Chapter 44 – Furari Magicae (Samson Conrad POV) Pt. 4
Listen to Fatima's heart fly, I think as I stand three or four feet from her. My father besides me, my mother's standing near her. As much as I only want to focus on Fatima, I pull my gaze from her and glance between my parents.
Mom came flying in here in actual panic. Though she was speaking with relief now.
"Why-" dad starts again, but just shakes his head at me when mom gives him this 'quiet Ansel' glare. That I'm sure she thinks I did not witness.
"Now that we've found you..." my father starts. "Now that we've found you both," we weren't hiding. I mean surely if we were we wouldn't pick somewhere in this house.
"Faith," it's the way my dad says her name that I know something unpleasant might follow. Or maybe it is the knowledge I had over heard before Fatima found me outside her room? Either way, I know changes were going to be made. I knew since Danny came to the hospital.
I hadn't told Fatima though.
Did she overhear Danny while she was under the pain management injections Uncle Trevor had given her? Did she know that Danny, Cynthia, all my cousins were moving to live in Bend?
Crap. I had wanted to get it all out before she heard it from someone else. But did it really matter from who she heard the news?
"Let's all just sit for a minute," my mother says calmly, perching herself at the end of the long footed sofa theater chair. Her distance from Fatima doesn't escape me, nor does it when Fatima nervously sits but inches closer to me. Glancing down, a smile grows on my face as inside my heart swells just a bit.
The feeling unfortunately doesn't last.
My dad swallows loudly, and I'm forced to look up between them, knowing what was coming.
"Faith, Kalenah and I do not regret asking you to join our family," hopefully if she heard us say this enough, she'd believe it. "And we've kept as much of your past a secret as we possibly can, and while we are not pressuring you to put the pieces that escape you together quicker or on our schedule," he pauses and takes my moms hand.
"We do need to fill in the family about your past now."
My eyes widen, and I immediately turn to look at Fatima, trying to get a read from her body language, and facial expression.
"With Cynthia and Danny showing up, we need to inform the family, of your relationship to her. We are on your side here..." my mom takes over.
"I'm not sure how you feel about everything, but based on your reaction," my mom dips her head using it to point out Fatima's casted hand. "I'd wager that you have a lot of built up emotion inside and we just feel as though maybe it will be easier for the older kids to understand the rules we're going to be setting henceforth."
Catching onto the words I realize mom and dad aren't actually saying they'd be telling everyone in Bend. Just the adults and my older siblings – which at this point-
"Not Brennan," I blurt out as soon as I think it, interrupting the silence. I look at my parents as though they've lost their mind. "Are you kidding me? He cannot keep anything you tell him to himself! The minute you let him know about Fatima, he's going to run and tell Devin!"
Waiting for a response feels as though it takes forever. But I watch the emotions play on my mother and fathers face. First it's sadness, then they both seem to glance at one another before dad addresses me.
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Loving Ashlynn (#Wattys2016)
Werewolf"Her name isn't Sophie, I lied, her name is Fatima Safiya Ashlynn - I thought she would die where I left her."
