our little firecracker

CHAPTER 36

The family returned home after their little vacation. As soon as they entered house, the maid  who opened the door had a teary eyes. 

" hey lily what happened."

"ohh madame acacia dear, he is injured..." before she could even finish her sentences, everyone rushed towards Acacia's room only to be met with the sight of him lying the bed with a gauze wrapped around his head and several minor injuries scattered all over his hands.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Maya took Phoenix out of the room. Ophelia was heartbroken and uncontrollable tears streamed down her face. 

Hearing the slight disturbance around him, acacia slowly started waking up. seeing familiar faces surrounding him, acacia felt a cascade of emotions. happy to see his family safe and sound, angry that someone is targeting their family and most importantly his sweetheart and sad that his little sisters life would never be the same again. 

seeing him awake everyone started bombarding him with questions. Maverick then calmed everyone and asked them to let acacia rest first and thus the questioning session was  postponed. when everyone was leaving the room, a small stature ran past them towards Acacia. On seeing Acacia lying bed with injuries, she slowly climbed  onto the bed very carefully, making sure she didn't touch his wounds.

Phoenix, with her big, curious eyes, noticed the bandage on Acacia's forehead. "What happened to your head, Acacia?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

Acacia smiled warmly, ruffling her hair. "Just a little bump, Phoenix. Don't worry, I'm okay."

Phoenix pouted. "But it looks scary!" she said, her lower lip trembling.

Phoenix's face lit up with a mischievous grin. "I know how to make it feel better!" she exclaimed, running off to her room.

A few minutes later, she returned with a colorful band-aid and a small toy dinosaur. "Here, you can be a brave dinosaur warrior!" she said, placing the band-aid on his forehead and handing him the dinosaur.

Acacia chuckled. "Thanks, Phoenix. You're the best little sister a guy could ask for"

Seeing him struggling to stick the bandage, Ophelia helped Acacia to stick the bandage gently on top of the already wrapped gauze present on his forehead. acacia suddenly hissed feeling a slight pain. This made Phoenix to cry on seeing her eldest brother in pain. so she gently blew air on his head.  

Acacia chuckled, pulling her close. "It's okay, little one. I'm a superhero now, with a super bandage."

Phoenix's eyes lit up. "A superhero? Can you fly?" she asked excitedly.

Acacia pretended to think. "Well, I can't quite fly, but I can protect you from anything," he said, winking. 

Phoenix giggled, snuggling into his arms. In that moment, Acacia felt a surge of love and protection for his little sister. No matter what challenges lay ahead, he would always be there to shield her from harm. The whole family witnessed this heart-warming scene and slowly left the room.

The next day morning, Acacia woke with a throbbing headache and a strange sense of unease. The bandage around his forehead was a stark reminder of the previous day's ordeal. His mother, with a concerned look, fussed over him, insisting on a bowl of soup.

"You look terrible, dear," she said, her voice filled with worry. "What happened exactly?"

Acacia hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. "Just a minor accident, Mom. Nothing to worry about," he replied, his voice a bit too casual.

His father, usually a man of few words, seemed unusually interested in his son's whereabouts. "So, do you remember any details from yesterday?" he asked, his voice laced with a peculiar intensity.

Acacia, startled by his father's tone, replied, "No, Dad. I I only remember being hit."

His father nodded, his expression unreadable. Acacia couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to his father's behavior, something hidden beneath the surface.

Its been a few days since the accident but he couldn't just not notice the strange behavior of his father. The slight unease on his face, the frowns and most importantly his absent-mindedness. all these were causing a huge turmoil in his mind.

Meanwhile, Phoenix, oblivious to the undercurrents of tension, was busy entertaining herself. She was building a fort in the living room, using pillows and blankets. Her laughter echoed through the house, bringing a smile to Acacia's face.

"Can I join you, Phoenix?" he asked, his voice gentle.

Phoenix's face lit up. "Of course, Acacia! We can be knights and fight off dragons!"

As Acacia joined his sister in her imaginative world, he couldn't help but feel a sense of peace. For a moment, the worries and uncertainties faded away, replaced by the simple joy of childhood. But deep down, he knew that the truth about his family's secrets was closer than ever.

Later that day, alone in his room, Acacia examined the bandage on his forehead. He remembered the strange symbols tattooed on the mysterious figure's arm. A shiver ran down his spine as he recalled the cryptic words spoken by the masked man.

"Your family, Acacia, is not what it seems. They are guardians, protectors of a secret that could change the world."

The more he thought about it, the more questions arose. What was this secret? Why was he targeted? And what was the significance of the strange symbols?

As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across his room, Acacia felt a growing sense of unease. He knew that he couldn't ignore the strange occurrences and the cryptic messages any longer. He had to uncover the truth, no matter the cost.

Acacia spent the next few days trying to piece together the fragments of information he had. The strange symbols, the masked figure's cryptic words, and his father's unusual behavior all pointed to a hidden truth. He decided to delve deeper into his family's history, hoping to find clues that could unlock the mystery.

He started with the old family library, a room filled with dusty books and ancient artifacts. He spent hours poring over old journals and letters, searching for any mention of a secret society or a powerful relic. As he delved deeper, he stumbled upon a hidden compartment in an old desk. Inside, he found a leather-bound book filled with strange symbols and diagrams. The symbols looked eerily familiar, identical to the ones he had seen on the masked figure's arm.

As he flipped through the pages, he discovered a cryptic message written in an ancient language. He translated it with the help of a rare language dictionary he found in the library. The message spoke of a powerful artifact, a relic of an ancient civilization, capable of immense power. It also warned of a dark force that sought to control this artifact for nefarious purposes.

A chill ran down Acacia's spine as he realized that the artifact mentioned in the book could be the same one the masked figure had spoken of. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together, but with every new revelation, the danger seemed to grow.

He knew he had to be cautious. The people who were after him were powerful and ruthless. He couldn't afford to make a mistake. He would have to tread carefully, one step at a time.

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