will, Ms. Marguerite.”
I couldn’t explain my reaction, but watching her interact with that little girl filled me with resentment. Why couldn’t she love me like that when I was a little? She took us to the foyer and stopped. The place was deserted, except for Paula and her partner at the information desk.
“I’ll come and see you,” Marguerite said. “This is not a nice place to visit, so promise me you won’t come back.” I nodded. “Good girl. I’m happy you came to see me.” She hugged me again, then turned and hurried away. I blew out a breath and relaxed. I’d been tense since she hugged me.
Paula came around her desk and watched her until she disappeared around a bend. “Come with me.” She started toward the same hallway, but we didn’t move. She glanced back. “You used an outside portal to get here. If you create one out there, Mortals could see you. Come this way before someone sees us.”
We hurried after down a short hallway. Voices came from ahead. She cursed.
“In here.” She pushed open a door and ushered us inside.
I covered both Hayden and me with the cloak and listened, as the voices grew closer. We waited until they faded, then Paula led the way out of the room. We continued down the hallway, until she reached another door and opened it. She indicated we enter too. She turned on the lights. It was a large broom closet with cleaning paraphernalia on the shelves and the floor.
“There are few rooms in this place that are not protected by runes. This is one of them. Open a portal and go. She was right about one thing. This is no place for a normal person to visit, so never come back. These girls cannot be trusted.”
Hayden pulled out her artavus and got busy, but I studied Paula. “Why are you telling us this?”
“Just go.”
The portal opened into my bedroom. Hayden practically dragged me through.
“Why?” I asked from the other end of the portal.
“Because things are not what they seem here. You can’t trust anyone here, including her.” The portal closed.
CHAPTER 4. SOME ANSWERS
CELESTIA
“I knew your mother was fake,” Hayden said.
“First, she’s not my mother.” I threw my cloak on the bed, grabbed my laptop, and booted it up. “And second, I want to know more about that place.”
“Why?”
“To learn more about the residents. Like Paula said, they are dangerous. Anne Marie could have come from there and she’s living in Eirik’s home.” I was all about protecting Eirik. This new Marguerite worried me more than the old one. I’d known where I stood with the old one. She was poison. Mean. Borderline evil. Her Mother-of-the-Year routine was too smooth, too Jekyll and Hyde for me. What did she want?
I started an online search for SH, my innate urge to go against her wishes kicking in. That urge was like an itch. Got me in a lot of trouble with her when I was young.
“If SH has a website, they might have something on them.” And her too .
“Or you could just ask Mom.”
Like I could ever believe anything Tammy Ferrand said again. My mother destroyed my ability to trust people. To forgive people after they broke my trust was foreign to me. Tammy would have to do a whole lot more than talk before I could ever believe anything she said.
“I wish you’d talk to her, Celestia,” Hayden continued. “I know you have every reason not to trust her. Even I’m learning to trust her again after the things she kept from me.” She sighed when I continued to ignore her.
“Do you remember the drawings in her office?” I asked instead.
Hayden sighed, and I knew she was frustrated by my refusal to give her mother a chance. She didn’t understand. Actually, she should understand. She had to hide what she was from me for years because she didn’t know whom to trust.
“Yes. I remember.”
“I don’t understand how she got them, especially the ones I drew after she left.”
Hayden frowned. “Do you think she went through your garbage can to
I couldn’t explain my reaction, but watching her interact with that little girl filled me with resentment. Why couldn’t she love me like that when I was a little? She took us to the foyer and stopped. The place was deserted, except for Paula and her partner at the information desk.
“I’ll come and see you,” Marguerite said. “This is not a nice place to visit, so promise me you won’t come back.” I nodded. “Good girl. I’m happy you came to see me.” She hugged me again, then turned and hurried away. I blew out a breath and relaxed. I’d been tense since she hugged me.
Paula came around her desk and watched her until she disappeared around a bend. “Come with me.” She started toward the same hallway, but we didn’t move. She glanced back. “You used an outside portal to get here. If you create one out there, Mortals could see you. Come this way before someone sees us.”
We hurried after down a short hallway. Voices came from ahead. She cursed.
“In here.” She pushed open a door and ushered us inside.
I covered both Hayden and me with the cloak and listened, as the voices grew closer. We waited until they faded, then Paula led the way out of the room. We continued down the hallway, until she reached another door and opened it. She indicated we enter too. She turned on the lights. It was a large broom closet with cleaning paraphernalia on the shelves and the floor.
“There are few rooms in this place that are not protected by runes. This is one of them. Open a portal and go. She was right about one thing. This is no place for a normal person to visit, so never come back. These girls cannot be trusted.”
Hayden pulled out her artavus and got busy, but I studied Paula. “Why are you telling us this?”
“Just go.”
The portal opened into my bedroom. Hayden practically dragged me through.
“Why?” I asked from the other end of the portal.
“Because things are not what they seem here. You can’t trust anyone here, including her.” The portal closed.
CHAPTER 4. SOME ANSWERS
CELESTIA
“I knew your mother was fake,” Hayden said.
“First, she’s not my mother.” I threw my cloak on the bed, grabbed my laptop, and booted it up. “And second, I want to know more about that place.”
“Why?”
“To learn more about the residents. Like Paula said, they are dangerous. Anne Marie could have come from there and she’s living in Eirik’s home.” I was all about protecting Eirik. This new Marguerite worried me more than the old one. I’d known where I stood with the old one. She was poison. Mean. Borderline evil. Her Mother-of-the-Year routine was too smooth, too Jekyll and Hyde for me. What did she want?
I started an online search for SH, my innate urge to go against her wishes kicking in. That urge was like an itch. Got me in a lot of trouble with her when I was young.
“If SH has a website, they might have something on them.” And her too .
“Or you could just ask Mom.”
Like I could ever believe anything Tammy Ferrand said again. My mother destroyed my ability to trust people. To forgive people after they broke my trust was foreign to me. Tammy would have to do a whole lot more than talk before I could ever believe anything she said.
“I wish you’d talk to her, Celestia,” Hayden continued. “I know you have every reason not to trust her. Even I’m learning to trust her again after the things she kept from me.” She sighed when I continued to ignore her.
“Do you remember the drawings in her office?” I asked instead.
Hayden sighed, and I knew she was frustrated by my refusal to give her mother a chance. She didn’t understand. Actually, she should understand. She had to hide what she was from me for years because she didn’t know whom to trust.
“Yes. I remember.”
“I don’t understand how she got them, especially the ones I drew after she left.”
Hayden frowned. “Do you think she went through your garbage can to
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