Fighter

Chapter Four

I turned around, towards the noise, and saw a tall blonde man leaning against the tree. He was clapping his hands and smirking proudly at me. I raised my eyebrows and tried to get a closer look. The sun was streaming in my eyes and I couldn't make out his features. Then he spoke, making me jump. 

"Hello"

"Er..Hi...?" I replied unsure.

"You've got quite a bit of fire in you for a 16 year old, you remind me of someone I used to know. What's your name?"

"Who's asking" I replied sceptically. 

"Call me...an old friend?" 

"But I've never seen or heard you before, I still don't know you're name!" I cried

"Tell me your own and you shall know of mine for I sense the energy inside you is too great to waste"

"My name is Jessica Taylor, and what the hell are you on about!"

Almost as soon as I'd said my name the man gasped and stepped back a little. 

"That's impossible!" choked the man "Jessica Taylor is dead! She has been for 11years!"

"What!" I shouted, "Obviously, she's not I'm standing right here! How do you even know Jessica Taylor, how do you even know me!!?" 

"I...I...Jessica, my name is Dr.Taylor. I'm your dad."

I sat down on grass, the air had gone from my chest and I felt a headache coming on. Dr.Taylor walked towards me and knelt down so he was eye level with me. He placed his hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes. 

"Is it really you?"

I studied Dr.Taylor's face. There were wrinkle lines and a scar down the left side of his face and a burn on his neck tighten his skin but the man kneeling in front of me was most definitely the man from my visions. Dr.Taylor was my father. I reached up and put my arms around him. He responded instantly and pulled me into a hug. He was cold but the hug was homely. It was the most at peace I'd felt in a while. I pulled out and stared at him hard. 

"Why did you think I was dead?"

My father sighed. He sat down next to me and began to tell a story. 

"Once, I was in love with a women, In fact no, I still am in love with a women, but she lost my trust. We had a baby girl, you, and because of what she was I forbid her to test you..."

"Test me!?" I cut in

"Yes, to see if you could do magic. I didn't want you to find out until the time was right or that you were old enough to  understand, but she ignored my pleas anyway. She took you to a priestess. She performed the ceremony and you turned, it broke you're poor little body into a hundred pieces. You had major internal bleeding and I feared the worse when you weren't breathing. But then you woke up. Your eyes bright red and your grip and power stronger then my own. It was the first step in a long line of disagreements. Most of the rest were minor, but there was one I just couldn't let go.  Your mother took you to my old Secret Circle and they tried to unlock your powers. The circle only contained 5 after I un-binded myself. Your mother made a deal with them saying if she completed their circle they would make you a fully bred Salem Druid. I didn't want that life for you! So I intervened before she took you. I stopped her and for some reason you stopped her too. You refused to show her any affection and she left. It wasn't the end of her though, she came back, she set the house alight. I tried to get you out but a rafter fell. I was knocked un-conscious and they only pulled me out of the wreckage. I thought you were dead but it seems I was wrong."

My father looked down at his hands and a single tear slid down his face. I leaned against him, it seemed to give him comfort as he slid his arm around me and drew me into his side.  I rested my head in the crook of his neck and closed my eyes listening to the sound of his breathing, I fell into the same pattern and started to drift off. The net thing I knew, I was in my bed.