Chapter 36

Archer POV:

Last night was rocky for as I was still pretty shaken up about the letter, but every time I felt bad I thought about what Dawn told me and that calmed me down enough to sleep. I wanted to spend the night with her, but Jenny took the place after a lot of convincing from both of us. We were so awkward, but it eventually came out to be hilarious. To have a beautiful woman in my life is a blessing. Now that I watch her serving food to the kids I not only realize that she is beautiful physically but also that she is capable of creating beautiful moments. It’s like every time she touches me, the turmoil inside me stops and everything becomes more understandable and happier. We have a lot of hardships to overcome but like she said we are going to come out of every mess together. I watch all of them, all the kids, Damien leaning on Krista laughing about something while clutching his wound, Dawn helping a small boy eat and realize I live for them. My life is living in them now and I have to secure it as soon as possible. Harken is not going to rest, and he may take a side step for now, but he can wake up one day and plan the revenge. I can’t wait and live my life in fear that something’s going to happen. That’s why when Madame Lorraine laid out the gauntlet, I had to accept. Rosaline told me that it is time to meet the infamous leader of the Krakens. He is known as ‘the Goliath’ and I will be completely dishonest if I say I am not scared to meet him. I get intimidated by Madame Lorraine herself and he is her boss. The thing which disturbed me is that the Goliath wants to meet Dawn specifically. I haven’t broken down the news to anyone, but I think we have to move fast. When everyone is done eating breakfast I call for a meeting in a room next to the medic room. I include Skye too because he himself came forward willingly.

“We are in total eleven people in our group” I begin. “Rob and Bloom have already told me that they will fight with us in whatever way they can. Also Rosaline and her two other companions also joined my cause with her own set of reasons. Now I have to ask you guys firsthand if you want to involve yourselves in what is going to happen next” Everyone in the room looks at each other and Krista visibly rolls her eyes. Dawn just shrugs while trying not to laugh and I wonder in my mind what is funny about my question.

Then Jenny speaks up “Uh... that’s why we are here in this room I guess”

“Duh!” Krista says.

“This isn’t a joke. I mean if you agree then you should know that lives will be at risk, and I personally don’t want anybody to step forward without a personal agenda. You don’t have to do anything for me. I won’t ask that from you guys” I state in a clear voice.

“Well I am your sister, and I will follow my family to any extent” Krista says

“And I will follow her” Damien quickly adds and shares a look with Krista which speaks a lot.

Skye gets up from the chair and stands shakily. He is still disturbed from the incidents, and I don’t blame him. He saw her mother shot down and I would support him for anything.

“Well I am a newbie among you guys, and I may have a bad attitude, but I am not an ugly ass person like my sister. I understand what my mother did for us. Dawn and I had a conversation. And I uh..” He drops his head trying to hide the tears and Jenny holds his hands gently. He lets out a breath “I know what I knew all along, that man has never been my father. He killed my mother, and I will be happy to kill him. Saying that I don’t have any experience with killing but I am familiar with arms. I will help in whatever way I can”

“Me too,” Jenny says. “I will stand by him and my best friend always.” The entire situation is extremely overwhelming and although that makes the task emotionally challenging for us we have a stronger unit and chance of winning the game and beating that man.

“Okay, so here is the plan” I start “Initially I thought that we have to go back to our cabin. But after talking to Rosaline I think we are expected to meet up at a different base and regroup. Whatever we do next we can’t do it by ourselves. We will need a lot of help, and someone is willing to help us. We move today and report there to plan our next move. For now we have to leave the orphanage. Skye can you ride a bike?” I ask.

“I can” he says.

“Okay then you will come by the bike. Rosaline parked it yesterday by the side of the garden. Here’s the key.” I throw him the key, and he snatches it. “The rest of us will go via the van”

“You mind if I go with him?” Jenny asks stealing a glance at Skye. The sadness On Skye’s face breaks a little bit.

“No. And from the next time you don’t need to ask me Jenny” I say. She smiles pleasantly.

“What about my sister?” Skye asks. I look at Dawn for answer. She loos disturbed by the thought too. “We have to figure something out. I think it’s best that you guys talk among yourselves to figure out what you want to do with her” I look at dawn and she nods. “Okay, collect your belongings and we will head out in two hours.” When everyone moves out Dawn comes to me, and we hug. “How did I do?” I ask.

“Very good” she says kissing me on the cheek. “You are okay right?”

“I am. I just am anxious about this whole entire thing. I mean these are our friends and family.”

“I know Archer, but you have to stop thinking about everyone else so much and create a burden on yourself. You heard them right? They are here for themselves, and they take full responsibility of it. We can’t let Julian and Monica’s sacrifice to go in vain and trust me I have my own problems to settle with my father too” She kisses me again on the cheek and I pull her closer.

“There is something else I am worried about too” I say.

“What?”

“Madame Lorraine and Rosaline both of them told me that the leader of the Krakens wants to meet you. He goes by the name ‘Goliath’ and his actual name is Feng. He is notorious and apparently he has taken an interest in you. So I am pretty worried about that”

“He is dangerous or what?” She asks casually.

“He is a real deal”

“Well I am accustomed with monsters, and I am not afraid of anyone anymore. I will meet him, and it will be fine, don’t worry.” I trust her; I mean she can win over anyone I guess, anyone but her own father who is a lost case. We deal with so many things in our lives, but I guess being with each other makes it possible to go through everything.

“I will go and have a chat with my sister” She says. “I will have to figure out what to do with her, what she wants!!”

“Yeah I understand. Take Skye with you and be careful”

“I will” we kiss briefly and then she leaves me. Things are falling in place, but we will have to train to be able to challenge Harken. We barely made out this time and that also because Harken was absent. This time he will be prepared, and we have to be too.

Dawn POV:

Walking into the room I feel a sense of frustration. I was trying to avoid this confrontation as I clearly have no idea about what to say. Thank god Skye agreed to accompany me but I have to keep him in check should June decides to open her foul mouth. We both find her sitting on her cot, head down on her knees folded in. She doesn’t move when we come in.

“June?” I ask. Skye is not masking the disdain from his face at all and it’s better that I do the talking now. She still doesn’t lift her head up ignorant as hell. My patience also runs thin.

“I am talking to you” I say with anger.

“Why?” she asks. “Why have you come?” her voice comes out smooth like silk.

“We don’t have any interest to come here” Skye says aggressively, and I bar him from going forward.

“Look up” I order “Now! Or I’ll make you look up”

“Will you?” She says tauntingly but eventually looks up smirking like a wraith. Sometimes corruption is self-inflicted, and she is the very demonstration of that. I don’t know what her living conditions were in the manor, but I do know she was forbidden to go out. I believe Harken imposed the rules, but he didn’t much care about them to check on whether they were keeping up with the rules. I think it was mostly Monica’s doing, to keep her locked in the house always within her sight and I can’t even blame her. That woman went through a lot, and she did what she felt right at that moment. Even I was homeschooled when I was young but that didn’t turn me crazy like my sister. I mean father never showed any favoritism, he was not present most of the time to show us anything. So her agenda with me of jealousy and anything else is a petty excuse she made up in her own head trying to justifying the hatred she throws in my direction.

“Yes, if you ask for it so badly” I say. She keeps smirking and my palms itch to wipe that smirk. She is the reason Julian is dead and suddenly the grief takes over me.

“I am not afraid of you.” She says “I hate you” I believe she does, the way she says that is proof enough.

“Do I care?” I ask trying my version of cruelty. If I get angry she will brag more so my strategy is to make her mad and give her zero importance. It is the best way to get under her skin and take all that energy out at a time so that she submits to my orders.

“Of course you don’t care. Why would you?” She lashes out “But you have some nerves to against our father and you have dragged me into this too. Now he will hate me too!!”

“He is not our father you fool” Skye says. I stop him again.

“So did he admit to you that he loves you?” I say mockingly raising my eyebrows. When she says nothing I continue “Well you are 18 right? And you always run your smart mouth but actually you are dumb. Harken Speller has used you well I think”

“Shut up bitch!” She sneers wild like a freaking animal.

“Watch your mouth!!” Skye says already trying to lunge at her.

“What are you going to do? Hit me again?” She says clearly scared but too proud to back down either. I am angry but I don’t let her know that.

“Well you can call me names, but I am here to decide your life. So you have no choice” I kind of feel like my father while saying this but I have to do this now. The game is not over yet and we cannot afford for her to make a mistake again and one of us becomes a sacrificial lamb. After all is settled I will let her go and live her life out. The only reason I am tolerating her is because of Monica.

“I won’t listen” June says.

“That is not your choice. We are going to take you from here and keep you somewhere else. Now you have to decide whether you want to be locked up again or you want to freely walk among us. Mind you we won’t tolerate any kind of treachery from you again sister”

“Why? Why do you care? Is it because that stinky driver of yours died?” she says. That’s it, that is enough to undo myself and before I can think I have already lunged at her and hold her up against the wall tightly gripping her face. She closes her eyes, and her breathings turn faster. She is scared and that gives me a sickly satisfaction. “Julian was like my father. He was my best friend, my constant supporter. Never ever talk about him in front of me or I will cut your tongue out” A part of me recoils as I am saying all these to her, but the anger is on another level. The anger masks everything and I recognize my blood, I recognize whose daughter I am. As soon as I do I let her go, not feeling guilty but more frustrated that I let her get under my skin and rile me up like that. She heaves sitting on her bed she is lucky to sleep on. I don’t want to hate her, but I do and that is a dilemma for me. I want her to suffer for Julian, but I don’t want to inflict any harm on her myself. She has no remorse, not for her mother too.

“Skye, I think she is a lost case. Tie her hand and escort her to the van. We will have to keep her locked up I think” I turn to leave.

“No!! wait” she screams. I stop on my tracks “I will not be a trouble. Please, I may hate you guys, but you know I have nothing to do now. So I will not stir anything up if you let me walk freely” She says all these in one breath and quiet nervously and I find her looking at Skye with stark fear in her eyes. Good if she is scared of Skye, it will be easier to keep her on track.

“Okay then. If you keep your words then I might let you go someday.”

“Okay” she says.

“Get ready, we leave in one hour and drop the attitude from your face. Nobody is interested.”

I don’t wait for her reply and walk out the room followed by Skye. “Is it a good idea to let her be?”

“What do you want to do? Keep punishing her?” I ask “Look, she is also a victim of our father’s lies. She turned out to be like that because she didn’t get the family environment every teen need, none of us got. But we held it together she couldn’t. We have to understand that from her perspective too.” Skye looks visibly emotional so I give him a hug “hey, we are together, and we will remember Monica and her dreams for you guys. She wanted both of you to be safe and you are now.” I break the hug and look at him in the eyes “We were never close siblings and to be honest you irritated me, but can you deny the sibling bond?”

“No” he says sniffing.

“Then we stay together and be the brother and sister we should have been long ago. Are you with me?”

“Yes,” he says. “I may be older than you, but you are more mature than me and I am lucky to have you as my sister.” He smiles and his face transforms dramatically.

“We will survive this together.” I say “Besides, you have already ensnared my best friend” I bump him with my elbow while walking side by side.

“Oh god!” he says rubbing his face with his palm.

“No seriously Skye, you won’t break her heart will you?” I ask “If you do, you will face my wrath”

“Do I look that heartless?” He asks laughing “Well we haven’t confessed anything to each other, but I want her to be with me. She is amazing”

“Oh I know. You both are perfect for each other” We laugh our way to the hall, and it feels so good to have a brother like figure and joke around with him. I can’t believe I missed it out all these years. Life would not be so boring if we would have been more open to each other and developed a bond. Skye goes to check on the bike and I meet the kids before leaving. There is no saying that we will come back here or not, everything from today is a big question. If I do I will try my best to help the orphanage and provide for these kids until they are strong enough to take care of themselves. Terry runs towards me when he spots me and wrap my torso in a hug.

“Do you have to leave?” He asks.

“Yes little friend” I reply. He looks at me with eyes like saucers and already filling with tears.

“Hey!” I crouch down on my knees to be eye to eye with him “You are a strong little man. You beat all the bad guys remember?” He nods wiping his eyes with the back of his palm “and you know that I am strong too. So I will back, and we will collect sea shells together okay?” He wraps his arms around my neck, and I rub his back trying to fight back my own emotions “You have to take care of others to now and for some time don’t go out to sell bracelets okay?” He unwraps and then fishes a bracelet out of his pocket. The sea shells are painted sea green and turquoise with two white pearls attached. “I made it for you” he says.

“Thank you. It is so beautiful.” I kiss him on the cheek “Take care.” I say my goodbyes to everyone else, the kids and the matrons and confirm within myself that goodbyes are the hardest thing in this world. Despite having a father and a home to live in I feel like an orphan very well suited in an orphanage like this. I have felt like this my entire life but never acknowledged it. Now that I leave the ground I make a silent promise of coming back.