Family Matters

DELLA

After I’m dressed in jeans and a loose gray tank top, I head to the kitchen to call my mom. Which, by the way, feels like the weirdest sentence I have ever said. Calling the mother who raised and abused me is not on the top of my list of things to do ever. Unfortunately, my mind still recognizes Kerri-Anne as my mom rather than Zeve, even if she gave birth to me.

“The Landing Strip. What’s your pleasure?” a woman with a weird breathy voice answers the phone, and I can’t help the snort that escapes me.

“I’m sorry. Can I speak to Zeve Hearst please?” I say after recovering. I see Gavin, Oz, and Micha at the kitchen table looking askance at me. I wave them off because they will break what little composure I have.

“Of course, please hold,” she coos before my ears are assaulted by sensual-sounding music. I swear this hold music would bring every girl’s inner stripper out to play. One thing is for sure, my mom must be really good at her job.

“Zeve Hearst.”

“Hey, it’s Delaney?” I’m suddenly feeling unsure if I should even be calling.

“Della!” I can practically hear the smile in her voice. “I’m so glad you called! Is everything okay?”

“Um…not really. We’re hiding out, away from the academy for the weekend,” I admit.

“I take it your father’s ~talk~ didn’t go over well. I swear that man…,” she huffs in frustration, but you can tell she loves him. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“Well, Raziel has stopped trying to use Kade against me, but now there’s some cupid helping him. They also tried to take my friend Oz this morning. We need a more long-term solution. Right now, we’re just playing a scary game of hide-and-seek,” I explain.

“Yeah… That’s not going to work forever. Let me talk to some friends and I’ll get back to you.”

“Okay. Can you call Gavin? My phone doesn’t seem to work at the academy,” I explain.

“Of course, sweetie. I’m relieved to know you’re okay for now. Where are you staying?” she asks. This is going to be interesting.

“We’re staying at my old place,” I hedge.

“Where? I would love to visit for lunch tomorrow…if that’s okay,” she presses.

“Um…sure…I…um…,” I stammer. How the hell do I explain that we’re staying in the abandoned asylum where I used to live? This cannot end well.

“Are you okay, Della?” Gavin whispers, seeing my obvious anxiety.

“Hold on for a minute?” I ask Zeve before covering the mouthpiece and turning to Gavin. “She wants to come over tomorrow for lunch. How do I tell her about this?” I ask, gesturing to the building around us.

“Oh, here, let me talk to her. I’ll see what I can do, okay?” he offers, taking the phone from me and pressing it to his face. “Hello, Zeve, it’s Gavin Tenn… Yes… Of course we’d love to have you. I just need to fill you in on some things first… Well, it’s a bit complicated, you see, Della had been homeless for quite some time before we found her… I’ll let her explain what happened later. It’s her story to tell… Yes… Well, we are staying at her old place. It’s just that her old place is an abandoned mental facility… No, I’m serious… Well, she didn’t know if you’d take it so well… I understand. I didn’t react well, either, but she hasn’t had an easy life. She has had to do what was necessary to survive…” He lovingly tucks a curl behind my ear as he listens to Zeve’s response. “No, she is the strongest person I know… Yes, here she is.” He hands me the phone back, but not before laying a sweet kiss on my forehead as I blush furiously and try not to cry at his words.

“Hello?” I ask into the phone, wondering how badly the response is going to be.

“Hello, Della. Thank you for letting Gavin explain everything… I—I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you.” I hear her voice crack with emotions I’m not quite sure how to deal with.

“Hey, it’s okay. You didn’t know, and I didn’t know about you back then either. But I’d love to get to know more about you now. Lunch sounds good tomorrow. It’s the Westwood Sanitarium in Ontario.” I wave the olive branch desperately.

“That sounds wonderful, Della. I’ll be there at noon. See you then.” We hang up, and I slump forward, resting my head on the table.

That was an exhausting phone call. Everything seems exhausting lately. And not just emotionally. I feel a bone-deep exhaustion plaguing my body. What is going on?

“Della, are you okay?” Oz asks in a blurry voice.

“Fine. Tired,” I mumble as sleep drags me under. I hear a worried shout from far away, but I just can’t seem to care.