It was a wonder Stephanie could even still breathe, Melissa kept holding her so tight. Melissa couldn't help it. After everything she'd just discovered, there was no way Stephanie was getting out of her sight until school tomorrow. She'd probably wind up sneaking into the teenager's room just to watch her sleep, and had no guilt-feelings whatsoever about doing so.
Whether Stephanie was going to continue learning magic or not was a moot point. If they said 'no', Melissa already knew with stark certainty that their usually honest daughter would continue anyway. 'Usually' honest daughter. Stephanie hadn't been honest for three years.
If only Stephanie had come to them from the start, the choice would have been easier. Now Melissa halfway felt as if letting Stephanie continue would be a reward, yet if they didn't, Stephanie would disobey them for the last time. She'd hidden things from them once. She'd do it again in an instant.
That thought filled Melissa with a cold chill and before she could stop them the words were out, quiet and filled with tears and dread. "You'd choose magic over us."
This wasn't fair. The position Stephanie's mentor ... the position Stephanie had put them in wasn't fair. Making a child choose between her family and her dream was something Melissa had promised to never do to her children, and she wouldn't have if she'd known from the start. Now she was faced with having to give in to her daughter's blackmail to keep her.
No, she corrected. Not give in. She'd let Stephanie keep her magic, if that's what she wanted--but with limits this time. No more lies. No more danger. No more forgetting she was a child, even as incredible as she was. And those limitations would be heavy at first, not because of the magic, but because of the lie.
"Mel?" She knew there were tears in her eyes as she looked up at Gabe. He smiled at her encouragingly. "The food's all packed away. Shall we go?"
Gabe was strange. He was magical, and the way he had talked about 'Skulduggery's generation' made it sound like he came from a totally different one. Part of her wondered which generation he was from. Another part didn't want to know. But most of her, right then, was very glad he was there. He seemed to be far more stable a force even than his imperturbable boyfriend.
"Please." Melissa let Gabe take her arm to steady her, and gripped Stephanie's hand, and let them walk her out of the house.
no subject
Whether Stephanie was going to continue learning magic or not was a moot point. If they said 'no', Melissa already knew with stark certainty that their usually honest daughter would continue anyway. 'Usually' honest daughter. Stephanie hadn't been honest for three years.
If only Stephanie had come to them from the start, the choice would have been easier. Now Melissa halfway felt as if letting Stephanie continue would be a reward, yet if they didn't, Stephanie would disobey them for the last time. She'd hidden things from them once. She'd do it again in an instant.
That thought filled Melissa with a cold chill and before she could stop them the words were out, quiet and filled with tears and dread. "You'd choose magic over us."
This wasn't fair. The position Stephanie's mentor ... the position Stephanie had put them in wasn't fair. Making a child choose between her family and her dream was something Melissa had promised to never do to her children, and she wouldn't have if she'd known from the start. Now she was faced with having to give in to her daughter's blackmail to keep her.
No, she corrected. Not give in. She'd let Stephanie keep her magic, if that's what she wanted--but with limits this time. No more lies. No more danger. No more forgetting she was a child, even as incredible as she was. And those limitations would be heavy at first, not because of the magic, but because of the lie.
"Mel?" She knew there were tears in her eyes as she looked up at Gabe. He smiled at her encouragingly. "The food's all packed away. Shall we go?"
Gabe was strange. He was magical, and the way he had talked about 'Skulduggery's generation' made it sound like he came from a totally different one. Part of her wondered which generation he was from. Another part didn't want to know. But most of her, right then, was very glad he was there. He seemed to be far more stable a force even than his imperturbable boyfriend.
"Please." Melissa let Gabe take her arm to steady her, and gripped Stephanie's hand, and let them walk her out of the house.