Chapter 25: A Chance to Practice

The next morning I woke slowly. Arms were draped over my body, pressing me into the mattress. Raising my head, I found that Kitty was snuggled in tight to my right side while Bethany was on my left side. My motion caused Kitty to shift in her sleep and I was able to crawl out of the intertwined limbs.

The door to the bedroom was open and I could hear a baby stirring in our living room. Taking soft steps to avoid waking my family, I eased my way to the door.

In the living room, I found all four babies lying in a large crib. Madoka and Astrid were both awake. I could see that Astrid was uncomfortable, so I picked her up and took her over to a table. Removing her diaper I discovered that she had wet herself during the night. With a sigh I began to clean her up.

I finished with Astrid and lay her on the couch while I checked Madoka. She also needed a clean diaper, but once I finished that continued to fuss. Both my breasts were heavy with milk, so I brought her over to the couch and offered her my left breast. While she began to suck, I picked up Astrid and offered her my right one. Soon I had both babies happily suckling.

The feel of the babies enjoying their meal kept me distracted. I was looking down at them and comparing Madoka's black hair with Astrid's light brown hair when Bethany spoke from the doorway. "No matter how many times I do that, I always want to do it again."

"I know," I whispered. "There is something just right about holding your child and feeding them. But I think I'll stop when Madoka is a year old."

Bethany laughed. "Oh definitely. Especially since as long as we are nursing, our bodies put out special hormones that reduce the chance of getting pregnant. I don't want Astrid to be my only child."

"She won't be an only child," I reminded her. "She's got two sisters and a brother already. And in two months Kitty and Brittany will bring two more children into the world."

Bethany laughed. "True. Shall I get you some breakfast, since you were kind enough to feed my daughter this morning."

"Please," I said. The two babies had stopped nursing, so after carefully burping them I carried them back to their crib. Both were falling asleep before I set them down beside Joy.

As I stood up from placing Astrid into the crib, Bethany walked up carrying a plate containing a still steaming omelet. She held it out to me while smiling at the babies. "They still mostly eat and sleep," she mused.

"They're growing," I replied as I took the plate. "Soon, they'll be running around and driving us crazy."

Bethany laughed. "I work at the school. I would know that far better than you."

I nodded. "Will you be at the school today?"

"Not for very long," Bethany replied. "Reggie heard about the request to perform and is going to allow the children to hang out in the multiuse room all day. I think he wants us to do a dress rehearsal and let the younger children see the show."

"I need to practice on the flute as much as I can this morning," I replied. "I enjoyed performing, but it wasn't easy. I missed too many notes."

"I didn't notice many," Bethany said.

"I think the AI was covering up the mistakes Cleo, Mickey and I made," I muttered.

"Will you take Madoka with you?" Bethany asked.

"Sure," I replied as I smiled down at my daughter. "I want her close to me, and she might grow up to play her own instrument. I wouldn't mind to see her playing saxophone someday."

Bethany laughed. "I would have thought you'd want her to use guitar picks."

My sister concubine turned and walked towards the recycler. Her shoulders shook and I realized that she was stifling laughter. Part of me wanted to chase her, but my stomach grumbled, so I moved to the small table that we used when eating alone and began eating the omelet Bethany had provided.

My breakfast proved to be heavenly. Bethany clearly had been paying attention to my tastes, because the omelet had cubes of grilled chicken mixed with some wasabi. Tina and Janice hated the combination, but I found the spicey heat perfect for shocking my mind into full wakefulness.

The pod remained quiet as I finished my meal. Bethany had vanished into the bathing area and none of the others emerged from the bedroom. When I had cleaned the plate, I carried it to the recycler and then snuck into the bedroom to get dressed.

James and the others were still sleeping on the bed. Tina was snoring quietly. I crept to the shelf containing my outfits and selected a black miniskirt and undergarments along with a white top. I slipped them on and then made my way back out into the living room.

Bethany smiled as I emerged. "Are they even stirring yet?"

"Not really," I replied. "But I thought I'd get going. The more practice I get the better. Now I just have to find my flute. I didn't pick it up after the show because of the arrival of Cancun and getting injured.

Bethany reached behind her back. As she brought her hand forward I realized she was holding my flute case. "I made sure to pick it up after you were injured."

I carefully took the flute from her hands. Once I was holding it in my left hand I threw my right arm around Bethany's neck and pulled her down for a kiss. "You are too good to me," I swore. "You always make sure that I have what I need."

Bethany reached down to lift my chin. She gave me a loving kiss on the lips. I found myself sighing into her mouth as she slowly pulled away. "And you have made sure that we all feel love," she told me.

I smiled into her eyes. Without warning I felt a slap on my ass. I jumped forward with a squeal of surprise and turned around. Tina stood there, smugly gazing at me.

As I was about to protest, she reached out and put her right arm around my waist and pulled me close. "Go practice," she whispered. "I convinced Janice to add a scene that I sing lead in, and I want you to be able to watch it."

I fought my way out of her arms. "I can't promise that. When I'm playing, I have to concentrate on the music."

Tina looked a bit surprised. "Could you try for me?"

I wiped the incipient frown from my face and reached out to hug my sister concubine. "Of course, but I make no promises."

Tina laughed and kissed me briefly. She then pushed me towards the door. "Then go, Little One. You need to be ready."

I turned back towards the door, but only took a couple of steps before remembering my plan to take Madoka with me. I stopped and retrieved one of our slings from the rack near the door.

Madoka slept peacefully as I picked her up and slid her into the sling. Once I had her secured, I waved to Bethany and Tina and headed out of our home.

The hallways were active as I made my way through the colony. James' pod was rather far from the central area with the command post, and the new multi-use room was on the opposite side of the colony. I found most of the movement to be citizens rushing around dealing with some of the repairs to Cancun. Most of this could be handled by giving the AI verbal instructions, but it appeared that Terrence had requested a brief meeting with the more technical members of the colony.

I did see Bren and Rene guiding a group of the younger children of the colony. They were taking them to the ice-skating rink for some exercise. The thought made me shiver slightly.

"Thinking of falling on the ice?" I heard a voice say as the children turned down the short passage to the rink.

"I figure it will be cold and a bit hard," I admitted as I glanced over my shoulder.

Cleo was standing there, exotic as always. Today she was wearing some turquoise lingerie that contrasted with her café-au-lait complexion. Her son lay quietly in a sling similar to the one holding Madoka against my chest. In her right hand, she held a shimmering gown of gold cloth and several drumsticks.

"A dress?" I asked.

Cleo laughed. "Tyson said that after last night he wanted me to look professional when we perform. But he still wants me to stand out."

"You will, wearing that," I admitted as I glanced down at the miniskirt I was wearing.