I told her everything. At first I tried to gloss over the dangerous bits, but my mom cross examined me like she was a district attorney instead of a home health nurse. When I wiggled my mostly grown back fingers and showed her the before pictures of my maimed hand I thought she'd flip, but she kept her shit together at a level I really wasn't expecting.

The truly surprising part was how she reacted to T and I's first movers advantage plan at the end.

"Is that everything? You're not leaving anything out?"

I actually stopped to think before I answered. It had been less than a day, but it felt like a billion things had happened. I couldn't think of Antin relevant though so I shrugged at her. "I think so."

"Three things then, Chris. First you're an idiot. You should have woken me up first thing this morning and told me everything. "

"Mom, I.."

"Am a child, my child. I don't care how old you are, when you have a serious problem you come to me. Even if all I can do is pray for you, I have the right to do it. I've earned it the last 18 years. "

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Okay, mom. Chill. Next time there's a world shaking apocalypse I'll check in with you first. "

"There's that smart mouth. The second thing is I think you were right to keep it hidden. " She paused then and pointed a finger at me. "From everyone else. It's regrowing the fingers that makes it dangerous. "

"What, you're thinking cancer or runaway growth or something? The runes won't do that, mom. "

"No, I'm thinking about how desperate some of those I work with really are. The government might lock you in a closet at Walter Reed cranking out runes to clear the VA wards, or more likely, grow new livers for alcoholic senators, but they'd at least pretend you had a choice about it. Offer a government pension or something. " She shook her head at me. "It's the desperate millionaire who'd hire someone to snatch me or your sister until you grew him a heart that scares me. Being the only person in the world that can do something like that, it's dangerous. "

"But I don't know I'm the only one. Maybe all kinds of people got similar powers. "

"Maybe, and that's the third thing. " Mom shook her head and leaned back in her chair as if the issue was settled. "It's too new. Maybe it's safe, but you can't go back after the info is out. You, and T, and any of your friends need to keep your heads down and your mouths shut until you can know for sure. "

"So do what now?"

"Nothing, go to school, get ready for college, and wait. Make runes if you want, but leave them in your bedroom until we see how society treats this whole trials thing."

It was good advice, I just want smart enough to follow it.