Page 8 of Kingdom of Chaos
“Maybe I don’t agree that you didn’t tell me sooner, but it doesn’t mean I love you any less,” I assure them, and I can tell right away that they’re relieved.
They’re not going to like what I have to say next, so I might as well rip the bandage off. I stand, and both of my parents raise their eyebrows.
“Thank you for telling me all this and being honest with me. It means a lot, and I’m glad we finally talked about it, even if it was hard. I meant what I said. You are my parents, no matter what. And I know you both want me to stay safe, but I have to leave.”
“Leave?” my dad asks, a furrow forming between his brows.
“I have to find Talon and convince him to help me get Becks back. He’s the only person who might know another way to reach that other world.”
My parents exchange conflicted looks.
“You can’t just pick up and leave,” my mom says, wringing her hands. “What you’re talking about doing is dangerous.”
“Mom,” I say, locking eyes with her, “I can’t give up on Becks. You’ve known him for years. He’s stood by me when almost no one else would, never caring that I was different. If the situation were reversed, you know he’d go to the ends of the world, and beyond, for me.”
“But what about school?” she asks. “You’re only weeks from graduation.”
I almost laugh at that.School. Who cares about that at a time like this?
“I can go to summer school to graduate,” I say, the words tasting as gross as they sound, but for Becks I’ll endure.
“You want us to just sit back and let you go?” my dad asks.
I square my shoulders. “Yes, I do. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy for you, but I’ll technically be an adult in a few weeks. I have to do this, and you can’t keep me here. I’d prefer to leave with your blessing, but I’ll go without it if I have to.”
“But how are you even—?” my mom starts, and to my surprise, it’s my dad who stops her with a hand this time.
“Will you promise to keep us updated as much as possible? If there’s a way to get in touch with us and let us know you’re safe, I want your word that you’ll reach out.”
My dad’s gaze bores into me, and I swallow past the lump in my throat. “I promise.”
He nods, his face a stone mask, but I can see the concern shining in his eyes. This isn’t easy for him, but he knows it’s something I have to do.
I’m about to turn to leave when my gaze snags on the wooden box my dad brought in at the start of our conversation. I cock my head and point to it. “Is that anything important?”
“Right.” My dad grabs it and turns it over in his hands. “This is yours. You were wearing it the night you came to us.”
“We got a new chain for it,” my mom says with a wobbly smile. “We were planning to give it to you at graduation, but now feels like the right time.”
My dad holds out the box for me, and after sitting again, I take it. Even though it’s small, it looks large in my hands compared to his. It’s a clamshell box, so I crack the top open. Nestled in velvet is a pendant necklace.
Grasping the thin gold chain, I lift it, letting the purple stone pendant dangle in front of my face for a closer look. Light reflects off the teardrop-shaped gem, sending red rays dancing from its angles. I’ve never seen anything like it before.
“What kind of stone is it?” I ask.
“We don’t know, actually,” my mom says.
“We took it to a couple of jewelers when you were an infant, but they didn’t know either,” my dad adds. “One wanted to send it away to get tested, but parting with it didn’t feel right.”
The pendant’s design is simple. The teardrop stone is held in place by a plain gold mount through which the chain is threaded. The stone itself is the true standout. The deep purples are unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
Maybe it’s just because it feels like a small clue to where I’m from, but even though it isn’t ornate or elaborate, I instantly feel connected to it.
“I love it.”
I don’t realize I’m smiling until I glance at my parents.
“We’re glad,” Dad says. “I just wish we had more answers for you.”
