Chapter 1 - The Invasion of the White Cotton
The hardwood floor clicked lightly under the weight of pink synthetic fleece.
Two small feet, encased in oversized, fluffy slippers, stopped dead in the center of the room.
The bedroom was drenched in the warm, heavy amber of late afternoon indoor lighting.
Dust motes danced lazily in the air, settling onto the white bedsheets.
A toddler stood entirely rigid at the edge of the mattress.
Her name was Maya.
Two blonde pigtails jutted out from the sides of her head, secured tightly by pristine white satin bows.
The bows did not move.
Her hands lifted slowly from her sides.
She pressed both small palms flat against the center of her chest, right over the plastic zipper of her pink onesie.
Her chin tilted upward.
Her cheeks were flushed a deep, saturated rose, contrasting sharply with the pale pink of her collar.
Behind her, the wooden slats of a heavy oak crib cast long, cage-like shadows against the cream wallpaper.
The crib was empty.
The occupant of the crib was currently located three feet away, directly in the center of the adult-sized bed.
He was a baby, barely three months old.
His head was completely bald, catching the warm overhead light like a small, smooth stone.
He wore a cream-colored onesie.
Tiny, faded navy-blue moons and stars covered the fabric covering his small chest.
He was lying flat on his back.
His small chest rose and fell in slow, rhythmic, oblivious intervals.
His head rested dead center on a massive, outrageously fluffy white pillow.
The white cotton sank deeply around his small skull, cradling him in a cloud of stolen comfort.
Maya’s pink slippers squeaked against the polished wood.
She took half a step forward.
She did not look at the baby.
She stared straight ahead, directly into the dark, reflective lens of the smartphone camera held by the shadow in the doorway.
Her small fingers curled inward, gripping the fabric of her own pink suit.
Her jaw shifted to the left.
"Hey."
The syllable hung in the quiet room, sharp and abrupt.
"That's my pillow."
Her voice did not waver.
May you like
It carried the heavy, unbending weight of absolute territorial infringement.
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