Nemelatro: Dawning (Rough Draft)

Six- Michael

Watching as she tried to digest each new piece of information, it was glaringly obvious that Danielle was becoming overwhelmed. I was not surprised when she bolted from the dining room or when my eyes followed her exit.

"Oh Thomas, I am not sure I handled that the best," Vivica sighed. "It would be so much easier if Helen had not hidden everything from her. It will take years of lessons before she understands everything. The poor girl was only given a sliver of information, and now she has withdrawn. Dannie is probably questioning herself and who she is."

Thomas cleared his throat, looking to his wife. "You did the best you could, my love. I believe the girl is questioning our sanity at the moment," he laughed about to dig into his plate. When Vivica looked to Thomas in utter bewilderment, he sighed. Vivica was a remarkably intelligent woman, even if she could be a little oblivious. "Dannie has been raised by a human foster family since Helen's passing. She has no knowledge of anything supernatural, then we tell her she is a nemelatro. Most likely, she has never heard of our kind or of the things we do. The only thing she knows is what happened during the activation of her celestial chakra. I am sure that was quite a shock." Thomas gave Vivica a sympathetic look when his words registered with her. "She is from a strong nemelatro family and has white chakra. She will be fine, but she needs time to adjust."

From beside me, Abigail scoffed at her father's words. "So what if her chakra is white? She is still a munpraeda mongrel because of her father and will be weak with those types of genetics."

Vivica slammed her fork down, "Abigail, what sectarian hog wash are you spouting now?" She has been incognizant of her daughter's superiority complex, and it was refreshing to see it called out for once.

Abigail met her mother's eyes without flinching, "It is not hog wash mother. If her father had been any other supernatural race, it would add to her abilities. Instead, she is munpraeda and will only have degraded nemelatro strength. I say let her go home to her simple country life and be done with it," she sneered. Abigail may have an abundance of physical beauty, but it was overshadowed by her internal repulsiveness.

"I made Helen a promise to help her niece if she was not there to do it. I will keep my word." Vivian rubbed her face in frustration. It was a marvel really that someone like Abigail could come from such kind-hearted people. "Your prejudice and short-sighted views will be your downfall, my child."

"Whatever," Abigail dismissed. "Since our guest of honour has left," she jeered, "I am going to my room." She turned to me with a saccharine smile and grasped by bicep. "Would you care to join me, Michael? It has been ages since we spent time alone."

I could feel her rubbing fingers across my muscles, making me internally cringe. Keeping my face neutral, I flicked my attention to Abigail, "I would rather not spend time alone, to be honest." A look of disappointment travelled her over primped face, and she thankfully withdrew her hands. Turning, I addressed Vivica, "I am going to patrol the manor grounds before I retire for the night."

Nodding to Thomas, I took my leave, relieved to have some space from Abigail. Since our training in Edius, she has been overtly tactile and coy towards me, much to my displeasure. I presume the fact I was named top trainee has something to do with her interest. She has always been superficial, and lately, she is showing it in spades.

Outside, a warm breath of wind caressed my skin as the sun started to descend. Across the gentle slopes of the lawn, I made my way to the wooded perimeter of the grounds. Always drawn to the more natural area of the grounds, I felt like I could breathe again. It was a place to center myself and find calm.

Walking the forest edge, I took my time to enjoy the soft breeze rustling through the trees. Quickly, I realized it was not just the wind whispering that I heard. Without hesitation, I withdrew my knife and unsheathed it. On steady feet, I made my way deeper into the woods, following the sound of something making its way through the brush. I zeroed in on the source with little effort, enhanced senses had their perks, and silently quickened my pace.