Mind of War (On Hold)

Give Your All

Song had stayed in her room for hours, as Creed paced in the living room downstairs. He was really nervous about formally meeting Mr. Valor. What will he think of me, he knows that I'm from the SSS, the same organization that he lost his wife to. How will he feel about me staying here? Or using his wife's amulet? Or even about me and Song? These were the questions that chaotically navigated in his mind. Due to his life as a loner, Creed had never been so desperate for someone to accept him.

There was a sudden rustling at the door, that made Creed's heart pound. Just then he heard a thud, looking over to the stairs from which the sound came, Song had jumped down and walked towards the door.

Looking Creed in the eyes she said, "Relax, I promise there's nothing for you to worry about."

Just then, the door opened. "Good evening, Song." Mr. Valor had not looked up to see Creed yet.

"Good evening," Song replied, she moved out of the way so her father could clearly see Creed.

"Be confident," Creed told himself. "Good evening, Mr. Valor."

His amber eyes locked with Creed's brown ones as he walked towards him. "You've never made yourself a guest before, so I'm sensing that you're here because you need something or you want something, which one is it?" Mr. Valor asked as he slowly walked towards him.

Creed never realized how strong Mr. Valor was. His voice was smooth and deep, he was very tall with well muscled shoulders. And his gaze could pierce through you like a blade. Creed took a deep breath before answering, "Maybe a bit of both. The SSS sent me on a mission that I failed, they think that I'm dead and for now that is the best thing. I can't stay with Onyx because he and his sister are high profile due to their parents being the Guardians of the Gate. I have nowhere to go. So, I guess I'm saying that I want a place to stay and, most importantly, I want your trust. I want to prove to you that you can trust me and that Song is safe when she's with me."

Mr. Valor looked Creed in his eyes and he remembered Creed's father, Chad. Both tall with light brown eyes, and a serious expression. This boy definitely favored his father. He had never met his mother, the word was that she had passed in childbirth. He tried to think how this boy's childhood was, living in the tunnels with few friends without a mother's touch to guide him.

Mr. Valor sighed, "I'm going to meet you halfway. You can stay here, but your area is the living room. I don't know you to trust you with the most precious thing in my life, my daughter, but I'm not saying that we can't work on that. Show me what kind of man you are and then you can have my trust and hopefully I can have yours." Creed extended his hand and Mr. Valor accepted, they shook. Song was by the door the entire time, smiled lightly.

"We are going to start working on dinner so settle in and wash up." Mr. Valor instructed.

Creed nodded and began moving his things around. Song and her father walked in the kitchen and began working on some dinner.

"Song, I started on some chili after you went to bed last night, we can finish cooking that with the rolls from yesterday. How does that sound?" Her father asked.

"Tasty!"

Song waited until she heard Creed go in the downstairs bathroom to wash up before approaching her father about her mother's amulet.

"Dad, I need to ask you something."

"I knew something was on your mind, go ahead." He replied as he tied a black apron around his waist.

"I feel like I'm coming close to devising a plan to defeat the Shadows. I recently learned about the important effect that our amulets and spiritual energy can have on the Gate. In learning this, I realize that if you feed the Gate spiritual energy, it will give it the strength to close. The only people alive that can do this is the Guardians, who are not here right now... I have mother's amulet, it's still glowing. It's presence is so strange, almost as if she is here with me. As I grew older, the memories of her got fuzzier and fuzzier, until I could barely remember what her face looked like, barely remember what her voice sounded like. But now, with the amulet, I can feel and remember her like never before. If I were to offer the last of her, I don't know if I'm strong enough to accept losing her all over again." Song sobbed and clutched her father's chest desperately trying to absorb the strength from his muscular body.