CHAPTER 1: PART 2

ONE YEAR AGO BEFORE FIVE YEARS HAD PAST.....

"Hey Maxine can you come to the kitchen" My father requested mischievously.

I, an eleven-year-old daughter, the only child of my mother and father, I rushed into the kitchen skipping along the way. I was so loved by both my parents so much so that they couldn't afford seeing me cry. I got everything I wanted. I was an angel to their eyes. My father would sometimes say I was the God's gift. I don’t know why he had to add the, but he did, I always thought it was lame.

"Hey daddy" I murmured lovingly as I moved to sit to his lap.

"Hello sunshine" he whispered back lovingly matching my enthusiasm as he picked me up and placed me on his lap.

"How was your day at school" he continued.

"Oh daddy it was amazing; Miss Johnson gave us lollipops every time we got answers right" I chipped.

"Wait! You have a new teacher now?" he asked smiling to me as I was making faces and giggling.

"Yeah! She is sooo nice. I Love Her!" I blushed and closed my face with my palms.

My father made faces with me, and laughed at me as I continued to blush more.

"My queen has a queen" he stated lovingly. He always referred me as his Queen.

"Daddy stop!" I babbled laughing so hard and probably enjoying the feeling too much.

My father looked at me confused "when did you learn about love all of a sudden?" he muttered.

"I have something for you" he said whiles still giggling with me not waiting for me to answer.

Taking out a bracelet. Of course I was their first child, I wasn't a boy as it was expected but to him I deserved it nonetheless. I had been told the stories of the bracelet, it didn’t make any sense then and it's still not even now. In as much as he knew the meaning of giving me the bracelet, to him it was just a gift, a gift that had been passed down from his first generation. He thought its story was funny, every now and then his father would tell him, and him in turn tell me.

"The bracelets protect you and the people around you, my father said" he whispered softly thinking of his words laughing and shaking his head.

"It’s just a bracelet" he continued looking weird whilst saying that.

"I mean it is just a bracelet, right!" he questioned himself and the importance of the bracelet.

"Anyways" he shrugged his shoulders.

He looked at me as I had a confused smirk on my face whiles I looked at him battle with his thoughts.

"Ready?" he asked lovingly.

"Yesssss" I chipped clapping my hands ready to wear the bracelet.

I was so happy at that time. He looked at me lovingly and said a small wish that I could be that age forever, happy and innocent and never grow. I smiled back at him and continued staring at the bracelet.

"Hey Will did you see my....... Jesus Christ" my mother screamed as she entered the kitchen looking at me dead in the eyes with sadness and fright.

"What?" my father inquired as he turned around looking at my mother, he jumped up with worry seeing her shy away, placed me down on a chair and rushed to see what had scared her.

He brushed her face lovingly wondering and worried giving her reassurance to speak freely.

"Th......tha.... thaaaaat" my mother purred pointing at me as she looked scared at me.

I on the other hand I was so lost in my own world I was watching them embrace each other with love. My father turned his gaze to me and his eyes bulged.

"I....I have to.... go.........make sure she wears that bracelet all the time" he stated hysterically moving away to their room.

I could hear him shuffling in their bedroom. He came back to the kitchen carrying his duffel bag, only to find my mother and me still in one position. He went to her, placed his bag down next to them and touched her face lovingly his eyes watery with a knowing look. I don’t know what was going on but I could sense it was good, my father had a big bag and he looked sad, like wanted to cry sad.

"Melissa.... Melissa" my father mumbled seeking attention from my mother but she was still looking at me with worry and fright I was making me uncomfortable. I wanted to ask but I did not pry.

I never understood what she meant by saying that pointing at me. She turned her gaze to him startled.

"Wha...what is happening William?" my mother asked shortly without giving my father the chance to speak, looking at him and the bag as her eyes filled with more tears understanding a bit.

"Melissa I do not have time to explain. I have to go. I have to see my grandfather...no I need to see him!" my father shuddered as he tried to make my mother understand he had to leave and that he had no time.

"What is happening to our daughter?" my mother continued ignoring his words turning her gaze back at me shuddering at the sight.

I on the other hand was busy looking at my bracelet smiling mischievously sitting on a chair rocking it back and forth with happiness. I was oblivious as to what was happening at that moment. I could see my mother crying demanding for answers and my father trying to tell her he had to go. I thought it was because she was happy he gave me a bracelet. My father turned his head back to me and then to my mother worryingly and skeptically. He moved his face away from me giving my mother a worried look.

"Listen I have to go, NOW!" my father emphasized as a matter of fact, like he was in a rush for something.

"William what is going on?" my mother pleaded confused a bit sobbing silently.

“Daddy, what is happening?” I asked with worry.

“Not now my queen!” he fake smiled at me, I dismissed it and went back to my bracelet.

"I don’t know or should I say I’m not sure yet but I have to find out.... Melissa!...Melissa!... take care of her ok!...make sure she wears that bracelet, and if she does take it off make sure it's not for long. No more than a month" My father half yelled emphasizing his statement whiles picking up his bag, he kissed my mother and went to me as I was still sitting back-facing them playing with new my bracelet.

My mother looked at my father confused still crying her eyes out.

"What do you mean a month, are you not going to be around then.... William what are you saying?" My mother screamed softly but my father ignored her.

"I’m sorry but time is running out" he emphasized ignoring her cries as he approached me and embraced me for a second inhaling sharply.

My mother continued sobbing softly and a tad bit angry and confused looking at my father and me with her palms on her face.

"Daddy" I chipped with enthusiasm but the moment I saw my father’s watery eyes I started to worry.

"Hey my queen.... I need you to take care of your mother for me whiles I'm gone Ok Munchkin?” My father said as he kneeled in front of me, his right palm brushing my face lovingly.

"I thought girls were not susceptible to our family's inheritance and it been what...eons since the last one, why my daughter?” He wondered sniffing brushing my face.

“She has grown so fast yet she is still young" he continued worry written all over his face as he looked at my facial impressions. I was starting to understand that it was about me, I didn’t know what I had done but I kind of knew it was.

"Daddy did I do something wrong?" I asked contemplating starting to sob softly realizing he was leaving because of me.

"No...no...no...my pumpkin. I just need to find my grandfather that is all" my father assured me lovingly removing his gaze.

"Why daddy, but you’re crying and mother too"? I asked about to cry too.

He ignored my question. I could tell it was hard looking at me, not just because of the person I had become so my mother said but because of my sobbing sad face. He always hated seeing me cry and at that moment I could have made him think otherwise. He seemed adamant to go.

“I have to go before they locate us” he said emphasizing his hurry.

"My love...my queen...my moon and the sun...I want you to know that daddy did not mean for all of this. I want you to know that you did not do anything wrong, ok! I want you to know that daddy loves you, he will always love you and look out for you, ALWAYS!..." he emphasized as he kissed me gentle on the cheek rubbing both my hands softly.

He took the bracelet and put it on my wrist, and kissed my hand as my heart beat came down. I hadn’t even realized it was moving fast. He gave me a confused look as he cried some more the moment realization hit him.

"I need to find a way to reverse it, I cannot lose you, I need to, just like my grandfather did with me, I need to!" he cried making a promise to himself not accepting the situation.

"Always wear this, do not ever take it off....Ok!" he said worryingly to me, I just shrugged it off and continued sobbing lightly, me facing the floor with my palms on my face.

"God she is so young though and a girl, why her after all our generation?" he wondered sadly mumbling

Although I couldn’t give him the answers he was looking for, I was a child. To him it happened when he reached his twenty first birthday. I don’t know what but I have heard them talking about him changing when he was at that age.

"How am I to spend time with my family now?” he asked no one but himself confused and angry.

"I have to go now love!" he picked up his bag.

“You’re coming back right, soon!” I asked crying not wanting him to leave.

"Yes honey, yes I am!” he reassured me but his eyes were saying otherwise. I know I was a child back then but I saw it all. He wasn’t coming back anytime soon.

He pulled me with him to my mother who was now sitting on a sofa. He kissed me on the fore head, and placed his hand on my mother’s shoulder for reassurance but she moved away from him angrily, slightly shifting to the left away from him.

"William you said it was over, you said it will not find us, you said we will never have to go through what you went through, I mean she is girl for goodness sake, that’s just impossible and abnormal!" my mother spat angrily standing up moving away from my father.

He tried to hold her hand but she jerked it off crying loudly; she got close to him and started hitting him on his chest screaming angrily....

"You lied to me, you lied to me, I want my life back!" over and over again she continued to scream.

My father tried to hold her close to calm her down but she was adamant on hitting him, he took that as a queue to leave.

"It is better they hate me and never look for me that them holding on to hope that may never come" he softly said solemnly whilst moving towards the door. He looked at me one last time as I was making my way to embrace my mother.

"I hope they can live together happily with this, maybe without me!" he mumbled shaking his head and wiping away the tears on his face as he disappeared after closing the door, leaving them crying.

After hearing his words both me and my mother cried so hard I’m sure the neighbors heard.

“William….dad” both me and my mother yelled crying.

He never wanted to leave but it looked like he had to.

"Times of darkness are coming soon; God give her strength because the worst is yet to come!" he mumbled his last words as he looked up at the sky saying a silent prayer. He left not looking back leaving his car on the driveway and everything he ever loved behind. I ran after him to the street but he was nowhere to be found. It was like he was taken by something. I gave up and went back inside the house sobbing silently.

He left us crying and me confused of what he meant by his prayer.

INSIDE THE HOUSE....

"Mommy" I cried to my mother as I tried to embrace her, seeing her cry too.

"Do not touch me you abomination, darkness, home wrecker" she spat giving me names angrily moving away from me, pushing me along the way as she went to her room.

"...and do not follow me" she continued as she spat with so much venom in her voice giving me one last deadly yet skeptical look with so much resentment.

My family was right. “you will never be happy in your entire life” I heard her mumble.

"Okay…" I muttered shyly with a little bit of hiccup and went to my room too, sobbing silently, and that was the last time I experienced love in my life.

I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I just sat there on my room and cried for days. Sadly that was the beginning of my misery.