AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I kept my head bowed, thoroughly embarrassed by the whole situation.
“I completely agree,” Nathan said. “None of us are happy with how the situation was handled either. I can’t apologise enough. I don’t blame Margo for any of this.”
I shot him a grateful glance, but he looked so stern that I ended up staring at my hands.
“This… thing inside of her is hurting her,” Mam insisted. “Look at her.”
Everyone turned their attention to me. I wanted to disappear.
“You do look sick.” Dorian spoke for the first time. “Maybe you should take those pills again. They suppressed your gift before.”
My gift. My curse. The thing inside me. Everyone had a different name for it. Dorian was staring back at me as though I were a specimen in a zoo. Once, he had begged me to stop taking those pills so I could help him. Now he wanted me to take them all over again because he wasn’t desperate, because nobody was in danger. I had been conflicted, but everyone saw the situation in such black and white terms that I was growing more sure of what I needed to do.
“Okay,” Byron said, taking control. “We’ve established that Amelia did wrong. We all agree that she needs to make amends and,” he glared at her, “never do anything like this again. If Margo ever decides to try something new, it must be in a controlled environment with everyone in agreement, especially her parents.”
That mollified my parents slightly, but I sensed my mother would rather leave and never return.
“Do the pills work?” Nathan asked. “Will they protect you, Margo?”
I shrugged. “They did before, but…” I looked up, glancing at everyone to make sure they were listening. “I don’t want to stop using my gift. I have it for a reason. I should use it. Acting like it doesn’t exist feels way too selfish. Nobody here can say they would want me to stop if somebody they loved was in danger at this very moment.”
“Margo!” Mam cried out. “You can’t be serious. I thought you understood. Haven’t you been listening to anything we’ve said?”
“I want to know who I am,” I said sullenly. “Is that really so bad? I haven’t hurt anyone other than myself, and I think I know what I can handle.”
Amelia looked smug. “I knew you were strong.”
“Enough out of you,” Mam snapped. “You’re brainwashing her.”
Byron laid a hand on Amelia’s shoulder to silence her next retort. “We’re not going to get anywhere by arguing.”
“We can’t allow this to continue,” Dad said. “It’s clear this one has no remorse, and we’ve no idea what she’ll get Margo into next time.”
Nathan sighed. “Amelia, promise them.”
“No,” she said tartly. “It’s up to Margo what she does, and if she needs help, I’m always here.”
“Stop it,” Dorian said in a strained voice. “You can see what it’s doing to her. She can’t carry on like this. Passing out isn’t normal. What if she doesn’t wake up next time? What if she freezes to death? Can you not feel the chill coming from her?”
“Dorian,” I said as calmly as possible. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
“Your parents can,” he said, avoiding my gaze. “And you should listen to them.”
And that was it. The rest of the so-called meeting devolved into accusations and dramatics. We grew no closer to any kind of a solution.
“It’s time we left,” Dad said. “We’re getting nowhere by circling here. Let’s cool down and figure this out later.”
“Keep in touch.” Byron shot Amelia a meaningful look. “I’ll make sure Amelia understands the situation better.”
My parents headed outside, still speaking to Byron. I hesitated, looking from Perdita to Nathan. “I am sorry,” I said. “I was reckless and stupid.”
“It’s all right,” Perdita said.
“If you see that it was reckless, why are you so insistent on pushing yourself?” Nathan asked in a tired voice. “Your parents are struggling with this.”
I knew. “If I do something, I’ll get hurt. If I don’t, somebody else will. I can’t deal with the guilt.”
“You can’t save everyone,” he said. “Nobody can expect you to.”
