CHAPTER FOUR
WORDS HE NEVER SAID
FLINT
Sasha sets my bag into a spare room which I suppose I'll be staying in until they send me to the academy. Dean seemed to vanish while his daughter, as quiet as ever, busied herself in the kitchen. My room is larger than my bedroom back at Myers's house. The closet is a walk-in, but I didn't pack enough to fill even a corner of it. And the bed could practically be king-size. For once in my life, I get to sleep on a bed where my feet don't hang on the side.
I sit on the edge of the bed. My fingers are tracing my father's handwriting. I never knew how much I'd miss teasing him about his penmanship until he was gone. He never could write worth shit. Everyone had a hard time reading it. Even the bank teller who knew my dad since grade school. But I could decipher it like it was my first nature. Afterall, I share the same poor writing skills as my old man. Uncle Myers used to give us hell for it back in the day.
I carefully open the envelope. Inside is a letter from my dad.
Hey Flint,
Let's cut to the chase, kid. If you're reading this, it means two things; I'm no longer here with you and you possess your mom's abilities. I don't know where to start. I've imagined this conversation many times, and I could never find the right words. I don't know if there is any for that matter. You know I'm no good at these kinds of things. I've entrusted your uncle with this letter in case something happens to me. Because there's some things you need to know that should come from me.
I didn't tell you the entire truth about your mom. She had a complicated pregnancy with you- not many survive when they carry a hybrid. We knew the risk, and we were scared shitless. But Jean did everything she could to keep you safe until you were ready, and she'd be so proud of you. You're everything and more than we ever dreamed of. I know you're going to change the world in your own Flint-way. You changed mine the best.
If you do possess the abilities of your mom, then I should start with her family is weird. Armageddon batshit crazy kind of weird. I never denied magic being real because in all honesty, it is. Your mom and her family are of dragon blood. They can shift into their human form, but are pureblooded dragons. Which is why I never mentioned her family. Not all of them are fond of humans for that matter. So when Jean agreed to marry me, it caused some chaos in the dungeon (if you know what I mean). We agreed to cut them off when we found out she was expecting you. Neither of us knew how they'd react, but the one who would be most accepting is your mom's brother. If something was to happen to us, Myers was instructed by me to contact Dean. He'll teach you what your mother and I could not.
I'm sorry if this is how you find out about everything. I want to tell you in person. But I have a feeling something is wrong, and I need to make sure everything is set for you in case. You're the coolest kid I know. Heck, you're a dragonling. That's pretty badass, and it'll be a hit with the ladies in the future. Never change yourself. You're still my silly and stubborn boy- with or without abilities. I'm proud of you.
Love,
Your Old Man
p.s You've put a few gray hairs on me so I expect you to do the same to Myers and Dean.
I hold the letter with tears brimming. I'd give anything to rewind the clock and go fishing on the Hollow River just miles from the home I grew up in. To listen to dad talk about the good old days when candy bars cost two nickels and soda was the price of a quarter. He always had a way with words without knowing it.
I fold the letter neatly, and tuck it back inside the envelope. I notice something tucked inside. Wrapped at the bottom of the envelope is a silver chain necklace. The same necklace my dad never took off even when he would join me in the ocean's current during summer. I always assumed it was buried with him. The funeral home emphasized we had a closed-casket after his body was identified. I didn't pry on the matter anyways. I forgot about it.
I place the necklace over my head and watch it hang around my neck. Dad knew something bad might happen. The letter said so, and he left his necklace inside. Now I just need to figure out what that something might be. I have a feeling it doesn't matter if I'm not in Maine to find out anyways. It has something to do with the fact of who mom was. Maybe even something to do with me.
My stomach knots at the thought. Who or what would kill my dad just to get to me? He died three years ago, and nothing happened. Yet, everything did. I moved across Amherst to stay with my uncle. Changed schools and tried to live a normal life to the best of my ability. It doesn't make sense if someone was trying to hurt dad because of mom or me. Was it just a coincidence? Seems unlikely.
My dad was a lot of things. A man of action even a bit of an airhead when he was hungry. He was a regular at West Bank's Cafe. You could say dad never met a stranger. He greeted everyone as if he grew up knowing their grandmas. Dad was cautious about outsiders, but he never refused to help someone broke down on the side of the road. He always knew how to solve a problem and never hid from hard work. During the harsh winters, dad was the first one out shoveling snow from the driveways in our neighborhood. He was just like anybody else, but better.
Michael Anderson was an Amherst-born citizen who started from nothing, and left a son behind when he passed. Even after his funeral, the town still talked about him as if he'd show up for hockey practice or get a bite from the cafe.
But he wasn't the paranoid type locked up inside their house with a semi-automatic shotgun. That would be Uncle Myers. I can't remember a time when Myers wasn't like that.
I'm beginning to question if I know the truth in the past. If I can trust my memories of an innocent childhood when I've always known there was something about me that was different. Or if everything I've grown to love and cherish since my pop's death was a facade of some twisted kind. The thought kills me.
I have to trust my truth. The memories that I have of a man who did everything to provide for me in a dog-eat-dog world. Even if I don't have the whole picture, I know my dad.
I never met my mom. I've only heard of the stories dad and Myers told me growing up. If I want answers then I need to face the man my dad entrusted to teach me what he and mom couldn't. I have to start asking the hard questions. I need to know who my mom used to be, and what it means for me in the present.