It was a good turnout for the Captain's funeral, generously financed by his military contacts. Most of the faces there were strangers to the Intern, but he thought the event was fitting, proper. His face was grave, pale and unforgiving but dry-eyed; his tears had all been used up in his childhood. The man who'd given him so much, who had even saved his mother, had been taken from him. He must avenge Sir Henry and prove his respect for the Captain's faith and life's work. Bitterness and acrimony twisted his damaged mind.
As the final blow came down on his uncle, the last of his humanity had been killed. His hatred estranged him from the distraught family, all weeping at the loss of their hero. As the funeral led to the wake, his coldness kept him distant. Sir Henry's lawyer approached.
"Sir, you must come to my office in the morning."
The Intern stayed silent, staring at the man.
"Dear boy, don't you know? You are the sole beneficiary of Sir Henry's estate!"
The Intern's face registered no emotion.
"First you must follow these instructions. They were written for you."
The lawyer passed him a sealed card and disappeared.
The Intern opened the card slowly and read. It was an address, accompanied by no directions or any sign of instructions.
***
Thame didn't know if he'd made the right decision; after all, travelling was expensive. His resignation was received without comment; the directors too busy with the fallout following the breakdown of the company's sale. Now it was just him, a bag and an open mind. Although in part he was running away, Thame felt buoyant with his lack of direction. No pressure, no demands and, finally, no ancient beast hunting him down. He found solace in not knowing what life would bring, in the absence of 'fate' – and the unpredictability of what would happen now that he'd fully embraced his power.
A two-day old email from Isabella in hand, he headed to the airport, happily flying into the unknown.
***
Abigail felt incredibly nauseous again. For the third day running she'd been sick. Her breasts slightly sore, she suspected the worst and met her friend Tracey to buy a home pregnancy test. They both headed to Abigail's house.
"You know, however you think they'll react, they love you. Quicker you do it, easier it will be."
"They'll be so disappointed in me," Abigail replied, chugging a pint of fruit juice. "That's the worst bit, I've let them down."
"Your mom's great. Anyway, it won't be an issue." Tracey said, handing her the test, confident Abigail was just being a drama queen. Her best friend disappeared into the bathroom.
After some silence, Tracey knocked on the door. "Hey sugar, you okay?"
No answer.
"I'm coming in." Tracey opened the door and found Abigail staring down at the test, dumbfounded.
"I'm pregnant." She said, tears filling her eyes.
***
Under the room's grand arch, Isabella looked out onto forested hills blanketed by the crisp, chilly night: the eerie silence making it more magical and spooky. In the distance a storm was closing in and almost ready to break; a tempest that made even the wolves hide and cry. The rains readied themselves, pushed towards the lake by the wind's steady hand. In her light dress, a breeze whipped across her skin, giving her goose bumps. A shiver darted up her spine.
YOU ARE READING
The Illumination
Fantasy*WATTYS2018 Longlisted* He saw a pair of eyes, his eyes. But they were elongated, angled and a deep, angry red... Thame is, on the surface, an average guy. Suffocated by the politics of his city job and his increasingly complicated love life, he se...
