Stella Lockheed
Dragging my feet away from the auditorium, my heart seemed to carry an invisible weight.
What is this emotion? Sadness? Disappointment?
I couldn't put my finger on it. It wasn't like I harbored a secret desire for Alistair and Seraphina to be present and cast their judgment upon me. That's not what I want, right? I scoffed at the thought. Maybe I was some kind of masochist who found solace in the sting of their disapproving gazes. It was familiar, the only kind of love I was used to – conditional and judgmental.
As I distanced myself from the auditorium, the scene of familial bliss unfolded around me. Proud parents beaming at their kids, kids basking in the glow of their approval. The kind of tableau I'd trade my unreliable magical abilities for any day. But no, I had
