attempts like “warp zone” or “opening a portal” led her to sites about Super Mario, World of Warcraft, or lists of sci-fi/fantasy tropes. She found some unhelpful information about spiritual portals on a few astrology sites, and came to the conclusion that far too many charities used the phrase “opening doors” as their slogan.
The only remotely helpful thing she managed to dig up was an article on “Real-Life People with Mutant Superpowers.” The article described the superhuman abilities of several people: a baby boy with bulging muscles, a woman who could not feel pain, a blind man who used echolocation, and a man who could eat and digest almost anything, including an entire airplane. As fascinating as all this was, the only thing Cedar took away from it was the possibility that Eden’s “superpower” had something to do with genetics, a thought that had already occurred to her. Her best friend, Jane, had dragged her to the X-Men movies, after all. But if genetics were the cause, Cedar was pretty sure Eden’s ability didn’t come from her side of the family.
She leaned her head against the back of the sofa and closed her eyes. This was getting her nowhere. She needed help; she had to talk to someone. She picked up the phone and called her mother.
“Did I wake you?” Cedar asked when Maeve picked up.
“Of course not. What’s wrong?” Maeve asked.
Maybe I’m just calling to chat, Cedar thought, but didn’t say. She never called just to chat.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Cedar lied. “It’s just that Eden has been asking me a lot of questions lately…about Finn.”
There was silence at the end of the phone, and Cedar’s stomach squirmed. Maeve’s voice was terse when she answered, “I see. And what have you been telling her?”
“Nothing,” Cedar said. “Only that she looks like him, and that I don’t know where he is.”
“She doesn’t need to know that she looks like him. She doesn’t need to know anything about him at all. You’ll only make it worse for her if you feed her little tidbits. She’ll start to imagine him in her mind; she’ll be looking for a grown man who looks like her. You’re only setting her up for more pain.”
“I’m not trying to make it worse for her. I just thought it would be better if I answered some of her questions, that’s all.”
“Well, it’s not better. What would be better is if the two of you forgot that he ever existed. Don’t you remember what he put you through? You couldn’t function for months. I had to practically peel you off the floor with a spatula. Don’t go raising her hopes that she’ll find him someday. I told you from the very beginning he was nothing but trouble. You chose not to listen, but for pity’s sake, tell me you learned from your mistake and aren’t going to subject your daughter to the same lesson.”
There was another pause, this time on Cedar’s end. Then she said, “You hated Finn before he even left me. I really don’t think you’re the most objective person—”
“Of course I’m not objective!” Maeve interrupted. “This is my only grandchild we’re talking about! Maybe you need to be a little less objective. Try spending more time with her.”
“Mum, how many times do we have to have this conversation? I want to spend more time with her, but I’m only human. I can’t earn enough to pay the bills and be a stay-at-home mom. I think your expectations are a little too high sometimes.”
“Or maybe yours are too low,” Maeve sniffed. “Anyway, let’s not quarrel, dear. I need to get to bed, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
Cedar wasn’t sure what made her say it, but she blurted out, “Actually, that’s why I was calling. Eden’s running a fever, so I’m taking the day off tomorrow to stay home with her. You don’t need to come.”
There was a beat of silence, then a surprised “Oh” from Maeve. Cedar felt a bizarre sense of satisfaction. “Well, that’s good of you, dear,” Maeve said. “But are you sure? I really don’t mind taking care of Eden when she’s sick.”
“You just said you thought I should spend more time with her. Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” Cedar said. “I’ll let you know how she’s doing tomorrow and whether or not I’ll take the next day off too.”
Cedar hung up the phone and went back to staring at her computer screen. Why had she said that? She couldn’t take tomorrow off;