12. Sparkle
SPARKLE
I turn and face Father and his glare.
“Who was that, Frederick?”
I whip my tail. “My name is Sparkle, and I'd appreciate it if you remember that.” Ferris sucks in a breath. His hands go to his mouth, and his eyes go so wide. Dad's face goes bright red.
Mama peeks her head from around the door. “There you are, boys. Why don't you come in? It's unfortunate the surprise is spoiled, though. Well, one of them. The twins are on their way. That's another surprise, don't you think?”
I nod and walk around Father to get inside, but he grabs me by the shoulder. “We need to talk.”
I shrug him off. "Right now? We need to talk right now," I say, copping a tiny bit of an attitude. Which probably isn't my best look, but here we are.
“Yes, right now.” He drags me back out onto the porch and slams the door shut behind him. “Just the two of us. Sit.” He points to the porch swing.
I cross my arms and lean against the house. “I'd rather stand.”
He growls and crosses his arms as he leans against the pillar holding the porch roof up. “Tomorrow you're going to start working with me over at mom’s farm.”
“Oh, no, I'm not. I enjoy working at Flutter and Fangs. You're not going to tear me from that. Not after I’ve done your job for the last…I don't know, my entire life?”
“What do you mean, you did my job?”
“I parented your children. I didn't even get a childhood.”
“Well, it's your fault that I had to go away and leave you all behind.”
My heart pounds and I drop my arms. “What do you mean my fault?”
He waves at my head and I know my greatest fear has been realized. “You cannot put this on me.”
He glares back at me. “If you had a full human form, the entire family could have come with me. But since you can’t shift I had to leave you all behind.”
My hands open and close. I try to take in a breath, but the air won't come. “It's not my fault that I only have a partial shift.”
“You’ll be working with me over at mom’s tomorrow. Doing whatever she wants us to do.”
“No, I will not. Me and Grandmother have come to an agreement that I am allowed to work as I wish since I take care of the kittens.”
“Well, I'm home now.”
I snort. “For how long this time?”
“Forever. I retired.”
I meet his eyes. “What? I thought you liked your job.”
“I loved it, but your mother’s been complaining that I'm never home.”
“Because you’re not. She’s been working her fingers to the bone for the covens and you’re never here. I wish you were, because then I could have a life.”
“Don't you take that tone with me. You should be grateful.”
“Grateful?” I laugh and throw my hands in the air. “Grateful that I can't do anything because I'm watching the kittens or running around doing whatever mother asks.”
“Excuse me for trying to provide for the family.”
“Mama's income from working with the Covens is more than enough to take care of us all. You left because you wanted to.”
Father grinds his teeth and looks away.
“Admit it,” I say. “You're ashamed of having a son that only has a partial shift into his human. I'm a freak and you don't like that.”
He growls again and waves a hand at me. “Never mind, we'll talk after dinner.”
“No, we won't, because after dinner I will be sleeping then going to my job to get away from all of this.”
Of course the door opens and Ferris's head peeks out. “Do you hate me?” he asks so softly and my heart drops.
“No, I don't hate you,” I say with a little more fire than I intend.
“I love you. And you're not a burden. I don't want you to think that.” I drop to my knees and pull him into my arms. “I love you so much, Ferris.
And I'm not mad at you at all. I'm mad at him.” I nod to our father. “He stole my childhood.”
“What does that mean?” Ferris asks.
“You'll understand when you're older.” I kiss the top of his head and push back to my feet. I squeeze his shoulders. “Go back inside and help mama. I'm sure she probably needs a little bit of the help.”
“Alrighty. Love ya.” He presses a kiss to my cheek before turning on his heel and going back to help mama with whatever she's tasked him with doing.
I turn back to father. “You don't even know how to comfort your own children. And that makes me sad for you.” I try to push past him to go back inside, but he grabs my wrist.
“I want you out of this house.”
I whip my head around. “What do you mean you want me out of this house?”
“If you're not going to do as I ask, then you can find your own way. You have ten minutes to pack.”
“Why are you so cruel?” I ask.
“I'm not being cruel. I'm giving you a taste of the real world.”
“Well, I live in Hex, Father. And in Hex, we all help each other.” I stomp all the way into my room with Ferris trailing behind me.
“What's wrong? What happened?”
“Nothing. He just kicked me out.”
“What?” Ferris shrieks. “He can't do that. I need you! Don't leave me. Tears well in his eyes and I pull him close.
“I can still come pick you up and take you to school and drop you off back at home if you want.”
“What if he gets mad at me?” He looks at my ears, then down to my tail.
“You already have a full shift. You have nothing to worry about.”
Tears stream down his cheeks. He shakes his head. “What if it’s not really about your partial shift?” he whispers. “What if it’s because you like boys?”
I squeeze him tighter. “That's never been a problem with him. He may have lived in the human world for as long as he did, but I know he's a Hex citizen at heart and that he doesn't care who I'm attracted to.” Oh… wait.
I pull back to look him in the face. “Ferris? Do you—”
He tries to stop a sob and fails. “I'm like you. I like boys. But I don't want Papa to be mad at me.”
“Oh, Ferris.” I rock him in my arms. “You have nothing to worry about. Papa doesn't care about that. I know for sure.”
“Okay,” he sniffles and wipes his nose with his sleeve. “But I'm sad for you. I don't like that he’s mean to you because you have ears and a tail. I like your ears and tail. Why can't papa?”
“I don’t know.”
I direct Ferris to help me pack my bags. I have three open bags by my side when a shriek rings out.
“You are not sending my boy away!”
Ferris sucks in a breath, and he bolts from my bedroom. I chase him to find Mother standing up to Father, and it’s such a strange sight. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my mother so upset. She’s poking his chest and speaking in a language that I haven’t heard in years.
“This is your fault, not Sparkle’s. Sparkle is a good son.
He’s been a good person his entire life.
He never complains. He might give me an attitude every once in a while when he’s overwhelmed and I’ve stressed him out.
” Mother starts crying, and she pokes Father’s chest again.
“But he’s never once rejected what I’ve asked him to do. You ran away because you’re afraid.”
I can’t tear my eyes away.
Mother’s hand wraps around the pendant Father always wears, and she yanks. For a split second, none of us breathe. And when we do, Father has a fluffy white tail and a pair of ears that are a match for my own.
Mine twitch, and my tail stops.
“He needs to know the truth,” Mother says.
Father growls and turns to me. “You’re like me, and we’re both freaks.”
I blink, trying to take in his appearance. His true appearance. I’d always thought his human ears looked strange, but I never could place why. And now I understand. The glamour in the necklace and pendant hid away his permanent cat features. The ones that he was ashamed of.
Mama turns to me. “We could only afford one pendant, and your father took it. But I’ve always loved both of you the way you are.”
She pulls me into her arms, and tears drip onto my shirt.
I pull away. “Mama, you never shamed me about how I look. I’ve always felt loved. It’s always him.” I can’t even look at my father. “He doesn’t even want to call me by my chosen name. I’m not Frederick. That name was never me.”
She gives me a small smile. “I know. It was probably a little narcissistic, naming you after your father.”
She turns to him. “To the man who can’t accept himself, and I don’t know why.
We all love you as you are. Your mother, your siblings, everyone.
You’re the one who felt ashamed, and you rubbed that off on our son.
I can’t forgive you for that. I will not let you kick him out.
If anyone’s leaving, it’ll be you until you get your fucking attitude adjusted. ”
Ferris sucks in a breath. We’ve never heard our mother cuss.
She chuckles and pats me on the head. “I’ve always known how to speak like a sailor.” She chuckles again. “Now, if everyone agrees that no one is a freak of nature and that everyone just has different abilities and appearances, then we can have a nice, happy family dinner.” She gives me a smile.
I shake my head and step away. “I don’t think I can stay.”
Her face drops, and I hug her again.
“I have a lot to process. I’m not welcome here.” I look to father, who refuses to look at me. His ears lay flat and his face is bright red.
“But you are,” she says. “You’re always welcome here, and I don’t want you to leave. Not if you don’t want to. Not if you’re not ready.”
I swallow and look at the ceiling. “I’ve been ready for years. I’ve been ready for so long. I just needed the push. But I didn’t want to abandon you or the kittens. I love you too much.”
She smiles. “I know, sweetie. You’re a good boy.”
“Thank you, Mama.”
Papa just scoffs and crosses his arms. His tail shakes, brushes over something, and he grabs it, strangling it as if that would take the tail away. “It’s such a nuisance to have this,” he says. “Give me back the pendant.”
“No,” Mother says.
She opens my hand and places the pendant in mine. “It’s Sparkle’s now. He earned it.”
“I paid for it,” Father says.