Valley Of Glamorgan (2 page)

When my father finally spoke again, he
turned towards me commanding, “Mina-Bear go back to the van! Allow
us grown-ups to have a talk. Then we will be on our way to your
grandmas, sweetie.”

I looked at them in utter amazement, and
before I could stop myself, I said firmly, “I am not going anywhere
with anyone! I don’t know what is going on. Who is that man dad?
And how did you throw him to the ground so hard? And fourth and
foremost why did you and mom just growl at me?”

The questions seemed to ramble out of me so
quickly that I wondered if anyone had understood the jumbled mess.
Then I felt a warm tear stream down my frozen face, which I didn’t
bother to hide as I was so confused and scared. ‘So much for not
being a coward,’ I thought to myself.

As everyone looked at me in silence, my
mother walked towards me. I took several steps back, “No mom, don’t
I warned. I don’t want you to be close to me right now!”

She stopped in her tracks, “Mina Bear let me
explain.”

I looked at her with a peevish look on my
face before answering, “I am listening.”

Pointing at Knoll she said, “This man is
trying to take you away from us.” I stood with my arms crossed,
letting her get it all out before I responded. She continued with,
“He believes that you are meant to do some things with your life
that we do not agree with.”

Trying to understand, I thought to myself,
‘Way too vague, Mom.’

Continuing she spoke again, “We are
protecting you Mina-Bear. I am sorry if we frightened you. You know
that your father and I love you, and would do anything to protect
you.” As she finished speaking silence reigned on the small
scene.

Finally I spoke, “No mom, I don’t know that,
not anymore. You let me sit in that van scared to death. I actually
thought this could have been our last night together. Maybe even
our last night on this earth! You have stood here having a pow-wow
with this strange man who, it seems, wants to take me away.”
Pausing, I thought back to when I had heard Knoll tell my father
that he needed to tell someone the truth. Looking at him I pointed
my finger in his direction, startling him by saying, “And you!
Jumping in front of the van and nearly scaring me to death! What is
wrong with you?” He didn’t answer, just stood there in
bewilderment, letting me go on ranting as I continued, “And what
did you mean by needing to tell her the truth? Were you talking
about me?”

As I stopped speaking Knoll stepped forward;
walking slowly towards me as if I was a fragile animal, apparently
not wanting to scare me away. “Yes Mina, I was talking about you,”
he responded calmly, “Stephanie was right in a sense but, they are
not telling you the whole truth.”

My father stepped between Knoll and myself,
shouting, “I am warning you Knoll that is enough! One more word and
I will kill you!” That is when I did something I never thought I
would do. Stepping in front of Knoll I told my dad to step away.
One way or another I wanted the truth tonight, even though that
meant making my parents angry at me.

Knoll turned towards me, declaring, “I am
here to take you home.”

“I don’t understand; my home is about three
hours that way,” I declared as I pointed to the barren road behind
us.

“No it’s not,” replied Knoll. “I am trying
to be delicate in the way I tell you this Mina, but I fear that we
are running out of time.” My body began to shake uncontrollably.
What was he talking about? We were running out of time for what? As
I began to ask he continued speaking, cutting me off mid-sentence.
“Jack and Stephanie are not your real parents.”

I looked towards the couple I knew as mom
and dad. They both had fear spread across their faces. As the
saying goes, just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does. I
searched my mind for a logical explanation, maybe this man had me
mixed-up with someone else; it was the only one I could come up
with. I looked at ‘my parents’ again and couldn’t help but question
their love for me. They had growled and treated me as if I was
nothing to them. No matter how hard it was to ask Knoll to
continue, I had to. I had to know the truth even if it hurt me.

I looked at Knoll, who was standing
perfectly still between my parents and me, as if he was shielding
me away from the lies he claimed they were telling. Finally I found
the courage and looking Knoll directly in the eyes I asked, “What
happened?”

Stepping closer towards me he responded
with, “Mina, you were kidnapped when you were three years old. I am
your guardian and I have come to take you home to your real
family.”

I couldn’t help but flinch at his last
words; it was as if they had physically struck me. There was a
truth in his eyes that frightened me. Trying to swallow down the
fear and disgust I looked to my so-called parents with surprise; I
was heartbroken. How could this be? I would have denied what he was
telling me, hell any rational person would have, if not for the
look on Jack and Stephanie’s faces, which was all the truth I
needed. Suddenly I was so angry! I wanted to just turn around and
run until my feet wouldn’t carry me anymore but I knew that I
needed to figure this out. All that my weather-worn lips could
muster was, “Why?”

Stephanie looked at me, “Oh hell, Mina-Bear,
we had no choice,” She announced. “We had to protect you from those
people.” The last word was spoken with such disgust, as if she had
a bad taste in her mouth.

Knoll stepped forward, anger radiated off
him and he shouted, “Stop that is enough lies. I will not stand
here while you torture and confuse her anymore.”

Knoll looked at me once more and continued
talking, but he spoke much quicker this time. “Mina, the truth is
they are a part of an organization that takes Royals away from our
kind. They raise them as humans so they cannot rule. If we do not
have an heir for the throne then their leader steps in to take
their place. They were keeping you hidden from your own people, so
that their leader Ezra could take over.”

Standing there I felt as if I was part of
some sick joke, and I was waiting for someone to jump out and yell,
“Gotcha!” or some such silly thing. Yet I knew that in all reality
that was a long shot. I couldn’t fight the tears anymore. Sitting
down on the frozen ground, I immediately felt the wetness of the
snow seep through my jeans. Burying my face in my hands I let out
shuddering sobs. I had been living a lie; I didn’t know what to
believe anymore. The impossible had become my reality within an
hours’ time.

Knoll walked over to where I was and sat
down across from me. Gently he laid his jacket round my shoulders.
I wanted to refuse it but, in all honesty, I was so cold I was
thankful for any warmth I could get. Leaning towards me Knoll
whispered, “I am so sorry Mina. I have been searching for you for
the last thirteen years. I should have found you sooner. I know
this is a lot to take in but I have something else to tell you.
They will not let us leave here alive. It is their assignment to
raise you as their own but, if you figure out the truth, then they
have to kill you.”

I looked up at him; horror spread across my
face and stammered, “No! They wouldn’t hurt me. I know they lied
but they have to love me. They raised me as their own. They have to
love me. Don’t they?”

Before he could answer, Knoll was picked up
and thrown backwards by Stephanie. She snarled at me, commanding me
to stand up and go to her. I got to my feet and tried to make her
think that I was going to oblige. Then I did the only thing I could
think to do; I turned and ran for the van. The keys were still in
the ignition and I knew that it was my best chance to get away.
Before I could get to the van Jack stepped in front of me. He
grabbed hold of my arm and sneered, “Not so fast, Mina-Bear.”

Shaking I stood between the two people who I
had believed were my parents; the people that I had just been
willing to lay my life down for; I was scared and angry. I hadn’t
minded dying when I knew that they were there with me. But to die
by their hand, that was something I couldn’t get my mind around.
Terrified I pleaded with them, looking at Stephanie I said, “Please
stop! How could you do this to me?” I couldn’t help but want to
know why.

She looked at me as if I was nothing to her
before she plainly said, “Because I was instructed to do so.” She
showed no hurt or regret; sounding just like a robot.

I looked towards Jack asking, “Are you
really going to kill me?”

He placed his hand on my shoulder and calmly
answered, “I am afraid so. One life isn’t anything compared to the
power we will receive once you are disposed of.” Feeling deflated I
closed my eyes, preparing myself to say goodbye to the world.

Suddenly I heard a loud snapping noise and
opening my eyes I saw that Stephanie laid dead at my feet. Her neck
had been snapped. I screeched with pain. Even though she wasn’t my
real mother, I had thought she was for the last thirteen years. She
had been like a best friend to me. Slowly I turned to see Knoll and
Jack fighting and I screamed for them to stop. “No one else has to
die, please.”

Knoll looked at me as he tussled with my
so-called father, instructing me to get into the van. With sorrow
filled eyes he stated, “No matter how this turns out, know that I
will always be sorry that it has taken me this long to find you.”
Then he repeated his command for me to get into the van and lock
the doors.

If Jack killed him, I knew I was to drive to
the nearest coffee shop where I should call the number on the piece
of paper he had thrown at me as he had knocked Jack on to his back.
Looking at Jack once more I headed to the van. As he quickly rose
from the ground I began pleading with him once more not to do this.
He just looked at me and said, “Once I am done killing him, you’re
next, you abomination.”

Shocked by his comment I raced to the van
and hopping in, I quickly locked the doors. I knew that there was
nothing I could do other than watch the gruesome scene being played
out in front of me. I was completely numb. I couldn’t believe what
was happening. All I knew was if Knoll died, so did my chances of
staying alive. Shakily I watched as they slammed each other into
the ground. Jack had Knolls’ neck in his hands and was fiercely
twisting it. I did what I could and honked the horn making Jack
look up but that’s all it took. Knoll jumped to his feet and in a
flash he snapped Jack’s neck, just as he had Stephanie’s. I watched
as Jack’s body hit the ground and I couldn’t help but scream out
loud. I had loved them. They were all I had ever known, but now
they were nothing just bodies lying on the cold, snow covered
road.

Knoll stood still for a moment before
solemnly heading towards the van. I unlocked the door to let him
in. He looked at my grief stricken face saying, “I am so sorry you
had to witness that. I know it couldn’t have been easy for
you.”

I shook my head in agreement, thinking to
myself that my life, as I knew it, was over. I had just assisted a
stranger in killing my parents; well, my pretend-kidnapping-parents
that was. I had decided that was what I was going to call them from
here on but I shuddered at the thought.

Chapter 2

Knoll instructed me to move over and let him
drive. I turned to him after we had switched seats, and surprised
myself by saying, “I can’t leave them like this. I know you won’t
understand but I would like to bury them.”

Knoll shook his head in acknowledgement
before agreeing, “Okay,” he said, “but we will have to move their
bodies to softer ground. It is too frozen here.” His tone was as if
we were talking about something other than burying two bodies in
the middle of the night. Which made me question of he had ever done
this kind of things before.

I grabbed the two blankets from the
backseat, where I had made a makeshift bed for our car trip to
grandma’s house. Then it hit me and I belted out, “Oh god, my
grandma! Did she know about this the whole time?”

Knoll shook his head, “No, she doesn’t know
that Jack and Stephanie were in an organization. She thought that
they had adopted you because Stephanie couldn’t bear children.” I
took a deep breath and let out a sigh of relief. At least I knew
that someone’s love wasn’t pretend.

Quickly Knoll and I wrapped Stephanie’s body
first. I had never pictured myself wrapping someone’s dead body
into a blanket but regardless I helped Knoll grabbing her wrists
whilst he took hold of her legs and together we lifted at the same
time. Shivering, I felt the chill of her hands as I struggled to
keep a firm grip with my already frozen fingers. Looking into her
empty eyes I thought about all the times I had looked into them and
how many times her lifeless arms had been wrapped around me
lovingly. This was the woman whom I had called Mom. She was the
person who had taught me how to tie my shoes, and talked to me
about boys. Now she was nothing. There was a part of me that wished
I could have laid my life down on this cold and unforgiving road,
the same as she had; that way I wouldn’t have to face the reality
of the situation. Knoll, thankfully, carried her to the rest of the
way to the van; placing her inside the back where we used to put
the groceries on our monthly shopping trips. Next we wrapped Jack
in a blanket and laid him next to Stephanie.

Knoll walked me to the passenger side door
and opened it for me; climbing in I thanked him as he closed the
door. Going round the other side he climbed into the driver’s seat,
started the engine and drove forward. I sat enjoying the heat that
blasted through the air vents; thankfully thawing out my frozen
hands. Leaning my head against the head rest I suddenly realized
how tired my body and mind were but, I knew that I couldn’t sleep
until we had buried Stephanie and Jack. I thought to myself, ‘I am
too young to feel this old.’