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“Understandable,” he replies with a bob of his head. “Better than me putting the library on fire.”
Oh…
“That…” I stare at him in disbelief because my dad doesn’t have “slip-ups.” He’s a perfectionist, like my mother, which is why they somehow complement one another.
“Hard to believe, huh?” He has a proud smile on his lips that makes his whole expression brighten up. I can tell he’s relieved I made it through.
“Very.” I don’t hide my disbelief.
“I still want confirmation from Headmaster Atlas,” Mother shouts. She makes it seem as though we’re talking over her. “A lot is on the line right now. I can’t be telling my friends and colleagues unless there’s confirmed proof that you came in first.”
“Feel free to reach out to her, then,” I encourage because what else can I say or do to make her believe me? “Nothing else I say will give you the feeling of satisfaction you’re looking for.”
“I won’t stand for your backhanded comment, Ophelia!” Mother shouts, as if she’s right in front of me. “You should be grateful to even attend Nephilim Malevolence University. Without our legacy—”
“I got in fair and square.” I interrupt her because I can’t let her tarnish all the hard work I put in to achieve this. Clenching my hands into fists, I stare into her eyes while fighting not to say what needs to be said for years now.
“Our legacy didn’t help me when I had to complete the six-hour written exam. Did our legacy aid me for the last ten years of working my ass off day and night studying every text in our three thousand book library? I’m sure our legacy is what forced me to take on the responsibility you’ve bestowed upon Odessa for years, and the same legacy not only pushed her away but left me to be the one to pick up the pieces while being mocked and ridiculed for being a damn Guinevere!”
It annoys me down to the core that we’re even having this conversation right now. Instead of giving me praise for surviving one of the hardest trials I experienced while acting as though it was a breeze, I’m being ridiculed and doubted by a parent who cares more about what ‘her friends’ think.
“Ophelia Minerva Guinevere,” Mother snaps.
“If you’re not going to acknowledge that I, Ophelia, went through that trial by myself without this ‘legacy’ protecting me from the trials and tribulations I had to face, then I don’t want to speak to you.”
My words are specifically to my mother, but I’m sure she’ll manipulate them and turn my father against me if it brings her peace in her own household.
“See. The youngest are always the rebellious ones! If Odess—”
“SHE’S NOT HERE!” I shout, which shuts her up. “Fucking Hell! I literally could have died during the path of roses or perished in depths of shadows waters or been wrapped with black vines and drowned. Or better yet, swallowed whole by the golden serpent and never reached the golden gates of Nephilim Malevolence University! I could have died if it wasn’t for ME! Not you, or Odessa, or our fucking legacy! At the end of the day, I, OPHELIA MINEVERA GUINEVERE, went through that madness all by myself! Despite students making fun of me before the trial could even begin. If you think Odessa could have done a better job, then GO FUCKING FIND HER! Stop forcing me to go through this bullshit and making it feel as if you shouldn’t be in debt to me for covering your shame!”
“M-My shame!” she snaps at me. “Th-The only shameful thing I ever did was have YOU!”
“Ella!” Father snarls. “Take that back!”
“You’re always defending her and never me!” Mother snaps at him as she spins around and points into his chest. “If it was just Odessa, I would still be a Nephalem. I would be in my role of respect and command and not sitting here doing tea parties with those weak women who think they’re in the same class as me!”
“That has nothing to do with Ophelia,” Father argues.
“IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH HER! She never should have been born!”Ouch.“Only Odessa! It was only supposed to be Odessa!”
“It didn’t matter if it was Odessa or Ophelia!” Father snaps back at her, which surprises me because I’ve only heard him raise his voice three times in my lifetime.This is the first time I heard him scream at her.“WE agreed, no matter the potential consequences, that we wanted children! That was OUR decision! The promise we made to each other! Don’t you dare stand there and act like a victim when we brought Odessa and Ophelia into the world!”
“Y-You never defend me!”
“WHO’S DEFENDING OPHELIA?” he snaps back at her. “This SAME victim-blaming attitude is why Odessa is gone! Do you want Ophelia to leave, too? Do you want her to leave N.M.U. and go elsewhere? Do you wish for her to push us out of her life?!”
Mother just stands there, and I can only imagine her expression. Was she mad? Was she crying? What was the expression on her face that made my father’s brows scrunch together in uncertainty?
“This won’t continue,” Father declares with a finger pointed at Mother’s face. “Either you deal with your emotions and mental health that’s prevented you from being the woman I love and the mother of your twin daughters or be prepared to lose everything you say you care about.”
He moves his finger to himself.
“Which includes me, Ella.”
“Ed-Edgar, wait!”
“I’m going out for some air,” he announces and doesn’t even say goodbye as the door of what I assume is the front door opens and slams shut.
