Eclipse of Vengeance

01.Marked

Roughly six Years Prior...

I sucked in a deep breath holding it as my hand slowly pulled the front door closed behind me, striving to not alert my parents of my late arrival. Cautiously listening to their soft muffled voices in the kitchen, I did not need a lecture about returning home an hour late. A relieved smile spread across my face when the door was completely closed.

Releasing the breath I turned to sneak up the stairs, but something jerked me back towards the door causing me to loudly thud against the wooden door. "Astrid?" My father's taut voice called out from the kitchen, composite with heavy incoming footsteps against the dense wood floor-ready to interrogate me no doubt. Good job idiot. I huffed out a frustrated breath, internally cursing my school's lanyard as I ripped it away from the door handle.

"Where have you been?" My father's towering figure rounded the corner into my sight stopping right in front of me, a worried yet stern expression clinging to his aging features.

"Would you believe me if I said traffic?" I gave him a slight shug with a guileful smile.

"No, because you can't drive." He narrowed his honey eyes at me, his furrowed brows adding additional wrinkles throughout his forehead. "Now where were you? Your practice ended two hours ago." A frustrated yet worried gleam was trapped in his gaze, the key to unlocking it being the reveal of my tardiness.

"I was just hanging out with some friends. I'm sorry." I kicked at the black rug that swallowed our hallway, trying to avoid his unsparing glare.

"Friends? Which friends?" He interrogated, studying my every move.

"You don't know them," I sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"What are their names then?" he inquired, crossing his arms over the gray sweater he was wearing. I knew I should have just told him Maria and Abby.

"Seriously?" I grumbled. "What so you can do some FBI level investigation on them? It's creepy dad!"

I wouldn't mind telling him, if it weren't for the fact that with every friend I made, every person I even speak to he has to probe through their online records, scouring over every single aspect of their lives. I swear if the FBI knew of his skills they'd recruit him in a heartbeat. It's actually kind of scary how much information he can obtain with just a name.

"Astrid," he breathed, running his hand over his dirty blond hair that was slowly being invaded with silver. "Honey, you know I only do it to keep you safe," his face softened with his words.

"Safe from what?" I huffed, rolling my eyes at the same vague explanation I've heard a million times before.

"There is a lot of evil in this world, an evil that you will never have to comprehend if I do my job as your father properly." he placed a hand on my shoulder giving me a sympathetic look.

"Fine,"I muttered while shrugging his hand off of my shoulder. "Alex Emerson and Mia Morris," I relented with a frustrated breath.

"Thank you, now go help your mother finish dinner." He gave me a grateful smile.

The smell of meatloaf was wafting through the dining room, while I tossed my worn black backpack into one of the dining room chairs. Lifting my eyes I spotted my mother bent over, extracting a rectangular pan from the oven.