A repeat of my father’s Senatorial bid would be my worst academic nightmare, but I also preferred that over him being gone for several days. With university, course work, and studying taking up my time, I hardly saw him outside his usual formal events.

“I’m happy,” I affirmed, “He’s got to do it. It’s a great idea.”

She begrudgingly agrees. “Well, yeah. He’ll have an actual shot — ” Her lashes lowered. “Nevermind”

“Are you trying to convince me to stop him? Scared your mom’s backers will think she’s compromised because she helped him?”

The comment was playful, but she didn’t take it that way. “No! Well, yes. Okay whatever, Yanni.”

We let the murmurs of the riled crowd fill the silence between us.

The main event ended after my father announced he’d take questions near the white tables set aside for pamphlets and refreshers. Lily and I shuffled back into the apartment, dodging the slowly creeping presence of Gregory Houser. It took nearly four hours for the living room to empty, five minutes more for the two idiots from the media to horde the rest of the buffet and leave, and by the time me and Lily were stuck smiling tiredly at the leaving camera crew, Mr. Houser was the sole person who lingered at the doorway.

I was willing to bet anything that Houser was highly successful at taking money from Supernaturals because his shiny brown hair and chiseled face gave him the right amount of pretty privilege. Even now, as his smartly dressed physique swagged all the way to the door before stopping, he radiated trust.

“Thank you for coming,” Lily said, posture rigid in formality. I held the door open with less grace.

“How’s your mom Lilith? Is she okay with your...being involved in all this?” Houser certainly sounded harmless. He waved behind him lazily, clearly unimpressed but not saying so.

Lily and I give each other a quick glance, before she answered, “Of course, I’m helping a friend.”

I swear his stash wriggled on his lip. “Minerva also helps her friends a lot. Senator Ramirez is lucky to get so much assistance.”

Lily and I didn’t dare meet gazes again. The brown-haired sorcerer before us had a sketchy history involving many, now finished, political careers. She answered a lot more carefully the second time. “She likes to keep things unproblematic. For the sake of our constituents.”

“Noble, for a witch. Though I’d say she’d run into problems financially that way.” He said.

Lily's eyes narrowed.

I stepped in. “Sir, if you have no business with my dad, I have to ask you to leave. We’re all tired. I’m sure you understand.”

He smiled, cocked his head to eye me with disinterest, and sighed. “That’s fine. Tell your father that my services are always available.”

“Sure, Mr. Houser.”

I certainly would not.

He left just as my father came through the bug-proof netting. Lily took it as her cue to return to the living room and settle tiredly into the couch facing away from the hallway. My dad followed suit, and I sat on the armrest by his side.

“You’re staying over, Lily?” My dad inquired. He pulled on his tie and reclined in his seat.

“Nah, I should go. Mitsy’s probably causing hell for her nanny. She learned how to drag toilet water out yesterday.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Enchanting or…?”

"Oh god, I'd die if that were the case. She learned how to unlock the closet door and fetch a bucket using her hands. She’s way too young for magic.”

“Your mom evaluated her. I’m sure.” My dad rubbed his palms together, making a firm fist with them and letting them go. It looks like I wasn’t the only one who was due for a forest day.

Lily closed her eyes. I couldn’t tell if it was because she was tired or because she was thinking of her family. “Yep. As soon as she turned five. She's still a baby though.” She stood after a long, drawn-out yawn. “I think I’m gonna walk home okay. Emilio, I hope everything goes well with your trip.”

She hugged her goodbyes with us, and my dad and I stayed silent until the door closed and she grew far enough from the property for our ears to no longer pick up her footsteps.

“How much time has gone by since your last Change?” My dad stood and stretched, working the muscles in his lower back.

Uh oh.

“Er, a couple of days.” I grinned. Without looking too eager, I got off the couch and headed into the kitchen. Unfortunately, he followed.

“Yandel, how many weeks? I can smell your sweat from here."

I couldn’t, but that’s probably because my nose was preoccupied with a different smell. I opened the fridge. “Paninis?”

“Yes, leftovers. Now answer the question.”

In the kitchen, my father leaned over the small island counter. I brought the hefty paninis before him as a peace offering, one that he gladly picked up. Plenty of meat stuck out from the oven grilled buns. There wasn’t really an option to be vegan for my dad and me.

“Um, yeah. Give or take 8 weeks.”

The panini in his hand tumbled back down too dramatically in my opinion.

“Dos meses, Yandel?!” He exclaimed. Two months, indeed. I smiled in the way that I knew made my situation worse but that my nervousness automatically defaulted too.

I murmured an apology, not really keen on defending myself. It was my fault that I hadn't asked for an advance on my assignments from my professors, but Emilio didn't know that. I guessed he suspected it.

My dad shook his head and breathed in deeply.

“You know how bad it gets when you wait so long. Do you need me to start spotting you again? Is that it?”

“No, god. I’m not sixteen anymore. I’ve just been busy.”

“With your courses? I thought we planned a good schedule.”

“We did. Honestly. I kinda let my studies slip with the election.”

The keys to his car plopped onto the kitchen counter with a loud, grating, clink.

"You're driving to Haze's property. Now."

"Aw, cmon."

"I'm not even going to consider taking you and your friends on this road trip with me if you can't manage your time properly."

I paused. 

He was going to take me?