Chapter Seven
Ted watched the cousins come and touch them, hug them, and then leave. When Lucia’s parents stood there, her mother’s hand was reaching and dropping.
The sentence Lucia’s father said was heartbreaking. “We forgot you.”
Lucia smiled. “I know. I was never a beloved son, a promised alpha, and I was in the way, so I got out of the way, and then I was gone.”
Her mother was crying silently. “We have gotten better with our daughters-in-law and our grandchildren. We understand what we did to you.”
“I know. You did for them what you couldn’t for me. It’s good. It shows growth.”
Her mother whispered, “May I hug you?”
Lucia stood up and looked down at both her parents. The hug from her mother paused when her mother said, “You are cold.”
“I am stone, Mom. My body is long gone. This is just a housing for my soul and all the power that rose inside me. A sculptor made this body for me so that I would not have to make my own body from scrap materials around me. I have no blemishes, no scars, no freckles. None of the things that you remember are on this form. I am made out of marble.”
She looked at her father. “Wanna arm wrestle?”
He blinked and smiled slowly. “Sure.”
Ted watched as they settled at a table, and Sabin watched their form before saying, “Go!”
Lucia’s arm lazily pinned her father’s hand to the table. She let him go and smiled. “Two out of three?”
He looked at her. “No, Lucia. You win.”
“Thank you. Back to my cozy chair.”
He caught her in a hug, and she hugged him back.
“I missed you, Cici. Thirteen years of loss just hit us all at once. All the missing moments, the laughter in the house, the quiet fixing of our computers, the tutoring of your younger brothers. The face you made when you got dragged off to make dumplings.”
She smiled and looked at him. “Those words still put a chill down my spine.”
He chuckled. “You didn’t even eat them.”
“I smelled them in my skin, my hair, my clothing. I was wearing them. I couldn’t eat something I had been consuming via my other senses for hours.”
He blinked. “Oh. Less of a cute story now.”
“Don’t worry about it. That happens a lot in my past. Only looks cute from a distance.”
“What happened to you?”
“I graduated, was getting ready to start a company, and I was leaving a coffee shop when I was grabbed, drugged, and hauled off. Three guys were there, and they used magic to bind me in addition to the cuffs and the collar that attached me to the wall.”
Her father was tense. “Did they...”
“Nope. They shackled me to the wall and fed me most of the time. I tried to get away, but it took me a while before I was successful.”
“You got away?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
He didn’t ask her how and when, but she patted him on the shoulder. “You need to keep working out; you got beat by a girl and a sad little beta, at that.”
He blinked. “Oh. Oh no. You... heard that?”
“Yup. And considering that it is you who fucks a beta on the regular, that sort of snobbery is really out of left field.” She looked at him calmly.
“Well, you were always lurking in corners, honey.”
“Dad. I knew that if I wasn’t an alpha or omega, no one wanted me there.
When all of my brothers popped up as alphas, I was the one who didn’t fit.
I was edged out of photographs, not invited to events, and when I was invited, I was banished to the kitchen to work for the blessed ones, and I should be happy for it.
Dad, I am way too egotistical to keep doing that. ”
She exhaled slowly. “I am far too me now to let anyone push me into a corner, but I need to learn what I can do with it, and I can’t do that here.”
“But you are staying in the city?”
She looked at Yorwell, who was listening but from twelve feet away. “Yorwell, where do you live?”
“I will be welcoming you to my home on Akervel Lane.”
She looked at her father. “I will be staying on Akervel Lane.”
He nodded. “Will you call us and let us know how you are?”
His phone lit up, and a wall of text started streaming across it. “How are you doing that?”
“When they tried to take my life and my future, I decided to do something for myself. I put myself into my work, and the result was my survival. I am very proud of that.”
“I... can you give me some time to get used to the idea of having a daughter again?”
She patted his cheek. “Don’t strain yourself. You have six sad, little betas married to your alpha sons, and that is enough estrogen for anyone.”
He whispered, “Have you met them?”
“No. Of course not. All the weddings were in the last seven years, and I missed them all.” She cocked her head. “Do you want me to find a new last name? I will if it makes you uncomfortable.”
He looked stunned. “No. Please. You are still my little girl. I need to figure out a way back to you.”
“Dad. Don’t meet your little girl. Meet the woman that I am.
I am angry, powerful, very irritable, and can probably punch through most suburban homes right now.
My first act upon getting a body again was to pull the power back from the men who did this to me.
There are three empty hulls of bodies smouldering around the city, and I couldn’t be happier.
There are also a few really skinny shadow mages out there.
Anyone who sampled my power. I pulled it all back. I needed it. This body is heavy.”
“So, you are actually stone?”
“There is a spell called stone to flesh. I cast it on the statue that Achilles made of me from old photos Sabin found. I am guessing that I am going to age pretty gracefully. I can crack walnuts on my ass. Hell, I can probably crack ball bearings on my ass.”
Yorwell snorted, and a few others laughed.
Her father muttered, “Language.”
Ted smiled and watched as Lucia dragged in a deep breath that she probably didn’t need, and she blasted out a stream of cursing that ran for three minutes.
When Lucia was done, all the kids had hands over their ears.
Lucia beamed. “There. You said language, so I guessed you wanted a demonstration. I know a lot of really bad words, and I use them as needed. If you want to get to know me, you will need to know that I don’t take orders from family anymore.
Ever.” She smiled. “I will, however, consider requests.”
Olyna moved close to them and said, “Lucia, you seem to have some complicated feelings.”
“I have had a body for the first time in six years for about two hours. I have no money, no clothing, no place of my own to rest. I need therapy in the worst way. My family is looking at me like I am a cuckoo hatchling, and I really want to try eating and want a set of sweatpants.” She felt tears tracking down her cheeks.
The soft tinkling when the tears hit the deck made her look. She laughed. “No fucking way.”
Diamonds. She was crying diamonds. She picked them up.
She looked around and said, “Cousin Theo, can you take a look at this?”
The shy brunette walked over and pulled out his loupe. He took the three objects and looked at them. He grinned. “Your money issues will be over if you watch the Joy Luck Club again. I have about thirty thousand dollars in my hand.”
“Can you make it go from sparkly to green?”
“Yes, I can file them as manmade, and that will halve their value, but if you can make more, you should be able to buy a house after a few long-distance commercials.”
She looked at him with narrowed eyes. “I am big enough to take you over my knee if you keep up with the jokes.”
“If you weren’t my cousin, I would invite it.” He winked. “Now, when I get the funds, where do you want them deposited?”
“Ah. I have to figure out how to become a person again. I have just been a crackling bit of static for a few years. Dad, do you and Mom still have my birth certificate?”
He paused. “I don’t know.”
“Oh, shit. You tossed it. Right, well, Regis knows folks at the book club. They should be able to set up a new identity for me. Oh, wait.” She looked distant and then smiled. “There. I am legal again. I forgot I could do that.”
Yorwell smiled.
“I set up a bank account. Here it is.” She sent it to Cousin Theo.
He checked his phone. “How did you do that?”
“I have been living online for a while. When I have a new address, I will order my license and a new passport.”
Ted got to her feet. “Lucia, why don’t you go and get some rest? Integrate into that marble, find out if Yorwell has a hot tub.”
Lucia smiled. “Ah, homework. You are still bossy.”
“You still look younger than I am and are eight years older.”
“Yes, well. I exfoliate.” Lucia smiled.
Ted took the reference to removing skin, and she chuckled. “You are witty.”
“I know; it is why I have a limited friend group.”
Ted hugged her. “Go, get rest, meditate, look for a therapist. Maybe Mik has openings. She gave me her card. I will take a photo of it and send it to you.”
“That sounds good. She looked all official and stuff.” Lucia’s expression got distant. “Cool. I have an intake appointment at two.”
Ted laughed and grinned. She pressed her hands to Lucia’s cheeks. “There’s my big, brave girl.”
Lucia snorted. “Thanks, cuz. I am going to haunt your phone.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time. I will talk to you tomorrow. Get some rest.”
“You, too. You have only been memorable for a few hours. Well, to them. I always knew you, and I always will. If you need to be remembered, come to me.”
Ted looked at her, and her lower lip wobbled. She hugged Lucia again, and her cousin chuckled. “Why is everybody cuddling me today?”
Ted chuckled. “Because you are feeling vulnerable, and we can. You are letting people in today, so I am taking full advantage.”
Lucia smiled and smoothed her braids. “I am touching your hair.”
“You get to do that today, too.” Ted chuckled. “Just today.”
“Did you want me to do your nails this week? I think I have some time before I figure out a new career.”
Ted got excited. “Really? What theme?”
“Circuit board? Daisies? I will get the money from Theo and then go nuts at the beauty supply.”
“Circuit boards. Definitely. Maybe little robots.”