growing suspicions

Chapter two :

Coen hastily paced around his room, his cyan eyes scanning the disheveled surroundings with a panicked expression .
He heaved a sigh and lowered his gaze , towards the chipping brown floor, his lips twitching in chock at the sight : his belongings were sloppily scattered across the spacious ground , occasionally forming an asymmetrical pile of junk that mockingly peeped right back at him .
Coen shivered and carelessly fixed the loosening bath robe around his dripping body before retrieving to the left corner . He sank into his opaque club chair, chin thoughtfully rooted over his buckled hands .
" how the hell will i finish packing this stuff before night fall ... It's useless ".
Coen sat there for a moment , contemplating recent events with a bland expression .
"A shifter huh ..." He whispered to himself , eyes landing on the wrinkled application form placed on the bed side table . He blinked heavily , having rested for merely two hours since he's came back home . " shoot , I'm sleepy !" he breathed before burying his head into the low chair back .
"Where is that brat" came a grouse from downstairs . Coen recognized his father's husky voice and languidly scooped himself to a straighter position.

the sound was approaching and It wasn't long before his father bursted into the room , frying pan in hand and a flowery apron tied neatly around his front .
He scrutinized the room for a moment , then flashed a censorious glare towards his son . Coen stared back , internally debating the odds of him speaking without being whisked and thrown out the window . He knew he had to act once his father's right eye started ticking madly ; Coen sloppily flashed an abashed smile .'Oh great! He's armed !' he mentally screeched , growing paler .
The man furiously smashed the frying pan against the nearest wall , struggling to maintain his temper . He made his way steadily to the window , lifted the blinds and sprang it open with a swift movement , admitting wintery air into the dusty room .
At length, he started approaching his son with the frying pan still firmly planted against his palm when he suddenly came crashing to the floor .
"goddamn" he howled incredulously , eyeing a shoe that lay dangerously on the floor near his foot " COEN !" .
His son jolted to his feet , feigning innocence while fruitlessly taming a smile that played around his mouth .
The father coughed slightly after regaining his composure , his face flustered and his lips pursed : "you took a shower an hour ago" he began , nursing an injured hand : " I was getting impatient ... And why on earth are you naked ? " he added , pointing a gloved finger at Coen's now loose bath robe .
"It's my new fashion statement " The son teased with a shrug . Coen found himself shamelessly parading around his room with exaggerated slowness, flaunting his slim physique before tripping over another pair of his shoes and landing not-so-gracefully on the floor .
The puzzled look on his father's face soon relaxed into a genuine grin " serves you right" he mocked , mimicking his son's slow movement towards the door .
"Wait" cried Coen before his dad was out of sight " help me find some clothes ...please ?"
The man sighed heavily and shook his head , he retraced his path and dived into one of the numerous piles of junk . Coen could faintly hear him hiss and curse in a half tone but thought better than interfering .
It was fifteen minutes of struggle before the man's head popped up , gasping for oxygen. He threw whatever items he found into his son's face and straightened up , feeling rather pleased with such an achievement so early in the morning.
" hurry up , breakfast is almost ready ... Oh and Coen , I need to speak to you about something rather important .." He trailed off , smiled candidly at his son and faintly closed the door behind him .


Coen stepped out of his room half an hour later : Hair dried and handsomely combed back , breaking around his ears and loosely reaching the back of his neck .
He stuffed his hands into his pockets and skipped down the stairs .
" let's do this !" He cheekily cheered in a singsong voice .
It wasn't long before he reached the kitchen .Coen clutched the doorknob which yielded almost instantly to his grip and clumsily pushed the oak door forward . He made his way inside the medium-sized room which , compared to his own , was more meticulously handled . His dad found pleasure in elegantly equipping the kitchen .He kept it clean and convenient , since he was largely the only one using it .
The son hurled the door shut with one leg and presieved the old man: he was rooted before the oven , looming over a pan cake in deep concentration .
"Ummm dad ?" Inquired Coen hesitantly . He took a seat around the oval dining table and awkwardly waited for his father to take notice of him.
" when you add a generous portion of dried fish skin and a hint of grant black pepper into the ingredients , it adds a sizzling flavor ." He remarked , turning around and placing a plate before his son ." Voilà !".
" are you sure this is edible ?" Coen bluntly asked, eying the toned pan cake suspiciously .
"Fine , be a crappy son ." Murmured his father , slightly offended . He immediately shifted the dish to his side and fondly gazed at it .
"I don't think I will finish packing on time ." Blurted Coen with a pout .
"No wonder ," chuckled the father sarcastically , helping himself to a generous gulp of his coffee " with that dump you have for a room .. . When are your friends coming ? "
"No idea . But knowing them , I'll probably end up handing my paper alone " .
His father was growing increasingly apprehensive . He gazed at his own intertwined hands for a while , studying his words carefully before speaking " how do you feel son ... About all of this ? Are you ready ? Do you need advice ? Do you have any trouble ... I know I'm not the best dad out there but.. I want you to know that I really care for you and your safety .. You don't have to go if .."
"Dad !" Coen interrupted , making sure his father saw the confidence in his gaze . " I'll do fine ... Don't worry , besides , I'm one of the small number of rookies that pulled through the training phase "
" you were in the bottom two !" The man stated with a frown.
" ...that's not the point " . Coen scoffed , disregarding the blush of shame that tinted his cheeks .
" listen son , people lose their lives during the exact same test . I just ... I just don't want to lose you too .."
" I promise I'll come home safely " vowed Coen with a hand securely placed on his chest . " I'll write letters ... ALL THE TIME .. You won't even notice my absence "
The father perked up an eyebrow and took a sip of his coffee .
" can I ask you something then dad ? It's a bit ...intimate " Asked Coen , slightly nervous . The man's eyes widened considerably .
" of course son ... wait don't tell me you've finally fallen in love with somebody... Well ... Don't worry I'm especially experienced in matters of the heart ... Is it Silver ? I've seen the way she looks at you Coen . Listen , I might be old ... but your mother and I ..."
" RELAX DAD , you're ranting " cried Coen , getting exponentially uncomfortable " furthermore , Silver ?? Cut me a break old man ... We're frien... I mean acquaintances ! Jeez ... Anyway , I only wondered if you knew something about the shifters' history ... Before the exam that started seven years ago . I couldn't find anything about our kind's origins or accomplishments in any books that we own. Now that I mentioned it , there was nothing about this city in the library before that time . Isn't that a bit strange ? "
The room fell into heavy silence , both parties eyeing each other with an equally stupefied expression .
" w-what ?" mouthed the father stiffly . He readjusted his position , tightening his grip around his cup of coffee . He was so taken aback by the set of questions that his mind failed to register what his son demanded .
" Well " retraced the boy slowly " what were we before these past seven years ? even though you've been living here your entire life , you rarely ever talk about your childhood ,your past , hell nobody ever does ... We have no written history that traces back before then ... I'm just curious you know ? How come you've never explained mom's death to me and why is there a damn wall separating us from the outer world ? Dad , what happened back then ? Even though I was eight at the time , whenever I try to recall earlier years .. my mind goes blank . And It's like the entire city is hiding something ..."
"Listen son " the man started , facing Coen with the utmost business" I am in no place to share that knowledge with you ... You may worry about it later , once you've passed the exam .Just don't dwell on the matter any further , things will be revealed for you with time .."
"But why ?" Coen insisted , eyes pleading and frantic .
" Don't push me son , you'll hear about it sooner or later ... It's not such a big deal anyway " faking a chuckle " It's all fine ... And concerning your mother , I keep telling you she died from a progressive lung decease . "
" seven years ago ..." Added Coen , still not appeased . He was positive something was amiss , yet refrained further interrogations. He sighed exasperatedly and blankly stared out the window .
"Coen..."
"It's fine" he assured , abstractedly scratching the back of his neck " you said I'll figure it out sooner or later right ? I'll wait and see " .
Any deeper communication was halted as the sound of the entrance door bell erupted from the hallway .
"They're here" Coen lipped . He smiled briefly at his father , before excusing himself and sprinting to meet his friends .

Author's Note

As always , reviews are loved and appreciated.