Fire and Ice

Chapter 21: The Truth

The dining room is silent other than the squeaks of our cutlery scraping our plates as we scoop up portions of eggs and bacon. I glare at my parents through my tired eyes, my anger from yesterday still unrelenting and bubbling within me. My mom tried to speak to me multiple times throughout the night, but each time I ignored her. 

As my father finishes his breakfast he sighs and dramatically drops his knife and fork onto his plate. He looks over at me, "Vega, you can't ignore us forever. I know you're still upset by the way I spoke to... Seth, but trust me, sweetie, I'm going it for your own good." 

His pathetic excuse runs circles in my head. The anger surging within me grows and I stab my fork into the last bit of egg on my plate glaring hard at him all while I bring it up to my mouth and eat it. 

My mom shakes her head. "Honey, you should listen to your father. That boy doesn't seem like a good influence and we don't want you hanging around him."

"How the hell would you know anything about him you only just met him!" I yell. That all too familiar coldness starts to buzz within me, electrifying my veins and hardening my fingertips. Breaking the intense eye content with both of them I reach into my bag and take out the think pair of gloves I packed in specifically for moments like this. 

They look at one another silently, no doubt trying their best to figure out some sort of answer that they'll think I'll accept. it won't work, nothing they say at this moment will help them win me back over. Like it or not I will keep hanging around Seth because despite our entire relationship starting on a lie he is the only one who is being somewhat honest with me. 

"We can just see it," my mom says. "Honey, I went to school with boys like him I know what they are after and I don't want you being taken advantage of." 

I scoff and shake my head so that neither of them can see the angry tears pooling up in my eyes. Of course, she would bring that up, of course, she would use the incident against me. 

"Well, you're wrong. I mean sure he can be a bit of a jerk sometimes but it seems that lately, he has been the only person in my life who isn't lying to me about something." 

A worried expression appears on both of their faces, and I know I've hit some sort of jackpot. 

"What do you mean by that, sweetie?" my dad asks, even his voice failing to hide his concern. 

I shrug. "I don't know, Dad, what am I talking about?" I ask wondering if perhaps either of them is going to give in and tell me about the powers I have been displaying. 

Once again they silently look at one another. At least my mom appears to be a bit on my side in this soundless argument. I've seen that pleading look in her eyes before, I know she wants to break and I know she wants my father to agree with her, but his cold and inaudible disagreement shatters her argument and lets her head roll to the side with a sigh. 

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but we don't know what you're talking about." 

I look back at my mom who blatantly refuses to look me in the eye as she gets out of her chair and starts taking out plates to the sink to be washed up. It's obvious neither of them is going to tell me what I want to know, for some reason or other they seem desperate to keep me in the dark. Well, if they won't tell me the truth then I guess I'll just have to talk to someone else, someone they would rather die than let me speak to.