A few months had passed and Nora had made herself right at home in the Cosma Residence. She moved her clothes from her black bag to the coat closet next to the stairs, and Linnie's parents treated her as if she were their own; almost like the parents Nora had always wanted. Cassia was much more affectionate than Mary was, though she respected Nora desire not to be hugged or kissed. However, whenever she would bring home a passing test or an excellent progress report, Cassia would wink at her and tell her, "Good job Sport!". Not like Mary, who would scream at her whenever she was a few points shy of a perfect score.
Overall, Nora was so glad that she had completely deleted Mary's number off her phone without hesitation, no longer considering her as her mother. After all the scratches and bruises she had endured after her father's death, why should she? It was clear to Nora that she had no desire to be a mother, and Nora had wondered if she was only born because of her father. Whatever the reason, Nora felt the weight lift off her shoulders after she pressed the red delete button off her mother's contact profile.
She had contemplated doing the same to Arthur, still fighting the urge to call him and flame him for what he had done. However, she decided against it. Her stomach churned as her thumb lingered over the delete key multiple times, but all the memories and good times together kept her from executing. Despite the countless nights she replayed that day in AP Lit and cried herself to sleep, she ultimately couldn't bring herself to hate him. All she could think about was how much she wanted him back.
As the months passed on, the weather outside started to get warmer, and the tress started sprouting tiny, pink leaves on the branches. Temperatures went from nearly sub-zero to almost in the 70s over time, and Nora found herself constantly swamped with classwork and midterms to prepare her for the finals ahead. Alongside the extra classwork, prom was a week away, and Nora found herself surrounded by posters, girls getting down on their knees, and boys fawning over their girlfriends as she walked from class to class. Nora nearly passed out as she saw Willow and Arthur kissing in one of the corridors, struggling to keep herself from punching Willow square in the face.
Eventually, a few hours before prom came and Nora had simply settled for a polo shirt and jeans, while Daisy and Linnie joined her downstairs in their outfits. Nora had almost confused Daisy's dress for a nightgown, as it was made out of a lime green silk, with flowers that reminded her of her grandmother's curtains from when she was still alive. Linnie however, wore an emerald green turtleneck sweater underneath a soft, black jacket and matching pants, tucked inside a black belt and short boots that had a slight heel. Cassia fawned over his twins as she grabbed a camera out, taking numerous pictures and ordering several poses, despite the teens' awkwardness. After a little while longer, Daisy separated herself from the family as her friends picked her up in a mini-van, leaving Linnie alone with Nora.
"So..you don't have anybody for the dance?", Nora asked, judging Linnie's nervous stance, "Did your girlfriend ghost you or something?"
"Oh no…I'm not seeing anyone at the moment. Daisy um..was supposed to bring me with her. I-I guess she forgot."
"Yeah. That explains your mother yelling outside right now.", Nora snorted, hearing Cassia's annoyed gruff as she closed the door.
"Good lord, she is so grounded when she gets home. I don't know what to do with her Gonzo.", she sighed before noticing Nora and Linnie, "Nora? You're not going to prom by chance, are you?"
"Well, I had planned on it, but I was hoping on making some pit stops first."
"It wouldn't be too much trouble if Linnie comes with you, right? I really would rather him not go by himself. I really hate how their having prom at that ballroom downtown instead of the school. It's so dangerous for boys like him."
"Mom please, I-I think it'll be ok if she doesn't want me to go. Um..I still have Daisy's number."
"Young man, if she doesn't go, you don't go. That's final.", Cassia scolded, making Linnie squirm uncomfortably.
"Wait wait wait, hold up. You were perfectly fine with letting Daisy go by herself.", Nora questioned, though trying to keep her tone in check. "Why can't he go by himself?"
"Daisy knows how to protect herself. I know she'll be safe. It's not her I worry about. It's my son.", Cassia started, before turning her attention back to Linnie, softening her gaze, "Dear, I just worry about you. I don't want you getting hurt or kidnapped. Downtown isn't really the best place to be having a prom, especially this late."
"Well I guess I don't really have to go.", Linnie said softly, twiddling his fingers, though he smiled sadly, almost as if he were hoping to get out of something, "It is Saturday night though. Surely someone'll need a babysitter. I-I can just do that instead."
"Oh come on, Linnie! Quit being a pussy. You can't miss prom. It's a once in a lifetime thing.", Nora snapped, before looking back at his mother, averting her eyes from the somewhat disappointed Linnie, "If that's what you want, I'll keep an eye on him."
"Oh you're such a dear. Thank you. Now, Linnie, before you go, don't forget your pepperspray.", Cassia said, looking down at his pockets, "Grab them please."
Linnie did as he was told, scurrying up the stairs to the room, leaving Cassia alone with Nora, looking at her up and down.
"Have him home by…probably no later than 11. Gonzo and I will most likely be asleep by them, so here's the key. I would just prefer him to be home earlier just because of all the creeps out there."
"I dunno. It's really not that bad. I've been downtown before. The worst you'll have to deal with is the occasional crackhead on the streets.", Nora shrugged, "I mean, I don't mind taking Linnie, but shouldn't he be allowed to go out on his own? I mean, his sister is."
"Well, his sister is not as…well…magically disabled as he is.", Cassia said, "Linnie's been having some difficulty managing his magic and casting spells. Gonzo and I suspect he was born with a deficiency."
"Yeah. Linnie told me what happened in this babysitting class, or whatever it was called."
"Oh yeah.", Gozno said from behind, chuckling slightly, "Cassia let that teacher have it when she called the school. Poor guy."
"Not Poor guy! Do you realize our son could have been killed?", Cassia yelled as the two started bickering. Luckily for Nora, Linnie had returned with a small, green bottle hanging on one of his belt loops, and lead Nora out towards the door and into the moonlight.