“I don’t understand why you’re putting so many resources into that power plant when you could be focusing on Solas and what it needs. Why can’t you ever think, Amerie?”
“Your mother is right. Solas needs to come first, you can’t spend your time fraternizing with the enemy.”
Fraternizing with the enemy? “But Dad--”
“But Amerie,” he responded, twisting her words and making them patronizing. “How many times did we tell you that you need to focus on Solas. Dian is just draining you--Dian isn’t important.”
Amerie paused, not sure how to put her fury into words. Tamar was not draining her, and she definitely wasn’t the enemy. “I’m just--”
“Listen, I know you like her for some reason,” her mother interjected, “I can send word to her and explain nicely that you no longer can keep up the plant. She’ll understand.”
“No.” Amerie’s voice was firm, not wobbly like it had been for the beginning of the conversation.
Amerie’s mother’s eyes raised. “No?” she asked, her voice tight. She’d lost her fake air of actually caring. “Did you just say no to me?” It was as if Amerie was a small child again. But this time she wasn’t shrinking.
“Don’t you talk to your mother that way, young lady,” her father snapped.
“The power plant is mutually beneficial for both Dian and Solas,” Amerie said, picking her chin up and forcing herself to look her mother in the eye. “And they’re not the enemy. We’re allies.” Amerie had found that her parents had very skewed concepts of both terms, but she didn’t know how to break it down any further for them. She trusted Tamar, and on top of that the power plant had brought many jobs to Solas.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” her father said. “It’s like you never paid attention to your tutor. How could you train for sixteen years and believe such stupid lies?”
The disappointment in his eyes hurt, but Amerie took a breath. “Dad, it isn’t like what you’re thinking. Honestly, the power plant has brought so much revenue to Solas, and it’s strengthened the job market.” If she wanted to be honest, the worst time Solas had had under her leadership was when she was a new overloridian...and used the teachings of her tutors and parents. Ever since Aran and Tamar things had been running much more smoothly. Ever since Amerie had stopped being afraid to make her own decisions. “Have you looked at the numbers?”
“Do not talk to me like I’m a child. I won’t have my teenage daughter talking to me like I’m stupid.”
“I didn’t--”
“The decision is made.” His voice was firm, final. “Your mother will pen up a letter.”
“No she won’t,” she answered icily. Her stomach was doing the sort of fiery drop it had done when she’d stood up to Kole. “But she will be moving out. You also.”
Amerie would house them somewhere in Solas, free of charge, but they were leaving. She couldn’t stand the constant bickering and the fear that they would go behind her back and make a decision that went along with their strange view of the world instead of what Amerie knew to be right. It was time she stood on her own, it was time she left behind all the self doubt that riddled her body whenever her parents talked to her.
“You wouldn’t do that. You can’t.” His voice was incredulous, his eyes wide. A vein in his temple seemed perilously close to bursting.
“Actually, I can.”
“Your mother is right. Solas needs to come first, you can’t spend your time fraternizing with the enemy.”
Fraternizing with the enemy? “But Dad--”
“But Amerie,” he responded, twisting her words and making them patronizing. “How many times did we tell you that you need to focus on Solas. Dian is just draining you--Dian isn’t important.”
Amerie paused, not sure how to put her fury into words. Tamar was not draining her, and she definitely wasn’t the enemy. “I’m just--”
“Listen, I know you like her for some reason,” her mother interjected, “I can send word to her and explain nicely that you no longer can keep up the plant. She’ll understand.”
“No.” Amerie’s voice was firm, not wobbly like it had been for the beginning of the conversation.
Amerie’s mother’s eyes raised. “No?” she asked, her voice tight. She’d lost her fake air of actually caring. “Did you just say no to me?” It was as if Amerie was a small child again. But this time she wasn’t shrinking.
“Don’t you talk to your mother that way, young lady,” her father snapped.
“The power plant is mutually beneficial for both Dian and Solas,” Amerie said, picking her chin up and forcing herself to look her mother in the eye. “And they’re not the enemy. We’re allies.” Amerie had found that her parents had very skewed concepts of both terms, but she didn’t know how to break it down any further for them. She trusted Tamar, and on top of that the power plant had brought many jobs to Solas.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” her father said. “It’s like you never paid attention to your tutor. How could you train for sixteen years and believe such stupid lies?”
The disappointment in his eyes hurt, but Amerie took a breath. “Dad, it isn’t like what you’re thinking. Honestly, the power plant has brought so much revenue to Solas, and it’s strengthened the job market.” If she wanted to be honest, the worst time Solas had had under her leadership was when she was a new overloridian...and used the teachings of her tutors and parents. Ever since Aran and Tamar things had been running much more smoothly. Ever since Amerie had stopped being afraid to make her own decisions. “Have you looked at the numbers?”
“Do not talk to me like I’m a child. I won’t have my teenage daughter talking to me like I’m stupid.”
“I didn’t--”
“The decision is made.” His voice was firm, final. “Your mother will pen up a letter.”
“No she won’t,” she answered icily. Her stomach was doing the sort of fiery drop it had done when she’d stood up to Kole. “But she will be moving out. You also.”
Amerie would house them somewhere in Solas, free of charge, but they were leaving. She couldn’t stand the constant bickering and the fear that they would go behind her back and make a decision that went along with their strange view of the world instead of what Amerie knew to be right. It was time she stood on her own, it was time she left behind all the self doubt that riddled her body whenever her parents talked to her.
“You wouldn’t do that. You can’t.” His voice was incredulous, his eyes wide. A vein in his temple seemed perilously close to bursting.
“Actually, I can.”
