Ethereal

(1) Wishes Don't Always Come True (1)

All my life, I wanted to be a princess. I wanted to wear beautiful ball gowns, have a glorious crown on my head, and dance in the most exquisite shoes that money could buy. My hair would always be perfect and never went against my wishes. Dad would be King, and my mother would always be with me. And then my prince would come and sweep me off of my feet. We'll live in a humongous castle with kind servants and delicious food. Everything would be perfect.

But life was not perfect.

My mother had left Dad before I was barely even four. She left in the middle of the night, carrying a suitcase and getting in a dark car that I didn't even recognize. The headlights disappeared out of the driveway so fast that my tiny brain couldn't even process what was happening. Dad acted like nothing happened the next day, as if Mom didn't even exist, and he continued on with his mortal life.

"Where's Mommy?" I had asked him one day. Dad froze for a few seconds before carrying on with making dinner. He stayed silent for the longest time. When he did answer, it was with his back to me. "Mommy left."

"Will she be back?"

"No."

That was the only answer that he could've given me. No. It was such a blunt response. But that was also the only answer that my three-year-old self could take. Even now as a teenager, it is still the only answer that I can take.

Now, I wish I asked again and demanded an answer. I wish that I knew why Mom left my father and I so many years ago. Dad knew why. Yes, he knew well why she left, but he never bothered telling me. "When you are old enough, my little songbird." He would say. That's what he always said. Apparently, seventeen wasn't old enough. It never will be to him.

I thought of that as I sat here in the attic, looking at my parents' wedding picture while eating Cheetos. I tried not to get any of the fake cheese on any of the things in the box, but it got some on a few of the things. Thank heavens that it wasn't on Mom's ivory dress. Dad would've killed me if I did. It was one of the few memories that he has of her, and I don't want to ruin any of it. He was still in love with her.

The back of the picture read 'Nicholas and Dana, 1997. May we love each other forever.' Obviously, Mom didn't hold up her end of the bargain.

"Lyra! Where are you?" Dad shouted. I cursed and started packing up the box full of the wedding souvenirs. The plastic bag crinkled when I grabbed it, and I ran downstairs so fast that someone could call me a cheetah. Dad was waiting at the bottom of the stairs in a suit. He had a date today. It was the third one this week.

"I'll be gone for a few hours, so I ordered you some pizza for you. I also asked Tristan to come and keep you safe whilst I'm gone. After all, there has been all the break-ins here lately and the creepy man just down the street and-" I cut him off by placing my hand over his mouth. His brown eyes widened slightly before softening into their normal look. "Dad, it's fine. You don't have to get the demon to come and baby-sit me! I'm seventeen years old, I know where the gun is, and I'm a black belt in karate. I think I know how to take care of myself in case someone breaks in."

Dad sighed behind my hand and shook his head. I removed it, allowing him to speak. "I know, my songbird, I know. It's just that I don't trust anyone with my precious baby." His eyes became watery. That's the thing about Dad-he was emotional. Overly emotional. It was one of the main reasons why there wasn't a new mommy for me yet. That, and he was still in love with Mom. "I only want the best for you."

"And having Tristan Jay with me here alone is the best for me?"

The internal conflict inside Dad was evident, but was short lived as he wagged his finger in front of my face. "My word is final," he said before putting on his coat. "Tristan is a good boy, and I trust him. He wouldn't try anything unless he is willing to have his balls cut off of his body." And with that, he left.