by Bob Dattolo
“God. I’m so, so sorry.”
“Why did you follow me?”
“I was worried about you.”
“Why? You don’t know me. I’m just some bastard some whore popped out.”
She yelped as I surged to my feet, standing over her floating form, “Don’t you freaking say that! You had no say in this. Your mom doesn’t even sound like she had a say in it. I doubt she knew she’d be getting pregnant with her dead husband’s baby!”
“But my dad said…”
“Your dad or the step-dad that killed your mom?”
Her face fell, “Step-dad.”
“Fuck him. Fuck what he said. That’s a bunch of bullshit, and you know it.”
“Please don’t tell anyone that I’m living here.”
The pleading in her eyes was nearly too much for me. Too bad I wasn’t in the mood to be trifled with.
“I won’t tell anyone you’re living here.”
“Do you promise?”
“I don’t have to promise.”
“But…please, I don’t want anyone to know!”
“No one will know from me. Or from you. You’re not going to be living here any longer.”
“What? I…”
“You’re coming to live with me and my mom.”
She stood as well, “What? No I’m not!”
“Yes you are.”
“No, I’m not!” She got into my face, showing anger for pretty much the first time since meeting her.
I grabbed her shoulders, “Melissa…I have no words for what you’ve gone through and how you’ve been living. If I could go back in time and help you, I would. I can’t. Since I can’t, I’m going to do something to help you now. You need to pack your crap and come live with me.”
“I can’t do that!”
“Why not?”
She knocked my hands away, “Because…because I can’t!”
“Why not? Give me one good reason.”
She frowned, “Because…I don’t know you!”
“That’s not a good reason.”
“Because Syl will get angry?”
I gave her a look, “That’s not just not a good reason, that’s a shitty reason!”
“Because…because…your mom doesn’t know me! There’s no way she’d let me live with you!”
“She may not know you, but I’m pretty sure she’d let you live with us. I want a good reason.”
She frowned more, “Umm…because I won’t do it? No matter what you do and what you say, I won’t do it?”
I thought through that one, “Okay, that’s a pretty good reason. I still won’t accept it, but it’s a decent reason.”
She hit the water, “What? You said I had to give you one good reason!”
I laughed, filling the space with bells that made her shoulders loosen up, “I did tell you to give me one good reason. But I never told you that I’d accept it. Now, c’mon, there’s dinner waiting for you. And breakfast. And a warm bed. Hell, you can sleep in with me if you want. I know that I sleep better with someone there.”
Chapter 11
Her argument crumbled when I mentioned food and a warm bed. Saying that on the tail end of letting her hear the bells? It was like I was cheating or something. I knew I had her. She knew it, too. I expected her to want to keep her stuff there so that she could basically run away at some point, but she actually packed it up at my direction and we carried it all out of there.
A girl’s life was down to four plastic totes in a freaking cave. That’s…that’s just wrong. More than wrong. God help the bastard that set this in motion.
And no, I don’t mean her dead father or mother.
I called Mom as soon as we were in the truck.
“Good afternoon, daughter-mine.”
“Hi, Mom. How is your afternoon going?”
“Good. Yours?”
“Good. Umm…I have a question for you?”
“And I have an answer for you. Let’s see if they go together. The answer is seven alligators.”
I laughed, not expecting that from her. She joined me, which I love. I love the sound of her voice.
“Okay, seriously, umm…Is it okay if I invited someone to come live with us?”
The mirth in her voice died a bit, “I’m sorry? Is this Tara, or Marisela?”
“No. It’s Melissa? She’s…she’s been living in the woods in a cave. By herself. Since the middle of eighth grade. Basically, since she was 13.”
“What!” Anger thundered from her, “Where are her parents?!”
“Umm…dead? Her step-father killed her mom, then kicked her out. I don’t want her living in a cave by herself.”
“You tell her our home is hers. She can have whatever room she wants. Or…she’s been by herself?”
“She has. I let her know that she can room with me if she wants. She’s kind of shy. I’m not sure she’s used to being a fey.”
“Those years…they’re very formative. She can rebound, but she’ll need to be close.”
“Well, I’m willing.” Next to me, Melissa’s cheeks turned red as she heard me admit that.
“Then I will see you both when I get home. Will your other friends be there tonight?”
“No. They both had to say no. Their parents planned something or other.”
“I understand. Then it will just be the three of us. I will leave now.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
“You are welcome. I will see you soon. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
We hung up, leaving the truck in silence for most of a mile.
“Why would she let me move in with you? I’m nothing. No one. I don’t even have any magic.”
“She…” what the heck do I say? “Mom can’t have kids. She found that out when she was our age. Wait…are you 16? 17?”
“16.”
“Okay, sorry, she found out that she can’t have kids right around our age. At the same time, she was told that she’d gain a daughter, she just needed to be in the right place for it to happen. She waited more than 7,000 years for me to come into her life. I didn’t think she’d let a girl with no family live in a freaking cave. Granted, she’s probably done that more than a few times in her life, but I don’t see her allowing that to happen to others. No way. No how. At least not these days.”
She grabbed my hand and squeezed it, nearly making me gasp out in pain at the pressure. “Thank you! I don’t know how long she’ll let me stay…but thank you. It’s been so hard. So lonely. Just…I thought about ending it so many times. I thought about it again this morning before heading to school. When I figured I’d die behind the school, I sort of wanted it to happen. It’d cut through the shit that is my life and I can be free of it. The suffering. The fear.”
“Well, you have us now for however long you want. Just give us a chance.”
“I’ll try. It’ll be hard, though. The man I thought was my father murdered my mom right in front of me…he was so angry when he kicked me out.” She started to cry again, “How could he? He was my dad! My daddy! Then he found out my real dad did something from beyond the grave and I’m turned into trash…thrown away.”
“As they say, one man’s trash is another’s treasure…so you’re coming home with me. I think you’ll like Mom. And Sumi.”
Her tears slowed, “Who’s Sumi?”
“Umm…I’d say a pet, but she’s more of a friend? She’s a sabre-tooth tiger that was brought back from the dead. She can shift into a cat version of herself, though.”
She stared at me, “You’re fucking with me, right?”
“Nope.” I smiled at her confusion, “You’ll see. She’s pretty cool and gives fantastic hugs. And, not to confuse you even more, but she can talk.”
“Nah…you’re fucking with me.”
“Not even remotely.”
We were home for maybe 20 minutes before Mom swept in, Sumi running ahead. Melissa froze at the sight of Sumi, then squeaked when she shifted to
her full-size form.
She smells good!
Mom stared at Melissa for a long moment before rushing forward and pulling her into a hug. My possible new friend began crying as Mom held her, then cried more when Mom pulled me into it as well.
The crying stopped when Sumi joined us. Mom nearly asked about it before Melissa laughed through fading tears, “You’re right. This is a good hug.”
Mom and Sumi laughed, and we hugged harder. What can I say? We’re a touchy group here.
Mom pulled back eventually, while Sumi moved back into her smaller form and hopped into Melissa’s lap to be petted.
“Now, Melissa, correct?”
She had the cutest look on her face as she ran her fingers through Sumi’s fur, “Uhh, yes…Ma’am?”
Mom snickered, “That doesn’t apply to me. You may call me Raph…” I wondered if she’d use her real name.
“Thank you for letting me come here, Raph.”
“You’re welcome. You are too young to be on your own. And, while that wasn’t uncommon when I was young, it is now. Illegal, too. Your parents…?”
“Dead. I had a step-father, I guess. He’s still alive. He killed my mom and threw me out. I won’t go back there.” She sat up straighter.
Mom touched her arm, “You have nothing to worry about there. Do you have any of your paperwork? Birth certificate? Anything like that?”
“No? I had some of it at one point, but it got ruined from rain and mice. I don’t have much other than some clothes and some mementos. That’s about it.”
Mom nodded, “Not surprising. I will take care of it, then. I will need some information from you, then I can set things in motion to gain custody of you.”
“Umm…gain custody?”
“You need people in your life.”
“But…you don’t know me!”
Mom smiled, but it was bittersweet, “I don’t know you, but I would like to. I know that Ceri would like to as well. It’s just the two of us here plus Sumi…and this isn’t our only home. Ceri has only lived with me for less than two weeks. We both need people in our lives…as do you. I would say that we’re made for each other. Plus, you’re a fey? I’d like to think that we should stick together when we can. Not that that’s my real reason, but it still works.”
Melissa wiped her tears, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now…how about food? I hear stomachs growling.”
“I don’t have any money…”
Mom laughed, “You have no need of money while you’re here.” Melissa looked to be leaning into the sound of bells.
We ate together, with Melissa eating far more than I expected from her. It’s pretty apparent that she hasn’t been eating nearly enough. For a long, long time. I cleaned up the dishes and the pots and pans while Mom ate some pie with Melissa. “Now…what do you need?”
Her fork slowed, “Uhh…what do you mean?”
Mom pointed at her with her fork, “What do you need? Clothing? Toiletries? A laptop?”
Melissa put the fork down and rubbed at the table, “You don’t have to…”
“Just let her,” I called out from the sink, “between the two of us we have more money than I can really understand. You have four boxes of things and they’re not all full.” I shrugged, “I’m pretty sure she needs just about everything, Mom. She has nice clothes that she’s been wearing to school, but I don’t believe she has much of that. She has three pairs of shoes. Flip-flops, an old pair of boots, and her sneakers.”
Mom nodded, “As I suspected. In that case? I think it’s time to go shopping.”
We were back home close to 11, and it took the three of us six trips to get everything in the house. She picked the room next to mine, and we helped unpack everything and put it away. She cried during most of it.
That’s fair, because so did I.
Mom didn’t. Mainly because she cried most of the way home.
When we were done, Mom pulled us both into a hug. “Now…school comes early. I will begin talking to my lawyer about what all we need. Once I know, we’ll start working on the specifics. When we have that, we’ll get you official ID and then start your studies for your license. Speaking of, when do you turn 17?”
“Saturday.”
“Holy…this Saturday?”
She nodded at my question. “Yeah.”
“And you have no magic, correct?” Mom asked.
“Right. Nothing.”
“What does that mean? Do the fey really have magic come in stronger like humans and some others?”
“They do.”
“What’s going to happen?”
She shrugged, “Unknown. It could be very nearly anything. Power. No power. Something completely unexpected. You never know.”
“Have you ever seen this happen before?”
“I have.”
“What happened?” Melissa asked.
“I have seen it happen four times in my life, although I have heard of it happening to others beyond that.”
“And the four you saw?” I prompted.
“One boy had nothing happen. He continued on with no magic. He killed himself before the end of the day. He set such hopes on gaining magic…” she looked sad. “The other three gained some magic. One of them gained quite a bit. I’ve yet to figure out if there is a connection at all there. It mostly seems random so far.”
I nudged Melissa, “Huh, you may end the week with magic. That’d be pretty cool.”
“It would be.” She looked so hopeful that I hugged her from the side.
Mom patted us both, “Now, it’s getting late. Perhaps sleep? I hope you both have a wonderful night.”
Sumi joined our group hug, and then left with Mom. They’re pretty darn connected, and it’s adorable. Melissa seems to get a kick out of Sumi, with Sumi liking her as well. That’s good to see, especially if she’s going to be living here.
We finished putting everything away and looked around the huge room.
“I can’t believe I’m here.”
“Believe it.”
“I still don’t get why you’d invite me here.”
“You need it. That seems like a perfect reason to me.”
“Thank you.” She got tears in her eyes again.
“No! No more crying. It’s time to wind down.” She laughed at my order. “So…good night. I hope sleeping in the bed is better than in the cave.”
Her lips curled up, “I fail to see how it could be worse. Even if you came in and stabbed me to death in the middle of the night, it’s still be better.”
That’s saying something right there!
I left her to get ready for bed and moved to my room, stripping everything away and brushing my teeth as I thought through the day.
It’s funny. Or no, not funny, it’s just…weird, I guess. I don’t have any issues with helping these people that I’ve just met. There’s no part of me worried about helping Marisela or Tara or Melissa. None. I get why some folks would have a problem with an orc and a goblin. If a species is so far outside of your comfort zone, then I can see it being an issue that way. I don’t get it once you meet them, though. People are people. Every species or race has good people and bad people. Meeting a bad one doesn’t mean they’re all bad. Just like meeting a good one doesn’t mean that they’re all good.
And yet I’d swear that all three of the girls are good. Very good.
Tara is a freaking genius that deserves to have her inventions out there…and to be rolling in cash.
Marisela? She may not be a genius, but she’s a genuinely nice person. She deserves help.
Melissa? She’s been so beaten down by things and by Syl that there’s no part of me that doesn’t want to help her, even if it’s just to spite Syl. I’d do it and smile if that were the only reason. I really would.
Noise near the door broke my reverie, and I found Melissa there. She had on a tiny short-set of PJs and looked crazy nervous.
“Hey, you can come in? You live here no
w.”
She wouldn’t look at me, “You’re, umm, kinda naked?”
I laughed, staring down my body. Yeah, I’m sleeping naked. What can I say, I got into the habit of it in school. Everyone else did, and it felt right. It feels right. Even if I want to hide away at the oddest times.
“I am. Mom sleeps this way, too, so expect to see her boobs as well. Probably tomorrow morning.”
She blushed hard, “Oh my God…”
“Don’t worry about it. Seriously. It’s how we are. It’s how you are, too, you’re just not used to it.”
She shrugged, but it was a real effort for her, “Maybe…I’m just…like you said. I’m not used to it. Not anymore.” She fell silent, making me think through things.
“Umm, do you want to sleep in with me?” The fey aren’t like shifters that way, but they’re very touchy-feely with family and friends. I’m thinking she’s just over the top lonely, so even though this is her first night…
“Uhh, yes? I mean, you don’t have to say yes, I just…”
“Come on in. You can sleep in with me any time. We could both go and sleep in with Mom too, if you want. I did that the first night here.”
She stepped in, smiling, “No…that’s okay. Are you sure, though? You’re…”
I tossed the covers down on the other side of the bed, “I’m positive. Don’t worry about how I’m dressed. I’m feeling a little embarrassed right now, but it’ll pass.”
She paused at the side of the bed, so I moved over quickly and grabbed her hand, yanking her into bed. She eeped before hitting the mattress, then pretty much melted. I had to drag her over to the middle of the bed and pull up the covers.
“It’s a nice mattress, isn’t it?”
Her contented smile made me laugh, “Oh my God…this is amazing.”
“Your mattress should be the same. I haven’t been to the other houses that Mom has, but I bet they’re all like this.”
She snuggled in more, smiling wider, then opened her eyes again, “I can’t believe you live here. This place is…wow.”
“It’s nice, isn’t it? Like I said, I haven’t seen her other houses, but they’re all over the place.” I didn’t want to pry, but it felt like a good time, “What about…where you lived with your parents? What was that like?”
