Gargoyle Saga: In The Beginning

Chapter Thirty-three

Sprinting down the middle of the cathedral, I banked right and saw a set of steps that went up. Tightly wound and steep, I went higher and higher into the cathedral. I didn't know where I was, or where I was going but I just had to be on my own, I had to think... I just had to think... no, I had re-think my entire life, my entire relationship I had with my other father, David Hobbs.

I came to a thick wooden door at the top of the steps and trying the handle, found it locked. "Please open!" I begged as my emotions started getting to me and two angry tears spilt from my eyes. The door magically swung open, admitting me inside. I closed it behind me and found myself in an old storeroom. Ahead I saw several ropes that came up from the floor below and continued in through the ceiling. They were for the bells.

Sitting in the near dark I calmed down and went through the pro's and con's. Pro, my father wasn't my father. But had he been one anyway? He had to Rosie. I noticed a difference in how he talked to me and how he was more affectionate with her. Buying her clothes whenever she wanted, taking her out to the cinema, giving her extra pocket money. My mother always put it down to Rosie being less independent than me, but perhaps it was because Rosie was his daughter and I wasn't. Con, if Sorren was my father then surely I'd be ridiculed for being the daughter of the headmaster? It was favouritism. He was calling me Verity right from the very start and would call the other students by their surname. "He didn't even attempt to hide it!"

Striking out in anger, I punched something made of wood and my hand went through. It was an old, dust-covered trunk. Retracting my hand, I nosed inside and saw an assortment of crosses both wooden and metal on large chunky silver chains as well as old sepia photographs of the cathedral back in the 19th century.

Closing the lid, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I replayed a few choice sentences to say to Dean or Rowan and each started off with, "You arsehole why didn't you tell me?" But when the door opened I saw a tired-looking vicar standing in the doorway holding a torch. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude in your storeroom." I headed towards the door. "I just wanted to be alone I guess."

He nodded. "Every room is someone's place of solace. There is no need to leave on my account. Your headmaster asked a few of us to look for you."

"Oh, and it's so late. I'm so sorry. Wait, have you met the headmaster, do you know about us?" When I first saw Headmaster Sorren it did freak me out with the horns, the wings, the tail... If any human would see him, they'd no doubt feel just as freaked out.

The vicar held his hands up, smiling pleasantly. "Of course. Gargoyles have been protecting us for centuries. It is a cathedral after all. We have up to fifteen gargoyles protecting this cathedral alone, though they only call on us if they need our help, or just to put us in the picture, like tonight. However, that is a discussion best left for another day. We are more concerned for your wellbeing."

"My wellbeing?" he nodded again. "Well I've just told a bombshell that's pretty much-" I stopped and shook my head. "Forget it. I'm not one to put on other people. I'll just go."

"Being a man of the cloth," he began quickly, "I am here to help with all sorts of troubles from anyone under this roof. I may not be magical, such as yourself, but we all share the same problems when it comes down to it. I am ready to listen if you wish to speak."

My mother's voice suddenly popped into my head. 'Don't speak to strangers.' Feeling stupid I said, "I don't know you."

He held his hand out, "Father Bob."

"Bob?" He nodded as I shook his warm hand. We sat opposite one another on the floor, his torch pointing away from me as the light was hurting my eyes. "Okay well, I don't usually speak about my problems to random people, no offence."