SHADOWERS: 'OF THE TWELVE REALMS'

Chapter Three

I FELT MY entire body snap rigid, I could feel the strands of hair stand at the back of my neck, as though an electric shockwave coursed through my entire body, the color on my face leaving it, my features rested on the flustered nerves swirling down my spine like thin cold spiders trailing down. My gaze averted at the wrinkled straight hand concealed in a white shirt striped with teal blues. My eyes met his.

"You look like you've just seen Argus Panoptes." Albert said, with lowered deep brown eyes seated with mirth in them, his thin lips clicked upward into a tiny smile.

Instantly, I remembered the hundred eyed giant, he used to read to me during bedtime. It was way too much for a kid but I didn't want anything but spooky stories, it was one of my favorites but instantaneously also my least favourite.

He took a wide range of the knob, prompting me to let go, which I complied like a reflex, subconsciously choosing to obey in the next second, he chose to close the door now fully, and shifted himself between me and the door, he sharpened his gaze at me, Albert was old now and the glow in his once lucent eyes had deteriorated when I recollected how much of a justified man he was but I didn't once doubt his capability to get things done like a man in his prime. I stepped back, staring at his decent height of six foot four.

"You don't want to be found in there." He grimly said glancing behind to the door, I narrowed my gaze at him, squaring my jaw.

"Why?" I asked, I felt a pinch begin to develop between my thick brows.

"Mr. Westlake-your father made it to me that I made sure no one went in there. No one should go in there. This room is to be locked at all times." It sounded like an indirect warning, a frown cutting on his supple, his cheeks were deflated so they hardly moved, the aging wrinkles had dispersed on his features like glided sun rays on a blue sky.

"Why?" I asked, curiosity touching every corner of my face.

"I'm just following orders, I didn't question your father, let us not make history repeat itself." He advised now winking at me.

Right. The childhood idiotic times of trouble making. Fine, if it was with that amount of willing staid I'd opted to follow, I briefly nodded, then began to stroll away.

I found it strange of how Albert said locked at all times, and it was open, I was sure even before I got there, someone was already in there, I could hear that someone was in there. My thoughts were on the very person who forbid anyone to go in was the same person in there. I assumed Dad had been there right before he left.

What was Dad keeping there or hidding in there? That no one was to enter. . . . Now, that our house was constantly changing, it gave me more reasons to wonder why were we  back here? Dad deciding to revert or perhaps deciding on living here again making me start a life here too, that I didn't understand.

I thought of the forbidden room, Dad had still probably kept Mom's things in there. And he didn't want anyone touching anything so he forbid anyone in there was the only reasonable excuse. I wondered why I wasn't an exception. Or why the room fell silent when he heard someone coming, it was his house, why was he acting suspicious. Thinking about the room got me started but I had to put it aside and focus on bigger things. Like getting a head start of preparation on my enrollment.

Before, nine in the morning, Dad told Albert to make sure I'd come down for breakfast and have it with him. He said we'd be having our meals together for as long as he was around, with knowing Dad this wasn't anything I could just disallow, it was opposed to me to follow, of course. All this seemed more suspicious to me. Now we'd be having our meals together? From moving back to our old house in Hevellyn Hills to eating together and playing the happy father and son. What was all of this? Some fantasized plot to catch up on his somewhat questionable parenting? Sounded like bullshit to me. I thought we had passed all that, I was way passed all of it.