Chapter 11: Oliviana's Quondam Life

"Hey! It’s been a while!" Daniel pops from behind Oliviana. Enoch scowls at the unwelcome surprise. Gideon stands from his seat in shock with Leora holding him by the hand anchoring him. They both gave each other a look, 'not now,' her eyes say. The couple is confused about how their families know each other without them knowing. Thazar stands and welcomes them both. "Please come in. I'm well aware of why you've arrived." Enoch steps aside to let the pair enter the home. Oliviana has her eyes focused on her grandson while Daniel wanders his eyes around the home smiling in amazement. "It’s really been a while." His eyes land on Thazar, a strong man, but the years have been visibly kind to him. Smile lines wrinkle by his eyes and gray strands peek from his dark hair.

"Good evening," the silence was broken by Oliviana's low voice. "I'm here for my grandson."

Gideon grinds his teeth and makes the slightest snarl. He didn't want to leave. He had yet to learn about Leora's fate. In the sternest voice, he said, "No." Daniel darts looks from his nephew to his mother. His eyes do land on Gideon’s hand holding tightly on the girl's hand beside him. A small amused smile creeps on his face, but turns serious almost immediately. "Gideon, please." He shifts his face to worry and caution. He tried to talk his mother out of coming here. He wanted to give Gideon time to figure out what to do and eventually help him out. But Oliviana was a volcano about to erupt. She had an agreement with her grandson that they would talk in the morning yet he never came down from his room. Her son, Daniel, had always been bad at lying. His tells were always no eye contact and defensive replies, from then on her hunch was correct. 

She didn’t need to ask him any further, she knew her grandson was with the other pack.  She knew where the other pack lived, she never lost them.  She knew where everyone was and where every creature lived.  Oliviana was indeed paranoid since her mate died.  She fears for her pack, so taking extra precaution she scouts the other creatures that wandered near her home, she looked for the Celes pack, she wanted to keep her family in a dome but that would only want them to leave.  That’s why at night she goes out, watches her home and family, and kills whatever creature comes too close. 

That night she watched her grandson almost bring Leora to her home.  Leora, a creature of the same kind as hers yet she knew that girl would bring chaos to her once peaceful life. She knew one day that she would be finding herself face to face with the family that left them.

“Come,” Thazar says as he leads his guests to the cabin on the other side, the residence of Leora.  Gideon, Leora, and Thazar leave the table followed by Enoch and Samantha.  Elena was left in the care of Salma, there was no need to bring her into it.  One by one they enter the home.  Almost the same as the main house, it was warm and welcoming. The yellow light illuminates the dark home.  Dark hardwood from top to bottom, the living room that opened to the kitchen and dining room, had wooden furniture topped with soft cushions with flowers embroidered on them, some good looking flowers, some not, seemed homemade. Family pictures in frames hung on the walls, kids’ drawings taped on one door, a sign that says ‘Leora’ hanging on one door, Gideon guessing that’s her room.  From the living room it seemed to Gideon that Leora grew up in a place filled with love, yet why do they not save her from her fate?

All the Willows take a seat on the couch, while the Celeses take two of the solo couches, Thazar taking one, while Leora sits on the other with her parents seated in each of its arms.  Gideon breaks the silence.

“So how do you all know each other?” Thazar smiles, grateful for the young man’s curiosity.

“We were all once in a pack.  My family was with your family.” Daniel nods confirming the answer.

“So why aren’t you with us anymore?”

Oliviana finally speaks. “Gideon, their family left our pack to protect us.”

Gideon looks at his grandmother as if she grew two heads. “What do you mean?”

Thazar then speaks to explain the whole turn of events.

“You see, Boy, the reason we left was not only to protect you but to avoid involving your family with whatever punishments the gods had for us.  The gods are not what the school books tell you nor are they the same as the tales that’s been passed on to us.  I’ve seen what they could do and if I speak ill they will hear me.  They watch our every movement, every word is heard, and most terrifyingly they will come once you’ve broken the law.  Your father Idris knows the fear the gods put in them when they’re called. He’s met Frey.”

Oliviana closes her eyes remembering that night.  Gideon was speechless but nodded to let Thazar continue. Leora listens intently while glancing at Gideon, worried he wouldn’t want to stay when he hears that there’s nothing that he can do to save her.

“My father’s met Frey.” He whispers to himself. Daniel’s hand reaches onto his shoulder as if to ground him from the news.

“Yes. Your father’s met Frey. Like my loving wife, he too was called. However, I’m not sure how or when it happens.” Thazar looks down and scowls at the memory. He wasn’t prepared for it, he didn’t know what was happening, all he knew was he had to be by his wife’s side. 

“When Frey called my wife we immediately left your pack. We didn’t want you to be a part of our problem. Then years later your father was called. Oliviana was worried and spoke to us about the passage Frey gave.”

“What was it?”

Oliviana sits up and recites it as if it were sacred. “In your bloodstream comes punishment, in others, comes love and sacrifice. A decade it takes to complete absolute forgiveness, and mend the union promised at youth.”

The room was silent for a moment.  A cold breeze passes through the windows as if it knew the room needed to breathe.

“What does it mean?” Leora finally asks.  She never bothered anything about her curse before, all she knew was that by a certain age, she would be taken by the gods, and all she had to do was to accept it.

“We were never able to decode it. All we understood was we had time, which was a decade. But I guess time’s up.” Daniel replies.

“We heard about this long ago, but seeing where we were we didn’t know what to do, my love,” Samantha says brushing Leora’s hair away from her face. Tears threaten to spill from her eyes.

Her first child was to be taken because of her mother-in-law’s mistake. She couldn’t be angry at anyone because deep down she understood what happened and if it were her to be in that situation she would have done the same thing. Kindness was not a sin. A law that discriminated against creatures just because it wasn’t made by the god that created the land they lived on was frustrating to understand.  Samantha knew Maryn helped a pure human. She knew Maryn was a good mother and a great caretaker. The only thing she didn’t know was what the rest of the pack didn’t expect, the punishment placed on them.  Sometimes she wished that Maryn never helped that girl or that Maryn should have been the only one to be punished, but that was cruel of her to think.  She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, then gives Leora a weak smile. Enoch watches Samantha brush their daughter’s hair with her hands, in that moment, he feels the doubts and worries his wife has.  It mirrored his own, but he was just a little better at hiding them.

“We too thought we had time, but like he said we are running out of it.  We didn’t think anything about it anymore because we knew what was going to happen and we’ve prepared you for it.”

Gideon sat there scowling at Leora’s parents. What did they mean? Prepared her for it? Did they mean they were willing to just let them get their daughter?

“Why didn’t any of you do anything when it’s been, I guess, what, a decade since you got that hint?” Gideon almost shouts.

“Because the end was going to be absolute. The gods take her.”  Enoch calmly replies.

“No.” Gideon stands.

“No?” Samantha repeats.

“No” Gideon bellows. “Do you not hear yourself? Do you not want to save her from what they’ve done to her?” His eyes glow with intensity. 

“Giddy, we weren’t part of the hex that was put on them,” Oliviana says.

“What do you mean we aren’t? Father was called by Frey, we ARE part of it.”

“Let’s end the night here.  Willows, it was a pleasure to see you again.  Daniel, my boy, please do not stress your mother, you have not changed much.” Thazar chuckles at the last statement.

“Sure thing. But I have changed, Thazar. Not so much on the pranks though.” He smiles widely.

Oliviana and Daniel leave the premises, while Gideon promises to follow them home in a while.  He needed time to think.  He took a path the opposite way to his home, dried leaves crunching underneath his steps, sounds of nightly creatures hooting in the silent night.  His thoughts go back to what Leora’s family said.

We didn’t think anything about it anymore.

Your father met Frey.

The end was going to be absolute.

He stops walking, and crouches.  An overwhelming scream bubbles out from him.  He screams a frustrated scream. He felt like her own family had already abandoned her while she was still alive and breathing with them. They had already let her go when she still stayed with them. What kind of family does that to their own? 

Leora was more than precious to him at this point. She was starting to become his whole being.  His love for her consumed her at an aggressively fast pace.  If her family had given up on her then all that’s left is him. He’s the only one that hasn’t accepted what must happen to her. And if he could do something about it, he will.

Gideon reaches home calmed down from his walk. He spots his grandmother in the dining area, sipping tea, with a gloomy expression on her face. She sees him and waves him to sit with her.

“Gideon, I must ask you something important. I’ll only ask this once.  Do you claim her as your mate?”

“Yes,” he answered. No hesitations left his lips. He’s firm and absolute that this girl who popped into his life is without a doubt his mate for life.

“All right. Take a seat.  I must tell you something that might waver that choice of yours.” She sighs and sits upright. Gideon takes a seat adjacent to her as he prepares a cup for himself.

“Long ago, before you and your father were born I used to trade with pure humans.  My grandmother, was there when the barrier came down in Yord. And even then, she used to trade with the pure humans as well.  And as soon as they passed I carried on with the trade.  When Yord came to be, I became more cautious with what we traded and who we traded with, but I continued with my trade with them. “

Gideon scowls even deeper as she continues to speak.

“Far beyond the barrier in the sea there is a crack on it, there I let the pure humans pass through.  I’m not sure if Frey knows about it, but for the longest that I’ve known that crack was never looked upon.  One day a storm hit and the trader’s boat lost a girl.” Oliviana covers her face and bows, her shoulders shaking as her tears fall. Regrets and shame cover her entirety.  

“I—I went out that day to look for the missing girl. I sent the boat away as fast as possible.” She looks up to Gideon who’s left the table now paces.

“I saw—“ Oliviana clears her throat. “I saw Maryn, Leora’s grandmother, hoist that girl on her shoulder.” She points at the piece of cloth to Gideon silently asking him to pass it to her. As she wipes her tears she composes herself to continue.

“I watched her. I didn’t call out to her or help her. In that second, I saw all the possible consequences our family could face, so I let her take the girl.”

Gideon leans on the back of the chair, gripping its sides.

“This is all your fault then?” he shouts, loud enough to make his grandmother flinch, but also soft enough not to wake the others.

“I know, Dear. I live with this guilt. But since the punishment was already handed I did not think that it would still involve us.”

“Why didn’t you just take responsibility for that girl instead of passing it to them?”

“Giddy, please sit down. I cannot speak to you properly with you moving about like that,” scolding him. “I truly had no idea. I just wanted to protect our family.” She says resigned. Silence hangs in the air as Gideon absorbs the information shared with him. Anger and confusion cloud his mind but he needs to be calm. He needs to hear more to make a smart plan.

“Does everyone know? Did my dad know? Why did Frey call for my dad?”

“Only your grandfather knew. When it was all said and done all he could do was accept whatever request the Celes pack had, and that was to leave. As for your father, I don’t know why he was called but now that I’m thinking, it’s starting to make sense why him.”

“If the Celes family was in our pack, didn’t that make them family? Why didn’t you protect them?”

Oliviana takes a deep breath completely drained from this conversation, “In all honesty boy, I didn’t think at all. I just had your aunt Seraphine that time and all I could think of was they might take her or take me and have them live motherless.” She carries her cup and brings it to the kitchen sink. He follows bringing his cup along as well. She washes and rinses their cups then leans on the sink. Gideon stands a few steps away, she turns her head halfway ashamed to look at him, but brave enough to face him.

“What will you do now?”