The cat was out of the bag. I didn’t think mom would be getting out of this one with my Lil sis.
Mom pushed her long strawberry blonde hair behind her ears before she spoke.
“Your sister and I were born with them. Your father and I didn’t meet each other in L.A. We met while he was going to school here. I lived in Hunters Park. One day he came into the park to do some research for a plant biology class. I saw him as I was doing some hunting that day with my family. I know this all sounds eccentric.” My Mom placed her hand on top of my sister’s. She looked afraid. “I don’t know how else to say this, Megan. I am a fox who has the ability to transform into a human. I was very young at the time, around sixteen years old. Your father was 19 when I first observed him. Every time Dan showed up in the forest I’d follow him. This went on for several months. Early on, my clan warned me to stay clear of humans. My father and mother, who have passed now, urged me to believe that this kind of relationship would complicate things. Still, I was infatuated with him.”
My sister started to speak, but my mother held her hand up to hush her. “Please let me finish, and then you may speak.” My sister’s eyes grew wide with astonishment. She continued to sit silently, her hands gripped the table as if she was on an airplane flight.
“One day I came out of hiding in my human form to meet him. We began taking walks together in the forest. I listened to him discuss his interests. I’d been schooled by the clan, enough to get by. Struck by the way he carried himself, I was inspired to attend college. In order to do this, I would have to live amongst humans. He’d said there was a test I could take if I wanted to enroll. The jolt is I never told him I was a fox. I deceived your father because I was terrified that it would end our relationship.”
My sister had tears streaking down her face. She’d pushed her bowl of cereal aside. I tried to read her, to see inside her heart so that maybe I could help her understand. This was the first time I’d ever heard this story. I mean, I knew they’d met in college, but my mom had lived here! If all this had occurred, then why did we return? Had my father summoned us here?
“It became clear when I was pregnant with Starla that I must reveal the truth to your father. I honestly thought I’d end up raising you alone,” my mother whimpered, gazing at me. “He was so many things that day, scared, furious, upset, yet he still held me, and kissed me before he took off. I remember that night so clearly. He left me in Hunters Park. Kris (Cal’s mom) and I were best friends. She comforted me, keeping me sane til Dan came back. He was gone for almost 3 months. I still don’t know what went on during his absence. I never asked, assuming he was working on his college degree, and he’d held a computer job at the school.”
“Is Starla a fox too?” Megan interrupted.
“Your sister is half human, half fox. Your father told me recently that she’d discovered the truth about her heritage. I wanted to keep you girls safe from all this. The whole reason it was so touchy for me to be with your father at the beginning of our relationship is that there are people who do not want us to merge. Most humans and other species we know of accept each other, learn, take on each other’s cultures, positive traits, learning and growing from our differences. We let these unite us instead of using them as tools of separation. The Bandits think otherwise. It’s one of the reasons I alienated myself from the clan. Your father, he wanted us to exist with both at once. I didn’t see the possibility of it,” she explained.
“Is that why you and dad split? It wasn’t about him leaving his teaching career to become an investigator?” asked Megan.
“It was a little of both. How are you dealing with this? Are you majorly freaked out?”
“I just want to know about me. Where do I fit in? Do I belong to you and dad?”
My mother moved her chair closer to my sister, wrapping her arms around her. She kissed her gently on the forehead.”You do, belong to us. It’s why your father and I are trying to work things out. We were going to talk to you about everything tonight,” she stated. My mother gradually let go and brushed Megan’s hair behind her ears lovingly.
“You and Starla are sisters unique in your own ways. I know you’ll gain some of my abilities. I’ve been surprised nothing has happened yet, that I know of. If anything occurs, visions, an ability to move objects, seeing things clearer in the night when it’s pitch black, anything let me know, OK?”
My sister nodded.
I got up, taking my mostly empty cereal bowl to the sink. Turning around, I asked, “So what’s on the agenda for today?”
“I think we could all use a day out of this apartment. In fact, I’ve been a bit stuffy myself. Maybe it’s just guilt, but do you guys want to go to the mall?”
My sister’s eyes lit up. The mall was something she never said no to.
“OK, but we have to at least go to Music Radio,” I said.
“I’m not going to say no, but I sense this is a bribe,” proclaimed Megan.
“Kind of, you can’t go telling your friends about this. The only exceptions to the rule are Jenson and Molly. I’m not sure who else is involved. Things are a mess since Du-Vance’s death. I’ve stayed out of the assignment your father and sister are working on. Right now my job is to keep you girls secure. I’m hopeful after this is over things will be peaceful, or...”
“What is it Mom? Were we ever at peace? Did we ever live amongst humans, wolves, gypsies, wolf hybrids, and Indian tribes?”
“That’s a lot to ask me right now. We’ll discuss this in depth later tonight when your father arrives,” she said.
“OK,” said Megan as we got up from the table.
“Let’s go get our purses and coats, and then we’ll meet mom in the car,” I said to my sister. I turned to exit the kitchen, heading towards our entryway.
“Sounds like a plan, Mrs. Star of Starlight. I demand to see you turn into a fox!” She grabbed me by the shoulder in a playful manner.
“Not likely, mom has us under wraps. What are you doing, stealing all my witty lines,” I retorted. Then gently gave her a friendly bump.
Once in the hall I opened the closet door, getting our coats. My sister took hers from me and put it on.
Megan pulled me towards her, “Thanks, I just have an awful lot of questions. I don’t want to ask mom everything,” she whispered.
I gave her a quick squeeze of reassurance, “OK, but save it for tonight after dad has left and mom has gone to bed.”
She nodded, and we headed out of the apartment to wait in the car.
Hours later...
Megan and I deposited our loot on my bed. She was all smiles. Mom had let her pick out a new outfit with accessories.
“Dad better get here in a flash. Mom’s pretty edgy,” said Megan, sitting on my bed.
“You think, she never lets us get Taco Bell, go to Dairy Queen, get new outfits and new music all in one day,” I stated.
My sister pulled her knees to her chest and rested her face on them. I wondered if she’d always felt excluded, the odd one out. I’d thought I’d been the outcast. She had all the popular friends. Could it be I’d misinterpreted my sister? I had consistently run off doing my own thing in L.A. I definitely changed since we’d moved here.
“So you and Jenson, how is that working out?” she asked, running her hands over my bedspread.
“We’ve had one date so far. Our relationship hasn’t altered too much yet. It’s just the beginning,” I sighed, recalling how his arms had felt as they’d engulfed me. I preferred to be in them right now.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” I asked her. She was in eighth grade, after all.
“Nah, not right now, I’ve got too much homework, and I prefer hanging out with my friends. I do admit some of the boys are cute. They just act like fools attempting to impress us. I don’t buy it.”
“I get it, been there.”
We took our new outfits out of their packages. My sister had gotten a cute pair of jeans with a dressy pink shirt. I’d just stuck with je
ans and a nice new purple hoodie. It was either that or a flannel to wear over my white T-shirts. I hung my new clothes in the closet. I realized if I was going to the dance I’d have to go on another shopping trip. There was nothing in my closet to wear. Dresses were not in this girl’s dress code.
“Where are your green earrings? Can I borrow them?”
“Sure, sis, in my night stand drawer,” I replied nonchalantly.
“Where did this diary come from?” Megan asked, pulling it out from the drawer. She examined the brown leather cover.
“Mom gave it to me. I still have to go through it. There are pictures also in that manila envelope. I forgot to ask her about them,” I said.
“Can I have a look?”
“The pictures yes, I want to read the diary first. Mom gave it to me.”
“But...”
“No buts or you can leave,” I argued.
She sat down and leafed through the pictures. Maybe I shouldn’t let her see them. It would only cause her to inquire further, yet she was going to have to meet the clan someday. I hoped my mother realized that everything now must come together. Whatever puzzle pieces she had torn apart to try to save us hadn’t worked. I had to piece them back together. They wouldn’t all exactly fit, not as they had before, but they would have to merge.
“Do you know who any of these foxes are?”
“No clue. I tried to find out last night. The others you know are Mom and Dad’s wedding, right?” I asked.
“Of course, I do.”
She continued to study the photos.
“So the others in these pictures: wolves, foxes, wolf-hybrids, I mean, who knows what else we are a part of.” She tossed them down on my bed.
“I’m just”...
“Upset, hurt, confused, angry,” I blurted throwing the words out for her to grasp.
“Yeah, but I still love mom,” she gulped down the tears. I don’t think she wanted to cry again in front of me.
“Look on the bright side, we went shopping today, I’m still your sister. You can’t get rid of me, fox, or no fox, OK?”
“OK, but tell me what your tattoo does?”
I shook my head, grinning, “It might be a warning signal not sure. I have yet to see it glow, if someone should call upon me. Eva, one of the foxes in the clan says it helps me sense things, but I’ve about given up on figuring it out. No one wants to tell me,” I replied, rolling my eyes.
“Ask Dad tonight, tell him you need to know. It could be useful in the case.”
“I will, now can I have some privacy before it all comes hailing down on us?” I asked.
“What?”
“Mom and Dad, in the same room, I know you said they were lovely dovey last time.
My sister turned, leaving the room.
I glanced at the diary sitting on my night stand. I wondered if it said how in love they once were. They had to be to create us. That passion was only starting to form in me. I shuddered. It scared me to imagine it. Love, Jenson, even what Molly must be going through, I could not hide from it. It never did me any good in the beginning when I’d gotten my visions.
I opened up the diary to page one.
Chapter 18
Setting down the diary beside me, I placed a hand on the cover, tracing the symbol of infinity. My mother had gone through a great deal in her life. What she wrote made it sound as if my father was the best thing that ever happened to her. Pa and Ma were loving, but stern. It sort of oddly reminded me of The Little Mermaid. It started out as ordinary everyday adventures with her family, but as she grew older it became apparent she was intensely interested in the world outside her realm. There was no mention of any love interest inside the clan. My mother wrote as if most of them behaved like brothers to her, protectors of sorts versus anyone she could become romantically involved with. They weren’t too keen on that. Eva remained my mom’s biggest supporter. I neared the last page. Eva told my mother to follow her heart. What upset me was the diary contained nothing relevant to the case. Did I overlook anything? Had my mother given this to me to connect with her, or the clan?
If Megan wanted to read it she could, I thought setting it on my nightstand. Dad would be here eventually. I could almost imagine my mother calling me downstairs. Tomorrow I’d have to get up early for work. Ugh, so not looking forward to that. Hopefully, I’d be able to get my moped license soon. No more walking...
“Starla, come help me with dinner,” my mom hollered.
Right on target I thought, seeing my sister waltz out of her room.
“I heard mom calling you. Did you find anything out in that diary?”
“I found out what are grandma and grandpa would have been like. They strike me as stern from the way Mom described them. If you ask me, we’re lucky to have her. You can review it later tonight. Return it once you’re done,” I said.
“No problem, why wouldn’t I?” she sassed.
I shrugged, heading down the stairway. Warm smells drifted from the kitchen. Peering in I observed my father taking cheesy bread out of the oven.
“Yum, amazing, are we having spaghetti again?”
“No, Mom left to pick up pizza. She thought she’d better holler at you to come down before it got here. I wanted to make an appetizer to go with it. I miss cooking. It gets lonely making dinner for one,” he replied.
“I know, I hate eating alone after a work shift. It’s why I usually pick something up there with one of the wait-staff,” I answered.
My dad set the plate of cheesy bread on the table. I grabbed the plates out of the cupboard to help get ready for when the food arrived. Would she remember my pepperoni?
“Thanks, for helping. Um, mom discussed with me your conversation this morning. I’m glad she told you. I just wanted to be there,” he assured me as Megan strolled into the kitchen.
“Can I have some of that?” she asked, pointing to the bread on the table.
“Sure,” Dad said.
She quickly scooped one up off the plate, putting it into her mouth.
“Hmmm,” she moaned.
Dad chuckled.
“We know it’s good,” I replied.
“Starla, why don’t you grab cups for soda?”
“Sure.” I took them down from the cupboard and then placed them on the table alongside the cola.
“I’m sorry we haven’t been able to get you your moped license yet. How was your date with Jenson?” he asked me.
I sat down next to my sister.
“I really like him. Star said it doesn’t have to be complicated. That similar to you and mom, it might work. She doesn’t want me to worry.”
“That sounds like Star. Megan, how are you faring with the news from this morning? Do you have any concerns you must discuss?”
“Mom explained most of it. It was worth the trip to the mall. Does it bother me that you hid it from us, of course, it does, dad!” she yelled and slammed her fork on the wooden table. It made a small indent where it had hit.
“Understand we only kept it hidden from you girls for your protection. We love you.”
“I don’t understand why you had to hide it for so long,” Megan muttered.
“To safeguard you. There was a massacre in River Rouge years ago. A family from the clan was killed that contained half fox/half humans, vampire hybrids, and other half-breed mixes. Star, their daughter, and some others discovered them. They’d heard something was going down in the area. They didn’t make it in time. She found her parents’ bodies. The other’s they tried to help fled. We’d been cautioned by Star after she returned to Hunters Park. I wished to continue helping her. I owed them at least that. Your mother and I agreed on separating to keep you both secure. Then I arranged to assist the clan. After a few years of investigative work, nothing turned up. But now I’m concerned about all of us, especially since Du-Vance’s death.”
Megan gulped down some soda, “I understand dad, it just makes me sad. At one point in my life, I even considered I might be adopted.”<
br />
I tried to stifle a laugh, but then remembered I had the same idea when my powers appeared. Mother and father weren’t truthful regarding them so I had no clue where they’d come from, definitely a Clark Kent moment.
My sister continued, “You haven’t been around much since I was born. It’s so not fair. You appear in our lives when you want to, and then you’re gone again. I sure hope this time things end up differently. Even if you and mom choose not to be together, I’d like my dad back,” coaxed Megan.
Fritz barked from somewhere in the house. Suddenly he romped on into the kitchen.
“Fritz, are you looking for food?” I said. I stood up and walked over to his bowl, picked it up and then glanced at the door handle. It moved.
“Dad,” I said.
... Click, click, click...
“Dan, can you open the door! My key isn’t working,” shouted my mother.
Pushing back his chair, Dad got up and opened it. I finished getting Fritz his food so he’d be distracted while we ate.
“Thanks, could you take the pizza?” asked my mom as she entered the kitchen.
“I got it. What toppings did you get?”
“Half is pepperoni and olives for you girls. The other half is veggie. I hope you don’t mind hun,” she blushed.
My dad took the pizza from her. “Come sit so we can eat. The girls and I have already begun discussing what happened this morning, and why,” Dad explained.
“Ah, well how far have we gotten? What did I miss?”
“Dad said you kept Starla’s identity as a fox a secret to protect us. It’s all due to a massacre at a place called River Rouge,” Megan repeated.
“That’s true,” she replied.
My dad took my mother’s hand, holding it in his. I dished up our plates with pizza.
“Your mom and I have been trying to work things out, maybe I should have listened years ago. I just couldn’t leave the clan unprotected, nor could I make her live a life she deemed would put you girls in jeopardy. Now that everything is out in the open...”
“It’s alright, Dan,” said mom.
“I’ve tried to stop caring for you so many times. I even attempted to date once, but you were there in the back of my mind. She kissed me, and I just pulled away. I couldn’t,” he stuttered.
Myth (Book 1) Page 12
