How To Train Your Witchy Self

(8) The Crazy Princess and the Party Pooping Joy Killer

I woke up to an empty room, but I knew I hadn't been alone all night.

I was still on the floor, where I'd fallen asleep, but there was now a pillow under my head, and a blanket covering me.

I smiled while stretching lazily, before shooting up. "Crap!" For a moment, I'd completely forgotten about my partner in crime.

"Took you long enough." Rabbi said, as soon as I entered the room. He had a banana in one hand, and a stack of papers in the other.

"Where did you get that from?"

He shot me dry look. "I stole it from the kitchen, obviously. I wasn't going to starve to death just because my OWN mother ditched me-"

"I did NOT ditch you!" If he was trying to make me feel guilty, it was working. "And I came back as soon as I woke-"

"You broke at least 2 of the three golden rules. Rules you made-"

"I made rules? Why would I ever do that?" My shock didn't impress him. Actually, it made him angry, if he wasn't already. I raised my hands. "Golden rules. If I ever break them again, you have permission to punch me-"

"Why would I ever want to-"

"-but  you'll have to tell me what they are first. And I promise I'll keep them. Like seriously, swear-on-my-own-future-grave seriously, because what can be more serious than that-"

"Love me, feed me, never leave me."

There was a moment of absolute silence. "What?"

"The three golden rules." He said, before taking another bite of his banana.

I picked up a strawberry from his plate, secretly glad that he was having a healthy breakfast. "Love you, feed you, never leave you." I nodded, trying my hardest not to laugh. "Do I get to call you Garfield too?"

"Don't push it, mother." He scowled, but didn't look at me.

I raised my hands in defense.

He didn't say anything for a while, but I could tell he was itching to say something. I decided to let him take his time. It paid off. "You didn't- you didn't tell him about me, did you?" He asked after awhile.

So that's what was eating the eater.

"I'm offended." I said, before throwing a small strawberry into my mouth. "I do have the power to keep my mouth shut when I want to. Though, I don't really get it. It's not like you'll disappear if he finds out. Maybe if he knows about all this, he could help?"

OK. So maybe this was more about the guilt from keeping a secret from Raees than his help.

"Being unknown means I can investigate without anyone's interference." He said, pointing to papers he had been reading before, "And... I don't want him to know about me." He wasn't looking at me anymore. "I don't want to face him."

I shook my head, "I know fathers can be hard on sons and all, but that doesn't mean-"

"There is no father-son bond." He suddenly said, cutting me off. " There's nothing between him and me."

"You don't like him, fine. Throw eggs at him for all I care, it's between you and him, but-"

"There's nothing between him and me!" He shouted, before throwing his half-eaten strawberry in the plate. "I've never met him. Never talked to him." His lips thinned. "He never came for me, and I'm not here for him."

He never came for him? Did that mean he never came for me?

Instead of dwelling on that, I placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know what you've been through. But you're here now, in a whole different world. Full of possibilities and chances."