Caged In

Chapter 44: Play Nice at the Dinner Table, Kids!

I looked up for a moment to see Celia smiling at me. It wasn't a warm smile though, it was the complete opposite. The type where the smile is just a bit too big and her eyes crease at the corners as they look down on you. Happy to see you squirm under the pressure.

I quickly looked away to the only place that was safe, the food that had been placed in front of me.

Just eat and get out. I chanted to myself to try and distract myself from everyone in the room.

I was taken away from my thoughts when my father spoke suddenly," It has been a while since we've all been gathered together. Let me thank the moon goddess before we eat." He closed his eyes before gently placing his hands on either side of his plate before bringing his right hand on his heart, and tracing a semi circle on his forehead with his left index finger. He then held his right hand in front of him with the palm facing up before making his left hand into a fist and placing it in his right. His right hand wrapped its fingers around the left and he brought his hands to his chest again before opening his eyes.

I watched the whole thing, remembering how beautiful the prayer looked. It was part of a traditional dance that was performed during harvest moons, the dance told the story of our existence, and it was performed by people who dedicated a large amount of time to properly learning it. I could barely contain my rage as I watched my father. The prayer he did was from the part of the dance that thanked the moon goddess for mates. Something he never believed in.

I felt his stare boring into the side of my head as I grabbed my hand to stop it from shaking with anger.

He's doing this on purpose. I reminded myself. He's testing you.

" Your mother always loved that part when she danced." He said.

I couldn't stop myself from glaring at him when I brought my head up.

" She did." I replied calmly.

I glared at my father in silence. He simply stared back.

" Come now, let's not talk of the dead during dinner." Celia said, cutting through the tension with ease.

My glare snapped over to Celia, who sat on the opposite end of the table wearing a strapless blood red gown. The damned woman looked like she was waiting for a photo shoot to start in the middle of dinner. Her lipstick wasn't even smudged from drinking! Her perfection infuriated me to no end.

Everyone remained quiet and started to eat their own food once my father took a bite of his. I looked up from my plate at Varian, who was seated across from me. He seemed to be too preoccupied with his own thoughts to spare me a glance. Corine sat next to me, with Finn across from him. Finn did spare me a spiteful glare when I looked in his direction, I narrowed my eyes at him and scrunched my nose in response.

Benjamin sat on a booster seat adjacent to Celia with Mia sitting across from him. I would have liked the seating arrangements more if Finn, my father, and Celia were all seated as far from me as possible, but of course, I had to be sitting next to my father. Tradition called for the successor to be seated at the right hand of the king always.

Damn tradition. I hissed mentally.

Celia suddenly spoke up with her sickly sweet voice that I could tell was forced," Varian, Olivier, Mia, Corine, Finn, and Benjamin, it's nothing short of a miracle having you all here at the same time. How about we toast to our reunion ?" She held her champagne glass up.

My father raised a brow as he looked around the table before grabbing his glass and raising it," To our reunion."

Everyone raised their glasses, almost mechanically, except for Benjamin. He grabbed his plastic cup of juice and took a happy sip.