T'was Arranged

♆Adscessio♆

"Say it, you should say it. 'Cause I'd say I was wrong just to make it fill all the spaces." ~ Honest, The Neighbourhood

Adscessio

"It's been weeks," Cameron sighed, throwing another useless diary to the floor. "Either we can't read or Fredrick lied to you about your parents."

I groaned and banged my head on the wooden board behind me.

I didn't want to believe him, but he was right. It'd been what? Nearly two weeks from day one of trying to find answers in my father's writing? After the first diary was found, countless more showed up. So far, all we got were pointless anecdotes about his days in the palace, starting from the age of twenty to the end. Considering witches age slower than mortals, there was more than plenty if them we had to skim through. Not one of them have mentioned anything bad concerning me or my brother.

Cameron gave me a grim look from his spot at the edge of my bed. Peering his eyes to the spot next to me, he silently asked to join me. I nodded and scooted over to make room for him.

"I hate to say this," he started after getting situated.

I closed my eyes. "Then don't."

"Maybe this is a dead end."

We were silent for a while. Cameron reached over for my hand, and laced his fingers through mine. I pressed my palm against his, needing and accepting the comfort.

He continued, "We'll come up with something else, I promise." He put a thumb behind my chin, forcing me to look at him. "I promise. I don't know why this is so important to you, but I just wanted to let you know, I'm here 'til the end. Got it?"

Butterflies erupted in my stomach. I whispered, "Yeah, yeah. I got it."

And just like that we went back to skimming.

March 8, 2000, I read in my father's messy hand writing.

It's been a year and she's already changing. There are moments when I see the new power trying to break free and claim her for itself. Just yesterday it lead her astray to do unnatural things. Gwen has been distant and cold to the poor child, claiming I destroyed our daughter-

I straightened up in my seat. I slapped Cameron on the shoulder to drag his attention to my diary.

"I think I found something," I exclaimed, repeating the exact line where I was finally mentioned. My heart skipped at beat my dad's choice of words. What does he mean 'destroyed our daughter'?

Cameron quickly dropped his own, and took a glance at mine. He went straight from where I left off, awe and excitement coating his words. "'I've tried to explain to her again and again that the Sage she gave birth to is still here. That the decision we made was to protect her. Gwen is having a hard time believing me, though. Especially after yesterday,'" he finished, trailing off. "And it just stops there. What do you suppose that means?"

He leaned away from the parchment to watch my reaction.

I shook my head. "I have no idea. This is the first time he's mentioned me since my birth in the 1995 journal." Which now that I think about is kind of strange...

What happened to me in those five years?

The farther I travelled into the mind of my father, the farther my hopes sunk. I never realized how secretive Dad was until I was delving into his private works. He coded his entries so well, I couldn't tell what meant what. When we first started reading the diaries all I wanted to do was not read them. Before my father died and tried to take me down with him, he and I had a close relationship. I loved him, and staring at his familiar handwriting for weeks was doing nothing for my mental stability.