The others come flying down to the beach.
“Where were all of you?” I ask, worried that they saw us kissing.
“We had to go find this,” Phelix holds up the now glowing glass bottle, “I told you not to lose it. We had to swim half-way to the ocean to catch it.”
“Are you okay?” Zemira and Zaphyra ask me simultaneously. I shiver under Achilles who won’t get off my lap so I can stand. I nod.
“We should get her back to the house,” Percy says.
“Actually,” I say, “I have somewhere else for you to take me.”
Almost dying has reminded me of something important. Had I died today, Irene and Ezzie never would have known what happened to me. I need to change that.
Chapter Thirteen
Violet
I tell them all to wait in the living room of the rental while I head into the kitchen. I had called Fiona and told the rest of the gang to meet us down here too. They’re still on their way down the mountain.
In the kitchen, my aunt is stirring a giant pot of spaghetti sauce. Even though she only has me and Ezra to feed, for some reason, my aunt can’t calculate three servings in spaghetti form. She always makes these huge pots of spaghetti. My stomach rolls with nerves. I don’t know how she will take learning that her favorite and only niece is a freak of magical nature.
“Vi! You’re home!” she exclaims, going to hug me but stops, “Why are you all wet?”
“You’re going to want to sit down. I have a lot to tell you,” I say guiltily.
Her face falls from excited aunt to the suspicious mom zone. I hate the suspicious mom zone. I lead her into the living room. Percy is hunched over the book getting sand out of it. We had picked it back up on our way out.
Phelix is poking around the room. “I’ve been curious about what this house looks like on the inside,” he says.
“Oh, Violet, you should have told me we have guests,” Irene wipes her hands on her jeans.
“Irene, these are,” I wave my hand in the air, “I don’t even know how to explain them,” I say frustrated. I had a plan on what to say, but all of the right words seem to have left my head.
Irene looks around the room suspiciously. “What’s going on?”
Percy stands up. “Mrs. Kelly, my name is Percy Stone, I was a friend of Eugene, Violet’s uncle.” He holds out his hand.
Irene’s face lights up with recognition. “You must be the history teacher. Yes, Violet told me about you. I didn’t realize you knew Eugene too. That makes sense.” She takes his hand.
He brings it to his lips kissing it.
“Oh my, I can’t say I mind the manners in these parts. You can call me Irene.” Irene smiles at Percy. He gives her the tiniest smile back. The way she’s looking at Percy, I’m thinking my aunt may just have a bit of a crush.
“I’m Zemira,” Zemira says.
“Zaphyra.”
“Phelix.”
“Alex.”
“And this is Achilles,” I say pointing out the dog sniffing around the room. “Actually, they all knew Eugene, my mom, and me.”
I realize I could leave it at that. Old family friends. I don’t have to tell her any more than that. This could be easy, but guilt squeezes my stomach. She’ll never understand if I disappear like my parents did.
Wait, like my parents did... Were my parents killed by demons too? I file that thought away for later inspection.
“Violet, that is wonderful. I...I’m so sorry to all of you, but welcome to our home. With such a small town, I should have known there would be plenty of Eugene’s and even Lavinia’s friends here.” She looks at me with pity.
The gargoyles all look to me for instructions on what to do from here. I can tell they’re thinking what I was - this could be easy. I sigh.
“We have to do this. I can’t lie to my aunt” I tell them all. I start pacing around the room refusing to look at her. “Okay, Tanti,” I start, because calling her ‘aunt’ in my family’s native language is a code between me and her. When I moved in with Irene and she learned of the practice my mother and I had of speaking Romani when we needed to talk in private, it became a way for Irene and I to communicate when things are serious. When I call her Tanti, she knows it’s important. “You’re not going to believe this, but I have to say it. I love you and Ezra, you two are literally my whole world. You know how Uncle Eugene had a bunch of money and the estate was so big...well, I didn’t just inherit money. I also inherited them. All of them.” I point to the room. Zaphyra nods encouragingly to me.
“What are you talking about, you can’t inherit people, dear. That’s not a thing,” Irene says confused.
“They’re not people and neither am I. They’re...they’re...monsters. Good monsters. Monsters who saved my life tonight. And almost drowning made me think I can’t keep this from you—”
“Monsters? You almost drowned!” Irene yells rushing to me. She grabs my upper arms. “What happened?!”
“Yes, I almost drowned, but Alex flew into the river and saved me. It’s fine. I think.” I sigh. “I’m not telling this right,” I tell the others.
“You’re babbling.” Alex laughs.
“Someone tell me what’s going on right now!” Irene yells.
“I see the family resemblance now,” Zemira says. She turns to me waving at herself. “Should I change?”
I nod.
Zemira shifts into monster form.
My aunt’s eyes go wide before she hits the ground like a rock.
“Tanti!” I yell.
“Oh yeah, you’re definitely related.”
The front door opens with Aaiden, Blythe, and Fiona walking in.
“Looks like we missed something big.” Aaiden looks from Zemira to my aunt. His eye catches Zaphyra in the corner, fluffing her black tulle skirt. “Hey,” he says winking at Zaphyra.
AN HOUR LATER, IRENE is practically hounding Percy with questions at the small kitchen table. It took a bit of time, but we got her the whole story. I even showed her the blitz spell to let it sink in that I have powers. Instead of fainting again like I worried she would, she pulled a bottle of vodka out of the spice cupboard that I hadn’t known was there, took a shot, and said, “Okay, I can take this, keep going.” We did. She didn’t like it. She argued about me fighting demons. Now she’s in mystery mode, trying to find a way this all makes sense.
I kept shivering, so she sent me off to my room to get changed while she starts heating milk for cocoa.
Zemira, Fiona, and Blythe follow me upstairs. Aaiden tried also, but Alex jumped over the railing onto the stairs and glared down him. Aaiden went back to flirting with Zaphyra.
“So many hormones, such a tiny house,” Zemira says sardonically while shutting my bedroom door.
“Tell me about it,” Fiona says hopping onto my bed.
“I’ll claim some of those,” Blythe says. “Phelix and Alex are—”
“So hot,” I say laughing. I don’t dare tell them that I kissed Alex though. I crouch down and start going through the tubs in my closet looking for my winter clothes. I know I have some sweaters in here.