deCEIVED (Book 2)

30: Lucas

"Well," Michaela explained, "I've been thinking a lot about what happened the other day...and you said that you thought I was hiding something from you."

"I think I might've been exaggerating a little bit when I said that-"

"No. You weren't. You were right. I've been hiding this secret from you for awhile now, and I think that you're ready to know what it is."

Michaela sighed and stood up. "I've said that you and my father were very similar- you two had the same eye color, the same personality, the same backstory...but there's a bigger and more important reason why I said that you were like a father to me."

"What is it?"

"Well...when I told you this, you didn't believe me, but maybe you will tonight. You see, Lucas...I'm not just your metaphorical daughter, or even your adopted daughter."

Michaela was staring right into my eyes at this point, and it felt like she wasn't going to look away until I believed her. "I am your daughter."

My eyebrows rose in surprise. "Excuse me?" I asked.

"You heard me. I'm your daughter."

"No you're not. I would know if I had a daughter or not, so don't-"

"Ugh, I knew you were going to say that...and that's why I brought proof with me."

Michaela pulled a black flash drive out of her pocket and held it in front of me. It looked exactly like the drive I gave to Stanford Pines not too long ago. But why did Michaela have it with her?

"Where did you get that?" I huskily asked her.

"I left the Society just so I could search for it. And now that I have it with me, I just need you to watch the video that is on here."

"But Michaela, I've already seen-"

"Just watch it."

I nodded nervously and let her insert the drive into her black laptop. The laptop flashed for a moment or two, but when it stopped, a video popped up on the screen. In the video, Jared and I were in the garden of the Northwest Mansion, fighting a little girl in a green dress. Her eyes indicated that she was possessed by Bill, so I had to burn her quickly.

The girl passed out with a few scars on her hands, but she didn't look too injured. I picked the girl up and teleported back to the Society with her. We arrived in a hospital room less than a second later, so I put her down on a cot and tried to soothe her. Then I lost it- I hugged the girl and silently allowed tears to fall down my face.

"She'll be okay, Lucas," Nathan told me.

"Just take care of my daughter," I weeped, "at least until I can return to her. Don't let her die the same way my wife did. Please, just keep her safe, Nathan."

I kissed the girl's forehead and sobbed, "Keep her safe."

The computer flashed again, and when it finally stopped flashing, the laptop shut itself down. Then it hit me. That girl in the video was my daughter. Annabelle and I did get married. And Annabelle risked her life for that little girl.

Sadly, I still couldn't remember her name. "Lucas," Michaela trembled, "I know you think that this is just a big misunderstanding, or maybe even a coincidence. But it's not, and I need you to see that."

Michaela's hazel eyes were twinkling in a way I fully recognized. Those were Annabelle's eyes. And she had scars on the palms of her hands, too, just like the girl in the video.

My daughter.

"Open your eyes. It's me, Daddy. It's me."

I took another careful look at Michaela. Was this true? Was this the secret Michaela was keeping from me? After all this time, how could I be so stupid to forget the girl I vowed to protect?

"Michaela...I don't know why I ever doubted you," I said to Michaela.

Tears fell out of Michaela's eyes like a faucet when she ran to me and gave me a hug. I put my arms around and whispered, "You're my daughter, Michaela...I don't know how I could've forgotten all about you."

Michaela wailed, "Daddy, you have no idea how much I missed you! And I never meant anything I said at that party, I love you so much, do you understand me? I love you more than anything else in the world!"

"Shh, it's okay, Michaela," I gently said while I slowly rocked the two of us back and forth.

"We're okay."

x•x•x•x•x•x•x•x•x•x•x•x•x

With all of the tears and the secrets that were spilled this evening, I'd almost forgotten to warn Michaela about what I saw in my dreams last night. But I couldn't waste another second.

"Michaela?" I said to my daughter.

"Yes, Dad?" Michaela replied.

"We have to go back to the Society now," I told Michaela.

"Are you kidding? Now that you remember me, there's no way I'm ever going back to-"

"Michaela, there's somebody out here that's trying to kill you! Somebody who works for Bill! I can't believe I considered him as my friend...we have to go back inside! We'll be safer there!" I explained.

I took Michaela's hand and ran back to the Society with her, but we were stopped by a giant, shadow-like creature with bright, golden circles for eyes and sharp, dark purple fingernails that looked like they could poison an average human being. It was a creature from the Nightmare Realm.

I would've assumed that it was a Nightmare Killer, but its fingernails indicated that it was a different type of a Nightmare Killer- one that was controlled by Wesley.

"Daddy...what is that thing?" Michaela stammered.

"We're too late," I panicked under my breath.

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