“Look, she’s got her name for a reason, you should always keep it in mind. If you ever show that you don’t want her to do something, she will do exactly that. Not because she really wants it, no; there are very few things she actually cares about. She just likes making people miserable because otherwise she’s too bored. She likes to push buttons, you know? But as soon as you realize that, it’ll get easier to be around her. She used to annoy the crap out of me when we met, she’s really talented at that. But I just stopped reacting to that when I understood the reason behind her behavior, and she switched her attention to someone else in no time. So stop trying to find a reason for her hating you, because she doesn’t. You’re just good to make fun of because you react at her puns,” Marco explained to Dave, sounding like a loving parent talking about his troubled teenager daughter.
Just a few days ago, Chad would have laughed at Marco’s words about her not hating them. But at that moment he only agreed in his mind, remembering how honestly mad she got when that Beast threw the knife at Dave. She cared, maybe in her own way, but she really did. She followed them with no chances to win, and it was practically a miracle that they returned home alive. All the attitude aside, she was ready to give her life for those she was meant to protect. It was in her blood, bones, and soul, it drew her after them even when there shouldn’t have been any strength left. Just like Jane, she was a true bodyguard, and the destiny she had chosen was the only one she could have had.
Time passed surprisingly fast, and when Chad finally began to doze, they already pulled up in front of Richard’s house. The place seemed abandoned to Chad since he had moved to New York. Maybe it was because he didn’t belong there anymore, at least in the way it was before. It needed renovation, and he had been saving up for it, but not very successfully. The grass was sun-burned and withered around the house, the door hung open carelessly, and not a single soul was visible outside.
Jane stirred at Chad’s side with a yawn.
“Do you want us to go with you?” her sleepy voice sounded as she raised her head to look around the front yard.
He stiffened. On the one hand, he didn’t want to freak out his father showing up with the last people on Earth he would like to see Chad with. On the other, deep inside he was glad about it. It was his little revenge, a way to get back at Richard for keeping his past an ugly secret for so long. And also, he didn’t want them waiting in the car like strangers. He already felt like he had known them forever, and after the last two weeks, he owed them everything. They had saved his life a dozen times; his father could live through a little inconvenience of inviting them inside and letting them hear what he had to say.
Richard showed up on the porch, looking at the car with a frown. He couldn’t really see them through the tinted windows, and Chad stared back, his face strained with worry. A minute passed; Jane glanced at him with troubled eyes.
“So what?”
He sighed.
“I think we all should go,” he answered and opened the door for her.
She gave him one more worried glance before sliding off her seat. The air outside was scorching, as usual in July, the sun blinding her and making her gear burn her skin in a minute. Richard took in her appearance, startling slightly, but his face shone with comprehension finally. Chad had told him earlier on the phone that he was coming for a talk, but he didn’t want to explain anything over the phone. Now, by one look at Jane, Richard seemed to understand everything.
The house was big and old-fashioned, with a wide porch and two rocking chairs next to a small round table with a stack of newspapers on it. They all looked shabby – the front yard, the house, the chairs, their paint cracked and dingy. There was a big garage next to it, with two old trucks waiting for repair in the driveway. Jane couldn’t see what was behind the house, were there any animals? A garden? But she supposed yes.
Richard stood on top of the stairs, squinting at them. He looked about forty-five, his hair brown and curly like Chad’s, but tinted with gray here and there. He wore it even longer, and it was pulled behind his head with a band now. He was wearing frayed blue jeans and a dark-blue flannel shirt with rolled-up sleeves. Jane couldn’t tell what was so alike about him and Chad, but something was definitely there. Maybe it was his posture, the way he held himself, slouching his shoulders a little, his hands in the pockets. Besides, he was about the same height, and his face, too, was tanned and weathered. She had to remind herself again that he wasn’t Chad’s real father. She looked Richard in the eyes, and he looked back at her, his eyes wary.
Then Pain showed up from the other door. His gaze flicked to her, and for a moment he looked dubious: from the distance the sisters looked almost the same. But then it got clear that they weren’t a hallucination or twins, and then Chad got out of the car, and Richard’s eyes focused only on his son, emotions warring in them like a restless sea.
Chad passed the driver’s seat, waving for Skull to come with them. He nodded and opened the door, getting out and walking behind him.
“Hello, dad,” Chad said quietly, coming up and hugging him in a tense manner. Richard returned the hug silently, his face still frowned. The others came closer by that time. “This is- ”
“Patricia and Jane, the New York Ghosts Headquarters,” Pain interrupted him, reaching out to shake Richard’s hand. Skull remained silent, as always.
Chad shot her a look, surprised by her formal tone. Richard took her hand carefully with something between caution and respect.
“Nice to meet you.”
Pain wasn’t sure it was really nice for him to see his son come home with a bunch of cutthroats, but nodded back.
“Well,” he sighed, “come inside. I guess we have a lot to talk about,” he invited them in, forcing out a smile, and Chad led them through the open door.
It was cool and dim inside the narrow hallway, and Pain blinked as Richard hurried them further without letting them take off their shoes. They had left their jackets in the car and now exhaled with relief in the pleasant shade of the house. There was a spacious living room, its windows covered with thin terracotta curtains, through which she could glimpse the back yard, the barns empty and darkened from time and weather. Something slid against her leg – a big black cat that stared up at her with round green eyes, obviously demanding some attention. In the room’s center was a long brown couch, and she leaned the katana up against the armrest and bent to pick up the cat. The others were already sitting on the couch, and she joined them, taking a seat beside her sister. Richard sat in a big comfy armchair across the room, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was afraid of them. It was impossible to read his expression, but she wasn’t really good at it. She only knew well when a person was angry or in pain or irritated with her.
“Look at her all pleased with herself,” his laughing voice suddenly broke through her thoughts, and she startled for a moment because his eyes were on her. “Usually Lizzy doesn’t like strangers.” He smiled with a corner of his mouth, and she realized he was talking about the cat that had curled up cozily in her lap and purred so loudly, it seemed to resound off the walls.
She smiled back weakly, dropping her gaze. Usually I don’t like strangers, either. The thought was bitter, but the reality wasn’t. She liked the place, its homey warmth, the darkness of the wooden walls, and the old cabinets with books all around them. Richard seemed to be nice, too. He didn’t stare, didn’t seem eager to get rid of them, as did most of the civilians she had to work with. She didn’t like that he had paid attention to her, though. Now Chad was looking at her with those slitted catlike eyes, just like Lizzy in her lap, and she felt uncomfortable.
“Where’s Darcy? Is the old buffer still alive?” Chad asked, a little stiffly.
“Chad! Of course, he’s alive. Hiding somewhere, he was right here before you came,” Richard responded, waving his hand. “Okay, I believe you drove all the way here not for the cats. So, what happened?” he asked with an expectant face.
Chad
shrugged, as if unsure of how to start.
“Ghosts happened. I don’t really know what you know about it all, so why don’t you just start from the beginning? From how I got here and thought it was my home for twenty-three years.”
“It is your home- ”
“Okay, okay!” Chad raised his hands. “Just tell us what you know, and then I’ll tell you about the rest.”
It was silent for a minute. Richard stared at his interlaced fingers, lost in thought. Pain regretted they had ambushed the man like that, coming in a bunch out of nowhere, asking questions. It would be better if he talked one-on-one with Chad. He could share with them as much as he wanted later, and now she felt like intruding in their private life. Finally, Richard sighed and leaned back, getting more comfortable in his armchair.
“Michael brought you here when you were only seven months old. His relationship with Eugene became strained before you were born, so Michael decided that Eugene didn’t have to know about you. He had always been incredibly farseeing and thorough.”
Chad opened his mouth as if to say something, but Richard cut him off with a gesture.
“Wait. First of all, I want you to know something. By doing so, Michael has saved your life. There were no other options. You wouldn’t be alive by now if he hadn’t left you, son. It was damn hard for him to leave you every time he visited, but he never doubted his decision. He was ready to sacrifice his heart and soul so you would live. You were his only weakness, and he was sure that Eugene would try to get to you if he found out. You were the only one whom Eugene could use to make Michael leave and dismiss the Ghosts so they would have to join Eugene. I guess, Michael turned out right about that?”
Chad nodded.
“Eugene would have killed me already if not for the girls, who just happened to walk across the right street at the right time.”
Richard exhaled heavily, hearing his words.
“I never met your mother. Michael said she died giving birth to you, and I believe it’s true. He wouldn’t take a child away from its mother,” Richard continued. Pain nodded at his words absently: it really wasn’t likely Michael would do such a thing. “I don’t know anything about her, he wouldn’t tell me, but that’s her on that photo that I showed you. I think now you can find out more about her if you want. I believe Peter has enough instruments for that, if he’s still the boss there.”
“He is,” Pain nodded. He was well aware of the organization, and she wanted to ask him what he knew, but didn’t dare to interrupt their talk. Besides, she wouldn’t feel quite alright interrogating Chad’s father in front of him.
“Michael brought you here because I owed him big. We were friends during our childhood, but the time came, and he moved to the Ghosts’ Headquarters. From that day, I only saw him occasionally. One night I was walking home from my girlfriend’s, and I got attacked by a bunch of thugs in a dark alley. They took my money and were about to finish me when Michael literally dropped from the sky at them. He knocked them out and dragged me, beaten and bleeding, to the Ghosts’ infirmary because he couldn’t come to an ordinary hospital armed. He wasn’t the boss yet, of course, and he was lectured strictly about this incident later. But he didn’t care; he was only thinking about saving my life. He never cared about the price when it came to such situations.
“That day influenced me badly. I felt indebted to him, and I started to hate the city. A month later I moved here because I heard that one old mechanic was in need of a helper. I didn’t see Michael as I left the Headquarters. We didn’t get to talk to each other, and we were still like strangers. It gnawed on me even more because he saved my life anyway. Eight years later he was already the head of the organization, and one night he just showed up at my back door, carrying you with him. He told me about Eugene’s attitude and the problems with him and asked me to take you and raise you as my own child. He even offered me money, but I didn’t want it. I took you, of course; I was lonely here anyway since the old man died. There weren’t many women of my age around, so I didn’t really have a chance to have children of my own. And there was no way I could refuse him, seeing his condition. He still was my only friend. Michael said he would visit every three years to cover your Mark. He used some special paint, I don’t know what it was. I’d grown long hair and made you accustomed to it, too.” Richard smiled ruefully, his eyes glistening from the memories. “He visited on your birthday every three years, and I had to put some soporific in your meal that day. I’m sorry about that, I never felt worse. But it was necessary so you wouldn’t get scared by the procedure and some stranger holding you at night in your room and cursing himself. He was broken, I saw it every time Michael left. He’d come at night to my back door, and I would wait for him, no matter what, with you asleep in your bed. He would spend an hour with you, and then he would go away. Michael was very afraid that Eugene would track him down, and I think he never risked watching you from the distance and never came here, except for those short visits.
“The last time I saw him, you had just turned eighteen. Three years later you were still here, preparing to leave for New York, but he didn’t come. I knew instantly that something had happened to him. But I still waited for some time, looking at the back porch every night. He never showed up, and then you moved out. I knew you’d find out sooner or later, but I… I guess I just couldn’t bring myself to tell you. Maybe I hoped that without an Initiation you’d just stay the way you were, have a normal life… I don’t know, I’m really sorry about it all,” he exhaled, looking at his hands again. “And anyway, how was I supposed to tell you?? You’d never believe me, and I couldn’t prove it myself, and what’s the point without an Initiation… I wasn’t sure it was still possible in your age… But I know I’m guilty. For all this, for you being unprepared, I just tried to do my best with you- ”
“Dad, it’s okay.” Chad couldn’t bear it anymore, seeing him like this, blaming himself for being an amazing father to him and for not being one of the Ghosts. “I don’t blame you,” he broke off, and at the corner of his eye he could see everyone look away, suddenly interested in everything but him and his adoptive father. He took a deep breath, raising his eyes back at Richard. “I’m just… confused. It’s not easy to get used to the idea of me… You know, how everything’s different in reality. I understand why you didn’t tell me, but Michael, for a thorough man… His plan seems to be at least a little bit odd.”
“Do you know what happened to him that year? Was it Eugene? I found out that Peter was heading the organization, but that was about all.”
“Michael was killed in an ambush, planned by Eugene, three years ago,” Pain answered for Chad, and Richard nodded grimly.
“What was he gonna do once I’d move to the city?” Chad asked, looking at his father with his face strained. “What about that part of the plan? Not that I’d see the Mark by myself, but somebody could…”
“I asked him about that during his last visit. You were already dreaming about moving to the city, and I told him about it. He suggested he would send somebody to look after you, to become your friend. I even thought Dave was a Ghost. I still hoped that Michael was alright, that he just couldn’t visit for some reason… When you and Dave became good friends so quickly, I was pretty sure he was one of Michael’s. But then I saw his photo in a newspaper and found out he was Forrester’s son, a millionaire with no Mark… I realized your friendship wasn’t fake.
“Michael said he planned on telling you about the Ghosts. Not himself, of course, through this friend or someone… Maybe to mislead you somehow so you wouldn’t be shocked. He could say that only your mother was a Ghost, that you were a half-breed, and I just didn’t know anything about it. It’s lame, I know, but he was thinking about it, he was thinking about you all the time.”
“A half-breed?” Chad asked with surprise, remembering the sisters say something about it earlier, on that roof. “So, it’s possible?”
“Yes,” Skull put in. It was his first word during their
visit.
Chad looked at him, lost in thought. After a moment he turned back to his father.
“But why did he tell Eugene about me before he died? Why did he say I would revenge him? I barely know anything about the Ghosts’ life. How was I supposed to do that?” he asked nervously, his fingers digging into the couch.
Richard’s eyes widened, and he drew upright.
“He did?? Is Eugene after you now??”
“He was. No, not anymore,” Chad answered with a shake of his head.
His father relaxed a little, though his eyes stayed concerned.
“Not anymore? Did you meet him? Wait, I should make you some tea, so silly of me to forget about it after you’ve had such a long road.” He got up and headed to the kitchen, but paused at the threshold. “As for Michael telling Eugene that… Well, I think those words just slipped out in a moment of…” he paused, searching for the right word, “despair. He knew it would make Eugene paranoid, and you were safe, so he used it against him. That’s what I think. I’ll be right back.”
He disappeared down the hallway, and they could hear him turn on the stove, fill the kettle, and put it down. Then he showed up in the living room with a bright bowl in his hands.
“Mrs. Brown’s cookies, she made them for you.” He looked at his son with meaning.
Chad smiled, shaking his head.
“My favorite. Tell Mrs. Brown she’s the best.”
Richard smiled, returning to the kitchen. For a few minutes they were chewing the cookies, waiting for him to return. Nobody dared to speak, and a heavy silence hung in the room. This conversation between Chad and Richard couldn’t by any stretch of the imagination be called a pleasant chat, and once again, Pain wished they had stayed in the car.
“I should totally get the recipe,” Skull’s deep voice broke the silence suddenly.
He looked at Chad with his black eyebrows raised, and then everybody burst out laughing. The atmosphere in the house eased finally, and Richard smiled in the kitchen, pouring in the tea.
Sky Ghosts: All for One (Young Adult Urban Fantasy Adventure) (Sky Ghosts Series Book 1) Page 36
