Chapter 4
1293 Words
-Nathan-
I have just come back from the forest looking for Micah but no trace. How was it possible? He always left a trace. He was the sloppiest hunter in the group, but now that he was missing. There was nothing, not a single trace or a tiny clue leading us in his direction. We even had search parties going in different directions but nothing. It was like he vanished into thin air. I had barely slept these past three days and the dark circles under my eyes showed it.
Staring out of the window towards the commotion outside. People started gathering, staring at the dark forest border, some looked as if they saw a ghost. My eyes moved toward the direction everyone was staring in. I rubbed my eyes, making sure I was seeing correctly, I even pinched myself to make sure I was not dreaming. I sprinted out of the mansion, staring toward the border, and started with slow steps increasing my speed. I eventually pushed the people away, running towards him. Dark circles outlined my eyes but the sparkle when I saw him was inevitable. Smiling from ear to ear. Wanting to grab him and hug him tight, never letting go again, but he sidestepped me.
“Micah, son...,” he stopped me from saying anything further. “I’m safe, so you can stop worrying father, I’m tired and want to rest. Furthermore, I have nothing to say,” he stated and walked straight into the mansion towards his bedroom. I was checking on him constantly to make sure he was fine, but he seemed peaceful and was fast asleep.
Confusion overtook me by his behavior towards me, which made me worry even more. He has never been this cold towards me and I have been wondering what could have happened causing this. We used to have such a close relationship. I was concerned that something bad had happened while he was gone. The fear of having him emotionally broken was eating me alive, but I knew I would have to wait for him to tell me what happened when he was ready. Pushing him will only make him more stubborn. The word 'Father' still rang in my ears, it pained me, stabbing me from the inside. He always called me 'Dad' until earlier today. It might have seemed minor to Vanessa, but it would be causing me sleepless nights. My mind kept telling me I might be overreacting but in my heart I knew I had wronged him by not standing by his side when it came to the girl. His heart was really set on keeping her as a sister. I kept playing the boardroom scene in my head, thinking of ways in which we could have treated the matter differently until sleep eventually took over.
-EIGHTEEN YEARS LATER—
-Micah-
Four o’clock in the morning, my favorite time for training, the constant feeling of being watched washed over me, causing me to shake my head slightly. Somehow I knew it was my father. I never gave him the satisfaction of calling him out or inviting him to join me. I felt content on my own. Since that day I returned, I have never used the words Dad or Nana again. To me, I was merely born into a family I do not belong to. In actual fact, at the age of eighteen, I started calling them by name. Father or Grandma was even too lenient. Especially my Vanessa. I never thought that she would be such a power-hungry person, but as the years passed she proved me wrong. Nathan, on the other hand, really tried, but I just could not seem to forgive him, which might be a problem on my side, but I got used to my routine.
Vanessa kept telling Nathan that it was a great sign of leadership due to the fact that I used their names. I truly started thinking that there was something severely wrong with her, but she also gave the impression that she was always hiding... something. So caught up in her own world, she couldn't see her own son was falling apart. She tried getting me involved in some matters with the council in order to take over, but I had no interest in leading a group of people who were all brainwashed into believing all supernatural beings were dangerous and evil.
Nathan didn't do very well. He was in good shape, but age washed over him sooner than it should, his eyes had a constant broken look on them and I knew I was the cause of it. I really tried the forgiving thing, but I struggled every year as I watched him fall into Vanessa's control, and I was most definitely not prepared to fall into her control.
They always preached to me that it was time to take over the family affairs. It wasn't that I didn't want to take over the business or the village, I merely believed that it was not time yet and that I would know when the right time was to take over. For now, I have focused on training and doing certain missions. Mostly my own missions as I struggled to fall in line with their code.
At least I had Belle to lean on. She has always been a good friend and has always been there to lean on when I needed someone to talk to. Even throughout our younger years, we just had a connection, but not in a romantic way. Vanessa tried to get us to be more involved, but we wanted no part of her scheming. Belle assisted me on my missions and I took it upon me to train her myself at an older age.
The members didn't want to train against me, saying I was too rough on the field. It saddened me seeing how training went backwards since Vanessa took Nathan off of his position as training manager. I knew he was broken due to me not being able to let go of the past, but I could guarantee her that there was no one in this village that could train members as well as he did, but due to my refusal to take over, I had no say about the matter.
Belle knew my story, and promised to train Enigmia when she was ready. We made up reasons for her to travel a lot. Sometimes I would go on missions, and she would volunteer, knowing that she would be training Enigmia instead of joining me. This was the last year she would be training Enigmia and, hopefully, it was successful, and she would be able to protect herself. I didn't plan on meeting Enigmia ever again. I was afraid I might put her in danger should I cross that line, so I kept my distance.
While training, I heard rumors among the kids about a 'Princess' visiting and rolled my eyes, knowing Vanessa had got something up her sleeve again. She kept on inviting girls, trying to get me to tie the knot, but I had different plans. Getting married was not on my list of things to do.
“Micah,” I heard Nathan from behind, my eyes rolled, what could possibly be too important to come see me personally. “Nathan,” I greeted, “Son, Vanessa requested we join her for dinner tonight…” I nodded my head while turning to proceed with training. “Thank you, Nathan, I really do not look forward to it though.” To my surprise, he burst out laughing before walking away shouting “I agree”. My brows furrowed downward, and I gave him a puzzled look as he walked away…
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