Downworld

Chapter 30

'What exactly are you doing?' Tinder asked.

Malik and I looked up from our food to where Tinder was standing in the doorway. He sighed. I might run on sex and coffee, but Malik liked some romance every now and then, and time for it was short and far between these days, with him busy ruling -- a job which in his case seemed to involve eighty percent settling petty disputes, fifteen percent intimidating the neighbors and five percent backing up his threats by stomping all over people who didn't believe he was willing to go through with it. He could have order her to leave, and his eyes asked me if I wanted him to do just that. But that would have been cowardly. And I'd never hear the end of it the next time she tried to corner me and Malik wasn't around.

I stood. 'Sorry, sweetheart, we'll just be a minute.'

'No we won't,' Tinder said. I didn't correct her.

We went into another room for some privacy from the rest of the household, who were no doubt hungry for an argument between them that could be turned into entertaining gossip for a few days.

'You didn't answer my question?'

I shrugged. 'Well, I was trying to have dinner, and after that I was hoping to have sex.'

She glared.

Yeah, I wasn't in the mood either. 'Why don't you be more specific?' I said.

'Fiona.'

'Ah, so you've found out. You should be proud, she got accepted into a good school.'

'Proud? You want to send her out there without any protection, knowing that she doesn't have any practice using her powers.'

I could already feel a headache coming on from Tinder's shrill concern. 'Isamu is going with her. And so are her friends. They've agreed to take measures to protect themselves. And honestly, who do you think will be out to get them? To the humans they're just another bunch of college kids. And no one who knows them will dare try to hurt them.'

'When has it being a monumentally stupid idea stopped any of our kind from trying to hurt someone?'

I shrugged again. She kind of had a point. We freaks were not exactly known for our instincts of self-preservation. I could attest to that myself.

'And you still haven't answered my question. What are you doing? Why are you sending my daughter above where she won't be protected? What could she possibly learn up there that will be useful down here?'

'Why does it have to be useful? Why can't it just make her happy?'

'Because I know you. You're really not going to tell me, are you?'

'Sorry, Tin, but you just won't understand.'

'I was the only person who understood that you weren't just a coward when you left to live above. The only person.'

'Were you? Or did you just want your best friend back?' I said, her having given me the ammunition to try to end this argument with one of a different kind.

'How can you even say that when I'm the reason you're better now?'

I raised an eyebrow. 'Is that how you remember it? Because I remember a lot of you sending Malik to violate my boundaries. You meant well, Tin, and you were there for me in your own way, but you had no idea what the fuck you were doing.'

She opened her mouth then snapped it shut. 'You're trying to distract me.'

'And it's not working? Shame.'

'You are such a bastard. I'm not letting this go.'

'Didn't think you would. But it doesn't change anything. You could try to guilt her into not going, but then she'd just hate you forever. Do you really want you to be like me and my parents? Trust me, it's worse than it looks.'

'It's not the same.'

'Well, no. But she wants this. More than anything.'

'And all because you put it in her head.'

'That's right. You can hate me if you want. Just don't get in the way.'

'What have I done to deserve this?'

'This isn't about what you've done.'

'Then why does it seem like you're trying to punish me?'

'Try not to take it so personally.'

'Right. Because you hate everyone. Well, from now on you can hate everyone front far away from my children. Fiona may be old enough to disobey me, but I won't have you corrupting Stevie and Elle.'

'You can't lock them away.'

'Watch me.'

I didn't argue, because I'd already made my point with Fiona. She and her friends would come back on holidays and tell their siblings and cousins about how great it was in the above, and parents like Tinder, who tried to clutch their kids tighter, would only make them long for freedom more.

And I would be the one to give it to them. And then they would help me do what I needed to do.