Ginger

My Daddy, Talon

            He brought me around by splashing cold water on my face. He repeated what he had said “Talon is dead Rawr.”

            “No he’s not you lying jerk! My Daddy is not dead. STOP LYING TO ME” I screamed at him while tears started to run down my face.

"Come Rawr, you need to get something to wear on." I sobbed as he led me to my room. He reached into the bottom drawer and pulled a pair of pajama pants out, then to the top where he pulled a pair of panties, and a sports bra out. "Something’s never change, do they Rawr?" I just looked at him. He handed me the garments and I went to my bathroom and put them on.

"What's going on Les?" I asked coming out of the bathroom. Ignoring the fact the he had told me the one man who had never abandoned or turned on me was dead. Leslie looked so sad sitting on my bed looking around the room where we had.... Never mind now was hardly the right time to think about that I told myself looking at him.

"They shot him. He was just shopping for food. The guy who shot him, he said Talon had said somewhat to him. They did everything they could. It was a head wound. He was probably dead before he hit the ground” Leslie told me as if that would make everything better. He laid on the bed, looking at me, and then he opened his arms. I went and laid in his familiar grasp. We just laid there in silence as I let the news wash over me. I grabbed the worn teddy bear from beside my bed, and held onto that as the tears began to fall.

It was the morning after my family had been taken. My neighbor was trying to decide what to do with me. He made a few calls and found a place. He went next door and grabbed anything he thought I might need. He carried me out to his car; he thrust the teddy into my arms. My name was embroidered in a dark blue on its black fur, 'Arura Rose-Marie' He held the Dark blue bear with 'Michael David' in black on it. He put that into the bag.

"Now Arura, you must be good and quiet, yes just like that honey" I looked up at him, scared. He laid me down on the front seat, and went around to the drivers. He drove to the place where they had agreed to take me. "Arura, you need to be good. This place, they can help you. But you need to listen to them, that's a good girl" As he went to put me down, I held onto his neck.

"No!" I yelled at him. It was the first word I had spoken to anyone other than my twin. "Daddy!” My small arms held onto him with everything I had.

"Arura" I could see his blue eyes filling with tears. A woman came up behind us.

"Sir, it’s best if you just leave her, she's not likely to live very much longer anyways. Here we can make sure it's an easy passing though..." He turned to her, anger flashing in his blue eyes.

"Don't. She's just a kid. How can you say something like that?" He was angry, his face red.

"It's true. Even if you take her now, she will die. Either way the child will die." The woman seemed cruel to me, even though I think she was trying to be kind. Her eyes were black and she scared me. Her hair was that of witches, and her voice was harsh to my young ears. He turned and put me on the hood of his truck.

"I'm taking her with me. This is not the place to leave such a young child after all."

With that we went back to his house, he packed what he would need, and then went next door, grabbed what I would need. Finally he went through both apartments and pulled any valuables, and pictures he could find. Then he placed it all in the truck and we left. We drove for days, it seemed forever to me and I started to call him daddy. I still only talked to him after we arrived in a small town that was full of people like Talon and I. People who wanted to escape from the persecution or who just wanted equality.

After that he has raised me as his own. We joined the resistance after I had been with him for a year. They had a strong presence in that town and were very welcoming of a man and his baby girl. After that he really became the Father I had never remembered, if I had even known him. It was him I ran to after I had made my first kill.

I called Talon from a pay phone a bit away from the apartment after I had killed the man I wanted to marry.

"Daddy? It's Ali, I need you. Can you come see me please? It was a code one that we devised if I were ever in trouble. No names just a short message. Ali, meaning allies are needed.

 I couldn't tell him what happened over the phone even though I wanted to. I sat in a diner and waited. Around Midnight he walked in I will never forget how he looked terrified and worried about me and the relief that washed over his face to see me in one piece. I told him what had happened as we walked through a park. I held onto his hand needing some form of human contact. I felt cold and alone as I stood beside the man I thought of as my father.

"Here's what we're going to do. We're going to go to your apartment as if you had just gotten home from visiting me to tell me of your engagement. You act hysterical as I call the police to tell them of the murder." Talon’s voice was harsh he stood there anger on his face before he pulled me into his chest and murmured into my hair.

            “Don’t worry Arura I will always be here to help you”

Back at the apartment, we followed the plan. Talon held me as I cried. "Please someone get her something!" Talon sounded worried as his played a distraught Father. They gave me a liquid and after that I remember little.

By the time they had given up finding his killer, I had retained the apartment, the ring, and his pay. I had been wearing the engagement ring. Talon had suggested it.

Leslie cleared his throat and spoke. "Look. Rawr, I know how bad this must hurt for you, but you need to think, you need to answer questions. Even in speech his voice carried his deep bass tone, the tone was deep and rich. It was comforting to me. Leslie stood and grabbed his bag from the entrance.

His walk was more of a stride then a walk, and as he bent at the waist to grab something from his bag, I admired his body. He dug through the bag before finding what he was looking for. I gasped seeing what he pulled from the bag. His large hands held onto a knife. The knife was copper coloured, with a black hilt. I knew the knife from my nightmares. I didn't understand. Talon had taken it. Why would he give it to Leslie? Questions ran through my mind as Leslie went to hand the knife to me. I shook my head. Not wanting to touch the thing that had ruined my life. The weapon that haunted me.