The air was chilly. Mandi pulled her coat closed as she turned up the heater. She was nearly finished cleansing the circle grove. It was actually becoming one of her favorite places. Dmitri sat next to her. He had been a silent companion.
The radio crackled to life next to her. “Mandi,” Agaust’s voice spoke.
“Yes?” she asked.
“A man is here for you,” he said his name is Ian.”
“I’ll be there in a moment,” she said to the radio and put it down.
“You do not seem eager,” Dmitri noted softly.
“Family,” She grimaced.
“They do not approve?”
“I’m the family failure,” she admitted as she grabbed her hat and gloves. “I don’t’ specialize in anything and don’t participate enough in the magical community. I’m just a weak little summoner.”
“You’re not a summoner child,” Dmitri told her gently. “You’re a channeller.”
This caused Mandi to pause. Channellers were a bit better than summoners. Summoners were almost required to work in the diplomat department. Channellers were something different entirely. “Still not a prize to my family.”
“Despite all you did at Christmas?”
“My brother didn’t even bother coming to see,” she answered.
“Family is not always those you are born to, but those that accept you,” he told her as she stepped to the cress of the hill. “Remember we will always be here.”
“Thank you,” she said with a kind smile. It was more than her family ever gave her. It was one of the reasons she stayed away from her family as much as possible. She was some failure that would never make them happy. It didn't matter that she pulled off cool events and studied groups as they performed magic in the circle grove.
She trudged through the snow. It was almost two feet deep in places. The sun shone and reflected upon the crystalized snow. It took almost fifteen minutes to get across the gardens and up to the main building. She paused just outside the back door to shake snow off her legs. Inside, a midsized thick man stood at the desk looking purely annoyed. His grey eyes found her the instant the bells on the back door jingled. “Hello Ian,” she said as she took her hat off.
“Amanda,” he said coolly.
She motioned for him to follow her. She pulled her gloves off and unzipped her coat as they walked down to her office. She was thankful that housekeeping had removed the cot from her office. Now it was a pleasant sized office. She motioned for him to sit as she took a seat behind her desk. She hadn’t spent too much time here lately.
“This is your office?” he asked with a note of distain.
“This is my office,” she said, a little put out. She liked her office. “You didn’t come to the event.”
“We were busy.”
“You missed something good,” she said.
“I heard it was eventful,” he pointed out. “Magic abound and dangerous.”
She rolled her eyes. Of course they’d focus on the negative. “I thought it went well. Enforcers and council heads showed. Hotel Oracle is making me offers to organize events for them.”
“Mother wants you to come home,” he said completely disregarding her words.
“Why?”
“It’s getting to be dangerous and politically heated. Many eyes are turning on this place.”
“And?” she asked. “My work has been satisfactory here and I have plans to continue that.”
“Margery can come and take over,” he pointed out.
“You know employment doesn’t work that way,” she said. “You can’t just substitute me with someone else.”
“This isn’t a business, this is a family matter.”
“No. The hotel is a business, and I assure you Margery will not fit here,” Mandi said as she rose from her seat. “I am not leaving; I have too much to do here.”
“Do not make me get father involved,” Ian warned.
She rolled her eyes and opened the door. “Why? Am I that much of a disappointment that you think I should be locked up? Go ahead, I am doing something good here, despite my magical abilities, and for once in my life I am proud of it. I’m not just going to walk out on the best thing I have because you can’t see past you perception of me being a failure.”
“Amanda,” he warned one last time as he rose. “We do this because we love you.”
“No. You do it to control me,” she stated as she held the door open for him to leave.
He raised his chin and walked out the door. She didn’t follow, even when he paused to turn her way. She closed the door and leaned against it. Why could her family never see her for what she was? It hurt so badly. Tears rose to her cheeks. Dmitri was right though, she had family here. Not just her coworkers but the shifters had all loved. Saraj in its own way was more family than her own blood.