Chapter 12. The Fourth Sunday.
It was the next sunday, the fourth sunday of September. Silas was not in his mansion. He wasn’t even on Earth. Instead on the smallest fake planet in the solar system. Pluto. The rocky surface and ice-covered craters were nothing short of spectacular. Silas was doing something no one would ever belief if they heard it. He was kneeling. The strongest space mage was kneeling. The cold ground bit into his skin as he pressed his bare knee on the rocks. But he didn’t care.
Before him, was a shrine. It wasn’t large or impressive; it was a simple, crude structure of rocks and ice that Silas had built himself, with out magic.
Two names were written on it and a date was written on it. Marcus and Jakob, a month after the awakening. Both Vanes.
To the world Silas would say he is the strongest but in his heart, he was the third. He’d always be the third.
“Hey, old man. Hey, bro... how’s heaven?” He laughed. “Or hell for you bro? Either way I hope you are having fun and not getting too drunk.”
A sharp pain went through his chest. He missed them. God how much he missed them.
Looking up at the black sky, stars twinkling far away, he remembered how his father used to hold him up on his shoulders, telling him stories about the stars, each one had its name and meaning.
He chuckled. “Pluto isn’t the smallest planet anymore, old man. They made a new category, called it a dwarf planet. You would hate that.” His voice was quiet, just loud enough for the spirits of his dead family to hear. Or maybe that was just him hoping they would. He continued, “Jakob, I kept the promise. Your daughter knows all about your stupid rock band. I played it on repeat. I swear she learned to walk just because she wanted to turn off the damn thing.”
Silas’s eyes stung, but he didn’t wipe the tear. It fell, leaving a trail on his cheek.
A breeze swept over the barren surface. It was like their gentle caress, comforting him even now.
The S-rank stood up and dusted himself off. Putting his hand on the shrine, he whispered one last thing.
“Don’t worry I’m strong now. I’ll keep everyone safe. They won’t visit you two for a long, long time.”
He stepped back and closed his eyes. Space shifted around him. In less than a second, he was back on Earth, in his bedroom. The warmth of his home welcomed him. As he opened the door, he could smell breakfast cooking.
Walking down the stairs he could hear the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen. It was his wife, Elizabeth. She was singing a tune while flipping pancakes, her hair tied up with a ribbon.
“Good morning honey!” She turned around when she sensed him coming in and smiled, giving him a quick peck on the lips. Her hands were sticky with syrup. She rubbed her palms on his cheeks, leaving sticky patches.
“Morning,” he replied, wiping his face with a napkin. She giggled and went back to cooking.
The twins were already at the table, munching on bacon and eggs, still in their pajamas.
“Good morning Papa,” Victoria greeted him. She wore a pastel yellow top and fuzzy slippers.
Katherine had a small smile on her face, “Good morning Papa.”
He missed her calling him that when she was young. Every day. Every hour. The smile turned into a glare as he messed up her hair, ruining the perfect ponytail she worked on.
She swatted his hand away and fixed her hair.
“Dad...” she didn’t finish the sentence because they both knew what day it was. Silas took his seat and Elizabeth served him a plate of food.
After breakfast, the family cleaned up. It was a quiet affair, not like their usual banter-filled mornings. Hearing the phone ring, Elizabeth went to answer it while the girls disappeared into their rooms to get ready for the day.
“Hello?...Yes. Oh, good to hear. We will be there soon.”
She hung up and looked at Silas with a small sad smile.
“Your uncle and his family isn’t coming,” she said, walking to him and putting her arms around his neck.
He hugged her back. He didn’t really expect them to come, but it was nice to hope every year.
“So it’ll be just us, your mom, Lisa and your niece,” she added.
Silas nodded.
The girls came back down the stairs, Victoria in a white sundress, her hair styled perfectly with braids. Katherine in jeans and a black t-shirt that had her favorite video game character on it.
“Is the whole family coming today?” Vic asked, grabbing her shoes.
He shook his head. “No. Just your grandma, aunt and cousin.”
“Oh okay,” Victoria frowned a bit but quickly composed herself and put on a smile.
The family got into the car, Elizabeth sitting in the passenger seat, Silas driving and the twins in the back seat. Elizabeth was searching for the address on her phone.
After fiddling with it for a moment she said “Okay it’s in... Old-Hawaii?” She tilted her head. “Your mom really likes tropical beaches.”
A smile formed on his face. “Yup. She knows I don’t like sand but she insists.”
The car drive was smooth. There was no traffic in space highways. One quick teleport later and they were driving in Hawaii on a small island, with white sand beaches and palm trees everywhere. The ocean was a blue so vibrant it hurt the eyes, the sky cloudless. It was a paradise. Silas parked the car outside a beautiful resort hotel.
They entered through a golden revolving door. It was busy inside; people walked around with drinks in their hands. In the center of the lobby, there were comfortable couches and coffee tables. A tall woman with black hair and violet eyes spotted them. She looked like an older, female version of Silas. His mother.
Noticing the four of them, she grinned and snapped her finger. Space magic activated and the Vanes found themselves standing right in front of her. The woman hugged Elizabeth first.
“Lizzie! Oh I missed you!” she kissed her cheeks.
Silas watched as his mother hugged the twins. Her hands ruffled Vic’s hair affectionately and she gave Katherine a tight hug.
“My two grand babies, you both grew so fast,” she said.
Kathy smiled for the first time in weeks. “Hi grandma Anna,” she said shyly.
Anna gave them a squeeze and then turned her attention to Silas. She walked up to him, looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze before a smile spread across her lips and she pulled him into a tight hug.
Silas hugged her back, the scent of her floral perfume filled his nostrils. “Hey mom.”
She hit his arm, “Don’t ‘hey’ me, young man. You didn’t even bother to visit for a few weeks! Your old mother was worried sick,” she scolded him.
He rolled his eyes. Old mother? She didn’t look a day over 30. And she was A-rank now, more than strong enough to deal with anything.
“Sorry—”
She pinched his cheeks, hard.
“Do you want me to move in with you? Then I’ll know how you are doing.”
Elizabeth chuckled behind them. Silas pried his mother’s hands away from his face.
“I think we are okay, Mom. Thanks.” He glanced at Elizabeth for help, who just gave him a thumbs up and a grin.
After a short chat, the group made their way to the pool area. They passed a fountain with a mermaid statue spouting water and walked down a marble path surrounded by lush greenery. There were families sitting around the pool, kids playing in the water.
A young girl in a purple bikini waved at them, she had his violet eyes. His niece, Hailey.
“Aunt Liz! Uncle Si!”
She ran up to them and giving Silas a punch on his arm.
“Ouch,” he said pretending to be hurt. She stuck her tongue at him before hugging her aunt.
“Kat! Vic!” she called out to the twins and dragged them over to a table with colorful drinks and snacks on it. Both looked at their mom for help. She just smiled and shooed them away. “Go have fun girls.”
Victoria and Katherine followed their energetic older cousin. They sat down and sipped on the colorful drinks, looking a bit uncomfortable.
Silas watched from a distance as he sat with his mom and Elizabeth next to a shaded table. They ordered some food.
“Where’s Lisa?” Elizabeth asked Anna.
Anna waved her hand dismissively, “Toilet again. That girl drinks too much,” she chuckled and sipped her cocktail. “How’s the job? My son still giving you a hard time?”
Silas rolled his eyes and Elizabeth shook her head.
“Don’t worry I have taken firm control over our house. He knows who’s boss,” Elizabeth said giving her husband a smug look.
He leaned back and stretched his arms over his head. “Of course. Who am I to argue with the boss?”
A few minutes passsed and a woman with brown hair and eyes that glimmered with green came out of the bathroom. She spotted the group and walked over. Silas recognized his sister-in-law. Lisa. She had a drunken flush on her cheeks.
“There you are! I was looking for you guys...” Her words came out slurred.
Anna sighed, “Lisa you’re wasted already and it’s not even noon.”
Lisa laughed, she stumbled a bit and grabbed Silas’s shoulder to steady herself.
“Ohh if it isn’t my dear Si!” she hugged him. His body was stiff and tense. Not because of her, but because he could see the scar that was on her back, peeking out from under her dress. He hated it, even after all these years.
“Lisa, you okay?” he asked, his voice gruff.
She pulled back and gave him a bright smile, a genuine one. She smelled like vodka.
“Of course. He’s dead after all,” she giggled and sat next to his mother. “One good thing about today, right?”
A painful tightness formed in his chest. Not today. Not here in front of his children. This was supposed to be a happy day. The air shifted. Space bent under the weight of his emotions. Then a hand touched his arm, grounding him. It was Elizabeth.
“Try this new drink honey, it’s delicious,” she said, handing him a glass full of orange liquid and an umbrella on top.
He took the glass and gave it a sip, the sweetness of it didn’t mask the bitterness in his mouth. Marcus and Jakob were his heroes. Not monsters. Today he would think of the good times, the laughs, and the stories. Not their demons.