Chapter 3

Rebecca glanced up at the clock as the last customer of the day walked out the door. It was already past five, and she was eager to close up and go home. 

The silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity, until Rebecca finally broke it. "How about we go for ice cream?" she suggested, a smile on her face. Victoria perked up at the mention of ice cream, her face lighting up.

Rebecca gave a little nod and stood up, tidying the last few things before closing up the shop. They walked out to the street and hailed a cab, giving the ice cream shop's address. As they rode, Rebecca could feel Victoria's excitement building. She smiled, glad to have something to lift her friend's spirits.

"Here we are!" Victoria said as the cab pulled up to the ice cream shop. She paid the driver and the two of them stepped out.

"How are Jake and Giselle doing?" Rebecca asked as they sat down at a table.  

Just as they were settling in, a server approached their table. "What flavor would you like?" he asked, his pen poised over his pad. 

Victoria and Rebecca gave their orders, and the server walked away to fill them. He returned few minutes later, placing two ice creams on the table.

There was a moment of silence as the two sat across from each other. Rebecca looked at Victoria expectantly, waiting for her to speak.

Victoria took a deep breath and said, "Giselle found out I'm not her biological mother."

Rebecca coughed, almost choking on her ice cream as she heard the words.

"What?" Rebecca asked, her voice catching in her throat. "How did that happen?"

Victoria took a deep breath and began to explain. "A month ago, I told Jake that Dickson wasn't his biological father and that his real father had died when he was four years old. Then I told him about how I had married Dickson, who had also lost his wife when their daughter, Giselle, was only two years old. I think Jake must have told Giselle this in the midst of an argument, because the next thing I knew, she was in my room, crying and asking me why I'd kept the truth from her," Victoria continued, her voice cracking. "She felt betrayed, like I'd lied to her all these years. I tried to explain that it wasn't like that, that I'd just been trying to protect her. But she didn't want to hear it. She just ran off to her room and locked the door." Victoria's eyes welled up with tears as she finished.

Rebecca reached out and took her friend's hand, squeezing it tightly. "I'm so sorry, Vicky," she said. "That must have been so difficult for you. But Jake's father did not die, did he?" She  inquired.

"I can't tell Jake that his real father is still alive," Victoria continued. "He'll go looking for him, and then he'll learn what he is. We'd planned to keep them from knowing what they are, right?" She took a bite of her ice cream, but it tasted like ash in her mouth.

"Yeah." Rebecca nodded. "So, how is Giselle taking the news?" She inquired.

"She's not taking it well," Victoria said after a long pause. "She's hurt and angry, and I don't know how to fix it." 

Rebecca hummed, then went back to her ice cream. "It's a really difficult situation."

"Yeah. So, how about you? Aren't you worried about Emily finding out what she is?" Victoria asked, and Rebecca took another bite of her ice cream and thought about what Victoria had said. "I am worried about Emily finding out what she is," she admitted. "Once she starts using her powers, the ravens and phoenixes will know there's someone with the blood of both, and they'll come after her. We both know how dangerous that would be." She shuddered at the thought. "I just don't know how to keep her from finding out, especially now that she's getting older and her powers are growing stronger."

 

"It's getting late," Victoria said, glancing at her wristwatch.

"You're right," Rebecca said, standing up. "I should probably head home and make sure Emily's okay." She called the server over and paid the bill, then the two of them left the ice cream shop.

As they walked out, the cool night air hit them, and they both shivered. "Brr, it's cold out here," Victoria said, wrapping her arms around herself.

The two women parted ways, each taking a separate taxi. Rebecca's cab pulled up to the curb near her house, and she paid the driver before stepping out. It was only a short walk from there, and within a few minutes, she was standing in front of her front door. She reached for the doorknob and turned it, stepping inside.

Emily was sitting on the couch, watching a movie. 

When she heard the door open, she looked up, a smile spreading across her face as she saw her mother. "Hey, mom!" she said, turning down the volume on the TV.

 

"Hi, Em," Rebecca said, embracing her daughter in a warm hug. "How was your day?"

"Terrible," Emily said, sighing.

"Oh, no!" Rebecca said, concern written all over her face. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Emily said, not taking her eyes off the TV.

Rebecca studied her daughter for a moment, then sat down next to her on the couch. "Okay, no pressure," she said. "We can just watch the movie together."

Rebecca tried to focus on the movie, but she couldn't get into it. She was never a big fan of movies, and she found herself glancing at the clock, watching the minutes tick by. Finally, she decided to get up and go to the kitchen to start making dinner. As she was pulling out the pots and pans, she heard a knock on the door.

"No, no, I'll get it," Emily called out, springing to her feet. She crossed the room and opened the door. Her eyes widened as she found herself face to face with a tall, handsome man who looked to be in his late forties. There was something about him that was familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her voice a little shaky.

The man looked at her, a bemused expression on his face. "Is your mother home?" he asked.

"Richard?" Rebecca's voice cut through the silence like a knife. Emily snapped out of her trance, her head turning toward the direction of the voice. There, standing in the doorway, was her mother. "Richard?" Rebecca asked again, her voice catching in her throat. The man in front of her nodded, a smile spreading across his face.

"Hey, Rebecca," he said, stepping inside. Emily stepped back, giving him room to enter.

"What are you doing here?" Rebecca asked, her voice still sounding a little shaky.

"Rebecca, you have to know," he said, "you did a fantastic job raising our daughter. She's grown into a beautiful young woman." He turned to look at Emily, and she blushed under his gaze.

"How did you find us?" Rebecca asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. "And why are you here?"

"I came here to protect our daughter," he said, his expression growing serious. "There's something you don't know.

 

Rebecca's eyes widened in disbelief. "What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice rising in alarm. "You never wanted anything to do with us. Why are you suddenly so concerned?"

"You have to understand that I never meant any of those things," Richard said, his voice low and urgent. "I did everything I could to keep both of you safe. Do you think it was easy for me to make that decision? Have you ever tried to see things from my perspective? You were already in danger as a phoenix carrying my child, and I had to choose between letting you go and being safe or keeping you with me and having you killed in the end." As Richard spoke, he noticed that Emily was looking at him with a puzzled expression on her face. He turned to Rebecca, who was motioning for him to stop talking, and whispered, "She doesn't know what we are, does she?"

Rebecca's face fell, and she shook her head. "No, she doesn't," she motioned for him to follow her.

Rebecca led him upstairs, and they entered her room. She gestured for him to sit on the bed, and he did so, watching her closely as she paced back and forth in front of him. 

"Why didn't you tell her?" Richard asked as soon as he stepped into the room.

"I think this is for the best," Rebecca said, closing the door behind them. "If she finds out that she's a hybrid, she'll eventually try to use her powers, and that would make it easy for them to track her down." She walked over to him and sat down on the bed next to him.

"The ravens already know that an avian hybrid exists," Richard said, "and they won't stop until they've found her and taken her into custody. Being part phoenix, they see her as a threat."

"We can't tell her that," Rebecca said, a note of desperation in her voice. "It would only scare her."

"She needs to learn how to control and use her powers," Richard said, standing up from the bed. "Otherwise, she'll be in danger."

"That's why I'm her mother," Rebecca said fiercely. "It's my job to protect her."

"Do you really think you can take on an entire army of ravens?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I'm a phoenix," she said, "and phoenixes are the strongest avians. I'm sure I can take on a thousand ravens alone and still come out victorious."

"Now you're just being ridiculous," he said, shaking his head. "Don't underestimate the ravens, Rebecca," he said, his tone turning serious. "You're right that phoenixes are powerful, but one of them wouldn't stand a chance against an army of ravens. And you do realize that the phoenixes would come after her too, right? You're not just fighting the ravens. You're fighting your own kind."

 

Rebecca didn't respond, and the silence hung heavy in the air. It was clear that she was struggling with what to do. The situation was growing more complicated by the minute, and she was at a loss for what to do next.

"The best thing to do now," Richard said gently, "is to tell her everything. She deserves to know the truth, even if it's difficult to hear. She has to be prepared for what's coming." He scooted closer to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Emily's life is already so complicated," Rebecca said, her voice breaking. "She grew up without a father, and it was hard on her. She couldn't go to father-daughter camping, or play games with other kids and their dads at the amusement park. She didn't have many friends, and it was lonely. We can't add to the complications." She stood up, her body trembling with emotion. "We're not telling her anything," she said, and then she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

 

Rebecca made her way down the stairs, her footsteps echoing in the silence. As she approached the bottom of the stairs, she realized that Emily was nowhere to be found.

"Em?" she called out, her voice echoing through the empty house. There was no response, and a sense of unease began to settle in her stomach.

She slowly climbed back up the stairs, her heart pounding in her chest. As she reached the top of the stairs, she paused outside of Emily's door, wondering what she question awaits her on the other side.

As Emily looked up at the sky, she felt a sense of calmness wash over her. The stars seemed to glitter brighter than usual, and the dark blue of the sky was a welcome contrast to the chaotic thoughts swirling in her head. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the sound of the crickets and the soft breeze fill her ears. For a moment, she allowed herself to just be.

But then, a thought crept into her mind, and she couldn't ignore it. It was the same thought that had been haunting her ever since she overheard her parents' conversation.

 

She looked over her shoulder when she heard a soft knock on the door. Her mother opened the door halfway and peeped as her eyes searched the room. She gave a faint smile when her gaze fell on Emily before stepping in fully.

"Emily?" her mother said, her voice quiet and gentle. "Are you okay?"

Emily blinked, a bit startled by the intrusion. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't heard her mother coming up the stairs. "I'm fine," she said, though her voice lacked conviction.

"Are you sure?" her mother asked, a hint of concern in her eyes. "You seemed a bit... preoccupied when I came in."

 

Rebecca walked to the window and stood next to her daughter. She patted Emily's back and looked up at the sky. She thought of many ways to start the conversation about her father, but none appeared to be good enough.

 

"The sky is beautiful tonight, isn't it?" Rebecca said, her voice gentle.

There was no response, and the silence was deafening. Rebecca was beginning to feel disheartened. She gave Emily's back one last pat before she turned to leave.

"Mom," Emily said, her voice trembling slightly. "Are we really not human?"

Her mother's expression turned somber. "It's complicated, dear. I wish I could explain everything, but I don't think you're ready to hear it all yet."

"But I want to know," Emily said, her voice rising. "I have a right to know who - or what - I am."

Her mother hesitated, clearly unsure of what to say. "Please, just trust me on this," she finally said. "You'll understand someday." 

Emily stood by the window, staring out into the night as her mother walked out. Her mind was racing with thoughts and questions, but no answers were forthcoming. She felt lost, alone, and confused.

The only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock on the wall.

 

"Hey, that was the best part of the show!" Richard protested. 

"You've been watching TV, but have you talked to your daughter?" Rebecca asked, her tone stern. "Have you considered how she's feeling?"

"I'm sorry," Richard said, feeling guilty. "I should have been there for her more."

"It's not about saying sorry," Rebecca said. "It's about being there for your daughter, no matter what." Rebecca said as she turned away from him. "You need to go." 

"I just came," Richard began to say. But before he could finish his sentence, Rebecca opened the door and motioned for him to leave.

"Just go," she said, her voice firm and unwavering.

Richard took one last look at her, a mix of regret and confusion on his face. Then he turned and walked out the door, closing it behind him. The sound of the latch clicking into place seemed to echo through the house and the silence that followed was deafening.