Chapter 51 - 55
Avara POV
"I don’t want to do this."
Kelsey dumps herself on the edge of my bed. "You don’t have a choice. You’ve been AWOL long enough. And now you can’t hide with all this frenzy with your father’s nomination. He’s a forerunner and adored by the public—he’s going to win that ballot. So you need to get back into fighting shape."
I shake my head obstinately, pulling the blanket to my face.
"I’m already running you a bubbly bath with Epsom salt—you’re going to love it," she says gently.
I stare back at her blankly.
Kelsey’s face switches from compassion to conflict as the soft look hardens into an expression of annoyance. She stands up and latches onto my blanket before she gives it a ferocious tug. I cling to it until I slide off the edge, tumbling to the ground with a muffled thud. Kelsey rips the blanket out from under me. She takes a hold of my arm and yanks me up to my feet with great effort, pulling me towards the door as I hurl my weight back to make myself even heavier.
"Avara!"
"Kelsey!"
"Are you five?" she snaps back. "Go and get ready. The interview is like in two hours."
"Maybe I just don’t care!" A surge of white-hot anger, so searing it’s like a cold burn. "There will always be another interview, another speech, another ploy—another sacrifice. And for what?"
Kelsey raises her arms, and it drops back to her sides with a dramatic slap. "For your family," she answers simply. "You sacrificed years and your dreams for your family. For your father—that’s what family does. Don’t let anything, all the hard work and dedication you poured into this family, undermine why you did it. Love. With all your father’s faults, you love him. That’s what’s hurting you. And you won’t stop cause he’s still your dad."