Human

36.

            "There is no need to be nervous." Charles told me from the driver's seat.

I sat staring out my window, going through all of the different horrible ways this could go down. I mumbled an incoherent response and tried to stop thinking of all of the negatives.

"Honestly, Cadence." He said cheerfully. "I wouldn't be bringing you to my home if I thought it would be unsafe for you. The Order has no idea that I know about all of their secret plotting. I can also promise that your father will be in too much of a stupor by this time to notice anyone coming to my home, not that he'd be looking for you to come there either."

I made a small laugh at the fact that he thought I was scared to go to his house because of The Order or my parents next door. "That is not what I'm worried about." I muttered.

He cuts his eyes over to me questioningly, then his face softened. "Oh." He said nodding his head. "You're concerned about Carrianne?"

"Well, I did break her nose."

"That was you?" He asked surprised. "What on earth led to that?" He didn't sound mad, just honestly curious.

"I don't know if I should tell you. I don't want to get her in trouble."

"Tell me." He said more seriously. When I hesitated he shook his head slowly. "Carrianne is not a bad person, Cadence. Please try to give her a chance. I know she has gotten in a lot of trouble over the last few years, but she has her reasons." He said the last part with a sad note to his voice.

I didn't want to make him upset, so I decided to change the subject. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"If you are part of The Order, then why would you want to help me? Even though I am your daughter, you don't know anything about me, and until today we had never met, so why help? Why go against the powerful organization that you run?"

He kept his eyes trained on the road, but I noticed his hands tighten on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning starkly white. "Cadence, you have every reason to believe that I am a bad man. I never wanted any of this. I wanted to leave this life behind with your mother and raise you and your brother differently. When The Order took that life away from me, I wanted revenge. I know the prophesy. I knew the second that I got the call that your mother had had twins that you were going to take down The Order. I was going to decline the offer to join, until I got that call. I wanted to be able to help you, and what better way to do that than to have my hand in The Order? Also, I've seen firsthand the terrible things they are willing to do. At least with a position with them, I had a chance to stop the corruption or at least warn the people that they were coming after." I nodded along with him as he spoke. I could see what he meant. I wanted to ask him more, but I didn't want him to feel like I was grilling him. He must have noticed my hesitation. "Surely you have more questions than that?" He prompted me.

I laughed a little under my breath. "Well, yeah." I agreed. "I have a ton, but I don't really know where to even begin. I mean, I did just find out all of this."

"I'm sure it is very overwhelming."

"Understatement of the year." I joked. He smiled and I couldn't help noticing how much he looked like Stephen when he did. That thought made me happy. My next thought, though, made me sad. "So, um, how did Derrek end up in all of this?"

"Like I told you, I was friends with his father." He replied. "I knew him very well, and when he died a few years ago I promised I would look out for his son. His mother is in and out of rehabs and is basically never around. He is an outstanding young man for having dealt with all that he has. When I found out you were coming here I asked him to look after you, and to make sure you were safe."