VIII. The Letter

  We pulled up to Agnes’s home. It was like every other traditional brick house. It had a black roof and black shutters. She had a stone walkway that came all the way to the sidewalk and ended with a mailbox in the shape of a flower. We walked the path up to her door and I rang the bell. I heard a little dog bark and some shuffling. “Oh, you must be who called earlier today. Please come in.” She opened the door and let us in. Her house smelled of sweets just like my Aunt Liz’s. She led us to her living room and offered us some tea. “Yes please.” I said as she handed me a cup.  As she handed James his cup she said, “You must be the gentleman I talked to on the phone?” He sipped his tea and set it down on the table. “Yes, I have this book that a relative of yours had written and was wondering if you could shed some light on what it is talking about.” He said as he pulled his briefcase out and grabbed the book. As soon as she seen the book she had this look on her face like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “I have been looking for that book for a long time. My mother wrote it and when she passed someone had stolen it along with a lot of other things.” She ran her fingers across the cover of the book and had tears welling up in her eyes. “What would you like to know?” She said with a smile. 

“Well, we can’t read Latin. We were wondering if you could tell us a little bit of what’s in this book.” James said. She flipped through some of the pages. “May I ask why you are so interested?” I set my cup of tea down. “To be honest I have received a little wooden ball  with carvings all over it. After doing some research I found it to be called the ball of fate. After discussing with my friend here about this ball, he remembered he had this book which is also called The Ball of Fate. Do you know if there is a connection?” She looked like she had seen a ghost. “Of course! Why didn’t I see it before!! I can’t believe my eyes!” She got up from her chair and went into the closet around the corner. She came out with a box and handed it to me. “Your mother wanted you to have this when you arrived.” She said with a smile. “My mother?” I was so confused. I took the lid off of the box and found a letter and a few pictures. There was an orange lotus that looked like it had never died and a locket necklace. One of the pictures was my mother with this strange man. They were all dressed up like they had gone to a royal/wizard costume party or something. The second picture was this weird man holding a baby sitting next to my mother by a tree.

 I picked up the letter and read it aloud, “My dearest Eden, Right now you are probably wondering a million things. The most important thing you need to know is that I love you. Do not ever doubt that for a minute. If she hasn’t told you already Agnes is your grandmother. She is my mother. I left her this note for when the time came. You are part of a people called the Ricanti. We conceal a certain type of power. We can do things to help others when they need it. I can’t tell you what powers you may conceal, for everyone is different. You just have to find the inner you and try. I tried to keep you from this world. I didn’t want you to live with the burden, to have to keep secrets and lies. I had to make decisions based on your best interest. Your real father is Kane. If you haven’t heard of that name you will soon enough. He was a wonderful man when we first met. Then something happened. His father was murdered and he just wasn’t the same after. He became an evil warrior. Taking down every city and village until he found the man who killed his father. It had gotten so bad he just left you and I on some island. Your step father, Nikai’s father, found us there. He turned our lives around for the better. I never seen Kane again and your step father and I lived a happy life raising you two girls. We vowed to never introduce you to this world. Kane is after you and if he isn’t he will be soon.You need to listen to everything your grandmother tells you. Don’t give up no matter what, and make things right. I love both of you and I know one day you will forgive me. Sincerely, Your Mother xoxo” I just sat there in tears.

 How could she lie about such intimate details of our lives. The man I called my father my whole life is not really my father? Powers? I felt overwhelmed and I think Agnes picked up on this. “Sweet heart, I know this is a lot to take in at the moment. There is not a second to waste. Now that you know somewhat of what’s going on, you need to prepare.” I wiped my tears and looked at Nikai. “This means you are part Ricanti also. We have to stick together. I have no clue what is in store for us, but we will get through it.” I looked at Agnes, “So what do I do next. What has to be done? Why exactly is Kane after me?” She looked saddened. “Kane is an evil sort. He was so furious when he found out your mother ran off with you. He never stopped looking. One day he found where you guys were at. She moved you two and your father to a safe location and went after Kane. It was horrific. Kane wanted to end the Ricanti people. He didn’t want our people to live on. He knew that you were the last Ricanti born. He doesn’t know about Nikai. He was determined to find you no matter what the cost. Your mother wasn’t going to give you up, so she sacrificed herself for you. Your mother didn’t really die in a car accident with your father. Your father tragically died in a car accident trying to find your mother. It was easier to tell you they both died in the accident. With your mother’s wish of you two not being in this world I have had to stay out of your lives. Now that you know everything I am here for you fully 100%. We need to start your training as soon as possible.”

 “What exactly is training?” I asked and Agnes just chuckled, which made me a little nervous. 

Author's Note

This is just chapter eight