Colour Me Red

Chapter 24: Dune

Chapter 24: Dune

I spent the next few days training Ellie, hard. I needed her to be prepared; to run, to fight, to kill. But firstly, I needed her to be in excellent physical shape before we started combat. If she isn't fit enough to keep up with me then there's a chance I could hurt her without meaning to, and even though any visible wounds would heal I did not want to be held responsible for injuring my own girlfriend (if I could even call her that).

I woke up that morning with a banging in my head so I made my way into the kitchen in search of aspirin, leaving Ellie fast asleep in our bed. Although it was only five in the morning, Marc was already up, tapping away at his computer with a mug of coffee in his hand.

"Hey Dune," he droned tiredly.

"Hey," I replied suspiciously. "Have you been up all night?"

Marc's head bobbed on his shoulders but his eyes stayed fixed to his computer screen.

"Your father called." My eyebrows shot up. "He wants to see you." If I'd been holding anything in my hands at this point it would've spiralled to the ground like an out of control plane. Alarm rushed through me as I considered all the possibilities as to why he would want to see me.

Marc continued talking at me but I wasn't really listening.

"I've been tracking him down all night; I tell you, he is no easy man to find. But I've finally got an address. He wouldn't tell me where they were of course; he only allowed me a short phone conversation to track his whereabouts."

I only picked up on one word, and it was 'they'.

"You mean they're all there?" I blurted, circling Marc like a vulture to get a good look at his computer screen. On it was an intricate map with an obvious pinpointed location with an address across the top. I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and scribbled it down before grabbing my jacket and a bagel.

"Look after Ellie and Felix for me, I'll be back soon," I said, tossing Marc an appreciative glance before heading out of the door and jumping into my car. It'd been 3 years since I'd last seen my family, and I was just about ready to see them again.

*

I pulled up on the curb outside of your typical, perfect house (with a picket fence and all) and swung out of my car, locking it in the process. I ran a hand through my hair with the hope that I looked presentable and stepped into the porch, ringing the doorbell after several seconds of hyperventilation. I couldn't help it; I was nervous.

I heard the shuffle of feet on the other side of the door and took a deep breath, preparing myself for the worst, what if Marc got the wrong place?

But when the door swung open and my 9-year-old sister squealed in delight, all my worry was erased, even though I was surprised she'd remembered me.

"Dune!" she exclaimed, throwing herself into my arms.

I laughed heartily and squeezed her tightly, holding her small frame to my chest as I crouched down to her level.

"Look at you," I teased. "You're all grown up." She giggled and pulled back to look at me, taking in my rugged face and messy hair. I took the time to notice the way her dark hair was cut into a bob, framing her soft features nicely. Her honey-brown eyes smiled back at me and I couldn't restrain the grin that stretched across my features.

"Viola, who's that at the door?" I heard my mother's voice call, before she stepped into the hallway and saw me in the porch. I rose from my crouch and smiled warmly at the woman who raised me. Her hair was the same light brown colour it had always been, although it was a little longer now and tied back into a low ponytail. Her green eyes locked with mine and memories of my childhood rushed me like an oncoming vehicle.