Flower

Chapter 16: Flower

"Mother," My voice faltered. My mother ran over to me and hugged me tightly.

            "Thank God your alright," She whispered into my ear. I didn't return as much affection.

            "I'll leave you two alone. I'll be right outside my office." Williams announced and left to give us privacy. Mom guided me to a seat. Her water was half gone as it sat untouched on the table.

            "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked quietly as I sat. It was quiet enough that some people wouldn’t have picked it up.

            "Told you what?" she asked dumbly as she picked up her glass again to avert the question.

            "That I'm different."

            "You're not different sweetie-"

            "Yes I am!" I shouted. I dug my nails into the fabric of the chair.  "I'm not like anyone here. I don't change into something, I control something." I explained harshly. I stared at my mother, waiting for an answer.

            "Sweetie, Emily has missed you so dearly! She called me-"

            "I don't care about Emily right now. I want answers." I seethed. My mother looked at me blankly.  "I did some research about me. About the changers. There has never been someone who could control anything in centuries and yet I can. A normal changer would have learned about its change around age 13." I emphasized the word normal.

            "Sweetie," She cooed; her voice shaking as she seemed ready to cry just by seeing my pain and confusion.

            "Don't call me that." I spat as I looked away.  

            My mother looked gloomy, like a dark gray rain cloud that was about to burst. "Flora, I'm sorry. I was going to tell you, but you were so busy with activities that I couldn't find the time."

            "Then explain who I am."

            She took a shaky breath, "I am not a changer, but my brothers were.  I was supposed to be a keeper but I never had the skills so I was marked to be a regular human.  Your father was a changer though and right before you were born, he turned demon." She stopped and pulled a folded photo. I took it and stared blankly at the man she called my father; dark chocolate brown hair with almond eyes. He smiled as he stood next to my pregnant mother. She continued, "When he went demon, he tried to turn me as well, but there wasn't enough demon venom to turn me since he had just become immortal.  The bite healed and I went into labor. The doctors said you'd be one hundred percent human, but I didn't think so.

            "As you grew older, I wanted to tell you about your demon father, but you wanted to do more things and you were barely home.  Every time I would try to talk to you, you would run off with Emily or someone.  When you were 8, your father came back to me, wanting to see you. You were lucky that you were at school because he was going to turn us both. I was also lucky I had met Roy."

            "Roy was a changer as well," I thought out loud. The pieces were clicking together.

            "Yes… He protected us from demons.  He killed your father to protect us from him. Roy was a Rottweiler.” She took a swallow. “That day in September, Roy got a call saying that you were going to have your claiming. He was flabbergasted since you should have been claimed earlier, but I had a feeling that you wouldn’t be different. We were both sad to see you leave and I wanted to explain everything, before you left but you were gone by the time I had mustered the courage. I’m sorry.”