He’s taken her. I don’t know why or where, but she’s gone, and I’ll never see her again…
As I reach the kitchen, I hear Cassie’s laughter outside, and I go to the back door. In the small backyard, Cassie is playing tag with her father. She’s shrieking with laughter while he roars and walks around with overly menacing steps to plod after her, his hands up over his head.
I watch them run back and forth for a while, conflict twisting my guts.
It’s good they get along. I want that for her. But I can’t help feeling left out…
When they notice me, Rhys lifts Cassie up onto his shoulders and jogs over, both of them laughing and trying to wrestle each other. Cassie puts her hands over Rhys’s eyes, and he staggers around, pretending to be blind even though he can see through her fingers.
“Good morning, Mommy,” Cassie says, beaming. “We’re going to have breakfast, then go out and visit Rhys’s family. Does that sound fun?”
“Sure,” I say, trying to smile even though it feels like I’ve been shot through the chest.
This does not sound like my idea of fun.
When we get inside, Rhys makes pancakes while Cassie chats excitedly about all the games she played with Rhys that morning. I drink my coffee slowly, trying to be encouraging, but resentment is simmering deep inside me.
They’re so connected already, but I can’t tell her the truth. I never expected him to be so drawn to her, or for my baby girl to accept him like this… especially after he literally kidnapped us!
After breakfast, we get ready to go out, and again, I feel upset by having nothing nice to wear. Rhys doesn’t even seem tonotice, which makes me feel worse, and we go out to the car with Cassie chattering brightly to Rhys while I walk behind.
Am I being paranoid, or are the clothes a deliberate statement about what they think of me?
Over the course of the day, we visit Rhys’s extended family. All of them are excited to meet Cassie and ignore me.
I’d try not to take it personally, except that it absolutely is personal.
For the first time, I see evidence of the disease. Many of the older folks are confined to wheelchairs or cannot get up from bed, even though humans of the same age would still be mobile. I notice signs of weakness in younger people as well, and a few of Cassie’s cousins are completely robbed of vitality, even though they’re still children.
I wish I could say I care, but really, all I care about is Cassie. Is this going to happen to her, too?
Ice-cold fear leaks through my chest as I imagine if Rhys had never come and we were going about our lives, only to have Cassie come down with a deadly disease no one could treat or identify.
I can’t shake the faint touch of fear, and it stays with me over the next few days as we fall into a routine. I watch Cassie closely for any signs of illness, but she seems more energetic than ever.
As days go by, I begin to feel more energized myself. I put it down to working so hard for so long; my body has now finally recovered with some good food and rest.
By the end of the week, however, I’m restless. During breakfast one morning, Rhys announces his duties arecompleted for now as far as introducing us to the others, and he’ll be going back to work.
Oh my God, he expects me to just sit around this house cooking and cleaning for him?
“What am I supposed to do?” I ask him, trying to keep my tone light but not succeeding.
“Anything you like, really,” Rhys says. “I don’t know if you have any hobbies? You can always go and spend time with the parents’ group.”
Fuck that.
“I want to work,” I say. “I’ve taken care of myself my whole life; I’ll get bored without a job to do.”
“I can provide for you,” Rhys says, taking a sip of coffee. “There’s really no need.”
I shake my head, feeling a bubble of panic rising in my chest.
I can’t get trapped in this house—or with the pack. I’ll go mad.
“I want to spend a lot more time with Cassie,” I say. “But I need a job. I have to maintain my independence—you can’t take that away from me.”
I won’t be your slave!
