Chapter 1
The Choice
Linnea was laying on her back on her trampoline in the backyard of the 2-story house she called home. She was gazing at the clear blue sky hardly being able to stand the wait before she could see her Uncle Sirius. For as long as she could remember, Uncle Sirius was her favorite relative. He always brought neat presents for her and took her on trips. Linnea noticed that she looked a little like him too. Her hair was a little lighter, but she had the same eyes, dark green and slanted. She figured that was just because he was her mom's brother.
Today they would be taking a trip to the city. Even though she lived in a suburb just outside of London she rarely got to visit it. Her dad is a preacher and didn't like the idea of going into such an "evil city". Still he never objects to wherever Uncle Sirius wanted to take her. It was kind- of odd, he almost seems afraid of Sirius, which to
Linnea seemed absolutely absurd. Sirius was so nice.
At long last, she heard the familiar sound of his motorcycle pull up in the driveway.
Linnea immediately leaped off the trampoline and bounded to the back door. She flew through the house to meet him in the front.
"Hey, how's my girl!" Sirius said jovially.
"Hi Uncle Sirius." Linnea said wrapped in his arms. Can we go now, I want to spend as much time in the city as possible.
"Yes dear just hold on I need to speak with you Mother for a few minutes, ok?"
"Alright, but hurry up." She said bouncing on her tiptoes. "Mom Uncle Sirius is here. He said he wants to talk to you!" Linnea was screaming through the front door by this time.
"Ok dear." Her mom said sounding a bit exasperated.
At this Linnea turned back to her Uncle and said, "Is this another, 'I need to be alone with your mother' times?"
Sirius laughed and said yes, so Linnea decided to go upstairs to her room and wait.
Linnea had noticed that Sirius and her mom didn't seem to get along very well. There were like 12 year old siblings "or a split up married couple," she laughed to herself
After about a half and hour Linnea was getting rather impatient, but knew better than to interrupt conversations between those two. Finally, she heard her Uncle's voice.
"Linnea could you come down here for a minute."
Linnea jumped leapt down the steps to meet her Uncle at the bottom. She smiled up at he, but he had a somber look on his face. Not at all characteristic of his usually peppy self. She followed him into the Living room where her mother was sitting stone-faced not daring to look at either of them.
"Sit down please." Sirius said. But Linnea remained where she was.
"What's going on?" She said warily looking from her mom to Sirius."
"Please," her uncle said earnestly, "I, well we," he said shooting a glance at her mother who seemed to be bound and determined not to look at any of them. "We need to tell you something we should have told you a long time ago."
Linnea simply stared at the two of them. Her mom finally met her eyes, and Linnea could tell that whatever the news was she was not going to like it. She finally took a seat in the throne chair at the opposite side of the room.
"We haven't been completely honest with you." Sirius finally said.
Her mom let out a sigh that clearly meant whatever Sirius was about to say was strictly against her better judgment.
"What do you mean, about what." Linnea said bewildered.
"Well I guess first things first. Um...your mom and I aren't brother and sister."
"What!?" Linnea said in shock.
"Actually at one time we were married."
Linnea was absolutely dumbfounded, but before she could say anything Sirius continued.
"You see we were married for six months, six wonderful months in my opinion. But, then she became pregnant with you and we sort of, well drifted apart."
Linnea's mother gave out a small snort. "Yeah right I packed up my bags and I was outta there in under an hour."
Linnea head was swimming, so many questions filled her mind, and finally she settled on one.
"But why did you leave right after finding out you were pregnant with me. Aren't babies supposed to, you know, bring families together or something."
"Well on most occasions that could be true." Sirius said softly. "But ours was a rare instance."
Her mother gave another "Humph" in the couch across from him, but he ignored her and continued.
"You see I am a wizard."
"Wait a minute, a what?" Linnea was starting to believe Sirius had lost it. But he simply pulled out what looked like a fancy polished piece of wood.
"A wizard, watch." He waved his stick and muttered something that sounded like
"achoo" and the pen sitting on the coffee table in front of her mom came zooming towards him, and he caught it with ease.
"Cool, you mean I have magic powers. How do you do it"? Linnea said excitedly looking over at Sirius.
"Now hold on just a minute. Sirius, you better her tell her the rest." Her mom said with almost a laugh in his direction. "No, don't bother, I will. You see dear it seems your dear daddy-oo over there wants to take you to London so you can go to some freak school and learn magic. A boarding school."
"Really, oh how awesome, well what are we waiting for lets go." Linnea jumped and started to head toward the door.
"Uh-uh just a minute honey. You haven't heard the rest yet." Her mom said in a singsong voice. She seemed to really enjoy watching her only daughter fidget with such excitement and anticipation.
"You see your father,"
"Who's not my real father." Linnea said pointedly.
Her mother pretended she couldn't hear.
".will never agree. Now what will he say to all his co-workers and friends at church?
That he sent his daughter off to some witchcraft school. Oh that will go over real well."
"Mom all this time you lied to me. I mean you could have at least told me that dad wasn't my dad at all. I mean at least Unc.um.Sirius acted a bit like a father.
"Hah, a father is there for you."
"Sirius is over here at least twice a week that is better than some fathers who are divorced."
"Now Linnea," Sirius finally spoke up. "your mother is right to an extent, I have been talking this over with them for years, and we decided it would be up to you. You are going to have to decide. Do you want to go with me and live your life as you were meant to, or do you stay here with the people you have lived with all your life, and continue to live a lie? | | |
The Choice
Linnea was laying on her back on her trampoline in the backyard of the 2-story house she called home. She was gazing at the clear blue sky hardly being able to stand the wait before she could see her Uncle Sirius. For as long as she could remember, Uncle Sirius was her favorite relative. He always brought neat presents for her and took her on trips. Linnea noticed that she looked a little like him too. Her hair was a little lighter, but she had the same eyes, dark green and slanted. She figured that was just because he was her mom's brother.
Today they would be taking a trip to the city. Even though she lived in a suburb just outside of London she rarely got to visit it. Her dad is a preacher and didn't like the idea of going into such an "evil city". Still he never objects to wherever Uncle Sirius wanted to take her. It was kind- of odd, he almost seems afraid of Sirius, which to
Linnea seemed absolutely absurd. Sirius was so nice.
At long last, she heard the familiar sound of his motorcycle pull up in the driveway.
Linnea immediately leaped off the trampoline and bounded to the back door. She flew through the house to meet him in the front.
"Hey, how's my girl!" Sirius said jovially.
"Hi Uncle Sirius." Linnea said wrapped in his arms. Can we go now, I want to spend as much time in the city as possible.
"Yes dear just hold on I need to speak with you Mother for a few minutes, ok?"
"Alright, but hurry up." She said bouncing on her tiptoes. "Mom Uncle Sirius is here. He said he wants to talk to you!" Linnea was screaming through the front door by this time.
"Ok dear." Her mom said sounding a bit exasperated.
At this Linnea turned back to her Uncle and said, "Is this another, 'I need to be alone with your mother' times?"
Sirius laughed and said yes, so Linnea decided to go upstairs to her room and wait.
Linnea had noticed that Sirius and her mom didn't seem to get along very well. There were like 12 year old siblings "or a split up married couple," she laughed to herself
After about a half and hour Linnea was getting rather impatient, but knew better than to interrupt conversations between those two. Finally, she heard her Uncle's voice.
"Linnea could you come down here for a minute."
Linnea jumped leapt down the steps to meet her Uncle at the bottom. She smiled up at he, but he had a somber look on his face. Not at all characteristic of his usually peppy self. She followed him into the Living room where her mother was sitting stone-faced not daring to look at either of them.
"Sit down please." Sirius said. But Linnea remained where she was.
"What's going on?" She said warily looking from her mom to Sirius."
"Please," her uncle said earnestly, "I, well we," he said shooting a glance at her mother who seemed to be bound and determined not to look at any of them. "We need to tell you something we should have told you a long time ago."
Linnea simply stared at the two of them. Her mom finally met her eyes, and Linnea could tell that whatever the news was she was not going to like it. She finally took a seat in the throne chair at the opposite side of the room.
"We haven't been completely honest with you." Sirius finally said.
Her mom let out a sigh that clearly meant whatever Sirius was about to say was strictly against her better judgment.
"What do you mean, about what." Linnea said bewildered.
"Well I guess first things first. Um...your mom and I aren't brother and sister."
"What!?" Linnea said in shock.
"Actually at one time we were married."
Linnea was absolutely dumbfounded, but before she could say anything Sirius continued.
"You see we were married for six months, six wonderful months in my opinion. But, then she became pregnant with you and we sort of, well drifted apart."
Linnea's mother gave out a small snort. "Yeah right I packed up my bags and I was outta there in under an hour."
Linnea head was swimming, so many questions filled her mind, and finally she settled on one.
"But why did you leave right after finding out you were pregnant with me. Aren't babies supposed to, you know, bring families together or something."
"Well on most occasions that could be true." Sirius said softly. "But ours was a rare instance."
Her mother gave another "Humph" in the couch across from him, but he ignored her and continued.
"You see I am a wizard."
"Wait a minute, a what?" Linnea was starting to believe Sirius had lost it. But he simply pulled out what looked like a fancy polished piece of wood.
"A wizard, watch." He waved his stick and muttered something that sounded like
"achoo" and the pen sitting on the coffee table in front of her mom came zooming towards him, and he caught it with ease.
"Cool, you mean I have magic powers. How do you do it"? Linnea said excitedly looking over at Sirius.
"Now hold on just a minute. Sirius, you better her tell her the rest." Her mom said with almost a laugh in his direction. "No, don't bother, I will. You see dear it seems your dear daddy-oo over there wants to take you to London so you can go to some freak school and learn magic. A boarding school."
"Really, oh how awesome, well what are we waiting for lets go." Linnea jumped and started to head toward the door.
"Uh-uh just a minute honey. You haven't heard the rest yet." Her mom said in a singsong voice. She seemed to really enjoy watching her only daughter fidget with such excitement and anticipation.
"You see your father,"
"Who's not my real father." Linnea said pointedly.
Her mother pretended she couldn't hear.
".will never agree. Now what will he say to all his co-workers and friends at church?
That he sent his daughter off to some witchcraft school. Oh that will go over real well."
"Mom all this time you lied to me. I mean you could have at least told me that dad wasn't my dad at all. I mean at least Unc.um.Sirius acted a bit like a father.
"Hah, a father is there for you."
"Sirius is over here at least twice a week that is better than some fathers who are divorced."
"Now Linnea," Sirius finally spoke up. "your mother is right to an extent, I have been talking this over with them for years, and we decided it would be up to you. You are going to have to decide. Do you want to go with me and live your life as you were meant to, or do you stay here with the people you have lived with all your life, and continue to live a lie? | | |