Cursed Fables - Generation Three - Chapter Twenty Seven
And welcome…to another chapter of Cursed Fables…I don’t think the gap between them is….as big as it used to be? That’s good right?
Long story short, I’m trying to learn how to put contact lenses in, and take them out of course. So far…I’m doing okay, but I’m not confident enough to be allowed to use them. And every Saturday I go to have…’lessons’ I guess? And by the end of it, my eyes are sore so..progress is slow.
BUT I’M OBVIOSULY STILL GETTING STUFF OUT XD Next chap is teen years…I promise XD
“Calen, there is someone who is desperate to meet you!”
My mother had called from the hallway when they had arrived. While Dad drove my Mum to one of the medical centres run by the Council for all Supernaturals, Stefan, Sky and Alex had offered to stay at our place and look after me. I’d enjoyed spending time with Alex, we played a few board games, we competed to see who could build the highest tower…I had pictured doing these sorts of activities with my young sibling.
I’d all but bolted from the floor in my room and took the stairs two at a time to greet them all. To meet my sibling. We would be able to do so much together…I’d never have to be alone anymore. We could overcome whatever curse had been placed upon us together…
But I’d halted in place the moment I saw the colour of his eyes. An immediate sense of…betrayal almost coursed through me.
Why me? Why did I have to hold this curse?
I didn’t approach him, not even when Mum beckoned me over to look. I could only stay frozen in place with a look of disgust on my face. I didn’t know all that much about the curse. But a curse can never be a good thing. And ever since it manifested, Duncan hasn’t been the same. He’d randomly stop talking midsentence, or purposely turn his back to me.
I knew he didn’t trust me like he once did. How long until Dana began acting the same? Why did it have to be me?
“WHY? Why is it only me that has to suffer with these eyes! I never asked for them. Why does he get to be normal?” I cried to the pair of them. At that moment he began to cry. While Mum tried to soothe the baby, Dad crouched in front of me.
“Calen….Calen listen to me,” My father urged, gripping both of my hands and repeatedly asking me to look him in the eyes. Which in a way was insulting considering the situation. Yet I did so, because I always listened to my parents. “You don’t ever need to be ashamed of your eyes. Or what they do. Okay? One day we’ll be able to explain everything to you, but until that day…you don’t need to worry. You’re just a boy-“
“A boy that forces the truth from his friends!” I interrupted sharply, my vision swam as tears pooled in my eyes. “Duncan already hates me…he fears me. Soon everyone will…even you..”
That was the ultimate fear. That I’d use this power of mine to hurt those I loved. If I made my family and friends hate me…if I made them cry…I’d never forgive myself.
Dad pulled me into a fierce hug. “I’d never fear you. You’re my precious son. You have no idea how much you mean to me Kiddo. You don’t need to worry about hurting people because you never would. You are a good person. Turn your ‘curse’ into something amazing.”
Once I stop sobbing he slowly lets go of one of my wrists and I wipe hastily at my tears. It was hardly the first time my parents had offered reassurance on this, but never had Dad and I spoken about it on this level. Never had I so strongly believed that my personality was stronger than my eyes.
“I’m sorry for yelling at you both.” I whispered as I continued to dry my tears. Dad still smiled reassuringly and Mum looked worried as she held onto a squirming baby in her arms. That baby was my brother. And cursed or not, that was not going to change. Big brothers were meant to scare the monsters away, protect their siblings when they were hurt. That’s what Dylan said, and although I was certain the ‘chasing boys away’ thing didn’t apply, I knew I would have to be there for mine.
“It’s okay Calen…you can talk to us about anything at any time. You know that right?” My mother asked me gently while biting down on her lip, a gesture I knew meant she was thinking things over. She probably didn’t know how to best respond to me while holding my brother.
Just in case, I smile back at her. “I’ll remember that now…can I see him?” I asked hesitantly.
My mother returned my smile. “Of course you can Sweetie. Just allow me to get him settled and then you can see him properly. Sound good?”
I had paced my room back and forth for the next half hour or so. My mind raced back and forth about whether I was excited for this or not. Whether I was still bitter or jealous. I tried to reassure myself that I shouldn’t just be able to accept this so suddenly. It would be a big adjustment for all of us, a new life was now apart of our family. One that couldn’t defend itself.
Sure I hadn’t been trained in any self defence or anything remotely similar yet…but I could run. I could think on my feet, I had survival instincts. But the baby in the room down the hall didn’t. Someone would need to protect him from harm. And as much as I believed my parents could do so. I too wanted to be apart of that. No one would be harmed because of me. Ever.
Dad tapped on my door suddenly, causing me to jump. He told me that my brother had calmed down and was settled and that my mother wanted her two precious sons to meet. I nodded, taking the hand that he offered me as he lead me into the nursery. I had helped Dad paint and decorate it a few months ago. I’d liked the ‘normal’ feel of it all, and some interaction with my father never hurt.
When I pushed open the door, both my mother and the baby turned to look at me. I felt a little uneasy having his blue eyes rest on me. He didn’t know me and yet he was aware of me. He cooed slightly before returning back to his bottle. Guilt slammed into me next. I had shouted at him, hated him merely for not being born cursed.
What kind of brother did that make me?
I slowly walked over to my mother, I took her hand in one of mine, the other touched my brother gently. I vowed never to let either of them come to harm.
I found that with time being a big brother almost came naturally. Regardless of all the nights that I couldn’t sleep because of his crying, and despite all of the times my parents had to stop whatever we were doing to tend to him, I loved Liam almost instantly.
Mum said for a 8 year old like me, I was very interested in everything surrounding him. I’d panic whenever he coughed while he drank his milk, whenever he cried suddenly I asked if he was hurt, and I was super impatient to have him talking to me so we could interact together.
When that time did come, the two of us practically became inseparable.
“Like this Li, cover your eyes so you can’t see me. Can you see me?” I asked him.
“No.” He giggled, even though I could blatantly see him peeking through his fingers. Once when he was crying because he fell over while trying to walk after our mother, I quickly thought of this game to cheer him up. The only problem was, he now insisted on it almost all of the time. And yet months down the line he’d never cracked it.
Dana thought it was cute, Duncan didn’t want anything to do with him. He insisted that Liam cut into our play time, and found him annoying.
“Liar,” I sneered spreading my fingers so he knew I could see him. His giggles erupted into fits of full on laughter. “Come on Liam, I know you can do it!” I encouraged dryly.
“Like this,” I demonstrated again, keeping perfectly still for a long period of time. I listened as Liam sucked his breath in, in anticipation.
Liam also provided a distraction from the constant worry behind the power behind my eyes. I still thought about it often, especially late at night while I was trying to sleep, but it made the stress and worry manageable. Jace had officially taken over with the testing of my powers. He reassured me that everything was fine, and that I could be offered classes to ensure that I kept control of them.
I accepted, I’d take any help I could get in ensuring that I remained in control. And if I could learn of a way to stop them completely, well that would have been perfect.
Liam began to worry. Clearly growing impatient with how long I was taking. I chuckled before leaning forward, moving my hands and shouting ‘Boo’ before blowing gently into his face, to which his face scrunched and he giggled, flailing wildly.
I wondered if I was ever like that as a toddler. My parents had regained work at that time, but mostly I was with them. Would they have found amusing games like this to keep me occupied? I tried not to think about it. Jace had suggested I stopped thinking negatively.
Easier said than done.
“That’s how you do it Li.” I announced crossing my arms to show that I was done demonstrating. Patient I may have been, but I could only play for so long.
“Next time.” He babbled, before stumbling over to me before throwing himself into my lap.
“I love you big brother.” Those words melted my heart every single time. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed, tugging lightly on the hood of my jacket.
I close my eyes and savour the happy feelings behind his innocent words. I can’t believe that I ever doubted he could be a bad influence on my life.
“I love you more little brother.” I replied.
“So to clarify…you want to sign up for the Young Agents programme. Even though you’ve undergone no training…and have no real understanding of what it means to graduate and become a agent. That about cover it?”
I huffed, blowing the hair out of my eyes, as I shift awkwardly under Jace’s gaze. I figured I should go to Jace with this first. Considering he is my teacher after all…and Quinn’s right-hand man. “Well when you put it like that….it’s not like I don’t know what I’m doing. I do. I want to help people. I want to make the world better and stop those that would hurt people.” I told him.
He leant forward on his chair, looking right into my eyes with no hesitation. That was the trust that Jace had in me, and it meant the world. “And this has nothing to do with you feeling like you need to overcome or make up for your eyes?”
I wince. Damn it, how is he so good at reading people? “Noooo”
“It’s not about my eyes. Not for the main part anyway.” I pick at my hands without even meaning to as I look around the room. Everything about Jace was just so normal, you wouldn’t believe that he was one of the most skilled hunters the Council had ever seen.
Jace sighs and rubs his temple, he turns in his chair slightly and presses at keys on the computer. I see an out dated image of me on the screen. All agents children are registered at birth. But obviously not monitored at every given moment. “Health wise I have no concerns entering you.and I have no doubt you’d have the skills to follow in your parents footsteps with the correct training…but I’m worried about your mind-set.”
I raise a brow at that. I don’t really follow him. “Why would I have a problem with that? I’ve attended the therapy sessions that you suggested. I’m sleeping better,and I no longer think of myself negatively.” All of that was true. His help and support had really done a lot for me lately. I still worry about the future, but not as much. Probably as much as any other kid.
“Whereas it’s true that you’ve made incredible progress towards a good mental state….I can’t be certain that your self doubt or insecurity would risk you or your partners life in the field. It can take years to train people to be ready for the trials and situations that face them…I’m not sure if you could handle it.”
“I could!” I argue, stepping forward and throwing a fist into the air. “You said it would take time…I’m not asking to be an agent today I just want to train. Prepare myself, and if it’s right for me, I could pursue it later. Dana wants to do this with me and-“
A knowing grin spread on his face. “So this is for a girl?”
Horrified, I hold both hands out in protest. “No! I just want to support my friend. And anyway…this is my choice. I want to be like my parents, I want to protect my brother and I want to defeat my curse!”
Again, Jace hammers away at some keys. Before tapping his chin, apparently deep in thought.
“I will accept your request, if and only if, your parents agree to it.” Jace stated. Which was what I believed would be the outcome anyway….but knowing Jace had faith in me. It boosted my confidence.
“Wait, so you’re Mum already said yes?” I asked Dana in disbelief, who bobbed her head while she looked straight ahead at the screen.
“She said that it was my choice to make and that my father would be proud I was considering following in his footsteps..” She added, still without turning her head. If Rose of all people was okay with this programme…than surely my own parents would be?
Duncan sniggered beside me. “You forgot to mention that she also said she was only accepting this because Calen would be your partner.”
My eyes widened, and this time it’s Dana whose cheeks are red. “You told her that!? I don’t know what my parents are going to say!” I protested. Heartbeat accelerated. Talk about added pressure!
“Say about what?”
Caught completely off guard, I turn to see both of my parents standing in the hallway. They’d previously both been upstairs seeing Liam to bed and I’d figured that would have taken longer than it obviously had.
Busted. I’d wanted to tell them tonight, but not under these circumstances. I had jumped to my feet and hesitantly walked towards them. Smile already in place.
“Um….I wanted to ask the two of you….the thing is….Ireallywanttobelikeyouwhenigrowup..” I blurted. All at once. Without thinking. No wonder Duncan was openly laughing behind me, and Dana was doing her best not to.
Dad raised a brow at me. “Come again?”
Mum could clearly see my embarrassment and put an arm on my shoulders. “Why don’t we step away and talk about this?”
“So you see….Dana and I would really like to do this together…and I asked Jace. And he said he would vouch for me to enter the programme. It runs after school, so even if I don’t want to take it further once I’m finished, I’ll still have my grades to my name.” I summarised hastily as I tried to read my parents expressions. But as trained agents themselves…that proved impossible.
Mum was biting her lip again, and I could see Dads’ hands fidget on the table top. I was already thinking of another tactic to make them see things from my perspective. I wasn’t going to give on this…this was my future after all…not theirs.
“Can I ask why you want to do this?” Dad finally asked. Worry etched in his voice. I wondered why that seemed to be such a big point in this argument.
I shrug my shoulders. “It’s all I know. I mean…you guys do it. And I always feel so…good to know that you two are saving people. Sometimes a whole group of people at a time.” I opened with.
“It’s not….that’s not always the outcome Sweetheart,” Mum said sadly. “Sometimes we get there to late…sometimes…we lose one of our own.”
I saw how dark both of their eyes got. I immediately thought of Hayden…my namesake and the twins’ father.
“Truthfully I never wanted you involved in this. In any of this. I agreed to all of this when I was extremely young..and only because I wanted the answers to questions that my parents withheld from me….we don’t have that sort of relationship do we?” She asked me, and my heart nearly broke at the tone she used.
I loved my parents deeply. Even if they weren’t around physically in my younger years, they always contacted me, sent me letters or gifts..they made their presence and their love for me known.
“I know that there are things you guys can’t tell me yet because I’m to young…you’ve never hidden things from me, and I don’t feel like that. I honestly just want to do this because….it feels right.” I say honestly with a small smile. I sink a little lower in my chair though.
If they really didn’t want me to do this…then I wouldn’t.
“Then we should let him do this Opal.” My father said calmly. Mum and I looked stunned.
“He has his heart set on this Opal, and if we stop him from doing what he wants…what kind of parents would we be? After all…he’s taking after us. If we punish him for it…well we’d be hypocrites. Besides….it’s not like he’s doing anything dangerous by trying. I think it’ll be good for him.”
Mum looked half convinced. “Are you talking from your past experiences?” What that meant I had no idea. I figured it was another one of those things I couldn’t know yet.
He nodded. “That and common sense,” He held hands with my mother, pecked her on the cheek. “Our little boy is already growing up so fast…I honestly don’t know how I’m going to cope with it.”
“You seem to be doing fine as it is,” Mum reassured, then turned to me. “Then we give our permission and blessing…but only if your grades stay maintained.”
I practically jump for joy, hugging them both, and promising over and over that I’d made them proud.
Dana was just as happy as I was, if not more so. Duncan mumbled a congratulations, and made me promise to keep Dana safe. I reminded him it was only for training purposes, and we fell into one of our usual verbal sparring contests.
Once their mother arrived to collect them and Duncan was already out of the door, Dana pulled me into a tight hug of her own..
“I’m so happy we get to do this…we’re going to be the best team ever!” She beamed.
I return her happy look, for the first time in a long time, the future didn’t seem so clouded. “I know right? We’ve got each others backs.”
“I’m going to protect everyone….I promise.”