The Truth
1483 Words
Isabel
Ten years had gone by and our little Stella was growing up to be a beautiful young girl. She was our treasure. Her beautiful copper hair and big hazel eyes were the highlight of her little body. She was a happy girl, and everyone in our neighborhood loved her. There was still no sign of her parents, but we were expecting them to come at any moment. They would have to come back for her, one way or the other. We just had to be prepared for that day to arrive.
She was living a normal life, growing fast, being smart and loving. We made sure it stayed that way. She was our princess. We were destined to be in her life, and we did our best to care for her.
Jack came home from work. It was raining outside. He took his coat off and walked towards the kitchen where I was preparing dinner. He kissed me on my cheek and stood there looking at me. The frown on his face had me worried. He never looks at me like that.
“Are you okay, Jack?" I asked as he tried to find the words to tell me what was on his mind "tell me what's going, you're worrying me"
"She needs to know soon, Isabel" Jack said while helping me put the dishes on the table for dinner. I dropped a plate on the floor, shattering it to pieces. How are we supposed to tell our daughter that she is not a human?
“She's only ten years old Jack, it will be too soon. She won't understand, " I replied while I tried not to hyperventilate.
"Isabel, we don't know if her parents will show up here any minute. She needs to know where she's from and what will she become when she turns eighteen," he said trying to convince me.
In the time we spent in Gargodom, we saw so many things. Greatness, Magic, but most of all horror. We even learned that when a Gargoyle turns eighteen, it develops powers, and its physical form changes. We even witnessed the painful and long process, and for a minute I would feel sympathy for the creatures. Some of them would not even survive the transformation and the pain their loved ones felt, I could feel it too.
They would also find their mates. It was a very happy moment for Gargodom. But we were there to do our job, and feelings were not welcome in it. That was another reason why we decided to leave everything behind. We escaped our g**g, and I was pretty sure our leader was not happy about it.
But we did not care. We just wanted a way out. We could not be there any longer, seeing how the real monsters were us. Those creatures were innocent, and we had no right to hunt them down the way we did. That was their home, and we were the ones invading it and attacking them for our pleasure.
I was afraid to tell our daughter who she was. Maybe causing her to hate us and try to find her real parents, but Jack was right. We needed to tell her soon, and he thought now was the perfect time to do it.
The door opened, and we saw Stella running to us with tears in her eyes. Her little face was red, and her eyes were swollen. She had been crying for a while.
"Mom, I am so sad. They're calling me a freak at school!" she said between sobs. I hugged her while my husband kissed her head.
We looked at each other knowingly, but still feigned ignorance in front of her.
"You're not a freak sweetie, what made them say that?" I asked her, wiping the tears that had fallen on her cheeks.
"I broke a chair in our classroom. No one can possibly break something like that. They are made of steel mommy! I also burned the books. And now they think I am weird and a monster. They are afraid of me!" She replied.
Jack looked at me, and I knew it was time. He sat her down on his lap and looking at her eyes he said "Princess, there is a reason why you can do what you do".
We told her what she was, and where she came from, without leaving the part where she would turn into a Gargoyle when she came of age.
"You're not my parents? Then why did my parents leave me? And what's a Gargoyle?" She asked with innocence clear on her face.
"We are still your parents and they must have had a reason they left you. And I think it was destiny that we found you. They might have done it to keep you safe. We don't know what kind of danger you might have been in if they didn’t bring you here. Their kingdom is full of those," Jack said, holding her tightly.
I stepped in to explain to her what a Gargoyle was. "They are majestic creatures, full of power and strength. Their big bat-like wings give them the ability to fly in the sky, their long tails are powerful enough to stop any enemy. And those horns! Wow, they make them look unstoppable," I mentioned and I could see her little face in awe. But frown instantly came to her little face.
"I don't want to go back with them if they come to get me. You are my real parents, it doesn't matter where I come from or who they are. I love you Mom and Dad," she hugged us causing tears to trickle down my eyes.
I knew this day would eventually come, and she was not the only one who had to be ready for it. We had to be too.
Isaiah
"She's alive huh?" He said as he was looking at the picture I gave him. He showed a victorious and evil smile.
"She is. I spotted her at the entrance of her high school," I replied with a serious expression.
I was the son of the best and most loyal hunter here, and being only twenty-one years old, I was the youngest and most efficient hunter in the Kingdom. My father was killed by the King and Queen. I needed to avenge him, and what better way than to get their daughter.
How did I know it was her? Beats me, it must be my gut. I was thirteen years old when my father would take me with him to spy on her.
Unfortunately, he couldn't finish the job. Now almost eight years later I came back to find her. And there she was, I had to admit she was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.
She captivated me from the moment I saw her. Her smile even though I was looking from afar, I could see it clearly and it could hypnotize any man on Earth.
'Focus on the job you i***t' my conscience was telling me. I took the picture and came back to hand it to my leader.
"Good Job Isaiah, you will personally take care of her. Take it as a present to avenge your father. He did not deserve the fate they handed him. He was a good man," he said, looking back at the picture in his hand. I nodded in agreement.
Memories of that day still haunt me. My father was surrounded by the Royal warriors. He hid me behind some bushes and I could see the King approach him, more like his Gargoyle did. I saw how he sunk his tail on his chest, killing my father instantly.
“Another thing. She is close to turning eighteen, and I just found out who raised her as their kid. The legendary Isabel and Jack Burke" I mentioned, leaving my trance.
I have heard so many stories about them when I was a kid. My father used to tell me all those stories. They were my heroes. And now, I am not so sure. Raising one of those beasts was an abomination. Those two were now considered our enemies.
"So it's true. They are the ones that found her. Interesting and Ironic. Two hunters raising one of those beasts as their daughter. It won't be too long until she turns and they might regret it, but it will be too late," he said.
"Take a few men with you, and bring her to me" his evil laugh could scare anyone, but not me. I was ready to follow his orders.
I gathered some of the best men we had and decided to head to the portal that would take us back there. It was time to make Royalty kneel before us when they find out we have their most precious thing in the world.
- Writer
