"Really?" said Julia. "You are aware that he and Oliver can read minds?"
"Oh, crap," I said for the second time, with feeling. "Crappity crappity crap. What am I going to do?"
"There's not much you can do, honey. If it's happened, it's happened."
"Right."
Another crazy development in my previously mundane life. I couldn't believe that the Rebecca from a month ago was the same person that sat here now. That Rebecca had been so prosaic, so trusting, so good. This one was very different. This one was an iron metaboliser, a vampire, for God's sake. This one had killed people. I guess maybe being pregnant wasn't such a big deal when you put it in a context like that.
My mother would probably have a fit if she knew. Or maybe she wouldn't. Who knew with her anymore. And did I really care right now? Probably not so much.
It seemed like she'd been lying to me my whole life. I was willing to bet she knew exactly what my father was. All her anxiety that had smothered our childhood had most likely been because she had known what we might become. I wasn't sure whether I should thank her or hate her for that.
And this new Rebecca had a father who was still alive. I wondered if my mother had known about that too. I wasn't sure I'd be able to forgive her if that was the case. Another big fat lie to add to all the others. I couldn't believe I'd been so eager to speak to her yesterday.
"What is it?" Julia asked, concern in her eyes. She leaned back against a marble topped counter, her arms folded across her chest.
"I was just thinking about my mother," I told her.
"Try not to judge her too harshly," she said slowly. "Parents make mistakes. Maybe she meant it for the best. Her motivation is what counts now, honey. You should speak to your father, find out what he has to say about the whole thing."
"You're right of course," I said with a grimace. "But I'm still mad at her. And I have no idea what to say to my father." I felt a kind of panic at the idea of having an actual conversation with him. I didn't even know his name. My mother had denied me that too.
"Angus!" Julia exclaimed. I looked up to see him walking towards me.
"Do you mind, Julia?" he asked. "I'd like a few minutes alone with Rebecca."
"No problem," Julia said as she winked at me. As winks go, it wasn't very surreptitious, and Angus grinned as she left.