Homecoming

CHAPTER 5

I can’t seem to force myself to believe that my dad isn’t mad at me.

He’s been so angry and so distant for such a long time that his kindness feels foreign--more unfamiliar than most of the things I’ve seen for the past year, and I’ve seen a lot of strange things. The man standing across from me is an alien, way more grey hair at his temple than I remember and his knees weak like he can barely stand.

“So...what did you want to talk about?” he asks. “I can’t believe you’re safe. That you’re alive?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry I didn’t call. Or write. Or...say goodbye,” I say. “My trip wasn’t really planned. I was just really upset after the cotillion and I had to get away.”

“You didn’t take any of your things,” he says incredulously. “You didn’t go back to school. At first I thought you must have just taken a break like your mother used to--head out to one of our vacation homes on the coast or something--but when you didn’t show up for classes in the fall, I knew that something was wrong. And with the accident...well, I assumed the worst.”

“Dad, I’m so sorry,” I apologize again. I hadn’t expected to feel quite this guilty, but it looks like my sudden departure has damn near killed him. He looks so old that I can barely recognize him. “I promise that if things had been different, I would have told you. But Nereus kind of came and...um...took me away?”

My father’s eyes narrow, and it’s there that I find the first glimmer of anger I’ve seen all night.

“Nereus,” he repeats. “Unusual name.”

“Yeah,” I say. “He’s uh...European.”

“He’s your boyfriend?”

I sigh. “I know this isn’t the way you would have liked to find out.”

“I’m just glad you’re alright,” my dad says, though I can see the spark of distaste in his gaze. “It’s okay, Fiona...just tell me about him.”

Okay. That’s a start. Of course, I know that in my dad’s world ‘tell me about him’ means ‘give me his name, address, full family line, and social security number so I can have security look into him.’ Not that he would find anything, unless the Georgia state police have some kind of Alien Prince registry I’m not aware of.

“Well,” I start, preparing myself for all the lies I’m about to tell. “Nereus and I met in school. And…” I pause, chewing on my lip. “Would you believe he showed up and took me away in a spaceship?”

My dad barks out a laugh, crossing his arms. “I forgot what a vivid imagination you have.”

It feels a little bit better to tell the truth, even if he doesn’t believe me. I switch back to the cover story we’d decided on before arrival. “Okay,” I say. “Nereus and I met in school and he invited me to meet his parents over the summer. See, he’s the...duke...of a small island off the coast of France.”

“That explains how the guy is dressed,” my dad snorts. “What’s the island?”

“You wouldn’t know it.”

My dad narrows his eyes. “Try me.”

I should have known he was smarter than this. “Atlanti...ca,” I blurt out.

Stupid. I’m being stupid. I shouldn’t have come here at all.

“Atlantica?” he repeats, raising his eyebrows.

“Yeah,” I say. “I told you you wouldn’t know it. Not a lot of people even know it exists.”

“Alright,” he says, but I know he’s just indulging me. “Go on.”

“Okay,” I say. “So...the night of the cotillion, Nereus called me and asked if I wanted to come spend the summer with him. He had already landed in Atlanta with his private pilot--the other guy who’s with us, Kye--and I had to hurry to get there.”

It’s not the most outlandish story for an heiress, and my dad knows that. Besides, it’s not like there’s anything he can do to us; if it comes down to it, we’ll all just get right back on the shuttle and return to the Naiad, and I never have to see my dad again.

Suddenly, though, that notion hurts. Because contrary to my expectations, my dad clearly missed me. Vanessa seems like the same old bitch she always was but maybe I wasn’t as invisible here as I thought.

“So you’ve been in Atlantica all this time and just didn’t tell me,” he says. “Fiona...it’s been six months.”

I take a sharp breath and stare down at the floor, clenching my fists. I shouldn’t lash out, I know...but my temper has a way of getting the better of me, and I look back at him with a hardened expression. “Honestly, I didn’t think you would even notice I was gone,” I murmur.

He blanches, closing his eyes, and I feel a wave of regret when I see that he’s even tearing up a little. He swipes at his cheek with a sniff. “Why on earth would you think that?”

I shrug. “Ever since you married Vanessa, it seems like I’m being crowded out. And when I went away to college, you were so happy to have the house to yourselves that it just felt like...you’d replaced me.” I sigh. “Like you replaced my mother, and you wanted any trace of her gone.”

“Fiona.” His voice breaks, and I look up to see him shaking his head, rushing toward me to scoop me into his arms again and tucking my head under his chin. “I would never want you gone. And I miss your mother every day. I need you to know that.”

I nod against his chest, and he releases me slowly to look me in the eye.

“I’m so sorry,” I say once more, holding back tears myself. “I...I’ll keep in touch when I go again, okay?”

“You’d better,” he smiles. “Now I think I’d like to go and talk to your friends. I’m assuming that’s why you’re here?”

“Yeah,” I say, returning his grin. “I can’t wait for you to get to know them.”