Chapter 109- Infiltration
FREDA'S POV
Even though I was happy about the admission and the fact I finally saw my mom I couldn’t sleep.
I turned on the bed for what seemed like the hundredth time this night. No matter how much I tried to push him out of my mind, I kept thinking about him. Was I wrong for just running away?
Frustrated, I threw the blanket off and swung my legs out of bed, the cool air hitting my skin. I need to clear my head. Maybe some water would help. Grabbing the oversized sweater draped across my chair, I walked downstairs, hoping that I would be able to calm my thoughts and sleep.
As I reached the bottom step, I noticed that the kitchen lights were turned on and the faint clinking of a spoon against a mug told me I wasn’t the only one awake.
"Mom?"
She was sitting at the kitchen table, stirring a steaming mug of something. She looked up when I entered.
"Couldn't sleep either?" she asked softly, offering a small smile. "Come here, sit. I was just making myself some hot chocolate. Want some?"
I nodded, sitting across from her at the small wooden table. "Yeah, that sounds good."
She got up and quietly moved around the kitchen. Despite everything that had happened, how long we’ve been away from each other, being here with her, in this house, felt normal.
I didn’t have enough memory of my mother when she was around but I still remembered that she was caring and always made me laugh. I always saw her happy and i never knew about half of the things she went through and i still don’t know them.
She set the mug in front of me, and the rich smell of chocolate filled the air, it's been so long since i had hot choco.
"I’m sorry, Freda," she said suddenly as she sat down facing me.
I blinked, startled. "Sorry? For what?"
"For everything. For leaving you behind. For... because of my mistakes and the choices I made, you never got to live a normal life. You should have been able to go to school, have human friends, just... be a normal girl. And instead, you were dragged into this nightmare of the supernatural world. That was never what I wanted for you."
I stared into my mug, the steam swirling up.. For so long, I’d wondered why she left, why she didn’t take me with her. I had blamed her, resented her, but sitting here now, seeing the sorrow in her eyes, I realized she had carried this guilt with her every day since she left.
"It wasn’t your fault, Mom," I said quietly. "The supernatural world... it just refused to accept us for who we are. Yes we are different but we shouldn't be treated this way . You didn’t cause this. You were trying to protect me. I get that now."
Her hand shook slightly as she reached across the table, taking mine in hers. "I tried so hard to protect you, but I still feel like I failed. There are days when I think about how things could have been different. If your father hadn’t... if I hadn’t had to leave... I don’t know, maybe we could have lived a normal life."
"Do you still miss him?" I asked, my voice softer than before. It wasn’t a question I had ever dared to ask, but now, in this quiet moment, I needed to know.
She hesitated, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if she’d answer. But then she nodded. "I do. As much as I was angry with him for the choices he made, for the way he never stood up for me when the pack treated me badly... I could never stop loving him. I’ve spent years wishing things were different, wishing we could have had the life we dreamed of. But... some things are out of our control, Freda."
I squeezed her hand gently, I also wish things were different not just for my parents but for me and Damien. I had spent so long running, fighting against everything that had been forced on me, that I hadn’t stopped to think about what my mom must have gone through. How she had been forced to leave everything behind to keep me safe, even when it cost her everything.
We sat in silence for a while, sipping our hot chocolate.
After a long pause, I finally mustered the courage to break the news. "Mom, I... I got accepted into NYU."
Her eyes widened, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure what she was going to say. But then a huge smile broke across her face, her eyes shining with pride. "Oh, Freda, that’s amazing! NYU? That’s... that’s incredible."
The joy in her voice made my heart swell, and I couldn’t help but smile back. "Yeah, I still can’t believe it. I just... with everything going on, I hadn’t really thought about it until now, I even forgot I applied cause I got rejected in the first college I applied to."
She reached over and pulled me into a hug. I wish I could remain in this moment forever. "I’m so proud of you," she whispered into my hair. "You’ve been through so much, and you still managed to achieve this. You deserve this, Freda. You deserve a chance to have a life outside of all of this."
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I held them back, letting the moment wash over me. For the first time in what felt like forever, I allowed myself to believe that maybe things would be okay, that maybe I could have the future I wanted.
In less than a minute I discovered I was done drinking the hot coffee, My mom quickly washed the mugs and we went upstairs together. Before we reached the door which was my moms room, my mom spoke up.
“You could stay in my room with me if you want” Without much thought I agreed and we walked into her room.
Eventually, we curled up on her bed, her arm wrapped around me.
“Goodnight Princess” My mom muttered and in less than a minute i was falling into the dream world.
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