Faen's Child

Chapter 20

[Chapter 20]

The nostalgia of my home came to me as I sat in the cab, watching the familiar homes pass. I saw the many homes of the friends from school. The travelling had worn me out, but I was still looking forward to seeing them all. I wanted to go home quickly.

The cab drew up by my house, but strangely, I saw no one. Could my parents have forgotten that I was coming home today?

I dragged my bags out of the cab, paying off cab fare, holding the teddy bear in my free hand. It surely had kept beside me the entire time, and I wanted to see Raun’s face when I gave it to him. It would be priceless. Maybe I would even record it on my phone –and show it to Zane.

I skipped quickly up the front steps to my house, ringing the doorbell again and again in my excitement. I waited, but no one came to the door.

“Mum? Dad?” I called, a little confused. Mum and Dad rarely left so early in the morning for their work; they should be at home at this time.

I was suddenly reminded by the scare back at the school. Could Kenton have gotten to my family?

The taste of fear covered my tongue, but what could I do at this moment? I had to go in to check things out. I called on to my power, keeping it ready at my fingertips. I may not have been trained to fighting vampires like Kenton after that night, but I wouldn’t stand by to wait for Kenton to feed on my parents and Raun.

Cautiously, I turned the knob, not knowing what to find. Kenton-the-vampire had been willing to sacrifice his vampires just to capture me. Coming here to capture my family didn’t need any more effort than it took him to break into the school.

I desperately tried to feel out for the presence of the vampire, but I felt only three people in the living room. The mental image of my parents and Raun tied and gagged flashed through my mind, and I rushed to the room before I knew what I was doing.

“WELCOME HOME, ASHE!” The shout shocked me, and I screamed as I jumped.

The banner caught on fire due to my shock.

“Mummy! Daddy!” I cried as they jumped to me, their back towards the fire chewing away the banner on the wall that welcomed me back home.

Raun began to scream, picking himself on his little feet.

“FIRE! DADDY! MUMMY!” He screamed; running and sticking himself by my waist. I wasn’t sure if his hug was because he was afraid of the fire and was looking for protection from the fire, or that he was truly glad that I was back.

I laughed at his hug though, as my parents turned to see the banner almost chewed to blackened bits. I felt no danger from this, but time at the school had rubbed down my fear of these minor fires.

“Its okay, Mum, Dad. I’ll deal with this.” I had almost reached out for the fire with my power, before I remembered that my parents knew nothing of Faens. They weren’t Faens.

“Oh my god, how did it catch fire? Quick, Andy, go get me a bucket of water!” Mum screamed as she grabbed the scissors off the table, snipping the rope holding the banner up since it led to the curtains. Dad ran into the kitchen, my welcome home forgotten.

Since there was no way that I could use my power to snuff out the fire, I did it the normal way, bringing Raun to a safe corner of the room before I ran over, helping Mum stomp out the fire on the banner. Dad came to our rescue by dousing the entire banner in water, hearing the fire sizzle and die out.

The immediate danger was gone, and we stood there, watching each other. Mum and Dad passed confused glances to each other, unknown that I had been the one to set the banner on fire myself.