The Queen's Red Lake

XIX

Since childhood, my father has always been strict with a short-temper. He wears this cold armor like a parapet. I never understood if it is to shield him and never let anyone in. Not even me, his only daughter. The older I became the more I began to resent him. I never understood why he didn't like me. After some time I started to careless of what he thought. Now, looking up at the man who raised me. I see all the secrets. There is no wall to hide behind anymore.

"You should take your own advice." I tell him. "Maybe I wouldn't be in the shit I'm in now."

"Watch your tone." He replies.

He stands in a typical tailor suit. He is a successful businessman with a multi-billion dollar company. I do not expect anything less. 

"Where is mom?" I question. Even though I know the truth it is difficult to not call her such. She will always be my mother.

"She's home." He looks me in the eye. He's always told me that it is respectful to look into the eyes of the one you speak too. "I'm aware that you know of your real mother."

I clench my jaw. "Faye."

"You do not need to speak her name." He squeezes his knuckles, his jaw clenching the same as me. He walks out the shadows and more into the light that is shining through the window. He approaches his mother and runs his finger down her cheek softly. I give him a moment out of respect. He looks up and asks, "Who did this?"

"Elijah." I answer.

He moves around the spacious hospital room and takes a seat elegantly in one of the chairs. He crosses his legs, the trousers pants sliding up and showing off his expensive red socks. "Elaborate." He commands. I want to roll my eyes but I stop myself and take a seat across from him.

I start from the beginning.

Once I'm done my father is standing by the window and looking out toward the town. I cannot read his thoughts but I'm hoping he has a plan for all of this. "Do you have anything to say?" I push, angry.

"Let's go for a walk. Give your grandmother some space." He replies. I frown but do as he says. First, I kiss grandma on the forehead before following my father out of the hospital room and then out of the building. We take a stroll through the town and the heat of the sun feels amazing on my face.

"Faye was the love of my life." He starts still looking away from me. "She made me whole."

"What happened?"

"It was all a lie." He explains. "She deceived me."

"Why?" I question. We turn off onto a trail and the trees protect us from the sun.

"I was a senior in high-school debating if I wanted to travel to the human world or move to Kalahari and study higher-witchery. I was the lucky few to possess high-status power. Your grandmother was pushing me toward Kalahari, she thought it was time to be serious about my future. That was not my passion. The human world was my main interest but I caved so she would leave me be." He pauses. "That is until I met Faye."

The scenery around us become beautiful and the wind blows gently on our face. I can tell that it is difficult for my father to speak about Faye but I deserved to know the truth. We stop for a short second and there is a garden full of various types of plants. Sasha would enjoy this, maybe even pick a few.

"I found her here, a beauty in every sense, and in that very second we fell in love." He smiles sadly and if I wasn't so interested in the tale I would gawk in shock. "She was different from the others. Her creative mind, intelligence, and beautiful eyes." He stares off in the garden. "I cannot even describe how her mind worked." He clears his throat and clenches his jaw. "One day we began to speak about the laws of witchery."