One month had passed since the unfortunate event with John Chen. I could say everything was going great but that would not be true. The Hundales’ were still processing the turn of events. Kelly has been very calm and yet very protective of Jimmy it was making her daughter uncomfortable, but, since it made her worry less, Jimmy let her dote. Raymond has been indecisive about how he should react around his daughter. He realized his error of badly treating her and had no idea how to redeem himself. Although he still hated vampires with a passion and Jimmy was sadly still on that list.

Jessica has been very quiet lately. She got closer to Jimmy and defended her against her mate more times than not because Ren has either been ignoring her or drilling her with insults, it’s a wonder he is still alive. We still don’t understand why he hates her so much but we hope that anger will fade overtime. And Red is Red. She does her job protecting her sister and the world against her. She has not let Jimmy out of her sight unless she was with me.

Jimhaya though was complicated. She has gotten better by talking to people and letting them get closer to her but she was also getting worse. Her alter ego found a new hunger from the massacre and has been restless, constantly pushing her boundaries inside Jimmy’s mind. Kelly, Red, Jess and I have been helping her control herself but it has not been easy. Now that I have accepted her, I have been beginning to know her properly. It’s hard to know someone who does not know herself but I managed every day.

Me, on the other hand have been doing fine except the nightmares that keep reminding me of the reality that nothing is as it used to be. Some nights I wake up screaming and sweaty with the image of the man’s head staring at me with dead eyes in my mind. Jimmy knew about the nightmares but never said anything. We never talked about it but I trusted and hoped she trusted me and for now, that was all that mattered.

I was sitting on her bed on a Sunday afternoon doing homework with my legs resting on her back. Well I was doing my homework, Jimmy was drawing. She was as good at drawing and painting as playing the piano. That was one of the things I learned from her and considering she was a great pianist, her compositions were fabulous it was no wonder I loved them. The only problem was her sketches were all dark and depressive. I asked her to draw me a happy scenery once; she tried really hard but failed so badly it was unreal therefore she gave up and stuck with what she knew.

“Guys, guys, it’s snowing” Jess jumped up and down from the door frame interrupting my concentration. Jimmy slipped off the bed, knocking my feet off her. She got up and flew down the stairs leaving me alone in her room. I put down my homework and made my way to the living room where the triplets were looking through the window. I put my arm around Red’s shoulders and stared outside. Snow was gently falling down, whitening the ground. It was a beautiful sight but I was not particularly thrilled with the idea of cold.

“Man, I love it.” Jess said grinning for ear to ear “I can’t wait for winter to arrive” the other sisters agreed.

“Why?” I asked. All three girls gapped at me. “Come on, who actually likes winter?”

“We do” they said together. I almost took a step back. They were really intense when they teamed up together.

“How can you not like winter?” Red asked.

“It’s cold”

“That is not a good enough reason. Sure there are some bad things with winter but it’s the same as summer. It sucks when it’s too hot and humid but everyone seems to like it. Winter is so great. You’re playing outside, the cold wind freezing your cheeks and when you walk inside, you let yourself warm up by the fire and a cup of hot cocoa”

“Until you have you get out at -30C to shovel your driveway and scratch the inches of ice off your car” I grumbled.

“Wait until you go snowshoeing with us” Red said.

“And cross-country and downhill skiing” Jess added

“And skating” Jimmy joined. She fixed the collar of my shirt and smirked. “You’re going to love winter by the end of the season” she winked at me before walking into the kitchen. I looked at her leave ignoring the other two talk about Christmas and the shopping they needed to do for the presents. I watched as Jimmy swayed her hips on purpose. I jogged behind her, grabbed her waist and bit her ear.

“Where are you going gorgeous?” I purred in her ear. Jimmy turned in my arms with a smirk and wrapped her arms around my neck. She smirked more than she used to but didn’t smile much.

“Where ever you want me to” she growled and kissed me. Our short kiss turned into a hungry passionate make out. I pushed her until her back was to the kitchen counter and placed my hands on each side of her body. She bit my bottom lip and I moaned. I demanded entrance and she gave it to me instantly. I invaded her heavenly mouth and explored every inch with excitement. I groaned when I felt her hands go underneath my shirt and onto my stomach. Her hands moved to all over my middle and back before settling under my breasts. We couldn’t go any further in our adventure because hands grabbed my shoulders and ripped me off Jimmy.

“Wow there rabbit, not so fast” Jess said “If you want to do it the kitchen, have the decency of doing it when we’re not there” To tell the truth, I had completely forgotten they were there the moment Jimmy touched my skin.

“Are you enjoying my kitchen?” Mrs. Hundale said coming from the hallway. Her hair was wet with snow as she had just arrived.

“Mrs. Hundale” I panicked. I stopped the comment I was going to say to Jessica and started to fix my shirt with a giant blush on my cheeks. It got worse when she started laughing along with her girls.

“Relax sweetheart, I was young once too and trust me, you have not done anything yet. You should have seen me and Raymond at your age” She walked out with Jess on her heels asking about her past and the crazy things her parents did.

“Don’t worry Siana, Jess wants to be the first one to do it in the kitchen” Red laughed following me.

“You mean she did it in other places than your bedroom” I asked and Red nodded. She put her finger to her lips then pointed to her mom and winked. I rolled my eyes and followed her to the sofa. I hesitated, now knowing that Jessica has had sex on that sofa, it didn’t look as appeling as it used to be but I sat down between Red and Jimmy to be part of the conversation about school. We talked about the Flag practices. Boris has been very tough on us especially Jimmy. It wasn’t fair though Jimmy didn’t seem to mind.

“Siana, don’t forget we have a dance class tomorrow night” Jimmy said.

“Excuse me?” I asked her confused.

“Yes, Mss. Adams suggested that I do an activity other that fighting so I told her I wanted to dance and you’re my partner. She says it may help me not go crazier that I already am”

“Honey, that’s fantastic” Kelly exclaimed. I sighed in exasperation.

“I really wish you girls didn’t take me for granted” I said. I looked at Jimmy

“You don’t want to dance with me?” Jimmy asked and unconsciously pouted.

“I want you to ask your girlfriend, not expect her to do it”

“I have a girlfriend?” Jimmy asked. I groaned and hit my head on the back of the sofa while Jess and Red snickering cruelly. I’m glad they enjoyed themselves.

“Oh” Jimmy finally understood “Siana Something, would you be my dancing partner for the rest of the year?” I face palmed myself before giving her a pointed glare. She didn’t even know my last name. I didn’t say anything and stared at her. Confused, Jimmy searched through her head to see what she did wrong. “Please?” she asked uncertainly. I smiled and kissed her nose.

“I would love to gorgeous and my last name is Bane” I said. Jimmy’s shoulders relaxed and she looked relieved. “But, only if you play the piano for me. I have not heard you since the Grand Ball”

“Oh that’s a great idea; you and your sisters could play for us” Kelly said happily.

By her family’s encouragement Jimmy got up from the sofa and made her way to the grand piano at the far end of the living room and started playing a beautiful warm up song as the other two sisters got up and walked out of the room to go get their instruments. Jessica had a violin in her hands and Jasmine had a cello. The latter one was sitting on a chair and the former was standing between her two sisters.

“I’m so happy there playing together again” Kelly said sitting beside me to have a better view of the girls “I have not heard them in such a long time and they play so beautifully together. My husband and I made them play an instrument when they were kids and hired a private teacher for them”

Jimmy finished her song by the time her sisters had tuned their strings. From the first note played I was enthralled by the magnificent sound. Every cord, every note, every verse was perfectly synchronized with each instrument. The emotions raged through the music letting me dumfounded by such noble meanings. I let the music envelop me like a cocoon, keeping me safe from the world. Nothing mattered at that moment because I finally understood a part of these girls that I never dreamed offinding. I closed my eyes, the sight was simply too powerful and listen to the weaving tale of the Hundale triplets; a story of their harsh life that united them by creating an indestructible tie.

Three identical girls except for the hair and eye colour, all with perfectly divergent souls but if fused together create a single being expressing their deepest desires, offering us a vulnerability not easily found. The unity of the instruments proved their unbreakable bond: a bond of love and hate, of family and trust, of choices and loyalty.

A single tear fell from my eye by the time the song finished replaced by silence. Kelly and I kept quiet enjoying the remnant of the music in our heads. When I managed to find myself again I opened my eyes and found the triplets waiting patiently. Their mother congratulated them while I stayed frozen on my seat. Jimhaya got up from her position and walked to me. She slowly placed her hands on my knees and looked into my soul.

“Will you dance with me?” she asked me meaning much more than she intended.

“Always” I whispered and smiled. It was a rare smile, a real one softening her beautiful features. She gently kissed my lips silently thanking me.