Somber Descendant

Chapter 3

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Chapter 3: Warming Welcome

I was frozen in place. I couldn't look away as much as I wanted to. I managed to turn to Oliver, who was just as shocked as I was. He started moving his mouth, trying to say something without making a sound. 'Your dad' was what he was saying. I turned back to the two men standing face to face inside the shed. They were quiet until one of them broke the silence.

"What do you need, Anthony?" The old man said while he took a few steps towards my dad.

"Well..." My dad said, probably stopping to think of what to say. "It's about us... about the Blacks." There was a small silence and then the old man spoke again.

"Hmm... Very well then, lets talk this over a nice, warm cup of tea. I'll tell Marie to make it right away," he said walking past my dad and out of the shed.

My dad stood at the door, looking to the outside with what looked like longing. Suddenly, he turned to where Oliver and I were hiding and grinned. We quickly dove back behind the big box. Oliver seemed almost sick. He was as white as snow.

We stayed there until we heard my dad leave and close the shed's door. I quickly got up and looked through a dusty window beside the door. I saw Old Sawyer crossing through the patch of forest between the clearing and his backyard, yelling something probably meant to Marie, whoever that was. My dad was right behind him. As soon as both entered the house, Oliver came out from behind the box, shaking the shock out of him.

"Do you think he saw us?" He asked, his voice still shaky.

"I don't know," I answered. We went quiet for a moment.

"Maybe we should get out of here," Oliver suggested looking nervous. "You know, before they come back or something."

It was reasonable, and as much as I wanted to stay and check out everything in here, something told me it was a bad idea. I took a last glimpse at the ebony desk, and turned around to open the door.

I looked around to see if anyone was watching. I signaled Oliver to run as fast as he could towards the backyard door that led to the street. I got out of the way and Oliver darted through the piece of forest and out of the backyard. I came out of the shed, ready to do the same, but before I started running, I turned around and saw the crest marked on the door again. I tried to memorize the engraving. Something told me I would have to remember it. I turned around and ran, fast and steady, until I reached the sidewalk where Oliver was waiting.

"That sure was a close one," he said smiling. His nervous expression had disappeared, but I knew the feeling hadn't.

"It sure was," I said panting.

He fake laughed as we started to walk towards the end of the street. Lucky our houses were only a block away.

~~<>~~

It ended up being a slow afternoon. After arriving at our street, Oliver and I waved goodbye and headed towards our homes. It was six o'clock when I heard Dad return from his "meeting" with Old Sawyer. That moment back in the shed flooded my memories. I repeated his words in my mind. 'It's about us... about the Blacks.' The Blacks. What was that, some kind of band or something? And why was MY dad at such a place? Unfortunately, I wouldn't be having any of those questions' answers. At least not yet.

My room was suddenly filled with a sweet scent. It came all the way from the kitchen, and I knew exactly what was happening. Mom was baking. And not just normal baking, she was baking her best strawberry pie, and that meant only one thing: there were new people in the neighborhood. I almost ran down the stairs and quickly moved into the kitchen. I saw my mom reading a magazine, waiting for her pie to be ready. She looked up at me with a smile.

"Hello sweety," she said with a soothing voice. "You came down because of the smell, didn't you?"

"Umm... Yeah."

"Great! That means it must be delicious! Too bad it's not for you."

"Who's it for then?"

"It's for the new family that just moved down the block."

I knew exactly the house she was talking about. It had been for sale over the summer. It was four houses away from ours, almost at where our street and Old Sawyer's street met. I kind of wanted to know who was living there now.

"Can I come with?" I asked innocently.

"Sure honey, go ask your father if he wants to come, too."

I smiled a little while I went upstairs. My mind went back to the shed. My dad was standing just a few feet from me, in front of Old Sawyer, inside a shed hidden deep within the old man's property. Without realizing it, I was already inside my parent's bedroom. I could hear my dad singing inside the shower. I paced slowly, looking at the mahogany furniture. I stuck my head inside the bathroom and peeped around.

"Dad," I said a bit loudly.

"Hey-o, Hot Shot," he said over the sound of the water crashing into the shower floor.

"Umm... Mom wants to know if you want to come with us to-", he interrupted me suddenly.

"No can do, sport. Gotta go take care of some work crap. Tell your mom I'll pass on this one."

"Ok," I said while I took one last look at the bathroom. Suddenly, something familiar caught my eye. There was a big silver ring sitting on top of the sink. But that wasn't the attractive part. The symbol on it was what caught my attention. The crest I had seen on the door at Old Sawyer's shed was carved into the ring. The same circle enclosing the two crossed swords with the same flame behind them. It wasn't my mom's and I had never seen my dad using it before. I was about to touch it when my mom called from the front door for us to leave. Finding about it would have to wait.

I went outside and started walking beside my mother. In less than two minutes we were already at the house and walking towards the door. Then it hit me again. The delicious fragrance was overwhelming. Where did it come from? The scent got stronger the closer we came to the door. The smell of lilies covered me entirely by the time we reached the front door. Then, just as it had appeared, it disappeared. I looked behind me, seeking any clue as to where the smell had come from. My mom rang the bell and moments after someone opened it.

"Oh! Hi Lucas, what a surprise!"

I turned around to meet the owner of the familiar voice. Just as I expected... Emilia.

"Hi!" I greeted as my mom looked at me, as if wondering how I knew her.

She snapped out of her trance and managed to say only one thing. "Welcome to the neighborhood!"

Hope you like it! Sorry I haven't updated for a while. School is a real bother sometimes, but I promise I'll try to keep up. Don't forget to vote, fan, and comment what you think!