Hunter

Chapter 7

         Two days left before the full moon. I observed Arthur with anxiety. He had been struggling in his sleep and waking up covered in sweat for a week. But he kept silent. All my research about children born from werewolf parents showed no similarity to Arthur's case. Most of the kids had been killed at their birth and the rare ones who had survived turned every full moon, starting from their first year of existence. I had begun to wonder if that woman could have had adopted Arthur as well. I soon abandonned the idea. Arthur's nocturnal reactions proved it was not the case. I did not know why, but his body was rejecting the transformation.

That day, it was around 3pm when someone knocked on the door. We were in the living room. Arthur was playing with his sister while I took care of paperwork. I got up and walked to the door. Henri was on the front steps. All my fears regarding Arthur's body rejecting the turn vanished while those about his portrait discovered a few days before, resurfaced.

I invited him in. He looked falsy indifferent. I could feel he was hiding something from me. When we arrived to the living room, his eyes met Arthur and his gaze darkened and became colder.

"I need to talk to you" he said coldly. "In private."

Anxious, I asked Arthur to leave the room with his sister with a motion of my hand. He left and disappeared in the laundry room, right in the corner of the dining room which was itself next to the living room, and closed the door behind him and his sister.

Henri sat down in an armchair in front of me. Time went by for a long moment before he started to talk.

"I won't lie to you, I came here to talk about your son."

Thus, my apprehension was justified. I did not answer and pretended not to understand.

"I don't know what you're hiding about him, but..."

"What makes you think I'm hiding something?" I answered without letting him finish.

His look became prickly. My haste had just confirmed his doubts.

"The portrait. This damn portrait we found in the blood sucker's pocket. Your kid's portrait in there can't be random. That look-alike thing, I don't buy it. You've gotta be hiding something! What do you have to answer to that?"

Unfortunately, nothing. I was mute. I did not know what to do. I had enough fears to kill, I did not need Henri to stick his nose in my business.

I was about to answer but he spoke first.

"Don't worry. If you are hiding something... I'll find out what."

He got up from his seat and left without another word. I sighed heavily rubbing my face with my two hands, I let myself go into the sofa on which I was sitting.

The next days and weeks were to be complicated...

** When I had left the living room with Agate in my arms, I could feel the eyes of my dad's colleague weight on me. What is more, dad seemed wary and more than uncomfortable. I did not trust that guy at all... Henri I think.

I had put down Agate on the floor and opened the door ajar before sitting beside it, alongside the wall. For a long time, no words were spoken. Then the discussion started.

"I won't lie to you, I came here to talk about your son. I don't know what you're hiding about him, but..."

"What makes you think I'm hiding something?"

Dad had answered too quickly. Something was wrong. It looked like he was trying to exonerate himself. I waited.

"The portrait. This damn portrait we found in the blood sucker's pocket. Your kid's portrait in there can't be random. That look-alike thing, I don't buy it. You've gotta be hiding something! What do you have to answer to that?"

My blood froze. They were talking about the vampire who had bitten my father, I was sure of it, but... My portrait? Found in his pocket? What the hell! Why?

Like Henri, I waited for my father's answer. I needed to know more. However, that answer never came.

"Don't worry. If you are hiding something... I'll find out what."

All of this was bad... very bad... The man left the house. I closed the door. I needed to find out what was going on. Especially as I was in the middle of it all.

**