“Mom, Dad? Where are we?” Anxiety roiled in my stomach.
My dad put his hand on my shoulder. “Not yet, Persie.”
Not yet? What the heck was that supposed to mean? They’d brought me to some unknown place, acting all cloak-and-dagger, and I didn’t feel remotely good about it. They were my parents and I trusted them, but I would’ve felt better speaking on neutral territory. If my legs had cooperated, I’d have sprinted back to the Institute until they agreed to talk there.
My mom kept wheeling me through a network of similar cave-dwelling corridors until we reached a battered wooden door that seemed to have been forcibly wedged into the rock face. Taking out a set of rusty keys, my dad opened it and my mom pushed me into the room beyond—a study of some kind, with a broad, antique desk and empty bookshelves along one wall, though almost everything else had been covered in dust. It didn’t look like anyone had been in there for a long time, and it smelled abandoned.
“Seriously, where are we? I know I went behind your back on this, and I’ve got an apology brewing, believe me, but you can’t just wheel me off to some weird place and expect me to stay quiet about it. I have to get back to Ireland.” I wanted to study at the Basani Institute and learn how to control my own Purge beasts. If she tried to prevent that in any way, she would be ruining the only chance I would ever have of living a somewhat normal life.
My parents came around to the front and faced me.
My dad spoke first, his tone firm but laced with concern. “We’re somewhere safe. But now you owe your mom and me some answers.”
“First, tell me why the heck you’re in a wheelchair.” My mom jumped in, her tone a little less lenient. “Second, I want to know why you were at the Basani Institute, and what you did there that’s caused an uproar.”
Straightening up as best I could, I met their stern gazes. “I’m taking matters into my own hands. Tobe inspired me, actually.” I didn’t mean to put him in the line of fire, but I hoped his involvement might soften the blow. “The Basani Institute can teach me how to catch the monsters I Purge. I came here to try and pass the entrance exam, but I Purged up a banshee. Ms. Jules offered me a place anyway, and I intend to take it.”
I watched my parents closely, expecting an interruption throughout my entire spiel. Instead, they stayed quiet, listening to every word. If only my mom could have contained her expressions in the same way as my dad, my stomach might not have churned so much. I saw anger in the tight line of her mouth, although a momentary relief flickered across her eyes when she realized I wasn’t paralyzed.
“So, you’re okay, then?”
“Just tired,” I admitted.
My dad ran a hand through his hair. “Thank Chaos for that. We feared the worst, with you… like this.”
“My heart’s still pounding,” my mom added quietly.
The new softness in their voices made me feel suddenly teary. They cared about me, no matter what I’d done. I realized how worried they must’ve been and my guilt deepened.
My mom sank back and for a few moments, nobody spoke. Finally, she broke the silence. “Well then, I guess I’ll pack your things for you.”
I blinked dumbly, certain I’d misheard her. “Wait… what?”
“I’ll pack your things, to make sure you have everything you need.” She looked toward the door before returning her attention to me.
Are we in some kind of alternate universe? I sat quietly, stunned. I’d anticipated ranting and raving, and hearing every reason under the sun as to why this was a terrible idea. I’d never, in a million years, expected her to get on board. Either a changeling had replaced my mom, or she was so pissed with me that she wanted me gone.
“But I… don’t understand.” I waved a hand around the room. “If you were going to let me stay at the Institute, then what’s with all of this?”
My mom got up and took to her favorite activity—pacing. “I needed to bring you to a neutral space. You see, we weren’t the only ones who heard about what happened.”
“The woman who called us also called O’Halloran, and now he’s panicking about the implications of your curse.” My dad joined their well-honed double act. “As disapproving as we might be about your methods, the Institute was the best place for you to have Purged that banshee.”
My panic took a nosedive into the realm of dread. “Crap.”
“Yes, crap. And lots of it.” My mom walked to the antique desk and swiped a finger across it, lifting a cotton-candy clump of gray dust. “That’s why we couldn’t take you back to the SDC, in case he intercepted us. This place is safe. It’s the old wing of the San Francisco Coven, which your dad and I occasionally use for agent work. This used to be Remington’s office. People have forgotten about it. More importantly, they’ve forgotten about that mirror.”
“So, you’re not planning to lock me in my room?” My voice trembled, and I hated that she could hear it. If O’Halloran was worried, that spelled potential disaster for me. My parents only held so much sway at the SDC. If O’Halloran wanted to restrain me in some way, he had the authority to make it happen.
She walked back and knelt in front of me. “We would never do that. We can’t protect you forever, and the last thing we want is to push you away by trying to pen you in. You’re a good kid—the best kid—with a smart head on her shoulders, and, sometimes… it’s hard to remember that we don’t always know what’s best for you.”
I tried to concentrate on my questions, but my head swam with total disorientation. “So you’ve decided this is best for me?”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” she replied, with a tight smile. “But your dad and I have decided to support your decision.”
“I… I can’t believe this.” I shook my head slowly. “Seriously, I don’t know what to say.”
My dad checked his phone, stress deepening the lines on his forehead. “For now, just say you won’t come back to the SDC until we say it’s safe.” His voice hitched, and my heart lurched. This must have been so hard for them both. To have it all so rushed made it so much worse.
My mom nodded, grazing her teeth against her bottom lip. “We’ll send everything you need so you don’t have to return there.”
“But… can’t I say goodbye to everyone?” I hadn’t even thought about that. Genie might have been my best friend, but there were other people at the SDC that I’d miss. I felt hollow about just vamoosing without saying anything.
My dad shook his head. “I’m sorry, Persie.” He raised his phone at me. “O’Halloran is buzzing me every five minutes as it is, asking for an urgent meeting. That doesn’t fill me with confidence. I’m afraid he may push for temporary… containment. We’ll obviously try and persuade him against it, but we can’t risk him making that decision while you’re in the SDC.”
“But he knows me,” I murmured, tears welling in my eyes. He’d held me when I was born, I’d seen the pictures. He’d been there for every milestone of my life, and now he wanted to lock me away? It was a betrayal that stung like poisoned barbs.
My mom took my hands in hers. “I know, but right now he’s blinded by panic and protocol.”
“There’s protocol for this?” I blurted out, incredulous.
“For threats to the coven.” She sighed and rested her cheek against my palm. “The famous Victoria Jules might be able to turn a banshee into an invite, but O’Halloran can’t overlook something like that. He’s old school. A security magical to his core. And the coven’s safety is his primary duty, especially after the troubles the SDC has been through in the past.”
I blinked back persistent tears. “Can he have me extradited?”
“Not likely, with Victoria running the Institute and the place being filled with monster hunters. Even the UCA would probably agree that it’s the safest place you could possibly be.” She offered me an encouraging smile, but her eyes still glinted with sadness. The subtext was loud and clear—our paths would part here. Funny, how this was what I’d wanted, but seeing my mom all
upset about O’Halloran and the SDC took the sheen off slightly. It changed the dynamic in a way I hadn’t expected. I was getting my dream, but at the cost of not being able to go home. How could that not take a small piece out of my happiness?
A sudden, panicked thought struck me. “What about Genie?”
“Hector has agreed to support Genie’s decision too.” She turned her face away, her mask cracking for a split second. I couldn’t fully read her expression, but it resembled… envy. After all, Genie would get to stay with me, while I didn’t know when I’d next be allowed to see my mom.
“How did you manage that?” If this was true, then my mom had once again proved that she was a phenomenal negotiator.
She smiled slightly. “With great delicacy. His wife was a monster hunter, and when he heard where she’d gone, I think part of him was proud of Genie for following in her mother’s footsteps. And I might have played on that, to stop him from packing her off to Atlantis.”
Thank Chaos for that… If I had Genie, I’d be okay. Life without her would have been too lonely to even consider, especially when stepping into the unknown territory of independence.
“Plus, he knows you two need each other. He may be angry with his daughter, but he understands your relationship—he wouldn’t try to separate you, not now that he knows the stakes,” my dad added with a heavy sigh.
“Then I should definitely be thanking you.” I hoped I sounded sincere. I meant it, but words were hard right now.
Just then, his phone lit up like the fourth of July. He looked to my mom with troubled eyes. “It’s Tobe. He’ll have news on O’Halloran for us.” He went to the door. “I really need to take this, but I won’t be long.” He ducked out without another word, closing the door behind him.
“Thank you, Mom.” I filled the ensuing silence, to prevent the dread from creeping back in. Like a courtroom after a trial, I didn’t know if I wanted to hear O’Halloran’s verdict. “I mean it.”
She glanced back at me with a flicker of renewed annoyance. “Don’t thank me yet. I’ve still got several bones to pick with you. Like, what the heck were you thinking, taking Kes with you? He’s thirteen!”
I stared down into my lap, knowing that whatever I could say would sound lame. “It was part of the deal for getting us in. I think he’s kind of in love with Ms. Jules, or maybe it’s the monsters. It’s hard to tell.”
“He’s going to be a handful when he gets older.” My mom chuckled, and her whole demeanor relaxed. “Everyone thinks Diana is the most like her dad, but I’m not convinced. Kes is quiet and polite, but he’s got ‘future rebellion’ written all over him.”
“The future…” I swallowed a lump in my throat. “Funny notion, isn’t it?” I remembered the brochures. I wasn’t the only one who’d had secret hopes on their mind of late. And, now that my dad had slipped out to take that call, I had an opportunity to ask her about hers.
My mother’s eyes looked mournful, but she kept her chin up. “You’ll have one, Persie. Your dad and I will speak to O’Halloran. And while we’re doing that, you’ll get to study at the Basani Institute with Genie.”
“I meant your future, Mom.” I chewed the inside of my lip, trying to tread carefully. “I’m really happy that you’re supporting me, and I’m so sorry for going behind your back. I know I should’ve been upfront, but… What I’m trying to say is, I know you’re looking at a change of career.”
I braced for shock, but instead got a quiet grunt that barely amounted to the mildest of surprise. “I figured it was only a matter of time before she told you.”
I fumbled around for the scorpion amulet and handed it over. “Don’t be mad at her for telling me, Mom. She tried not to. But… I’m glad she did. I never knew you felt like this, and… I’m sorry you thought you couldn’t say anything to me about it.”
My mom turned the scorpion over in her hands. “I didn’t even realize this was missing.”
I eyed the scorpion with a sudden sense of foolishness. I’d allowed myself to get all riled up over a non-existent issue—to the point where I Purged a banshee. Mom didn’t even look angry, just bemused. If I hadn’t freaked out O’Halloran, I likely could have slipped the scorpion back into her office without her ever finding out it had gone missing, and now I’d gotten Genie in even worse trouble.
Sorry, Genie! My mom usually knew when a banana was missing from the fruit bowl. It’d never occurred to me that she wouldn’t have noticed the scorpion’s absence. It spoke to how much was on her mind.
“I suspected Genie had a reason for being in my office.” My mom pocketed the scorpion. “But my mind’s been all over the place, so I didn’t have time to consider it much.”
“She didn’t mean any harm,” I assured.
“No, I don’t imagine she did.” My mom glanced at her phone again, her face contorting with frustration. She turned back to me. “Genie’s a good kid, and she loves you. I’m guessing she took it to try and give you an edge in the exam?”
I nodded. “But I didn’t use it.”
“I’m pleased to hear that.” My mom smiled, wearing a hint of pride. “And, while I might not like the way she went about it, I can’t fault her reasoning. She did it for you. And there’s no point getting angry about it now.” She patted her pocket. “I’ve got the amulet back, so I can just put it on my list of things to stew about later.”
“Are those college brochures on that list?” I needed to understand what was going on in her head. She knew my dreams, even if she’d been against them until ten minutes ago, but I realized I had no idea what hers were. I’d been so dedicated to my future that I hadn’t thought about what she’d do when I wasn’t there anymore.
She tilted her head up to the ceiling, her face lost in thought. “Believe it or not, I didn’t choose the path I ended up on, Persie. Chaos sucked me into this life. I look back on the adventures now and it makes me proud to have made a difference, but all of that went away a long time ago. Now, I’ve got a glorified desk job with the occasional mission that I don’t have the heart for anymore.” She sighed wearily. “It doesn’t feel as important anymore, with a few exceptions. I guess it got me wondering what I would actually do with my life, if I could choose.”
“I thought you loved your job,” I murmured, the foundations of my world quaking again.
She shrugged. “I did, when it didn’t feel like a job. Now, it’s just… exhausting. I look at my agent work and I don’t see the successes; I see regret. We got the bad guys, sure, but how much of your life did I miss because I was chasing them across the globe? And I’m tired of all the running and all of the expectations. In a job like that, there comes a time when getting out of bed in the morning is tough. It scoops you out and leaves you hollow, until—and I can’t believe I’m saying this—you don’t even care if you catch the bad guy anymore. They’re a name on a list to check off and get out of the way. That’s not the life I want. I want to give a crap again.” Her gaze sought mine, and I saw the years of pressure crushing her. “Not to mention, it makes me sound like a complete hypocrite. I threw a fit when you said you wanted to leave, when, all the while, I’ve been wanting to get out too.”
“Uncle Finch says we’re more alike than either of us will admit.” I kicked up the foot stands of the wheelchair and put my feet on solid ground. Her confession didn’t make me think of her as a hypocrite at all. Instead, I felt closer to her.
My mom forced a laugh. “He loves that one, doesn’t he?” She rolled her eyes. “In my defense, I only fought against you leaving because… well, I never got the chance to be a kid when I was your age. I wanted you to be able to enjoy your youth in safety and security, rather than spend it fighting tooth and nail to survive. I was wrong, and I’m sorry for that.”
“Can you say that louder for the people in the cheap seats?” I teased, marveling at the way she was opening up to me. I knew the stories of her past, but never so personally. It was nice to hear more from her point of view.
She gave me a half-amused look, which quickly slipped into more solemn territory. “I felt like I had to make up for the deal that I made with Echidna by keeping you sheltered. One thoughtless decision, when I believed I had no other option, changed your life without you having a say in it. I felt like I’d put you in the same position that the world put me in, and I… should’ve tried harder to find another way. I’ll always blame myself for that.”
I leaned out of the wheelchair and put my hands on her shoulders. “You don’t need to. I will never understand the pressure you were under back then. I only wish I could’ve been better prepared.”
“I know…” She dipped her chin to her chest. “And I’m sorry.”
With our separation rapidly approaching, I saw no reason for us to wallow in the should’ve, could’ve, would’ve mindset. And I didn’t want to leave without learning a little bit more about my mom—the sides of her that were usually hidden from me. The non-mom stuff. The Harley stuff. “So, what would you do, if you could choose anything?”
She lifted her head, her eyebrow arching slightly in bemusement. “I… always wanted to be a children’s counselor. I could’ve used one when I was a kid.” A sad smile turned up the corners of her lips. “I love working with kids. Your dad and I would’ve had more, if it hadn’t been for Echidna’s deal. I think we were worried some other force might come and snatch them or land a curse on them. And you turned out to be enough for us.” Her breath hitched. “I’m happy for you, but I’m sad that you won’t be home anymore. I knew this day would come, but I was struggling against it for my own selfish reasons. I know it’s stupid, but… I feel like I won’t be a mom anymore.”
I tipped out of the chair and into her arms. “You’ll always be my mom. Nothing will ever change that, and I’ll only be a phone call away.”
My mom laughed through tears. “I know that, but I worry. It’s my job to worry.”
Harley Merlin 18: Persie Merlin and Leviathan’s Gift Page 28
