The Truth Is Out

“What the hell is going on here? Why do I not get to sit in on this family meeting?” Nigel came in yelling.

“I came here to talk to Mom when I received a second note saying I need to get answers before it's too late. So get over yourself and sit down. No one was leaving you out of anything. Plus, how did you know I was here anyway?” 

“I texted Mom asking if she had heard from you and when you were going to be over for dinner. She said you were already there, and you guys were in the middle of learning about your past. I was mad that you didn’t include me in this, like I’m not part of this too.” 

“For one, I wasn’t thinking about you at all. I just wanted some answers to what these notes may be talking about. I never once said you weren't a part of this. I just needed answers, and why does everything have to be about you?”

“I didn’t mean to make it about me. I just wanted to be here for you.”

“Then sit down and shut up so I can get through what I have learned so far. I still have questions, and I don’t see them getting answered right away.”

“What notes did you get and what questions do you still have?” Nigel asked me

I pulled out the notes from my purse and showed them to her and Mom. They both looked at the notes and read them at least twice. Then looked at me with worry in their eyes.

“Do you know who sent these notes?”

“No, the first one, someone knocked on my door and I found the note taped to my door. The second one was taped to my door when I was leaving to meet Nigel at the gym.”

“Why didn’t you tell me when we were at the gym?” Nigel asked

“Because at first I thought it was a joke. Plus, I couldn’t imagine that you guys would ever keep anything like this from me.” 

“Well, in my defense, I wasn’t ready to give you up as my daughter. But I knew that this day would come sooner or later. I just wish that it never did. But now I see I may have caused more trouble by not preparing you for this sooner.” Mom replied with a sad look on her face.

“You will always be a mom because you're the one who raised me. But I need to know everything, and I will need proof that this is all real. I don’t know what to believe anymore.” 

“I’m sorry you feel that way, but I do understand. I can show you something to show you that it is all real. But it is going to be a shock to your system. So Nigel will hold on to your hand and I will show you Nigel and my truth.” 

I just shook my head, and Nigel sat closer to me and grabbed my hand. Then my mom stood up and did a little shimmy, and she transformed into this mystical person. She wasn’t green like the show on TV that witches look like. She had a glow of white light around her with what looked like sparkles all over her that made it like a dream of some sort. I just stared at her, not knowing what to do or say.

“This is my true form. It is also Nigel’s true form. Once I take the spell off of you that keeps you from your other form, then you will be able to hear and feel your other half inside you. Your other half will have its name. At least that is what your mother has told me. I don’t know much about what it's like to be a black panther, but your mother's other half was beautiful. She said it was like having a friend with her always, so she never felt alone. It helped guide her and stay true. She also said that the other half can tell you when there is danger nearby and can help you once you join and learn to work as a team. You should have already been doing this at the age of sixteen. But your mother and I felt that you should wait because we still weren't sure if it was safe. Then, as you grew up, I just wanted you to have a normal life in the world you knew, not the one you didn’t.” 

“So you and my mother made this important choice for me instead of letting me make it. You kept this from me my whole life. Would you have told me if I didn’t get these notes?” 

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. You just seemed so happy with the life you had. I like to think I would have told you at some point. Buy, no, I don’t think I would have.”

“I was happy with my life because it was the only one I had, because you and Mom didn’t give me any other choice. Now I have someone leaving me notes who seems to know more about who I am than I do. How do you expect me to deal with that?”

“Well, I am going to try and make up for what I have done. We will figure this out. I will help you through this, and Nigel will be with you as well. It will take me a day or so to get the things I need to take the spell off of you. Will that be okay?”

“Do what you have to. I leave for my next assignment in two days. I will be gone for at least a week. If you can have everything ready by the time I get back. We will then have at least a month before I have to leave again. That is if I am lucky.” 

“Okay, that sounds like a plan. I will also try to get some information from the notes that you have taken. I think I have the stuff for that. Also, I have some stuff I will give you to help you stay safe, and it will help us locate you if you get into trouble. It will send us a message if you get scared or panic. I will then call you, and if you give me a code word, I will know if you are truly in trouble or not. If you are, then Nigel and I will come and help you out. We just need to come up with a code word that no one would suspect.” 

“Wow, you have been preparing for this day, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I have. But now I am wondering if I may have waited too late to start your training. I just wish that your mother were here to help.”

“Is there a way to contact her or my father for help?”

“I could catch your father, but it will be hard for him to get away. He may want to send your brother or not get involved at this time. Since he would want to keep your brother safe. Your brother is going to take over for your father one day, and he would not want to lose his heir.”

“What am I to my father then? Am I not his heir as well, or just a spare to him?”

“Your father is from the old country. He believes males are the ones to rule, and women are to be supported and lend a hand in leading, but they must always follow what their husbands say. He would want to arrange a marriage for you since you are part of Fay, but your animal side would want your true mate. Your father was your mother's true mate since they were both leaders. It helped bridge the alliance between the black panthers and Fay. Your father would want to do that with others, with you as the prize. That way, he could bring peace to everyone. Your brother will also have a chosen mate if he doesn’t find his true mate by the time he is thirty. The same goes for you. You guys only have five years left before he sets the arranged marriages in place. He already had people in mind for both of you.”

“Well then, let's keep my father at bay for a while longer. I don’t plan to marry for anything less than love. Plus, as far as I can tell, he hasn’t been in my life to be able to tell me who I can marry.”

“Well, that's enough talk for now. I’m hungry, Nigel spoke up, and we all began to laugh. We all stood and headed for the kitchen to work on dinner. I set the table while Nigel chopped the vegetables and Mom started on the steak. As we finished up with the prep work for dinner, we all fell into a nice silence. After about fifteen minutes of silence, Mom looked at us and smiled, then got up to get the food and bring it to the table. We said a small prayer, and then we all fixed our plates. As we were eating, we all heard a knock at the door. I got up and went to the door with Nigel right behind me. When we got to the door, no one was there. I was about to shut the door when I looked down and there was a package sitting next to the door. We all just looked at the package, none of us was sure of what to do. So I picked it up and took it to the living room.

“Let's finish dinner, then we can deal with this after we all have eaten. “ We all went back to the dining room to finish dinner. But none of us was really that hungry now. 

“None of us is going to be able to eat now. We might as well go deal with whatever that is before we try doing anything else,” Nigel said 

“Yes, I agree with you, Nigel,” Mom replied

We all got up, left the food on the table, and entered the living room. We first stared at the package. Then I noticed a note attached to the box.

“Look there on the side of the box. There appears to be another note taped to it.” I announced

Mom reached out and took the note off the box. She opened it up and looked at it. Then we all heard her gasp. I took the note from her, and I too wanted to gasp, but no sound would come out. Nigel then grabbed the note to read aloud.

“I know you have started asking questions, that's good. Just know he knows about you, and they are sure they have found you. Your uncle is not far behind you, and your brother is closer. Your father is looking for your mother and bringing her home. Just know that I am watching over you, and soon you will know who I am.” 

We all just freaked out after hearing it read aloud. No one knew what to say, and we all just sat there wondering who this could be. So much information, yet nothing was coming together. Why was my past so confusing? 

“Who do you think these notes could be from? Do you think it could be from my father or brother, maybe even mom?”

“I know for a fact this isn’t your mother's doing. As for the other two, I’m not sure.” Mom replied

“Could this be someone that we don’t know about that your dad has sent to protect you, maybe?” Nigel suggested

“That is an idea, but I am not sure he would do that. Let’s just do some research and keep an eye out and our minds open.” Mom said with a worry in her voice. Then we all put our attention back on the package. I picked the package up and gave it a little shake. I didn’t hear anything, but that didn’t mean anything. So slowly opened the package up, and inside was not what I had suspected. Inside the box was a picture album and some jewelry, as well as a long letter and two cruise tickets. I pulled out each item in the box and handed it to Mom. She took them with shaky hands. Nigel and I both noticed how she was shaking when she was handed the photo album. 

“Mom, is it about the photo album that has you shaken up?” I asked her in a small voice so I wouldn’t scare her. 

“I’ve seen this somewhere before, and I can’t place where. But this belonged to your grandmother and was supposed to go to your mother, but it couldn’t be found  anywhere.”

“Then where do you think it came from? Who could have found it and sent it to me here, of all places?”   

“Okay, I got the album and the letter that we haven’t read yet. But why are there cruise tickets?” Nigel asked no one in particular

None of us understood the tickets. Why would they send tickets somewhere? To me, it didn’t make much sense. Could all this be real? None of it felt real. I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear my sister talking to me.

“Hey, Ginger, are you with us?” 

“Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. What were you saying?”

“I asked if you wanted to read the letter out loud or did you wanted one of us to read it for you?”

“I will read it.” So she handed me the letter, and it wasn’t that long, but it was a good length. 

I know you are with your adopted family right now. So I am going to make this short and sweet, or not. I wanted you to have your grandmother's photo album so you can see how far back your lineage goes and what you are truly capable of. Just remember, this is only one part of who you are.  To be your true self, you have to know both sides. You need to make both sides proud. Now on to why you have cruise tickets. You need to travel to a few places and see why you are important to your people. They need to bring harmony to the land. Your brother is only one part of the solution, but you are the one who is meant to lead them all. Some will try to stop you, and others will help you. Just watch out for the wolf in sheep's clothing. You may see them as friends or family, but they will be there to make you fail. So be careful who you trust, not all want to see you win. Tell Nigel and your adopted mother that it won’t do any good to do one of her spells on this package. I made sure she wouldn’t find out who I was until the right time. But your family will be your best ally. Be swift, be quick, but also be smart. Happy learning.

“Well, that’s the end of the letter, and now I know why we have the tickets now. But what do you think he meant by someone in sheep’s clothing?  Who could the person be talking about?”   

“Well, your father wouldn’t want you overshadowing your brother. But he could also be talking about your uncle and cousin.” Mom spoke up

“So what we are looking at is: Your father, aka King of the Fay, uncle, and cousin you, took over your mother’s pack, am I leaving anyone out that we know of?” Nigel asked

I just shook my head no and sat there wondering what to do and think about all of this. I looked at my family and felt good that they were here for me. I don’t know what I would do without these two people in my life. Then at that moment, my stomach growled to say I still needed to eat something. Mom and Nigel started to laugh, and we all went back to warm up dinner. Knowing there is nothing we can do right now.