Tessa’s POVAs my father’s name flashed across my phone screen, my entire body stilled. Joseph was watching me with a frown on his face.“Are you going to answer it?” He asked, furrowing his brows together as he studied me.I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and swiped the green “talk” button.“Hello,” I said, trying to keep my tone calm.“Tessa?” My father’s voice was gruff like he had just woken up. “Hey.”“What do you want, Dad?” I found myself asking; my voice came out more bitter than I wanted.But I was hurt, and he had to have known that. He hung up on me when I asked a very important question. He was too much of a coward to answer me, so he ran away.“I deserved that,” he murmured, and I wasn’t sure if he meant for me to hear it. “I wanted to talk to you. Do you think we can meet somewhere for dinner tonight? We can meet midway between here and there. I think there are some things we need to talk about.”My heart felt like it weighed a thousand pounds in my ches
Tessa’s POVI stared at my father with my mouth hanging open.“What are you talking about?” I asked after a long pause of silence. “I don’t have magic.”I stared down at my hands with my face heated; I started to feel ridiculous. Was he lying to me? Why would he make me feel foolish like this?“I never wanted you to find out,” he said sadly, and this time, he met my eyes. “I wanted to find a way to get rid of it.”“Get rid of what?”“Your magic,” he answered in a whisper. “I didn’t want you to end up with the same fate as your mother. Magic is a dangerous weapon to yield, Tessa. It’s the reason your mother is no longer with us.”My entire world stopped moving around me; tears brimmed in the corner of my eyes at the mention of my mother dying because of magic. My mind was whirling from this information, and it was taking everything I had not to stand up and walk right out of this restaurant.I wasn’t sure how much more I’d be able to hear.He sighed and leaned back in his seat as he st
Joseph’s POVBy the next morning, Tessa was still a bit out of it after finding out the truth about what she was. I couldn’t blame her of course, but I wished there was something I could do to help her. Then, I had a thought of reaching out to Bernard and Anna. He’s been on me about not returning to the village anyway and I knew Anna grew up around witches. She might be able to help Tessa.Tessa helped me make breakfast this morning and she tried to give me a happy smile and maintain positivity. But I could see through it. She was heartbroken and in shock.When we got to school, I didn’t see her at all until class time that evening. I knew she was busy doing her exams and I didn’t want to disturb her.I spent most of the day grading final projects while I waited for 6 pm. Per usual, Tessa’s paper was phenomenal. She had a real talent for breathing life into her characters and painting a picture with words.I admired that about her.It wasn’t until I reached the very last paper that ca
Tessa’s POVI followed Dean Miller across the school until we reached his office at the end of a long and narrow hallway. The walk to his office felt like an eternity long; I don’t think I’ve spent nearly enough time in his office, so I wasn’t really used to this walk. But I couldn’t help but feel like there was something seriously wrong.Ruby told me she would wait for me before she left so she could take me home. But I told her it was fine and that I could just walk home. It’s not like it was a far walk and she looked utterly exhausted after the exams today.I didn’t want to keep her longer than necessary.Once we finally reached his office, he nodded at the receptionist who sat at her desk just outside of his door. She returned the nod and then her eyes shifted to me. I couldn’t help but think she was judging me for something.The intensity of her stare caused heat to rush to my cheeks and I fixed my eyes on the ground in front of me.Dean Miller pushed the door to his office open
Tessa’s POVGraduation has been put on hold. My blog has been suspended. It felt like the entire world had crumbled down around me. I sat in the passenger seat of Joseph’s car, staring out the window as the school got smaller in the distance. I couldn’t believe that just happened. I have been completely frozen since sitting in Dean Miller’s office.Joseph helped me leave the room without falling over and Jeremy stayed behind to speak with Dean Miller in private.Joseph kept stealing glances in my direction as we drove through the city and toward the suburban area.“I’m not going to let this affect you,” Joseph finally said as he reached over and grabbed a hold of my hand.I looked over at him through my tear-filled eyes.“It’s already affecting me, Joseph,” I said in nothing more than a whisper. “I might not graduate. My blog has been suspended….”I choked on a sob as I looked back out the window. I really didn’t want to cry in his car again, but tears soon escaped my eyes and rushe
Joseph’s POVTessa continued to sleep peacefully in my bed, which was exactly where I liked her. I transferred her to the bedroom where she could sleep more comfortably. I bent down and kissed the side of her face gently, watching as she stirred comfortably and tried to get closer to me.I adjusted the blanket to cover her more, not wanting her to get cold before sighing and sliding out of bed. I grabbed my boxers and pants off the ground and quickly put them on before turning back to Tessa to look her over one last time.I wished I could stay in bed with her and cuddle her all night, but I had some business to take care of. I had to ensure Tessa graduated from college and that my record remained clean. I texted Chief Mulligan before returning home from school earlier and asked if he could help me with Jeremy Evans’ situation.I knew the Nightwalker corporation would be able to dig up whatever dirt was necessary.Apparently, this wasn’t the first time Jeremy had cheated and plagiarize
Tessa’s POVI stared into the foggy mirror in Joseph’s bathroom. My long brown hair lay wet around my shoulders, sticking to the sides of my face from the shower I just had. My naked body still had droplets of water, dripping down my arms and chest.A light pink towel was wrapped around my body, covering my lady parts.As I stared at myself in the mirror, I frowned.How do I look older from the beginning of this year? Sure, I’ve endured a lot. But enough to age me?A sinking feeling formed in the pit of my stomach, and I was suddenly not feeling so well. I was aging so fast, and Joseph wasn’t aging at all. He would never age again. He was going to stay the same handsome, fit, and young man he’s always been. While I’m going to age into an old woman.My face grew red at the image.Would Joseph still love me?I finished drying and getting dressed. Once my teeth were brushed and my hair was pulled back into a ponytail, I turned and left the bathroom.Joseph was already dressed and in the
Tessa’s POVMy hands were shaking as I took my journal out of my bag and turned to face Dean Miller. He stared at me with raised brows and then his gaze shifted to the journal.I glanced at Joseph who gave me an encouraging nod.“When I first started my blog a couple of years ago, I didn’t get much engagement on it,” I began, stepping forward and closer to Dean Miller’s desk. “I got a few followers within these years, but not many. It wasn’t until I met Joseph that I started to pick up more engagement.”Dean Miller’s brows rose so high they nearly disappeared into his hairline. He started to tap his fingers on his knee as he leaned back in his seat.It looked like he was parting his lips to speak, but I quickly spoke again, stopping him from saying anything.“Between his mentoring, class, and overall advice, I was able to write posts that not only relate to people in my age group but also speak to their hearts,” I said, taking a deep breath before placing my journal on his desk.His e