The Trinity of Magic (Book 2 of the Trinity series)

Chapter 18

"You can go in, Caley," Natasha, my father's secretary, told me.

"I know," I said, but I remained where I was standing.

"He isn't busy. You can just go on upstairs. His office is the only room up there," she said.

"I really wish you would be quiet right now," I snapped, glaring at her. She glared back.

I wasn't concerned about whether or not my father was busy. No, I was more preoccupied with the fact that I hadn't had a proper conversation with him since the beginning of the summer when I slipped up and told him I hated him.

How was I going to fix this?

I let out a groan and stomped my foot.

Why was this so hard?

"I can walk you up there if you need me to," she said.

"I think you should continue with your work," I replied. She gave me an aggravated look before continuing to write whatever she was writing. I looked towards the staircase, a determined expression on my face.

Come on, Caley. You can do this. You have to do this. You don't have a choice. Elijah is counting on you; he's trusting you.

With a loud sigh, I forced myself to move forward. Each step I took was harder than the last. It felt like my legs were made of lead. I was just dragging them up the stairs. I was so distracted that I couldn't even pause to appreciate the ancient beauty of my surroundings. The office building was absolutely exquisite.

After what seemed like a millenia, I reached the upper landing. Natasha was right. The office was the only thing up here. I knocked on the heavy oak doors and waited for a response. After about five seconds, there was no response and I started to convince myself to run away and go back to my dorm. But just then, the doors opened of their own accord. I stared blankly into the expansive office, not moving, just staring unblinkingly in front of me.

My father was sitting at his large glass-top desk. He had on his reading glasses and was holding a newspaper in his hands, a grim expression on his face. I wondered what he was reading about. I made a mental note to start reading Trinity Times, the newspaper produced by a branch of the Ministry and the top source of news in the magical world. It would be good to keep up with whatever was going on in the outside world.

My father looked up when he realized that whoever was at the door had made no move to enter into the office. When he did, confusion flooded into his face.

"Caley?" he asked, his voice echoing in the high-ceilinged room. I stood stock still, frozen in place.

This was a bad idea. This was a really bad idea. He's going to see right through me!

"Did you need something?" he asked, his tone formal. I finally found it in me to move my legs and take a few steps forward so that I was now standing inside the office.

"I--uh---I just wanted to--umm...talk...to...you..." I stammered. The confusion on his face spread farther. Ugh, this was going to be excruciatingly difficult and painful.

"What did you need to talk about? Are you feeling all right? Do you need money for something?" he questioned.

I sighed.

No matter how badly I treated him, he was still the concerned father he had been from the beginning. I felt a slight pang of guilt, but immediately let it become destroyed. He was the one that killed my mother. I should feel no guilt for what I'm doing.