Page 146 of The Blue Moon Café & 24-Hour Occult Emporium

“That’s enough of that! You don’t have the energy for this mushy stuff.” Simon grabbed a chunk of blanket with his teeth and dragged it up to her chin. “Rest, you magnificent twit.”

“There’s just one more thing.” Dahlia stared into Talula’s eyes seriously.

“What?”

Dahlia leaned down, capturing Talula’s mouth and kissing her deeply, voraciously. If Talula hadn’t already been lying down, she’d have fallen over. Finally, Dahlia moved away and let her face hover an inch above Talula’s.

“I love you,” Dahlia said. “I love you so fucking much. But if you pull that shit again, I’m breaking up with you and taking your cocoa recipe with me. Got it?”

“I love you, too, and you can have it!” Laughing, Talula pulled Dahlia down for another kiss. They were interrupted by the boom of a magically busted-open door reverberating through the house.

“Talula, my sweet girl, are you here?” came a voice from downstairs.

Talula felt a fresh sob rise in her throat. “Mom!”

Sara flew—literally flew—through the bedroom door. The sorceress was disheveled, her hair tangled under its usual veil, the lines around her eyes more pronounced than they’d ever been. She hovered to a stop, taking in the scene around her, mortal neighbors and magical allies crowded around her daughter attentively.

“Oh.” Sara floated daintily toward the ground. “Hello. Everyone.”

“Hi, Sara.” Mrs. Bochart smoothed her hair awkwardly. The baker’s ears turned pink.

Sara came to Talula’s bedside, hugged her around her shoulders, and kissed the top of her head a dozen times. “Looks like I missed quite a bit.”

“You have no idea,” Simon groaned. More sincerely, he added, “But you should be very proud of your daughter. For her sorcery and her humanity.”

Talula felt those words tattoo themselves onto her heart. She gave Simon a grateful smile. Then she looked over to see Dahlia, a little ways away, leaning against the wall like she wasn’t sure if she wanted it to swallow her or not.

“Mom, before we catch you up on everything, there’s just one thing I need to do.” Talula looked up at her mother, joy plain on her face. “There’s someone special I want you to meet.”

Talula reached for Dahlia.

Days after, when Talula could finally get out of bed without (much) help, she shooed Simon away and ambled down to the kitchen. Winded, Talula took a break, leaning against the doorway. She smiled at the sight. The countertops were full of books and scrolls, ingredients and half-cooked elixirs. Amidst it all was Sara, flitting around from page to potion and back again, muttering spellwork under her breath. It was so familiar, so wrapped in the comfort of her childhood memories. But it was time to make new ones.

Talula eased herself into the sole open chair. “Hey, Mom. Can we talk?”

“My love!” Sara whirled and rushed over to Talula, fussing immediately. “Why didn’t you call me to help? You’re still healing, you need to be gentle with yourself. Can I make you some tea? Or a soothing unguent?”

Talula nodded to the nearby almost-empty chair. “You can sit and talk with me.”

“Of course, sweetheart.” Sara swept up the magical doodads and scooted close to her daughter. “What shall we talk about? Your burgeoning Volta powers? How the Council is currently deciding how many medals to give you? What new title you should go by? I like ‘The Cerulean Paladin.’ That uppity wizard on the Council suggested ‘Assistant to the Magical Portal Manager,’ which I vetoed. It’s diminutive, frankly, and does not encompass even a tenth of your extraordinary feats.”

Talula hesitated. She looked into her mother’s face, the ageless beauty, the depthless love for her only daughter. She took a breath. “Do I have to have a Magical Destiny?”

Sara blinked, her face’s beatific serenity slipping. “What?”

“I mean…” Talula chewed her lip. “Growing up, it seemed like a foregone conclusion. That I would take over the Blue Moon and the Volta and follow in your footsteps.”

“Because you’re my daughter,” Sara sputtered. “My only daughter in an eon, born of magic and greatness!”

“But I’m more than just your daughter,” Talula pointed out. “I was born in the human world, in Pine Hollow. I grew up in a magic house and went to school down the street. I love Halloween and trying new recipes and going to the farmers’ market.”

“I know these things.” Sara’s brow furrowed.

“You saw these things, but did you wonder what they all meant?” Talula covered her mother’s hand with her own. “Mom, really, think about it. Did we ever talk about me doing anything else besides my Magical Destiny? Anything at all, even when I was little? Did you ever think I’d be a doctor or a teacher or anything other than the next Guardian of the Volta?”

Sara opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. Closed it again. Panic filled her eyes.

“I know you probably didn’t mean to do it, but that put a lot of pressure on me,” Talula explained. “I never felt good enough to follow in your footsteps. I always felt guilty for wanting other things, even love or friendship.”