Elementalist
Chapter 49
Nick had gotten up and pulled his tee shirt over his head and down his chest. He was as stubborn as Connor when it came to pain. I just let myself listen, and take in every word the guy spoke.
“Let me introduce myself before you hit me, Nicholas. I am Edward, the youngest son of the legendary family where all three children had all the Elemental Powers. I was called “Baby Eddy” by Andrew and Frank, my two older brothers,” he heaved a sigh and continued with his story, “Frank would’ve been fifty-five, this year, and Andrew is fifty-one. I’m two years younger than Andrew and six years younger than Frank.”
“What’s that have to do with anything?” Nick asked as he pulled his sweater on.
“Let me finish, Nicholas,” Edward answered. “When I was nineteen, Frank had the first kids, my nephews, Jimmy and David, with my sister-in-law, Mary. She was beautiful beyond belief. A year after that, I had my first son, Charles.”
I sat up, “Charlie is your son?!” I had all that anger bottled up in my bare, unclothed chest.
“If that’s what you call him, yes,” Edward answered, then continued again, “two years after I had Charles, I had my second son, Hay, Frank had Connor and Andy had his first son, Jerry. I then had my youngest son…” he stopped and looked at me, kind of distant.
“Me,” I mumbled, softly. He shook his head and looked confused.
“So, wait, Rachel is my cousin from my dad’s brother along with that scum bag Jerry?” Nick asked, sort of confused, “and same with Hay, Charlie and Hex?”
“That’s correct, Nicholas,” Edward said. I pulled my shirt back on. I felt his eyes on me, not me in general but my hands.
“What are you looking at?” I asked, and pulled on my zip up hooded sweater I “borrowed” from Connor. I didn’t feel like calling Ed “Dad” anyways.
“The mark on your hand, Hexagram,” he said as Nick disappeared to find Rachel and Terry, who had been shut out from us. He looked at me, waiting for an answer.
“Yes, it’s the devil mark. Frank had one and Connor did too. My real brothers have them, too,” I looked away, then continued very softly, “why’d you leave us? I mean, you’ve been gone since I was six, that’s been fifteen years, now.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, truly sorry, about that. I didn’t mean to leave you, only for a day, two at the most. The loss of your mother crushed me; she died in my arms on your birthday. Such a beautiful woman she was, Hex, told me the day before you were born, ‘I want to name this child, Edward, if it’s a boy, for his name to be Hexagon, for my favorite mathematical shape’. I remembered the look on her face calling you “Baby Hexagram”. It made me smile.”
He sighed and looked at me, those eyes I had when Connor died. “Fine, but we have to go soon. Charlie and Hay hate when I disappear for days on end. Come with us, dad, please?”
“I cannot, Hex, but if you promise to start visiting every other week here, I’ll go down where you guys are living and such,” I smiled greatly, at my dad, slipped off the bed and hugged him. The hug made up for the last fifteen years I hadn’t seen him.
“Fine, but you have to come to where Connor used to live next week. Okay?”
“Yes, sure, as long as you give your brothers, Connor, Tina, Jim and Dave my love.”
I shook my head, “Connor and Tina aren’t here anymore, Dad, Jerry killed Tina and Connor killed himself after that…”
“Oh,” he sighed and silence fell into our mouths.
Few hours later, I found Nick, Rach, Terry and Andrew and got ready to head back to the house. We started, the four of us, seeing as Andrew wanted to stay there with my father, his little brother, for just a little while.
Hey, Hex I stopped as the others continued to walk, I’ll see you in a few months.
“Sure thing, Connor,” I smiled and started to walk again, “Sure thing.”
~To be continued~
“Let me introduce myself before you hit me, Nicholas. I am Edward, the youngest son of the legendary family where all three children had all the Elemental Powers. I was called “Baby Eddy” by Andrew and Frank, my two older brothers,” he heaved a sigh and continued with his story, “Frank would’ve been fifty-five, this year, and Andrew is fifty-one. I’m two years younger than Andrew and six years younger than Frank.”
“What’s that have to do with anything?” Nick asked as he pulled his sweater on.
“Let me finish, Nicholas,” Edward answered. “When I was nineteen, Frank had the first kids, my nephews, Jimmy and David, with my sister-in-law, Mary. She was beautiful beyond belief. A year after that, I had my first son, Charles.”
I sat up, “Charlie is your son?!” I had all that anger bottled up in my bare, unclothed chest.
“If that’s what you call him, yes,” Edward answered, then continued again, “two years after I had Charles, I had my second son, Hay, Frank had Connor and Andy had his first son, Jerry. I then had my youngest son…” he stopped and looked at me, kind of distant.
“Me,” I mumbled, softly. He shook his head and looked confused.
“So, wait, Rachel is my cousin from my dad’s brother along with that scum bag Jerry?” Nick asked, sort of confused, “and same with Hay, Charlie and Hex?”
“That’s correct, Nicholas,” Edward said. I pulled my shirt back on. I felt his eyes on me, not me in general but my hands.
“What are you looking at?” I asked, and pulled on my zip up hooded sweater I “borrowed” from Connor. I didn’t feel like calling Ed “Dad” anyways.
“The mark on your hand, Hexagram,” he said as Nick disappeared to find Rachel and Terry, who had been shut out from us. He looked at me, waiting for an answer.
“Yes, it’s the devil mark. Frank had one and Connor did too. My real brothers have them, too,” I looked away, then continued very softly, “why’d you leave us? I mean, you’ve been gone since I was six, that’s been fifteen years, now.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, truly sorry, about that. I didn’t mean to leave you, only for a day, two at the most. The loss of your mother crushed me; she died in my arms on your birthday. Such a beautiful woman she was, Hex, told me the day before you were born, ‘I want to name this child, Edward, if it’s a boy, for his name to be Hexagon, for my favorite mathematical shape’. I remembered the look on her face calling you “Baby Hexagram”. It made me smile.”
He sighed and looked at me, those eyes I had when Connor died. “Fine, but we have to go soon. Charlie and Hay hate when I disappear for days on end. Come with us, dad, please?”
“I cannot, Hex, but if you promise to start visiting every other week here, I’ll go down where you guys are living and such,” I smiled greatly, at my dad, slipped off the bed and hugged him. The hug made up for the last fifteen years I hadn’t seen him.
“Fine, but you have to come to where Connor used to live next week. Okay?”
“Yes, sure, as long as you give your brothers, Connor, Tina, Jim and Dave my love.”
I shook my head, “Connor and Tina aren’t here anymore, Dad, Jerry killed Tina and Connor killed himself after that…”
“Oh,” he sighed and silence fell into our mouths.
Few hours later, I found Nick, Rach, Terry and Andrew and got ready to head back to the house. We started, the four of us, seeing as Andrew wanted to stay there with my father, his little brother, for just a little while.
Hey, Hex I stopped as the others continued to walk, I’ll see you in a few months.
“Sure thing, Connor,” I smiled and started to walk again, “Sure thing.”
~To be continued~