Guardians of Glitter Bomb Territory
Three days after the attack on Flight School, we seen Mum and Bree off to some undisclosed watery location. I was a little butthurt that she wouldn’t even tell me where they were going, and it made me wonder if she even had a plan in mind. She said she’d let us know once they were settled in and that I should focus on my pregnant mate. We didn’t talk about Delin McCombs because Mum had said everything she had to say about the matter over the years. I wondered if she thought I was mad at her, but I hugged her extra tight before she left, because I wasn’t. If anything, she was the parent who always wanted me. Delin had made me at her request but agreed to all her rules and stipulations too. I understood that not everyone wanted to be a parent, but it still rubbed me the wrong way. I tried not to think about it because plenty of people used IVF and the like, but I couldn’t imagine knowing I had a kid out there and never knowing them.
After Mum and Bree left, we settled back into our lives. Jondi got his wish to miss some school days because we both agreed he needed to spend some time at home after all we’d gone through. It was nice to all be together for a few days. Eran stopped by several times, bringing baskets of snacks like this was our matingmoon and several lions from Jade’s pride dropped by. Even Volex stopped by with a stack of pizzas to check on us. Jade invited him to stay and eat with us. Jondi took right to himand even asked if he was my dad. Volex did a fairly good job at explaining the family tree of Frost and Juda in a way he could understand.
“And you’re the first in your family to shift,” Volex pointed out.
“I don’t want people to tell stories about me. They’d all be about what I was afraid of,” Jondi said, only half laughing in that nervous way he had around new people.
“Has anyone ever told you that you can’t be brave until you’re afraid?” Volex asked, putting another slice of anchovy pizza on Jondi’s plate.
“What do you mean?” Jondi asked, one of his little eyebrows climbing high on his head.
“Well, if you’re not afraid, you can’t be brave. Being brave means doing things even when you’re afraid. If you’re not afraid, you’re just doing things,” Volex said. “So, they’d tell stories of how you did brave things, if they were stories about when you were afraid, huh?”
Jondi nodded and took a bite of his pizza. It was hard to believe that Volex was the same guy from Medwin and Clarence’s memoir. In the book, he obviously cared, but he seemed to have so many hard edges. Had time worn them down or was it being in the presence of a kid that softened him?
“That was a time of war,” he shrugged at me as Jondi ran off to wash pizza sauce off his rock. “This isn’t war. That was one battle from a group of idiots. There is a season for everything, descendent of mine. Just remember, if you’re living right as a parent, you’re taking heads with the same hands your kids hold.They can do both. Seriously, they can do both and there is no need to show your children that other side of you unless they’re attacked in front of you, of course. It’s okay for them to know that Daddy can be scary, but they should never be afraid of Daddy.”
In the end, Jade agreed to let Volex work at the playroom. As strange as my ancestor was, I was grateful for his presence there. Even if someone did attack, he’d take them down faster than anyone else as far as I was concerned. It did mean my dad was there a lot but I avoided him as much as possible. I wasn’t ready to process his sudden appearance in my life. Jade was growing more pregnant every day and Jondi was going to play soccer over the summer. I talked to Mum and Bree every evening. They were on some private-ish island somewhere warm and tropical, and they were hopeful that Bree would lay her egg soon. They’d built a nest on the shore pretty quickly.
I might’ve put off talking to Delin McCombs forever if Michael Lawngry hadn’t asked about my family history. He offered to call Delin himself to see if he was willing to answer the necessary questions, but I declined his help. I didn’t want Jondi to think I was afraid of my dad because dads weren’t something to be afraid of. It wasn’t that I was afraid of him. I just didn’t know where he’d fit into my life now. He might’ve sired me, but he’d never really be my parent. Moms and dads and parents raised their children. Volex had given me Delin’s number shortly after he started working at Flight School. I almost didn’t take it but putting it into my phone was easier than arguing with Volex. So when it came time to ask him I sent a short text.
ME:If you have some free time can we meet up and talk for like five minutes. I have a few questions about your family medical history. My mate is pregnant and thedoctor said we needed it if at all possible. I understand if you’d rather not, but for the sake of my kid I had to ask.
His answer was almost immediate.
DELIN:Of course. Any time. Anywhere.
I almost suggested that we could talk in Jade’s office at the playroom, but didn’t want to bring family drama there. Delin was good with the little kids and he was a good fighter too. I wanted Jade and everyone at Flight School to be safe. So, I put up with him.
ME:Sandy’s before it’s time to pick Jondi up from school?
DELIN:OMW. I’ll wait. Come whenever works for you.
Jade offered to go with me, but I didn’t want him to get stressed out. Our baby was growing at a healthy rate and seemingly no worse for wear from the attack and I wanted it to stay that way. So, I went to Sandy’s by myself. I half-expected to see Volex waiting with him but Delin had come alone too.
“Hey,” I said, sinking into the seat across from him. He hadn’t ordered anything to eat but was sipping tea from a paper cup and straw.
“Hey,” he said.
I stared at him for a minute, trying to find my features in him. Volex was right. I did look a bit like him. I opened my mouth and shut it again. Everything I knew about him came from the memoir. His parents were killed by Ferrick’s henchmen and he was whisked away to the Other World so that he wasn’tkilled too for seeing Ferrick kill his own brother. That must’ve fucking sucked.
“Not going to lie, it did,” Delin nodded and I cringed. Of course, we were on a family link. That’s how I knew he was in the GGB to begin with. “I’ve written everything down that I know. Mostly my family was healthy as far as I know. I had an aunt who had scale cancer but it’s the sort that migrates from skin cancer. Her not related to me parent was a hairless cat shifter. They’ve moved on now too, though. She survived the cancer with treatment and a complete scale stripping.”
“Thanks,” I said, looking down the family tree along with the aliments Delin had scribbled down. I almost asked if he had a family back in the Other World but stopped myself.
“No,” he answered the question as soon as it crossed my mind. “And I didn’t come here to uproot your life either. Pras said you needed guidance. Something about a rock in a pond.”
“Uh… Jade and me had a rough start because of the whole Ferrick thing going on. Everyone was on edge,” I said.
“Makes sense. He had a way of doing that to people,” Delin nodded.
Silence fell between us and the server brought over two of my usuals. I wasn’t sure if Delin had the same tastes as me or if the server just wanted to break the tension. She also brought out my usual chocolate raspberry smoothie. I thanked her with a grin and glanced at Delin.
“For what it’s worth, you’re mom and I… We were never a couple.”
“I know. She bought your services.”
