Arc One [14]
Author: Guide
Title: Untitled
Rating: G
Word Count: 585
Her cell phone rang just before her meeting with the President.
“Hi Marco,” Cassie answered. “Can you call back later? I’m about to go into a meeting-“
“Dad knows,” Marco interrupted.
Cassie stopped. An intern tried to gesture to her that the meeting would start in a few minutes, but she shook her head at her. “I’ll be a moment; I just need to talk to Marco.”
Had she been anyone else, the intern would have insisted she sit down anyway. But as an Animorph asking for time to speak with another Animorph, she just received a quick nod.
“He knows about May?” she asked, biting her lip. “How’s he taking it?”
“He’s decided to try practicing staying as still as possibly while lying on smelly hotel bed sheets. You know how many stars this place has? Two! He could have at least picked a five star and moped in style.”
“Have you talked to him yet?” Cassie asked, concerned. She’d been afraid of this, ever since Marco had told her about Nora and his sister. She knew Marco’s father was emotionally fragile.
“Talk? Cassie, Cassie, Cassie. We don’t do talk. We just sit around and wait for him to emerge from the couch.”
“Marco,” Cassie sighed. “It might help.”
“It never did before,” Marco said, his voice flat.
“Things are different now; he has your mother. He has you. And now he’ll have May - he’ll come around. He’s got a lot to live for.”
“Right, so he didn’t have anything to live for when I was eleven, did he?” Marco said bitterly.
“You know that’s not what I meant,” Cassie said, feeling just a little exasperated. “I mean he has more support now. And you don’t have to be the one to look after him alone.”
“Cassie, what he if doesn’t even want me around? What if Nora told him?”
Cassie had never agreed with Marco’s decision to let Peter think that Nora had been infested all along. His father hadn’t just loved Eva - he’d loved Nora too, and Nora had loved him back.
But sometimes she’d imagined what she would have felt, had it been her parents. Her family. She didn’t agree - no, never agree - but deep down, she wondered if she wouldn’t have done the same.
“He’s your father: he’s never going to hate you. And you won’t know what she said until you ask,” Cassie said gently. Marco was silent on the other end, and she waited patiently through the passing seconds for him to speak.
“I can’t, Cassie. I can’t,” Marco said, his voice breaking just a fraction.
The intern was back, waving madly. Being an Animorph brought many privileges - privileges that Cassie often felt ashamed to have - but even for her, that only went so far. She couldn’t be late to a meeting with the President.
“I’m sorry Marco, I have to go. I need to meet with the President.”
“Keeping the President waiting are we? Tsk tsk tsk,” Marco said, suddenly switching back to his old teasing in a blink of an eye. “And you call yourself an American.”
“Marco, it’s your fault,” Cassie sighed.
“Shh, don’t tell anyone else that. They’ll set the CIA on me, and I’m doomed if they ever find my illegal comics stash.”
“I’ll talk to you later, Marco,” Cassie said. By now, she was well used to Marco’s fooling around.
“Alright, say hi to the President for me.”
The phone beeped in her ear, and Cassie had to return to work.
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Title: Untitled
Rating: G
Word Count: 585
Her cell phone rang just before her meeting with the President.
“Hi Marco,” Cassie answered. “Can you call back later? I’m about to go into a meeting-“
“Dad knows,” Marco interrupted.
Cassie stopped. An intern tried to gesture to her that the meeting would start in a few minutes, but she shook her head at her. “I’ll be a moment; I just need to talk to Marco.”
Had she been anyone else, the intern would have insisted she sit down anyway. But as an Animorph asking for time to speak with another Animorph, she just received a quick nod.
“He knows about May?” she asked, biting her lip. “How’s he taking it?”
“He’s decided to try practicing staying as still as possibly while lying on smelly hotel bed sheets. You know how many stars this place has? Two! He could have at least picked a five star and moped in style.”
“Have you talked to him yet?” Cassie asked, concerned. She’d been afraid of this, ever since Marco had told her about Nora and his sister. She knew Marco’s father was emotionally fragile.
“Talk? Cassie, Cassie, Cassie. We don’t do talk. We just sit around and wait for him to emerge from the couch.”
“Marco,” Cassie sighed. “It might help.”
“It never did before,” Marco said, his voice flat.
“Things are different now; he has your mother. He has you. And now he’ll have May - he’ll come around. He’s got a lot to live for.”
“Right, so he didn’t have anything to live for when I was eleven, did he?” Marco said bitterly.
“You know that’s not what I meant,” Cassie said, feeling just a little exasperated. “I mean he has more support now. And you don’t have to be the one to look after him alone.”
“Cassie, what he if doesn’t even want me around? What if Nora told him?”
Cassie had never agreed with Marco’s decision to let Peter think that Nora had been infested all along. His father hadn’t just loved Eva - he’d loved Nora too, and Nora had loved him back.
But sometimes she’d imagined what she would have felt, had it been her parents. Her family. She didn’t agree - no, never agree - but deep down, she wondered if she wouldn’t have done the same.
“He’s your father: he’s never going to hate you. And you won’t know what she said until you ask,” Cassie said gently. Marco was silent on the other end, and she waited patiently through the passing seconds for him to speak.
“I can’t, Cassie. I can’t,” Marco said, his voice breaking just a fraction.
The intern was back, waving madly. Being an Animorph brought many privileges - privileges that Cassie often felt ashamed to have - but even for her, that only went so far. She couldn’t be late to a meeting with the President.
“I’m sorry Marco, I have to go. I need to meet with the President.”
“Keeping the President waiting are we? Tsk tsk tsk,” Marco said, suddenly switching back to his old teasing in a blink of an eye. “And you call yourself an American.”
“Marco, it’s your fault,” Cassie sighed.
“Shh, don’t tell anyone else that. They’ll set the CIA on me, and I’m doomed if they ever find my illegal comics stash.”
“I’ll talk to you later, Marco,” Cassie said. By now, she was well used to Marco’s fooling around.
“Alright, say hi to the President for me.”
The phone beeped in her ear, and Cassie had to return to work.
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