If there's anything I am, it's stubborn. Louis knows this, all my friends know it, and most importantly there's one person who knew this from the many times he held me as a baby in his arms to get me to drink from my bottle when I would stay up at night and cry.

Dad used to always joke my stubbornness came from Mom, but he had many times expressed his gratitude when he realized I hadn't inherited her temper. Maybe that would change today.

Louis had to help me get out of bed and head downstairs for breakfast again, still not saying anything when a bowl of cereal was placed in front of me with the colorful pills. I sighed as I thought about how much things had gone downhill since Louis tried to heal me.

For some unknown reason I was still sick, Louis wasn't talking to me as much, and Dad was acting strange as well. This was certainly not how I expecting things to go in the days after I was supposed to be healed.

Louis may not have known, but all this ridiculous punishment was causing a fire in my chest that was aching to be released and burn everything in its wake. I was silently harboring a wildfire inside of myself, and in minutes I would unleash its fury.

Dad had come out of his bedroom in his pajama pants and a t-shirt, apparently not heading to work today. He had strolled into the living room and turned the television on to a news channel, setting the remote on the coffee table before coming into the kitchen. Dad's shoulder roughly collided with Louis' as he pushed past him to make himself a cup of coffee, only making the burning inferno grow inside of me. He had no right to treat Louis like this.

"How are you feeling, Mira?" He asked as he opened the fridge for some half-and-half for his coffee.

"Fine." I gritted out, my spoon aimlessly swirling about in my now soggy Frosted Flakes. I released the spoon and clenched my hands into fists as Dad uttered a harsh order for Louis to move out of his way. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw the container of half-and-half start to shake.

"Good." Dad had muttered before he sat in front of the TV, eyes intently focused on the story about elevated crime levels in the Seattle area.

The flames still grew hotter and stronger, and I had to bite my lip as I noticed some picture frames on the kitchen counter begin to quake as well. I knew Louis had seen too, since I felt his hands on my shoulders trying to calm me. He didn't dare to speak in fear of what my father would do, but I felt his hands squeeze my shoulders as a message to me.

Calm down.

I didn't want to. If Louis wouldn't stand up to my father, then I would.

I tested my limbs to see if they would hold my weight, a huff escaping me when I felt my shaky legs almost collapse under me. Louis had frantically pulled me back into my chair, his head shaking no to me. I rolled my eyes. If I couldn't go over to Dad, just talking from where I was was the next best thing.

So with a deep breath, I let the flames loose to burn.

"Since when has my boyfriend become my nurse?" I asked, Dad's back still facing me as he still watched the news. I couldn't see his reaction, and it disappointed me.

"Since when has my daughter known her boyfriend had powers?" He responded, making my anger only grow.

"Since when has my father kept his own powers hidden from me?" I spat back, Louis starting to look very uncomfortable. I had never argued with my dad like this before, usually one of us would just give the other the silent treatment like immature teenage couples.

Dad never answered my question, preferring the silence. I opened my mouth to say something else, but my father turned around, spotting the shaking picture frames and sighing.

"I could ask you the same thing." He frowned before turning back around, eyes back to the couch. I sat frozen in my chair, how did he know? That was the first time he had ever seen me use my powers...

"Mira Riley Lane, born the 5th of March, 1995 at 3:43 in the morning. Weighed 5 pounds and 6 ounces. Possible talents: telekinesis, healing, memory keeper, invisibility and p-...and that's it. Exactly what was on your birth certificate when you were born in Lux." Dad said like he had recited it, stuttering a bit at the end. I watched as he got up from the couch and walked back to the kitchen, standing before my wide-eyed self. His arms crossed over his chest like he was trying to scold me, but his eyes were sad and detached.

"Who do you think you inherited memory keeping from? Your mother could hardly remember to take her daily prenatal pills when she was pregnant with you, much less when our anniversary was. She relied on me for all that."

My eyes were still wide and my mouth parted as I listened.

"You smiled at me for the first time when you were two months old. You laughed at me when I made funny faces at four months. You said 'Dada' at eight months old. I remember every important moment of your life that made me so proud to be your father." Dad softly spoke as he went to the pantry. He grabbed a box of cereal from the top shelf, setting it on the counter gently as his hands tightly gripped the counter top.

"I had hoped your first talent would be on that list as well." Dad mumbled, and I felt my heart almost shatter into two from guilt. But that still didn't make everything okay.

"I kept my talents from you because I had to keep you safe. You won't understand yet, but I had to." Dad said, my head shaking.

"You're right. I don't understand. Why would you keep these amazing things from me?" I asked, Dad unable to look at me. His grip on the table top strengthened.

"I just had to. It's what your mother wanted." He answered simply.

"But why? You could've healed me a long time ago!" I accused him, watching as my father's eyes shut in pain.

"I had to keep you sick for reasons you don't understand."

"Well I'm tired of being sick. You could've healed me, but you didn't, and now when someone else wants to try you punish them! Why?!" I started yelling, Louis' hand going to my shoulder to calm me down.

"He would've killed you. He did everything fine, but there was something that can't be undone by a healer, at least not yet. That thing could have killed you." Dad vaguely answered, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"What was it then?" I interrogated my poor father, who groaned as I kept pestering him with questions.

"I can't tell you. It's complicated, you wouldn't understand."

"I'm tired of that!" I suddenly snapped, yelling at Dad. My anger caused the kitchen light above the table to suddenly shatter, Louis being quick to cover my body with his so I wouldn't be cut from the broken pieces. My anger had turned to sad sobs, tears beginning to pool in my eyes.

"I'm tired of hearing I wouldn't understand everything. I'm tired of it because I do, I do understand. I understand Lux and talents and spirits and the Nox."

Dad suddenly stiffened when I mentioned the Nox, but I took no notice.

"I'm tired of you lying to me and keeping secrets that involve my life because I can't move on with my life until someone explains it all to me! Why will you not do that for me?" I started crying, the objects in the kitchen ceasing to move as I broke down into tears.

"Because I just can't. You'll understand soon." Dad repeated his monotonous phrase, and I couldn't take this anymore.

"God, why are you like this? You're the worst-" I started, but I was interrupted by Louis picking me up and taking me out of the kitchen. I tried wrestling my way out of his grip and telling him to let me go, but he only kept walking up the stairs to my room. I was laid on my bed, my body too weak to get up and storm downstairs to finish my last blow.

"Why did you do that?" I asked, Louis sitting on my bedside with a stoic look on his face.

"Listen to me." He ordered, making me sigh. "He's not my father. I don't have to agree with what he thinks, I don't have to even like him as a person. But he's your father, and I will treat him with the utmost respect because he is important to you."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Louis silenced me with a press of his finger to my lips.

"He's your father. You may argue at times, you may disagree with what he thinks, but you will always love him unconditionally. No matter what, he was the first man you loved with all your heart ever since you were a baby, and I refuse to let one sentence said in the heat of a moment ruin that. Trust me." Louis told me, the look in his eyes saying it was best to just agree and let it go. I sighed as I relaxed, my posture slouching a bit before I was pulled into warm arms.

"You'll always love him most, and I'm fine with being a sliver of your heart if it means you'll always have him to be there for you."

A/N: Dedication goes to @fondsoul for their great comments and also kind of weird profile pic of Harry.

Be sure to vote and comment! I love reading all your comments! -Maddie