I can’t tell you how long I stared at this month’s picture trying to come up with an idea. A happy one, no less, because apparently I’m depressing people. đ
Well, something finally came to me. This short is actually connecting to the New Adult serial I’m working on – Your Lies – which will be coming twice a month starting in April, and I’m super excited about it. This is a glimpse into the the past of Delia, the heroine.
I don’t know that I can call it happy, but I don’t think it’s necessary sad or depressing… I didn’t break her, Norris, I didn’t break her!Â
The Lies Begin
Parents are stupid.
They think theyâre smart, that kids don’t know whatâs going on, but theyâre wrong. Kids arenât stupid. Well, some kids are, like Todd Pratt across the street. He was the dumbest. But I wasnât. I wasnât stupid, even though thatâs how my mom and dad treated me.
I picked at the loose thread on the arm of the couch as I listened them fighting. They werenât shouting or anything. They were pretending they werenât fightingâMom would say they were âhaving a discussionââbut talking all hushed and behind their bedroom door didnât make it less of a fight.
That was all they did anymore. Fight. I swiped at my stinging eyes. I wasnât going to cry like a baby about it, but it made my stomach hurt. âCause it was my fault. If I wasnât like this, they wouldnât have anything to fight about. And it was always about me. Even before I messed up today, I’d heard them. The way they’d say my name or the way they’d look at me… Something was wrong with me, and they must have seen that a long time ago.
I didn’t want to be diffrent or messed up. I just wanted to go back to the way it was before–when Mom would smile at Dad like he was the best thing ever, and he would hug her and swing her around when he came home from work.
I sat up straighter when I heard the bedroom door open. Mom hurried over to me and sat beside me on the couch, but Dad walked over and looked out the window. And he looked mad. I felt sweaty and gross all the sudden.
âDelia,â my mom said. âI want you to know weâre not angry with you. You didnât know any better. Thank goodness it happened here at home and not whereââ
âSylvie!â Dadâs voice boomed, and both Mom and I flinched.
âWeâre not angry,â she said again, really slow. âBut you canât doâŠwhat you did anymore. Ever. Itâs too dangerous, and you could get really hurt.â
âOkay,â I said when she stared at me like I was supposed to say something.
âAnd,â her eyes flicked over to my dad then back to me, âif anyone, anyone, ever asks you about it, you need to pretend you donât know what theyâre talking about.â
âYou want me to lie?â
See? Parents were stupid. How many times have they told me lying was wrong? It was bad, and I should never, ever do it. Now, I was supposed to lie.
âDelia, honey, this is important. I wouldnât tell you to do it if it wasnât. No one can ever know what you are and what you can do. Promise me youâll keep it a secret.â She grabbed my shoulders. Her fingers dug in, and it hurt! She gave me a little shake when I tried to pull away.
âPromise me!â
âOw! Fine. I promise! Geez, Mom!â When she let go, I rubbed at one shoulder and glared at her.
âGood.â She stared at me, her lips jiggling weirdly. âNow, go get ready for bed.â
I jumped to my feet and looked at my dad, but his back was still to us. My stomach squeezed painfully again. I hurried into the bathroom, and as soon as I was in the small room, I heard them talking in quiet, angry voices again. I slammed the door, not caring if it made them mad. Because they made me mad. They wouldnât tell me what was so wrong with what I could do or what wrong with me. They wanted me to stop doing the one thing that made me feelâŠlike I was special. And now, I had to lie too.
After brushing my teeth and washing up, I went into my bedroom without looking into the living room. I didnât hear them talking anymore, so that was nice. The worst was when the fighting happened at night. It just kept me up and made me feel sick.
I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed. Before I could turn the lamp off, there was a knock on the door. It opened a bit, and my dad stuck his head in my room.
âCan I come in, Dee?â
âYeah.â I sat up and scooched my back against the headboard.
He shut the door behind him and came to sit on the edge of the bed. âThere is nothing wrong with you.â
My breath went funny, catching in my throat. How did he know I had thought that?
âYour momâs just worried. For good reasons, but she also doesnât understand.â He sighed loudly. âSheâs not like you and me.â
âYou? You mean, youâreâŠâ
He held his hand out, and muttered a few words. A circle of light appeared, hovering above his palms. âYou can say the word, Dee. When itâs just the two of us, you can say it.â
âYouâre magic.â
âYes.â He twisted his wrist and sent the orb spinning. âThey call us magic users.” He scrunched up his face. “But it’s so much more than that. We don’t just use magic. It is a part of us; something that can’t be separated or ignored. The magic is -” He sighed. “I”m getting ahead of myself. The important thing for you to understand is it’s dangerous for people like us out there. That is what upset your mother. Sheâs afraid of what could happen to you. Here, take it.â
I reached out and laughed in surprise when my fingers wrapped around a solid ball. It was smooth like glass, but warm to the touch. I held it in both hands and looked into my dadâs eyes. It was weird, because he looked so happy, but sad, too.
âIâll teach you,â he said quietly. âHow to use it, but first, I need to teach you to be safe from those who would hurt you if they knew.â
âWhy would anyone want to hurt me?â
âBecause they donât understand, and people fear what they donât understand.â He brushed a hand over my hair. âYou are so special, Delia. This is a gift, and you should never fear what you are, but you always, always have to be careful. And thatâs why you have to do what your mother said. If anyone asks about magic or magic users, you pretend you donât know anything. Thatâs one thing that will keep you safe.â
I nodded. âOkay, Dad.â
âI know you have to have questions, and I promise Iâll answer them soon. But for now,â he smiled that huge smile I hadnât seen in a long time, âI want you to show me. Show me something you can do.â
He hadn’t been home earlier when I’d gotten frustrated doing homework and had sent my books flying through the air without touching them, making Mom freak out. I thought for a moment, deciding what to do. Taking a deep breath, I stared at the orb in my hands. My whole body felt warmâŠand just nice, like everything was right and like it should be. Then, dozens of beams of light, all different colors, streaked inside the ball. The glow lit up Dadâs face, and his smile widened.
âBeautiful,â he said quietly.
But he wasnât looking at the orb anymore; he was looking at me.
Be sure to check out the other peices inspired by this month’s photo!
Bronwyn Green | Gwendolyn Cease | Jessica De La Rosa | Kayleigh Jones | Kris Norris