“No, he should be fine,” Dana assured. “Keep the discipline remote handy, though, if he decides he wants to play. Sean, will you hold his shoulders?”
There was no sound for quite some time and then Dana started speaking again.
“How have you been, Karen?”
“Can’t complain,” my mother said. “How about you?”
“I’ve been very well, thank you,” Dana answered. “I am sorry to hear that Little Lily has hit her rebellious teenager phase.”
“I just don’t know what to do with her,” my mother groaned. “And Tom has been absolutely no help at all. He keeps telling me that I’m not being considerate of the changes she’s had to endure. He’s obviously thinking that I could adjust right away to everything and that I didn’t need to endure any changes.”
“He’s just trying to keep the peace in the house,” Dana said gently, his voice turning sweet as honey. “Who can blame him?”
“But we’re supposed to raise her as a team. When we agreed that we wanted a child, he told me that we would never be at odds with one another as parents,” my mother said. “Lately, it’s like he doesn’t care about her at all…or me…”
Dana was quiet for a moment before he spoke again.
“Are you feeling neglected?” The voice made me shiver and I was in another room. “I apologize, I have been demanding a lot of your husband lately.”
“No, it’s not anything like that,” my mother assured quickly. “I don’t know…you’re not married, so you don’t understand what it’s like. Sometimes…you just wonder…”
“If you made the right choice?” Dana pressed.
“If…I could have been something more than what I am,” my mother admitted. “If I could have accomplished something else…”
“I am sorry to hear that you feel as though you have not accomplished anything,” Dana said. “But you’re wrong. You have raised a beautiful, intelligent daughter and that is more than I can say for most.”
“I wish Lily would see that. What about your mother? Did you realize how hard she worked to raise you when you were Lily’s age?”
Dana chuckled. “We never appreciate our mother’s when we’re younger. But I wish I had a mother like you when I was Little Lily’s age. My mother never thought of my well-being in the same way you think of hers. She was more interested in pleasing my father than raising me.”
“I am so sorry to hear that…”
“Lily is very fortunate,” Dana breathed. There was another extended silence as I tried to keep my heart from breaking apart in my chest from the pain of what my mother was saying. “Sean, will you excuse Karen and me for a moment?”
There were footsteps, but they did not go far down the stairs, which told me that Sean was eavesdropping just like me.
“Karen,” Dana whispered, “Little Lily is simply growing up. There is no need to blame yourself or feel as though you are a bad mother.”
“I just…I feel like I’m all alone. My daughter seems to hate me…and Tom won’t even look at me. We haven’t even…” she trailed off.
“That’s his loss,” Dana said tenderly. “Because any man should treasure you. You really are a one of a kind woman.”
I felt my stomach turn over. He was lying. He had seduced everyone in the Commission before. I was just listening to the way he did it.
“It seems like Tom’s forgotten…” My mother’s voice actually sounded pained. That did nothing more than anger me. I did not feel sorry for her. She was no longer my mother. She was just another person infatuated with Dana, wrapped up in his spell and bowing to his whim without thought.
“Do you want to come and talk to me about it?” Dana suggested gently.
There is was. That was the end for my mother.
“I’d like that.”
“I’m pretty busy this weekend, and I have meetings on Monday, but you are more than welcome to come to the Commission any time Tuesday,” Dana told her. “I’ll be there.”
“Thank you…”
“I am sorry that I have to leave now,” Dana whispered. “Are you going to be alright?”
“I’ll be fine,” my mother assured. It sounded like she was close to crying.
“I’ll see you Tuesday?” Dana pressed, his voice getting closer to my door as he left Mykail’s room.
“Tuesday,” my mother agreed.
“I’m sorry I’m missing seeing Little Lily,” he said close to my door. I resisted punching my door as hard as I could to answer him.
“Don’t take it personally,” my mother brushed it off. “Is there anything else I need to do for Mykail?”
“No, just make sure he drinks enough water. He might feel a little weird the next few days, but that should not last any longer than the weekend. If it does, just let me know on Tuesday,” he said as their voices descended the stairs. I listened to Dana leave the house, but I did not leave my room, even when my mother called me down for dinner. Even though my stupid, immature rebellion led to me not eating dinner, I was too nauseous after the conversation my mother had had with Dana to think of food.
I had lost her to Dana.
End of Part 1
To be continued in:
Inside
Part 2
Click here to get Part 2!
More Works by K.J. Amidon
The Dimension Guardian Series:
Book 1 – Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Beasts –
The Guardian Tournament
Book 2 – Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Darkness –
Blind Ambitions
Book 3 – Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Humans –
Fate
Book 4 – Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Light –
Imbalance
Book 5 – Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Demons –
Scars in Time
Book 6 – Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Exile -
Continuum
Inside
(Written as Kyra Anderson)
Inside – Pt. 1
Inside – Pt. 2
Inside – Pt. 3
The Significant
(Written as Kyra Anderson)
Dedicated to:
My friends and family who inspire me everyday
My TBP people, who waited so patiently for this to be finished
R&D&Z, who put up with brainstorming sessions until the wee hours of the morning. You guys are awesome!
Beckers, for listening to me talk about this book incessantly.
Cheryl, you are my rock in turbulent times. You helped me through this darkness.
Table of Contents
Author’s Note
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Dedicated to
Table of Contents
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Inside, Pt. 1 Page 52