Willow's Legend - Original Version

Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

        Chris literally got up in surprise, and Michael raised both his eyebrows at her. Chelsea looked at her shock and Alicia with hatred.

                "Your...father?" Cirestain sputtered, Willow could tell he was trying his best to not make her uncomfortable, it wasn’t working, though.

                "Yes." Willow replied. "But, um, he and my mom are no longer together."

                "I can sure guess why." Michael said. "Was your mom married to him? What about your dad, Rick or something?"

                Willow looked over at him. "You know my step-father's name?”

                "You’re our assignment," he replied, completely unashamed. “Of course we heard your name.”

                Willow shook her head. "You said 'I can guess why', why did my mom leave him?" Her mother had never spoken of anything bad of her father, they never spoke of him, really. For him to be involved in something as big as this, as the UnderWorld, it was impossible!

                Cirestain looked at her, and Willow knew then that it was all very well possible, that Machire was part of this story, whether she liked it or not. "Have you had any dealings with your father, Ms. Glasspiers?" Cirestain asked, his gentleness absolutely gone.

                "No. My mom won't let me near him." Willow lied. It was only partly a lie, yes her mother did not want Willow near him, but no, that did not stop them. For some reason, she felt immediate distrust of these people. They all obviously hated Machire, she could tell by the way they all seemed to be leaning away in disgust. Except for Michael, who seemed completely fine that Machire was her father, maybe she could trust him… "Why? What does Machire have to do with any of this? Does he know about the UnderWorld? Does my mom know he’s in all of this?"

                “Cirestain,” Chris said, observing Willow with wide, cautious eyes. “Why do I have a feeling that her mom knows about the UnderWorld?”

                "Chris that would be absurd. If she knew about this place she wouldn't have named her daughter Willow." Alicia replied. "Nobody wants their child's fate-"

                "Alicia, shut up." Chelsea said calmly, obviously trying to get Alicia quiet without making it obvious.

                Willow scanned all the faces, desperately looking for some kind of sign of what was going on. "Someone please explain to me what's going on?"

                "Yes, about Machire," Cirestain cleared his throat, seeming very uneasy around Willow. "He caught a Ganash and tortured him for information."

                Willow gulped. Trying not to let her thoughts wander too much. She knew her fears and disbeliefs were obvious to the group.

                "Don't be upset-" Chelsea started.

                "Don't be upset? You're telling me my father is a torturer, and you're telling me not to be upset?" Her tone came a lot harsher than what she intended it to be. It was so odd, so unlike her to lose her temper like that. She was usually an outwardly calm person, but, in her defense, this was a lot to take in.

                "Would you like me to stop?" Cirestain asked.

                "No, keep going. Please." Willow said, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. Not hearing these things could just make the situation worse. She needed to bear through them. Questions and regards were spinning around her head and she felt like she needed to lay down.