SHOUT OUT to HunnayCakes for the AMAZING book cover!

I sat on my bed, the covers pulled up around me. Mr. Tomkins was sitting next to me, protecting me with all the ferocity that a teddy bear holds.

I had already unpacked my things, which were already all over the place. The light from the glass-covered pool in the center of my room was on and glowing. My fish were still alive, miraculously. I had no idea how. No one was home to feed them or clean out the pool. But I guess since my father had created the pool from magic, it had some magical qualities about it. Maybe it had the ability to self-clean and provide for its inhabitants.

Dinner with my father had been excruaciating. It was quiet and awkward. At school, and during Thanksgiving break, I was able to avoid my father. But now, I would have to have meals with him everyday, which meant that I couldn't hold my silence up too long. I would have to cool my anger and talk to him. 

At dinner that night, he had tried to talk to me.

"So, I'm off all week," he told me. I raised my eyebrows.

"I thought you were off all summer," I said, trying to keep my tone conversational. I knew that he was trying. I had to at least respect that, even if I didn't want to.

"Caley, I'm the dean of two schools, one of which is a University. I've got a lot of work to do. You may be on vacation, but I most definitely am not," he said.

"Oh," was all I said.

I didn't realize that he would be working during the summer. I just thought that since schools were closed for the summer, that he wouldn't have any work to do. But he probably had meetings to attend to and plans to create.

I guess one good thing would come out of that: I wouldn't have to come up with plans to sneak out of the flat to go meet with Elijah. Once I found out what my father's work schedule was, I could manage my own agenda from there. This way, my father would have no idea what was going on and I would be able to do whatever I wanted.

It was perfect.

At the moment, I was in bed, but I wasn't sleepy. My mind was elsewhere, wandering from thoughts of Trey to thoughts of the summer I had ahead of me.

Gerrard had sent me an anonymous message earlier that evening after Trey had left and before I was to leave for home.

I was supposed to meet him in the back alley of the mall five days from now. My excuse would be that I was dying of boredom, wanted to watch a movie, and look for a new bathing suit. I guess all of that would take enough time for Elijah to have his meeting with me.

I felt my stomach turn at the thought of the meetings that I would have with Elijah. I wasn't told what exactly these would be, but I knew that Elijah wasn't done with me yet. There was a lot that I still needed to know, not only about my mother, but about the Trinity of Magic. There was a whole other world outside of Trinity High that I had no idea about. I wondered if anyone knew about it. Why did my father want to keep it a secret?

"Good night, Caley," I heard my father call from his room. I heard the door close and sighed.

I looked at the side table next to me, the one with the picture of me as a child holding Mr. Tomkins. I had placed the baby blue envelope my father had given me on the table. I was waiting until my father fell asleep to open it. I was afraid that whatever was in there would surely make me cry. It was from my mother, after all.

I pulled Mr. Tomkins onto my lap and gazed into his big black plastic eyes.

"Ready to see what it is?" I asked him. He just looked at me. "Yeah, me either," I whispered, picking up the envelope and holding it between my fingers. "I'll have to look at it sooner or later, though," I said to him.

Mr. Tomkins continued to stare blankly at me.

"Do you think I should wait? Until after I find out about what happened to her?" I asked him.

I really had no idea why I was talking to my teddy bear. I guess that's how I used to solve all of my problems, even when I was younger. It was as if by talking to the inanimate teddy bear, I was able to answer my own questions, find a solution to my own problems.

"I mean, on one hand, she could have written something in there telling me what exactly happened to her," I said, figuring out my reasoning and options. "But on the other hand, didn't Dad say that it was her that wanted to keep it all a secret? Maybe it's just a congratulations letter," I said.

I fell back against my pillows and looked at the ceiling. I pulled Mr. Tomkins up so that he blocked my view.

"What do I do?" I asked him.

I sighed and set Mr. Tomkins down next to me.

This was stupid. He wasn't going to respond. It was useless talking to a teddy bear. It wouldn't solve anything. Maybe when I was younger it had helped, but now my problems were far greater and my questions held more meaning in them. I needed more than just a teddy bear to help me work out solutions. I needed information.

I looked at the envelope and decided it would be best to wait. After Elijah told me about my mother, then I would look at its contents. Hopefully, whatever Elijah needed to tell me would help me to understand what my mother left for me.

I put the envelope under a few books in my drawer. Then I pulled Mr. Tomkins close and pulled the covers to my chin.

"Lumina Non," I whispered and the lights in my room went out.

                                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So what are your plans for the day?" Dad asked. I was sitting on the pool in my room, tapping at the glass and making fishy faces at my fish.

I looked up at him briefly.

"This," I replied. Then I turned my attention back to my fish.

"Don't you think you should go out and do something?" he asked me.

"I have nothing to do. Hence the term 'vacation'," I replied.

"You haven't stepped out of this flat since your break started," Dad pointed out.

"Well, what do you suggest I do? It's only been three days," I said. He shrugged.

"Well, my little vacation ends on Tuesday. So we could go somewhere or do something together, if you want," he suggested.

I sat up on the glass now, crossing my legs underneath me. I looked up at him curiously.

He wanted to bond?

"What 'something' do you have in mind?" I asked.

"We could go to Central Park and feed the ducks there. Remember, you used to love doing that," he said, a distant look in his eyes.

"Yeah, when I was 5," I replied.

A ripple of emotion flitted over his face before disappearing quickly.

"Ok, then do you have any suggestions?" he asked. I shrugged.

He sat at the foot of my bed and sighed.

"Caley, I'm trying here," he said. I looked at the water under me.

"I know," I replied, my voice quiet.

"Then why aren't you cooperating?" he asked.

"I'm trying, too," I said, looking up at him with wide unwavering eyes. He looked back at me, staring unblinkingly.

"You can't change 13 years with one day, Dad," I told him.

"I know that, Caley," he said, his voice somber, but pleading. "But I'm trying to make a start," he said.

I frowned and felt my eyebrow twitch in tension. I looked away, unable to continue to look into my father's eyes.

I thought of the first time Dad had taken me to Central Park to feed the ducks.

"Just hold your hand out, Caley," Dad instructed, putting bits of bread crumbs into the little girl's hands.

It was fall time and there was a slight chill in the air. The little girl was wearing a light blue dress with white knit stockings and a pair of tennis shoes that lit up when she took a step. She had on a little red peacoat that had a big black bow in the back. Her cheeks and nose were pink from the cold air.

"What if they eat me, Daddy?" the little Caley asked, her blue eyes wide and innocent.

"Well, look at the size of them, Caley," Dad said, pointing to one of the birds that was perched a few feet in front of the bench they were sitting on.

The young Caley looked at the birds, her face scrunched up in concentration as she observed them. Her father chuckled lightly at his daughter's expression.

"See how much smaller they are than you? They physically cannot eat you, so have nothing to be afraid of," he explained. "And besides, I'm right here next to you. I won't let you get hurt," he added, a fatherly smile on his face.

The young Caley looked up at him, smiling so brightly that her big blue eyes lit up.

Her father was there. Nothing could hurt her.

I felt tears sting my eyes and I realized I was about to cry. I took a few deep breaths to calm my emotions and thanked God that my hair was shielding my face so that my father couldn't see my almost-breakdown.

"We can go to Central Park," I told him. "To feed the birds."

He smiled at me, a sad expression on his own face. Did he know what I was thinking about?

"Great. We'll leave in an hour," he said.

I nodded and then he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. I continued to start at the water below me, wishing that I could somehow submerge myself in it and get away from my life, which seemed to me to be getting more and more complicated as the days went by.

                                                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a nice day out. The sun was shining, but there were clouds in the sky. There was a nice breeze in the air and it wasn't humid. It was a typical New York summer day. As I walked around the park beside my father, I relished the feel of the sun against my pale skin that refused to tan.

"So what work do you have to do exactly?" I asked my father, just to make conversation.

"I have to sort out the students at the University, look into the biographies of the incoming high school students, work out the budget, meet with administrators, meet with other schools of magic, meet with the Junior high dean that I appointed," my dad listed off.

"Wow, that seems like a lot," I said.

"It is," he replied.

"How do you handle it?" I asked.

"I've been doing it for years. And my father did it before I did. I had a good teacher," he replied.

I watched an elderly couple walking towards us, holding hands. They were both very old, pale, and wrinkly. But the way they walked with each other, in complete silence, with small smiles on their faces made me think that that was real love. I couldn't help but smile myself.

"Did I ever know him?" I asked.

"Your grandfather? No, he died before you were born," Dad answered, his voice tight. I dropped the subject, figuring it was probably too touchy and uncomfortable.

A thought occurred to me, and although it might be dangerous and it might give away my plans for the summer, I decided to go through with it.

"Dad, do we have any relatives?" I asked, studying his face closely.

I saw a vein throb in his temple.

There it was; the sign I was looking for. I was looking for some source of discomfort or unease from my father when I asked the question. If I saw something, I would know that Elijah wasn't lying about being my uncle. If I didn't see anything, that would mean Elijah was lying and that I wasn't to trust him. But he had been telling the truth. My father had just unknowingly answered that for me.

"I thought we've discussed this before. You have no relatives," he said.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot," I muttered, trying to feign forgetfulness.

We continued to walk in silence for a while longer. We were walking towards the little pond that ducks swam around in. There were always little kids there, trying to feed them. It was always funny to watch when a particularly wild duck was feeling frisky and decided to chase after a child, who would run off screaming.

As expected, there were several little children there with their parents. My father nudged me and pointed at an adorable little girl who was wearing a white and blue sundress and matching white sandals, crouching by the water and peering at the ducks. She had blonde wispy hair that was pulled back in a messy ponytail. I felt the corners of my lips tug upwards.

"Look! Daddy! He's looking at me!" the little girl shrieked, running back a little and grabbing her father's hand. The father, who looked very young and handsome, laughed.

"I think he wants to be your friend," he said.

"He's going to eat me!" she squealed.

"No, I think he likes you," the father told the little girl.

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking up at her father with wide blue eyes.

"Of course, I'm sure. Don't you trust me?" he answered. She giggled and threw her arms around him.

"I love you, Daddy!" she said, jumping up and down slightly, with her arms wrapped around her father's legs.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," the father said.

I was struck at the similarity between her and me and felt the smile on my lips falter.

What would happen to this little girl's relationship with her father as she grew older? Would her father continue to take care of her as the years went by? Would their mutual understanding of love between father and daughter change? Would she still look to her father for protection from the evils of the world?

Without really knowing what I was doing, I went up to them.

"Hello," I said, trying to keep my voice cheery. I could feel my father's gaze on my back, but I tried to ignore it.

"Hi," the father replied cheerily. The little girl retreated behind her father's legs, putting her hand to her mouth shyly.

"I just wanted to tell you that your daughter is absolutely adorable. She reminds me of me when I was a little girl," I told him.

"Aww, thanks. She's my little angel," he said, smiling at me. "Say hi, Grace," he told the little girl. I smiled kindly at the girl. She giggled nervously and buried her face in her father's legs. Her father laughed. "She's just a little shy," he told me.

I smiled at him and crouched down so that I was eye-level with the little girl.

"Hey, Grace. My name is Caley," I told her. She peered at me from behind the bangs that cascaded over her forehead.

"Hi," she said in a quiet voice.

"Do you love your daddy a lot?" I asked her. She looked up at her father.

"He's my best friend!" she exclaimed, suddenly very friendly. I nodded.

"Good. That's really great, Grace," I said to her.

I glanced up at her father and felt a tug of pain where my heart was. I knew my father was still watching. And listening.

"Always hold on to that, Grace. Don't ever forget how much you love your father," I told her. She nodded, as if understanding completely what I meant.

"And sir," I said, standing up and looking at the father. "Take care of your daughter. If she really is your angel, make her feel like that every day. Every girl deserves a father that will always be there to protect her," I said to him.

He smiled at me, a slightly confused look on his face, and nodded.

"It was nice talking to you," I said to him. "Bye, Grace!" I called out to the little girl.

"Bye Caley!" she cried back, a giggle in her voice.

I forced one last smile before turning back to my father. He looked at me, a strained expression on his face. I made no effort to hide the pain that was written in my own.

"Let's go home," I said. He nodded, but stayed silent.

And that's the way the rest of the summer would go between us.

In silence.

_________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Hmmm, this was a sad chapter. I choked up while writing it, but I wanted to put it in there before bringing Elijah back in to the scene. Her feelings toward her father are going to play an important role in her final decision of whether or not she's going to join Elijah's crew.

Anyway, comment and vote! Let me know if you choked up reading this chapter!

XOXO