“You know he really isn’t what you would expect. I still can’t believe he went along with Luz’s idea to have a competition to see who would get to cuddle with King,” noted Amity as they made their way into Blight manor.
“I told you he is a good guy,” responded Emira, happy to see that her sister’s opinion about Hunter had changed.
She still could not believe Edric’s plan to have Hunter make friends had worked so well. Even though it had only been a few weeks since they had fought as enemies everyone was extremely accepting of Hunter. There was a bit of tension at first but that was to be expected. By the end of the night, everyone in the owl house was treating Hunter like he was part of their family.
He had even stayed behind so that he could continue talking to Lilith and Luz. When the siblings had left they had been talking about different theories about wild magic, Luz’s glyph magic, and other nerdy things. It was great to see how happy and relaxed he seemed to be at the owl house. It really was a magical place. She only wished that they could have stayed a bit longer but they had already been pushing their luck enough as it was. They could not afford the risk of getting home late.
“I can’t believe they went all out, if Lilith hadn’t stepped in they would have destroyed the Owl House,” stated Edric recalling how the owl house had become a battlefield for a hug from a cuddly demon.
“Hey kids, do you mind coming here for a moment?”
The three siblings stood frozen for a moment looking at each other nervously at the sound of their mother’s voice. Judging from her tone it was safe to assume that they were in trouble. Part of them knew this was coming but they had still held on to the hope that their parents would not have found out about their outing.
"Come on guys it will be ok," whispered Emira to her siblings as she stepped forward towards the living room. She said it mostly to reassure herself than them. After all, she would be the one taking the brunt of her parents' anger. Her siblings knew this and as a way to comfort her, they placed a hand on her shoulders as they followed behind.
“Ah there you are, please have a seat,” ordered Odalia in a honey-filled voice letting the three siblings know that she was not happy but was trying to hide it. The three did as they were told sitting together on the sofa. Looking around the room they saw that their father was also present. He was standing by the mantel place his full undivided attention was on the three siblings. His face a mask of intense concentration.
“That can’t be good,” thought Emira to herself.
“So which one of you would like to explain the calls I’ve been receiving all day?” she asked, looking directly at Emira.
“Mother I,” started Emira but was quickly cut off by Edric.
“We went out with some friends, that's all,” he said nervously, trying to give his most charming smile. Their mother had a soft spot for Edric though today it looked like she was too upset to let his charm have any effect on her.
“You know Edric, I am really disappointed in you,” she said in a distant tone, not making eye contact with her son. "I was confident that you would make sure something like this wouldn't happen."
Emira felt her brother slump next to her. She couldn't see his face but she knew that if she had she would have seen tears in his eyes.
"That's not fair!" exclaimed Amity but immediately fell silent at a single glance from their mother.
Odalia let out an exasperated sigh "All day today I have been receiving calls from people saying they saw Emira with a boy. Not only that but that all three of you were together. Everyone wants to know who this boy is, especially those that saw you dancing with the Golden Guard. Do you know how bad it makes us look when we have no idea who our children are hanging around with?"
Odalia paused for a moment to look at her children. None were able to look at her and Edric was on the verge of tears.
“We aren’t angry about you seeing a boy,” started Odalia in a more relaxed tone.
"We want to meet him," interrupted Alador who was still staring at their children intently.
"What?" gasped Emira, taken completely off guard by her father’s request. It would not have come as a shock to her if it had been her mother who had requested it but it was unusual for their father to take interest in their personal lives.
"The boy, we want to meet him," he repeated a bit more sternly.
"Yes, as I said we are not angry about you seeing a boy but if you insist on seeing him then we would like to meet him. At the very least, if people ask us questions we would be able to provide them with some answers," stated Odalia matter of factly.
"Wait so you're not mad that I am seeing someone but that I didn't tell you?" questioned Emira.
“We trust that you three are smart enough to choose your own partners and to know if someone is trying to use you for the family name,” noted Alador.
“That being said our business is a family business which means if the family falls then so does the business. Whoever you three choose as partners would be held to the same standards as the rest of the family. Their actions would reflect on us which is why it is crucial that if you make your relationship public that we know about it. It may not seem fair but this is what it means to be a Blight.” declared Odalia.
Emira felt her head starting to spin. Of course, her parents were thinking about the company when it came to her love life. Appearances are everything after all. But were they actually implying that they would be willing to consider anyone they presented as a potential partner as long as they could keep up with the family standards?
“So then why couldn’t we be trusted to choose our friends?” whispered Amity too low for their parents to hear. But Emira had heard and she could feel her sister’s pain. The way their parents viewed friendship was more of a business investment than anything with real meaning behind it. It was easy for them to discard people when they served no purpose and to fake interest, if there was a chance to gain something.
She could only imagine what thoughts were crossing through her sister's mind taking into account that she had a partner. Would her parents really be accepting of Luz? She has no social standing, no wealth, and has had trouble with law enforcement. The thought that with Hunter she would not have to worry about her parents accepting him crossed her mind and as soon as it did she felt guilty.
Emira took her sister’s hand as a means to comfort her. Even though she could not say it now she hoped that Amity knew that no matter what happened she would always be there to support her relationship with Luz.
“Now then when can we meet him?” asked Odalia.
Got a new cover created by the super talented @HeyCintriux on Twitter and Instagram! These stories are also available on Wattpad and Ao3 along with the Spanish version.
