Morning came, and everyone was beginning to get up. When they all got situated and did their own thing, they were surprised to find that Ryan and Jake were officially awake. Everyone was now awake and eating breakfast in the dining area. A lot had transpired over the last couple of days, but they decided not to let it get them down. Natalie had taken a lot of time to come to terms with Mark's death, but even still, it was hard for her to keep up a conversation or even look in Don or April's direction.
Once everyone was finished, Don began to speak. "Alright, everyone is to meet in the front yard in one hour. We will begin training today. Until then, you are all welcomed to do whatever you want." Don would dismiss himself from the table, and April followed him. She seemed to be more clung to his side than ever before. Still, no one could really blame her. The love of her life died and was now alive again. It made sense she was like that, but at the same time, some of them worried.
Jake and Ryan weren't awake, so they didn't know what was going on, but they did notice something was off with April. It was like she was... bolder than before. Her outfit showed off a bit too much of her body. Her skirt was shorter than usual, and her cleavage was quite visible, yet no one dared to look at her in such a way out of fear that Don would kill them if they did.
So once both of them left the room, Jake decided to ask what was going on. Rebecca explained to them that ever since Don woke up, April had seemed a little different. Like she wasn't her usual self. There were still parts of her that reminded them she was April, but her personality was a tad different. It was like she wanted to monopolize Don while keeping everyone away. As if she wanted all of Don's time to herself. It became more apparent to them last night during dinner and even more so now during breakfast.
"I see..." Jake muttered.
"I don't get it," Ryan stated, which caused everyone to look in his direction.
"Don't get me wrong. I understand she is hurt and worried, but wouldn't her actions just cause Don to push her away eventually? I mean, isn't the reason Don loved her because she was the complete opposite of him?" Ryan inquired. It seemed even though he had been sulking in despair since they met, he found that when April was around, Don wasn't as cold as he normally was when she wasn't near him.
He wasn't a total dick, but it was the way his tone of voice changed ever so slightly and the words he used. When April was around, his tone of voice was slightly warm. But, when he spoke directly to April, it became completely warm versus when she wasn't around him or when he spoke to anyone else. But, it didn't hurt his feelings, and he understood why he did what he did after learning more about him.
Still, what didn't make sense to him was what April was doing. Shouldn't she know that Don fell in love with her because she was the complete opposite of Don? This question started to pop up in everyone's head, and eventually, Jen said something.
"Hey, Rose. Didn't you say something about Don and the Abyss?" Jen inquired since she recalled what Rose had said the day Don went off to kill Richard, and everyone looked to Rose. She would nod. "Yes. Every hitman and hitwoman has their own goals and reasons for doing what they do. Some love to kill, some do it for money, and some do it for revenge; however, there is a breed of hitmen and hitwomen who differ from the norm. They kill for survival and survival alone. Due to this, they generally do not associate with others. They will kill anyone without a second thought if that person threatened their survival. There was no room for negotiation. Only death. These types of hitwomen and hitmen are known as Reapers because when you look into their eyes, you are looking into the eyes of death itself." Rose explained.
"In short, the abyss." She added since it seemed everyone was a bit clueless. Perhaps it was a trained killer thing. "Then what about Don? He has friends and a lover." Ryan asked, and now everyone was curious. No one really thought about it until Ryan brought it up. Rose would shake her head. "This is where I do not know. I have never met a hitman or hitwoman who has friends, children, or even a lover. Those that do usually die off quickly or become widows and loners. They tend to learn their lesson, but with Don, it's completely different." Rose answered.
Everyone thought on it for a moment, then looked towards Rebecca. Rebecca looked at every one since it seemed they were staring at her. Waiting for her to answer. "Uhh... what?" Rebecca asked. "You raised Don, right? So, what can you tell us?" Josh asked. Rebecca sighed softly, "I don't think it's my place to say, but I am sure Don would be okay with it." Rebecca would clear her throat then drink some of the water in her glass. She was preparing for a long story.
"I found Don when he was around five or six years old. Truthfully, I didn't find him. My dog did. It was in the middle of the night, and the rain was starting to pour. My dog was barking at something for several minutes non-stop, and when she did, it usually meant something was wrong. So I took my trusty shotgun and made my way into the backyard just in case it was robbers. I turned on the light and found a small child covered in mud, dirt, and open wounds. He was bleeding badly. Normally, one would take him to the hospital, but the closest one was a couple hours away, and I had no vehicle at the time. So, I decided to gather any medical supplies I had. I decided to bathe him and clean out his wounds, then patch him up. As I did, I noticed several scars along his body from old wounds. I figured he must have been through hell, and I would call his guardians or parents when he woke up." Rebecca seemed to begin telling her story.
"When Don first woke up, I didn't know his name. I knew he probably had several questions for me, so I wanted to ask his name, but he ignored me and asked me several questions. I answered them just to make sure he wouldn't panic. I reassured him he was safe. Shortly after, he passed back out. He had been running a high fever for several days and was out cold. I took care of him the entire time. I had no children of my own, and I was on vacation from my job, so I didn't need to leave the house." Rebecca continued.
"When you woke up the second time, I explained to him what happened and how I found him, but he looked defeated. I asked him his name, and he gave it to me, then I asked him about his parents." Rebecca was silent for a moment, debating on if she should tell them. Would Don be okay with it? Would he be fine with it? She didn't know. She wasn't sure. "Tell them," Don muttered. Everyone heard his voice and looked towards the doorway. No one said a word and feared that Don would lash at them for prying, but it seemed like he wanted them to know.
"Go ahead, tell them. Tell them about my shitty parents. Tell them what you found out." Don remarked, and now everyone looked back at Rebecca. April was still standing by Don's side but decided to listen in. After all, Don never talked about his parents.
Rebecca inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly. She prepared herself, and when she was ready, she began. "Don's parents were, as he said. Shitty. His father was a gambling addict. He was also an alcoholic and a drug addict. Any money he got, he spent on drugs, liquor, and gambling. Don's mother was a prostitute. She worked the streets at night to get money, but it wasn't to support their child. It was for her own needs. Drugs and liquor. Eventually, the money wasn't enough, and they started doing other things which involved their child." Rebecca would grimace at the thought. "That was how he landed in his Trainer's lap. His trainer isn't his family, maybe a guardian, but even then... I don't think I could call her that. Don didn't tell me much, just that a woman helped him, and that was how he ended up here." Rebecca finished and turned to Don to see if he wanted to explain about his Trainer.
"Melissa. My trainer's name was Melissa. When she was on one of her missions to assassinate a high-ranked official, she found me. I was dolled up and looked like some kind of porcelain doll. I was the only one there, and she told me the reason she took me in was that something didn't sit right with her. When she found I was a boy, it only disgusted her even more. She decided to look after me, and when I asked her to train me, she did. I wanted to purge the world of filth that was like my parents. The training was grueling and ruthless, and most of the time, she tried to persuade me to just let her take care of me, but I refused. Nevertheless..." Don's expression shifted from grim to light with a gentle smile as he recalled his Trainer. "She was a kind and caring woman. She taught me everything I needed to know and even showed me what a mother truly was supposed to be like." Don finished.
Everyone was shocked, even April, who was standing next to him. They all came to realize that Don was doing what he did before met Rebecca. They realized that Don never had a childhood as they did. They all grew up with valued memories, but Don grew up in a world of darkness. Surrounded by it and forced to become stronger just to survive within it. It made sense now why he was the way he was. It made sense that he valued his friends and trust while hating his enemies and traitors. It all started to make sense to them, and even now, Natalie could understand why Don did what he did.
"Don I am..." Natalie was about to say something, but Don stopped her by bringing his hand up. "No worries. Like I said before, you can feel and think however you want. How I treat you will not change. You are all my friends, and I will do whatever I can to keep you all safe." Don spoke about it once again. His words were backed up by his actions. He truly did care about them.
"Now, when I met Rebecca was on the night my Trainer died. Actually... thinking about it now, her anniversary should be tomorrow." Don muttered, which caused Rebecca's eyes to widen, and quickly she stood up and moved over to Don and hugged him without another word. April had taken some time to realize why she did this, then realized it. Tomorrow was Don's birthday. That meant that Melissa died on the night of Don's birthday, and Don met Rebecca on the night of his birthday. April quickly turned to do the same thing and held onto him tightly. Even if she seemed different, she was still the same.
"You two..." Don was surprised at first but figured out why they did what they did. "I'm sorry, Donathan, I had no clue. Whenever you suddenly left the house, I thought it was because you were uncomfortable with me celebrating your birthday. I am so sorry, I didn't know!" Rebecca began sobbing and weeping. Don would comfort her by brushing her hair softly. "I am sorry as well! I never knew!" April did the same, crying her eyes out as well.
Due to this scene, it took everyone a bit, some realized sooner than others, but eventually, everyone pieced it together. Don lost his trainer on the day of his birthday. Someone Don found to be like a mother to him was taken away from him on the day he was born. They could only fear what it was like to lose someone like that on their birthday, but Don wasn't too bothered by it. For one, he never cared for his birthday. His original parents never celebrated it, so he never knew what it was like. So when Rebecca asked him about his birthday and celebrated it at first, he was confused. Still, eventually, as he did the research, he understood that birthdays were to be celebrated and enjoyed, so he did his best to make sure Rebecca's wishes were seen well. He was grateful to Rebecca since she actually cared about him.
"Let's throw him the best birthday party ever!" Sofia exclaimed. She was confused. She didn't quite understand all the grown-up talk but did know what a birthday was. Everyone looked at her and nodded. Rebecca looked at her and chuckled softly while wiping her tears away. April would smile softly; for a moment, she looked like her original self. "Thank you." They both said to Sofia in sync, and she tilted her head cutely before nodding happily. Don just smiled softly.
'You really have a good family here, kid. I am damn near jealous.' Melissa's voice echoed into Don's head.
'You are also part of my family.' Don replied, and no response came for a second, then Melissa said something. 'I am sorry...' To this, Don would shake his head and reply internally with, 'No. I still love you and think of you as a mother. So, thank you.' Don's words caused Melissa to sniffle a little, but nothing more.
Everyone seemed in agreeance with throwing Don a birthday party tomorrow. Still, Don reminded them that it was tomorrow and they needed to get through today. For now, Rebecca and Don would go back and forth explaining how Rebecca raised Don like her own, and eventually, April came along. This made more sense as to why April was attached to Don. They were pretty much together since childhood. Even April pitched in to talk about herself and Don. The three of them went back and forth, talking about their days together, filled with joy, sorrow, and pain. Still, overall, it brought to light more about Don as well as April and even Rebecca. More than an hour had passed, in fact, several had passed during their storytime, and now it was time to train.
Don had everyone line up in the front yard and recapped what they would be doing. When the recap finished, they would begin their run. It wasn't the same as Rebecca's regimen; in fact, it was more than what Ryan, Dilian, and Sussan were used to. Natalie made sure Ryan, Jake, and John were good to go. In fact, she suggested the three of them stay back and rest, but they refused. Don said he would carry them back with his Spatial Distortion if they passed out or anything, so there was no harm in having them train, and thus they started the beginning of their training. They did the 10km run; some wanted to actually pass out but did their best to keep up.
There were bugs and undead in the way, but for now, Don dealt with them since he wanted everyone to focus on the run. When they got back, it was time to go into the sets. Some people dropped to the ground, and others struggled to get into position, but they instantly began to do their sets when Don called out to them. Sofia was excluded from this training, so Don pretty much carried her on his back. Sofia seemed to have fun and encouraged everyone to keep going, which seemed to work as if something warm was filling inside them, and they could do just about anything. Little did anyone know that this was Sofia using her Seed Power. Don right now was the only one who knew about it since he had his recollected memories of the future.
Sofia's Seed Power came from the Purple Seed, which nurtured, loved, and protected. Sofia's Seed Power was known as Warmth. She could bestow her Seed Power into objects or directly inject her Seed Power into a person. It would keep them warm and give them the energy to keep going. If anything, it was like helping someone stay positive and on their toes while boosting their energy. Sofia was unaware of her own Seed Power, so Don was pretty much the only one who actually knew about it, which was why he decided to allow Sofia to come along.
Eventually, the sets were completed, and they were allowed a five-minute break. Don had brought out bottles of water and towels for everyone, so they took their short rest and then it was time for what they were all dreading.
Combat Practice.