Okay, I'm going to apologize for lateness… once again. Okay, I know I totally suck with updating. But my old computer broke, and I always typed in a certain font, and the font doesn't look the same on this computer! And I know that's trivial and kind of stupid, but… ugh, I hate typing in different fonts. Weirdly enough. Anyways, I apologize, and here's the next chapter.

I followed my mom back silently into the house, where Hunter and Sky were waiting patiently, Hunter's face carefully blank (I could still sense his worry, anyways) and Sky's just naturally blank. "What's going on?" asked Hunter softly, after I had seated on the floor and my mom and started pacing.

"She was being scryed," my mom answered shortly, and Sky spared me a flick of a glance. "Doesn't know who." She turned to me suddenly. "Morgan, I don't want you stepping foot out of this house."

I opened my mouth in protest, my eyes wide. "But –"

"I know it won't make much of a difference, but I'd feel much better if you didn't leave the house!"

I felt myself want to rebel, like I was so used to. I could just ignore her, and leave right now. Then again, they were all skilled magickally. I probably had no chance when it came to fighting them – they knew spells, and saran-wrap-like binding, as Hunter had said.

"Is it the man again?" I asked softly, and my mom stopped pacing to look at me with wide eyes.

"What man?" she asked nervously, wrapping her arms around herself. I felt my heart pang, but I looked away.

"The man who put the cage around me." My voice was little, soft; something new was coming from Sky, like surprise, and something even weirder coming from Hunter…. Sympathy, maybe?

I could feel my mother's gaze; had she thought that I'd forgotten? Had she thought that maybe I wouldn't even remember the man in the forest, the man who had fooled me into thinking everything was going to be fine and then, instead, turned into an angry-looking jack-o-lantern and made his hands form lines and lines of gold, a cage that pushed me down so my chest constricted, and I couldn't breathe at all….

I was beginning to realize that my breathing was becoming faster, choppier, almost as if I was hyperventilating. "You remember that?" asked Mom, and I nodded slowly, feeling the telltale prickle of tears. Oh no – I was not going to cry. Suddenly Mom was there, she had my face in her hands, even though I was taller than she was by a good couple of inches.

"Who did that to you?" Her breathing was as sharp and scratchy as mine was. "Tell me, Morgan!"

"I didn't know him!" I said, terrified, trying to pull away from my mom. Who was she? Once we had been so close, so familiar, and I'd felt like I'd known her. Now she was someone different, and I felt like I didn't even know her anymore. Like she wasn't the person I'd grown up depending on for nearly everything. "He – he seemed so nice and charming. And his hair was a dark brown, and – and – his eyes were kind of a gray and brown, kind of murky, and… how come you never asked me about this before? What's the point now? This was over ten years ago, Mom!"

The room had gone strangely silent. Mom closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Oh, no." Her voice shook as she crossed her arms over her eyes. "Oh, no, oh, no, oh no."

Hunter, who had been quiet all this time, spoke up. "Who was it?"

"Her father," murmured Mom.

"What?!" I nearly screamed. "You told me he died in a fire! I was four when that happened!"

"I know Morgan, I'm sorry!" Mom said, beginning to cry. "Ang-Angus died in the fire, he wasn't your father, but he stayed with me."

"Then who's my dad?"

More silence as Mom cried even harder.

"Tell me!" I hissed through clenched teeth.

Hunter stood up, his hands out in front of him in the universal "calm down" gesture. "Morgan, maybe you should –"

Before I knew what was happening, I flung out my hand, and a little crackle of blue fire, like I'd seen Mom throw at Hunter when he'd infiltrated our house, shot out. Hunter drew a sigil in the air, and the fire stopped suddenly. I was gazing at my hand as if I'd never seen it before. Hunter was gazing at me as if he'd never seen me before. "How'd you do that?" he breathed, and I temporarily forgot about my unnamed dad.

"I just…" I said confusedly, not really understanding either. How had I done that? I'd never done that before, ever. "Got mad and flung it out…" I demonstrated, but nothing happened.

"She's powerful," spoke Sky softly from behind Hunter, so I couldn't see her face.

"But you still haven't told me who my dad is," I said, turning to Mom. "Why won't you tell me? Don't I deserve to know? He's my dad! I know he's evil! I know he doesn't love me! I know he – !" My voice broke, and I sniffed, brushing my hand impatiently over my eyes. "I just don't care anymore! Nothing is the same, it doesn't even matter!"

There was silence as I thought of the man in the clearing and as Mom cried, still. My dad. Could I remember the details of his face? He'd had my eyes – those slashes, with the corners slightly tilted up. His hair – a dark brown, kind of like mine. But that had been years ago… he was probably older now, his hair graying slightly. Would his face still look charming and kind and… warm, caring? I remembered the connection I'd felt with him, the instant trust I'd placed with him. It had nearly cost me my life then – I'd been only four, and if my mom hadn't worried about me, hadn't loved me so much, I wouldn't have even reached five.

Another break into silence, and my mom came over and hugged me, hard. I hugged her just as hard back, giving her a watery smile. She stroked my hair softly, murmured words of nothingness into my ear before pulling away, holding my shoulders. Her eyes searched my face, and she said, "You know I love you, right? And that nothing's ever going to change that?"

"I know. I love you, too," I said softly, sniffling at her, self-consciously feeling that Hunter and Sky were watching us, and I was crying.

"Morgan," she said, breathing softly through her clenched teeth, "your father is Ciaran MacEwan."

Nothing rang inside me – no bells. I'd never even heard his name before. I didn't know him.

But Sky and Hunter knew. There was a certain recognition about them. Something new was registered in their eyes, a familiar emotion that I knew, except this time, it was different. It was fear.

Of me.

I apologize for lateness (yet again).

Thanks to JessMess and spazzysassyangel for reviewing the last chapter.

Please review!