Her dads keep their marriage a secret, for the most part. Rachel isn't entirely sure why, all things considered. The way she sees it, love is something that people just have, and they can't choose who to give it to.
"That's not how it works, Berry bear." Daddy tells her, and the nickname makes her roll her eyes because she's fifteen now, practically an adult. Adult or not, it still brings a smile to her lips (which she curses, but can't bring herself to frown either). She's unlacing her tap dancing shoes from her feet, and her legs hurt, but she's long since learned to ignore the pain. She's hardly concious of it.
"Not how it works," she repeats, neatly placing the shoes on the rack in the closet. Daddy is standing on the bottom step, hand gripping the railing, a smile on his face. Swallowing, Rachel thinks about it and takes a seat on the bench. "How does it work then?"
Daddy doesn't hesitate to take the few steps towards the bench and sit down next to her. He gives her a small hug and she accepts it, smiling against the cotton material of his shirt and pulling away after a moment. After all, she's fifteen years old now, and she can't rely on parental comfort forever—that'd be unprofessional. Still, she can't help it sometimes.
He doesn't speak for a few moments, as if he's trying to collect his own thoughts. "Rachel, your father is a very important man. He's the headmaster of Eastwood Academy." Daddy stops talking there, as if that explains everything. Clenching her jaw in frustration, Rachel moves to stand, but he stops her gently with his forearm. "Not everyone out there is like us, you know. We're a little... eccentric. As a family, I mean."
And that's confusing, because up until now, Rachel hasn't ever looked at her fathers with anything but absolute admiration and love. But seeing her father look vaguely upset about something, she couldn't help but feel a little unsettled, herself. "I thought that was what made us special."
Daddy nods, giving her a small, if a little forced, smile. "We are, and that's wonderful, isn't it?" Rachel doesn't respond outwardly, but she agrees. The Berry family is a name to be proud of, which is why she's entirely confused about the secret marriage. "But some people aren't so quick to see just how lovely we are."
Rachel doesn't understand, because she's never known anything else, but she sets it aside. "Do you ever get mad at Papa? For pretending you don't exist?"
Daddy laughs, brushing some of her hair behind her ear and standing. "All the time. But I love him too much stay mad." he turns and starts up the stairs, leaving her alone on the bench.
Someday, she hopes she'll understand the why and the how, but for now, she just sort of hopes that someone will love her enough to be mad at her, but not to stay that way forever.