Lyra “Here, I got you this.” Felix came back under ten minutes, handing me what looked like cheesballs but this time around, they were coated in dripping chocolate.
“Thank you.” I smiled, collecting it from him and one bite had me moaning in pleasure.
“This tastes really good.
Where did you get it?” “See…
I knew you were hungry.
I got it just outside, two stores away.” In the small package he had in his hands, I realized that it was filled with all kinds of goodies, several treats I could think of.
“I got this for you.” I was beyond shocked because aside from Darius, no other man had been this sweet to me.
It just felt like I was in a dream and what made it even better was the fact that I didn’t even know Felix from anywhere but yet again, he had shown me so much kindness that wasn’t even common in humans especially since they hated us and the ground we walked on.
“Wow…
you didn’t have to…
Thank you.” He placed the package in between the space that divided us.
I felt bad at the way I had treated him earlier on but this, what he had just done made me respect him all the more.
“So…
how do you feel about your daughter’s graduation and the fact that you are the father of an highschool graduate.” The bus left the stop point at that moment, pulling onto the road.
There was a small smile on his face, like he was trying to remember something he had put away for a while.
I could see how proud he was and deep down, one day I wished to be in his position.
“I mean, she deserves it because she worked so hard for it but on the other hand, i’m a bit sad.” He ate the rest of his cheeseballs, cleaning his hands with the wipes he had got.
My eyes never left him, not wanting to miss a thing.
“Sad?
Why?” He sighed, like he was about to unload something he had been keeping away for a while now.
There was a far away look on his face, trying to bring back memories he knew were painful.
“Linda lost her mom when she was just five, and it’s been so hard raising her alone.
My wife, Paula died when she was just twenty seven…
from cancer.
We had an early marriage and a year after that, Linda came.” My hands found his, giving him a gentle squeeze.
Death and loss were things not new to me and for him to share this with me only meant that he now saw me as a friend.
It was shocking how humans made friends but this was something I needed to come to terms with.
“It was really hard taking care of her, you know growing up.
The questions from her became even more with each age and it didn’t make it any easier because Linda is the spitting image of Paula.
She only took my hair but everything else is her mother.” He pulled out his phone from his chest pocket, unlocking it to show me a beautiful tall dark haired girl.
“She’s beautiful.” “Even more when you see her physically.” he smiled, looking at the photo.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” He shrugged, placing the phone back in his pocket.
I knew he was hurt but just because he didn’t want to cry, he played it off like there was nothing serious going on.
“So I made a promise to give her the best care and education a father could ever give to his child.
It was her mother’s dream for her to become a pilot and somehow, maybe by some divine intervention, Linda fell in love with planes from that age.” “Wow…
that’s something else.
I thought I could only see things like this in books.
I’m sure her mother is proud of her and you as well.” I said.
I ate the last of the cheeseballs just as the bus drove through some dark forest.
Felix reached above me for the light switch, turning it on just as it illuminated our compartment.
“This runs for several miles so it’s best you cover up because it will get cold.” he said.
I pulled out my blanket from my bag sitting on the floor, huddling within it just as he pulled his jacket tighter to himself.
“So after highschool, she’s going off to live on her own right?” I asked, resuming the conversation.
“Well, that’s what she says but I don’t want that.
I mean, she basically lives alone in the penthouse suite I got for her on her sixteenth birthday and as i am always on the move, she practically has the house to herself.” “A penthouse suite?
That’s crazy.” “What can I say?
I want my daughter to be as comfortable as possible.
I know that’s a lot but I wouldn’t want her getting things from people outside especially since I can provide that conveniently.” I thought about what he said for a moment and I realized he was right.
The world was filled with evil and the last thing any parent would want was for their kids to be abused simply because of a need.
“I-” “GET DOWN!” The bus driver screamed suddenly, cutting off my words.
My head was down within seconds as the bus swerved, trying to stay on course but I realized it was a losing battle.
The lights ahead flickered, threatening to give out and as i sat there, my heart racing more than my body could keep up, fear gripped me anew.
“What’s happening?
What’s going on?” I blurted.
“I don’t know but men have surrounded the bus and they are…” His words were cut off all of a sudden by a loud scream from a woman at the back.
My hands were clammy with sweat.
“They are what Felix?
They are what?” I panicked, the cheesballs long forgotten.
“My goodness!
I haven’t seen anything like this in my entire life.
The men are incredibly fast, they are literally running faster than the speed of the bus.” he said, fear lacing his voice.
I knew what this meant and in that moment, my worst fears were here.
The Wolves had finally found me and what’s worse, in a situation I wanted no one else to be a part of.
“I’m sorry…” I whispered.
Despite the many screams and shouts within the bus, he heard me.
He turned to look at me, his eyes widening when he saw the look on my face.
“What are you-” Before he could say anything else, I burst through the window with my bag in hand, running into the night as fast as I could.
Even though Darius’ men had found me, I was never going to give them the satisfaction of killing people, innocent people who had no blame in this.
As I ran through the forest and into the night, I knew by now my scent would have alerted them that I had escaped the bus and now, they would be on my tail.
This was now a race of life and death and whatever happened, I was willing to die even if it meant being free from the very people who had sought to imprison me.