Chapter 233: Where's Meira?
Nerves took a hold of me the moment I realized what I'd done, so I went looking for a distraction to fill the next couple of hours.
"Where's Meira?" I reached out for my sister and came up blank. Even my demon couldn't track her down. She shielded as tightly as I always had, back when I wished I was normal.
The twinge of that old wish returned for a minute before I sighed it away. With the acceptance of my magic and the many sides of my power came the inability to just walk away. And I really was okay with that. I just hoped my whole life wasn't lined up to be one dance with disaster to another.
Several phone calls got me nothing. In fact, one of Meira's friends refused to talk to me at all. Her mother softly confessed she and Meira were on the outs, that Meira was mean to her at school and was hanging out with a different group.
I immediately thought of the rude little snot Alicia and asked for her last name.
Easy enough to track her down, as easy as Liam. Though my drive to Alicia's house was much angrier than the one to Liam's. I tried to keep my temper in check as I knocked on the lovely front door of the three-story house in the rich part of town, forcing myself to smile at the housekeeper who let me in when I told her why I was there.
She led me, her wide hips swaying hypnotically, to the second floor and a closed door. Her first soft knock was ignored. So was the second one. The dear woman smiled an apology.
"Alicia is a bit stubborn," she said.
Um hum. I stepped past her and pounded on the pretty pink door with one fist, smiling at the woman as I did.
When it jerked wide, a puff of perfumed air almost making me choke, I stared Alicia down. She'd clearly prepared some snide snark for the patient and lovely woman standing next to me so facing off with me instead seemed to shake her.
"What?"
She was this close to a spanking. "What?" I snapped back.
Alicia looked me up and down, sullen expression settling. "Meira," she called over her shoulder, "your boss is here."
I glanced in the room, seeing a group of girls sitting on the large canopied bed. They all giggled nastily behind their hands as my sister glared at me like she wished I were dead.
"Home." I didn't mean to embarrass her, but I was on the edge of my very last nerve and her whole brat act was on the bottom of my tolerance list.
She almost didn't come. I saw the rebellion in her eyes, the way she stiffened, started to turn her back on me.
Coven business. I slapped her mentally with it. Home, now.
Meira finally obeyed. The girls sniggered and whispered while Alicia's attitude came back, aimed right at me.
No way in hell I was letting a ten-year-old get away with something like that. But there was nothing I could do. So I just smiled at her, wide and bright. "Have fun playing your sad little games."
I didn't wait for her reply, knowing it was a weak shot, but the best I could do without giving my demon a suggestion we'd regret. I still remembered the ill-fated Halloween party I'd attended last year, when I'd told the group of pops who hurt Alison they made me sick.
It was hard not to be both proud and horrified by the disgusting aftermath.
Meira belted herself down in the back seat without me having to ask. We drove home in total silence, me fuming but trying to find a way to get through to her without making things worse.
As we pulled into the driveway, I knew I had to hit this mess head on. "You know you're not supposed to go anywhere without telling someone first."
She didn't answer. Strike one.
"Who are those girls?" I turned in my seat, looking back at her while she glared out the window. "I thought you and Jolie and the others were all best friends. Then her mom tells me you were mean to them, bullied them. Meira, what the hell?"
More silence. Strike two. I knew my tone wasn't getting the job done, but damn it I was tired and nervous and overwhelmed with my own stuff, with coven stuff. And she just added to my grief.
"There's a whole lot going on," I snapped, unbuckling my belt, "and I could use a little slack here, Meems. I'd appreciate it if you would just behave yourself for five minutes while I figure this crap out. I don't need your hassle at the same time."
That got a reaction, oh boy, did it. She spun on me, demon fire alive and well in her eyes.
"You can't tell me what to do," she shouted as she ripped the belt off of her and kicked open Minnie's back door. "You're not my mother!"
As she ran off into the house, I tried to reach her with my magic, my very angry and judging magic.
Only to be blocked firmly and completely by Sassafras.
Shoe pinches on the other foot, doesn't it?
My demon hummed a growl at him, but it was enough for me to pull back my temper.
Oh shut it, Sassy. You have no idea.
Don't I? His mental snort came with a jab of power to my stomach. I seem to recall this same argument. Let's see, how many generations? I've lost count.
Fine, I snapped. Whatever. Just fix her.
He chuckled. I'll do my best.
I'm never having kids, I shot at him.
To which he laughed and laughed and laughed before cutting me off.
He was such a jerk sometimes.
***
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