Escape from Windenburg | 17

It seemed that, despite the confusion almost certainly swirling around madly in both of our brains, my mother was taking her sudden resurrection ridiculously well so far. "I'm dying to hear the whole story," she proclaimed in a chipper tone before pausing a beat to reflect on what she'd just said. "Oh, is it too soon for that unintentional pun?" She waved her hand dismissively and continued on unperturbed. "And of course I want to know everything else that happened while I was gone. But, sweetheart, I have to admit I'm famished. And I'm absolutely craving a steaming hot shower right now." It was understandable that her immediate concerns were more bodily than intellectual. Such simple acts as eating or bathing had gained more gravity for me, too, when I'd suddenly found myself in a situation that made it difficult to do either consistently. Now, though for different reasons, neither of us would likely take the little things for granted again.

While Mom showered and rummaged around in dusty cardboard boxes until she managed to find the few old clothes of hers Dad hadn't gotten rid of, I fired up the stove and quickly slapped together a couple grilled cheeses, which was the closest thing to a gourmet meal I knew how to make. It would have to make due, even though I wished I could offer her something more special for her first meal in years.

Luckily, Mom didn't seem to mind the simplicity of my offering. "Oh, Rowan, that smells heavenly," she exclaimed as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Halfway through making our sandwiches, my stomach had also started grumbling, having been filled with nothing but half a pastry all day. We both dug in with relish.

Halfway through her sandwich, Mom abruptly froze mid-chew and glanced around the kitchen as if some realization were just dawning on her. "Wait," she said slowly, her brow furrowing uncertainly. "Where are your sister and father?"

I sighed heavily, the dreaded moment of explanation having finally caught up to me. I already felt prematurely drained by the mere thought of laying it all out for her. "They're on some sort of campus tour in Britechester," I told her, a small part of me hoping that would be enough to assuage her worries for now.

"And why aren't you there with them?" she pressed.

I gulped, but the lump in my throat remained. "Well, the thing is... I guess I'm not really technically in school right now." I winced as a look of disappointment clouded her face. "Per se," I added uselessly. "Temporarily." I knew I was only digging the hole deeper with every syllable I uttered. It didn't seem that death had weakened her motherly instincts a single iota.

Before I could stop myself, the details of the entire messy ordeal were spilling out of my mouth. To her credit, Mom listened patiently without interrupting once, even though I could see the look of consternation on her face growing stronger with every turn, as I told her how I had continued learning magic on my own, how Dad had tried to take that away from me and so I had no choice but to flee, how I'd run even further to Evergreen Harbor to keep him from chasing after me, how I'd lost everything there and briefly been forced into homelessness, how I'd been taken in so kindly by the Uchiyama family, and, finally, how I'd painstakingly regained my magic after months without it and tirelessly sought out the spell for bringing her back to life.

When I finally finished, I was near tears, and for several long seconds all she could do was blink at me speechlessly. "You've been through so much, darling," she finally said, sounding completely awed. "And to know you did it all for me... I'm not sure I'll ever be able to repay you for your dedication and determination. And your father knew nothing about what you were trying to achieve?"

"I never told him because I was afraid he would think I was crazy. He already treated me like I was crazy for not being able to get over your death. It seemed so easy for him and Sabrina to move on!"

"Sometimes what looks easy from the outside isn't easy at all," she replied. "I'm sure they were both grieving in their own ways. I doubt they were trying to make you feel that way."

"Do you think he'll ever forgive me for running away?" I asked miserably.

"Of course he will," she said immediately. "He'll just be relieved to see that you're safe and sound. What I'm more concerned about is how they'll both react when they see me."

I laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I have to admit I haven't really thought that part through. I was more focused on making sure it actually worked."

"I'm proud of you, honey," Mom told me as we relocated to the living room. "I can't believe you were able to learn so much entirely on your own. I mean, I can because you were always so hard-working and determined, even as a child. But to know that you never gave up, even when it seemed impossible, shows me that your father must have continued raising you right, even in spite of your disagreements."

"Or maybe it's just because I had such an amazing role model in a mother who literally sacrificed herself to save an entire realm."

Mom smiled modestly before being overtaken by a massive yawn. "We'll have to continue this discussion in the morning. Is it strange to say I'd rather sleep down here? I think it'd feel too wrong not to have your father on the other side of the bed."

"At least we'll have all day tomorrow, er, today, I guess, to figure out how to explain everything," I muttered woozily as I made room for Mom to sprawl out on the couch. "Sabrina told me they're not coming back until Sunday."

I had been planning to trudge upstairs to my own bed once Mom nodded off, but I closed my eyes for a second, maybe two, and when I opened them again, midday sunlight was streaming through all the windows and, to my disoriented horror, the front door was creakily swinging open. "Who's there?" I shouted, springing to my feet defensively, but of course I knew in the back of my head exactly who it would be, even if they were a day earlier than anticipated.

"Rowan, is that you?" my dad asked, squinting in my direction as he stepped closer. His face filled with relief for a brief moment and then morphed into a mask of disappointment. "What on earth have you been doing this whole time? Do you have any idea how sick with worry I've been? You've missed nearly an entire year of school! What were you thinking?"

"Dad," I began uncertainly, my throat so dry I could barely squeak out the word.

But before I could continue speaking, Sabrina waltzed in behind him, and her eyes were immediately drawn to the other presence in the room. Her jaw dropped in disbelief. "Holy shit," she interrupted. "Is that... But it can't be... No, it's not possible."

"Rowan, is that you?" Mom murmured as she fumbled into an upright position on the sofa. "Why are you shouting?" Her sleep-crusted eyes went wide at the sight of the shocked faces before her. "Sabrina? Sione?" She cut her eyes toward me in confusion. "Don't tell me I slept through an entire day."

It took Dad several seconds to recover from the initial shock, but then he went straight into denial mode, unable to believe what he was seeing could possibly be real. "What's going on here?" he demanded, pivoting back to me. "Rowan, is this another one of your little spells? You come back after all these months, and of all the cruel tricks you could play on us, you-"

But Mom instantly leapt to her feet and rushed across the room to embrace him, immediately dispelling any misplaced notions that she might only be a mirage. "I promise you, honey, it's me and I'm really here," she whispered fiercely into his shoulder. "And it's all thanks to our brilliant girl. I know you two have had your differences, but every choice she's made has been in pursuit of this moment. And I don't think any of the mistakes she may have made along the way are irreparable. She's here now. We're all here together, and that's all that truly matters."

Until now, Sabrina had been hanging uncertainly by the door, as if prepared to learn this was all some terrible nightmare she needed to be ready to bolt from at a second's notice. But, finally, she made her way closer to Mom and leaned in to gawk at her in disbelief. "But you... you... you were dead!" she exclaimed, frustrated that there was no way for her to logically rationalize the situation. "How is it even possible that you're back?"

"It's a long story," Mom responded, "and there are parts of it I'm not sure even I've fully wrapped my head around yet. But let's just say for now that your sister has become an even more formidable spellcaster than I ever dreamed of. She was determined to save me, and she refused to give up until she found a way." Sabrina was still staring at her with bulging eyes and Dad had sunken onto the sofa, where he sat slack-jawed and silent. "Let's continue this discussion over lunch!" Mom suggested cheerily, deciding the best way to shake them out of their shock was to fully deny its existence. "Come on. I'm itching to get out and see the world again! I have so much to catch up on, and there's no time like the present!"

Once again, I found myself exhaustively recalling the details of everything I'd been up to since the last time I'd been home. Dad and Sabrina both were still pretty shell-shocked and only seemed to half-listen, glancing over at Mom every few seconds like they were afraid she might vanish into thin air. Luckily for me, that meant they didn't have much capacity left for making snarky comments (Sabrina) or sternly telling me how much they disapproved of my reckless actions (Dad). Of course, that didn't mean I wasn't steeling myself for the moment the magic of having Mom back wore off and I would almost definitely be grounded until the day I turned 18. Then again, maybe returning Mom to our family would be my golden ticket out of punishment. I may not have made the best choices, but at least I could say those decisions had always been in service of a good cause.

"Order anything you want, girls," Mom announced lavishly when the waitress arrived to take our order. "Don't even glance at the cost! If I've learned anything, it's that you never really know what meal might be your last."

"Now that you're back, at least we won't have to worry about one of Dad's sad little microwaved TV dinners being our last meal," Sabrina quipped, and I couldn't help snorting in amusement. I had been spoiled by Aarti's home cooking over the last several months, and Dad's bargain frozen entrees had become a distant memory.

"Oh, you poor things," Mom exclaimed, clutching at her chest in mock pity. "It's a miracle you even survived to see your teenage years. Your poor dad never could quite get the hang of cooking."

"I'm not sure it's an optimal time for joking," Dad said seriously, fixing us all with a stern expression.

"Well, it's now or never, isn't it? There's no use dwelling on the past, Sione. The universe has seen fit to give our family a second chance. I for one intend to spend however much additional time we've been gifted seeking as much joy and laughter as possible."

The deep lines in Dad's forehead softened, and, slowly, the corners of his mouth crept up into a slightly mischievous smile. "And you're sure you'd rather not spend that time with a much younger man who isn't going gray and actually knows his way around a kitchen?"

Mom laughed and rolled her eyes. "I was worried maybe you were the one who'd moved on to somebody new, and I honestly wouldn't blame you if you had. But if you're still willing to have me, there's no one I'd rather enjoy this second shot at life with than you."

It didn't take long for Dad to make it clear to Mom that he was still crazy about her, and soon enough they had abandoned their dinner so they could take turns wooing each other. After all, they had a lot of time to make up for in that department. "God, is it too soon to ask them to get a room?" Sabrina muttered under her breath. For perhaps the only time in my life, I was happy to hear her sarcasm return.

After dinner, we took a lazy walk along the riverside, soaking in the fresh air beneath the brightness of the full moon. Suddenly, Mom stopped upon a spacious expanse of grass and looked at me with a twinkle in her eye. "You know, this looks like the perfect spot for a duel."

"A magical duel?" I asked stupidly.

"What other kind of duel would I be talking about? You've spent all this time training yourself, and you just successfully cast one of the rarest, most difficult spells there is. Come on! Let's see if you can take me!"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Cassie," Dad warned. "You only just got back, and you have no idea-"

But Mom wasn't interested in listening to his protests. Without giving me so much as a 10-second warning, she took up position, charge already flowing freely from her hands like she hadn't lost a single step. I gulped and frantically scurried for the wand Fanoula had given me, my best shot at holding my ground against her.

True to its nature, I barely had to touch the wand before it issued forth a massive blast of charge that instantly threw Mom off her feet. "Oh my God, Ro! Stop! You're going to hurt her!" Sabrina shouted, but I could barely hear her over the blood rushing in my ears at the thrill of having struck her down.

But she was only down for a moment before thrusting herself back into an upright position and putting up an invisible shield against my second attack. "I can't watch this," Dad said miserably and turned to face the opposite direction.

It didn't take her long to get the upper hand again. After all, though I'd grown powerful over the last few months, I'd been operating solo the entire time, having never gotten a chance to go head to head with another spellcaster. I was sorely lacking in technique, and after my first lucky strike, it showed. I was done for, but instead of letting me off easy, Mom bested me with a flourish, leaving me flat on my back on the cold, hard ground.

Almost instantly, though, she was rushing over to grab my hand and hoist me back to my feet. Her face was flushed and glistening. "I guess I got a little caught up in the rush of casting again," she admitted sheepishly. "Are you okay, darling?"

"I'm fine," I responded breathlessly, wiping blades of grass and clumps of dirt from my pants. The throbbing in my muscles already told me I'd likely wake up with a nasty bruise or two the next morning, but I didn't mind. It was thrilling just to be performing magic alongside my mom, even if she had totally kicked my ass. "I guess I've still got a few things left to learn, huh?"

"Well, if you're willing to learn from a spellcaster with a bit of rust to rattle off her wand, so to speak, I think I've still got a few things left to teach you." We grinned at each other excitedly.

Upon arriving home, we couldn't help naturally lingering near Mom's tombstone, which we stood and stared at in silence together for several seconds. It had always filled me with dread to pass by before, but now it didn't scare me. It was just a hunk of meaningless rock, a gaudy decoration and little else. "We should probably get rid of this thing," I said. "Won't it feel spooky to look out the window and see your own grave?"

"Maybe," she replied thoughtfully. "But it's also a reminder of everything you did for me and of how lucky I am to be standing here and having this conversation with you now. If I ever for one second forget to be grateful or stop living every moment to its fullest, all I'll have to do is glance at it and I'll remember." She slung her arm across my shoulders, and we remained there without speaking a bit longer. "So," she finally said, startling me out of my reverie, "now that you've achieved the impossible, what on earth are you going to do next?"

I blinked, hardly prepared to answer such an existentially fraught question. All I could do was laugh at the total blank I was drawing in my mind. "I have absolutely no idea," I exclaimed, thinking at this point that I could hardly return to being a typical high school student. All I knew was that I wanted to have fun, to collect new experiences, discover new interests, explore new places. I simply wanted to live without the presence of death lurking around every corner. "But I can't wait to find out."