Page 101 of Until the End of Ever
"Good, thank you." I swallowed.
Eager to get going,I didn't add.
When we’d arrived,Timothee zeroed in on Gideon, accosting him with questions about the case, seeming overwhelmed, so I made my way to the office alone.
I launched into the details."We've uncovered the cause and purpose of the spell. Someone is attempting to enslave a victim, using an ancient rune ritual that requires sacrifices. That's the bodies you're finding all over town. I bookmarked the relevant pages in this source."I gestured towards the book I'd already dropped on her desk.
She didn't open the book. "Good. Good work, love. You were always excellent at research."
I folded my hands behind my back, head tilted. It wasn't like her to praise excessively. To be completely honest, if that was everything I'd learned after two weeks outside of work, I'd be highly disappointed in myself.
"Sit," she told me, making me more and more uncomfortable.
Gideon made it sound like she was dying for information about the case, and she wasn't so much as asking one question. It was strange. "I'd rather stand. I sit a lot. Reading," I explained.
I wanted to stand because I wanted to be gone.
It hit me then. This place—the Vale, even my job. It didn't feel like home anymore.
"I see." Hilda did sit behind her desk, staring at me for the longest time. "It's your birthday soon."
I blinked. I'd barely even thought of it, but she was right: I was born on the 22nd of November. "Yes, Saturday."
"Any plans?"
I shook my head. My only current plan was avoiding death or enslavement.
"You wouldn't want to see your parents?"
I laughed. "Hilda, I haven't celebrated my birthday with my parents since I was seven."
I'd spent plenty of them at her place, blowing candles with herself, Uncle Leo, and Gideon. Later, Silver joined us. Since we opened it, we've all spent our birthdays at the Silvervine, enjoying the relaxing environment and the privacy.
Hilda sighed. "Look, kiddo. I don't want to get in the middle. It's not my place. But your mother's worried. She showed me all the unanswered calls. And you revoked her guardianship?" She shook her head. "You need to talk, all right?"
Fuck.
I wasn't there for a case report, after all. I'd been ambushed into a talk with my mother.
I stared at my aunt in disbelief as the door opened again, revealing a smirking, self-satisfied Zenya Pendros.
Auntie Hilda didn't even like Mother. How the hell had this happened?
But I knew. My mother was excellent at lying and manipulating people into doing what she wanted. She wasn't half bad at guilt tripping, too.
My aunt looked between the two of us. At the smugness in my mother's gaze, she seemed to realize she'd been played, andstarted to frown, clearing her throat. "Right. Well, I'll let you two talk."
"Captain?" I called before she could run away.
My aunt turned back to me, stiff and uncomfortable.
"I quit," I said without a second of hesitation.
No fear or regret followed the announcement either. I didn't like it here. I wanted to be back home, with Zazel, Phobos, and Lucian. Or really, anywhere in the underside. Even though the weather was bloody awful, the light in the vale felt all wrong, too bright. I'd gotten accustomed to the darkness.
And I loved it.
I'd join the Guard because I had no direction, and hanging out with my best friend and favorite cousin seemed like a good idea. The Archives were a good enough fit for me. And at the time, I hadn't known what it meant to belong anywhere.
