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Blondie’s still here? I wondered Do I have so following us in the first place And, speaking of questions,skills"

"Um, Dad?" I asked "How much do you know?"

His smile was small, but firic And I know that you’re as ot powers, too"

I blinked back tears at the resolve in his voice The resolve and the forgiveness

"I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, Dad About Mo his head "I always kne very special your mother was, and how very special you are You have both been ifts Now I just have more accurate words to describe why you’re so special"

And with those words the tears wouldn’t be stopped, and he sat patiently while I cried

"Still, I should have told you…" I said, as soon as the worst ofhad ceased

"Yes, you should have But I should also have asked I knew about your , and about yours I knew there was always soin to fathoious, so I had no idea what the answer could have been I think I was frightened," he finally adhtened that what made you different hat made your mother leave And that if I asked too much, or called attention to too much, you would leave, too"

I rubbedwas, ht My mom had left because she was different, and she would have taken me if she’d had the chance I think she must have loved hi hadn’t been the human way And now she was dead

"Dad, I have to tell you about Mo"

"You know? That she’s--"

"That she’s gone Yes"

I blinked at hi this conversation, and part of me wished that I’d been the one to tell my dad about my supernatural life But I wasn’t sorry I’dwith s, and was in no position to help him understand what had happened

"Oh, Daddy, I’ed to choke out, eventually

"Shh, baby girl," he said, gatheringbefore he positioned me so he could look into my eyes as he talked

"I had a lot of ti while you were out And I’o, and I should have let her go a long ti you helped avethere for you"

"You alere, Dad," I said, hating the guilt I saw in his eyes

"No, I wasn’t We should have left Rockabill after Jason died You deserved a fresh start And I didn’t give that to you"

I shook et Jason and what happened just because weworked out for the best--"

"You sorted yourself out, yes," he interrupted "But at what price? I let you suffer because I wanted to be here if Mari came home But she didn’t, and noe know she won’t…"

With that, lazed with tears He was putting a brave face on things, but he wasn’t going to forget ht So I leaned forward in his hug in order to tuck my head under his chin, and I let ether, for my mom, for our family, for each other and our loss As painful as it was to know she was gone, at thatwith rief eased Not all of it, but even that little bit felt like a lot

I hoped he felt the sa have I been out?" I asked e’d stopped snuffling It had obviously been long enough for et over the shock of the supernatural world, have sorow a beard

A week? Maybe two?

"A month," he replied, to my horror