The Magpie's Death

Welcome to The Glass House (1)

There's the saying, "absence makes the heart grow fonder," but what if that absence is forever? Is there a limit to someone's affection? Will it suddenly stop growing one day or keep expanding until you explode? Or will it eventually fade away to nothing?

Jack stared through the line of guests waiting to check in, unable to decide which outcome would be worse.

"Jack."

The light voice broke through his thoughts and he felt a tug on his sleeve. Ellie was staring at him with her giant, grey-blue eyes, pointing at the woman standing on the other side of the desk. Her face scrunched in annoyance and her long fingernail tapped impatiently on the wood. He wondered how long he'd ignored her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry ma'am. Your name was... Bennett?"

He searched through the computer, receiving only a scowl from the young woman. He tried to ignore it, but he could already imagine the review she was planning to leave on his poor service.

With a sigh, he gestured to the board behind him. "Ellie, grab number seven."

His daughter climbed onto the back counter, taking a key from the thin cabinet on the wall and tossing it to him. He apologized again and handed the woman her room key, letting her know the meal schedule and giving her a pamphlet for the sites in and around town. She still said nothing, dragging her luggage away with a huff. Jack let out a longer sigh, scanning the crowd ahead of him.

I should be glad we're busy, but I really hate Sundays...

"Yes, sir. Checking in?"

Ellie shuffled back over to stand at his side, giving him a comforting pat on the small of his back. Finn had been right. She was tough and smart and she had kept her promise to take care of him. So much so that sometimes he wasn't sure which of them was the parent. She listened to him when he needed to talk and hugged him when he needed to cry. She snapped him out of his frequent dazes and daydreams and helped him at work when it was busy. And though she might blow out a frustrated breath every once in a while, she never complained when he deteriorated into a useless mess. At almost five years old, she was independent, trustworthy, and an amazing little girl.

"Jack!"

He felt a smack on his back and realized he had been zoning out again. Rubbing the spot, he managed an apologetic smile and bobbed his head toward the next guest.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me today."

"It's a good thing you have this girl here to keep you in line."

The middle-aged man across the desk chuckled, not bothered by his absentmindedness. Jack knew he meant it as a joke, but it couldn't have been more accurate, so he smiled and nodded.

"Very true." He handed him a key and pamphlet. "You'll be in room five. All rooms are at the top of the stairs. We serve dinner at seven, but there are some wonderful restaurants in town too. And if you need anything, let us know."

With four people still left in line, he sighed and turned to look at Ellie. Her big eyes glared at him and a scowl spread over her face, not accepting his silent apology. He pouted, but it made no impact.

"Ellie, sweetie, why don't you go upstairs and check the bathroom for clean towels and fresh supplies? It's too busy down here for me to leave." Her head tilted to the side, questioning whether she should leave him alone, so he flashed her a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine. When you're done, you can go play. You've been working all day."

"You work all day, I work all day."

Jack huffed out a laugh and ruffled her already messy hair, then gave her a pat to send her on her way.

"What a sweet little girl," the next guest in line commented, stepping up to the desk with a friendly smile. She was an older woman and from the amount of luggage she had beside her, she was checking in for more than one person. "She's your daughter?"

He nodded proudly, watching Ellie scurry up the stairs. "Yeah, she is." Returning to the computer to find her reservation, he added, "I'm not sure 'sweet' is the right word, though."

The woman gave him a curious look but he only smiled. Tough, smart, and independent also meant stubborn and headstrong. It had been a year, but Becca was still her only friend at preschool, and she hadn't shown any interest in making more. She still didn't speak if she felt it wasn't necessary, didn't listen if she felt it wasn't necessary, and when she did open her mouth, she said what was on her mind.

While she hadn't bitten any more children, she was all too happy to get into a fight. She was fiercely loyal and took matters into her own hands when she thought something wasn't right. Whether it broke rules or not. Technically, she never started anything, taking her dada's lesson of only using violence against violence to heart. Her definition of violence, however, was pretty broad.

It drove Jade mad. Not because she fought, since all young children can have tempers and Ellie understandably lost hers easily, but because Jack refused to teach her otherwise. Sometimes, he even encouraged it. He knew he shouldn't. If Ellie continued acting this way when she was older, she would have trouble fitting in. But it reminded him too much of Sam. That part of her was Sam and he didn't want to let go of that antisocial, indifferent, solve-problems-with-violence attitude. Besides, in his mind, she was never wrong. Her methods weren't always socially acceptable, but her judgments were spot on.

"-dinner at seven, but there are some great restaurants in town too."

Ugh, where is Jade? She should be done by now.

"Let us know if you need anything. We'll be happy to help."

The front doors opened and Jack groaned under his breath, turning to see who had entered.

Why does everyone always show up at the same time?

"Welcome to The Glass House."