Emery
I walked sneakily out of the house at 5:00 in the morning. I didn’t want to raise my father’s suspicion if I went out of the house in his sight. I’m just going to go to the tournament, have fun, and go home! Nothing’s probably gonna go wrong… right?
I looked at the flier on my hand and read the details. So, it’s a combat-type tournament for ages 18 to 25. All residents of Kvenland Village are invited, so I’m expecting some affiliates of the council to participate in the competition. It was still early in the morning, so I went to the park to practice some of my moves. I settled near the playground and let myself get lost in training.
***
Ah, shit.
I lost track of time, and now I’m going to be late. I ran toward the arena while glancing at my watch. I was still about 2 kilometers away, but it was only 3 minutes until the registration. I ran even harder until
Emery“Congratulations to this year’s winner— Mer!”The crowd roared as I raised my hands up in victory. I glanced at my now conscious teammates, and they threw me congratulatory smiles. I also looked to where my father was, but I saw that he looked anxious. Why is that?The MC started speaking once again, “Aside from the $10,000 cash prize, our winner will get the chance to meet with the ever-respected Council!”The crowd exclaimed in envy and awe, but I stood frozen on the stage.My father threw me a knowing look as I bit my lips. Fuck, is this a prize or a punishment?“Congrats, Mer!” Cy and the other members came to greet me cheerfully. I received the cash prize and decided to distribute the money equally among us. They tried to refuse at first, saying that I should just keep it, but I insisted. They gratefully took the money then went on their own ways.The MC guid
Emery6 months laterI laid down on the couch while binge-watching this new show called Squid Game. I screamed at the screen when Sangwoo betrayed Ali.“Fuck, no! Ali, don’t believe that evil bitch! Keep your marbles. No, no, no.”I groaned in annoyance when the masked guy shot Ali down. Welp, there goes my favorite character.I angrily munched down on the pistachio ice cream that was on my lap. I heard laughter behind me and saw my dad watching me in amusement.“Did you like him that much? I think what the other guy did was reasonable. He also has to stay alive.”I glared at him. “You don’t understand! He lost fair and square, but Ali still trusted him because they were friends. Do you go around killing your friends?”He put his hands up in the air, “Okay, okay. I won’t argue with you anymore. Geez, pregnant women are horrifying.”&ld
Emery3 years laterThe past three years have been uneventful but in a good way. Nothing grande really happened. It was only the three of us. It was peaceful. We tried to keep Arlo away from the public’s eye because he looked too much like his father, but he’s growing up and becoming more curious about the world. It’s getting harder and harder to keep him away from the public. I feel like Mother Gothel.However, we don’t restrict him too much! We just try to steer clear from large crowds and anyone affiliated with the council. I don’t know whether it’s because of his acquired genes, but Arlo doesn’t feel like an ordinary child.He’s been growing at a rapidly fast pace. At the age of 3, he can already read and write. Along with that, he is about a whole foot taller than the average three-year-old. Each day, he also resembles his father even more. The color of his eyes is the only feature that i
EmeryMy dad stammered, “What— What are you talking about? Daughter? My daughter died along with my wife more than 15 years ago. Where are you getting your nonsensical thinking from, Klaus?”Klaus chuckled, “Oh come on now, Crassus. Don’t regard me as a liar. I heard it come from your own mouths. About how this young woman right here called you dad when you went and visited the council room about four years ago. I wouldn’t dare share my suspicions without any confirmation and evidence. So, I did some digging around. And I must say, you did such a great job hiding this matter from the council, Crassus. But, I think I did a better job finding out the truth.”My mind was racing, and I couldn’t think properly. Why wasn’t I more careful? Fuck, what’s going to happen now?My dad held onto my hand to comfort me, and Klause awwed at the sight.“Such a sweet father-and-daughter pair
EmeryI peeped out of the entrance door and saw three brooding figures clad in black cloaks. I froze as I leaned against the door.“What are we going to do, dad?” I asked helplessly.“Let’s have Arlo get to safety first, then will take it from there.” My father was also anxious, but he put up a brave facade.I went to Arlo’s sleeping figure and gently woke him up. I felt bad as he was rubbing his eyes out of tiredness, but we had no other choice.“Mommy’s sorry for waking you up, but do you want to play with mommy right now?”Arlo looked up, confused. “Play?”“Yes, let’s see who can hide for the longest time, okay.” I carried him up to our room and placed him in the walk-in closet. I kneeled in front of him and gently smoothed out his hair.“If you hide here until mommy comes and gets you, I’ll make sure to buy you any
EmeryArlo was fine now, munching on some chips that I bought from a lady passing by. We boarded a train bound for Lucia County, where the Blood Shadow pack resides. I turned away from Arlo to hide my tears. I looked at the swiftly passing trees instead and wondered what it would be like if dad was with us right now.I shook my head and tried to smile. He’s probably in a better place now, holding my mom in his arms and finally living the life that they always wanted to live. I glanced towards Arlo. I have my own family now. It’s time for me to protect him with everything that I have, just like how my parents did for me.I saw him yawn through my peripheral vision, so I placed his head on my lap and let him fall into slumber. I looked at his peaceful sleeping face while I stroked his soft cheeks. I would do anything to let him keep this peaceful face of his. I would never allow anyone to ruin our family, even if it’s just the both
KairoI sighed as I opened my eyes from yet another sleepless night. I looked toward Amelia’s sleeping figure and wished that it was someone else instead. It’s been about four years since she left, but she’s all I could ever think of. Is this the consequence of my selfishness four years ago? If I wasn’t so stubborn, would I have been happier now?A lot of questions still linger in my mind— Has she been doing well? Is she living a better life now? Does she have someone else who holds her in her sleep?The last question made my head hurt, so I got up from bed and splashed my face with cold water. I didn’t bother waking Amelia up. I just went downstairs to the kitchen to have my usual breakfast.I thought about what happened during the past few days. Amelia and I’s child, Devyn, just celebrated his 4th birthday, and it’s one of the rare moments where I felt genuinely happy. I might feel indiffere
EmeryI sneezed upon waking up; the dust on the ceiling must have fallen while we were sleeping. I looked at Arlo’s cute sleeping figure and brushed the dust away from his face.We have a lot to do today. First, we have to get the house cleaned up, then we have to go to the mall to buy some clothes and other necessities, and after that, I need to find a babysitting service that can look after Arlo while I try to hunt for a job.But before any of that, I need to cook some breakfast for the both of us. It’s a good thing that I’ve packed some dry pancake batter; otherwise, we wouldn’t have anything to eat this morning.I went down quietly to the kitchen so as to not wake Arlo up. Then after cooking some pancakes, I gently shook him awake so we could start the day.We finished eating our breakfast, and Arlo was now sitting on my lap, playing with a Rubik's cube that he was able to pocket before we left our old hou