HOME | DD

Description
Chapter Four

We stepped back into the safety of home, me after my dad. Fancy soon came out from my bedroom to greet us, squinting in the light and no doubt wondering where we had been. It was nearly 9:00. My dad went to the bathroom to clean his head from the blood and probably take some heavier painkillers. I unpacked my backpack and placed its usual components of school supplies in it. As for the knife, I thought that maybe it would be best to keep it close to me.

I then went out into the kitchen, thinking it best to make at least something for dinner. Grilled cheese would do, and it was one of my personal favorite, easy-to-make meals. Dad came out from the bathroom just as I had placed the sandwiches in the frying pan. He had cleaned up the blood that had been running from his head and had also wrapped the wound a bit better. He had also put a couple of Band-Aids over the few random scratches he had accumulated. His face was visibly smarting from where Blade has slapped him.

“Thanks, Bryan. I can finish cooking,” he offered.

“N-n-no. You go s-sit down and rel-l-lax.” He didn’t argue with me and went and sat down on the couch, flipping on the television to some comedy show. A little bit of comic relief was certainly needed. The atmosphere was tense as I tried very hard to keep my questions to myself until dinnertime.

I finished making the grilled cheese sandwiches along with some quick, microwave-made tomato soup to accompany.

“D-d-d-dinner’s ready,” I then announced. I split the soup evenly between two bowls, put a grilled cheese on a plate for my dad and then one for me, and sat down. Dad was already sitting, eyeing up the soup and grabbing his spoon. I sat down and joined him in the silence that would soon be broken by questions.

I sighed silently to myself, a bit nervous for answers.

“I’m sorry.” My dad started, confusing me a bit. “I know I should have told you about this…family secret sooner. Look, I didn’t want you to know. Blade is dangerous now, and he wants something, but I don’t know what yet. I didn’t want to involve you; I didn’t want to endanger you.” His eyes looked tired, sad, and he definitely looked upset about having to tell me this ‘family secret’. He took a bite of grilled cheese before continuing.

“Your aunt Cynthia, she had the ability. It’s called Jumping. She used to be able to Jump, until Blade took her power away. He used some kind of weird technology. He’s always been very intelligent. You can ask her if you want to know more.” He rubbed at his temples. “I never had the ability, but I learned how to fight a bit so that I could protect my sister. We didn’t move here to the city because your mom and I divorced. That was just an unforeseen difficulty. I wanted to move to the city to protect your mom and you.”

“F-from Blade?” I asked.

Dad nodded his head, dipping his grilled cheese in the soup. “I met up with him, asking him to stop bothering my family. You see, the ability to Jump runs through the family. My dad had the ability, then my sister, now you. Anyway, I met up with him after he hurt my sister, telling him to stop. He threatened to do the same to you, so we moved away. It seems though,” my dad said with a sigh, “that he found out where we moved to.”

“S-s-so what a-ab-bout me?” I asked.

My dad looked at me, thinking, calculating. “If I don’t want Blade to hurt you, I suppose I need to take you to Cynthia. She’s the only one who could help you, being that she had the ability to Jump.”

It was a plan then. Tomorrow morning, my dad and I would set off on the hour drive to visit my aunt. She would be able to help me learn more about this Jumping business. I settled into bed a bit later than usual, my mind still racing, wanting answers. More than anything, though, I wanted to learn how to stop Blade. Perhaps then my life could go back to how it was before, living with both my mom and dad, near my aunt, happily at my old school where my friends were. Fancy jumped up onto my bed with me, and sleep came in broken bits until my alarm rang for the morning.