She had arrived at the table by now and her eyes wandered from the chair between me and Mia to the one between Mia and her mother. She went for the last option, offset across from me.
“I’m Graham,” my dad began. “You already know Julian.” He smiled at me as if to tell me to get a grip and then moved on. “And this is my youngest, Mia.”
Mia smiled kindly at Bay, who returned it.
My little sister was such a little suck-up. I gave her a gentle kick under the table, to which she gave me a wicked glare.
“Go ahead and have some food,” Ms. Adams urged us, to which I was perhaps a little too quick to reach for the casserole spoon. It smelled delicious. Instinctively, I scooped up a large portion for myself.
“Julian, aren’t you overdoing it a little?” Mia hissed provocatively.
“No, it’s all good, Julian. I have a second one in the oven. Feel free to take as much as you want.”
Ms. Adams was obviously very hospitable. Dad had been right about that. I’m sure she knew we were very hungry, so she had made extra.
It wasn’t usual for women like her to get along with our kind. On the contrary: They usually hated us; thought we were scum.
I looked up and noticed that Bay had been watching me. Only now did I catch a glimpse of that unusual feature in her eyes that I had noticed yesterday. The right one was a clear, deep sapphire blue, while the other was more like a turquoise green. Both eyes were about the same brightness, so it was hardly noticeable.
Bay eyed me suspiciously. Then she, too, reached for the ladle and prepared a human portion.
The first to break the silence was Ms. Adams.
“Julian, you’re probably just done with school, too, right?”
“Yes,” I replied with my mouth full, earning an eye roll from Mia. I swallowed quickly and cleared my throat.
“Do you have any plans for the future?”
I hadn’t expected that question. Of course, I had plans. But they were nobody’s business. I didn’t like people talking about me and my future. But I also didn’t want to be rude, not in front of our dinner hosts.
“I start winter term at Vanderwood next week.”
Bay had choked on her food and was convulsively trying to suppress a cough, which she was unable to do.
Ms. Adams ignored her daughter’s reaction.
“What major are you taking?”
“Music major,” I answered as succinctly as I could because I already had the next portion in my mouth.
Thankfully, Ms. Adams didn’t seem to mind because she enthusiastically said, “Interesting choice. Bay will also be attending Vanderwood, by the way.”
Surprised, I grinned in her direction. From now on, we would probably run into each other more often.
“Then it makes sense that you always take her with you on Mondays and Fridays,” my father suggested enthusiastically. However, he didn’t share this enthusiasm with me or with Bay, who choked again and reached for the glass of water next to her plate.
“Dad... I don’t think that’s a...” This time it was my sister who jabbed her foot into my knee. I looked at her warningly, but she only saw that as an invitation to kick hard again.
“Then I’m sure you can always drop me off at school,” she chirped in a tone I knew all too well. Little brat.
Bay, who had been silent until now, spoke up. “No need, I can walk too.”
“That’s 10 kilometers from here,” Dad said with amusement, and Bayla’s expression filled with exasperation.
“Then you’ll drive me, Mum.”
Ms. Adams was pouring Dad some wine.
“I can try, but I have a job. And my employer expects me to show up at the lab at seven.”
Bay set the glass down on the table a little too quickly and the water spilled over. A strand that until now had been tucked behind her ear slipped down her freckle-streaked face.
“You got a new job? Why wouldn’t I know that?”
Disappointment resonated in her words.
The witch thing apparently wasn’t the only thing she didn’t know about.
“So, what is your occupation, Ms. Adams?” Mia asked with interest.
“Feel free to call me Diana,” Ms. Adams now also offered to my little sister.
Mia’s cheeks turned red in a flash.
I had to grin.
“I’m a molecular biologist.”
