Dante's Weakness

Chapter 1

VELVET

The breeze was soothing, almost massaging the smoothness of my skin as I wound down the windows to inhale the salty air, whipping past my face, I could taste it in my tongue, feel it in mu hair. The sky barked with the threat of rain, the darkening sky somehow in tune with the sunset. It was supposed to be beautiful, I loved the sunset, the redness of the sun spreading all over the sky most times in colorful hue, but that moment it was different. The sun had gone hiding behind the clouds, dampening the day.

I turned to look at my father, the heavy sky did little to dampen his spirits even though I could see a light tremor to his hands but he tried to conceal it as he looked over at me with an assuring smile before focusing back on the road. His eyes shone with a kind of fervent intensity that only surfaced when he talked about my new school – Alabaster Academy, where I'll be continuing my junior year after the summer break, right now my father wanted me to have a feel of the place, an elite boarding school secluded amidst a forest, gothic towers and castle like buildings that seemed to kiss the sky as I had seen in pictures on the internet. It was in fact my father's alma mater, he never failed to ramble on and on almost giving me a headache. But the wide smile on his face, reaching and creasing his eyes always warmed by heart and I wanted to fulfill that dream, that was why I was seated in this car, seat belt strapped with the salty air whipping my face.

"Penny for your thoughts Velvet?" my father spoke, his deep yet gentle voice broke through my thoughts and I turned to look at him, my eyes drifting over to his tight grip on the steering wheel, I wondered if he was nervous to send me away to boarding school, but he insisted I had to go away, more like commanded.

"You know dad, there's really no need to change my school, my old school was fine. I had friends and I saw you every day, why would you want to change that?"

"I thought you were excited about this, we've talked about this, Alabaster is the place for you, I went there, that was where I met your mother, within those stony buildings, the smell of rain on the wet grass, reading Shakespeare and dancing to Beethoven, I swear you're going to love it there, your mom would've wanted it. I just couldn't let you go after losing her but now she would be turning restlessly in her grave if I don't let you experience the magic that is Alabaster Academy" his eyes were lighting up, and I could see that his hands had steadied again and I sighed with a smile

"Ugh dad, now when you say it like that I'm almost curious and I can't wait for summer to be over already. I hate the fact that I'm not going to see you, and have our Friday night trivia and barbecue Wednesdays. Will you come visiting?"

He paused for a second before he spoke "Of course Velvet, plus there's always going to be holidays" he said and I nodded before facing out the window as it had begun to rain in fat heavy drops. I rolled my windows up but my father left his down. He loved the smell of rain, he called it

'the weather of love, the wetness so inviting, it consumes you'

because he had shared his first kiss with my mother, under the rain whilst dressed in their school uniforms, lust building amidst shared minty breaths according to the way he describes it.

"Promise me Velvet" my father said suddenly, his face suddenly grim and I could see the tremor in his hands again, I was going to ask if he was okay but he beat me to it before I could say anything.

"Promise me, that no matter what happens to me you'll go to Alabaster Academy and school there and you won't tell anyone that I'm your father"

"Dad...."

"Promise me Velvet" he pressed urgently, a certain desperation to his eyes that rung alarm bells in my brain but I concurred still, hoping that whatever life crisis he was processing that moment would pass as quickly as it came.

"Fine dad, I promise" I said "And you're scaring me, is everything okay dad?"

He gave no response, instead he fished his hands into his pocket and took out a key chain very similar to the one that he had on his neck and handed it to me.

"Don't ever lose that" I took the key chain from him, studying the intricate carvings on it, confused by the strangeness of everything but he stared at me until I shoved it into the pocket of my trousers.

"You're scaring me, what's up with the key?"

"I'll tell you about it when the time is right, but for now it's better you know nothing" he said not looking at me and I equally faced ahead, a sense of frustration rising within me but I pushed it down with the hope that clarity was on its way.

I was getting impatient and restless on my seat, the rain was still pouring down hard but my father had still refused to roll the windows up, the sleeves of his black suit was getting soaked but he didn't seem to care or mind.

"You're going to get completely soaked at this rate dad, how long until we reach?"

I thought I was getting a response, I could almost hear him say 'about an hour or two', or maybe I imagined it because in that passing I felt something fly past my face and hitting my window, so quick, I barely didn't feel it but it was there still.

Then I heard my father scream as he tried to maneuver the car away. Confusion clouded my brain as I tried to make sense of the situation.

I turned immediately towards my father, a panicked look on his face as he yelled "Stay down Velvet!!"

But I didn't, fear gripped me on both arms forcing to find the source of trouble and I noticed the black car trailing us, just before it drove up beside our car and that was when it registered, though not quick enough. Two hooded male figures, wearing masks staring us, a gun pointed in my direction just as my father pushed me down, covering me with his body totally losing control of the wheel, and then I heard the loud shot.

Once

Twice

The third, hitting my dad at the back of his head, his blood spluttering on my face.

I screamed loudly as the car tumbled off the road downhill for what felt like forever and it stopped suddenly.

I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe, I sat frozen with blood dripping down my head and I couldn't tell whose blood it was. My father still stayed leaning on me, I could hear him wheezing, struggling to breathe as he tried to hold onto my hand.

"Dad" I called, my voice choking as the tears spilled down my cheek. "Daddy!" I called again but there was no response, but I felt it, a tiny squeeze to my hands and the grip went weak.

That was when I heard footsteps approaching; my first instinct was to shout for help but I thought against it when I saw those same hooded figures approaching, I immediately stayed limp to play dead.

I heard one of them approach the car and from the corner of my eyes I saw him snatch key chain from his neck, the skull ring on his finger registering in my head before he looked over at me and in that moment, our eyes met. His clothes were soaked from the rain and since he was wearing a mask I could see only his eyes staring at me. I held his stare, pleading with my eyes. It was only for a moment but there seemed to be a passing agreement between us before he walked away and I heard him say to the other person

"They're both dead"