Seer: The Blessed Child

Shattered

Kael paced the bedroom floor back and forth, wringing his hands. He had paced so much, the thread on the floor carpet loosened from his track marks. Something went wrong.

He picked up his phone from off his bed and dialed Sachi's number. It went straight to voicemail. The phone clenched in his hand; he grabbed his car remote from off his dresser with his free hand, exited his room, and sprinted down the steps.

Before he could head out the door, his mother called after him. "Where are you going?"

He stopped; impatiently running his fingers through his hair. "I-I need some air."

She sighed. "Son, I know that what you learned last night was overwhelming. Just please don't shut me out. I'm here for you if you want to talk—"

"That's not it, Mom," he snapped instantly regretting his harsh tone. "It's something else, he said, his tone gentler. 

"Kael," she pleaded. 

"I need to go," he said. He headed out the door without looking back and ran to his car.

Being idle while Sachi was possibly in danger was driving him up the wall. He needed to get out for his own sanity. Starting the engine, he backed out roughly and drove off; the tires screeching in its wake.

"McCoy-San," Wolf heard while staring at the text message he received from his goddaughter in puzzlement. "Veterans Memorial Bridge?" 

"McCoy-San," Nozomi said raising her usually soft-spoken voice.

He looked up in surprise. 

"Sachi," she said on the verge of tears. "She's in danger."    

Wolf froze, spooked by her words.  "Inoue," he said hoarsely, "Seer is on her way home from school. She's not in any danger I can assure you."

"Listen to me!" Nozomi said, her outburst shocking him. "My daughter is in trouble. The last time I felt this way was the day that she grabbed a live wire at the playground when she was eight years old. I felt it this morning. My daughter is in danger. Call it superstition. Just find her! Please, McCoy-San."

Wolf rose to his feet and rushed over to the distraught woman. Tears streamed down her face and bridge of her nose, seeping into her lips. 

"Inoue," he said awkwardly trying to comfort the weeping woman. He heard an engine shutting off in the driveway.

Stepping cautiously to the bay window, he peeked through the curtain; his hand instinctively near his gun holster. Lars, dressed in his work uniform, had stepped out of the rental car. He opened the screen door before Lars grabbed the handle.

"Whoa," the man said jovially, "Happy to see me, Wolf?" 

The officer stared downcast. The words he needed to say stuck in his throat. "Something's happened," he said.

His smile fading, Lars pushed his way past the officer. "Tell me what happened," he said as Nozomi ran into his arms. "Sachi," she said through tears.  "She's in trouble."

His eyes widening, Lars looked over at Wolf for any reassurances. Unable to look him in the eye, Wolf looked away. He'd let them down; not only as a godfather but as an officer. If his goddaughter is in trouble, he had already lost valuable time.

He lifted his eyes, facing the distressed couple, a promise on his lips. "I'll find her. Trust me on that," he said.

Grabbing his shoes from off the mat, he slipped them on, muttered a feeble, "I'll call you when I know something," and exited out the door to his Mustang.

Seated, he dialed his goddaughter's number. It went to voicemail. He pounded his fist against the steering wheel. "Damn it."

His hand aching, he ignored it.  He buckled his seatbelt and fired up the engine. There was one person he knew who could give him an explanation of what happened. On his GPS, he set the destination for Rocky River.

Kael turned down the winding road towards the Big Creek Reservation to the picnic area where he and Sachi confessed their mutual love and where he gave her a promise ring only weeks ago. I shouldn't have let her go alone he thought. He parked his car and shifted the gear into park, the engine still running.

It didn't matter what he should've done. The reality was that whatever happened, her plan to get information from Chad, his possible brother, went awry.

His stomach twisted in knots with the thought she could be somewhere hurt or worse. He couldn't imagine life without Sachi in it as clichéd as it sounded. She was too important to him. He wanted a future with her. She meant everything to him. She was his support and anchor throughout everything that he faced.

Just last night, she was there by his side as he confronted his parents about his adoption. 

His mother held out the manila folder for him to take with trembling arms.

After a moment of hesitation, he reluctantly took it. It felt heavy in his hand like a weight. He glanced down at the folder; this simple, plain, folded, sheet that has been his bane since he learned of it.

Swallowing the bile rising in his throat, he opened it.

On a sepia-colored birth certificate with tattered edges, he saw a name etched in faded black ink. Lourdes Morgan. This name, so foreign to him, was of the woman who gave birth to him. She was a stranger. He didn't know how to feel. Knowing his biological mother's name made him feel... numb.

His legs buckled underneath him. He collapsed to the floor. A strangled scream broke free from his lips as he wailed, the emotional weight crushing him.

His parents huddled over him both crying while whispering words of encouragement. They held on to each other until his emotions calmed and the tightness in his throat relaxed.

A quiet sob sent a shudder through his body. 

Looking up at Sachi through tear-streaked eyelashes, he saw her standing nearby, teardrops rolling down her cheeks. He reached out to her. She took his hand and held on tight, their eyes locked on each other with understanding.

She was there for him in his darkest hour. He needed to be there for her. He had taken her constant presence in his life for granted. He wished for the opportunity to have her back and to cherish her. 

His phone rang. He retrieved his phone from his pocket, checked the id, and answered. "Yeah, mom. He is?" He took a deep breath. "I'm on my way."

Before he could find his girlfriend, he had to survive her godfather first. The officer surely was livid. Kael imagined facing him being akin to facing a pit bull. He didn't expect the officer to go easy on him.

Time seemed to slow down as he drove home; navigating his way through the afternoon gridlock of rush hour traffic.

Driving by the large residential houses that he likened to huge mansions in his childhood adventures of magical kingdoms complete with fairies, unicorns, and wizards, he pulled up alongside the officer's Mustang parked in the driveway of his colonial home.

The front door opened as the officer stepped out, his face twisted in a scowl.

Standing by the door, his mother mouthed a worried, "Are you okay?" 

Nodding, Kael shut off the engine, stepped out of the car, and braced himself for the officer's wrath. 

"Okay kid spill," Wolf demanded. Here goes nothing Kael thought.

Her heart pounding as she faced the shadowy presence in the darkness, Sachi knew she only had seconds to do something. Her phone on night mode, she pressed the flashlight button with her thumb and flashed it onto her tormentor's face.

Caught off guard, the man winced against the brightness and shielded his eyes. 

"So it's true," she said, the glare in her eyes matching the anger in her voice. "It was you all along."