I Was Free Once

Chapter 7

I turned my head and looked at the three bullet wounds in my shoulder. They had faded over time, but never would they disappear, just as my father would never vanish out of my life.

It was true. As much as I wanted to deny it, it was all true. My father was a full-blown demon, and he had killed my mother without a second thought. She never even sensed that he was what he was. That, unfortunately, was her biggest mistake.

And, as for me, I chose my future. The gray feathers I used to have showed the impurity in my blood, and, in the depths of my soul, laid black magic, which I had never awoken and did not plan to anytime soon.

I hated my father. I hated him with a passion.

I noticed that my hands were clenched in tight fists, so much that my knuckles were white. I looked down at the album I dropped. I picked it up and slammed it shut. If Sal knew my parents, then of what race was he? I stood up and walked over to the door. I had to find out the truth from Sal.

But, when I turned the doorknob, I found that the door was locked.

“Shit.” I stepped back, and then attempted to kick the door down. But, all I accomplished was breaking my foot. “Damn it.” I sat on the bed to think. What if this was a trick? What if he put me in this room and magically sealed it? Could he possibly be working for my father? I needed to know, and there was only one way to find out.

I needed to call upon my white magic.

I stood up and limped over to the door. I could feel the magic flowing through my body, underneath my skin. My foot no longer hurt; it had been healed when I called forth the magic. I watched as my body began to glow. I hadn’t experienced this feeling in years. After all, I couldn’t use it while I was under the curse of that torture chamber. I touched my hand to the door and, almost immediately, it shattered into a thousand pieces.

I walked down the dark hallway, and went down the set of stairs. Without thinking about it, I blasted apart the door at the bottom of the stairwell too. I looked around; the kitchen was dark.

“Sal!” I called out into the darkness. Then the lights went on, and out of the hall I could hear Shadow and Sal coming.

“Oh, Darien, it’s only you. I didn’t know what was out here. I heard a loud crash from upstairs and—what the hell happened?!” He was looking at the shattered door, his mouth wide open. I walked over to him and got right in his face.

“Who and what the hell are you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t give me that shit!” I grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him against the wall. “I found your little photo album. Now, I want an explanation.”

“An explanation of what? And, where did you find that album?”

“It doesn’t matter where it was. What matters is what I found in it. You knew my parents. Now, tell me, what are you?” He stood there, refusing to answer. I picked him up off the ground by his neck, hoping it would get him to talk. “I can take you out in a second, so start talking.” He began to choke, so I let him back down on the ground. My grip, though, was tighter than ever.

“Ok, I’ll talk, but I don’t want you to go snooping around upstairs again.”

“Fine.” I let go of his neck and backed up, as to give him room to speak.

“I did know your parents; I knew them quite well, especially your mother. She was … a good friend of mine when we were younger, and I never forgot her. Nor, will I ever forget her. I thought I knew your father, but he fooled everyone when he revealed himself.

“The picture you saw was from when you were less than a month old. She was so proud and she wanted me to be a part of your life too. But, after that, I saw less and less of her, and she only mailed once in a grand while. Finally, the letters and visits ceased altogether. Even when I wrote to her, I got no replies. I didn’t know why until after her death. Then I found out that all the letters of mine that received no replies were intercepted by your father, and as time went by, he fooled us into stopping our correspondence with each other.

“As soon as I heard of your mother’s death, I went to pay my respects. I hoped I could find you and have you stay with me, but child services had already put you into a foster home, and, since she had no will written up, there was no way for me to prove that your mother trusted me enough to take care of you. After a couple months, I tried to find your father, but…well…I found that journey quite unsuccessful, and returned home.”

“So,” I said, “let me get this straight. You knew my parents, and were a close friend of my mother’s?” He nodded. “So, then, are you human?”

He laughed. “Not a chance.” He walked over to where the door used to be, and, rubbing his hand along the frame of it, fixed the door.

“Then are you an angel, like me?”

He walked back towards the hall, unfurling his white wings. He turned his head, and replied, “I think you know the answer to that question, Darien. Have a good night. And, if you don’t mind, could you fix the door upstairs? Thanks.” Then he walked back down the hall.

I looked down at Shadow. She wagged her tail and whimpered. I knelt down and patted her on the head. It was as if she knew everything was okay, at that moment. Then, she too went down the hall.

Well, I’ll be damned.