Fangs

Special Chapter #3

Daniel's POV

1957

A sinking feeling had been growing in me from the moment Caleb left. It had been years, and after the first few, I decided that I couldn't just sit around hoping he'd return. I had to start looking for him.

That proved to be a lot more difficult than I was first anticipating.

It had been 37 years and counting, and Lucas and I had found no sign of him. We had no idea where he'd already been or where he'd go next.  It was an impossible guessing game, and with each unsuccessful year, my hope began to diminish. Surely he would've come back by now.

His prolonged absence only confirmed the fact that he did, in fact, despise me. Enough to stay away from me and our father for nearly four decades.

I had an unshakeable feeling that he wouldn't be back for a long time, yet. And already each day where we didn't find him sent overwhelming pangs of sadness and regret through me.

It was my fault he was gone. I'd completely ruined our relationship by killing Milly. I didn't have the heart to explain to Lucas that she wasn't dead, and that I not only killed her  but turned her as well. He was already going through enough trying to find Caleb. Besides, she'd cleared off the moment I told her that Caleb had left, and that it was her fault as well as mine.

We'd even gone as far as to hire private investigators. Supposed professionals at finding people who didn't want to be found, but even they were unable to find him. It was as if he'd disappeared off the face of the earth.

"You're brooding, again." Lucas stated suddenly, making me turn and look at him in mild shock. He was leaning against the doorway, watching me carefully. We'd decided to have a break from searching, only for a few weeks, and had returned home. It felt empty without Caleb's presence. I missed him.

"What else can I do?" I responded, the sadness clear in my voice no matter how much I tried to hide it. "We should be out there trying to find him, not sitting here just waiting." I added angrily.

"I hate to break it to you, Daniel, but he doesn't want to be found. Besides, we can't obsess over searching. God knows how long he'll be gone for, but I'm sure he'll come back. Maybe not next week like we're both hoping, maybe not even ten years from now. But he will. I promise. It's up to him when he decides to come back, not us. I want him back just as much as you do, but we can't force him back if he clearly doesn't want it."

"How much time will this take? Dad, it's my fault he's gone and he's not coming back. He's going to hate me even more if we find him, but I can't help feeling that if we don't find him, he'll never come back. And I don't want that." I responded, closing my eyes and letting out a breath. "What if he's dead?"

"Don't say that." My father warned, his eyes glistening when I opened my eyes and locked gazes with him. "He's fine, understand?"

I nodded, though doubt and fear still clung to my thoughts. My brother wasn't invincible. And alone, he'd be easier to overpower if hunters found him before we did. Caleb certainly wasn't stupid enough to be caught, but hunters were becoming smarter and stealthier every year. They have more experience now than they ever did before, and I feared they'd have a lot more methods of torture, too.

I sighed, clearing my mind of the dark thoughts and standing up. "I understand." I answered Lucas, approaching him slowly.

When I reached him, he rested a hand on my shoulder and let his expression fall. "I know this is difficult, and I wish I could tell you something to make this all easier."

It seemed that as the years rolled by, Caleb found it easier to stay away from us, but the pain of losing him was something time couldn't heal, no matter how many years have passed. It's become easier for him, I can only assume, but impossibly difficult for Lucas and me.