Taffity Family Legacy

Generation 5, Chapter 2

Isaiah and I weren't the only ones experiencing love; my parents' anniversary was coming up and every time I turned the corner; there they were...



On the one hand, I hope I have that kind of lasting love but on the other hand...eww! I mean come on, they are my parents after all. Yick!

My sisters and I conspired with my Grandpa back on Oz for a big anniversary gift for them; we arranged for them to take a trip for a week while a couple of workers came in and installed a brand new hot tub! When they came home from their trip, they already looked very relaxed and happy but when we led them outside and they saw the hot tub, Mom was totally thrilled!

As much as I wanted to try it, we all agreed to let them have the first dip. Well everyone except Kira who just ignored us all and walked away.



Unfortunately my room happens to be closest to the deck where the hot tub was installed. After we'd all gone to bed, I heard Mom and Dad slip out the door. Mom was giggling the whole time and Dad was trying to shush her - which just resulted in more muffled laughs and some splashing water.



I tried to cover my head with a pillow...I tried to cover my head with two pillows even but nothing was enough to drown out the noises coming from the hot tub that night. Seriously....we need to lay down some rules about this!



Data had read some reports about deaths while repairing this particular model of hot tub and took it on himself to try and upgrade it to be unbreakable. He dearly loved all the family and knew that if it ever broke, Dad would try to fix it on his own...



No one could have seen what was going to happen next though - so many time Data had risked his circuits for his curiosity, surely he would have learned by now. But apparently he dropped a tool deep into the hot tub and didn't think to ask someone else to come retrieve it for him...



He must have shorted out in the hot tub because when we found him, he was as still as could be, with only a few sparks now and then.



Dad tried to repair him the same ways he always did, but Data's eyes never lit up again. Will took it hardest of all of us; as much as we adored Data - Will was his best friend! It hurt to lose Data but it hurt even more to see Will so distraught.



No one went into the hot tub again after that. Mom and Dad had it covered up and just looking at it brought back those painful memories of that day. Eventually they had workers come out and uninstall it and haul it away.

------

"Come on! Summer is coming and we need to make some plans." I said over breakfast one morning. It had been months since Data had left us for good and slowly the family was returning to some sort of new normal. "Don't you need to go to France for some school project?" I asked Ani.



"I'm not going if she's going." Ani replied, pointing her fork across me at Kira. Ani and Kira avoided contact with each other at all costs, if either of them could have moved out by now - they would have just to get away from the other.

"Well then you won't be going at all! You know Mom won't let you go alone and she won't let us leave one behind..." I said.

"How do you know I even WANT to go?" Kira asked annoyance in her voice. I rolled my eyes and let the subject dropped - for now. A couple weeks later I brought it up again with each of them and finally we went before Mom and Dad as a united front - or at least the image of one.

The first week of summer, we were in France!



I approached the bulletin board outside the hostel and scanned the adverts; locals put up their calls for help here and I was hoping to find an adventure this time since it was unlikely I'd have a random person seek my help this time.

Apparently the owner of the general store in the village was looking for some help but when I went to him to apply he acted totally dumb about it for several minutes.



"Oohhh oui! I do need your help!" he said once it finally clicked or he'd had enough time making fun of me. He explained that he'd lost something when he'd been exploring some ruins and would like me to retrieve it since he was stuck at the shop almost constantly.

I was ready to go out on my little adventure when Kira and Ani caught up with me. "Oh no you don't....we're going with you this time!" Ani said. Kira just looked bored but shrugged in agreement when I looked at her.

Inside the tomb, Ani let out a disgusted grunt..."well this is just....eww"



"YOU wanted to come!" I protested.

"Well I didn't know it would be so...dirty." she said with an exaggerated sigh.

Kira laughed at her and they started snipping at each other again. "Yeah this'll be fun" I muttered under my breath...



"Um...It's a wall Ez..." Ani said, she looked to Kira for confirmation but then looked away quickly.

It took me a few minutes of her muttering about the dirt and Kira muttering about Ani before I found the latch and the door swung open. "Wow! How'd you do that?"



Kira and Ani wouldn't stop fighting; there were a lot of cramped quarters in the tomb and just breathing the same air was enough to set one or the other off.



"Why don't you two....do something...useful!?" I huffed at them as I pulled on the stone statue.

They looked at me questioningly and looked around the room with blank expressions. Neither had a clue what was useful in this tomb. With the statue in place, I set them both to work on a pile of rubble.



"Oh what a pretty heart!" Ani said, admiring the heart shape stone she'd unearthed.

"Heart?" I asked in surprise. One glance was enough to tell me what it was and I snatched it from her.

"Hey!" she cried. "I found it!"

"Watch!" I said, thrusting the heart stone into the space.



The rest of the adventure has a few ups


And downs...I hate bugs...


We got back to the hostel pretty late and I was ready to sleep in for a bit before heading over to the store to report in. When I made my way downstairs, I heard some awkward laughing from the kitchen. I poked my head around the door quietly and saw Ani at the table while Kira made breakfast.

"Did you see how she was? I mean the dirt is one thing...but the bugs..." Ani said and shuddered.



"She's really gung ho about her adventuring that's for sure!" Kira agreed, carrying a plate of food over and setting it before Ani. "Ani listen...I'm really sorry...I know I royally screwed up and all and I just...I'm sorry..."



They shared an awkward hug, I'm not sure their differences were completely behind them but it was nice that they seemed to be agreeing on something - even if it was me! I let them finish their moment before coming into the kitchen and announcing my presence. "What? No breakfast for me?"

"Um..." Kira blushed a bit.

"No worries, I'll just have some toast or something." I said. After reporting in to the shop owner, we put aside adventuring for the rest of the week and opted for some sight seeing. And nectar tasting....



I think I could grow to like nectar. I may have been a bit too much though because giant vat of purplish looking juice called to me....and soon I was taking a little dip in my clothes. I bet that purple is never gonna come out!





Kira had her own run in with the purple juice...of course hers was sanctioned by the owners of the nectary and didn't involve getting her entire outfit dirty. Man I loved that jacket too...I wonder if there is an emergency dry cleaners around here? Anyway - back to Kira...



Even though Ani was laughing at her the whole time, they sat next to each other on the flight home and didn't try to kill each other even once. It was a good trip!

End Chapter

Outtakes










He's lucky he didn't break the mirror