The unveiling

Unveiling Chapter 3

Chapter: 3

As he walked hand and hand with Turid the few yards away to her parents door, he knew he should be afraid. Turid's father still hadn't forgiven him for, he supposed stealing his daughter away. He'd tried to avoid thinking about it a lot when he had emotion, but now as he did that was the only thing he could think of. That the man's anger was because he took her away from him.

He barely spoke to Agnar now, and when he did it was with contempt. He knew he should be petrified right now to walk in seeking the man's help. When they got there Kian and Eria were sitting at a picnic table in front of their door. She was helping him with his school work from the sound of it. He knew both she and Kian attended the same online university, and that with his right arm out of commission he needed her help writing things down. He looked better than when Agnar'd seen him briefly the night before when he'd left the room to get a drink from the vending machine. He'd hoped a soda might quell his thirst better than the water was, it hadn't helped.

"Hey what are you two doing here this early?" Kian asked as they got closer.

"I need to see mom and dad." She said and sighed before looking up at him. "Will you wait out here?" He nodded and released her hand reluctantly. He sat down at the picnic table on the other side of the couple and watched her knock. Her mother pulled the door open only a moment later.

"Hey sweetie, what are you doing here this early?" She peaked around her to him. "Oh, hello Agnar." He nodded his head to her then looked away at the grains of wood on the table.

"Mom, is dad in there?"

"He's in the shower, is everything okay?" Their voices faded as the door shut. Small talk was something that he knew was the social norm, but it wasn't something he was ever good at, and his skills certainly hadn't improved in that area with his new condition. He didn't care to keep up the charade of normalcy any more. It had been for Turid's benefit, and now that she knew the truth, he saw no point in it. He looked up to see that Kian and Eria were both staring at him. He tried to decide if he had emotions would he be frustrated right now or amused.

"I am not a shapeshifter." He said to Kian, Turid had told him of their conversation, Kian's posture relaxed immediately. How odd, that would be what a shape shifter would say after all.

"How have you been?" Eria asked, he looked back up at her.

"I have no emotions, or any clue why." He said and looked back at the table following the shapes in the grain with his eyes. He didn't want to be rude. He thought that might upset Turid. "How are you?" He asked looking back up. The two looked at each other with confusion. He turned when the door opened and Turid walked out. He could tell she was nervous. She reached out her hand and he grabbed it allowing her to lead him innside. When he got there Olaf was standing behind the door.

"Have a seat." He said motioning for a chair someone had set in the middle of the room. Agnar sat down and faced them. Tristan was sitting on the bed, a look of confusion and worry on her face. Olaf was eyeing him suspiciously. Turid was right behind him. She rested her hands on his shoulders. As Olaf approached he pulled a dagger from his belt. Alarm bells went off in his head then, not concern, but for a brief moment his self preservation instinct tried to kick in.

"I told you I already tried that, no reaction." Turid said angrily from behind him, then he understood. He held out his hand and Olaf placed the blade within. When nothing happened he nodded and stepped back placing it on the dresser behind him.

"When did this all start?" He asked, voice clipped.

"When I woke up in the hospital. It was vague at first, dulled. The longer I was awake, the more profound it got. By the time Tristan placed me under in Turid's room, it was pretty much like this."

"And you didn't say anything?" Olaf asked with suspicion.

"Daddy." Turid hissed in a warning tone. He reached up and placed his hand on hers on his shoulder.

"I still knew that I loved Turid, that I craved her happiness above all things but her safety. I knew hearing me say I could not feel love anymore would hurt her. I did not want that." The man made a face at this and stepped forward. Olaf placed one hand on either side of his head and closed his eyes in concentration. He stepped back a minute later.

"I don't feel a second presence. Tris." He turned to his wife and she stood and made her way in front of him. She smiled before placing her hands on either side of his head. She concentrated, then released him. Her frown deepened, she walked over to her husband. Like Turid was to him, the woman was at least a foot shorter than Olaf. She reached up and repeated what she'd done to him on her husband. When she was done she slumped down on the side of the dresser.

"Not another presence no, but, empty somehow. Like a part of you is missing." She looked up into his eyes, he may not have emotion but he could sense her sadness. He turned to see Turid's agonized expression. Then he realized what that meant and said it aloud.

"If I'm like this because something is missing, then there might not be a way to reverse it." He said this without fear or concern, logically speaking it made sense, after all, they could not catch a break.