A knock on my bedroom door startled me, and I realized I had heard it with my ears, and it wasn’t some mind trick. “Yeah?” I asked. When my sister stuck her head in, I was relieved. At least it wasn’t my mom.
“Hey? You all right? I’ve sent you a couple of messages.” She walked in and flipped on the light switch. It had gotten darker while I was in Melbourne, though the clock told me it had only taken a half hour this time.
“I’m fine. Just....” I shook my head, not sure how to tell her everything. “I couldn’t get anything useful.”
“Oh.” She was disappointed. She smiled and nodded, but I knew the team had gotten used to having me as a resource, and I’d failed them.
“Daunator may have stolen all of my thoughts, and Holland has some giant wall around Larundel.”
“Yeah, we’ve seen it from surveillance footage,” she replied, misunderstanding.
“I don’t mean an actual wall, although I’m not surprised she has one of those, too. But I mean she’s build some sort of contraption I can’t get through.” I was relieved she hadn’t been too alarmed about my comment regarding Daunator reading my thoughts. I didn’t plan on mentioning that again. “If I was stronger....”
“It’s all right, Cass. Paul’s a pro. He’ll be able to get in there easily enough without Holland there to stop him.”
“Is she still in Linz?” I hadn’t even checked on her. I needed to.
“Her planes are still there. So you couldn’t tell if she was able to find Daunator?”
“No, but if I was able to reach him, I’m sure she could, too. He’s unlike anything I’ve ever encountered, Cadey. Powerful and dark.” I shook my head, remembering how evil had seemed to ebb off of him. If he ever did decide it was time to come for us, it would take everything we have and then some to defeat him. I had no idea a Vampire that powerful could even exist.
“We’ll just have to keep an eye on it.” She was trying to sound nonchalant, but I could hear the concern in her voice. “Okay, well, the procedure is happening tomorrow morning, so you should probably get to bed early tonight. I’m sure Brandon will want you there if his parents decided to let him go through with it.”
I raised my eyebrows at her. “I think I may be grounded for the rest of my life.” I was hoping Brandon’s message was to tell me that his parents had said yes, but apparently that hadn’t happened yet if Cadence didn’t know.
“What did you do now?” Cadence asked, and I was relieved that my mom hadn’t said anything.
“We got into an argument.” I shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “Mom said she thought what happened with Bonnie was all my fault. Maybe she’s right.”
My sister sighed and folded her arms. She thought for a moment before she quietly said, “Mom doesn’t know what it’s like to be in our world, Cass. She’s here, and she’s helping, but she’s not one of us. She’s just trying to keep you safe, and sometimes she’s a little extreme.”
I considered her explanation. I couldn’t blame Mom for wanting to keep me from getting hurt, but it was time for her to realize that wasn’t her job. There were much more powerful people whose sole purpose was to do just that. I shook my head and ran my hand through my hair. “I know it’s my fault Bonnie was here....”
“But it’s not your fault she did what she did, Cass. We’ve been over this. There were lots of contributing factors. If I’d had any idea she was capable of doing... that... I wouldn’t have approved it. Ultimately, Aaron and I are responsible for everything that happens with this team, so it’s just as much our fault as it is yours. No one blames you.”
“Except for Mom.” It was an ugly thing to say, but it made me feel better. So did hearing that no one thought Bonnie’s tantrum was all my fault. It occurred to me that I’d gotten into very little trouble for the horrible decisions I’d made, and then another thought popped into my head. I kept it to myself, though. My sister didn’t need to know I was pondering yet another bad choice.
“I’ve gotta go. Aaron and I are trying to get all of the other areas in line for attacks. We’ve got intel for our own operations to get in line, too. I think I’m going to send you with Aurora since she’s the only Hunter in charge of a group, and you could probably help her.”
“Okay,” I said, surprised to hear that. I’d never gone on a hunt without Brandon and Elliott, and I knew that Elliott had his own team. I couldn’t imagine Brandon wouldn’t be with him.
“Get some rest,” my sister said, and she patted me on the arm before she left. I heard her talking to my mom for a few minutes before the apartment door opened and closed.
A few seconds later, there was a knock on my door. “Yeah?” I said again, not really wanting to talk to my mom but thinking it was going to happen eventually.
It wasn’t her, though. It was my dad. “Hey. You wanna come eat some dinner?” His voice was chipper, like he’d been sent to make the peace, and he wasn’t on anyone’s side except for family tranquility’s.
“I’m not really hungry,” I lied.
“Too bad. I came home early just to make my famous homemade pizza.”
There’s no way I could turn that down. “Fine,” I said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. I shot Brandon and Elliott a quick message to let them know I was okay, and I’d get back to them soon then followed my dad into the dining room. Mom was setting the table, and she managed a small smile in my direction, but I could tell her eyes were puffy from crying earlier, and I instantly felt like a spoiled brat again.
As I sat and wolfed down several pieces of my dad’s pizza, it occurred to me that, if the thought I’d had earlier continued to linger, and if I actually went through with the idea that had entered my mind, I’d be making my mom cry again soon enough. I’d just have to decide whether or not it was worth it.