"What We May Become"

The lasagna seemed to be better than the last, every time Holly made the special dish it was so much tastier than they remembered. Every meal time she was highly praised by each of her children for the excellent cooking- each time Genesis would attempt to claim some credit yet found herself being bombarded by protests that she simply half crushed garlic clove.

Mealtime in the Magnussen household was usually joyous. This day, however, it was tense. David had yet to look in the direction of his father, Isaiah and Trinity were making their best attempts at scooting as far away from each other despite their chairs being cramped side by side. Holly was continuously straining her neck to spy on the notes in Trinity's book. Charles, forking a heap of lasagna into his mouth, glances up at Genesis. He finds his youngest watching him intently and with curiosity. Wiping his mouth with a napkin Charles narrows his eyes curiously.

"What is it, Genie?" She smiles and places her knife and fork down. Leaning forwards and over her plate, Genesis places her hands atop Hamlet where it rested in the centre of the table.

"What is it like, Daddy? At your work?" He smiles and completely dismisses Davids protesting choke as he swallows his mouthful without chewing. "I want to know what it's like." Holly and Trinity halt their silent bickering and watch the scene play out.

"I think that's a brilliant idea!" Isaiah grins gleefully and dabs at the corners of his mouth with his napkin. Collecting his plate, he walks to the sink and begins running the tap. The table shook, plates and glasses quaked as the table cloth almost pulled everything off the surface.

"David!" Charles protests angrily. The sixteen-year-old makes no move to be any more careful as his chair flies backwards, eyes wild and blue.

"Are you insane? She's ten years old for God's sake, do you honestly want to burden her with such knowledge I wish I could forget?" Charles too stands, his hands slamming onto the table in anger causing Genesis to steal the book away from the plates and the other two women to hastily clear the table in order to distract themselves.

"You are an incompetent fool who holds a lack of respect for the gifts his father has to offer him." David goes red in the face and Trinity abandons the plates on the side and whispers into his ear the same words she used to whisper to help him manage his anger when they were kids. Shrugging his sister away David circles the table and approaches Genesis, placing his hands calmly over her ears and hisses across at the man he calls 'Dad'.

"I don't respect them because they are unethical and inconsiderate." Charles also lowers his tone and leans forwards.

"She won't learn everything unless she knows that she wishes to join the business." David frowns but finds himself at a loss for words. Removing his hands from his youngest sister's ears, David nods thanks to Trinity in thanks and leaves the room.

Drying her hands on a towel Trinity runs after him.

"So!" Charles claps his hands and smiles around at his wife and the two remaining children still in the room. "It's settled then." Holly drops her head as a smile creeps onto her face, shaking her head slightly she picks up the sponge and shoves her hands back into the water. Pinching his lips and processing the situation, Isaiah turns to help his mother.

Nodding excitedly, completely oblivious to what had just occurred, Genesis flips open Hamlet and skips into the lounge to read a few scenes.

▪~○••○~▪

It was late, about eleven o'clock to be precise. The only light in the house came from a lamp on a small coffee table illuminating an armchair by the fireplace. Genesis had snuck back downstairs after hearing her parents go to bed. Usually, she couldn't sleep and that night was no exception.

Hamlet rested on top of her curled legs and her head rested in her hand. The play was it's own background noise. She heard every voice, every sigh, every breath of the characters with every line she read. She was so engrossed she hasn't heard the fifth step squeaking as it usually does when he stand on it for too long.

"Sis." David stalks into the room with furrowed eyebrows. "Why are you up so late?" Holding her finger over the line she was in the middle of reading, she looks up with a weary smile. Of course, David would be the one to discover her night routine first. The teenager didn't sleep much either.

"I couldn't sleep." He crouches in front of her with a meaningful and worried look in his eyes. She sighs. "Fine. I didn't want to."

"Why?" Looking down at the page, she shakes her head slightly.

"I'm nervous about tomorrow. It's silly, I know. I just want to know what it's like and why Izzy loves it so much. I think Daddy may think I want to be part of it but... I don't know what I want-" His hand stretches out and his fingers rest above Ophelia's advice to Claudius.

"'We know what we are but know not what we may become'. You're ten years old, Sis, I don't expect you to know what you want and father shouldn't expect it from you either." She smiles at his choice of words, her brother is incapable of comprehending the very words Shakespeare left for us to read yet he chooses such fitting words by pure luck.

"Thank you." She says in an almost whisper and her face begins to ache with exhaustion. Sighing and patting her knee, David stands and holds his hands out.

"Now that that's sorted," Genesis places her bookmark where it should be and closes the book, "it's bedtime for both of us. Do you want a glass of water bringing up?" Accepting his hand she allows him to gently usher her to the staircase.

"Yes please." He nods and begins walking towards the kitchen. "David!" She calls after him in a whisper, pressing her face against the banister at his height. He hurries back with a smile and briefly brushes his nose against hers. She smiles gleefully and skipping the fifth step on her way to her room.

▪~○••○~▪

"Rise and shine! It's time to go to work!" The curtains are flung open and a white streak of sunlight scorches Genesis' eyelids. Groaning in displeasure she pulls the covers up and over her head in protest. Charles crouches beside her bed and playfully pokes the mound of teddies and blankets. "Genesis!" He sings in a way too happy voice for a Saturday morning.

"Daddy no!" She giggles as he tickles the sole of her foot that poked out from the covers. As she pulls her foot back to safety the mountain of stuffed animals sway and tumbles down on top of Charles. Peeking over the top of the covers, she giggles at the oversized Pooh Bear sitting atop his chest.

"Get dressed." He grumbles with a smile still plastered to his face.

▪~○••○~▪

It was but a half hour or so until Genesis found herself staring up at the great glass building her father called Appledore. Isaiah stood to her left also admiring the building. Only recently had the construction finished and decoration finally came to a wrap.

It was immaculate, a mansion more than an office. An indoor garden welcomed them as soon as they stepped into the building, the ceiling climbing high and the glass allowing the sunlight to filter into the room. As they pass through the garden Genesis rubbed a leaf beneath her fingers.

"These aren't real."

"Of course not." Said her father matter of factly. "No one is here enough to care for them." As they step out of the greenery the mansion opens out in front of them.

The hall opened up, sunny and airy. The ceiling above them was propped open and allowed a breeze to filter around the room and bird songs to create a backing track to the scene. The kitchen to their left was large and open. The oven was such a size it was incomprehensible to Genesis due to the fact that she was sure that her body would fit in it comfortably. There were endless counters and the fridge ran the length of a small protruding wall. Behind the wall ran a long oval table that seemed to either be one for meetings or mealtimes. To the right were endless doorways that led to a variation of bedrooms with differing layouts.

Charles led his two children up a set of stairs and led them along a balcony. Genesis looked down at the floor she had been walking on before, it's black and white tiles chequering messily. They passed by a long set of couches and a large flat screen television.

"My work," Charles began, drawing their attention, "is one that requires an intellectual, vigilant and calculated mind. I must know the facts of my focus and act on them through secluding my brain from my heart. I cannot afford to let my emotions control my cases so I do not use them.

"I cannot, however, remember all of my information. So I store it all in my vaults." Genesis looks up at Isaiah who is watching his father with so much interest is was amazing. Charles halts outside a set of wooden double doors and turns to his children. "You have often asked me, Isaiah, to see my vaults. To have access to them." He sighs and shakes his head with a small sigh and opens the doors. Genesis recovers quickly from the shock of what he had revealed to them. She had never heard of her father's vaults before and so she simply looked between the two men. Isaiah's mouth was a agape in shock he was clearly not expecting what was sat behind the doors and Charles cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, my son."