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At least if I go later, I may not see him.
I’ve never been one to hide away in a washroom so I could avoid another individual, but today was going to be a first because I couldn’t confront him at the moment.
Not after crying my eyes out.
Only Odessa had seen me cry like that. Heard those broken sobs or even felt the emptiness I’d endured during the aftermath of my fights with my mother. I couldn’t blame my dad, even though I lumped him and Mother together because they were my parents. Deep down, I knew he disagreed with her treatment of us for years.
Yet he also loves her dearly.
I’m sure he understands Mother better than anyone, but when Odessa disappeared, I couldn’t justify ignoring our suffering any longer.
Or I’d self-destruct.
“Fuck,” I curse and grip the side of the sink far too tightly. Taking a few inhales and exhales, I try to calm myself down from doing something drastic. “It’s alright. I’ll go study like I planned. You’re on your own now, Ophelia. You just… have to suck it up.”
Despite my own words, my mind wants to reject them.
How long do we have to suck it up for?
How long do we have to be alone?
Why does this journey have to be filled with loneliness?
“Because that’s just how it is for someone like me. I’m a Guinevere, so… if I have to take the lonely road to success, so be it.”
“That’s not what we wished for you, Ophelia.”
I lift my head swiftly to the mirror, noticing Dad’s sad expression.
“D-Dad?”
I spin around to see him standing there.
“W-W-What?! Dad! This is the girl’s washroom!” I hiss.
“I know,” he mutters and puts his finger against his lips. “Now, don’t let me get caught. I’ve lasted five years without hearing Headmaster Atlas’ lectures. I don’t want to listen to her talk about me intruding on N.M.U. property without an alumni pass. Especially on the premise of comforting my daughter.”
“Comforting…” I stare at him as he points to the lock, a magic seal of black emerging upon it and sealing whatever spell he just cast.
My spike of intrigue grows as he snaps his fingers and invites walls of shadows to shoot out from the floor to the walls until the entire space is covered in darkness. It’s only for a few seconds, but when the darkness retreats into its hidden hollows, the bathroom is now Father’s office.
I’m completely speechless, even as I scan the room with my eyes and dare take the few steps needed to press my hand onone of the plentiful matte black bookshelves that decorate the room that has become Father’s oasis.
“Your energy is still in the bathroom, so no one can say I kidnapped you, but frankly, I can’t pull this off for too long. I got in so much trouble in the past, I bet Headmaster Atlas could smell my magic from miles away,” Father announces as he walks over to his desk. Lowering into his seat, he gestures to the velvet emerald green wingback accent chair that’s on the left side of the fireplace.
The green one was always mine, while the red one on the right was always Odessa’s.
“Dad… you shouldn’t be here,” I whisper as I lift my legs so I can cross them like I always do in this comfortable chair. This was the spot where I could sit for hours, read, and feel at peace. These were some of the few instances I missed as we began to grow up.
Grow further from our childish antics and realize our paths were already paved for us to walk upon.
“I know,” he admits and doesn’t hesitate to show me his conflicting expression.His immense worry.“But that look on your face was something I couldn’t ignore.”
“My look?” I pout my lips and try to recall what I even looked like. “You make it sound like you’ve seen such a look before.”
“I have,” he confesses as he leans further into his office chair while his eyes drift from me to the dancing flames of the fireplace. “The night before your sister’s disappearance. She wore that exact expression.”
“Dad… I had no intention of running away,” I quietly defend, but there’s no reassurance in my voice.
