Mana Pool Snippets - Keystone

Part 3

“Awe geeze not this again. We’re coming in and that’s final,” Katie said. “Look at her. We found her in our kitchen covered in dirt and crying. And as far as I know, this is child abuse and you know it.”

Katie’s emotion-driven outcry was done the same as she moved forward, along with the shield. Morgan backed up and closed the door, but the shield pushed that back too. Katie told Scott and Andrea to follow her. Andrea clenched tightly to Scott.

Morgan backed up into the house. Beth always kept it nice and tidy, but the patio told Scott the parents were afraid to go outside.

“Beth, call 911,” Morgan said.

Scott heard a phone dialing from the kitchen on the other side of the house.

“Beth, don’t,” Scott yelled.

“Did you hear what I said? Get out!”

“Oh just drop it will you?” Scott asked. “We have every right to be here.”

“Not looking like that you are not.”

Beth came out of the kitchen corner holding the cordless phone. Beth was the same build as Morgan, except her black hair was cut long and curly. She too was wearing sweats, odd considering she too wears business dresses to work. “No, no. Get out!”

Katie set the shield in one hand. She flicked her free hand’s wrist and the cordless phone was pulled right out of Beth’s hand, flew through the air, and into Katie’s. Katie cut the call and set it on the tabletop next to the stairs.

“Do you even care about your daughter? Our friend?” Katie asked. “This isn’t like you two.”

“Look who’s talking,” Beth said. “Honey I told you we should’ve answered to tell them to keep her.”

Katie gasped.

Scott closed the door with Andrea still close to him.

Katie kept the shield up, showing some strain in her arm. “Just sit down and let’s talk about this.”

“No, we think you need to leave. We can’t trust you anymore,” Morgan said. “Every single day we hear the news of terran violence on innocent lives and I will not jeopardize myself or Beth to even speak with you. I’m not sure you two are the same person. Just get the hell out.”

“Jeopardize?” Scott said. “Me and Katie are the most trustworthy people you know. What you think that when someone you know transforms they are no longer who they say they are?”

“Definitely,” both parents said.

“I don’t believe this. Back then, you two never sound this hypercritical or racist. And besides the terran stuff, Andrea is your daughter. You two kicked her out of the house. You called her a demon. She survived out there with nobody to help except her totem. She came to us for help, out of the whole neighborhood. It’s child abuse is what you’re doing, Morgan. Plain and simple.”

Scott may have made a clear point, but from the looks of Morgan and Beth, it had straight and clear reactions.

“I know that it’s child abuse,” Beth started. “I know what we are doing is wrong.”

“Really?” Scott and Katie said, then Andrea.

Beth sat down on one of two plush couches. “I talked to Morgan about it. I asked him if it was the right thing to do. And to be honest, I felt alone without her. And scared thinking she’s out there.”

“So are you taking me back, Mom?” Andrea asked wiping the tears.

Beth produced a stone face and said, “No. She’s a safety hazard.”