Facing consequences

Somewhat-normal-Jeff and I returned to my bedroom. Leon was mind blown the entire time. He usually didn’t witness us messing with our magic, we just did it and told him how it went, when he asked. Before he closed my door, he made me reassure him that Jeff wasn’t just faking it so he could cut my jugular while I was sleeping.

In the darkness of my room, Jeff slept between my legs, his head on top of a pillow on my lap while I sat leaning against the headboard. I kept massaging his hair for him to fall asleep faster so he could have some peace after all this. I still refused to use my powers on him, even for a simple thing like making him go to sleep. His beta tattoo marked on the forearm made me remember Carl and, once more, the guilty feeling rushed back into me. I was sure the cops would find him soon and contact his mother. Oh my God! His mother! She would call me or Jeff any second, at that point.

The first time we all three visited her at the tiny Middleburg, Carl was shaking nervously walking to her front door. But when she saw us at her doorstep, she welcomed us in, no questions asked, a smile on her face and served us some homemade apple cookies. Before Carl opened his mouth at the table, she said she already knew he preferred the boys. She just wanted to know which one of us was his special friend, in her words. When Carl didn’t say anything and lowered his head, Jeff and I reached his hands under the glassy table. Her surprised expression gave away that she understood we were all together.

I couldn’t help but feel a complete bag of scum. I left her dead son alone in a cold lab like a squashed cockroach.

I cleaned up the tear falling from my left eye and searched for my phone on the nightstand. It was difficult to reach out without shaking Jeff’s head so I summoned it into my hand. It was around 5 a.m., so she would be happily waking up soon to take care of the land. She had to hear it from me first. I owned her at least that much.

“Michael?” The phone just rang a bunch of times before I heard her sleepy voice. “Hello, my dear. I called Carl last night, but he didn’t pick up. He said he was going to be here yesterday.”

Her sweet accent was iconic over the phone. Just the way I remembered her.

“Michael, sweetie?! Is everything alright with him?” She asked again.

“Mrs. Greene, I’m sorry to inform you that Carl—” The fake strong voice I was trying to use crackled and the next words were blurted out in the middle of my tears, almost ultrasonic. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Greene. He has passed away.”

“Michael, sweetie?! Don’t trick me, Michael.” She paused. “Michael, my dear?! You’re not saying my only child is dead. My beautiful sunshine isn’t dead, Michael. Don’t you dare say it!”

“Mrs. Greene, I—” I interrupted myself with a hiccup.

“Michael?! What happened to him, Michael?” I could barely understand the words in the middle of her crying.

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Greene! I— I just needed to inform you beforehand. He was everything to me, Mrs. Greene, and I owed you at least one call. I’m so sorry.” I shut down the call.

I couldn’t stand the thought of such a wonderful mother losing the man of her life. Her own son. No parent should bear the loss of their child.

I tossed my phone on my right and closed my eyes, drying my tears.