The Rise of the Rejected Mate: The Scion Book 1

Chapter 6

Gia

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Tuesday was family night, my mother insisted. Ever since we had moved back from Greenland, we would have family dinner on a Tuesday night. The only exceptions were when I was away during RAD training, and even then,  I had to call home. I once asked my mother why she chose a Tuesday. She said it was the night one was least likely to make plans, and it was always good to start a week with the people you love.  I couldn't argue with that.  

Uncle Ted wasn't exempt either, so I was sure he would be there too.  I would have to try and get him alone and then talk to him about my misgivings.  I wouldn't talk about it in my mother's company. She hadn’t taken the disappearance of my father well.  

Once a joyful and carefree person, she was now quite stoic and reserved. Dutiful. The last few years had not been kind to her. She still had grace and style, but her hazel eyes had lost their sparkle, and her hair didn’t seem to gleam as it had before. She had lost a lot of weight, and her face was lined with care.  The last thing I wanted to do was worry her even more.

She now lived in her ancestral family home.  Her parents had passed away a few years ago, and uncle Ted didn't want to live there.  The house wasn't huge but rather quaint; it had two stories, four bedrooms, the usual communal areas, and an extensive library. The backyard was large with a beautiful pergola, an array of brightly colored flowers, and a small fish pond.  We’d had many fun barbecues out there. 

I hadn't lived at home for a few years, so for the most part, she was alone. She loved the house and said that she had many good memories there. She would rather live there alone than move to some tiny apartment where she knew no one. At least she had her neighbors,  people she had grown up with who were like family to her.

I arrived in my little black Toyota and parked in the driveway. I grabbed the tulips I had gotten on the way and hurried up to the front door. I had missed her, and with all the uncertainty I had been experiencing, I knew just being around her would be a source of comfort. It didn't matter how old I got; just her presence soothed me. I knocked and walked right in. 

“Mom, where are you?” I shouted, making my way to the kitchen. Knowing her, she'd be fussing over all the food she had cooked. 

“In the kitchen,”  she replied just as I entered.  Surprisingly,  she and uncle Ted were having a glass of wine. My mom didn't drink. I swallowed my comment, not wanting to make a big deal of it. Goodness knew she deserved it. 

“Hey, Mom, Uncle Ted,” I greeted, kissing my mom and handing her the flowers.  Then I gave Uncle Ted a side hug. 

“Hi, baby girl, how are you? Thank you for the flowers,” my mom smiled, admiring them. I loved to see her smile, and flowers were one of the easiest ways to get to see it. 

“I'm okay, thanks, Mom. How are you?” I asked, returning her smile, embracing the familiarity. 

“Oh, okay. You know me, not much to complain about here,” she replied. Uncle Ted gave me a look; something was definitely going on. I'd give them some time to tell me. She scrutinized me. “You have lost some weight,” she declared, frowning in disapproval. 

“You say that every time, Mom,” I moaned. I might have lost weight, but entertaining this line of questioning would open a can of worms I didn’t want to deal with. She would take it as approval to meddle in every part of my life then. “What's for dinner?” I asked, changing the subject as quickly as I could. There was nothing like my mother's cooking, and considering how much effort I made to cook for myself, the weekly family dinner was probably my only balanced meal. Yet another reason to look forward to Tuesdays. 

“Grilled chicken with collard greens,  quinoa, and a basil pesto sauce,” she announced. A few years ago, she had decided that we needed to be healthier, and since then, family dinners had morphed into a gym enthusiast’s heaven. Thankfully, she was an exceptional cook, so it always tasted delicious regardless of how nutritious it was.  She did treat us to dessert most of the time too, which was a huge bonus.

“I can't wait. What about dessert?” I asked with a cheeky smile.

“Tiramisu,” she laughed as my grin widened.  It was my lucky day; that was my favorite dessert. Uncle Ted laughed out loud. 

“Some things never change,” he said as he ruffled my hair. 

“Uncle Ted. I'm not a little girl anymore,” I groaned. 

“I know, I know. You're a grown woman now,” he smiled.  I gave him a look that hopefully told him we needed to talk later, but he didn't acknowledge it at all. 

“Sit down, Gia. It's time to eat,” my mom commanded, and considering the smells, I was not going to disobey her. 

“So, what are we celebrating?” I asked. My mom looked confused, but uncle Ted gave me a look. “The wine? What's the occasion?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. I nearly choked on my spit when my mom blushed. What on earth was happening? 

“Nothing in particular dear,” my mother answered as she recovered. Uncle Ted stifled a laugh. My head whipped between them, but in the end, I decided to let it go.  My mother was an adult and anything making her blush could only be good. I grabbed a glass and poured myself some too.

The rest of the dinner continued uneventfully. As always, the food was incredible, and the light banter at the table was always fun. Eventually, uncle Ted got up to have his usual smoke on the back porch.  I grabbed my glass and joined him. 

He was my uncle, but he was closer to my age than that of my mother. He was a late addition to the family, so there was a  fourteen-year gap between him and my mom. Needless to say, he had always been the fun uncle.  He also helped me get into RAD, which was just amazing. 

He looked good for his age and would look at home in any nightclub setting. His light brown hair didn't have any visible grey, and his green eyes sparkled in his unlined face. He sported a short, neatly trimmed beard, and I was often the envy of girls who didn't know we were related. A favorite with the opposite s*x, he seemed to be a confirmed bachelor with no prospects of settling down any time soon. I hoped he would find someone eventually. I wanted little cousins.

“ Uncle Ted, can we talk? “ I  asked,  sitting in the chair next to him and sipping on my wine. 

“Sure hun,  What's up?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. 

“Something's bothering me,” I started. “You know my first target; he didn’t seem like a bad guy at all. There was no obvious reason for RAD to go after him. My gut feeling is that something is off. On top of that, the dreams have started again, except this time Granny gave me a message.” I paused, giving him a moment to let that sink in. His expression was confused, perplexed. 

“What was the message?” he asked. 

“She said not to kill the seer,” I answered. “At first, I thought the professor, Thomas, might have been the seer, but today I got the dossier on my next target. His name is Noah Manson, and he is a seer,” I finished. 

Uncle Ted sat back and exhaled loudly, a cloud of smoke blossoming from his lips. He looked at me. His expression was more serious than I had ever seen. 

“That’s quite something. Are you sure you’re not just skittish about your first hit? I know you aced everything at training, but taking someone’s life is a huge matter in practice. It isn’t something you can understand until you have done it yourself. Even hardened soldiers struggle with their first,” he said. 

“I understand, and yes, I am feeling those things too. But it isn’t only that. Something about these targets doesn’t make sense. I can’t explain how I know; I just do.” I felt frustrated. All I had was gut instinct, intuition, but it was so strong there was no way I could ignore it, and then there was the dream. It had started consuming my thoughts. I had to trust in it and act. I didn’t have a choice. Uncle Ted sighed.

“Okay, I trust your judgment, but I don’t want you snooping around or asking questions attracting attention to yourself. If something is going on, we don’t know who is involved. I’ll make some discreet inquiries,” he said, worry evident on his face. “What are you going to do about your next target?” he asked. 

“I don’t know. I can’t kill him, so maybe I’ll just follow and watch him for now. Maybe I’ll figure out why he’s being targeted,” I replied. I didn’t have many options and couldn’t decide until I had more information. 

“Well, keep me informed, and be careful out there,” he said, exhaling loudly. I nodded, somewhat relieved to have someone else to talk to about it. Despite my many years of training in all the killing arts, I felt out of my depth; I hadn’t been there long enough to know how things worked, and I knew, without a doubt, that every person working there was extremely dangerous in their own right. I was sorry to have unloaded all of that on him, but he and Sophia were the only ones I trusted at RAD. 

“So, what’s up with Mom?” I asked with a grin. He looked up at me and smiled warmly. 

“You are gonna have to ask her that yourself, kiddo.” His expression was smug but gave no clue as to what it was all about. 

“It’s not bad news, is it? Mom never drinks.” That was really all I needed to know. If it were a good thing, I would let her have her privacy. 

“No, it’s good,” he chuckled. My shoulders relaxed. That was one less thing to worry about. “What about you? Any new boyfriends I need to beat up?” he joked. I laughed out loud. 

“Nope, haven’t found anyone worthy,” I smiled. The truth was that I hadn’t found anyone trustworthy, and I doubted I ever would. Deep down, I knew I couldn’t truly trust anyone. If my loving father could try to kill me one day without warning, well, then anyone could. It was lonely, but I would rather be lonely than face the pain of such devastating betrayal again. I had no qualms taking my pleasure when I wanted it, but it would never go further than the physical.