Beautiful Voices

Chapter 27

Ten minutes with Theo and I knew I wasn't going to like him. He was gruff, barley spoke, and truthfully I thought he was slightly sexist. Mom was eating him up though on the other hand. Laughing obnoxiously at everything he said, to much physical contact. And I even saw her pull down her shirt at one point to make her boobs more than noticeable. Poor dude didn't even stand a chance.
      Once mom starts to run her hand up and down his arm as he was starting to explain what he'd be doing I took it as a cue to leave. But as I started to take my first steps up the stairs my mom called out.
"Where do you think you're going."

"We'll since you guys won't get a room I'm going to mine, I'm done watching my mom drool over someone who could be her son."
Right when it came out of my mouth I wished I could of sucked the words back in. Looking at mom's face I see that I've hurt her feelings, nothing was more nerve racking for a siren than her aging.

"Mom I'm sorry I didn't mean it."
I say walking towards her. She waves me away without looking at me.

"It's true."
She says apsentmindedly like she was talking to herself. Turning from Theo and I she goes inside the house, closing the door behind her. I was going to be in the dog house for a very long time because of my big mouth I thought. I felt a hand tap my shoulder so I turned to look at Theo to see a look of embarrassment on his face.

"Thank you, I did not want her advances."

Shrugging I say.
"No problem, I should probably go check on her."

Backing up I don't turn my back towards him until I feel the porch steps dig into my calfs. Spinning I hurriedly run up the steps not wanting to have my back face him for long. Once I make it inside I turn back around and invite him in.
"Why don't you come inside and sit on the couch while I try to get my mom to forgive me."

With a silent nod he heads for the couch I was pointing to in the other room. Once he sits down I stand there awkwardly not wanting to leave him alone. Giving him a nervous laugh I fumble for the remote typing a random number into the keys to have some noise in the too quiet room. Some cheesy chick flick comes on during a sad scene, sensing Theo's discomfort I turn it to the news channels which seems to make him relax. Leaving him I go down the hall to mom's room, lightly knocking on her door I get no response. Wanting to know what she's doing I try and focus my hearing like I'd done before on my first day of school. All I manage to do is make this static noise that overcomes all other sounds surrounding me.

"Good job Ivy now you can't hear anything."
I say to myself. Not wanting to leave mom by herself I let myself in to see her on the floor leaning against her bed holding the remnants of my baby pictures, holding a particularly crispy picture of dad and I when I was three. He was on his knees looking up at the camera his eyes squinting from the sun with me on his hip. I had a pink helmet on my head that covered most of my head and face. The rest of my face was buried in his neck as he held my broken bike in the arm that wasn't holding me. He was smiling at my mom, it was one of my favorite pictures because in it we looked like a normal family who just broke their bike. Hearing my mother's sniffle I'm pulled from my thoughts, walking around the bed I slide down next to her.
"If weren't actually running from the covenant than what happened to dad?"

Wiping at her face she continues to look at the picture when she answers me.
"It was the covenant, they were angry with me and when my sister told me they'd planned on doing I took you and hid. Later that night I'd called your dad to come meet up with us at the safe house I'd picked."

I nod at her words remembering mom's quick packing job, and us driving four hours to a log cabin mom and dad had rented for emergencies.

"My sister told me that they were planning on taking you to be with them, even if you were a half blood. I told her that I wasn't going to let that happen so without thinking or calling your father I left. I was on the phone with him when the covenant found him."

Finally facing me she takes hold of my hands looking deep into my eyes.

"I was on the phone with him when they found him. I heard them all scream in union and an explosion. And as punishment they sent me a picture on your dad's phone of the reckage."
She stops for a moment, her voice choking with emotion. Swollowing and wiping under my eyes she continues.
"They made his head explode, but that wasn't punishment enough for them so they made me see it."

Staring at her in silent I try and gather my thoughts. I go to open my mouth when the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it."
I say as a tear falls from my eye, before it crashes to the floor mom catches it, holding that hand agaisnt her chest as I stood up. Right when I walk into the main hall I see Theo open the door. And on the other side of it was Alaric and he did not seem happy.

"What's up Alaric? I didn't know you were coming over today."
I say speed walking over to the door. Theo backs up silently and watches our conversation from the kitchen. Leaning close to me Alaric whispers
"Who's this guy?"

Giving him what I hoped was my most dazzling smile I say.
"Our new roommate. "