Poor kid. My heart broke all over again. Tears streamed down her cheeks unchecked. This had to feel like a hot poker to the heart. Mack wrapped her up in his arms, hugging her, and I saw her lean against him.
“Some people can’t admit when they’re wrong. And sometimes people hold so tightly to convictions, they can’t see anything else.”
She didn’t say anything in response.
“Mon cher, I’ll call Sylvia and report in.”
“Okay.” Something we definitely needed to do. “I’ve got the footage on my phone…which is still running, come to think of it. Stop the recording and send it to her, would you?”
“Sure. I’ll request a new hotel while I’m at it.”
Probably the safer bet. The hotel rooms were kinda small, the bathrooms more so, so I was okay with moving somewhere larger.
“Mack?” Gwyn snuffled. “When you talk to your boss, tell her I don’t want to speak with my parents for a while.”
And who could blame her?
5
We retreated to the hotel for now, for lack of a better option. I dried Gwyn’s tears, and she calmed, but I could tell she was upset still. I wasn’t sure how to help her, but I could at least try to settle her some.
“Now, Gwyn, I don’t know how to put this, but you’ve basically signed up for an adventure.”
She lifted her head, still sniffling, but managed a smile. “I have?”
“You have. We jet all over the country, sometimes outside of the US, to handle ghosts. You’ll be traveling a lot for years to come, so I hope you like travel.”
“I haven’t really traveled much, so it sounds fun to me.”
Hopefully her attitude stuck. “Between cases, we stay at home, which is in Tennessee. You’re going to love Brandon’s family. They live nearby, and they’re the parents everyone wishes they had. You’ll have nothing but support and help from this point on, ma petite. I promise you.”
She sniffled some more but her smile turned more genuine. “I guess I really am a protagonist, then. I have the shitty, dark past of the MC and I’m about to gain my found family while I learn how to harness my awesome powers.”
I laughed. “You’re not wrong. Just know, ma petite chère, if something hurts you, scares you, you can call for us. We’ll respond immediately.”
“Yeah.” Her expression softened, and I saw nothing but belief. “I know. You already do, often before I can even ask.”
I’d certainly tried. I didn’t know how good I’d be as a pseudoparent, but I’d do my best. Really, I couldn’t be worse than her own parents.
Brandon spoke from the front seat. “We’ve got multiple psychics in the family, too. Mack’s not unique. They’ll be delighted to have another apprentice join in, so you can look forward to meeting them.”
“What other psychic types are there?”
I let Brandon fill her in because my thoughts were on something else entirely. Frankly, my team. I was about to throw a curveball at them. It was one thing to take on a mammoth task like Black Rock and its ghost town affiliate, it was another to do it with a completely untrained Medium in tow. I owed them a heads-up and an explanation, at the very least.
Afterward, well, I’d see who was comfortable helping with Gwyn. Surely Beau would help me—he loved training kids. I wasn’t as sure about everyone else, though.
Some part of my brain freaked out over the realization I suddenly had a whole human being I had to protect and care for. Me, who had never even had a pet. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I’d be any good. With Gwyn’s age, I’d be more than a mentor and teacher, I’d be something like a father figure, too.
And I’d never had a good father figure in my life growing up.
My own father had been a waste of space. It had been almost a relief when he died, that was how bad he’d been. Not that I remembered much of him, thankfully. Beau would be the closest I’d had to a father, but I was already an adult when I met him, so that dynamic didn’t really happen either.
Thankfully, I had Brandon. He had an amazing father, a caring nature, and would surely step in when I faltered. Thank god for my other half, truly.
Also, maybe I should call Kanye and ask for some pointers. Yeah. Smart idea.
The hotel lobby had enough space for two couches and not much else, but still, that was where I found everyone.
