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“She was afraid,” Dad said. “Of them, of what you might grow up to be. She was probably your age now.”
Why was he defending her? But I looked at Perdita’s stomach and knew I was in no way mature enough to raise a baby myself, so why would I expect it of my teenage mother? Not mother. Not really. My head was a mess.
“Mam,” I said in the same tone of voice I used to use after a nightmare.
She hugged me without hesitation, and I leaned into her for comfort.
“You don’t have to meet her,” Dad said. “I won’t make you.”
“She has answers though,” I said, still leaning against my mother. “She knows what’s wrong with me, right? Or how to control all of this?”
“She thinks you’re making a mistake,” he said. “That you’re not simply stopping death, but taking it inside you. That because you’re half-human, your body can’t take it.”
“Oh.” I stared at nothing. I supposed that made sense, but I was still working on dealing with the fact my birth mother was within walking distance, and that my birth father wanted me but died. “I have a lot of questions.”
“I know,” Dad said. “But you don’t need all of the answers today if you’re not ready.”
“I need the answers,” I said firmly. “But will you two stay with me?”
“Of course,” Mam said. “We both will.”
“Do you want me to go get her?” Dorian asked. “I can bring her here if that’s more comfortable for you”
I looked at Perdita. “Is that okay?”
“Of course,” she said, her eyes sympathetic. “We’ll get out of your way, don’t worry.” Before she left, she reached for my hand. “You have your family next to you, so don’t be scared of this woman. She has no right to demand anything of you. You can take a break at any time, and if it’s too much, let us know, and we’ll make her leave.”
“Thanks,” I said, but I barely paid attention to her words, I was so overwhelmed.
Dorian touched my cheek, while Nathan said a few words to my parents. I would never be prepared for meeting the woman, so it was best to get it over and done with.
My parents and I held hands while we waited. Dorian soon returned with a tall, slim woman. “I’ll leave you to it,” he said before ducking out the front door.
I stared at the woman, trying to find something familiar in her features. But she was a stranger. She removed the shawl that covered her hair then nodded primly at my mother. Her gaze passed to me, and like me, she seemed to search my face as though looking for something. Like me, she appeared to come away disappointed.
She sat on the sofa facing us, her fingers twisting the shawl. “Hello,” she said at last. “I am Vira.”
“I’m Margo.” I cleared my throat. “Nice to meet you, I suppose.”
We gaped at each other for another moment. The entire day felt so surreal. The woman’s eyes were ice-blue and cold. Did I look like that while sleepwalking? No wonder everyone was scared of me.
“Talk to her,” Dad urged. “Tell her why you’re here.”
“It’s difficult,” Vira admitted. “I never expected to see it—the child—again.”
Mam bristled next to me, her fingers tightening around my hand.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“To help,” she said.
“Can you help me control what I do?”
She leaned forward. “I came to warn you. You must leave here, get away from these animals before it is too late.”
I leaned back, feeling as though I had been kicked in the stomach. “What?” I glanced at Dad. “What is she talking about?”
He looked concerned but he gazed at Vira, waiting for her to continue. I wanted him to tell her she was wrong, but he didn’t say anything at all.
