Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Latent

Frank grew, a happy child, if left in the background, while his sister Miriam shone like a star. I felt the coven begin to treat him differently as he grew, not with disdain or anger, but with sadness and great care for the most part.

Ethpeal continued to try to wake his power, but when it began to affect his temperament, I begged her to stop.

"There's nothing wrong with Frank," I told her. "But if you push him too hard, there could be."

She finally relented, and in doing so, gave up on him as much as Ivan already had. I couldn't blame her for stepping away. After the life she'd lived, the pressures she'd been under since she was born, Ethpeal's natural reaction was to focus on what she could control and nurture. And that thing was Miriam.

It didn't help the Dumont sisters became more regular visitors after Frank was born, as though their only goal in life were to make Ethpeal feel like a failure for having a latent son.