Uncle Lance points to the living room to show us where Aunt Daisy is, then he quietly disappears down the hallway like a man retreating from the battlefield before the first shot is fired. Smart. Cowardly, but smart. Or maybe not so cowardly. This man has been married to my aunt for over twenty years. She can’t be an easy person to live with.
“Who is it? Who was at the door? Lance?” Aunt Daisy calls out in a shrill voice, basically proving my point. Uncle Lance isn’t a coward, he’s just smart enough to protect himself. Lukas visibly cringes. Valid. That sound made my head ache too. Roxy, clearly picking up on our discomfort, surges forward to investigate. A moment later, I hear a shriek. I pick up the pace, rushing into the sitting room to find Roxy sitting calmly on the rug in front of Aunt Daisy. She isn’t doing anything. Just sitting there, perfectly well behaved, like the regal little agent of chaos that she is. My aunt looks HORRIFIED, like we came in and licked all her fruit or peed on her carpet or something equally unhinged. That reaction alone makes bringing Roxy completely worth it. I know it’s kind of messed up, but there’s something… Satisfying about being officially on the opposite side from my aunt. For once, I’m not trying to win her approval or fit into whatever mold she’s deemed acceptable. I’m just… Not on her side. I don’t agree with her choices, and I have no interest in pretending that I do. Maybe it’s satisfying because now, finally, I have a side to stand on. A team. It used to be Aunt Daisy and my parents against me, OR it was me, bending over backwards, trying to make them want me on their team. Trying to be good enough, smart enough, strong enough. Trying to earn a place in a family that never really made space for me. But something’s shifted. I don’t know when exactly it happened. I mean, I decided years ago that I didn’t care what they thought. That I’d do my own thing, live my own life. But I don’t think I believed it then. Not really. I still secretly hoped that if I just achieved enough, proved myself enough, they’d change their minds. They’d see me. They’d want me. Now? That longing is just… Gone. Somehow, over the last few weeks, it’s faded. Quietly, steadily. Maybe it’s because I realised I DO have a family. A real one. I have Laura, and Julian. And more than that, I have friends. People who support me. Who care about me, who like me, not despite who I am, but because of it. I don’t have to hold myself back around them, to limit myself and push myself down to fit into what they want. I can just comfortably be myself. And really, what else is family for, if not that? If I already HAVE those things, why waste energy chasing them and trying to win them from people who never gave them to me freely? Now I’m not saying I don’t care, I still care. I want my parents and even Aunt Daisy to be safe. I want her to be happy. I can acknowledge that there were good moments. Good memories. They weren’t ALL bad. But I don’t need her to feel the same way about me. Because I have people who do. And for the first time, I’m starting to believe… That’s enough.
Aunt Daisy narrows her eyes as we step into the room.
“What are you doing here? I didn’t invite you over.” She demands, clearly irritated.
“Nice to see you too, Aunt Daisy.” I reply, voice sweet as syrup. She scoffs in response. I guess now that my parents and brother aren’t here to witness it, she’s given up the whole pretense of civility. Fine by me. I shrug and flop down onto one of the couches, tugging Lukas along with me. He settles beside me, calm and composed, and drapes an arm loosely around my waist. Casual. Effortless. Aunt Daisy stiffens. Her spine somehow straightens even more, impressive, considering I didn’t think it was physically possible. She clearly hates that he’s touching me, which is honestly ridiculous. He was way clingier the last time we met and she didn’t bat an eye. Back then, she was still pretending to be delighted about my ‘charming new boyfriend.’ Probably because my mum was excited, and Aunt Daisy wouldn’t risk causing tension there. Too much of her power relies on the illusion of family unity. That’s really one of the main things that witches hold over other supernaturals. Most of them tend to live pretty independently of each other. Witches are known for staying in tight-knit groups which means if you’re dealing with one witch, you’re usually dealing with several. It’s ironic, though. For someone who claims to care so much about maintaining the family’s strength, she’s done a stellar job of pushing the younger generation away. Julian, Laura, me… We’re barely on speaking terms with her, let alone loyal. It’s like she’s convinced we’re all rebellious children just waiting to outgrow our silly independence. Maybe it’s time to shatter that illusion. Originally I thought we could be subtle here. But now that she’s here in front of me, I know that there’s no point trying to sneak around or manipulate her. I don’t think we’ll get anywhere with subtext and politeness. So maybe if I just say it, bluntly, plainly, honestly, maybe that will actually get through to her. Worst case? She shuts us down and we’re back to square one. We don’t have time to waste dancing around her ego. I clear my throat, trying to shake off the nerves curling in my stomach.
“We’re here to talk about Solem.” I say bluntly. Aunt Daisy raises one perfectly shaped eyebrow, then waves a hand like I’m an annoying fly.
“I’m not discussing this with you. You’re a child. You wouldn’t understand.” She says dismissively. I don’t back down.
“No. You’re the one who doesn’t understand.” I lean forward slightly.
“I don’t know all the details of what you’ve been doing with him, but I know it can’t continue.” I say firmly. She lets out a sharp, humorless laugh.
“And who’s going to stop me? You?” She gives me a look that says she clearly believes I’m not capable of ruining her plans. I COULD tell her a hunter is going to intervene in less than a week. I could drop Rowen’s name and watch the colour drain from her face. But if she’s still firmly on Team Solem, she’d probably run straight to him with that information. And we really, really don’t need a premature explosion. Before I can come up with a strategic non answer, Lukas speaks.
“I will.” His voice is calm. Even. Unshaken as he basically throws himself into the line of fire. I blink. What? How? Aunt Daisy looks as baffled as I feel. Lukas meets her eyes without flinching.
“If you don’t talk to us now, I’ll tell everyone about your involvement. Your entire family. Every contact I can find. I’ll send it to every magical registry and council I have access to.” He pauses, letting the threat settle.
“The reputation and status you’ve spent your whole life building? It’ll be gone overnight. And there’ll be no getting it back.” He threatens. Aunt Daisy’s jaw tightens. Her fingers curl against her silk skirt. For a moment, she looks like she might explode, or implode. Hard to say. Then she sets her jaw stubbornly and I know that, whatever she says next, it’s not going to be good.