#jolene garner

[paper-lioness]

“Did anybody here order a badass little Lady Knight?” Caleb Garner asked as he entered James’ home with Joey draped across his shoulders, giggling madly.

Xavier ran to join his best friend.  “Joey! You look so cool!”

“Your outfit looks familiar,” Amber told Joey.  “Who are you?”

“Alanna!  She disguises herself as a boy and becomes a knight and she’s my favorite character!  I’m going to be just like her!”

“I’ve been hit in the head with wooden swords a lot lately,” Caleb added.  “My wife helped her make the costume and it’s been hard to convince her to wear real clothes ever since.”

“Well, you guys both look amazing,” Amber told them.  “Go on before you’re late to school!”

[paper-lioness]

If only I knew what I know today I would hold you in my arms I would take the pain away Thank you for all you've done Forgive all your mistakes There's nothing I wouldn't do To hear your voice again Sometimes I wanna call you but I know you won't be there

Some days I feel broke inside but I won't admit Sometimes I just wanna hide cause it's you I miss And it's so hard to say goodbye when it comes to this

[paper-lioness]

“They’re going to leave in a few minutes,” Brigitte told everyone as she adjusted the last balloon.  “Everybody ready?”

Gyselle approached Joey’s parents.  “Thank you again for making the cake, Mr. Garner.  I understand you’re quite the chef.”

“I love to cook,” Caleb told Gyselle.  “You should come down to my restaurant some time.  Er, you do eat, don’t you?”

His wife elbowed him.  “Caleb!”

Joey and Xavier examined the cake with wide eyes until Joey finally said, “Dad, can we---”

“For the last time, Joey, I think James will notice if the strawberries are missing.  Don’t even think about it.”

[paper-lioness]

“Amber?” James repeated.  “Are you okay?  Holy shit, what happened?”  He pulled Amber to her feet and attempted to wipe a tear from her cheek before she pulled him into a fierce hug.

“Watcher, I thought you were.... I thought you were in there,” Amber sobbed into his shoulder.

James winked at Xavier and Joey over the top of Amber’s head even as he rubbed her back soothingly.  “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.  I got a flat tire on my way here, and when I got out of the truck to fix it, I dropped my phone on the road and cracked the screen in half.”

When Amber only cried harder, James pulled his head back to look her in the eyes.  “Amber, I’m fine.  The important thing is that we’re all safe, right? You guys can stay with me for as long as you want until you find a new house.  This is awful, but we’ll get through it together.”

Gyselle cleared her throat.  “If we are all safe, I suggest we get away from the fire.  James, if you’ll use Amber’s phone to contact the authorities, I’ll call Lucius.”

[paper-lioness]

“Mom, that was the slowest I’ve seen anybody eat ice cream in my entire...”  Xavier trailed off as they reached the house.  “Mom! What’s happening?”

“James!” Amber shouted, lurching towards the flames in desperation. 

Gyselle grasped her arm.  “You’ll get yourself killed,” she hissed.  “If James is-- if James was--that fire is all-consuming. I cannot detect any living beings inside.”

[paper-lioness]

“I’m just saying, Canis would totally beat Suintor.  Fire is better than Earth, anyways.  And he’s a lot cooler-looking.”

Xavier shrugged, “Yeah, but I like Suintor.  He’s an alien pig covered in mud, y’know?  We can play when we get back to my house, if you want.”

“After you do your homework,” Amber interjected.  With a grin at Gyselle, she said, “I have no idea what they’re talking about.  I should probably start paying more attention.”

“I assure you, children, all of the elements are equally powerful in their own ways,” Gyselle told Xavier and Joey solemnly.  “True power comes from learning to use them together.”

“Uh, it’s a card game, Aunt Gyselle,” Xavier laughed.  “I can show you later!  Mom, who are you texting?”

“Hm? Nobody!  Just checking the time!  Oh look, the ice cream is here, eat up!”

“Your mom is acting weird,” Joey whispered.

“My mom is weird.”

[paper-lioness]

I can see what’s happening...

[paper-lioness]

“Wow, thanks for taking us out to get ice cream, Mrs. Schmidt,” Joey told Amber the following afternoon.  “That’s really cool of you.”

“Of course! Honestly, I’m just pretending like this is a treat for you guys.  This baby has me craving chocolate!  So I should be thanking you for giving me a reason to come here!”