Tower of Memories

Episode 124: Greater Than the Sum of Parts


Time was ticking down. Mom was going to have to head home soon. She was pouting about it while the two of us were sitting next to each other. I was in my usual spot, the big stained-glass window to my left. She sat across from me.

"You know you're going to be seeing me in like three weeks, right?"

She sniffled, I was pretty sure it was mostly for show. "But that's so long!"

"I've been here for three months. I think you'll survive three weeks." The time had felt like it had gone by so fast. It seemed crazy to think the school year was almost half over.

Her eyes were watery and the look on her face was very unconvincing. "Don't you love me?"

I sighed. Her melodramatics without Dad's presence to filter were getting on my nerves a bit. I blinked at her to tell her I wasn't in the mood for her games.

She giggled. "Your father is going to take me dancing when I get back," she sighed like it wasn't a thing they did weekly. Like Dad didn't plan his class schedule to have Wednesdays off just for their ballroom dance lessons. Which she knew I knew about.

"Give Dad a hug for me," I told her. Just a little longer and I would be free.

"Of course! I can't wait to tell him everything."

"So there is at least one person you tell everything to."

"If I wasn't comfortable enough to do that, I wouldn't have married him. And he's my partner, how can he and I help each other if I don't let him know what's going on?"

"You always told me it was his glasses."

"Those helped."

I sighed. Again.

She poked me in the cheek twice. "I worry about you. But I'm glad I came."

"Which part made you worry?" There were a lot of reasons, if I was being fair to her.

"Oh, I've been worried since before you left. And I was clearly right to, I mean look at the mess you found yourself in. This is why you never left my side."

"That and I was the shyest child ever."

"Hiding behind me and Victor is the correct response when someone you don't know tries to talk to you."

"Even other children?"

She grinned, "Yes!"

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It wasn't all the other kids though. I only ever made the one exception. But I couldn't help but wonder…. "If…" I began, trying to find the right words for this.

Mom perked up and shifted herself forward. Eager to listen to my ramblings.

"If I had developed magic when I supposed to…if the curse wasn't a thing…what would have happened?"

"I was wondering when you would ask. If everything had gone to the original plan, we would have sent you to a school here. At least until we were certain you could fully control your magic."

"Do…would I…"

"I can't say for sure if you'd have met all your new friends sooner, but I suspect you and Jarec would have studied all the secrets of Hearth fire magic together."

"I probably would never have met Ethan, huh?"

"Probably not, no. It's…not easy saying goodbye to a friend. I know I must come across cold about my own goodbyes."

"I wouldn't say cold. I don't think cold is in your wheelhouse. But I still think about it sometimes. How I could know someone for so long and it feel like they never knew me at all. Even despite the shared memories and him caring about me."

"A person doesn't need to know every piece of you to know and care about you."

"But it still feels like I lied to him."

"Lied how? He knew you as a girl from across the street that likes heavy metal music, rocks, and old monster movies. All of those things are true."

"I'm also a girl stuck with a crazy magical legacy and a curse gifted by an evil grandpa who's trying to learn magic powers."

"And do you think he told you everything about himself? We all have our secrets. Sure, keeping them can be selfish but there's nothing wrong with trying to protect yourself and others."

"I also feel like the others don't really know me either."

"You live under the same roof. If they haven't learned what you're about by now, they will soon enough."

"Two of them don't know what a movie is."

"Knowing your favorite film isn't the same as knowing you."

"They won't have context for every experience I've ever had. And I don't for them."

"And? It hasn't seemed to have hindered your efforts so far. If anything you're having an easier time making friends than when you did."

"I'm pretty sure they still think I'm weird."

"That'd make them hypocrites, considering that would by extension make them weird too."

"Which is why they don't say it. At least not to me."

"You can't prove that they do when you're not around. And besides I don't think there's anything they could learn about you that would change how they see you."

I wasn't so sure about that.

Mom reached over and ruffled my hair. "It's been what, three months?"

"Ninety-five days."

"Give it time. And if they haven't run screaming from seeing you first thing in the morning I think you'll be fine."

Maybe. But I still hated this feeling. Perhaps Dad was the parent to talk to about this. Mom wasn't getting it.

"I don't want to go and leave you here all alone." Mom was crying and poutting in earnest now.

"I have a Tower full of people who can mostly tolerate me."

"No, don't say that! I'm sure they like you just fine. They made you Representative."

"I'm convinced they did that either to dodge the problems it causes or to troll me." Honestly, maybe even both. They certainly didn't do it out of respect for me or the position. I couldn't recall a single time any of them has said it without some level of sarcasm. "In whatever case, I'm sure I'll have enough damage control to do here."

"I was on my best behavior!"

The sad part was that she wasn't lying. But that didn't mean I wasn't going to have fallout to deal with. I could already feel the headaches.

"You have so little faith in me."

"You can't blame me for not knowing what to expect."

She gasped and covered her heart. All fake dramatics again. "How could you?! Being so mean right before we're separated again!"

Like her and Dad weren't going to call me within twenty four hours of her being gone.

"I'll tell you all about the trouble your visit caused afterwards."

"It won't be that bad," she lied.

"I have three weeks to make sure my friend circle hasn't imploded."

"And you call me melodramatic."

"If it wasn't true I wouldn't say it."

She laughed.

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