Moving Objects

Chapter 4

"Have a seat, Rose," she said. I closed the door and sat down in the chair in front of her desk. I set my bag down and trained my eyes on her. Alberta pulled the drawer from her desk and pulled out a thick envelope. It was almost bursting and was not like anything I've seen. It was almost yellow but more of a cream and on the back was a wax seal in a crimson red.

"You're eighteen now," Alberta mused, running her finger over the edge of the envelope. I nodded and shifted in my seat, unsure of how this conversation was going to go.

"When your mother signed you over to the academy, she left this too. She had asked me to keep it safe until you turned eighteen. I figured it was time that you got it."

Alberta extended her hand towards me and I took it from her, running my fingers over the paper. On the front was my name, but it wasn't in my mom's handwriting. This had more of a flourish to it. I looked from the envelope back to Alberta.

"This is it?"

Alberta raised her brow at me. "Pardon?"

"This is the only reason you needed to see me?" I asked. Alberta smiled and nodded.

"Ok then," I said as I tucked the letter into my bag and headed back to class.

It felt like an elephant no longer sat on my chest.

______________________________________

The envelope was taunting me. It was staring me down.

I bit down on my nail as I stared at the small package that called out to me with its black scrawling against the stark paper.

Fuck it.

I got up and snatched it off my desk and got comfortable again in my bed, running my fingers over the imprint on the front. If my mom didn't write this, could it have been my father? I took a deep breath and ran my finger around the edge of the seal, not wanting to crack the beautiful design of the snake that glistened there. I pulled the folded paper out and unfolded it, noticing there was not just a letter, but photographs as well. I looked at the first one and smiled at it softly. It was me and him. It was my father. It was clear to see the two of us together. He was crouched down on one knee, me sitting on the other. I had to have been maybe two or three in the picture, but my hair was already unrulily and thick.

The look on his face as he held me made my heart throb. He looked at me the same way Mr. Dragomir would look at Lissa and Andre. I could see the love pouring out of him and could see how much I meant to him in this still shot. I set the photo down and looked down at the cursive script inking the pages in my hand and started reading.

My dearest Rosemarie,

Today is your 18th birthday, congratulations!

I wish I could be there to celebrate with you, but the likelihood of that is slim. I want to start by telling you that I love you and never wanted to leave you on your own. But I didn't have a choice, it was safer this way.

We live in a world full of uncertainty as we live in a race that is unknown to the rest of the world. But we, you and I, have another secret. We can do things that others can't, including the Moroi. We were just born this way.

I'm sure by now you've started to experience it, things moving on their own, the feeling like your whole world is shaking when you get upset. I know it may not seem like it, but I promise you aren't crazy. You are simply gifted, and strongly at that.

That is why I'm not there. You started to show your abilities far too young, and it terrified me and your mother. But the more I put physical distance between us the less you could use your powers. It broke me to go, but I needed to keep you safe. You were too young to understand how to control it.