Frostbite (Mindgames #1)

Chapter Fourteen - Paranoia

I checked the message from the specialist services for Tawrion, and I was confused. They had sent me a message explaining that there was nothing wrong and that no one was visibly seen in the house. They told me that they did not want me wasting their time any longer. I didn't understand why they said it like that, nor what could have caused such irritation from just asking for a simple welfare check. I was determined to check on them the next time I walked past that house because my gut still told me that something was not right.

We had acquired our suits and dresses from the shop a few hours ago, and now my current objective was simple. I had to find a way to sneak out of the house without being questioned by my father.

I knew his paranoia had been growing exponentially after all the events of the past month, so this was going to be difficult, he meant well of course, but he was never going about it the right way. My sister was off at camp, she had signed up recently for a Selerethen mythology camp, to learn about the keepers and other magical creatures and how to defend against them.

I remembered going to that camp when I was twelve, it was entertaining and incredibly amusing to watch the staff pretend to be the keepers to entertain the kids. It was the only time those outside of the home planet were able to send their kids to learn about the capital for free.It also meant that Kacey was going to be gone for about a week or two, which was going to make this even harder, seeing as my physical distraction had disappeared.

I put on my suit, with a cloak on top, knowing that cloaks were good for a windy day to break up the wind. I knew my father would question the cloak, as I hadn't used it for a long time, but I also knew that if I walked out of the house in just the suit he would either deny me or question me even harder.

Sighing gently I began to walk towards the door, calling out to my father. "I'm going out today, Dad!" I called, hopeful that maybe he would just let me out. I waited with bated breath, holding onto the doorknob.

"Where are you going, Kere?" My father's voice came from the kitchen, not where I expected him to be. I expected him to be in the living room, or upstairs. I jumped out of my skin slightly when I realized this, turning to where he was. I reluctantly walked over to the kitchen, leaning over past the kitchen wall with my hands on the wall separating the living room and the kitchen. The room was dark, with not a single light source turned on.

My father was sitting in the dark kitchen, the only thing visible about him was his silhouette. He was leaning back in his chair, with one hand up as he messed with the skin on his fingertips. I couldn't read his face due to the darkness, which made me concerned.

The air was tense, I knew that this was going to be an incredibly difficult conversation. I quietly watched my father's body language, trying my best to understand what was going on in his head.

"I'm going to ask you again, where are you going at this hour? Before you met Stephanie, you barely went anywhere." My father said. Taking a drink of his glass, I was not sure what was in the cup, but it did make me a bit concerned.

"What is that supposed to mean? Didn't you want me to be more social with my classmates?" I asked, I felt insulted that my father did not support the fact that I was trying to make an effort to be more friendly and not so reclusive.