Their eyes widened when they saw me.
Three years had passed, and I wasn’t the
awkward, scrawny kid they’d shipped off
anymore.
I was poised, confident, with a face that had
finally grown into itself.
I was like the perfect blend of Mom and Dad.
Hell, I looked more like them than Carter ever
did.
Maybe they were finally realizing the weirdness
<
11:40
of blood ties.
434
Without any fanfare, they did a complete 180 on
- me.
Mom grabbed my hand, asking in a gentle voice
if I was doing okay, if school was too hard.
Dad sat there, beaming at me like I was a
prized possession, and kept offering me slices
of fruit.
After dinner, Mom said she’d get my old room
ready.
I gently stopped her.
“Mom, I already found a place. No need to get
my room ready.”
“I’m afraid that Delilah is going to…”
I lowered my head, pretending to look sad.
<
Mom and Dad exchanged a worried glance.
But they didn’t push it. They just told the driver
to take me to my new place.
For the next few days, I went back for dinner
every so often.
I went shopping with Mom, and had tea with
Dad.
Even Carter started treating me better, calling
me “sis” instead of “Genesis.”
Time to head back to Norway.
On the way to the airport, Delilah showed up.
I guess my return freaked her out.
Dad looked uncomfortable, and Mom’s face
turned sour.
<
That whole broken engagement thing with the
Smiths had really messed things up.
Delilah didn’t say anything. She just started
crying.
It was her favorite move.
Whenever Mom and Dad were nice to me, she’d
cry or pull a disappearing act.
But her tears were getting old.
Plus, her antics this year had really
embarrassed them.
She cried for a long time, but no one comforted
her.
Mom even frowned.
Feeling the mood turn awkward, I decided to
bail.
11:40
く
434
GODG
After all, some fights are easier to win when
one party is absent.
So, I put on a fake smile and tried to smooth
things over.
“Mom and Dad, I don’t have much luggage. I
can take a cab to the airport.”
I jumped into the car and told the driver to get
moving.
Sure enough, before I even got to the airport, I
got a message from Delilah.
She wrote: “Don’t get too cocky, Genesis.”
Then Mom sent me a voice message.
“Drive safe. We’ll come visit you in Norway
soon.”
11:40
<
But her voice was hoarse, like she’d been
yelling.
I was right all along.
434
At first, I thought Mom was just saying that.
But when I got back to Norway, Mom, Dad, and
Carter came to see me.
They stayed for two weeks.
I took them to Tromsø to see the Northern
Lights, hiking in Lofoten, and eating seafood in
Bergen.
We acted like a normal, happy family.
No one mentioned Delilah.
Only Carter, when we were out shopping,
complained about her.
:
<
He said she was acting crazy, demanding that
Dad give her ten million dollars to finance a
fantasy show.
