Chapter Fifty-Four – The storm

“Just to make sure we’re all caught up here. You’re Talia’s brother. And she was taken from your family when she was just a baby? And you’re both hybrids? A fae and witch hybrid?” Xavier asked once Anthony was done repeating his life history to him and Nadine.

“Yes” Anthony nodded.

“I just have one more question?” Xavier said.

“What?” Anthony couldn’t help the annoyance. This man had too many questions, and opinions.

“How are you still alive?”

Anthony looked straight ahead at Xavier, trying to decipher if the other man was joking or not. But there was no twist in the corner of his mouth. No spark in his eyes. He was serious.

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Anthony asked in return. He knew why his parents were hiding, why everyone in their tribe were living off the grid. But his birth and whole existence had been kept secret for such a long time, he even created a whole new identity to be on the safe side.

“Most fae hybrid don’t see their first birthday. I’m just surprised you’re both still alive. Well, someone made a very good attempt at killing her ten years back, but you get why I’m trying to say” Xavier answered truthfully.

“Maybe my parents were just smart enough to keep themselves hidden from the world?” Anthony suggested.

Xavier shook his head, disagreeing.

“Someone knew you were there, or at least the tribe, why else would they go deep into the Amazonas to kidnap a child? That makes no sense”

“Wait – hold up – go back” Nadine shot up from her chair. She’d been silently flipping through one of the journals, treating the men’s conversation as background noise. But they got her attention now.

“The hybrids who don’t survive, are killed by their own family right? But what if the family believes they are all already dead? Wouldn’t make sense to go look for them.” Nadine started, both men nodding agreeingly.

“And what if the reason why someone came to the tribe, was because they knew about the location through someone else? Witches can find most people with tracking spells. And those people who aided your grandmother in the experiment, what if they knew that’s where they had to go? Cause the people who live there can’t come out of hiding, otherwise they are dead. And the children who live there are hybrids, abominations, not supposed to exist in the first place. It makes sense to kidnap a child from there to conduct such an experiment. Cause it was no given the child would ever survive”

Anthony and Xavier shifted between looking at eachother and looking at Nadine, both of them had to admit the witch was on to something.

“But – why her? Why not anyone else?” Anthony asked.

“Was there any other newborns present at that time?” Nadine countered. He shook his head.

“That has to be why then”

“So, it’s not some sort of revenge against someone?” Xavier asked, not sure if he should be relieved or not. There were still many unanswered questions.

“It could be, but doubtful. Unless your father come from a very important family, or had an issue with one of the other families?” Nadine turned to Anthony. He couldn’t answer. Didn’t know the answer.

“But why Evelin? Why the Bell family?” Xavier tried to wrap his head around everything when the door opened, Talia and Adam coming into view.

“Maybe someone wanted to ruin their family name?” Nadine suggested. It sounded too vague.

“Maybe she couldn’t have kids and asked someone she trusted for help. Infertility is not that uncommon” Talia suggested. She wanted to think her mother didn’t know, that she was as blindsided as everyone else. Both she and her father.

“That’s also a possibility. They only ever had you” Xavier said thoughtful.

The Bell family was old and traditional, following the old-fashioned laws and guidelines. Those who claimed that men were best suited to lead, and women to care for their men, their children, and spread their legs to please. The thought alone made Xavier shudder.

“And most fae families want a son. An heir. Someone to continue the bloodline. The son is the heir, the daughter is the possession, a gift to strengthen the alliance between families, and to strengthen the bloodline” Xavier continued. Those lessons were imprinted in him, and it was hard to turn his back on them. Though he knew it was wrong, saying it aloud made him feel sick, but they still held some power over him.

“That’s disturbing, at best” Anthony said. He’d grown up with love is love, no matter who or what.

“I know. But it’s the fae life. Your father was told the same thing growing up. Fae only mate with fae, only marry fae, only do business with fae. It’s the fae way of life” Xavier sighed.

“I’m surprised grandfather was mayor in this town” Talia suddenly said. “From what I’ve heard off him, it wouldn’t make sense to settle in a human town and become mayor, get involved with politics and having to deal with none fae’s”

“I’ve never even thought about that” Xavier looked at her. The more they learned, the more questions popped up.

“Maybe he gained something from it?” Nadine suggested. They all turned to Anthony; he would know.

“Who becomes mayor and not is all about politics. Which party get the most votes, which person that party would like as a mayor. And you don’t get more power than others. You just get a fancy title and responsibility” Anthony answered.

“He was mayor for many years though, maybe he was trying to build a new kind of community? A town for fae’s?” Adam suggested.

“I think that’s a question only one man can answer, and I’m not going to go find him” Xavier said. “But I wouldn’t put it past him going into politics to ensure better life for the fae’s. Humans don’t know any of us exists, and we’d like to keep it that way. But we also like to have places to live where we can be our true self, and not have to blend in”

“So our best bet is – Talia was kidnapped by someone who knew what she was, because they knew she could be used as an experiment. And she was placed with the Bell family because Evelin couldn’t have kids herself.” Nadine summed up, writing it all down on a blank page in one of the journals.

“But that would be shameful, right, to not be able to further your own bloodline?” Nadine turned to Xavier, who in turn nodded.

“Worst for Thomas, but hard for Evelin as well” He said.

“But why me?” Talia asked. The question had been stuck on repeat.

“Most likely because you were the only newborn there” Nadine answered her.

“They just – stole me, for no other reason than my age?” She whispered. Adam’s hands found her, wrapped around her, holding her as her own legs gave in.
“There was no other plan – just check if they have a newborn. If they do, take it, if they don’t move on?” Her voice was hollow. She didn't know what to do with that kind of information.

None of the other’s wanted to answer.

“I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time?” Tear stung in her eyes. If there had been a reason, a plot, maybe she could have understood it. There would have been a bigger picture, a bigger scheme at hand. But it was a random act – she had just been unlucky.

A scream tore from her throat as the emotions burst at the seams. She had been taken from her real parents because she was the only baby. She had been used as an experiment because she wasn’t pure. But it wasn’t the plan all along to use her, she was just unlucky, wrong place at the wrong time. Alone for a moment, giving the thieves a chance to take her.

“They stole me for no reason!” She screamed, feeling how the anger was crashing against the dem in her head. Her emotions were a raging storm inside her head. Anger crashing waves, clouding her judgement and filling her with rage. Rage sparked a fire in her, feeling how it burned through her veins.

“I was just a baby!” She screamed louder. Somewhere above their head a thunder was heard, followed by heavy rain.

“They ruined my life for no other reason!” The scream turned into a sob. Tears streaming down her face.

Adam was still beside her, holding her close, pressing her against his body and doing everything he could to sooth her. But she had to feel this. Had to let it out.

“Talia, I don’t…” Xavier started, but a look from Adam made him stop.

Another thunder rumbled over their head, followed by a flash of light. Even down in the basement they could see it. Hear it. Hear how the storm was raging above them as Talia wept and wept until her eyes were dry and body slumped against Adam’s chest where they sat on the floor.

“I was just a baby. There was no other reason. They took me because I was a baby” She repeated over and over again as Adam rubbed her back soothingly.