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“So, you decided to break protocol, sneak out of the house, bring him to the city, and get him so drunk he’s passed out in my car right now?”

“In my defense, I was planning on you never finding out about this…”

His eyes never moved. Never blinked. It was eerie, how they were on me, and yet he seemed to have full control of the car as he navigated Boston’s quiet streets. “I have come to expect this kind of behavior from you, Beatrice, but why did you have to drag your brother into this as well?”

“It was a birthday gift. I took him for a drink. What’s the big deal?”

“We are as dangerous to them as they are to us. You know that. That’s why we separate ourselves from them.”

He was talking about humans.

“We’ve had this talk a hundred times, dad?—”

“—and we’ll have it a hundred more if it means you’ll finally understand why we have our walls. You have everything you need back at the mansion. I don’t know why you insist on sneaking out to do this.”

“So that he can live! We’ve spent our whole lives trapped in that mansion. Do you think I want to spend the rest of my life only seeing the same few faces, over and over again, not knowing what it’s like to live a normal life out there?”

“We are Ethera Mages; we do not get the luxury of a normal life.”

“Ours is a life of struggle, and toil, and hard work. I know. You’ve had this talk with me a hundred times, too.” I shook my head. “The Shadow War is over, dad. And humans, as long as we’re careful, what’s the harm in spending a little time out here, in the wild? Stretching our legs, breathing fresh air.”

“You won’t convince me to condone your actions, Beatrice. When your mother finds out?—”

“—you mean you haven’t told her already?”

“If I had told her, she would have insisted on being in this car right now, and this conversation would not be going as smoothly as it is right now.”

“Oh, this is going smoothly?”

“That’s enough, Beatrice!” he snapped, and I could’ve sworn the entire car shook. “I am tired of your back-talk, of your justifications, and of your reckless behavior. I want to know, right now, how you managed to sneak out of the mansion without being detected. Is there a flaw in our defensive spells?”

I didn’t want to answer him, not when he was like this. I felt small, like I was falling into the folds of the leather seat I was sitting on.

But I had to answer him.

“Your spells are fine,” I said. “The mansion is safe.”

“Then how?”

I took a deep breath. “I’d rather not say.”

“So that you can do it again?”

“I won’t be doing this again.”

Because I can’t.

I couldn’t lie to him; he was going to find out eventually.

But maybe…

“And I’m supposed to simply trust you?” he asked.

“Dad, all I wanted was to take Max out for his birthday. That’s it. I was just trying to be a good sister.”

My father paused, and some of the intensity in his rearview stare seemed to fall away. If there was one thing my father could be counted on with, it was his love for his family. His entire study room was adorned with pictures of us as children, as adolescents, then as teens. But if he could have wrapped us both up in bubble wrap and made sure we never left our rooms, he would have.

He wasn’t malicious, or a jailor. He loved us both dearly, and he never wanted to see either of us get hurt. Family was the most important thing for him, so, telling him the truth—that I had only wanted to give Max a great birthday gift—was the right move to make.