We were all having supper quietly in the ancient looking dinning room, hoping for someone to break the silence. When Ash invited me for supper , I hadn't expected his father to be joining us, not that I had forgotten who his father was but I thought that perhaps after the recent death of his mother, his father would choose to isolate himself for a while to mourn his beloved wife. 'silly me' I thought.
I stole a quick glance at Ash who was sitting directly opposite me. He was eating mindfully, shovelling spoons full of apple pie in his mouth. I never knew a guy who loved apple pie this maybe it was because I didn't know a lot of guys.
Rosa was feeding Meggy , who was sitting on her leg. Marge and Margaret were also eating their pies mindfully in a way that made me wondered how often they ate here. They must really be close to Rosa and her family or perhaps even related.
It was a big dinner table with twelve chairs but one of them was covered with a white linen, without being told I knew it had once been their mother's favourite spot to sit since it was one directly opposite their father's chair. I decided to steal a quick glance at elder Gaius , 'wrong move ' he was also staring at me. I nervously turned back to face my food with wide eyes, shovelling a fork full of pie in my mouth.
"Morgan, how is training ?" He asked.
he asked..... , I mean elder Gaius asked. He even called my name, my grip tighten on the fork as I tried to reply 'fine' but it was stuck in my throat because of the shock. Memories from how this man treated me on that night came rushing towards me , everything he said to me and how he had addressed my parents and I were still fresh in my brain like an oil painting.
Weird how the brain manages to think of a lot of things in just a few seconds.
" um..hmm!" Ash cleared his throat to get my attention.
" oh, sorry. Fine, training is fine. " I said in a not so convincing tone.
"Rosa thinks you are a fast learner even though my son here, Ash.... well he kinds of fears for you, he feels all of this may be too much for you to handle. What's your say?" he asked further trying to engage me in a conversation.
I popped a pea with my fork and glared at it just so I could avoid his gaze or perhaps make myself oblivious of the fact that he was staring at me.
After I didn't reply , he balled his fist real hard that it made his knuckles white, 'he really is feeling more nervous than I , good start' I thought. I continued with my Apple pie deciding not to take notice of anything that was happening, I decided long ago not to let the opinion of haters affect me and it was easier if I didn't take notice of their generosity or benevolence towards me, elder Gaius successfully made it to the top of that list on that dreadful night. Why was he even trying to have a conversation with me after he stopped Lopez from even bringing me to the coven? Did he think I was ever going to see him as a teacher or even a friend * I giggled within me at the thought of that* , well good luck to him, I just hoped he wasn't holding his breathe.
"I know we got off on the wrong foot" I raised my head to look at him boldly but lost composure after he said something I hadn't expected " I'm sorry " . Well if he thought sorry was going to change anything then he had to rethink...... My gaze met Rosa who was giving me a scolding look like she knew what I was thinking. Ash however raised his brow in question at me. Marge and Margaret didn't budge, they were both eating their pies like nothing was happening.
I winced as I was beginning to feel the tension in the air. " Its fine. Actually I would appreciate if we left that in the past" I said surprising myself because of how easy I said it even though the awkwardness was making me feel suffocated.
His eyes glittered like that of a happy child, " Okay , well now that we have that settled. How again did you say you were doing in training? "
I chuckled before shovelling the last piece of pie on my plate in my mouth. " To be honest, I suck" after swallowing I continued " Merlin just keeps 'em coming that I no longer know when its training or if I'm in real danger. The last time he had this metallic Goliath coming at me with a huge sword to match his size... "
"Hahaha....." they all roared in laughter. I glowered my eyes trying to figure out if I had said anything amiss.
" A dumdor " Ash said "it's not a Goliath but a dumdor"
" His name is dumdor " I asked.
"Its a dumdor. It isn't a living creature that should be named , however they are called dumdor" he explained further.
"Soooo, tell us Morgan. What's your special talent?" Elder Gaius asked.
" I'm yet to find that out, I guess" I said feeling quite uncertain myself.
" Whatever it is, I'm guessing its going to be something special and perhaps one we've never seen before because you are really extraordinary. Rosa told me about your telekinesis skill, Ash said that you could be an elemental like him and that you can already control three elements, that's rare, a witch being capable the skill of others"
" well, thank you " I said.
" As much as I hate to say this , Morgan. You have to return to Merlin regardless of what it was that made you left " he reminded me before staring into space like something invisible had caught his attention.
" Oh, about that! How long do I have before I return " now it was my turn to ball my fist out of nervousness until my knuckles became white.
"Tomorrow morning but don't forget to visit us from time to time" Rosa said as she beamed like a child, which was adorable.
"Well until then" Ash made a sudden movement as he stood up, making me flinch . he was walking round the table and I had no idea where he was going until he was in front of me. " How about we go for a walk, Morgan " he stressed my name like he was trying to recall. He gave me his hand which I took, sending slight tingles to my spine.
I noticed the slight awkwardness in the air as everyone must have been assuming some sort of chemistry between Ash and me. I even caught Margaret as she kicked Marge on the leg pulling her attention away from her food to Ash and me.
With my other hand, I wiped my mouth with a napkin and placed it back on the table before standing up and leaving with Ash. As soon as I stood up , he dropped my hand.
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I opened my eyes and we were at the lake. In all honesty, this wasn't what I expected. Back in the garden, when he took my hands and asked me to close my eyes, I thought he was about to give me a Rose or something similar.
I stood looking at him still feeling quite confused.
" What?" he asked
" Did we just teleport? "I asked.
" Oui!, I think we did even though it's not obvious."
I sniggered trying not to laugh too hard " no, that's not it. It's just that.... I'm feeling quite confused "
" Confused about what? "
" How is it that you are able to teleport, when you are supposed to be an Avatar ?" I asked
I watched as realization drew on his face." Oh! So that's the reason you've been staring at me like I had grown a second head "
I giggled and watched as he placed a hand into his breast pocket making me aware of his firm chest that still caught my attention even though he was wearing a turtle neck body fitted vest as usual. He brought out a wooden bracelet that looked just like that of Rosa, but this one however was more masculine than hers.
He brought it between our face but a little bit higher than me making me realize our difference in height. " This. It's called a Rasmadan chain. Dad had it made for Rosa and I when we were just kids. Rosa always wears her's, they are for teleportation and also offer some sort of protection. "
"Wow! So if that's what help Rosa in teleportation, what kind of skill does she possess?"
" Well that's something that you'll have to ask her yourself " he said before taking my hand , sending tingles once more through me. "You can tell me anything , you know" he smiled at me assuringly.
" I don't think I'm ready. As a matter of fact, I don't think I'll ever be ready. I have just too weeks and a lot to learn. I can't face Hecate like this" I complained with my voice making me feel like I was whining.
"You speak as though it were a tournament. I'm not going to let you face Hecate alone, I and my family will stand by you Morgan. What gave you the idea you had a lot to learn in two weeks? , just because a piece of your life appears in a prophecy doesn't mean you should dedicate your entire life to that prophecy. Learn what you can in two weeks and after Hecate is defeated, you can go on with your life and continue with whatever training you have left to make you stronger. Think of this as a part of an adventure."
I threw my arms around his shoulder and hugged him. At first he tensed up in shock but soon became composed and pat me gently on my back. " Thank you Ash. Just the words I needed to hear. I feel better already.
We spent the entire evening talking about random stuffs like how he first discovered his ability and we even practice controlling the temperature of water using the lake. When it was almost mid night, he decided it was time we headed back home.
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Damian's POV:
I watched Hermes as he continued with his lies which everyone of us had grown used to by now. " it's for our own good...." he said. I yawned feeling quite bored of his rantings. Tonight was the festival of the golden moon, every year a new date was picked by our shaman for us to remember the reign of Asgard, he was called the golden moon because he was the strongest of all vampire to have walked this earth.
The members of the council summoned me tonight. We were in a tent even though the rest of us were outside eating, drinking, and dancing to the song that was already beginning to sting my ear even though I used to sing to it when I was little.
It was a shame how everything had changed over the years, now everything about my own people annoyed me. They were being oppressed by selfish and evil leaders who were more than willing to sell them all for a piece of silver, yet they worshipped them and still looked up to them like they were the gods themselves. Too many injustice but they all seemed to enjoy it.
Eleven of us sat round a fire, with my uncle, Hermes standing close to the fire giving us his nefarious admonitions, telling us how important it was to follow the plan for the good of the people when deep down he only craved power and revenge against the gods for ignoring us for a very long time.
I looked to my right and found my brother , Ryan listening with rapt attention. It was a shame he had began to reason like one of them.
*Boom* a large sound caught our attention. Silence befell us as there was no more singing or sounds of any sort. We ran out of the tent to check what it was. There was jubilations among the people as they all ran to welcome a strange man whose head was covered with a hood. " The Legend has returned " yelled an old woman as she pushed her children towards him.
He was crowded , with people trying to touch him and some struggled to reach for a hug but he bent down picking the little children up for a warm embrace.
Just as he dropped a child, another hugged him from behind and pulled down his hood. Deep in my gut I felt a little mix of excitement and a huge portion of fear. I turned to the left and watched as uncle Hermes muttered in shock " He has returned. He whom is celebrated and was gone has returned . The gods never left us and now we'll face their wrath "
Who and what is uncle Hermes talking about? That man just gave me a whole new level of confusion.
Lol!, just kidding, please stay tune to find out from the next chapter. Thanks for making it this far .