Crossing the Water

Chapter 15

Mal sighed as she looked around the room. It was clear that everyone was enjoying the break that the Blue Fairy had recommended they take. Ben had been scooped up by Chip and Lucas, the former teacup hugging Ben close to him. As if that would somehow prevent whatever happened to Ben in the future.

Gods, what did happen to Ben in the future? Mal thought, unknowingly chewing on her bottom lip in worry. I didn't think Audrey would actually hit him with the scepter but then again no one thought she would steal the crown and the scepter in the first place. Not to mention...Audrey did used to date Ben. Plus she's known him all her life. She'll know secrets of his that she could use against him.

Mal shook her head. No. It wasn't fair to think like that. Audrey hadn't done those things yet, the worst thing she'd done was steal the crown and the scepter....and honestly a good lawyer could argue that Audrey only intended to steal the crown. That the scepter was just an addition brought on by the scepter's magic calling to Audrey.

"Mal?" Hades' voice broke into her thoughts and brought Mal back to the present where she saw her father standing in front of her.

"Yes?" Mal asked.

"Can I have a word?"

Mal nodded, a little surprised but maybe she shouldn't have been. After all, he had just heard her say that she acted like he didn't exist. That more than anything would be cause for a talk. That being said...they hadn't really talked since the brief time Hades was in Auradon after he crashed Ben's coronation. And that was just Hades letting Mal know he was being sent back to the Isle.

There were no 'heart to hearts', no reconciliations. Even if the inner five year old in Mal was crying out for it to be so.

The God and Godling walked over to the randomly appearing and disappearing room that seemed to only appear during the breaks. As if the Blue Fairy knew the breaks would be used for conversations that would require a bit more privacy.

Mal sighed softly as she shut the door behind them. There seemed to be a cavernous silence between parent and child, no one knowing what to say first.

"I don't exist to you?" Hades asked softly, being the first to break the silence.

Mal shrugged. "I mean...that's how our experience has been. At least, that's how it's been ever since you had Hadie."

"It didn't have to be," Hades said. "And by the way, it hasn't been that way. Didn't you ever get the birthday gifts I sent along with your food?"

"You mean the rare cans of probably expired soda we'd get from the delivery barges?" Mal asked. "Yeah I got those."

"Not just those," Hades said softly. "I'd send a small package with Jay when he'd come to pick up the food. Honestly I'm surprised he never put two and two together."

Mal paused as the memories came flooding back to her. "Wait...the flame necklace? The tin of used charcoal pencils? The pack of spray paint cans? That was you?"

"Oh good, you did get them," Hades said with a small smile on his lips. "I was worried that Jay had passed them off to his dad to pawn them off. I'd be having words with him if that was the case."

Mal sighed. The flame necklace she had gotten for her twelfth birthday, the tin of used charcoal pencils for her thirteenth and the spray paint cans for her fourteenth. The pencils lasted maybe four months while she had stock piled the new cans of spray paint, opting to use the refilled cans with the paint she'd created in Curl Up and Dye.