Vala Heritage

by J. F. Jenkins

  Are you going to talk to me or are you just going to stare at me from afar?

  She knew he could hear her thoughts, so there was no point in pretending it didn’t bother her. Mr. Thantos averted his dark, almost black, eyes away from her and began to speak to one of the other students passing in the hallway.

  No? Okay, good. I don’t want to talk anyway. If there was one thing Jewl was excellent at, it was keeping to herself.

  She didn’t say more than two words to anyone and spent her meal times in the library catching up on the reading from the classes she had missed.

  Every minute that passed, her stomach knotted even more tightly with nervousness. She felt silly for being so scared about meeting with her father. The last time she had seen him was so long ago; she couldn’t help but wonder if he would still love her. Would he think she turned out okay? Or was she going to be a disappointment?

  ****

  As she waited for him outside, alone and in the dark, she felt even sillier than earlier. She stood off to the side of her dorm, watching all of the students passing by. A few of them stopped to ask her what she was doing out so late. She’d let them think whatever they wanted to, hoping the worst of it got spread around and back to Anj. That would teach him a lesson or two.

  All thoughts were pushed out of her mind when she saw an older figure approaching the dorm. The fatigue he had did not stop him from smiling at her the same way she last remembered seeing him. Her father was always smiling, even during the most hopeless of situations.

  Alane Driftson did not look like a man in his early forties. At the oldest, he would be assumed mid thirties. He had dark eyes, which had seen the world, with light wrinkles around them giving away his real age. There were a few small threads of gray hair within his black hair. She didn’t think she had many of his genetics. Not even their temperament was the same. About the only thing she had in common with him was her loyalty to those she loved. If that was the one thing she would have from him then so be it. She would keep the trait at all costs.

  He was a lot thinner than she last remembered, but that was not a surprise in the slightest. As he came closer she noticed the slight limp in his walk, and her heart immediately sank.

  “You look a lot more beautiful than any of those pictures you sent me,” he said. He slowly opened his arms for her, so she could hug him. It took every bit of her will power not to cling to his body. She didn’t want to hurt him any worse than he already was. Instead, she gave him a gentle hug.

  “I’m not made out of glass. It’s okay.”

  “I know,” she said, nuzzling her face into his chest and fighting her tears. He felt as warm, protective and strong as she last remembered. “I’m still in shock. You’re actually here. If it’ll make you feel better, I can beat you up later tonight so you can feel young and strong.”

  He laughed and rustled up her curls. “Your sarcasm is much more fun to hear in person. I think you’ve grown even more in the art since we last spoke. Rachel would be proud.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh as well. His laugh was welcoming and contagious and it was so good to hear. It was as if nothing had changed… that she had never left home. “I’ll take it. I’m happy at least one person would be proud of me.”

  “I am, too, you know,” he said, brushing aside one of her loose strands of hair. “You’ve done well and so much. I can’t think of anyone else who could stay as sane as you have. I don’t want to talk about this all night, though. Tell me what’s new. I want to hear about everything. I don’t get a lot of details in your letters unfortunately.”

  “Let’s find a place to sit and eat, then. I’m hungry. I didn’t eat a lot at dinner. There's a laid back and quiet restaurant in town. I mean, as long as you like fish.” The truth was, she had skipped dinner all together and only had a light snack.

  “I’ll eat anything. Let's call a cab.”

  In twenty minutes they were seated at The Anchorage, the finest restaurant in town. It was quiet, the lights were low and the atmosphere was perfect to reminisce and play catch-up without being disturbed. The wait staff was good about serving the patrons effectively without sticking their noses in too often.

  “You know, I haven’t had good fresh water seafood since…” He paused. “I can’t say I’ve ever had good fresh water seafood. One of those things about living on the ocean, right? Do you come out this way often?”

  Jewl stirred the straw of her Shirley Temple slowly, playing with the cherries at the bottom of the glass. “I’ve been here at least once a year so far. We came here to eat before Prom last spring. It’s nice. We stopped by a few other times just because as well.”

  As far as she could remember, that was the last completely good and fight-free evening she had enjoyed with Anj. The Anchorage was as romantic as it got in the small town close to the school, or that was how Anj saw it. He was not a sap like his brother. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Did I say something wrong?” Alane asked as he glanced up at her from his glass. He could still read her like an open book.

  “There are a lot of memories here. They’re not bad ones but...” She gave a weak smile. “It’s kind of like when I think of home. They’re the kind of memories that remind me of what I once had. I’m not going to have them again, so I get a little sad thinking about it despite how happy the times were.”

  “You shouldn’t be sad from missing the past. You should always be happy. Having them is more than a lot of people can say sometimes about their lives.”

  “True,” she whispered into her straw.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “It seems silly to discuss. With everything else going on, it should be the least of my worries. I mean, I was attacked yesterday, and I’m sitting here pining away for some… guy!”

  Alane raised his eyebrows at the word attacked. “Start from the beginning then and we’ll talk about it all. Maybe it seems silly, but I guess I was always a firm believer that the matters of the heart are just as important as any life or death situation. In fact, they make or break us in those moments. I’m sure it all correlates together.”

  “All right, you asked for it.” And she spilled everything. Her love life and turbulent, yet perfect, relationship she had with Anj. For the most part, he did not react as she told their tale from when they had first met, all the way to their last break up. Though he did tense up as she began to speak of their most recent conversation in the library.

  “He’s a bit…” He paused and was obviously flustered over the idea of his teenage daughter dating. “I mean, are you sure he respects you?”

  Jewl let out a giggle. “Relax, I’m still a virgin,” she said to ease his mind. Anj had never gotten far with her. What he did when he wasn’t with her, she wasn’t sure. She kept hope he was as loyal to the idea of being with her as she was with him. Boys were always harder to figure out. She didn’t want to think about it. The mere idea of him having a fling broke her heart too much.

  Alane coughed. “Good. You’re way too young.”

  “Are you going to tell me to save it until I’m thirty?” she teased.

  “No, I wouldn’t say that. If I can offer you one thing when it comes to relationship advice it’s this: You don’t ever have to do anything you don’t want to do, and you don’t want to do anything that isn’t grounded with something solid. A lot of people think love is all about happy fluffy feelings. That isn’t solid.”

  She nodded. “Well, then you should be happy to know I don’t love him because he makes me feel good all of the time.”

  “But you do still love him?”

  “Yes. I don’t even know why. It’s not all bad, but at the same time he’s so frustrating.”

  “He probably says the same thing about you.” He laughed.

  She rolled her eyes before bringing her attention to her dinner. The sight of the baked chicken smothered in a mushroom wine sauce made her salivate. “I’m sure he does. I should just tell him. I don�
�t know what I’m so afraid of. He needs to know everything. It’s been long enough, don’t you think? Or is it a bad idea?”

  “I guess it depends on what everything is. I don’t know what he knows.”

  “He doesn’t know about any of this,” she pointed to him. “He thinks your letter was a love note from another student in a grade below mine. He had a nervous breakdown over it at lunch. My biggest fear isn’t that he knows things though.”

  “So then what are you afraid of?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “Wait, let me guess. You’re like your mother, right? Listen to me carefully. The only thing you have in common with her is you look like her and you have her stubbornness. She may have chosen you to be her successor, but that doesn’t mean you have to do the same things she does.”

  “What if I do by accident, though? What if I made him fall in love with me, but he doesn’t really love me, because I don’t understand half the time what kind of magic I actually have.”

  “You’ll find out eventually,” he said. His body tensed up enough to make her feel guilty for ever bringing it up. It was that magic which had conceived her in the first place. It was the one thing he regretted most in his life - that he hadn’t been strong enough to fight the power of Aphrodite's magic. As much as he tried to hide it from her, she knew. She'd eavesdropped on him and her step-mother and heard it from his own lips.

  I’m afraid of my answer. “I know. So again, do you think I should tell him?”

  “If you think you’re going to be going places with this boy, yes.”

  She let out a frustrated sigh, poking at her food with agitation. He was right. She had thought about it a long time ago and came to the same conclusion.

  “Continue. Tell me about this attack.”

  “What do you know about the Dark?” she asked quietly. She wasn’t sure if she liked this topic change much, but either way their conversation was heading, it was to a place she wouldn’t have enjoyed. Once more, she told the whole story, beginning with her first meeting with Teague and ending with the accounts of the day before.

  “So, now I’m involved in something I don’t understand because Mom thought it would be a good idea for me to babysit this kid. I’m pretty convinced she’s set out to ruin my life.”

  “That’s a little melodramatic, don’t you think? Obviously she picked you for a reason, and those are always her own. Your guess is as good as mine. This boy is probably important to her in some way. I don’t know what he has to offer her, but she wouldn’t bother with him if he couldn’t give her something. Of course, it’s just like her to pawn off her work for someone else to do.”

  “Of course, but back to my first question. What do you know about the Dark?”

  “It’s bad and infectious. There isn’t much else to say about it.” Alane leaned forward, putting a hand over hers. “Are you okay? Are you still hurt?”

  “I’m fine,” she whispered, staring down at his large hand wrapped around her small one. It reminded her of when she was young again. “I have enough on my plate right now as it is, you know? I don’t need to play parental guardian for this kid and I don’t like not knowing why I’m in so much danger.”

  He nodded, his eyes watching her every move. “Of course. You’ll stay safe, so don’t worry. It’s good you brought this up, actually, because it reminds me… I got you something.” He let go of her hand and started to search both of his pants pockets. “I just need to remember where I put it.” He pulled out a small ring. He took a moment to clean off any of the lint stuck to it, then he held it out for her. “I saw it and it made me think of you.”

  Carefully, he slid the ring onto her right ring finger and smiled. Two dolphins circled around a small white diamond. Simple, but it was beautiful. It brought tears to her eyes that he took the time, and spent what little he had, to purchase such an expensive looking gift. The white gold and the gem felt pure and completely natural. The magic inside of them already called to her.

  “It’s absolutely beautiful. Thank you,” she said, smiling

  “I hope it helps.”

  “How can I help you?”

  “Keep doing what you’re doing. We’ll win this if you keep remembering who you are and where you came from. Don’t let your aunt get to you like she did Sonnet. Hopefully even she’ll come back around.”

  “I won’t. I won’t ever. I’ll do everything I can to make her see it too.”

  “Good girl.”

  ****

  They returned by cab to Lord Reyld’s manor shortly before curfew, dawdling on their way back to the dorm. The slower they walked, the more time they had before their final goodbye.

  “I want to say I’ll see you again soon, but I can’t make that kind of a promise. I can’t even promise I’ll write soon. Keep sending me your letters to the same place and I’ll at least get to read them.” He pulled her in close for a tight, suffocating hug, digging his hands into her hair and pressing his face against her forehead.

  “Aunt Eyde is catching up to you, isn’t she,” Jewl said, nuzzling her face into his chest. What was it he was wearing? She knew the smell of his cologne, but couldn’t quite put her finger on the name. She’d need to remember it so she didn’t ever forget him.

  “She is. The time is coming though when we’re going to shine through all of this. There won’t be a thing she can do to stop us. I doubt I’ll live to see it happen, but it will. It’ll be because you did the right thing. She can’t touch you. I’m so proud of you, you have no idea. I wish I could tell you just how much I love you, but I don’t know how to word it so that it’s quantified. There’s still so much I want to say. I’m running out of time. I hope I can someday.”

  If only he could see her not crying. A smile would make a nicer memory for him to hold onto than tears, but she couldn't help it. “You will.”

  Alane took in a deep breath. “I should be off. Can I get a kiss for luck?”

  She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “Just pretend that was a million of them all right?”

  “Of course. I love you, Jewl. I—” He stopped and pulled her behind him when he heard someone approaching from the nearby forest. She peeked around his shoulder. A small growl escaped her lips when she saw the interruption was Anj. His eyes glowed blue in the dark before he stepped out into the light of the building.

  “What do you want? I’m kind of in the middle of something,” she snapped.

  “I can see that.” Anj snapped back. He pointed to her, then her father. “So this is supposed to explain everything? I don’t know what I should feel more appalled by. The fact that you’ve been seeing someone else behind my back for a long time, or that he's significantly older than you are. Honestly, this is just sick… and illegal!”

  “You’re such an idiot,” she groaned, moving back around her father. “It’s okay, Daddy. This is Anj. Anj this is my father.” She made sure to stress the word ‘father’ in case he missed the point. “And I do mean father, not sugar daddy or anything sick and demented you disgusting-”

  “It’s okay, Jewl. It’s good he’s protective of you.” Alane stroked her hair. He then turned his attention to Anj. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I’ve seen a couple of pictures. It’s nice to put a name to the face in person. It’d be nice to talk and get to know you more, but I need to go. I think I’ve overstayed my welcome enough as it is.”

  I’m crying. I’m so pathetic, she thought as she felt tears welling up in her eyes, and then spilling over. There were too many of them to hide and coming with a strong and powerful force. “Stay one more day. Please? I don’t want you to go again.”

  Alane stepped away from her and went to Anj to give him a light shove toward her. “I’ve got a lot to do, honey. Besides, you two need to talk about stuff. I’m trusting you to take good care of her.”

  “That was always my plan,” Anj said. As much as he tried to make himself sound confident, there was a slight waver of uncertainty in his voice. He moved to Jewl and put his arms around her.
His hold on her was strong enough for her to know he was there should she need him, but not close enough to be misinterpreted as anything romantic.

  With one last wave, her father walked back toward the manor. Jewl struggled in Anj’s grasp. She couldn’t let Alane walk away knowing he was in danger. If she was protected and untouchable, surely she could join him to help keep him safe as well.

  “Let me go. Now. I’m going and you can’t stop me.”

  “No.” Anj's voice was surprisingly gentle yet eerily quiet. “I made a promise. I can’t break it after only having made it barely a minute before.”

  He tightened his arms around her as her knees buckled underneath her. She felt too distraught to stand any longer. She fell to the ground and he went with her, still holding her.

  “I’ve got you,” he whispered. “I don’t plan on letting you go.”

  “I can’t,” she broke down into sobs. “I can’t let this happen.”

  Anj didn’t say a word. Instead he held her closer, cradling her body in his arms. If he could have gotten away with it, she knew he would have carried her back inside and brought her to her room to rest. He knew her well enough to know she would never stand for that kind of humiliation though. Jewl never allowed herself to be seen as anything but strong and independent.

  “When you’re ready, I would like to take you back in, make a cup of coffee or cocoa, and talk,” he said.

  Not just talk, but have the talk. The one she was loathing for so long, but it was inevitable. The most she could manage to respond with was a small nod. She didn’t want to speak, hating the sound of her voice whenever she cried.

  They were silent for a long time until she finally felt her strength return enough for her to walk on her own.