To Cut Blood Ties

Chapter 7: Parental Love

June 16, 2016

Paradise Valley, Arizona

1:56 pm

Alice had grown up barely knowing either of her parents. Jason, being in charge of the empire of Oswald, was far too busy to pay attention to the children growing up. Especially one that was never going to inherit what he had. Marie, she doted on George, but not Alice. No matter what anyone said, unconditional love was up to perception. It was challenging when the child you bore and spent so many months and years caring for, turned out to be not only less than expected but also brought upon waves of negative opinions upon your shoulders. When Alice had been younger, she had been hurt, even offended by her mother's dismissal of her after her sixth birthday. But as she grew older and experienced some of what Marie went through, well it became understandable.

It had always been Alice and George against the world. He had stood by her corner even when the numerous tests came back negative on her sixth birthday. Even when their grandmother from their father's side had spit in Alice's face and called her "scum", he had stood up – only eleven at the time – and told his grandmother if she was going to have that attitude she "might as well just leave and find a new last name".

He had been her biggest supporter when she decided that she wanted to enter training, despite her youth. But it wasn't until then that Alice discovered that his support meant that he had placed an enormous amount of weight upon her shoulders. He supported her because he expected her to not fail, to not crumble under the fact that she was human, in fact he wanted her to rise above those with magic and prove herself. Alice tried desperately to please him, and in a way, please her parents. Jason had never given her any sort of doubt that he didn't love her, for unlike Marie, he didn't even give George extra attention. But despite that, whenever she did achieve something that should have been out of her reach – such as on her fourteenth birthday, she took the leader position of her team and led them to victory against the other trainees – Jason's small smile was like the sun shining. And when George was proud of her, despite clipped words of praise, she felt so warm when she felt it upon her skin.

Alice was sitting next to the fire pit out in the back yard. It was by far too hot to use it, on top of that there was a fire restriction in place and if they were caught there would be a massive fine. But she liked this small area, there was a bench that wrapped around the pit and had a nice view of the house but also the impressive yard. The grass was not as green as it had been earlier in the year, the sun burning the surface of it, as it stayed out longer. But it was still beautiful. She did feel pleased that she didn't just see the basement of the gym in the house unlike the other trainees. She felt very privileged to live here. The family home was quite large with its two documented stories and the hidden basement, numerous rooms to accommodate their large family, and if need be, other guests. It was off of Shea and Tatum, therefore having easy access to the rest of the city. But it was tucked, just behind a golf course, and trees lined the outside of the property, hiding it from the public eye. It never really felt like a house that was only five minutes from a major freeway.

"Alice!" footsteps drew her attention away from the book in her lap – new study material about werewolves – to see Sam making her way across the symmetrical tile squares that cut through the grass to the pit, and towards the separated garage, pool, and tennis court.

"Yes?" Alice placed her bookmark back in its place and stood.

Sam came to a halt not far from her, making an annoyed sound low in her throat as she yanked her hair tie from her gnarled hair and tried desperately to tame it. "Your father wants to see you."