Female Novel
Chapter 23
“Your father is here.” Melissa rushed the words from her mouth and my heart nearly stopped.
What she was saying made no sense in my mind. My father- I didn’t have a father. I had Frank and asperm donor. A Father was a foreign concept only lucky kids were able to fully experience. I was notone of those lucky kids.novelbin
“Father?” I found myself repeating the word, confusion soaking each letter.
“Your father.” Melissa spat, anger forming in her crystal eyes. “The social worker managed to track himdown.”
“The social worker.” I nodded, not fully processing the conversation.
I still couldn’t get passed the word ‘father’. It simply wasn’t possible, wasn’t fathomable.
“Get down here.” Melissa snapped, “He wants to speak with you.”
Was that jealousy in her tone? Why would Melissa be jealous?
I trudged downstairs, completely ignoring the fact that I was still in my pajama’s. My busted and swollenface hadn’t even registered in my mind. I had spent so many years as a child imagining my fathersweeping into my life and stealing me away. We would live in a big house together and I’d finally behappy. I imagined him in so many different ways. Strong and handsome, working as a secret agent orinternational spy. His job was the reason he had left my mom, had left me and never returned. Mychild-like mind had come up with all sorts of excuses for his behavior. It took me such a long time torealize people simply didn’t care. They didn’t care about their spouses, family or children. In the endyou needed to look out for yourself, relying on anyone else was a broken heart waiting to happen.
I had spent too many days crying for my Father, begging the invisable man in the sky to bring himhome.
My eyes locked instantly on the foreign man standing in the living room. My Father- my sperm-donor.
His eyes were just like my own. One so blue it looked almost white, one chocolate brown. His dark hairwas the same color as my own, cropped close to his head. I could easily see the similarities betweenus. I used to love the fact that I looked like my father, and now I hated it. I resisted the urge to cringe ashis piercing gaze met my own. Did I look at people like that? With the same wide and startling gaze?The contrast of the deep brown and light blue was violent, making his eyes become the center ofattention.
My Father- sperm-donor was build extremely tall and wide. He looked muscular for his age, and mighteven be called handsome. He wore a finely tailored suit, slate grey with blue accents. Full eyebrowsand a wide nose, full lips and long eyelashes. I could see myself within him, and my own self-hatebegan to bubble and boil towards the surface.
“Aurora.” My name left his lips, surprise widening his eyes as he took in my mangled face.
Some child-like part of me wanted to run into his arms, cry in joy that my father had finally come home.
Well, it was too f*****g late.
Too many nights spent crying in the dark, begging for him. Too many nights suffering at the hands ofFrank and the cruel words of Melissa. He was too late for me, for my love, my admiration, my loyalty.
“Who are you?” I paused, for a moment I hadn’t even recognized my own voice. It sounded distant andforeign. Hidden pain and torment filled my words.
“I’m your Father.” The stranger cleared his throat, running a hand over the dark stubble on his chin.“The name’s Garrett Maddox.”
“Garrett.” I nodded. Garrett I could deal with, a man claiming to be my Father was out of the question.
Garrett paused, some conflicting emotions forming on his face. None of which I cared to recognize.
“Aurora, what happened to your face?” Garrett was very good at controlling his emotions. Nothingleaked out through his words, his eyes were another story entirely. They were lit with unspoken rage,enough to nearly cause a shiver down my spine.
“I told you, I tried to ask her.” Melissa frowned, her voice sounded pleading and almost whiny. “Shewon’t tell me.”
My eyes darted to Melissa, hardening at the sight of her. She was practically cooing for his attention,even with Frank feet away in the recliner.
“Aurora, tell me.” Garrett insisted.
The anger that rushed through me was enough to snap me from my stupor. Not a chance in h**l wouldI give this stranger what ever he wanted, no matter who he claimed to be. He was ruining my plans,plans I was determined to follow through on no matter what.
“I don’t have to tell you anything.” I snarled, “Not a single one of you.”
“Aurora-” Garrett opened his mouth to speak, but I silenced him with a wave of my hand.
“You do not get to speak to me, Garrett.” I snarled his name, glee running through me as his eyeswidened.
Pure, unfiltered rage ran through me. Rage spanning well over ten years. Every single time I cried forhim ran through my head, every single time I bragged about him to other kids. Each moment was ondebut in my mind, each filling me with more and more anger. The world around me vibrated, and it tookme a moment to realize I was quite literally shaking with rage. Fear rolled through me and I attemptedto control the torrent of anger. My vision tinged red, and I tasted something burnt in my mouth.
Garrett hesitated, some sort of unmet expectation forming in his eyes. He seemed much too gleeful,much too accepting of the anger I felt. It only pissed me off further.
The brick wall exploded in my mind, demolished. The bricks crumbled into nothing, the cementdisintegrated. Rebuilding the wall was hopeless, futile. Something stirred in the back of my mind,waking at the onslaught of rage I felt.
‘Finally’ The voice in my head shouted, sounding much too gleeful.
I stepped towards Garrett, the anger was becoming too much. It started as a fire, comforting and warm.It quickly grew out of control, consuming me and dousing me with gasoline. I wanted to end the sourceof my anger, Garrett.
His eyes widened as I hobbled forward.
Two sets of knocks pounded on the thin screen door. A familiar voice pulled me from my rage,somehow dousing the flames as if they had never existed.
“Aurora.” Kade’s deep voice called out. Alec stood next to him. Both sets of their dark and alluring eyeswere locked on me. The flames were gone, vanishing. They no longer licked against my skin, eggingme on.
The brick wall in my head was still in shambles, unable to be repaired. The voice in my mind that hadonce been quiet was now much louder, unable to be held back.
Garrett’s expectant look in his eyes faded, but kept their interest as they looked me over.
I hadn’t realized it yet, but I was looking at the twins with both eyes. I somehow managed to open myswollen eye. It no longer throbbed with pain, nor did my busted lip. My face felt fine, painless even.Something had happened indeed, whether I chose to accept it or not.