Page 9 of A Lesson in Obedience
I tookthe stairs two at a time, a cotton t-shirt holding my wet braids on top of my head and Beau at my heels. I could smell the hot chocolate immediately. I stopped at the threshold of the kitchen, watching her add tiny marshmallows to the mugs. I cleared my throat, causing her to jump a little. She looked over at me, holding up the mugs and nodding towards the couch. I made no move to follow her when she walked past me.
“Was he my real dad?” I asked softly.
Before she made it to the couch, my mom stopped walking. I watched her shoulders stiffen and the air in the entire bottom floor of our house was instantly sucked out with an invisible vacuum. “Riley, what are you talking about?”
I crossed my arms over my chest, hugging my body. “I’m talking about dad. Was I actually his daughter, or was that a lie?”
My mom started walking again, circling around the couch and placing the mugs on the coffee table. When she straightened up, the look she gave me was one full of pain and a tiny bit of regret. “Thomas loved you, honey.”
I looked up at the ceiling, needing my tears to stay exactly where they were. I felt Beau lean against my legs, running his snout against my ankle. “Was. He. My. Dad?”
She shook her head. “No, Riley. He wasn’t.”
I brought my head down and we stood there staring at each other for what felt like hours. I heard the overhead clock in our kitchen ticking and the sound of cars going by outside. It had gotten late and the only light outside was our light above the door outside.
I took a deep breath, walking over to the couch and sitting down. I didn’t try to make myself comfortable because I wasn’t sure if I was going to have to walk away from this conversation at any moment. I really didn’t know how much more I would be able to take tonight.
“Riley…” My mom started grabbing her mug and leaning back against the arm of the couch.
“Did he know who my real father was?” I decided to come at the issue differently than what I had previously planned.
She pressed her lips together, watching as Beau maneuvered himself between the coffee table and the couch. He curled up and rested his head on the ground, closing his eyes. “He did.”
“And neither of you thought I should know? Neither of you thought that I should be aware of who my actual father was?” I snatched my mug roughly off the table, watching some of the liquid slosh over the side and onto the wooden coffee table.
She tapped her fingernail on her mug. “Riley, what does this have to do with how you magically ended up in your room, in a coma-like state and covered in blood?”
I could feel my body start to shake from annoyance and the copious amounts of anxiety I was holding in. “It has to do with everything, Mom. He told me that he was my dad. Everything that happened was because I was so fucking important to him, because you hid me away!”
My mom put her mug down, giving me an alarming expression. “Woah, honey, who are you talking about?” Her eyes flicked down to my mug. I heard the bubbling and looked down as well. The hot chocolate was starting to boil and wisps of steam wafted from the top of the mug. The smell of burning chocolate filled my nostrils and I quickly placed the mug back down, noticing how the liquid began to settle down.
I curled my hands into fists, feeling my fingernails dig into my palms. Beau lifted his head, watching me with his big caring eyes. His name tasted vile coming from my lips. “Chancellor Fowler.”
My mom’s eyebrows turned down. “Chancellor—wait, your school chancellor?”
I nodded.
“Riley, your father never even met the man nor have I, so I’m confused on how he would have any knowledge of anything.”
I huffed. “He said you guys were in a relationship. You got pregnant and left him. He wanted you to go to Mystic Riegan and you guys could be some kind of happy family. He said he was so hurt when you just up anddisappeared.”
My mom brought her hand to her mouth, looking down at the couch. She closed her eyes, muttering what sounded like a quiet stream of the wordnoagainst her palm. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“Mom, just be honest with me.Please.”
“Erik Lowe.”
I raised one of my eyebrows, not understanding.
“Your real father. His name is Erik Lowe.”
“Then why did Chancellor Fowler tell me…”
My mom cut me off. “Fowler is his mother’s maiden name. He must have taken it on later in life. He was sweet when I met him and I could really see myself having a life with him, but he changed shortly after I told him I was pregnant, maybe he started changing before that..” I didn’t interrupt her, so she continued. “I did the only thing I could do. I left. My parents weren’t strict; I never gave them a reason to be. I’d explained what I could about Erik and I had always wanted to spend time with the family I had in Oregon, and they let me go. I didn’t tell anyone and I knew that if he came around asking, they would find a way to keep me safe.
I didn’t know if you would manifest any powers like Erik, so I kept you away. My dad had passed, and my mom was getting sick, so I needed to come back and help them. Time had passed and you were almost two; your grandmother really wanted to meet you.”
I couldn’t really remember that far back. My earliest memories I had were of me, my mom and my dad celebrating one of my birthdays. That vibrant memory always made me happy, but now all it did was make me more confused.
