Chapter 113 - My Lollipop

"Angie," cooed Corrie, "you're my friend, right? Unlike everyone else in this house that doesn't know I exist."

"Angie get down! I want to play with Daddy!" whined the little girl.

"Are you kidding me you little brat! You too! Well, I will give you something to whine about!"

Corrie sat her down on the floor and took her lollipop away from her.

"There! NOW, you can go find your Daddy. Hah!"

Joy walked in to mix some smoothies while Corrie was gloating over stealing the lollipop from Angie.

"Corrie! Did you just take that away from her? Please tell me you didn't!" exclaimed Joy.

"I want my wowwipop! Cooowiiee! Mine! Waaaa!" screamed Angie.

"Give it back to her. Why on earth would you do that to a baby?" demanded Joy.

"Hmph. She doesn't need it," said Corrie.

"Why are you being so mean and annoying?" yelled Joy.

"Just because all of you have boyfriends, you think you are special. Well you AREN'T! I am! Daddy and I have special powers..."

"You are insane. I can't believe you are my sister. Always complaining and acting like YOU are better than everyone else!"

"Wahhhh, Coowiee, Mine!!!!" Angie continued to scream.

Delia and Cordell heard the commotion from the other room and came over to see what was going on.

"You two are arguing while Angelica is sitting here screaming! What has gotten into you two?" asked Cordell angrily, "Look at her!"
Corrie cringed. She didn't like when her father was angry with her and Joy was incensed because none of this was her fault.

"Corrie stole her candy and teased her about it! I told her to give it back," yelled Joy.

"She was making a mess," shot back Corrie.

"Is it true? Corrie, you took her candy from her just to make her cry?" asked Cordell.

When Corrie didn't say anything, Delia picked up Angie and said, come on Joy. I think they need to talk.

Corrie said, "Right, everyone takes her side!"





"I want an explanation and now. No more lies. Do you understand young lady?" yelled Cordell.

"I just wanted to play with her. Even Angie wants someone else. Everyone acts like I don't exist. They just talk about boys and kissing and stuff and act like I am not even around. Even YOU! I thought we were special. And it isn't anything. I don't even know why I can't tell anyone," complained Corrie.

Cordell thought about what she had just said before answering her rampage. Teenage hormones kicking in big time! I can see how she must feel. The twins are so close to each other and she probably does feel left out. I have been so wrapped up in Jewel's affairs I haven't paid her much attention and Delia has been busy with Angie and Stone.

"Corrie, I get that you feel left out and I am sorry about that. But YOU have to take responsibility for your actions. You cannot blame others. Jewel has moved out and the Twins will be graduating next year. Then you will be my oldest and I will depend on you."

"Whatever Daddy. They all hate me. That won't change."

"Have you been anything but annoying to them?"

"No. I just wanted them to help me with my makeup."

"Huh? This is about makeup?"

"Uh No. They ignore me and treat me like a little kid."

"Okay, I will have a talk with them."

"Like it will help."

"Corrie, I was going to talk to you about some other, very important things, but until I see a change in attitude its going to have to wait. I want you to apologize to Joy. Understood?"

"Do you hate me too?"

"Cordelia Shinn. Don't let me ever hear you say those words again. I won't justify that with an answer."

"Yes sir. I am sorry," said Corrie quietly knowing she had crossed some invisible line with her father.

"Now go. Apologize!"

Cordell needed a strong drink, but instead he picked up his infant son and cuddled him.

Cordell began to talk softly to his son as if he could understand, "Stone, if you had been a girl I might just have gone off the deep end. The song says 'thank heaven for little girls". Well yes, little girls, the song doesn't say teenage girls! Such a misleading song. I hope I survive them so I get to see you grow up to be a fine young man. It looks like your twin sisters have found boyfriends. Yep, I didn't miss that part of Corrie's tirade."

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Corrie timed her apology to Joy so her father would see her. She hated that he was upset with her. She loved him and he was really, really mad at her. "Joy, I'm sorry Joy yelling at you and taking Angie's candy away. Please don't be mad at me anymore."

"It's okay. Forgotten. Over. Fini." said Joy.

"Thanks sis," said Corrie sweetly.

Then she wanted to find out more about the boyfriends and maybe Joy would talk to her like she did Alia and asked, "Do you and Alia have boyfriends at school?"

"Uh, No! Why do you say that?" asked Joy.

Hmm. Thought Corrie. They are hiding something. "No reason. I just assumed you would," and finished eating her hamburger in silence.

When Cordell saw Joy and Corrie having a pleasant conversation he felt like a weight had been lifted and breathed a sigh of relief. One problem down. He was going to have to make a point to have a father-daughter date with Corrie. She was likely coming into more power - the really scary one, mind control and the ability to read other occult types. He had to discuss this with Delia. She wasn't going to like it. Nor was she going to like what he found out about Donnovan.
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Cordell was putting off his conversation with Delia. This one was going to be hard. He picked up Stone for strength. He couldn't talk to her after Donnovan bolted. The way he ran, he assumed Jewel had no idea what he really was. He and Delia would have to decide whether or not to tell her.

"Hey little man. Your old man's gonna have to tell your Mommy that Jewel's boyfriend isn't what he seems to be. He already knows I am not and I am pretty sure he knows I am a Genie. Maybe one day all of my children will get to know what I am that is besides your wonderful, perfect, handsome father! Okay time for a nap."
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Cordell put his son to bed and asked Delia to meet him downstairs. The girls were at school and the two little ones were asleep. They needed to have a talk.

"Is this about Cordelia or Jewel?" asked Delia getting straight to the point.

Cordell frowned, "Man, you don't mess around. Both actually. Which one do you want first?"

Delia sighed. She knew that tone and this wasn't good. "Let's start with Corrie. It feels like the easy one for some reason based on how quiet you were after Donnovan left so abruptly."

"Let me start with the good. She did apologize to Joy and the two were sitting in there this morning eating together having a pleasant conversation. Now for the stressful - Corrie is growing up and she probably has already come into her other powers but she just doesn't know it yet."

Delia gasped, "Please don't let it be. Mind Control? Oh God. Cordell. Shouldn't we have tried to cure her. She is too irresponsible for that kind of power."


Cordell got very quiet as he tried to control his temper. "Delia. Again, I ask you, would you 'cure' me. I was born this way. I always was this way. Take away my power and you take away part of what makes me, Me."

Delia swallowed. He is right. I guess it was different for my other children. Lucas wanted to be normal, he wasn't a were until he was a teenager. Same for her girls that were born vampires. They didn't manifest until they were teenagers. Not having grown up in an environment that embraces that, they rejected it, well except for Victoria, I tricked her, but she never knew differently. Corrie has known since she was 8. It is a part of her now and will be for Angie too - unless Cordell will let us cure Angie. 

Cordell, she said quietly. "I understand it is too late for Corrie, but what of Angie? She is still a baby."

"NO! Would you have me try to make our other children into Genie's because they are not one?"

"Well, when you put it like that. Forgive me. I am just terrified. I don't know how to deal with it."

"You don't have to. I am going to take Corrie on a father-daughter date and we will talk about what her new powers are and how to control them. I will be there for her."

"You have to promise to help me know how to deal with it for Angie."

"Why do say that? I will help her through it, just as I am helping Corrie and she will at least have Corrie to lean on."

Delia got quiet again. She didn't want to voice the awful thing that was always in the back of her mind. While Cordell waited for an answer, he suddenly realized her answer and why she wouldn't say it. She was afraid something would happen to him and she would have to try to help Angie through discovering how to use her powers alone.

"Don't Delia. Stop thinking the worst."
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "But what about Jewel and Donnovan. What really happened the other night?"

"You know how I can sense other Occults? Like I could tell that Corrie and Angie were genie's but the other children were not and I knew that Troy was a witch?"

"Donnovan?"

"Yes, he is a witch and he knows I am a genie. I am sure of it. But I didn't get an 'evil' vibes from him. For all intents and purposes he is a 'good witch'."

"Thank God. Do you think he told Jewel yet. Does she know?"

"No. I am pretty sure he hasn't. But you realize why he was so strongly attracted to her. She is half witch herself but he may or may not realize that. With his training she probably could develop some latent powers and any children they might have, well would likely be a witch too."

"What are we going to do. She is going to find out from him if we don't tell her and he might tell her about you for spite. Cordell - what do we do?"

"My suggestion, pretty lady, is to tell her the truth. About everything. You, Me, Corrie, Angie and her father - not about his death, but that he was also a witch. No good can come from keeping these things secret from her any longer."

"What about the other children? Cordell, I don't think I can."

"No, the only ones that will know anything other than Jewel will be our two little genie girls and they don't need to know anything other than they are genies and so am I. It is enough. But this brings up something that we have put off since the first time I visited your "secret room" with my eyes wide open. Your mother's journals. Delia - there IS something special about you and you need to stop denying it. Read them. It's been a very long time. You and I will face it together."

"Okay, but first we must deal with the Jewel/Donnovan situation. Cordell, she loves him even if she doesn't realize it yet. I think we should talk to him first. We need to be united in this, but if she ever found out we were scheming behind her back she would hate all of us. I don't know now. Do we just tell her about our side of things and hope he tells her about himself?"

"I think we should let him tell her. He knows I know what he is and if he is man enough he will tell her himself, if for no other reason than to beat me to the punch. He will want to be the one to tell her, just like we want to tell her our story."

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