Chapter Nine

Chapter IX

I sat on the couch, thinking about what just happened. I was tired. I’m starting to think all of the things that happened today weren’t real. I just had to sleep and then tomorrow, I’ll know if all of these were true.

 

“Wake up, sunshine!” I heard a familiar voice as I felt someone open the lights in my room. I tried opening my eyes but the light blinded me. “Breakfast in bed.” Now I know the voice. I forced myself to open my eyes and grinned as I hugged my father. He put down a tray filled with delicious food on my bed. I saw Gena and Gerald behind my father.

“Since when did you come home? I could’ve fetched you from the airport.” I said in between yawns while I rubbed my eyes. Slowly my eyes got used to the light and I was now wide awake. Finally! Finally my father came back. No more sorrow for me; too bad for Gena.

“I got home at around 2AM, didn’t want to wake you up so I decided to prepare breakfast for you. You seemed really tired, you know.”

“I was. I think I got home at around�"”

“10PM. You looked tired and drunk, but then you weren’t so I just brought you up here.”

“10?!” I shouted because of total shock. So I spent 4 hours with Blaze and Darnell? Was time shorter in Goronia?

“Well, forget about that. You were tired. More talking later, go on and eat already.” My father told me, so I did. I enjoyed eating breakfast because the food tasted good which made it obvious that my father cooked it. I ate as my father talked about his business trip. He seemed really happy to be back. I was, too. So much happier than what I was showing.

“I’m really happy that you’re back, dad.” I said after I finished eating and was cleaning up the place where I ate.

“I’m happy I’m back. So, what happened with you lately? I barely catch you online, you know.”

“I barely go online. Well, nothing much, really. School just started and everything’s the same. Blaze is still my best friend but I have a new close friend,” I paused, smiling. “His name is Darnell and he’s our new neighbor.” My father smiled. His smile was different this time.

“You sure he’s just a close friend?”

“What?” I said in shock, laughing. “Of course! Nothing more than that, dad. I mean, he’s like a brother to me.”

“It’s just that your eyes tell something else. You know it’s okay to share anything with me, Nerice. I’m your father.”

“I know! I tell everything to you,” Nearly everything, at least. “Actually, I don’t know what I’m feeling for him. I mean, he’s a really close friend and everything and I swear I just had a crush on him like days ago but…” I remembered everything about Goronia and I just didn’t think having a crush on Darnell would still be right. “But I don’t know, I think it’s gone now but I don’t know. I’m still confused.” Too confused. The fact that Darnell’s Goronian is a big problem plus the fact that my best friend has feelings for me.

“I understand that, Nerice. Soon, you’ll understand what you’re feeling. Okay, you go start your day already. Take a bath and whatever.” He said as he got the tray from my bed and left my room. I smiled. Everything’s going to be fine now, except for the Goronia thing.

 

“Nerice!” I heard Darnell call me as I went out of the house to buy something from the store next to our house. “Nerice, I have to tell you something.”

“Okay, just wait. I have to buy something and bring it home.” I said as I ran to the store and bought what I had to. I went back home and asked my father if I could spend some time outside the house with Darnell and he agreed, smiling at me. I just ignored the smile.

“Okay, what were you going to say?” I asked as I got out of the house and saw Darnell waiting there.

“It’s about Goronia,” he started. I gave him the “go on” face. “Well, you see, after the two of you left, I thought about practicing again in Goronia for a while. As I entered the portal and got into Goronia, I saw one of the people who trained me; Master Maji. He was shocked to see me but I told him not to tell anyone. I asked him about what was happening in Goronia. He said that the war was so out of their control. Majority of the Goronians were mad, and obviously this majority is stupid. No, wait; sorry about that, well, you know what I mean. They aren’t the smartest kind at all.

“Anyways, going back. I asked Master Maji and he said it was out of control and they needed someone to help them, someone strong, because soldiers of my parents’ were injured. Fortunately, no one’s killed… for now, that’s what Master said.” He stopped. I needed to hear more. As weird as it may seem, I was already interested. I wanted to know more about it.

“That’s all?” I said when he didn’t continue.

“No. So remembering everything that we did and knowing that Master Maji would know a lot about it, I asked him. I asked him why my eye changed color, and so did Blaze’s, when I saw you when you had a hint about it.

“He told me that this eye color changing was very rare. Very rare, indeed. And with you being able to change our eye color like that, you are special. You’re special because you could go through portals to any world and use any world’s magic or ability. You saw what Blaze did yesterday. He got the powers right away and he was strong for a beginner, that’s because you were there. I was stronger than normal, too, and that’s because you were there. You were able to change our eye color to our ‘power color’ because we get a lot of strength from you.

“This thing never happened to any Goronian for a long time, maybe this is the first time, I don’t know, I didn’t think of asking.”

“Are you serious?” I asked him after all of those. He nodded eagerly.

“I am, I am. You’re special. I don’t know what specifically made you special but I know it wasn’t there since your birth.” He explained. Knowing all of these, I felt scared, happy and shocked all at the same time.

“So, would we train later?” I asked, trying to change the topic a little bit.

“Yeah, go and tell Blaze,” Darnell said. “I just have to go to the store to work,” he smiled. “Although luckily, I got promoted.”

“Really? That’s great!” I exclaimed. I was really happy for him. Darnell nodded and waved goodbye at me, walking towards the store.

I walked towards Blaze’s house, to visit him and tell him that we would train later. I also wanted to spend more time with him, now that I’ve got all the time. As I reached Blaze’s house, I rang the doorbell. The door opened at once.

“Oh, hello, Nerice!”

“Hello, Mrs. Carter, is Blaze there? By the way, dad’s back.”

“Yes, Blaze is here. You’re dad is back? That’s great! Say hello to him from me,” She smiled as she turned around and called Blaze. “Blaze! Nerice is here!” Mrs. Carter turned to me and mouthed “just wait.” I nodded and patiently waited for Blaze. That’s when I realized Blaze didn’t tell his mother anything about Goronia at all.

“Nerice,” Blaze called as he was walking towards the door. “Why are you here?”

“I have to tell you something.” I said. I told him about things that Darnell told me and my father being back. I ended my long speech by telling Blaze we’d train later. Blaze just smiled at me.

“You seem really happy.” He said.

“Well, obviously! My father’s back.”

“Are you sure that’s the only thing you’re happy about?” What was he talking about?

“Yeah… why?” I asked. He shook his head, smiling.

“Nothing. Look, your father’s back, you should spend time with him before we train later.” He suggested and I agreed. I said goodbye to him and went straight to my house.

I spent the whole day with my father, telling each other stories, Gena and Gerald were with us. I knew Gena was listening intently to me, glaring at me from time to time to make sure I don’t get to the topic of her hurting me. My father now thought that I was really happy with only Gena in the house. I’d really rather my father thinking that I was happy than him to worry.

 

“Hi, Gena,” Gerald entered my room as I nearly entered my bathroom. “Oh, we’re you going to do something?” he said, realizing I was bringing clothes into the bathroom. “Go ahead, I’ll just wait here.” I nodded at him as I entered the bathroom. I was changing my clothes for the training later. I wore a hood and pants. If there’s one thing about Goronia, it’s really cold, or maybe because we were surrounded by trees that time.

I went out of the bathroom, fixing my clothes, “What is it?” I asked Gerald.

“Well, I actually thought about telling you something important,” he said. I wondered what it was. I just had an odd feeling it had something to do with Gena. “Where are you going, by the way?”

“Oh, I’m going to Darnell’s place. What was it you’re going to say?”

“What would you do there?” he asked, still not telling what he really should say.

“I�"we have to do something. Me, Darnell and Blaze,” I explained, finally looking at him. “What was it you’re going to say?”

“Blaze? With Darnell? Are you kidding me?”

“Gerald, you should seriously tell me what you were really supposed to say.”

“As your brother, I should know where you’re going and what you’re really going to do.”

“Why do you suddenly care?”

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “I just do. I care about you.”

“Well, I appreciate it. I’m going to Darnell’s place, with Blaze because we have to do something important. Maybe when we’re all done I’ll explain to you, but not now,” I explained really fast since I was becoming eager to know what he wanted to say. “Now what do you want to say?”

He stood up, going really near me and facing me. He looked right at my eyes and it felt like he was checking my soul.

“Well, you see… I’m not really your brother,” I hinted sadness mixed with joy (weird, right?) in his voice. “I�"I’m not Gena’s son. She’s my aunt and my mother died when I was born. Gena had an affair with my father so they took me in, but my father died and now Gena’s here. She hated me, you know. Just as much as she hates you, but since I acted all evil and I obeyed her when my father died, she didn’t seem to hate me anymore.”

“W�"why are you telling m�"me this?” I asked him. I was confused as to why he was telling me such thing. He smiled sadly.

“I just thought you had to know. I mean, we’re getting pretty close already, right?” he said. I wasn’t happy with his explanation; it felt like he had something else in mind.

“That’s it?” I asked. “That’s your reason?”

“Yeah, that’s it. Why?”

“It just feels like you’ve got something else in mind. Do you have to say something else?”

“I�"uh… damn,” he sighed. “Yes, I have something else in mind, but I haven’t got the courage to say it,” he stopped for a while. “It’s about Gena.”