Page 23 of Zodiac Monsters

Chapter 8

Twenty-Seven Years ago, Seven Years Old

I was stacking blocks with careful precision, testing when gravity would win over determination. Each time I rebuilt the tower, I corrected the placement of each block, so I could build it taller and taller without it toppling over. Physics was built into everything, and I wanted to understand the exact breaking point. One day, I would have wings like Dad, and I would have to figure out how to fly. It was best I learned balance and precision while I waited to get my true form.

“Addy,” Mom’s sudden and excited shout distracted me in a crucial moment, and the slight twitch of my hand toppled over the delicately designed four foot block tower I’d spent so much time building. “Can you come out here? I have an announcement for the whole family.”

“In a minute.” I yelled back. I sighed with exasperation, then squatted back down to start again. I was so close to making a structure that matched my height. So close.

“Now, Adrian.” Dad’s stern and gruff voice shook tension down my spine, and I stood from my blocks to meet my parents in the den without further argument. Mom was the nice one until Dad got involved. I looked between them, and my nose scrunched at the way Dad’s brow was intensely furrowed, and Mom was uncharacteristically nervous.

A man I didn’t know was seated on the couch. I could feel Dad’s anger and Mom’s unease, but nothing came through from the third person. I was told that, eventually, I’d be able to read emotions from anyone. Right now, my current magic was limited to blood relation.

I glanced between the three of them, then settled my gaze back on Mom. It wasn’t just her anxiety I was feeling. There was… something else. Mom’s aura was weird.

She masked it with a tight smile as she approached me and squatted down to my height. She placed her hands on my shoulders and squeezed. “Adrian, I want to introduce you to a new friend of mine.”

I glanced over her shoulder, trying to process what was happening. Dad was rubbing his temples, while the stranger kept his eyes on me.

Mom stroked my hair in a soothing motion. That couldn’t be good.

“Thanks to him, you’re going to be a big brother.” She lit up with honest excitement as she said it aloud, while Father lit with barely restrained rage. The feeling in my own gut was something more complicated.

“What?” I looked between the man and my father in utter confusion. What did this man have to do with our family?

“And now you’re going to have two daddies to play with.” She kept stroking my hair.

“I don’t understand.” I didn’t. At all. How could that man make me a brother? Mom and Dad were already married. “I thought only married people could make babies.” I blinked and I blinked, waiting for someone to connect the dots for me.

“I thought so, too.” Dad growled, and Mom shot him a look.

“Normally that’s true, but sometimes, our hearts join with others, and we can create an even bigger and more special family.” She was talking to me like I was five, when I was already seven.

I glanced down at her belly, where it occurred to me what the ‘weird’ aura had been. I was feeling the first traces of emotion from the brother building inside her, and they were still too vague and shapeless to come through as anything other than nausea in my stomach.

The man stood from the couch, and he walked past Dad without giving him so much as a passing glance. He approached and crouched down beside my mom. They shared a smile between them.

“I’ve heard so much about you.” He said, but I could barely hear him over the pounding of Dad’s heartbeat. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you better, Addy.”

“It’s Adrian, not Addy. I’m not a little kid anymore.” I latched onto Dad’s anger and channeled those emotions through myself to correct him. Who was he to call me that? I jerked out of Mom’s grip and took a step back. “And I don’t want to know you or have a little brother.”

A tinge of relief sparked in Dad’s emotions, and I was glad I could put it there. I didn’t understand the situation, but I could at least modify my behavior to not make it worse.

“This might be too much for him right now.” Dad came to my defense, while I was coming to his.

The stranger stood and glanced over his shoulder at my father. He nodded in agreement. “That’s fine. We’ll have many, many years to sort all this out.”

Dad flinched, and Mom sighed.

She stood and approached my father, where she placed a soft kiss on his lips. “We will have many, many, many years.” She whispered at a barely audible volume. “I’m sure we can all make this work.” Another kiss. The man said nothing. Dad drew a slow breath through his nose, and his strained attempt at calming himself was making me more uneasy than reassured.

Mom rubbed her belly, and despite any concern she showed on her face, I could still feel the bliss that filled her every time she thought about the life she was carrying.

Mom was happy she was pregnant. She’d mentioned wanting another child a thousand times, and I’d felt the intensity of her sadness every time my parents sat at the dining table and talked about another failed pregnancy test. I’d heard them talk about trying something different. I just didn’t realize she’d meant with a man who wasn’t my father.

I felt a wet, hot fluid dribble down my cheek. I was still so overwhelmed by everyone else’s feelings, I hadn’t had a chance to figure out my own. Judging by my tears, my body chose a reaction for me.

“I don’t understand.” I muttered again, my voice breaking on the last word. The stranger looked to my mom, and she shook her head again.