Page 6 of The Hallows Queen

I went to the same school for longer than a year, which I had never done before. I made friends that lasted, and I found favorite places I became a regular at.

I hadmoney.I had new clothes, a cell phone, trinkets, and personal items to decorate my own room.

I had people who held me accountable for my actions, people who boosted me up when I needed it, who gave me endless amounts of comfort and love. I stopped wonderingwhymy birth parents had gotten rid of me, stopped giving a shit about them. I didn’t need them or whatever answers they could give me. I had parents, Colette and Stephen Leyton, and they were all I needed.

Chapter2

Penelope

Katieand I head to the hospital straight from the airport.

Once we’ve gone through security, gotten our name badges, and found our way to the oncology floor, I finally start to feel a hole burning in my gut, quickly filling with nerves and anxiety. I reach out to grab onto Katie’s arm as we wait for the elevator, needing the support of holding on to someone.

“It’s okay,” she whispers, looking at me. I don’t return her gaze, instead just nod my head and look at the ground. When the elevator doors slide open, I drop my hold on her and step on.

When the doors have closed us inside the elevator and we’ve pressed the button for the fourth floor, my throat swells with unshed tears.

“I don’t know if I want to see him,” I whisper, hating the way the words taste coming out.

“You’ll hate yourself if you don’t,” Katie responds, looking at me.

I sigh, nodding.

We don’t speak again for the rest of the ride up to our floor, and once the doors are sliding open again, I clear my throat to dislodge the unwelcome emotions.

We walk silently to the nurses’ station at the end of the hall and greet the young man sitting behind the counter.

“I’m here to see Stephen Leyton.”

“Pen?”

I spin at my mother’s voice, my face spreading into a massive smile.

She drops her arms at her sides, her bright eyes filling with tears.

“Mom!” I breathe, heading down the hall to her. I wrap my arms around her when I reach her, feeling her small frame shaking. She smells like she always has, like vanilla and roses and that specific laundry detergent she’s used since I was a kid, and I breathe in deep to savor the familiar scent. “I missed you so much.”

“Sweet girl,” she whispers. “I’ve missed you so much too.”

I pull back to look at her, finding her face wet with tears. “How is he?”

Her dark hair is twisted into the flawless bun atop her head, and her makeup is light. It’s her classic look. Her lips twitch before she speaks, either to smile or frown. “Some days are better than others. Today is a good day.”

I breathe out through my nose in relief.

Katie comes up behind me, her hand wrapping over my shoulder in comfort. She smiles at my mother. “Hi, Mrs. Leyton.”

My mom smiles bright at my best friend. “Hi, honey. It’s so good to see you.”

They hug each other tight, and when they’ve released, I catch my mom’s eye. “Can we see him?”

“Of course, Pen, he’ll be so happy to see you.”

We follow my mom down the hallway, and every step feels like a challenge, like I’m heading toward something that feels wrong. When we get to the end of the hall, she points to a bottle of hand sanitizer on the wall, and Katie and I both use it to disinfect. When we’re clean, she pushes the door to my dad’s room open and leads the way in. The lights are dimmed low, but the curtains are open for the big window across the room, letting the sun shine through.

My father is in bed, a smile kicking up his lips, even with wires hanging from his arms and machines surrounding him. He sits up a little straighter when I’m halfway to him. “I knew I smelled something funny.”

I laugh, stepping closer and sitting down on the edge of his bed. “Hilarious.”

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