Mia
"This is bullshit." I told her as I sat on my bed, folding up the last of my laundry.
"Mia, language." Ma replied.
"Well, it is." I shot back with my hands raised in defense.
Well, there goes my days of peace. I knew something like this was bound to happen but I at least thought they would have the curtsy of leaving me alone until this whole matter was dealt with and I could leave. Unfortunately, it seemed my luck ran out.
"I just want all of us to be together. For a night, is that so hard?"
Yes. I would rather walk through the burning sands of hell then have to sit through a family dinner with Peter.
"Mia, one dinner. Please, just one?" I turn my head away from her as she pleads with me to go through with this. This is the effect my mother has on me. I lose the will to fight her and matters, which before feel massive, become trivial and less important compared to the grief I feel for her.
I really don't want to do this. But my mother wants me to. And sadly, as things are now, whatever she wants from me, she'll get. It's the least I can do before I pick and leave again.
"Fine." I sigh in surrender.
Her eyes light up and she smiles. "We'll be having steak tonight." She says as she turns and walks away.
I close my eyes for a brief moment and contemplate feigning ill. It'll never work but it wouldn't hurt to try.
Opening my eyes, I look around at the room. Like the whole house, it has an ancient feel to it similar to the feeling a person would have walking into a classical library. It looks as elegant as a Victorian style bedroom decorated with fancy wooden furniture could look.
A pinch shoots up my right leg and I bring my hand down to soothe it. Strange, this has been happening since yesterday afternoon. I checked the area plenty of times throughout the night and well into the morning but there was nothing there. Just a small pinch that would occur every now and then.
I chose to ignore it for now and focus on calming myself for this stupid dinner. Just a quick hour and I can go back to isolating myself.
It's pathetic of me, knowing what I do now. That Peter didn't force the change to take hold on me and that only my will to live resulted in it. But even though, I still can't shake my anger towards him. Nor can I rid myself of that disgusting feeling that accompanied my change.
And that alone might be the reason why I still can't forgive him.
But regardless of whatever I feel, I'll try to play civil tonight. For Ma.
* * *
I was wrong. I was wrong and this is killing me.
The silence is agonizing as we waited for Ma for finish setting the meals in front of us. At this six person table, we sit on either side. Peter and Ma on one side and Merida and I on the other.
But with Merida tense and rubbing at her leg every now and then and with Peter's neutral expression, it takes everything in me not to find someway to get out of this.
I thought tonight would simply be bittersweet with underlaying tensions but something about Merida has me on edge and filled with an unnerving anxiety. For a moment, I feel as if my anger with Peter paled in comparison to my concern for her.
Ma finished placing the large steaks on each of our plates, but we made no move to eat before she sat down. Adhering to an invisible order, Ma begin cutting hers first, followed by Peter and then by Merida and I. Although, I brought my piece of steak to my mouth and ate it before Peter did. 162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvr20LKXcS
The action was left unnoticed but not unfelt. Earning me a warm feeling of approving from Madness for my small act of disobedience. I stirred in it for a moment before my concern for Merida suddenly shot back into me.
What the hell was wrong with me?
"So, Peter, how was things with the newly transitioned wolves?" Ma asked.
Annoyed by my internal feeling, I raise my hand and place it on Merida's left arm for a moment. She stops her chewing but continues soon after when I begin petting her gently, as if I were smoothing down the hairs of a cat. I move my hand once she relaxes and the feeling of anxiety finally goes away.
I decide not to think too much into it right now, but I realize that the small act doesn't go unnoticed by Peter, who moves to answer Ma's question.
"It's a tough adjustment. But the group's handling it well. A few of them will be going into training soon."
"Training?" I ask suddenly, wanting to slap myself. I was suppose to not be having a conversation with this man.
The ocean in his eyes moves softly as he regards me carefully. "We train our young wolves to become warriors."
"For what?" Mia stop asking questions, you idiot. "I mean, it just seems kinda outdated."
Merida chokes on her food next to me, and Peter laughs. The sudden sound of it shocking me.
"Well, in some cases you can say that. But for wolves, warriors are necessary. It helps with control, skill, and discipline." He pauses for a moment. "It doesn't happen often, but there are times when our pack will find itself at war. Whether it be with another pack, a clan, a court, or even a coven. We need our wolves to be prepared when that time comes."
I look at him, confused by the terminology.
"Besides the Saga Moon pack," Merida chimes in. "there are others. Not only packs but clans of vampires and covens of witches."
"Okay, that explains that. But why a court? I doubt we'll need to beat an old judge to death."
"Fae folk." Ma adds. "A group of fae, whether it be gray-lords or lesser fae, are called a court."
"Well, shit. Tinkerbell exists, noted. Anything else I can add to the chart of suddenly real mystical creatures?" I joke and the tension leaves the room almost immediately. The original plan abandoned by my stupid curiosity.
The conversation runs smoothly with Merida and Peter teaching me about the different creatures that exists. Some as their original selves and some as shifters. From what I learned in a twenty minute conversation was that mermaids exist, Sasquatches exists--though they're shifters, ghosts are real, and a vast group of shifters exists that can change into a selection of animals such as but not limited to bears, panthers, coyotes, cougars, and dragons.
Oh, and did I mention that a family of Sphinxes lives over in the Mediterranean.
The conversation continued lightheartedly, with simple banter thrown here and there along with random facts that we didn't seem to know about each other.
"You used to call me King all the time." Peter laughed.
"Well, with you being over a hundred, you could've been one." Merida retorted.
"Jesus, you're over a hundred." I laughed. No wonder he'd always looked like he had a stick up his ass.
"I was lucky enough to experience the first Olympics, as a child of course." Peter said as he sipped his drink. In a heartbeat, Peter's joyous expression grew serious. "Mia." He called, his tone sullen.
Something in the once lighthearted dining room flipped.
The whole table fell silent and still. A rock begin to bury its way into my chest making it difficult to breathe as I waited for his next words. But I already knew. I knew because I can feel Madness stirring in response to the silence that hung between us.
"I shouldn't have acted so impulsively that night. I knew it would go against your wishes and yet," he breathed. "I damned you anyway. I apologize. If I had known what the sorceress's intentions were, I would've stopped her and found an alternative."
The air suddenly got heavy, the room significantly smaller. I was suffocating. Madness rose to the surface like a gunshot, taking over in anger. Protecting me.
"Liar." Madness snapped, as I stood. "You let her talk you into it."
Merida rose to meet me, Melody behind her. "Father, what did you do?" She said calmly, but the malice laced in her voice told me she was anything but.
"You have every right to be angry." Peter continued.
"Angry! You have no idea what I feel. How could I possibly forgive you?" I spat, an uncontrollable rage coursed through me. “How could she forgive you? That witch's intentions were clear." Madness said, confusing me even further.
"I’ll let you hate me, you have that right. But I will never regret doing what I did to save my daughter." His voice remained calm in the face of Madness's wrath.
"Your daughter," I scoff. Tears of rage burning down my eyes. I felt conflicted, confused. Torn between Madness's and my emotions. I wanted to forgive him, but the pain of loneliness from the past four years with the agony of anger that Madness felt, made it near impossible.
I needed to run. I needed to get as far away from here as possible.
"I would've been better off if you'd let me die."
I booked it for the doorway and sprinted out of the house as fast as my feet would take me.
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