Lorena Abernathy
December 13, 2020 1:35 PM
Home again, home again. by Lorena Abernathy
The moment Lorena stepped off the wagon and her feet met the payment, they were immediately up again, sprinting in turn toward her father, who waited for her with open arms. Grinning, she leapt directly into him, and he held her close and even spun a little. She laughed and laughed until he sat her down again. “Hi, Dad!” she beamed. “Where’s Mom?”“In the house, getting dinner ready,” he answered, and Lorena did her best to repress as grimace. “I figured you’d want to catch up a bit just you and me first, anyway. Want to go for a walk?” She knew what that meant, and despite the fulfilled expectation, she felt her heart sink, just a little. Mom didn’t want to hear about school. She could talk about people, sure, but not her classes, which was a shame, because she was so excited about them. But at least Dad was interested.
“Sure,” she said, taking his hand. They carried her bags up to the house and left them just beside the door and took off at a leisurely pace. She told him all about her classes, and how much she liked them. He asked her favorite, and while it was difficult to pick, she thought her favorite was probably Charms. It only just edged out Transfiguration, because both of those two seemed the most universal and applicable to regular, grown-up, magical life. In the end, she picked Charms because she really liked Professor Wright. He was her Head of House, so the Aladren felt some loyalty was due.
She talked about her friends, too, and how nice it was to feel like she fit in. Lorena was still a little self-conscious, but she felt pretty good among her roommates. It was nice to find girls like her: smart girls who liked learning and didn’t make fun of others for it. A new sense of belonging was developing in her, and her father said that it showed in the way she carried herself. And speaking of the way she carried herself, had she grown another six inches since September?! She hadn’t, but it was nice of him to notice her growing up, even if she wasn’t super in love with how tall she was.
Their walk came to an end all too soon, and while she was happy to come inside her house and see her mother again, she felt a heaviness in her chest with all the magic she could not explain to her. Not to mention, how was she ever supposed to go back to Mom’s cooking after the amazing food at Sonora?! She would need a brave face, but surely she could survive. And it was worth it to be home again, just for now.
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Lorena Abernathy
Home again, home again.
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