Lady Millicent refused to eat dinner that night. She claimed it was because she did not want another meal ruined. So father and I sat there quietly.

"Did you like Lady Millicent?" I shrugged and replied vaguely,

"I suppose." My father smiled.

"Isn't she wonderful? She's so kind, so loving. I love the way smiles all the time, too." I wondered if we were talking about the same Lady Millicent. But maybe he knew something about her that I did not.

I nodded, deciding not to address where I thought he was wrong. My father was happy, and that was all that mattered to me.

I didn't think Leo would be in the gardens at this time, so I wrote him a letter. When I had started school, we still wanted to communicate, so we devised a secret location in the garden for letters. There was a hollow space in a willow tree, not far from where we usually met. That was where I would place it.

I dipped my pen in the ink and began.

Dear Leo,

I met my father's lady friend today. She is…interesting, to say the least. She rarely smiles, and often sneers. Her face is pinched, like she perpetually smells something rotten. She's no fun at all, and it seems like she hates animals. Of course, everyone apparently hates Yethids. A baby one crashed our noonday meal. It caused a little mayhem, and Allodia claims that bad things happen when they are around. I'd rather not think about that. At least it was cute. I'll try and meet you tomorrow afternoon, but I can't promise anything. Things are changing, Leo, and I'm not sure whether it's for the best.

I quickly signed the letter and folded it up. Sneaking downstairs, I crept slowly out the door, sprinting to the gardens. I would have reached the gardens sooner, but the rain slowed me down.

The rainy season is my least favorite season, and it was back then, too. It would often rain for days on end, and we would see no sunshine for weeks. At the end of the rainy season, there would be a cold week of sunshine, and then winter, the snowy season, would begin. My favorites were spring, the flower season, and summer, the sunny season.

Shivering in the cold rain, I placed the letter in our tree. Leo was sure to read it. I turned around to see the baby Yethid about twenty feet away. It whined. I started to approach it, but it backed away. Confused, I stepped closer. The Yethid stepped back further. I stepped back a step. The Yethid took a step forward. I then understood, and my hand immediately flew up to the charm Allodia had given me.

"Oh. I'm sorry, little guy, but Allodia says that I mustn't take this charm off. It wards off evil, and any harm that might come to me. I'd love to come pet you, though. But I can't take this off, and you can't come any closer. Sorry little guy," I said. The pup nodded, staying still. I smiled and started to walk away. The Yethid followed me, at a safe distance of course. I chuckled. The thing was cute.

"Well, I guess I have a little shadow following me, now," I commented. If Yethids could smile, this one smiled.

I rushed back to the house, trying to slip in, unnoticed. The instant I walked in the door, Lady Millicent appeared.

"Where were you?" she asked, staring me down. That wouldn't work on me.

"Out," I replied, hanging up my wet cloak. I had no desire to tell her about Leo, or what I enjoyed doing in my spare time. Lady Millicent frowned.

"Where?"

"Outside." I wrung out my hair, which was quickly becoming frizzy and curly. The frown deepened.

"Where outside?" she inquired.

"On the ground." Her eyes narrowed, and Lady Millicent scoffed at me. I turned around, pretending to be busy with the dishes.

"Don't get smart with me. Judging by your answer, you must have been some place you do not want me to know about," she replied. I turned back around to face Lady Millicent, standing tall.

"Well, don't get smart with me. You are not my mother, and you don't need to know where I go. If I wanted or needed to tell you, I would. My father does not even require that I tell him where I go, so why should you? You have little power over me," I retorted. Lady Millicent was clearly shocked by my reply.

My father was not the smart aleck in my life; it was Allodia. I owe much of who I am to Allodia, including my sense of humor, independence, sarcasm, and stubbornness. Often I find myself mouthing off to someone when I really ought to keep my mouth shut or say something nicer, like in this situation. I never mastered that art, even to this day. It is one of the things my husband says he loves about me.

"Well, maybe things will start to change around here, now that I'm around," she answered, sneering and walking up the steps. I followed after her, slightly annoyed.
"You're not my mother!" I replied, raising my voice. Lady Millicent smiled wickedly.

"Not yet," she said coldly. If I wasn't mistaken, there was a faint glimpse of remorse in her eyes, but in the blink of an eye, it was gone. Instead of it being comforting, her expression sent chills through my bones.