Page 41 of Little Red and Her Creatures of Chaos
“Bring up the past…are you kidding me? I just found out that my whole life was a damn lie, and you don’t want to bring up the past? Quit the shit, Mom. Tell me the truth.”
“I don’t appreciate how you’re talking to me.”
“I don’t appreciate being lied to, but here we are. Start talking.”
Mom sighs, and I wait for her to hang up. When she doesn’t, it actually surprises me. “Your dad was away on a business trip, and I met a man. He was handsome and charismatic. We had one night together, and I found out a few months later that I was pregnant with you.”
“Who was he?”
“Just some man.”
“Name. I want a name.”
“I don’t remember.” Lie. I can hear the quiver in her voice and realize she’s still lying to me.
“I’ll find out one way or another, so you might as well tell me now.”
“Daniel. I don’t have a last name, and I haven’t seen him since. He said he was just passing through.”
“How did you meet him?”
“I used to go to this little pub on the edge of town after work, and he was there.”
“Does Dad know?”
“Yes.”
So much is making sense now. Mom’s less than stellar way of raising me, and Dad’s need to stay away all the time. I want to rage at her, but I know if I do, she’ll stop talking. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t think there was any reason to tell you. How did you find out?”
“That’s none of your business. Do you know anything else about Daniel?” I need to know if she knows about the wolves, but I can’t come right out and ask her. “Anything important that I should know?”
“No.” Another lie.
“Not that you care, but you won’t be hearing from me for a while. I shouldn’t have had to find out from someone else. You’ve had plenty of opportunities to find out who my real dad is.”
“Your dad will always be your real dad. He raised you.”
“He didn’t, though. He was gone on business trips for the majority of my childhood, and now I know why. He didn’t want to face you or me. You shut me out when you realized just how different I was. You knew this was just more than the Baxter family genes.”
“There’s things you don’t need to know about, Radley.”
“I already know!” That itchy feeling intensifies, and my hand tightens on the phone. “I’m right in the middle of it all. You suppressed who I really was because of what reason? Jealousy? Shame? What is it, Mom? What made you hate me so much?”
“I don’t hate you. You just never felt like mine.”
“Well, you got your wish. I’m not yours. You’re free of me, Mom.”
I hang up before I can say anything else. My breathing speeds up, and Grandma’s eyes widen. “Radley, your eyes are glowing.”
“I can’t stop it.” My voice comes out weird, and I jump from the couch to run outside. I pace, trying to get a hold of whatever is about to happen. I hear Grandma talking rapidly to someone, and I already know who she called. “Grandma!”
She rushes out of the house but keeps her distance. “They’re on their way. Let them help you.”
My back bows and a scream rips from my mouth. I feel like someone is cracking my spine one vertebrae at a time. “It hurts!” I cry.
“Breathe, Radley. Let your nature take over.”
