3
Alyssa waited until all her cousins left the dining room before she got up from her seat. She knew going home would be hard, but she was foolish enough to think they would be okay with her being there. She expected them to be mad, at least some of them, but the way they all glared at her hurt.
If she took a step back though, she got it. She was standing between them and their birthright. Between them and Amavita. If she flaked on them, they’d lose it all. It wasn’t fair. To her or to them.
“Mom?” Alyssa said, approaching the sisters. “Can I speak to you for a moment?”
Her business tone and clipped speech were acquired over years of forcing herself not to feel anything. She knew her mom heard the change and was expecting something bad. Alyssa didn’t care. She was more than a little di
