Delphina
an excerpt

Chapter Two
Things seemed strange when she returned home. More so than usual. It happened every year, the week before Halloween. The house would get extraordinarily quiet and tense. Everyone seemed so anxious, and for a long while Delphina believed that it was just the upcoming holiday that was making her family act in this fashion. Grandpa Patrice became more secretive in the days leading up to October 31st, almost to the point of being irritable. He denied Delphina’s requests to spend time with her and did his best to keep Grandma Selly closed away in her bedroom. And whenever Delphina would catch a glimpse of her grandmother, the old woman’s face seemed paler than usual, almost possessing a leathery quality. Her mother also seemed to possess these qualities, but her changes were much more subtle, and she hid them well.

Chapter Four
“I do care, Delphina. Forgive me if I chose to respect your privacy.”

“There’s a huge difference between respecting someone’s privacy and caring about your daughter.” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Did this man really claim to be her father? He had a funny way of showing it.

“If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t have bothered to come and get you.” Pause. “Now, calmly tell me what happened.”

“I don’t know,” replied Delphina, almost ashamed at her lame response. “I was just scratching my arm, then I looked down and half of it was missing. I thought it was a rash, but now I’m not so sure…” She looked to her father for confirmation.