The Spirit Guardians Book 3: Fated

Chapter 26

Cassie barely slept that night. Diana had been kind enough to allow Lillian to sleep in their room, but even when the lights went out, Cassie was kept awake by her thoughts for hours and became very familiar with how the upper ceiling looked.

The room had gone silent after the announcement. Then, there were voices of confusion which eventually turned into bouts of anger. Cassie brought Lillian to her bedroom and they had both stayed in there the rest of the evening. Diana brought them some food from the fridge, and they ate in quiet before going to bed, no one daring to speak.

The sun was slowly rising, casting a light glow over the bedroom. Diana and Lillian appeared to be sound asleep, but Cassie had been in a cycle of waking and dozing for hours. She would be lying if she said she didn't hear the sounds of her parents fighting down the hall late into the night. She heard her grandparents voices mixed along in the chaos too.

Cassie's stomach was rumbling, and she realized she couldn't lock herself in her room forever. Had this been her fault? If she'd never joined the spiritkeeper world, her mother would have never met Lillian, the truth would have never been revealed.

Cassie stared down at Lillian's sleeping figure. She supposed the girl was resting easier now that the truth was out. It wouldn't have been fair for Lillian to never speak to her mother. Because even if Cassie had never decided to become a spiritkeeper, Lillian would still be without a mother.

Cassie slowly crept down from her bed, tiptoeing over Lillian to the bedroom door. The door slowly creaked with her exit, and she headed down the hall. She paused, hearing someone in the kitchen, but as she peered around the corner, she only found her father sipping a cup of coffee as he read the paper.

"Morning," he grumbled at the sight of Cassie. She could tell he was still in a poor mood, and judging by the bags under his eyes, she guessed he hadn't been sleeping well either.

Cassie quietly wished him a good morning and began fetching her own breakfast of toast and fruit. Not wanting to keep locking herself in her room and avoiding everyone forever, she sat down across from her father. Only the sound of her toast crunching with each bite filled the room.

"Is your sister—er—are your sisters—awake?"

"No," Cassie said quietly, taking another bite.

"When did you find out?" her father asked.

Cassie sighed, knowing this conversation would be unavoidable. She'd barely spoken to her family since her mother's announcement the evening before.

"Mom told me she was married and had another kid two years ago. But I only found out about a week ago that it was Lillian," Cassie stated.

Her father quietly growled.

"Dad, stop. The only reason she told me was because her first husband was part of the world I belong to. Mom loves you."

"I know that," her father grumbled, violently flipping the page of the newspaper.

"Believe me, I'm upset too. I've been living with Lillian over three years and never knew. Mom lied to me. I brought it up one time that maybe Lillian was her daughter, but she quickly denied it."

"Does that mean Lillian will be coming over here too?" her father asked.

"No. She doesn't want anything to do with Mom," Cassie stated. "But she wanted to talk to her at least."

Her father huffed.

Cassie sighed. "What about Grandma and Grandpa?"

"I think they knew deep down. They knew she ran off with a young man, but I don't think they knew about the marriage or child or legal issues with the divorce. She didn't speak to them for a long time, not until she met me, at least. Have you talked with Diana?"