Chapter 6

I'm not really sure to say to this, so I just don't say anything. How do you respond to finding out that your father was a warlock, which makes you a witch? It's completely silent for the longest of time, until my mom starts to speak.

"Look, Cameron, I know that all this is hard to comprehend-"

"You could say that again," I interrupted.

"-but it is something that you needed to know. I was pretty astonished when I found out about your father, but I eventually came around to it." She got off of the couch and came to kneel beside me, putting her hand over mine. We sat like that for a few moments, until Michael cleared his throat.

"I hate to interrupt, but I really need to get Cameron to a safe house." My mother looked at him for a second, then nodded.

"I know, I know, just let me have a little while to help Cameron pack her bags." Michael looked at my suitcase that I had dropped at the end of the stairs in the process of running into the living room, then at me and my mom, finally just sitting down, letting us know we had a little time, but not much. My mom picked up the suitcase and carried it up the stairs to my room, me in tow. Once she and I were both inside, she closed the door. She looked at me with sympathetic eyes.

"Cammy," she said, with sadness in her voice. Now, like I've already said, I don't cry in front of people. This time, though, I couldn't stop myself. I burst into tears and sank to the floor. I just felt so overwhelmed with my new-found knowledge, it's all I can do not to scream my head off. My mother ran over to me, with her arms out wide. She dropped to the floor beside me and put her arms around me. When she did, I started to cry even more. Its been forever since my mom hugged me, and I'm surprised by how much I've missed it. I tried, and failed, to speak through my sobs.

"What (choke) am I (choke) supposed (choke) to do?" I whined.

I know it's not like me to loose it like this, but, hey, give me a break.

Part of the reason why I don't cry in front of people is because it's never anything glamorous, like in the movies. Instead of rosy cheeks and glistening eyes, there's loud, choking noises, and a whole lot of snot. Not to mention that my face looks like I've recently come in contact with poison ivy. My mom gets up to get the box of Kleenex off of my desk, and hands it to me. While I'm cleaning off my face, she just sits beside me and strokes my hair. At some point, I had calmed down.

"Mom, who is that guy, Michael?" I ask, once my words are finally understandable.

"He's someone that's going to protect you, at all costs." She didn't say anything after that. I wish she would give me more information than that, but I'm not gonna push it. Besides, my mom and I might not have the closest relationship, but I don't think she would compromise my safety. Still, I must have had a curious look on my face, because my mom said, "He will tell you more once he gets you where you need to go." And for the first time, something clicked, something that I hadn't thought of before.

"Wait, you're not coming with me?" I asked, shocked. She's my mother, for crying out loud! Why wouldn't she come?

"Cameron," she said, "it's not safe for me to go with you. Me going will draw more attention to you, and that's not a good idea."

"So, you're telling me I have to go off to some remote location with some guy I just met? Aren't moms supposed to discourage that kinda thing?" My mom laughs softly.

"Usually, yes, but I believe we have a special circumstance, here." Then her face hardens, and she becomes serious again. "Did you pack everything that you think you're going to need? Clothes, undergarments, things like that?" I nodded.

"Yeah."

"Well, then, I guess we should get back downstairs so that Michael can get you headed to where you should be going."

"Yeah, I guess."

My mom made her way over to my bedroom door. I started to follow her, but stopped. I looked around my room, taking it all in and memorizing it. It's possible I might never see this room again, I thought. I stood there for a few seconds, then went over to the doorway. As I was about to close it, I looked one last time, then shut the door, feeling like a cord had been snapped.


When I made it to the bottom of the stairs, my mom was already standing by the front door, talking to Michael. I walked over to them, and set my suit case down with a thud.

"Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Both my mother and Michael stare at me. They're probably not expecting me to be so un-sad sounding, but whatever. I've had my moment, and I just need to keep moving, or I'll have another one, and it might not end. I pick up my suit case, walk past both of them, through the door, and out to my car. When I get to the car, I realize that someone still has my keys.

"Michael, can I have my keys, please?" I ask, feeling ridiculous asking for my own keys. He says nothing, but hands them to me. I unlock the trunk, and stuff my suit case inside. After I close it, I turn towards my mom. Looking at her, it seems as though she's aged since she's started telling me about all of this. I walk over to her, and hold my arms out. Even though we aren't close, she's still my mom, and I want to make sure she knows that I do love her, especially considering the situation. She puts her arms around me, and squeezes me tight. She has her head on my shoulder. I can feel something liquid and warm seeping through my shirt. Realizing that it's my mother's tears, I pull back and look at her face. I stare into her eyes, which are wet.

"Mom," I said, "I'll be fine." I didn't entirely believe it myself, but I was doing it for her. She started to nod.

"I know, it's just that I'm going to miss you so much, and-"

"Mom," I say, cutting her off. I keep staring at her, and something passes between us, an understanding. An understanding that we have to hope for the best.

"Just be careful, okay?" she asks.

"I will." She takes one final look at me, then turns away. Probably because she's trying to pull herself together, for my sake. I take notice of the fact that only Michael knows where we're going, so I give him back the keys. He silently takes them from me, and gets in to start the car. I walk to the passenger side, and get in. After buckling in, I look out the window at my mom. She's standing on the curb, trying to look strong. Michael looks over at me.

"Are you ready?" he asks.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I reply. He puts his foot to the gas, which gets us moving. When we've pulled away a good bit, I look out of the back window of the car at my mother. She's standing there, looking as thin and small as a blade of grass. All this time, I've been so mad at her. I feel guilty about it now. My mother has been doing more than I can ever know to protect me from the world that I'm entering. I watch her until she's so small in the distance that it's impossible to know it's a person at all. Once we're out of the neighborhood, one question pops into my head: Will I ever see my mother again?


This is a very emotional chapter for our heroine! Even though the relationship between she and her mother started out rocky, I wanted to soften it, seeing as how she got some new info, and had a heart-to-heart. I think this will be good for the story. It's her mom, after all! What do you think so far? How do you like it? Please, Please, PLEASE review so that I know what my dear readers are thinking about my creative work of literature art! :) Thanks for reading, xoxo