4. Hours and Minutes

Brooke is even more determined to prove to her father that her dreams are not folly now that they have a deal.

            Brooke awoke in darkness. She rolled over and her muscles ached, her skin hurting from the toil of motion. Brooke was sore. She positioned herself to lie on her back, not moving for what seemed like too long. Brooke glanced at the clock hanging by the window. From night to the next night, she had slept. The clock revealed the time 8:35. Had she really been that exhausted?

 Staring at the ceiling, she recalled the argument she heard between Dad and Rogue. Had he really snapped at Rogue? Did he really forbid Brooke from sparring as long as she lived under his roof? She ran her hand over her face. Brooke will have to talk with Dad eventually, she figured. She wondered if he was even up or here. What was today, Friday? Mary and he usually went out today. Brooke propped herself up and rose to where she sat on her bed. She rubbed her eyes. Brooke lifted her head when someone knocked on her door. Dad peaked through the arch. He walked in holding a tray. Brooke smelled the chocolate scent of cookies, which made her stomach hum. A tall glass of milk sat beside the cookies. Her eating habits had changed since she got her confirmation letter. She didn’t skip meals of course; that was unprofessional. She ate smaller portions, especially during the mornings in which she would scurry over to Rogue’s place.

Dad set the tray on the end table, keeping just as silent. He then opened the curtains, grabbing the lace and flinging it aside. Dad gazed out into the night sky, his hands clasped behind his back. “You must’ve heard, huh?”

 “How dare you forbid Rogue from training me,” she seethed, sending a glare to the back of his head.

“How dare I?” Dad turned around and frowned. “Any normal father would have said no in the beginning, which is what I should have stuck with.”

“You are denying me of my dream,” she yelled, gripping the edges of her bed.

He sighed. “Your dream is my nightmare, Brooklyn.”

“I am a grown woman, Dad,” Brooke said between her teeth that started to grind against one another.

“Whose roof are you living under?” Brooke groaned. Why was her father being so unreasonable? This had not been that much of a problem up until now. Dad rubbed his temples. “Why can’t you be like your sisters and settle for something normal?”

A dagger nicked her heart. It was sad for him to think Brooke would claim those shallow girls as her sisters. She will never be like them or ever strive to be like them in any way. That simple concept was clear to everyone except her dad. “Because that’s not me!” Brooke’s voice rose. “I don’t want to own a salon or go and be some kind of professor, don’t you get it?” Brooke and her dad met eyes, a heated intensity between the concerned father and the passionate woman. Brooke breathed and bowed her head into her hands. A few minutes passed, and she spoke again, “I have the audition tomorrow; will you forbid me from that too?”

Dad looked at the floor. Brooke concluded he was thinking. He crossed his arms, his face in a deep scowl, a deep disapproval. “Fine, Brooklyn, but you better pass it or no more of this fighting nonsense until you are out of my house, okay?” he replied.

Brooke’s face brightened. She smiled because she had even more motivation to keep going. She gave him a cocky smirk. “You’ve got yourself a deal.” Brooke held out her hand and Dad shook it as if in some kind of business negotiation.

As Dad started to leave, Brooke began munching on the cookies. Dad looked back at her and said, “Take care of yourself, Mary and I are going out.” She had not noticed he was wearing a shiny, black tuxedo.

Brooke nodded. “Yeah, yeah,” she said dismissively, waving her hand at him.

“And also, the girls and I are going to a parade tomorrow morning; we would like you to be a part of the family.” Brooke rolled her eyes. He always tried to make her bond with those people ever since they came into their lives. It never worked.

“What’s the parade for, Dad?” she asked tiredly. She was probably going to refuse anyways, but she decided to ask.

“The royal family.” Her audition began at two in the afternoon. The parade was most likely going to be somewhere by the castle and by there was the Guardian Academy. It wouldn’t hurt to be there early.

Brooke shrugged and answered, “Sure, just remember to wake me up.” Dad chuckled.

Author's Note

Dear Reader,

Once again the same message from the previous chapter.

I chose this picture because between the hours and minutes, her dad had to think about his actions and it will be a matter of hours and minutes before Brooke will prove her dad wrong. Will she succeed?

Thanks for reading.

Sincerely JazzSoulKeke,

God bless