Blue Moon~ Blackwater Series 3

Chapter Five

Kaliska

Walking into the house she'd grew up in, Kaliska pondered how long it been since she'd been through these doors. Distance was the weapon, prolonging Kaliska from accepting her adoptive parents mistakes. She wanted to let go, but there new set of lies only added to the agitation she'd been feeling for the last several months. At least with her adoptive mom she had no problem making Kaliska feel confined. Kaliska new what to expect from her mom. But her father. He kept the image of dutiful and honest father of the year. They didn't respect her new life; or the part of her, they wanted to mute away.

Family pictures hung on walls. Her old home held a cinnamon scent, as if that was the last thing her mom was cooking before deciding to face a half vampire, half fae. Kaliska scowled at the thought.

"Do not lose hope," Maia said, stepping in behind.

"I'm not," Kaliska growled more to herself than her mate.

Maia reached out, grabbing Kaliska's wrist. "Hey. I'm not talking about getting your mom. We will get her back. I'm talking about you having a healthy relationship with your adoptive parents."

Kaliska blushed at how easily Maia knew what was most on her mind at the present time. Nodding, Kaliska continued through the house. Going down the hall, Kaliska knew any information her father had would be in his office. His office was on the left end of the hall that further opened toward the living room. Kaliska walked in, immediately being flooded with memories of her childhood. She loved coming in here and having her small desk beside his. He'd tell her stories and she'd fall asleep in her little chair. So much good memories until she got older. Until something inside her began to change.

  "He usually puts his important paperwork inside his top locked drawer." Kaliska went around his desk. It was locked as expected. Thinking of where he still put his key, Kaliska went to bookshelf behind the door. Maia and Zara walked further into office. The book shelf was five feet tall. Kaliska went to the second roll of the top shelf, grabbing a business encyclopedia. It was her father's favorite book to read. Opening carefully, a key slipped into the palm of her hand.

   "You know your father's office quite well," Zara acknowledged. It told her, Kaliska and Frank once held a close bond that had been disrupted. Zara didn't want her daughter to lose the light she once had for the man who raised her. "I did...for mines."

   "What happened?" Kaliska was curious to Zara's experience with her own father. A grandfather she'd never meet. Maybe learning would help her with her adoptive father without losing their relationship.

   Zara smiled, watching Kaliska open the top drawer. "He found out that I was in love with a vampire. Wasn't apart of his plans for me."

  "He knew?" Maia asked, learning this for the first time.

Kaliska sighed through the some roll of papers. "Of course he knew. That's the thing. Parents always know." Kaliska shifted a glance to Zara, giving her a knowing smile. "Like you knew that I'd been having dreams of Cynthia this entire time."

   Zara pursed her lips. "I knew she was sending you dreams. More like, suspected. But like I said. I felt I had no right to ask for the truth."

   Kaliska's eyes softened to Zara, she wanted to stop looking at Zara with cautious eyes. "You have a right. I know that now." Holding papers up, Kaliska wanted to get back on topic. "It's not here."

   "We can call him." Maia pulled out her phone.

   "No," Kaliska said. "It's in here." She looked around and narrowed her eyes. "He knew I could access his drawer. He wouldn't put information about me in this drawer or anywhere for me to easily find." Kaliska went to the walls, feeling for some sign of a secret opening. Her father wasn't high tech. But, there had to be some place he could hide it. She'd relied on old memories catching her father next to his plaques on the wall. Looking around they all seemed to search. Kaliska looked to the old computer her father kept. He said he got it in his early twenties as a gift. She went and pressed the button to turn it on. The computer sat quiet beside her father's desk.

   Kneeling down, she began to play with it, bobbing it left to right. It was not heavy like a typical computer. Narrowing eyes, Kaliska shifted the computer around, now at its backside. There was an latch. "Wow. Of course he would hide shit in here."

   "I guess, he figured no one would care to touch that computer." Maia inputted.

   Not caring to find his keys to unlock the small latch, she ripped it open. Tossing the latch on the floor, she pulled out a stack of papers. Taking a seat in her father's cushioned chair. She took a moment to digest what she found. The possibility of learning something new that he'd kept from her was terrifying. Kaliska didn't want to be angry with her adoptive parents.

There were notes as if he'd been doing research. Notes on werewolves and supernatural. Kaliska flipped through the pages. There was more on born werewolves and the stages of growth. Pictured were placed in between his scribbled notes.

Maia walked to Kaliska's backside staring down over her shoulder. She pressed her index finger into the corner end. It read "Kaliska's Supernatural transformation."

Shutting her eyes, Kaliska wondered if she could still read this.

Knowing her limit, Kaliska bundles all the notes that seemed personally about her and handed it to Maia. The thought of being looked at like a scientist studying its subject from her adoptive parents soaked tears at the base of her eyelids. She couldn't think so negatively. Her father had been thrown into a world without warning. They could have easily gave her up and turned their backs. He'd only been trying to understand. Same as what Kaliska been doing for the last several months. It still gave him no excuse to continue to lie to me.

Maia read over the papers and Kaliska focused back to a roll of new papers. This time it was a spreadsheet of every purchase of med and counseling sessions he'd paid for. There was no memory of ever having a counselor session but Kaliska supposed that was Cythnia taking her out.

Reading further, his writing was in and out of structure. He used less high grammatical words and shorter sentences.

"Wait. Read that," Zara said, pointing to the lower end of paper. By the Look of it alone, it seems as if her father pressed the pen down hard against the paper. The words 'we must guide Kaliska to the right future. From them.'

Kaliska paused. The words seems scripted and left without emotion. Kaliska would like to believe her father did not see her as a business transaction. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm not just thinking. I'm pointing out, the start of his notes and the middle..." Zara let Kaliska continue to flip through more pages... "and seems ending is written differently."

She was right. The more Kaliska read over his notes, it appeared to be more scribbled and indecisive to what he wanted to write. "Then...what are you suggesting?"

"He was compelled," Maia clarified.

Putting the papers on the desk, Kaliska leaned into the chair considering. No matter how hard she tried, Kaliska couldn't find a memory that would help her know what to believe. Could it be possible that her father had been compelled? Was he still under the influence? Kaliska knew it was possible. Her eyes hardened. "We have to get back." Kaliska stood abruptly. The look in her eyes was grim and dis-pleasuring to see.

At that same moment, Zara eyes widen with a snarl. She was out of the office with no point to speaking along with Kaliska and Maia.