I Might

After starting her new job as the live-in nanny, Lirio starts having strange dreams then three witches come barging in. Is it a trick or the future? This life isn't what she bargained for...

Lirio waited patiently for Any to fall asleep. It hadn't been long since she became the new nanny, but it felt like she was there from the get-go. 

"Lirio," Any gazed at the ceiling.

"Yes, sweet heart?" Lirio stroked her hair gently.

"I love you." Any said quietly, like she said every night, right before she drifted to sleep.

"I love you too," Lirio always responded a second too late. She looked down and saw Any had already fallen asleep. She rose to her feet slowly, leaving the young girl's room. 

She tried sleeping, but it was one of those nights. The kind of nights that the past decided to force her down memory lane. Lirio wandered downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Milk should help," she sighed opening the fridge, taking out the gallon of milk. She reached into the cupboard for a glass. Instead of grabbing it, her fingers slipped around the glass and it hurdled towards the floor. She waited for the crash but it didn't come.

"Drop something?" Prei stepped into the kitchen. With his eyes he caught the glass and levitated it to the table.

"Thanks Mr.Caraway," Lirio looked down at the floor. After the first encounter with her employer, she wasn't quite comfortable with him.

"You can call me Prei," He smiled at her, " You're Twenty four... That makes me six years older than you. Keep calling me mister and I'll start to feel extra old."

"o-okay well, Thanks... Prei," Lirio glanced up at him, I really am clumsy." She smiled.

"Can't sleep either?" Prei came closer.

"Guess not." Lirio shrugged and sat at the island counter top, "What keeps you up?

"Work." Prei sighed. He took her glass and poured the milk, "A lot of work."

"Magic work?" Lirio asked.

""Something like that,"

They sat in the darkness of the kitchen when Prei came close to her. He didn't say anything as he grabbed her hand and pulled her gently towards himself. Lirio could't find the words to say as he hugged her. Before she knew it, he was kissing her. She didn't know whether or not to pull away. Prei held her face as he kissed away.

"No wait-" Lirio shook herself awake. It was still dark outside. She panted as her face burned red, "I- I- just a dream..." She touched her lips; it felt so real. 

"Lirio?" Any came in to the room, "I heard a shout, are you alright?"

"Yeah," Lirio got of bed, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a-" she stopped. It wasn't a nightmare, "just a weird dream."

"Oh' okay," Any smiled. She walked around the bedside and gave Lirio a hug.

"What's this for?" Lirio hugged back.

"Daddy says hugs makes everyone feel better."

A few hours later Lirio was up making breakfast. The kids wanted eggs and bacon. Crack, splash, sizzle. Crack, splash, sizzle. Kiss. Lirio shook her head. 

"Hey, Lirio," Stey said, "Me and Any are going outside to practice." he cleared the table with a snap of his fingers. 

"Okay, let me finish up here and I'll meet you out there." Lirio smiled. She wiped the counters off. Kiss. She shook her head again.

A knock came at the door as Lirio headed for the back yard.

"I got it," she turned towards the front entrance.

She opened the door to see witches. Well they were dressed like witches anyways. 

"Hello!" the shortest of the three grinned. Her skin was tanned; her hair bright pink, "I'm Chase,"

"I'm Giselle," the one standing next to her examined Lirio. 

"And I'm Every," the last one invited herself in, "We're Prei's sisters."

"Oh, okay," Lirio stood aside, "You just missed him, he left to work already."

"Oh, we know," Every smiled. Something about her seemed nice- trustworthy. She was porcelain, like a doll. Her eyes were a deep purple, her hair a curly gold. But the most distinctive trait about her was the birthmark over her right eye that extended down the center of her cheek. 

"He told us he actually found a nanny willing to watch his kids," Giselle tilted her head and pressed her finger against her face, "We just had to meet you." Giselle was tall and thin. Her auburn hair was chopped to fit her face.

"So are you crazy?" Chase squinted her eyes at Lirio.

"What no- at least I don't think so," Lirio laughed a little shocked.

"Are you dying?" Giselle placed her hand on her hips, "maybe suicidal? Adrenaline junkie?"

"No, no, and no..." Lirio backed up against the wall as they came closer and closer.

"Or maybe you have a little crush on our handsome brother?" Every cornered Lirio, placing one arm on the wall next to Lirio's face.

Lirio hesitated then shook her head, "No, definitely not. I hardly know him- and our first meeting wasn't exactly romantic."

Every came close to her face and glared at her, "... Fine, I believe you." she pushed off against the wall and went into the living room. 

"Come on back," Lirio ushered them, "The kids are out back, they could use some help practicing."

Every began a lesson with Stey and Any while Giselle and Chase concentrated their spells. 

"How do you concentrate spells?" Lirio had asked them.

"Easy," Chase didn't look at her, "You make the spell more powerful by using stronger words: more Latin, less petty English."

"More like rephrasing." Giselle closed her eyes, "make it sound more spiritual, more angry or delighted- depends on what your spell is for."

Every sat down across from Lirio. She was quite, thinking.

"So why did you take the job?" Every asked.

"Because," Lirio looked at the sky then the trees, "because they needed me,"

"Stey and Any?"

"Yeah, they got some deep issues. Whatever happened with their mother- all the nannies that didn't stick around, their dad always at work. I figured if I could stick it out, give them some kind of stability-"

"You could help them overcome the abandonment?"

"Something like that," Lirio sighed. She looked at Stey trying so hard to master his magic. She turned her head to Any who looked at her. Lirio breathed in heavy.

"Please!" Any cried, "Don't leave me, please don't! Why does everyone always leave me?! Please! I'm trying to be good, I am! Please stay- don't go! I need you!!!" 

Lirio couldn't move; she couldn't even speak. Any cried and cried. And the cries got louder and louder.

"I love you! Isn't that enough!" Any fell to her knees and looked up in despair, "why can't it be enough? I'm trying, I am, really... I'll be good, I'll love you more!!! Can't that be enough? Isn't that enough? Please... I don't wanna be alone. Don't leave me..."

Lirio felt her heart break. She tried to speak but she couldn't force the words out. her body felt paralyzed. She watched as Any hid her face in her knees and cried. Lirio looked at Stey for help.

"I don't care," Stey furrowed his brows, "Go! We don't want you here anyways." He stood angry as tears rolled from his eyes, "We were fine before you came, we'll be fine when you're gone. So go! Leave us alone! Get OUT OF HERE!!! I knew you would leave, I knew it! ...Nobody ever stays."

Lirio panted heavily. What was going on? A dream? No, not a dream.

"Lirio, Lirio?" Every touched her arm, "Hey are you okay."

Lirio tensed up a little. She could move again.

"Hey, Lirio, what's wrong?" Every asked.

Lirio turned around to look at Stey and Any: They were laughing throwing sparkles at each other. No, not a dream: a nightmare.

Lirio had trouble sleeping the next few nights. Hell, she had trouble staying awake too. The dreams were so real. They went from nightmare to fantasy, it was hard to keep up. 

"Are these just fears and desires?" She sat up in bed one night, "Maybe they're like visions of the future. If that's the case maybe I can stop some of them at least. Maybe it's another test- or a trick?"

She hopped out of bed and headed downstairs. It was a warm night so she decided to sit out the window. The living room had a huge window that looked out to a pond. She listened as the crickets and frogs sung away. The air was thick, the moon was bright, and the wind was almost hushed. She started to dose off and fell forwards. Lirio jerked herself awake as she fell. The window wasn't too high but the fall would still hurt. But instead of falling into the dirt or the pond, she fell into Prei's arms.

"Nice night for a swim," He smiled.

"You caught me," Lirio smiled as he put her down, "what are you doing out here so late?"

"Didn't feel like sleeping," He shrugged, "Why are you falling out of windows?"

"I was- wait, this is another dream, isn't it?" Lirio almost laughed, "Has to be because you're here,"

"Another dream?" Prei asked, "You dream about me?"

"Not always, sometimes it's you, sometimes it's Stey and Any, sometimes it's my family back home."

"Really?" Prei looked concerned, "What takes place in these dreams?"

"The ones with you in them are usually... romantic, I guess."

"Romantic? How?

"You're usually kissing me, that's how. It's weird because I'm way scared of you in real life. After the beating you gave me, I have to try not to flinch when you're around."

"Oh," he looked down, "I'm sorry,"

"It's alright," Lirio hugged him, burying her face in his chest, "since this is a dream it doesn't even matter. Hell, I guess I'm just in love with you or something."

"Lirio," Prei patted her awkwardly.

"No, I don't feel like making out with you," Lirio huffed, "it's weird. You're still my boss,"

"Lirio, I don't think you're dreaming." Prei blushed letting out a laugh.

"What?" Lirio froze, "This ISN'T a dream?"

"Not unless I'm the one dreaming it," Prei patted her again.

"If you'll excuse me," Lirio let go of him, turned slowly around, and tried to run away.

Prei tried not to smile as he took hold of her arm.

"Please, just let me go die somewhere in peace." Lirio's face nearly glowed red in the darkness.

"Don't be silly, it's alright," Prei led her back inside, "well sort of."

""What do you mean sort of?" Lirio kept her eyes down.

"I think you have an allergy," Prei sat her at the dining room table and flicked the lights on.

"An allergy?" Lirio tensed up as he pressed his hand against her forehead, "Allergy of what?"

"Magic," He lifted her face and tried looking at her eyes, "look at me, please."

Lirio bit her lip and looked at Prei. His face calm as he stared into each eye. 

"Huh, you really are handsome," she said without thinking. Lirio slapped her hands over her mouth. She blushed even harder, "I'm going to drown myself in the pond now," She tried to stand up.

"Relax," He forced her down, "It's you, but it isn't you talking."

"Great, what a relief," Lirio said sarcastically.

"You're body is sort of rejecting all of the magic in the atmosphere. In order to do this it's causing an imbalance of chemicals in your brain."

"So all the dreams aren't-"

"they aren't your subconscious trying to tell you that you're in love with your boss."

"But the daydreams I had-"

"Happened when my sisters were here," Prei dug into his pocket, "They are extremely powerful, the magic radiates off them, your body had to cause a quick fix of emotion err brain chemicals some how."

He pulled out a charm bracelet and placed it on her wrist.

"Tryna' tell me something, boss?" She slapped her hand over her mouth again.

Prei smiled, "It's a magic repellent, since you can't buy magic allergy medicine, you'll just have to wear this. Don't take it off or the dreams will come back."

"Thanks," Lirio studied all the charms.

Prei turned to leave, "But if you're still in love with me by the end of the week, then we'll talk."

"Eh-" Lirio blushed.

"Goodnight, Lirio," Prei smiled at her, let out a small laugh, then left the room.

"That isn't funny," she shot at him.

"Is to me," he waved before teleporting out,