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This all started yesterday, as I was walking through the woods. The ground was muddy, but the slush was gone, and I was starting to feel slightly pleased with myself. I was learning to control my magic more and more...
Suddenly I stepped out of the trees into a large clearing, one that I hadn't been in before. I couldn't believe my eyes! In front of me was a high fence, and beyond the fence was a huge black building. I felt sick as I wondered who had decided to bulldoze the woods and build here.
Well, I went home and told Cindy about it. To my vast surprise, she already knew about it.
"It's G-CORP's new lab," she said. "Your father told me about it, but I would have noticed it eventually anyway. You can see it from the road if you're not in a hurry."
I groaned. "Do I smell Halloween?" I asked. "In our backyard?"
"Well, that's a while off," Cindy said, shrugging. "I'm not intending on leaving anything valuable in the house then, just in case the whole place blows up."
"Which it probably will, this being Gaia," I said. "So, shall we do some snooping?"
"What?" Cindy asked, looking at me as if I'd said something rude.
"Snooping," I said. "Your job. Investigative reporting..."
Cindy shook her head. "Ever heard of conflict of interest, Dawna?"
"You're not still with him!" I said.
"But you're still his daughter," she replied. "I'm not letting you do anything you might regret."
"Oh, come on, how could I regret just finding out a bit?" I demanded.
"Because it wouldn't be just that!" Cindy snapped. "Anything we found out, you know what I'd have to do? What my journalist's honor would force me to do? Especially if what we found turned out to be underhand or a danger to the public?"
"Leak it," I said. "And I've got no problem with that..."
"At the moment!" she shouted. "Dawna, just because the Sniper's dead doesn't mean we can let down our guard! I hate to say it, but what if, may all the gods forbid it, we leaked something that got your father killed? How would you feel? How would I feel?"
"I think that's the question..." I muttered under my breath.
Cindy ignored me. "You're going to see him," she said. I opened my mouth to protest, and she hurriedly went on, "Tomorrow. He wants to have you over for dinner, in Durem. He wants you to meet Louie Von Helson too. I got you your ticket..."
"You're coming too," I said.
"No I'm not," she said. "Conflict of interests, and we had a little spat over the phone, so..."
"Are you two still fighting about that demon?" I grumbled.
"No," she said, and laughed. "It's just...well, it might be nothing, I guess I shouldn't have let it slip that I was worried, but he was rather furious."
"About what?" I was completely at sea here.
"Just my being too overawed to keep my head...oh, nevermind. I shouldn't be worried yet, in a few days, but not yet..." She trailed off and I glared at her.
"What's the matter?" I demanded.
Cindy sighed and looked out the window. "I guess I should talk to you about it...do you think it would be completely selfish and thoughtless if I had a kid? I mean, Mike would never speak to me again, and your father's already made it clear he'd be furious, and I've got a job, and you...what would you think, Dawna?"
"Eirmehz's wings!" I stared at her. "You mean...you and Gambino..."
Cindy laughed. "Like I said, I probably shouldn't even worry yet...I mean, we all skip a month once in a while..." She shot me an odd look, and I realized we had never talked this closely before. Well, once, when Leon turned Mike against her. "It's just that I was stupid, and...can you believe that that used to be my job?" She shook her head. "I guess that's what love does to you."
"Love?" I said, trying to keep the acid out of my voice. As Cindy had once said, it was if I was in the role of aunt.
"Well, that's what I thought it was," she said. "That night...when you were off trying to get your kingdom back...when whatever went wrong went wrong...well, you could have been dying for all we knew, and we were both upset, and I ended up having a few drinks with him at the mansion, even though we'd already split up..."
I sighed. "I can fill in the blanks, thanks," I said. "Make your own choice, Cindy. I promise I won't be angry, no matter what."
Cindy didn't bring it up again, and this morning, with heavy heart, I set out to have dinner with my father. I got as far as Durem before I decided to turn around. Not that I really decided.
I had just stepped out of the station when a shabby girl of about twelve accosted me. "Pay for my dinner, ma'am?" she asked.
"Um..." I felt very guilty to be going to dinner in a mansion. Then I gave the girl another look, and found my eyes trapped by her green ones. "Have I seen you before? What's your name?"
"Well, I've never seen you," she said. "I'm Sally, short for Celeste."
"Short for Celeste?" I asked incredulously.
"Well, the Matron called me Cele, but that sounded like Cellar to the other kids, so I decided to be Sally instead," she explained. "I'm an orphan...I got a home, but the lady decided I was too old and had too much attitude, so she sent me back to the orphanage. They told me I could go earn my own keep. Spare some gold so I can eat?"
My mind was running in overdrive. The girl was named Celeste, and her eyes looked like Cindy's. "Tell you what," I said. "I'll buy you a cup of tea and something to eat if you tell me about yourself. I think I might know someone who would adopt you."
"Fine," Sally said, shrugging, and followed me into the train station cafe. And what I found out! Well, our train's stopping in Barton now, so I have enough to deal with. Will finish later!