The Underground Palace

Chapter Eighteen - Deal With It

Glen sat petrified in the wooden chair he was bound too. What had he done to deserve this? Only five days ago Glen had known nothing about the Magical Community, so why did Marco have to turn his life upside down? He had done nothing, not one single thing to deserve this! It wasn't as though Glen before he was born was able to choose which date he was going to be born on, he wasn't asked whether he wanted to be one of the cursed Seven Children! But as his sister's favourite saying went, "it's in the past, you can't change it, so deal with it". Deal with the fact that in under twenty four hours he was going to be dead. 

Glen felt the tears coming again and he forced them back. Happy memories, he told himself, think of happy memories. Alex once managed to trip up over her own feet and fell face first in a muddy field.  That was hilarious.  Glen wondered where Alex was right now.  What did Marco do to her?  She could be dead already for all he knew... No!  He couldn't think that way.  He had to think happy positive thoughts.  

Footsteps approached the cell and all happy thoughts vanished from Glen's mind.  Keys jingled and metal scrapped against metal.  The door handle twisted and Glen squirmed against the rope that bound him to the chair.  Please not another beating!  The door handle turned and the door opened.  A burly looking man with short black hair wearing black cargo pants and t-shirt walked in.  The shadows covered his face as he turned and shut the wooden door behind him.  The man stood and stared at Glen for a few seconds.

Glen closed his eyes and forced himself to not cry.  Don't be a baby, he told himself, don't cry, don't cry.

'Look at me,' the man said.  Glen whimpered and opened his eyes.  The man walked forward out of the shadows and Glen gasped.

'You!' snarled Glen.  The man looked shocked.  'I can't f**king believe this.  You work for him?' 

 The man hesitated.

'You're not supposed to-'

'Recognise you?'  Glen gathered all the saliva in his mouth and spat at the man.  'Well guess what dad I do!'

It was true.  Standing just metres away was the man who had walked out of Glen's life when he was only a toddler.  Years and years passed by without even a whisper of him.  Glen's dad looked thoroughly pissed off

'But Linda threw everything out!  All the photos, video tapes, everything!' he argued.  Glen laughed.  Oh this was funny.  His dad, Joe, had obviously not planned for this.  What had he planned to do?  To just walk in, have a peek what his sixteen year old son looked like then walk back out?

'I'm your son!  What do you think I would do?  Not try and find out who you were?  Grandad and grandma had a secret stash of photos, Natasha had some hidden under her bed ... and now, now you work for him!'  Glen spat at his dad's feet again.  'What a proud father you must be right now.  You know what, I'll even nominate you for a father of the year award as well once I get out of here.  Oh wait, that's right, I don't get to leave this place cause your boss is planning to kill me!'

'Shut up!' yelled Glen's dad.  He was fuming and clenching and unclenching his fists.  Glen glared at him in response.  There was a few seconds of silence until Glen broke down in tears.  He started to sob and looked down at his lap in shame.

'Please, just kill me now, I don't want Marco to do it,' begged Glen.  Joe stepped forward and lifted his son's head.

'I'm not going to kill you, I'm here to free you.'  Glen gasped and watched his father pull a pocketknife out of his pocket then yanked away at the robe.  

'But-'

'I'm not the best father in the world, but I am your father.'

'Why do you work for him?' Glen asked.  Joe sighed as the rope on the left wrist gave way.  He moved onto the next wrist.