Chapter One: Return
The sound of airplanes filled the airport as a small family walked through a boarding gate. Looking around in awe, the set of triplets looked at all of the new sights while making sure that they never strayed too far from their mother, who was busy talking on the phone, never taking her eye off her children.
“Alright, thank you.”
“We will meet you in the lobby. Please make sure not to draw any attention. I think that the last thing we all need is to get the attention of the press. Especially, since we are trying to stay undercover until the time of the big reveal.”
The voice answered something inaudible that only the woman could hear.
“No, I don't care. I understand that you have orders from grandfather. Most likely along the lines of meaning sure that we are all treated according to our status. While I do understand that his orders take priority most of the time, I am the one who calls the orders while we are in the United States. Is that understood?”
Her voice turned stern at the end as the voice murmured their reply.
“Good. We will meet you shortly then.”
With the sound of the call ending, she put the phone away before addressing the children.
“Alright Jesse, James, and Jewel, time to settle down. Uncle Rick is going to meet us in the lobby.”
“Uncle Rip is coming?”
One of the boys, James, asked. His eyes glittered with excitement as he stopped in front of her.
“Yes, sweetheart. He sure is.”
“Yayyy!”
He shouted, jumping up and down in excitement. The cute scene brought a warm smile to her face. Just then, she felt someone tugging on her clothes. “Is everything alright, Jewel?”
She directed her attention to her daughter, who was peeking up at her out from behind her toy fox with one of her hands clutching onto her summer dress.
“Mommy, do we really have to stay here? Can't we just go home?”
“Because sis, Mommy has to work! Duh!”
Her brother, Jesse, said before their mother could reply.
“Yeah, that might be true but why can't Mommy do her work back home like she always does?”
She asked shyly. Out of the three children, Jewel was the shyest among the three of them. She always preferred to stick close, never wandering off from her mom's side when they left the comfort of their home. While the woman thought that it was cute, she couldn't help but be afraid about how that personality of hers would prevent her from connecting with others her age but knowing her brothers. She should probably be more worried about the boys and her future mate that will come along later. Knowing her sons, they will not make things easy.
“How am I supposed to know? Why don't you just ask, Mommy?”
Jesse replied as he shrugged his shoulders while sticking his tongue out at his sister. Jesse, her sweet son, catching all the hearts of the young, innocent girls that hang around him. That cold and aloof personality of his rejects any warmth from strangers, melting only for those close to his heart. A hand hit Jesse's head, causing him to groan in pain as he glared at the culprit.
“What was that for?”
“Don't be rude. We might be out in public but that is no excuse to misbehave. Behave yourself until we reach the hotel.”
James, her eldest, was the goofy and mischievous one of their small family. Bring smiles to their faces and joy to her heart, and hiding deep within laid a heart of gold. Fierce and protective, he took upon the role of a protective guardian. Always keeping an eye out for anyone who might be out to cause the small family trouble, while keeping an eye on his younger siblings whenever she needed a hand. Each child had a different personality, they made it work with their small family. Her heart filled with love as she watched her children interact before bending down, engulfing them all in one big hug.
“Hey, Hey, let's all calm down okay? Now that we have finally arrived in the United States, let's ignore all the boring details and just focus on making the most out of this trip. Alright?”
Her three children looked at one another before they looked back at her. “Okay.” They said in unison as they returned the hug. Letting the hug drop, before addressing her children.
“Great. Now remember kids that we are no longer back home and this is the first time that you guys even left home. There are going to be a couple of rules.”
The children that were once giddy with boundless energy, now stood in place, paying attention to her every word as they nodded along.
“Rule number one, do not stray from one another and the adult who will be accompanying you. The last thing that I need is to hunt one of you down, scaring myself into white hair, afraid that you have been taken or worse.”
Jewel raised her own free hand that wasn't clutching her toy.
“Yes, Jewel honey?”
“What do you mean by taken or worse?”
“That is a really good question. Do you remember that back home, you guys have the ability to go where you please by yourself because I trusted the people there?”
Jewel nodded in affirmation, reassuring her to continue.
“Unlike back home, things here are very different. You guys must be careful. We are in a very heavily populated area and there are many dangers that come with that fact. People will be watching our every move, looking for an opportunity to act. As for the type of action, it's different for every action ranging from using you to get to me or kidnapping you guys to take you away.”
This time it was James who raised his hand, only asking when she motioned him to ask.
“Mom, what does kidnapping mean?”
“Did your teacher not teach you guys anything about stranger danger?”
All her children shook their heads, causing a migraine to form. She was going to have a talk with that teacher of theirs once she returns.
“Alright kids listen up. We will have a brief lesson on stranger danger. When someone you don’t know approaches, what do you do?”
Jewel beat her brothers in answering.
“You try running or find the closest adult you know.”
“Very good Jewel, would anyone else like to add to her answer.”
“I know, try to hide if there is no one nearby.”
“Correct. Jesse, do you have some things to add?”
Jesse pushed his glasses up, thinking it through before answering.
“If you can't find someone you know and there is no place to hide, contact the appropriate authorities or walk into the closest establishment to retrieve help.”
“Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner. You are all correct!”
She quickly settled down, not allowing her pride to overwhelm herself. But truly, she can't help herself. Her children are so smart. Clearing her throat, she addressed her children.
“Stranger danger means to be cautious around people you don't know. For example, if a person approaches you, Jesse, telling you that he is a personal friend of mine, don’t trust them. The only people that you can trust are those that I personally introduce to you. Under no circumstances are you to trust strangers, am I understood?”
Her voice was stren near the end there, making it clear that this wasn't negotiable. Her children shook their heads with fervor. The last thing they all wanted was to upset their mother when she was clearly looking after their safety.
“Good, now time for the second rule.”
