My Father's Bidding

7: That Woman

“Are you sure I should go with my pajamas? I feel weird?”

“I thought pajamas are worn during sleepovers.”

“Yeah, but you usually don’t put them on until you get there.”

“You also don’t usually share a house.”

“Maybe I should wait a few more minutes. It’s rude to show up early.”

“You aren’t early, you’re late.”

“See! They’ve probably already fallen asleep, I can try again tomorrow.” I paced outside their door as Julien watched in amusement. We spent most of the day studying in a private room in the library. Now that I have to interact with people again, I can’t help but stall. Little side conversations here and there are one thing. Spending the entire night in one room together is another.

“I can assure you they are not asleep.”

“What if I say the wrong thing and they think I’m weird?”

“They won’t. They’re excited to spend time with you.”

“They are?”

“Yes. This isn’t something they normally volunteer for.”

“Okay. . . I can do this,” I talked myself into it, stopping in front of the door. My hand slowly moved toward the knob before I froze. “I can’t do this.”

He pulled me into another hug, probably the twentieth since we’d been standing here. “You can do this. In the morning you’ll feel so relieved.”

“That I get to leave?”

“No, that you’ll have friends to complain about me to.”

“What? I don’t complain about you!”

“I’m bound to annoy you at some point.”

“Will you come if I mindlink you?”

“I’ll be here in seconds.”

“And I’ll see you no later than four?”

“If you are up on time.”

“I will be,” I narrowed my eyes at him before slipping inside quickly and shutting the door behind me. I stood there for a second, calming myself with slow breaths. Really I was fighting the urge to run back out.

I finally worked up the courage and made my way down a short hallway. I hummed to myself, following their voices to the first door on the left.

“Ugh! That woman has done it this time! She’s grounding me from my own power? Who does she think she is?” Rori questioned the second I walked through the doorway.

“Our mother?” Amara replied with a raised brow.

“So? It is my power. I can use it whenever and however I want!”

Maybe I should turn back now-

“Actually it’s an extension of Mom's power.”

“I DON’T CARE SHE GAVE IT TO ME!” Rori screamed as the lamp next to Amara burst. Amara’s hands rose quickly and the pieces froze in the air. I watched in disbelief as they flew back together as if nothing had happened. “Just because she’s too busy with Kylani to time travel with me does not mean I have to stay here. It’s not my fault they had more kids than they could manage.”

“That’s not fair. Mom and Dad spend as much time with us as possible.”

“Oh really? She was supposed to spend time with me yesterday, then she was busy, and today she brought Kylani with her.”

“Lani is a baby! She has to spend a certain amount of time with mom a day at this age or it will be terrible for her emotional health later.”

“Well, clearly I was the triplet that got put down a lot!” Rori boomed, making the windows explode as a storm erupted outside. I began to back up but they suddenly turned to me. They both stiffened and Rori paled like a ghost.

Was I not supposed to see that?

I took another slow step, nearly tripping on something behind me. I suddenly stiffened with them, slowly turning back to see Alison. She stood eerily calm, focusing on her daughter.

A nervous smile jumped to Rori’s face as she hid her hands behind her back. “Hi, Mommy.”

“Aurora,” Alison warned.

“Yes?”

“Before you left, I asked if we reached the end of our discussion. You told me we had, yet you still have more to express.”

“Well- I uh- you see-”

“Your father will take Kylani to his meeting tonight. I will see you when you are dressed.”

Another bolt of lightning shot down, making the room shake. The lights went out briefly before returning. The storm calmed and the spot Alison stood was now empty, but the fear she sparked in all of us remained. Rori stood still for a minute, processing it while Amara and I exchanged nervous glances.

I knew I should have waited until tomorrow.

She slowly pulled herself together before speeding past me and flipping on a switch down the hall. Amara motioned for me to sit and began repairing the wall of shattered windows. I took the time to look over their room in awe. It looked so unreal. They both had large beds across from each other with perfectly tucked sheets. On either side was a night stand with a stack of books and a vase of glowing flowers. The walls were royal blue with lavender and sky blue figures and golden stars painted over. A variety of candles lined the walls, making the gold stars glow. A large chandelier hung down from the tip of the glass dome above us. I smiled up at the moon as my shaking hands stilled under its blue light. Does everything here have to be so perfect?

Rori flew back down the hall right as I sat, not stopping for goodbyes. “I’m not cleaning the closet,” Amara started at the sound of the door clicking shut. I watched the doorway half expecting Rori to return with a smart reply, but she never did. Amara sighed as she finished the last window and climbed into bed next to me. “She will be gone for a while.”

“Is it always like this?”

“No,” she paused to rethink her words before continuing. “Well, it’s normally not this extreme. My siblings have been more emotional recently. It’s turning into a war for my mother's attention.”

“She doesn’t have time for all of you?”

“She does, it’s just everyone going through a weird phase at the same time. They’re also highly competitive. Alpha genes I guess.”

“So, is that how you “caught” me yesterday?” I tried to switch the subject, sensing her discomfort.

“Similar. They are both forms of molecular manipulation.”

“Oh, can you do anything else? I see your mom is quite fond of lightning.”

“I don’t know. Our powers are an extension of my mom's. The more we learn, the more we get.”

“What can you do so far?”

“I can make myself invisible and manipulate molecules. Sometimes I can affect the elements. Our powers are kinda wonky when we’re emotional.”

“Are you sure about that? Your sister’s seemed to work just fine.”

“As usual,” she mumbled to herself, looking over her nails. “How was your first day?”

“Confusing. I understand nothing yet they expect me to know everything by next week. I don’t even get a full week, I get a weekend.”

“Tell my mom if they’re being difficult.”

“I can’t do that.” My eyes widened at the thought.

“Why not? She’s here to help you.”

“Yes, but we aren’t exactly on the best terms currently.”

“Because of Julien? I wouldn’t worry yourself about that. She wants what's best for you. She isn’t upset with you.”

“Yes, but she usually checks in on me. This is the first I have seen her since dinner last night.”

“Her guardians just arrived home. They’ve been in closed meetings all day.”

“Either way, I don’t want to give her reason to doubt me. I want to prove that I can do this. I can catch up. She will come around then.”

“Just go to her. She won’t doubt you. She’s not worried about your grades. I mean she hopes you do well in school but she wants you to have peace of mind. Somewhere you can feel at home, with or without Julien.”

“But I want to be with him. Are we not destined? Why shouldn’t we be together?”

“She sees things differently than we do.”

“We?” I lifted my brow, making her cheeks turn pink.

“I watch my cousins and friends find their mate every day. They look happy and at peace. I want that. Even my parents, they draw strength from each other. I am confused as to why mom is being so strict with the two of you. Mating Julien would put you both at full strength and help you feel more connected to the pack.”

“And what about you?”

“I wouldn’t find mine until my birthday. Even then, there’s no guarantee. Finding a mate early on is just luck. Some don’t find theirs for years.”

“Do you have any suspicions of who it could be? Let’s say he’s here already.”

Her pink tinted cheeks burned to a bright red as she smiled down at the sheets. “Well. . . I may have a person or two in mind.”