AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Stumbling away from the staircase, I watch at the archway.
Horrified.
Frozen.
Shocked senseless.
“I’ve—” He swears. “—told you to stop this nonsense several times now.”
“Daddy,” she whines, grabs his wrist, and half-climbs, half-kicks at the mountain of her father. “It’s fine.”
“Watch your tongue with me, young lady. We’ve been over this.”
She whimpers.
His fingers squeeze into her little skull. “Use the tools at your disposal to protect yourself, or else.”
“But, Daddy—”
“No but.” He crouches, blocking all of Andromeda from my view. “Focus on me,” he growls. “Do you think your Uncle Cael would approve of you acting like this?”
Defeated, she whispers, “No.”
“Correct. And if Uncle Cael wouldn’t let you do something…”
“I absolutely shouldn’t do it.”
“Correct again.” He lets her head go, rises, and folds his arms. “So what are you not going to do anymore?”
Andromeda’s shoulders sag. “Take hot things out of the oven with my bare hands.”
He grunts something akin to acceptance.
What can I do?
What can I do? What can I do? What Can I Do?
Before I can even remember how to breathe, Andromeda bounces back, like what just happened is…perfectly normal… Grinning, she jumps on her father’s arm and says, “Look at my pie! It’s one of Pila’s plant-based recipes.”
He glances toward the carrot by the guillotine. “I had thought she came by earlier.”
“You were busy in the lab.”
He grunts. “Alana needs more drugs, and I’m in the process of slightly adjusting the dose.”
“Ooh. Can I try one when you’re done?”
Pollux shrugs. “If you care to.”
“Can Ms. Role try one, too?”
Pollux goes tense. Slowly, ever so, he turns and finds me. As though he entirely forgot I was here.
My eyes sting.
My brain is choking on everything I’ve just seen and heard.
Who is Uncle Cael, and why does he determine what is or isn’t appropriate for Andromeda? Why does Pollux have a drug lab? And why, why, why is Andromeda allowed to try the drugs?
