically sung a chorus of welcomes, there could be no doubting who she was, and Julie's eyes twinkled in recognition:

"You must be Anna," she greeted, offering a hand, "Hi, I'm Julie."

[Anna Fernandez]

"It is good to meet you, Julie," Anna beamed, shaking her hand and simultaneously ushering her into the kitchen. "I am glad Jake went down and gave you a welcome to the neighborhood. Here, have a seat...wherever you like," she said, indicating the stools at the island or the table and chairs in the breakfast nook.

"I'm just getting the water hot for tea," Anna added, moving into the kitchen and opening an upper cabinet that was stuffed with assorted coffee cans and containers of tea bags. "We have... just about everything, so just let me know what you'd like."

[Jacob Foley]

"Actually, Anna, I only went for smokes and we kinda bumped into each other," Jake explained, he gave Tonio a defensive shrug, "What? It's not like I'm suddenly the self-appointed welcoming committee of Banyon Street."

Trust Anna to give him more credit than was due; now was not the time to lose face, not in front of Julie, and certainly not in front of his younger brother. There was a beat of silence, a heavy, unnatural silence that didn't belong to their home, and was a far cry from the state of pandemonium in which he'd left it. He stiffened, recalling his duty to ferry Scott, Ronnie, Jennifer and Jim to the movies, but they were already gone. Something clicked into place, and it rung clearer than simple gut instincts and intuition.

"Aidan and Tess took the kids the multiplex, didn't they?"