Brave (New Earth Saga)

Ch. 30

Ben Sharp?! AKA Billy Sharp's dad?! Okay, so one thing was clear, I was most likely at Billy sharp's house, Aaron had set me up, and apparently Ben sharp knew my mom, and thought I somehow was her.

"Mel, come on! You couldn't possibly be afraid, It's just me. I'm not going to hurt you. I-I'm just speechless. I can't believe my own eyes."

"I am not Mel!" I replied from the safety of my hiding spot.

"Who are you?!" Ben rumbled, shocked to hear me deny being my mom. My very much no longer here mom!

"Dad, it's the human who's had it out for me since day one! Mangello's human," Billy explained.

"What is she doing here?"

"It was partially Aaron's idea. It can help with the case! You guys can bring up how Mangello couldn't keep track of his human, and how she was able to sneak out of her home without a giant even hearing. We can say she broke into our home!"

"Stop talking. Are you out of your f#cking mind? Go to your room right now! A-and if that Trust boy is still in this home, he can see himself out this instant!!!"

The rumbling fury present in this Ben Sharp's voice made me want to evaporate. All this technology on New Earth, and we still couldn't teleport?! Mother Earth! Teleportation clearly needed to be more of a priority around here, for I could really use it right about now.

"But Dad! It's a good idea!"

"ENOUGH BILLY! Go to your room!"

Holding my breath, I could hear giant footsteps exiting the room, while the giant facing me, Ben Sharp, crouched once again to try and get a look at me.

"Hey kid, you can come out from there. I... you look a lot like your mother. Earlier, I really thought it was her," Ben Sharp said in a surprisingly soft tone. For a moment this guy seemed NICE. This man, who'd been on TV, openly trying to make it so that I could no longer be Joe's daughter. This man was pretending to be NICE to me? Whaaatttt?

"Listen kid, I don't know how you ended up here, but it sounds like you were set up by my son. And for that, I really am sorry."

"H-how did you know my mom?" I asked once I finally found my voice.

"I'm afraid, that's a pretty complex answer. But, believe it or not, I used to work at Fuse with your Mom, and Mangello."

Wow. I definitely didn't know that.

A silence hung between Ben Sharp and I before he spoke again. "Look kid, It's Morgan right? Is there someone I can call for you?"

"Can you call my dad?" I finally asked.

"Dad? Um, sure. Um, when you say dad, who are you referring to?"

What kind of a question is that?! I only had one dad... well unless he knew about... ugh. Oh god.

"My dad. Joe Mangello."

"So you call Joe your dad?" Ben inquired, clearly surprised.

"Yes... That's what he is..."

"I... Wow. I, guess I didn't know you referred to him as your dad,"

What was wrong with people!!! My parents got married over 7 years ago! And I'd known Joe as my mom's boyfriend well before that! I had literally known Joe for over half my life, and he was the only person to ever fill the 'dad' role in my life. Who was Ben Sharp to question how I referred to my ONLY living parent.

"Anyways, I'll see about getting in contact with Mangello, if that's what you want."

A few minutes later, Ben Sharp returned to my hiding spot where he once again crouched down, trying to see If I was still in fact hiding. Of course, I hadn't moved, so Ben proceeded to inform me that he wasn't able to get through to Joe. It was afterall the middle of the night, so he'd apparently left some messages that Joe would hopefully see once he woke up. For now, I had a solid 2 or so hours until Joe's alarm would wake him. Ben tried a few more times to coax me out of the safety of this hiding spot, but I simply wouldn't budge. So instead of leaving me to wait peacefully for Joe to come, Ben sat beside the radiator and reopened the conversation about my mom.

"Honestly, I'm not going to push you to come out of there any longer then. I guess I'll just have to wait here."

"Um, y-you don't have to wait. I'm sure Joe will come once he wakes up,"

"Yeah, but I don't know that if I leave, that you won't get yourself into even more trouble by trying to get out on your own. I didn't exactly choose for you to wind up here, but now that you are, and it's the middle of the night, I couldn't just send you out in the dark."

"Honestly, I'd be fine. Maybe I should just head home. Aaron,"

"Aaron Trust is as evil and conniving as Anthony Trust. Guess there's some validity to the whole nurture over nature," Ben laughed to himself at the end. Was he openly referencing how Aaron was adopted by Anthony?! Did Ben think this was open knowledge... cuz it wasn't. "I really should know better that if you're anything like Mel, there's nothing I could say to make you leave. Mel was one stubborn little thing."

"My mom was amazing," I snapped back, before I could stop myself. But like, no sir. I was not about to sit here and listen to Ben Sharp come for my mom.

"Yes, she was. I'm sorry if my words made you think I was trying to say she wasn't. Your mother was one of the fiercest, most iconic humans I've ever met. I mean Morgan, that was why when I first saw you I thought it was her, for if there was a human who was powerful enough to come back as a ghost, and of course, haunt me, it would be your mother."

"Why would she haunt you?"

"She wouldn't do it to be mean, for I don't think there was actually a mean bone in her body. Mel had this way of always seeing the good in others, so much so, that when you were around her, you saw an increase in good within yourself. I-it's hard to explain. But, basically your mom always saw the good in me, even when I wasn't being my best. S-she never gave up on me, or on the idea that there was good within me."

"How did you guys meet?"

"Ha, now that's a funny memory. I'll never forget meeting you mom when I walked in on her telling off Mangello. See, when most of us started working at Fuse, it was still all giants. So when humans like your mom came and worked with us, it was pretty weird. Most humans were so afraid of us giants, even though we are far less violent than humans. But no, humans took one glance at us, and decided we lived and breathed to hurt them... which has never been true. Us giants have always lived peacefully here, and if it wasn't for you humans invading our planet, nothing would have disturbed our peace. But, anyway, if your mom had any fear of us giants, I'm certain I never saw it. She came into Fuse, and not only treated us as equals, but she had no problem putting us big guys in our place when we needed it ha. And mother earth knows Mangello needed it. So I'll never forget entering Mangello's office to see this little woman putting him in his place. It was amazing!" Ben Sharp seemed to chuckle before his phone vibrated.

Please let it be Joe. please let it be Joe. Pleeease let it be Joe! I don't know who it was, but Ben excused himself and left me in my same hiding spot. A few minutes later I felt the rumbling steps of a giant, before I heard the sound of a human voice. Who was this human, and why was their voice somehow familiar.

"Unbelievable! I swear, you giants become even more incompetent by the minute. Now WHERE is she?"

"Behind there," Ben answered the ranting human.

Before I knew it, I saw the image of a human male storming toward the radiator wearing a dark purple suit with a white button down shirt. Locking eyes with the human who was now standing in front of me in my safe spot behind the radiator, I felt my stomach drop uneasily. Staring back at me was none other than Anthony Trust.