Another journal

You can find all the sections here.

The whole of her body balked at going to the meeting. Emily was still uncertain what she was going to say to these people. Arm around her shoulders, Janice walked Emily to a car she didn’t recognise. It made sense, her aunt’s old car wouldn’t have lasted another five years, let alone ten.

“The hatchback finally gave out. I was using your bike for a while, until I got a deal on this.” Janice proudly slapped the roof of the car. When she unlocked the driver’s side, it triggered all the other doors to unlock with a satisfying clunk. Emily slid inside, gasping a little at the interior.

“This is nice!”

Her aunt smiled while pulling open the ashtray. “Well, it’s just over ten years old, so it would have been a newer luxury vehicle when you left. It’s still luxurious, just no longer new.” She fumbled in glove box, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. Emily frowned while she lit one.

“Aunt Janice!”

Her aunt smiled sadly around the flame. “Becky is a terrible influence. But I only smoke in the car.” She hit buttons in the console to lower both front windows.

Emily snagged a cigarette from her aunt’s pack, shaking her head. The car smoothly pulled onto the road and they drove a while in silence. When she saw that they weren’t going directly back to the court, Emily relaxed, sinking more comfortably into the seat.

“I missed going on drives.”

“It is one of the wonders of the mundane world.” Janice grinned crookedly.

“Do you think you’re going to go back?” Emily watched the bright lines of the road glowing in the beginning dusk.

“Probably. The Sidhe is bigger than just that kingdom, so I never have to see any of these people again. Becky says she’s going to stay at the Institute, I might stay with her awhile, try to get my bearings again before heading off.” Janice glanced at her quiet niece and dragged hard on her cigarette. When she spoke again, her tone was apologetic. “I’ve spent far more of my life there than here.” She swallowed, hands tight on the wheel. “I don’t want to die, Emily. I wasn’t always a queen, you know. I had my own adventures before all that.”

“I understand.” Emily’s voice was distracted. “I’m mostly worried about the kids. I don’t know how much they want to go, especially with learning who their parents are.”

“You didn’t have to tell them that.”

Emily shook her head vehemently. “I did. They’re people. They’ve always been people, even when they were small. And their lives happened to ensure that I’d become the person you all would need. That’s absolutely terrible.” Emily crushed her cigarette out in a sharp jab. “They deserve to know what’s going on and to make their own decisions.”

Janice sighed. “I know.” She put out her cigarette and rolled the windows all the way down to let fresh air course through the car. “But we can’t figure any of this out until we see what’s going to happen.”

They both fell silent as Janice turned the car back to the court.

Mirrored from Journal of a Something or Other.