“Good,” she said with a sigh, like her whole life had depended on that answer. “Your cheeks are full, I guess. Have you gained weight?”
“I don’t think so.” I shrugged. “How are you guys? You both look great.” And they did. My dad’s hair was cropped short because Mom liked it that way, and he was the type of guy to go out of his way to make sure she was happy. Not just because sad and angry Mom was like a fire-breathing dragon about to scorch you alive with a look, but because he was still in love with her, after over thirty years of marriage. His color was a deeper purple, and his eyes were a gorgeous bright purple, like the fairy wrasses—tiny fish who swam in the reef back home. Come to think of it, swimming in the sea was one of things I missed the most. Pixies were no mermaids, but the water was just as vital to our lifestyle as growing plants.
“We’re okay. Getting by,” Mom said. “Your dad broke his leg again.” Dad raised up his left leg, bandaged all the way over his knee under his blue shorts to show me.
“Seriously, Dad? Again?” This must have been the seventh time he broke his leg since I left.
Dad grinned, showing me his white teeth with the slightly crooked canines that were a copy of mine. “It’s fine. My left is just a bit weak, that’s all.”
Mom turned to him. “You jumped ten feet over rocks to try to catch a lizard.” Then she looked at the camera. “He jumped ten feet over rocks to try to catch a lizard.”
“He was a fast fucker,” Dad said with a grin, his eyes sparkling.
“Did you catch it, at least?”
“Theodora!” Mom complained.
“No, he got away. But it’s okay. I’ll get him next time,” he said, winking at me, pissing Mom off even more.
“Timothy De Ver—you try to catch another lizard and you’re not setting foot in this house ever again!”
“Ooh,” I whispered because Mom was using her serious voice, and we both knew what that meant.
Forget breathing fire—she was going to bite Dad’s head off if she saw him even look at a lizard in the future.
That’s why he swallowed hard. “I’m kidding, Alice. Just kidding. I’m not going to try to catch lizards again, promise.” That’s his number one lie. He was totally going to try to catch lizards—catching little animals was his thing. He never kept them, always let them go, but it was the thrill of the hunt that got to him. He was going to try to catch that lizard again, only this time, he’d take extra precautions to make sure Mom didn’t find out.
Not sure if Mom bought it, but she turned to the screen again. “Tell me, baby. How’s work? Are they letting you get enough sleep?”
“Yeah,” I said, my voice suddenly dry. “Yeah, no, it’s fine. This month has been a bit slow.”
“But you’re still hunting bad guys, right?” Dad said, holding his breath.
“Of course.” Lie number three. “Yeah, Dad, that’s what I do every day. That’s my job.” Four.
Both their faces broke into huge smiles that I tried to mirror. I don’t know if I succeeded.
“My baby,” Dad said. “I’m so proud of you for putting yourself in danger every day, just to make the world a safer place.” My heart cracked.
“You were destined for great things, Teddy,” said Mom, hands to her chest as she looked at me lovingly. “We always knew that. Right, Timothy?”
“Hell, yeah. My baby girl is slaying monsters while my friends’ kids grow plants.” He snorted. “Tell me what you killed this week. Was it a wendigo? Have you seen one of them yet?”
Oh, boy. What would he say if I told him that I’d never actually killed anything in my life?
“No wendigos, Dad. Like I said, this month was slow. But there was a possible sighting of a gorgon on Long Island. I didn’t find anything today, but I’m going to go searching again tomorrow.” Five. I swallowed hard.
“Oh, my,” Mom breathed. “Honey, please be careful. You’re too beautiful to turn to stone. And so young!”
“That’s my girl!” Dad said, clapping his hands. “Go get him, baby!”
“Timothy,” Mom warned, and he immediately dropped the smile.
“I mean, go get him carefully, baby.”
“Of course, I will, Dad.” I pressed my fingernails into my palm as hard as I could, hoping the physical pain would give me a break. “How are the boys?” I asked the next second, hoping they couldn’t see me sweating. “How is everyone? I miss you guys so much.” At least that was an undeniable truth.
Mom pushed her long purple hair behind her shoulders and smiled again. I was a mixture of the both of them, but I had my mom’s big eyes. Hers were purple and much darker, and they almost looked black when the sun wasn’t shining on her face. Her skin was fair but not pink like mine. She actually tanned, while I only ever turned pink, no matter how much time I spent out in the sun. She was gorgeous, but it wasn’t just her face. It was the way she held herself, the energy she let out when she spoke, the calmness of her voice. I always envied that. I always wished I could be more like her.