The Witching Hour

Chapter 41 - Distraction

Diana's lips moved, but Ivy heard nothing except ringing in her ears. The world closed in on her. Her vision tunneled until Diana was all she saw. Her knees threatened to buckle and send her tumbling downward. 'Your mother' echoed in her mind like a broken record. She had been right; this was her grandmother. The shock that rendered her speechless morphed into anger.

"Why? Why did you?" Ivy cut off whatever Diana has been trying to say.

Diana rested a hand on Ivy's shoulder, but Ivy recoiled from the touch. Her grandmother tried to gloss over the hurt with a small smile, but Ivy saw through the façade.

"When you moved here and your mother found out, she swore me to secrecy," Diana said, returning her hand to her side. She motioned for the park bench. "Let's sit down and talk. Please."

Ivy followed Diana to the bench and folded her legs under her. She tightened her jacket against her frame, the collar rubbing along her jawline. She pressed it back to avoid the wool and the irritation it brought to her skin. She longed to itch where the scratchy fabric had been, but she focused on Diana's moving lips to distract her.

"She didn't want you in the magical world nor us – your grandparents – in your life." Diana released a heavy sigh, a breath she'd been holding for decades. "I knew you'd find your way, but I respected her wishes even if I didn't agree. I couldn't leave you floundering. The shop was my gift to you. If I couldn't be there to guide you on your journey, at least you'd be surrounded by plants that would help."

The admission sent Diana's body into an ease. Her shoulders rolled back and released their tension as she observed her granddaughter. Ivy wondered what it would be like to talk to your granddaughter after so many years of watching on the sidelines. How many times had they crossed paths but Diana's promise kept her from reaching out? Ivy told herself that she would remember a face like Diana's, but now she wasn't sure. If she hadn't been looking for Diana, told for so long that she had no family, would she have even spotted for the similarities?

"You were the anonymous donor?" Ivy's voice caught in her throat, and tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. "Why did you never say anything or leave a hint?"

"Because I gave your mother my word," Diana replied sternly, her mouth thinning into a hard line. She brushed a hand over her curls and composed herself, her face softening. "Yet here you are. You found me. Gaia would be having a fit if she knew I was telling you any of this."

"Gaia..." Ivy didn't understand. She'd never heard that name. Her mother went by Gale and always had.

"Your mother. That's her birth name." Diana squared up to Ivy and took Ivy's hands in her lap. Ivy looked down at the embrace but didn't yank them back. Diana seemed to notice too, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "This is a lot to take in, but I'm so happy you found me. There's so much more to discuss."

"I have so many questions," Ivy leaned forward. She had wished for family all her life, complete with grandparents and cousins. While she didn't know if she had any of the latter, at least she had found the former. It's not that her mother wasn't enough. No, not at all. Gale was more than enough, but something always tugged at the back of Ivy's mind, pushing her to wonder if there were more Vales out there.

"I know, my darling." Diana cupped Ivy's cheek. Ivy didn't flinch but rather leaned into the warm touch. "I must be going though. We shall talk soon."

Standing up, Diana bid Ivy one last longing look. Decades of sadness, curiosity and love flooded her eyes. Ivy reached for Diana's hand, but her grandmother moved quicker. She gave Ivy a nod and rushed toward the other side of the street, getting lost in a sea of people.