Chapter 19 DALIA
DALIA
After breakfast, I go to the hospital with Ezekiel and Nikolai. Ezekiel has already filled him in with what happened yesterday. Nikolai introduce the other guy as Ezekiel's Gamma, Creigh
They weren't able to find the witch, but they are still searching. They believe that she's still in the pack. She's now wanted, so she can't escape the parole. Ezekiel said that he will let the council know of what's going on and also the possibility that war is coming.
This is not a case of maybe. The war is inevitable if not stopped. I wish he could see it.
When we arrive at the hospital, Leon is already awake. He looks weak and confused. He refuses to talk to anyone. But I'm glad the cut I made to take out the curse is healing. It's funny how Jerald did a good job with Leon's wound but not with other patients. Maybe because it's a small cut.
I'm worried about Leon. How will he feel if he finds out that a witch killed his mother and took her form, and he has been living with the said witch for God knows how long. I want to hide it from him, but he will eventually find out the truth, especially now that the witch is placed as a wanted person. Anyone that sees her will report.
“Hi Leon,” I say politely with a smile. He looks scared and I want him to see that I will do no harm to him. I wonder what he went through to make him feel so vulnerable. The bruises on his body tells me that he didn't go through easy abuse. The small peak I saw through the curse was sickening. “How are you feeling?”
He didn't say anything. There's fear in his eyes as it keeps flickering at Jerald. Maybe I'm over thinking. He's definitely generally scared of everyone in this room.
“Can you all step outside? Let me talk to him alone,” I say, looking at Ezekiel.
“I need to question him.”
“I will do that myself. Let's not scare him”
He simply sighs and walks out with others. I know he's also worried about Leon. He can see that he went through a lot through the hands of that witch. That's why he needs every necessary information to find the witch and make her pay.
Once they are gone, I turn to Leon. He refuses to look at me, and I can see how fast his heart is beating. He looks nervous. He looks barely fourteen. He's young to have gone through anything he went through.
“My name is Dalia. I saved you from a curse,” I say. He quickly looks at me. Glad that I've gotten his attention.
“That black line that goes up from your right leg to your upper abdomen. It also makes you feel pain. That's the curse.” I reply to his unasked question. “How long has it been there?”
He hesitates before answering. “One week…. I guess.”
“How did you get it?”
“From my mother. A curse….. what does it mean?” He mutters.
Of course, he's too young to know anything about witches. But even if I explain, he won't understand.
“How did your mother give you the curse?”
“She was beating me that day. I don't know how it happened but I felt a very sharp pain on my right leg. I knew it wasn't pain from the beating. It was different. I fainted. When I woke up, I saw those dark lines, and the pain was still there.” He replies after hesitating again.
I feel the constriction of my heart. I learned about the pain that comes from a witch's curse. I can't believe that such a young boy took on such pain for over one week. He even goes to training with it.
“Your mum, does she always beat you?”
He quickly replies. “No. My mum is a good person. She loves me so much. I don't know what happened, but she has been acting like a different person for the past two weeks.”
“When you noticed the change in your mother, why didn't you tell anyone?” I carefully ask. I don't want to push him more than I should.
“I was confused. I was trying to find out if she was going through emotional crises. If there was something that made her start acting differently. Anytime I tried talking to her to know what's wrong, she ends up beating me. Also I was scared that the Alpha King would lock her up if I reported her because he doesn't spare people that abuse children. I wanted to give her time. I know that she will come back to her senses because my mother was never like that. She loves me so much and I love her too.”
At this point, I'm trying so hard to fight back the tears. Poor child. How am I supposed to tell him that his mother is dead and he has been living with an imposter for two weeks now.
He takes my hand as he looks into my eyes with a pleading look. “Please don't let them arrest my mum. She will come back to her senses. Just give her some time.”
Finally a tear escaped. I quickly wipe it away as I place my other palm on his hand on mine. I'm glad that he talked to me. It means that he trusts me, and I won't break the trust. “Leon….. you are a strong boy. What I'm going to tell you right now will be very painful, but I want you to remember how strong you are. And I also want you to know that I and everyone in this pack will be by your side.”
I can see the fear in his eyes, but I didn't stop. He needs to know. “That woman you have been living with is not your mother, Leon. She's a witch. We don't know what she did to your mother, but it's possible that she must have killed her and took her form.”
I embraced myself for his cry or thrash out but nothing came. He's simply staring at space. I can see the pain in his eyes, but no tears. Should I be worried? Isn't it better that he cries?
“Leon.” I gently tap him but he isn't responding. I wait for a while, but he's still in shock. Not saying anything. Right now, my heart is breaking for him. His mother is probably all he has. That witch…. I can't wait to find her. I will make her go through a painful death.
“Talk to me Leon.” I hold his cheeks and try to turn his attention to me, but he still looks distant. “If you feel like crying, I can give you my shoulder to cry on. Don't hold yourself back. Releasing the tears will make you feel better.”
I don't know when I pull him into a hug as I release the tears that I try to push in. I want him to feel safe, that he's not alone. “I will find that witch. And I will make her pay, I promise.”
He still isn't crying. Is it something I should be worried about? He's still young and children are known for releasing their pain through tears. How broken could he be inside that he doesn't even know how to release all that pain.
I think I regret telling him so soon. I should have waited. But I'm sure it will be worse to see his mother's picture on the television while being addressed as a wanted witch.
But wait…. This witch has the ability to take people's form. What makes us think that she will still be in Mrs. Adams form. She can be closer than we think.