Chapter 56
The bell that was on the door to the building where my mother worked jingled when I pushed it open, with my basket in my hands that held Toran's shirt as well as the dessert from Maron, Jonah, and Charles.
"I will be right with you," my mother said from the back doing something work related. "If you are just needing to drop something off, then you can go ahead and drop it into the basket on the front desk, and I will pick it up when I am done."
I bit back a small smile and shook my head, not saying a word. I sat down in the little waiting room that they had and placed my basket on the table, biting back a small sigh because I knew that my mother would know it was me if I made any type of sound.
I pulled my skirt and pursed my lips in annoyance when I saw the tear again and stuck my fingers through it and wiggled it around.
At least I would be able to fix it when I get home and before this evening when I train, I thought while I pressed my lips into a thin line and let my skirt go so that it fell back to the ground.
"Who is there, anyway?" my mother asked, breaking the silence again but didn't leave the safety of the back back. "And what do you need done?"
I licked my lips before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat, hesitating. "It's me, Mama," I said, praying that she wouldn't ask about my skirt and if I knew what caused the markings on Toran's shirt. "I brought something from Toran as well as some dessert for you."
There was a lot of clatter when she stopped what she was doing and rushed into the front room where I was seated. Worry filled her eyes while she stared at me, and she pressed her lips into a thin line because I didn't normally come here while she worked.
I hesitated before I slowly stood and cleared my throat, shifting on my feet. "Hello, Mama," I said and bowed my head in greeting before I looked at her again. I cocked my head and studied her, with furrowed brows, concerned. "Are you ok?"
"Am I ok?" she asked while she raised an eyebrow in question.
She cocked her head while she studied me, pressing her lips into a thinner line.
"What do you mean? You are the one that is here when you aren't supposed to be, Marini," she said.
"I am sure that it is me who is supposed to be making sure that you are ok. "
"Well, I have already told you why I was here," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, even though I didn't take out the stuff from my basket. "I brought some dessert from Jonah and then a shirt that Toran wants you to fix, but I can fix it if you are busy."
My mother set her jaw and looked me up and down before she looked me in the eyes, and I couldn't help but cringe because I knew that she caught sight of my dirty shirt and torn up skirt, even though I hadn't done anything to cover it up beforehand.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice turning darker. "Who hurt you?"
Oh, Gods...
"It's... nothing, Mama," I said and shook my head before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, becoming very nervous, for some reason. "I am fine; I promise. It is not something that I cannot handle."
Even though I am still not able to contact my dragon...
My heart yearned to hear my dragon's snarky responses, and I prayed that I would be able to hear him when I was back in his presence again.
Oh, Gods, please make it so that I can hear him again... I silently prayed while I pressed my lips into a thin line, waiting for my mother to say or do something instead of studying me and waiting for me to tell her the truth.
My mother set her jaw and narrowed her eyes. "What happened?" she asked again, not liking the fact that I didn't tell her what happened to me. "Who did this to you?"
I bit back a sigh and shook my head. "Later," I said, making sure that my voice was soft because I didn't know who else was in the building with her. "We can talk later this evening after I am done with everything else, please."
I dipped my head closer to my chest while I stared at her, silently praying that she would drop the subject until I was able to talk to Jonah and Arden about it.
My mother's eyes flashed a different color than her normal eye color, catching my attention, and she set her jaw so hard that it started to quiver. She didn't say a word while she stared at me, and I knew that she was trying to get me to tell her without telling me to tell her.
"Please," I said again, not asking her about her eyes because a part of me knew that she wasn't going to answer that question because it was something that I shouldn't have seen.
Was she not fully human either..?
"Let's talk later when and where it's safe."
My mother pressed her lips into a thin line before she narrowed her eyes. She didn't say a word while she looked around before she looked at me. Her whole body was tense, and I could tell that she did not like the idea of talking about this later.
I bit back a small sigh before I shook my head.
I cocked my head to the side while I stared at her, giving her a pleading look with wide eyes.
"Please, Mama," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, praying that she wouldn't fight me on this.
"Can we talk about this late, Mamar?" I paused and cleared my throat while I shifted on my feet again. "Please?"
My mother didn't say a word and set her jaw. She stared at me with her cold eyes in a color that I didn't recognize because I had never seen her this angry, and I couldn't help but pray that I never saw.
Finally, she sighed and relented before she slowly nodded, and her eyes changed back to their normal color while she slowly blinked. "Are you safe?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and I nodded in confirmation.
"For now, I am, Mama," I replied, my voice still barely above a whisper.
I bit back an annoyed sigh before I moved a hand across my arm and shifted on my feet, clearing my throat.
"I am safe, for now, Mama. I can not promise you what the future will bring because I know that it's going to change, and I am going to have to change with it. "
My mother set her jaw and nodded before she looked toward the door and then she looked at me. Her eyes were darker while she looked at me, and I could see that she didn't enjoy a thought that crossed her mind. "Did they hurt you?" she asked, her voice turning darker again.
Did the people in the alleyway hurt you?
I bit back a small scoff and rolled my eyes while I shook my head. "No," I said, trying but failing to keep a chuckle out of my voice, much to her annoyance. "They would never hurt me like this, Mama. They're just as mad and as restless as you, if not more."
My mother blinked and blinked a second time before she raised an eyebrow. She folded her arms across her chest and scowled while she narrowed her eyes. "If not more?" she asked, her tone dark, and I flinched and grimaced, looking down because I did not mean it like that.
Oh, Gods...
"What do you mean, if not more, Marini? I am your mother, Young Lady. I-"
"Because of something that we need to discuss later when it is safe," I said, interrupting her, silently cursing myself because I knew what she was thinking and how she would take that statement.
"Please, Mama. I am sorry that I said it like that.
I did not mean anything like that.
All I know is they have seen other stuff, which is why they are just as mad and restless as you, if not more. "
My mother set her jaws and narrowed her eyes further while she studied me. "What happened?" she asked again. "I am not going to take no for an answer or for you not to tell me."
I bit back an annoyed sigh and slowly nodded because I knew that she wasn't going to take no as an answer. "Then can we at least talk in private, please? I can not say a lot just yet, but I will tell you what I can."
"And will you tell me exactly what happened to you, Marini?" my mother asked and raised an eyebrow in question.
I hesitated before I shook my head, not able to look her in the eye. "Not all of it, Mama," I said honestly before I looked at her again. I licked my lips and cleared my throat before I shifted on my feet, my cheeks turning slightly red while I looked at her again. "It's not safe."
"For who?" my mother asked with a small snap in her voice. She scowled and narrowed her eyes, and I couldn't he;p but look down again, not able to meet her gaze any longer. "For me or for the person who did this to you?"
"For both," I replied. I raised my hand when she opened her mouth to protest, and I patiently waited for her to close her mouth so that I could continue to speak and say what was on my mind.
My mother flared her nostrils but did what I told her to do and closed her mouth, pursing her lips in annoyance and disgust.
I breathed a small sigh of relief and lowered my hand while I shifted on my feet and cleared my throat. "However, whatever you do or do not do, know or not know, could affect me, Mama."
My mother pursed her lips further in annoyance and narrowed her eyes. She didn't say a word while she stared at me, waiting for me to continue to talk.
I cleared my throat again before I shifted on my feet and looked at her again, praying that she would understand and leave it alone. "I do not know what you will do if you find out, and I am worried that whatever you do will hurt me in the future."
My mother set her jaw and narrowed her eyes further. She didn't say a word while she studied me before she slowly nodded, relenting, biting back a small sigh.
"Fine," she said before she cleared her throat and set her jaw tighter. "Are you going to fix your skirt?" she asked and cocked her head while she studied me. "Or do you want me to fix it?"
"I will fix it when I get the chance, Mama," I said with a shake of my head and offered her a tight smile. "Thank you, though."
"Of course," she said. She bit back a small sigh and shook her head, moving a hand through her hair. "Now, why are you here?" she asked, changing the subject while she raised an eyebrow in question. "I know that you said you had dessert for me, correct?"
I nodded in confirmation and walked over to my basket. "Yes, Ma'am," I said, "and Toran has a shirt that you need to fix if you don't want me to fix it. I am not sure if you are super busy or not, so I can help you if you need it."
My mother pressed her lips into a thin line while she stared at me, and I couldn't help but look down, not able to meet her gaze any longer.
Finally she sighed and slowly nodded. "Show me the shirt, and I will let you know if I need to work on it or not," she said with a small cold voice, and I set my jaw and nodded in confirmation. "What is the dessert?"
"Maron's normal dessert," I replied with a small shrug. "Her brownie type of thing." I walked over to my basket and took out the shirt as well as the dessert. "Was there anything else that you wanted, or..?"
My mother shook her head and set her jaw, her jaws quivering. "No, Marini," she said. "Whatever she made will be fine." She cleared her throat and shifted on her feet. "Did you pay for it?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.
I pursed my lips in annoyance and shook my head. "Jonah wouldn't allow me to," I replied and turned back to her with both the dessert and shirt in my hand. "You know how he can get, how they all can get."
My mother narrowed her eyes a little before she slowly nodded. "Of course," she said before she cleared her throat. She took the dessert from me when I handed it to her, and a look of hunger flashed through her eyes when she looked at it.
"Mama," I said with a small frown on my face, and she looked at me with a calm look on her face, the look of hunger leaving just as fast as it came. I furrowed my brows and cocked my head while I studied her. "Have you been eating?"
She didn't say a word, and a look of pain and guilt flashed through her eyes while she looked away from me, and I narrowed my eyes and scowled while I looked at her.
"Mama," I said, my voice soft yet firm. "Please, are you eating? There's enough food now for each of us. You don't need to starve yourself so that there is enough for us kids." I paused and cleared my throat while I shifted on my feet. "All of us are eating."
My mother sighed and closed her eyes before she slowly nodded. "I know," she said. "It's just..." She shrugged and grimaced before she cleared her throat, shaking her head. "I will start eating regularly," she promised and looked at me again, and I breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Mama," I said, offering her a tight smile, "because I am going to need you alive and well for whatever I have to face in these upcoming months because I fear that something bad will happen to us soon."