Chapter Two

"Miss Good " a tall, thin man in a navy blue pinstripe suit calls out to me in an accent I can't quite recognize, but it sounds.. ancient. "Luna, do you have any questions?"

I look up to see the man staring at me. He doesn't look like any lawyer I've ever seen with eyes that are darker than obsidian and bursting with curiosity. His eyes aren't the only thing strange about him. I can't tell if his near translucent skin or his very sharp, very hollow features are more terrifying. "What did you say?" I ask in almost a whisper as I try and pull away from his all knowing gaze.

The man - whose name I can't remember or care to remember - adjusts himself in his chair and with a hiss to his already raucous voice he asks me if I have any questions.

Nobody says anything. For a while we just sit there staring at each other until my mother breaks the deafening silence. "Maybe we should give her some time to think about what we have discussed." I can feel her gaze laser focused on me but I can't bring myself to meet it.

She reluctantly turns her head to the tall man but leaves her body angled towards me. "Alder. I think we need some -"

"What if I don't want this?" I almost snarl as I cut her off all while looking at my trembling hands. I'm trying my best to not run away screaming. I must have a choice, they can't force me to do what they want.. be who they want me to be.

The man whose name I now know is Alder turns towards my mother and nods. He pushes himself out of his seat and while he fastens the buttons on his very expensive looking suit jacket he calmly says "I'll be back in a week."

He starts to walk away and I can feel my chest tighten, my palms start to sweat, my heart start to pound and without thinking twice I jump off the couch and nearly scream. "You didn't answer me. What. If. I. Don't. Want. This?" I enunciate and drag out my words in a hope of gaining control of this situation or at least hiding how scared I really am.

He doesn't turn around just yet, but his shoulders hunch lower and I see him slowly form a tight, shaking fist. I can't help but wish I didn't say anything as the hairs on the back of my neck begin to stand up.

He slowly turns around to face me using the balls of his feet to do so and with a wicked, sly grin he looks at me and calmly says "You don't get a choice." And just like that he's gone.

I stand there staring at the now empty hall way that leads to the front door. Now my hands are balled into a fist and I'm trying to blink away the tears that started to form in my eyes. I turn my anger towards my mom, the woman who lied to me for twenty years. I mean, so did my dad but I can't get mad at him since he's currently buried in SpringCreek Cemetery.

"Luna.." my mom starts to say as she walks a few steps toward me, trying to close the gap between us. "I know this is a lot to take in right now, but we need to talk about this."

"You had twenty years to talk about this." I screech out at her while I back away from her, trying to put more distance between us. "You actually expect me to believe any of this? You expect me to believe I'm.. you expect me to believe dad was.." I can't even get the words out, I feel like this is a practical joke and nobody is laughing.

My mom stares at me as if she's chewing on my words, trying to figure out what to say or how to say it. She reaches her hand out towards me but that just makes me step even further back until I'm forced to sit back on the couch.

"Why didn't you guys tell me? Why did you hide it? How could I not have known?" The questions come hurling out so fast I don't even know if she has time to think about the previous ones.

She slowly starts walking towards me, as you would do to a wounded animal so you didn't scare it away. She sits beside me and places her frail hand on my knee before continuing.

"You know how much dad loved you, right?" She says as she grips my knee, I can tell she doesn't need a response to that question. "You know how much he loved me.. he loved me enough to give us a safe, beautiful life."

"A life full of lies." I try and snarl under my breath.

"They weren't meant to be lies." This time my mother's voice is loud, angry. "Your father gave up a great deal for you, for me." I hear a whimper follow her last statement.

I push her hand off my knee with more force than I intended and I just can't take it anymore. If she won't say it , I will. "Dad gave up being a warlock to marry you, a human. Now you are telling me I'm a witch." I scoff at what I'm saying, It doesn't sound scary when I say it, it just sounds absolutely ridiculous.

She doesn't say anything, she just drops her head down in surrender..and what looks like guilt. "I don't want any of this. Now you and creepy tall man say I have no choice?" I say for what seems like the millionth time today.

"Your father and I had talked about this day, we talked about telling you. Hiding it from you. We even thought about running away long ago but we knew they would find us, they would find you." Her quiet voice is trying to be strong but I can hear the silent sobs starting to build as she knows after all this time of trying to protect me, she couldn't stop the inevitable.

I don't like to see my mom hurt, in pain, so I try and redirect the conversation. "So is Alder a warlock also? Is he even a lawyer? And why does an ex warlock need a lawyer?" I try to have a matter of fact tone but I know I just sound condescending.

For the first time since my dad died I see a smirk form on my moms face. I really want to throw my hands in the air and demand what is so funny but before I can she nonchalantly says "No. Alder is not a warlock. But, he is a lawyer." She clears her throat before continuing "He's a lawyer but he's also a vampire."

This time I can't control myself. I let out a booming laugh that sounds like it's going to break into a cry. "Let's back up a few steps. Dad is a warlock. I am a witch. Alder is a vampire-lawyer who expects me to go with him in a weeks time to some form of school - or as I would call it, prison - that will teach me how to channel and wield my powers?" I can't help but do mocking wand movements with my hands.

"Is this why you and dad protested me going to an ACTUAL university? Why you forced me to stay and help run the book store?" My head begins to spin at the realization that I have never been in control of my own life, my life was already set in stone the day I was born.

We both just stare at each other for an unknown amount of time. Both waiting for the other to say something. But we know there is nothing we can say, nothing we can do. We don't have a choice, we never have.