Leviathan

Chapter 15: More Secrets? Part 1

Chapter 15:

"Emerald! Oh, I missed you so much!"

My mom banged the door open and flung her arms around me enthusiastically. I wrapped my arms around her and sighed. "I missed you too, mom. Can't breathe properly,"

"Oh. Oh right." She grinned and let go of me. "So, how's school? How was the change? What element are you? What weapon do you have? How's Aaron? How are your friends? How--"

I cut her off. "Mom, just let me enjoy being home for a while, okay?"

She went quiet for a minute or so. I wandered into my room and sat down on the sofa, taking in the familiar scenery. Mom followed me in and sat down beside me. "How was the change?"

I groaned and answered her. "It was painful."

She gasped dramatically. "What? But--"

"I don't know, maybe its because I can use all the elements."

She gasped again. "That's wonderful, darling!"

"I have a bow for a weapon,"

She nodded. "Mine's a staff, by the way."

"Aaron wants to take me on a date ."

"Mmm, are you going?" mumbled Mom noncommittally.

“It’s been put off for ages, so yeah I cant say no.The girls are hyper, as usual,"

She laughed heartily. "Of course they are, sweetie. Have you cut slits in your clothes yet?"

I shook my head. "No, I haven't gotten round to it yet."

Mom stood up and clapped her hands excitedly. "Great, because I have just the thing to save you loads of trouble. Its in the lime green box in the attic, can you go up and bring it down after dinner?"

I rolled my eyes. "Can't you do it?"

"No, because I'm old. Deal with it," she scoffed, walking out of my room backwards and closing the door.

**********

After dinner, I hiked up three flights of stairs to the attic. It was one of three rooms on the top floor of my home. But first I have to describe where I live first.

I live with the entire side of my dad's family. His eldest and youngest brother's families live in the same building, except in different sections of the house. The training room on the top floor takes up most of the space, but our side has a little bit of wiggle room for two rooms.

My parents live on the second floor of our 'section' of the house, and the living room, dining room and my rooms are on the ground floor.

I reached the top of the stairs and looked around. The place was clean as usual, and the three wooden doors looked deceptively common.

The rightmost door led to the training room, which I had only just found out about a few weeks back. The middle door led to the attic. But what about the third door?

I crept closer and looked around, listening for the telltale sounds of slippers hitting the floor. There was nothing. I put my hand on the doorknob and twisted it silently, pushing open the door with a creak.

Everything in the room was covered in a thin layer of dust. I reached over and flipped the light switch, but the lights didn't come on. Maybe the light bulbs were faulty. My wings came out as I called a ball of fire to me and suspended it in the middle of the room. I spotted a queen-sized bed with a black leather headboard nestled quietly in the corner. The bed sheets were made of black fabric that shimmered in the firelight. A glass desk was pushed up against the window, and red suede sofa covered with black throw pillows faces an old cube- shaped TV, which rested on an antique wooden table. A wolf-pelt rug was thrown haphazardly over the floor, its dead eyes and white teeth reflecting the light and glinting menacingly.

Obviously someone used to live here, but who? I walked over to the desk and took a look at the pictures on it. There were five of them, the faces blurred with age and dust. I wiped them down with my sleeve and stared at them in shock.

He bore a striking resemblance to my dad.

I frowned and looked closer the picture. This one was a snapshot of a circle of five people caught mid-laugh. The dark-haired boy was there again, this time with a bunch of his friends. There was a white-blond boy with his arms casually resting around his knees, eyes scrunched up in laughter. A redheaded girl was beside him, shaking her head with a smile on her face, arms crossed at her chest. A raven-haired boy was back to back with a brunette with shining brown hair. They were smiling widely, his cat- like green eyes and her piercing topaz ones on show.

I think the redhead girl was with the blond boy, while the black-haired boy was with the brunette one. And maybe the dark- haired boy's girlfriend was behind the camera...

I picked up the second picture. It was framed with white wrought- iron and was a Polaroid, with 13th May written in an elegant script along the bottom. The moon was full and round and a figure stood facing away from the camera. The figure had wings spanning half the clearing and arms outstretched. His wings glittered black and gold, symbolizing his alliance with thunder and lightning. Apparently this boy was a Leviathan too.

I grabbed the third one and held it up to the light. The dark haired boy had his arms around a golden- haired puppy with its tongue lolling and paws suspended in the air. Wait a second... I had a Golden Retriever at home! His name was Harry and he was super old now. Could this be the same dog?

The fourth picture was framed with bronze and studded with tiny garnets. In it were two people. The dark haired boy holding hands with someone-- I squinted and looked closer. The girl in the picture had long dirty-blond hair, which hung in curls down her back. They looked happy and… Right together. Then it hit me. I recognized the girl. She was Diare Monroe, my mentor and teacher.

I put down the picture with a clunk and picked up the last one. The first one was a picture of a family. The frame was made of delicately carved silver, burnished with time and age. My mom, looking young and vibrant, hand in hand with my dad, both smiling happily at the camera. I, not being more than eight or so, with my gap-toothed smile, was nestled into the side of a dark- haired boy, who was smiling half-heartedly into the camera. In the picture, he looked to be about fifteen, his straight, dark locks carelessly brushed over his forehead and dressed in a tank top and khaki cut-off shorts.

**********

I raced back down the stairs and bolted into the living room, with the picture in hand.

Mom and Dad looked up when I stumbled into the room, panting and out of breath.

Concerned, she set down the newspaper and said, "What's wrong, Emerald? You look like you've seen a ghost."

I thrust out the picture frame. "Who is this and why is he with us?"

Dad jerked around from his seat on the sofa and looked at my mom, eyes meeting.

Mom shook her head at him. "We have to tell her. We owe her that much."

Dad turned his gaze on me. "The boy in the picture is Kristopher Grace. Head of the rogues-- and your brother."