~BOOK 5/PART TWO~ Paranormal: Too Close To Home (Multi-Bandom FanFic)

Kenya nodded to the door, a signal for me to follow, and Link stayed behind to give my mom a few more instructions. "Is she alright?" I whispered to Kenya as we walked to her car.

"She's fine, she's just...in the state she was in when she was a teenager," The she wolf explained as she unlocked her black Charger, "And she apparently only remembers events from when she was that age."

"That would explain a lot," I murmured, "Did you know she and Brendon bar hopped and created potions to look older than they actually were? That's, like, so cool. I wish I would've thought of that."

"Drugs and alcohol, fantastic," She muttered sarcastically, getting into her car and me following suit, "I'm putting you in rehab as soon as possible."

"You know what the weirdest part was?" I asked her, ignoring her remark and buckling myself in, "She started talking to me about how she wanted to be a human, and how being a paranormal isn't all that it's cracked up to be."

"It's not," She agreed, starting up her car shortly after Link slipped into the backseat and zooming off.

I clasped my hands in my lap and sighed. "You know, I'm starting to think that maybe that's why she did what she did to me. I mean, she told me she was afraid of having a family and bringing a kid into this 'sick and twisted' world." I looked over at her and inquired, "Do you think that's why she did that to me?"

"What exactly did she do to you?" Kenya stopped at the mouth of the property's driveway, checking to make sure there was no one crossing, and then sped off. She occasionally checked her mirrors.

"She made me think I was a human for the first fifty-or-so years of my life. She and my dad both did."

"Whoa." The lycan smirked. "I wish my dad cared about me that much to make me think I was human."

"But how is that caring? They lied to me! Since when is lying an act of parenthood?" I exclaimed, the anger I'd pent up over the years exposing itself.

"My dad didn't give a shit about me," She conveyed, "And my mother was a whore who left me and my brother at birth. I've killed thousands over the years, I can't tell you the last time I actually slept, and I can't remember four years of my life. I'd die for just a moment to be normal." Kenya heaved a sigh. "Some days, yeah, I'd rather be a human, just someone that could fade into the woodwork."

I shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat of the car. "Well now I feel bad."

"No you don't." Kenya knew already, and she looked over at me with a sad smirk. "Look, your parents may have lied to you, but they did it so you wouldn't be as fucked up as they are, as we all are; so you wouldn't be bred with so much hate and anger. They wanted you to be able to be better than they were." She turned on to the highway and merged into the crowd of cars. "And whether you like it or not, it worked."

"What are you talking about? I'm a fucking mistake. Everyone laughs at me; thinks I'm a fuck-up."

"They didn't when you were little," Kenya reminded me, "And besides, even after all of this, you came out to be a strong woman. There are definitely some kinks to work out, but overall you came out okay, Kid."

I bit my lip and averted my gaze out the window, watching the passing scenery. "So my mom...she doesn't remember anything? She's a teenager now?"

"It appears that way. We're going to the witch's part of town to talk to a few people who are experienced in this kind of magic."

This is all my fault... I heard Kenya think to herself as she tapped the wheel of the car, taking the ramp that led downtown to the Cauldron of New Orleans.

"You know what I've noticed about you?" I broke the silence that had fallen over the two of us.

"That I have a strong tolerance for you?" She guessed while turning at the upcoming light.

"Yes, that, but...you blame yourself for a lot of things, more than my own mom does. Why is that?"

"You really have to stay out of my head," She said in an attempt to avoid my question.

"I can't help it," I shrugged, "Your mental voice is really loud."

"Then ignore it," The lycan snapped.

"I've tried, but your thoughts are practically yelling at me. You have a lot of troubled thoughts, Kenya, maybe you need some rehab."

The she wolf did something very rare - she smiled, pulling into the parking lot and shutting the car off. "Rehab can't fix me."

"Well if it can't fix you, it can't fix me either. I'm way worse than you are."

"You're going to rehab, Halsey, end of discussion."

"You can't make me!" I sang loudly, kicking the car door open and unbuckling myself, jumping out of the car and running. I laughed excitedly as I glanced back over my shoulder, waiting for her to come out of the car. Suddenly, I was stopped, bumping into the something. I stumbled backwards and, in the darkness of the night, saw my father standing in front of me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and rubbed behind my neck, the smile on my face fading away. "What are you doing here, Dad?"

"Better question, Ash, what are you doing here?"

"She's allowed to be here," Kenya answered for me as she and Link caught up to the two of us, the wolf's arms folded over her chest, "Unlike you. What are you doing here, Patrick?"

"I'm not stupid; I know you're trying to do something that has to do with Rachael. I deserve to be in on this...whatever 'this' is."

"So does she, so back off," She growled.

"What are you even going to do?" Patrick demanded to know, refusing to let the three of us any farther until we answered his question. "Change her back? Why? Don't you realize what this means, her being a teenager again, this time with no darkness inside of her?" Kenya, Link, and I pushed past him, headed for the coven. "It means we can start over!" He called after us, "We can do things right this time!"

I stopped dead in my tracks, shooting my gaze back over my shoulder and looking at my dad, "You know, even with this spell, it won't take her too long to figure out that you're a manipulative, life sucking, asshole." Link went to break us up, but Kenya put her hand out and let me fight this one out.

"Excuse me?" My father said.

"You heard me. You've been controlling Mom for years." Patrick was selfish and just wanted another redo at his mistakes, but he didn't realize that it was already too late. "You're stupid to want to keep her the way she is."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"But I do, Dad. Mom never wanted the life you gave her," I started, "She just wanted a chance to be normal, and you ruined that chance. First you poisoned her, then you made her your personal grim reaper, and now you want her to do it all over again. Do you even care about her, or me? Or do you just care about what we can do for you?"

"Halsey, I-"

"You know, I hated you both for so long, but now I realize that Mom did that spell to protect me. She loves me; she wanted to give me a chance. But you? You're the one that never gave a shit about me." I felt the tears streaming down my face. "I know why Mom doesn't want to go back to you now - you've become a monster. And she finally woke up and saw you for what you truly are." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "If you're not here to actually help Mom, then just leave. You don't need to be here anymore."

I didn't stick around to see what decision he made, storming off in a fit of anger. I ended somewhere in the middle of town, stupidly at a bar. I didn't care, though. I didn't want to care. Yet I couldn't deny the sudden interest I'd taken in my past. My parents stole my identity, they stole me. Well, not literally, but they stole my being, and they did it right under my nose. I was a paranormal and they hid that away from me for decades.