Page 8 of A Silenced Midlife

"Are we supposed to believe this?" someone else asked, tinged with skepticism.

"Believe it or not," I said, "it's the truth. And now that you know, you're part of a bigger universe. But we have to keep it under wraps. For everyone's safety."

"Listen up," Ava's called. "No one can speak about magic to people outside of this house. If they don't know, you can't tell them. That's part of the spell."

A weight lifted off my shoulders. Consent mattered, and now they were getting it – even if it was after the fact.

Squeezing between bodies, I tried to find some space when I bumped into someone familiar. Mom and Dad. My heart skipped. No, not Luci and Phira. My adopted parents. The humans. The humans who had no freaking clue that I was, er, what I was.

"Olivia?" Mom's brow furrowed in concern. "What is all this?"

"Guess the cat's out of the bag now." I laughed nervously.

"Cat? What do you mean?" Dad peered at me over his glasses, just as bewildered as everyone else.

"Are you here because you got pulled in like us?" Mom asked, her voice rising with fear and curiosity.

"No, Mom." I sighed, locking gazes with her. "I'm here because I'm a part of this magical community."

Ava caught my eye from across the room and motioned urgently. With a tug at my heart, I turned back to my parents, who were still absorbing the bombshell I'd just dropped.

"Mom, Dad, I have to go now," I said quickly, "but why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow after you close the shop? To our new place."

"New place?" Mom said in confusion. "You sold your house?"

I shook my head, offering a rueful smile that didn't quite reach my eyes. "No, we still have the house. We've just... not been staying there. Sorry, there's so much to catch you up on."

My fingers fumbled as I pulled out my phone and tapped out a message, texting them the address of Luci's house. They looked out the window, trying to orient themselves, but recognized nothing that seemed to click. I wondered if they even realized where they were right now.

"I texted you the address," I said, pressing send. "We can talk more over dinner, okay?"

"Okay..." Mom trailed off, still dazed, while Dad simply nodded, his mind clearly racing with unanswered questions.

"See you tomorrow," I promised, then turned away, squeezing through the crowd.

"Excuse me, sorry, just need to get through." My voice was a murmur lost amid the sea of bewildered townsfolk filling the living room.

"Can everyone please move towards the back?" Ava's command rose above the din, her authoritative tone parting the crowd like a ship through calm waters.

"Thank you," I said to no one in particular as I finally made it to the conservatory, only to find it just as crowded.

"Everyone, this way. Out to the porch, please," I directed, gesturing toward the doors that led out to the back deck.

"Are they all going to fit?" someone muttered, but the shuffling feet and collective movement proved efficient enough.

"Keep moving, that's it," I encouraged, feeling like a shepherd herding an exceptionally large flock of cats.

Once the conservatory was cleared, the air felt a fraction lighter, the atmosphere a smidgen less tense. It was a small victory in the grand scheme of things, but I'd take it.

Melody and the rest of the coven entered the conservatory. Ben carried the cauldron and sat it on my worktable.

"Okay, let's try this again," Ava said as she scanned the grimoire. We put the stuff in the cauldron, repeated the incantation, our voices melding into a single, harmonious whisper that seemed to resonate with the very walls of the conservatory.

"Now is it done?" Melody asked, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"Should be," Ava replied, biting her lip. "But we have no way to test it."

"Hang on, I've got an idea." Luci raised a hand and then vanished before our eyes.

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