The Unknown Home

It's been two months since my father died and I’m no closer to figuring out who killed him. No one believes he was murdered, but they didn’t see what I saw; Two men, one short and stocky and the other, tall and athletically built. They were fleeing the house just as I entered to find my father’s lifeless body on our kitchen floor. Once the police and ambulance arrived, they announced that he died from a heart attack, but there’s no way that's true. My dad was the most fit 50 year old in the world. He didn’t eat junk food nor did he smoke or drink. I tried telling the police that this was impossible and that I saw the two men responsible for murdering my father. Instead of helping me, they claimed it was the shock of the loss that made me hysterical. I’ve dealt with my fair share of losses, so I know shock doesn’t explain away what I saw.

When I was three, my mom died and last year, Dorian, the love of my life, was taken away from me too. Dorian was the only person besides my father who understood, accepted, and loved me. He was always there when I needed him until that drunk driver hit his car. I swear half of me died with him that day and the other half of me has now vanished along with dad.

Now that dad is gone, vengeance is the only thing keeping me from ending my miserable, lonely life. I have to keep focusing on finding those two men, nothing can get in my way. I was deep in thought about where to search for the next clue when my boss, Heather, stormed up to me, impatiently tapping her newly manicured nails against the surface of my desk.

“If you're done daydreaming, I would like to see you in my office,” grunted Heather as she abruptly redirected her path. I got up and trailed behind her. The looming assumption that this won’t be a pleasant conversation was confirmed when I noticed a scowl smeared across her face after crossing the threshold into her office. We both took seats across from each other.

She turned to face me. “Do you know what an exemplary employee is?” she asked with a heavily condescending tone.

I pretended to be deep in thought about the answer when, truthfully, I just wanted to leave and continue searching for my father’s killers.

Impatiently cutting off my train of thought, Heather said, “An exemplary employee is something you are not. I don’t know what has happened to you in the last month, but the work you’ve been submitting is horrible. You come in late everyday, you dyed your hair two different shades of black and blonde, which is completely unprofessional. Last week, you lost one of our best clients. Now, I understand you’ve always been…” she paused, as if she was trying to think of the perfect word to describe me. Following a sharp inhale, she continued, “... different. And I'm truly sorry your father died, but you took a full month off to grieve, so there's no excuse for your behavior. Your father was not murdered, the coronor ran dozens of tests on him. All the tests prove, without a doubt, that he died of a heart attack. I’m sure he wouldn’t want you to lose your job over a wild goose chase, but that's exactly what will happen if you continue down this path. I will fire you, so you need to decide what's more important; living in reality or chasing a fantasy. Oh, and for God's sake, take those weird contacts out. You’re scaring half the office,” she exclaimed.

For a moment, I was too dazed by Heather’s words to speak. For years, I’ve dyed my hair jet black to keep the platinum blonde streaks from peering out of my naturally raven black curls. My dad always told me that I get my hair and eyes, emerald green with golden flecks floating near my irises, from my mom. Along with dyeing my hair, I also wore brown contacts, all to blend in with people who would never accept me anyway. I will no longer dye my hair or wear contacts. From now on, either they accept me or they don’t, and people who are afraid of me can simply go to hell. Come to think of it, why should I stay in a place that doesn’t accept me as I am? The longer I processed Heather's words, the angrier I got. My decision was clear now.

“Are you just going to sit there quietly? Do you have nothing to say in defense of your recent behavior?” Heather snapped as she rose from her office chair to stand in front of me.

I quickly rose out of my chair to stare deep into Heather’s icy blue eyes and said sternly, “I quit.”

“Charlotte, don’t be ridiculous!” Heather yelled.

“I’m not being ridiculous, you told me to choose and I did. I'll clear my desk and be out immediately,” I said as I turned around to face the door. “I’m sure you’ll find an exemplary employee to take over my job.” I scoffed with a playful smirk as I rushed out of her office. Thankfully, the only thing on my desk is a photo of my dad and I, so I’m able to slip out quickly and avoid any further confrontation with Heather.

I drove home in absolute silence, stunned I had the nerve to finally quit my job. Soon that stunned feeling turned into relief and joy. I have the time to focus on avenging my father’s death, but the first step is figuring out who those men were. The only clues I have are a knife with an emblem of an eagle within a star and a crumbled up sheet of paper that reads “ 26-15-29” on it. I have no idea what the numbers mean, so finding that symbol online is my only hope.

I spent hours scouring through the web for any mention of the emblem until my eyes couldn’t stand being open any longer. I drifted off to sleep and all I remember dreaming about was the emblem and the random appearance of a strange, bright orange fox with blood red eyes. I have no idea why I would be dreaming of a fox, but my dream abruptly ended when my morning alarm went off on my phone. I begrudgingly rose from the couch and decided now was the perfect time to make some coffee in light of continuing my search. As I started towards the kitchen, suddenly I heard a soft thud coming from the attic. I’ve never been up to the attic, dad always said it was off limits. However, since it’s just me now, I found myself gravitating towards the white drawstring that hangs from the attic opening and maneuvers the staircase leading to its entrance. As I tugged on the string and cracked open the small opening of the attic, the smell of mold and dust creeped into my nose. I climbed up and pushed through a thick cloud of unsettled dust to find the attic empty, except for some old clothes and a padlocked security safe. I heard the soft thud again, realizing it was coming from the safe this time. The burning urge to open the safe consumed me; I had to figure out the code for the padlock and get into the safe.

Frantically, I tried my birthday, my dad's birthday, my mom's birthday, and any other important dates I could think of, but none of them worked. I paced back and forth in front of the safe, contemplating if there are any tools in the house that could blast this stupid padlock open. An hour of troubleshooting went by and I realized I needed coffee again if I was going to figure this out. I headed back downstairs to make a red eye coffee since I could tell a long night was in store for me. As I placed the espresso into my coffee maker, I noticed a draft and turned to see the large kitchen window was wide open. I haven't set foot in the kitchen since I’ve been home, so I couldn’t have left it open. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any weirder, a loud bang in the living room startled me. I scurried through my kitchen drawers to snatch a butcher knife, clutched it desperately in my right hand, and sprinted toward the living room. I turned a corner and there he was. The short and stocky man stared right at me.

“I see you’ve been trying to find us, ” says the man. My eyes darted to his hands caressing a compilation of clues and research I had sitting on the nearby coffee table. “Looks like you got your wish.”

“Tell me why you murdered my father and I’ll make your death quick, shorty,” I threatened.

The short man chuckled at my threat. “You have quite a temper just like your old man but you don’t even look mildly threatening with that knife. Do you even know how to wield it?”

“Of course I do, now answer my question!” I exclaim.

After a pause that felt like an eternity, he answers “Your Father died because he was foolishly protecting two things that don’t belong to him, you and the ring. Fortunately for us, your research has given us the combination we need to retrieve the ring and our watching you has shown us the safe but, sadly, now you have to die.”

Before he could say anything else, I sprinted towards the short man and, just before reaching him, I’m catapulted onto the floor by an overwhelming invisible force. The wind got knocked out of me and as I gasped for a breath of air, a dark figure emerged in front of me.

The tall man, he’s here too.

The tall man seemingly guided the same impenetrable invisible force to pin me and the butcher knife against the wall before I could get my bearings. “Did you really only think there was one of us?” he asked. His lips curled into an amused smile as I struggled to get out of the invisible grip. “We’ve been watching and waiting for you to lead us to the ring for the last two months.”

I felt another invisible force grip me by my throat, I tried to kick and slap my unseen enemy away but it held firm.

That strong invisible grip is coming from the tall man. What type of power is this and more importantly where did it come from?

The tall man continued to stare at me with amusement, cocking his head with wonder. “You won’t be able to get out of it unless I release you from my power. Too bad your mom and dad didn’t teach you about your power. Maybe then you would've stood a chance.”

“Rebel, stop playing with the girl and just kill her.” The short man interrupted. “I’ll go to the attic to retrieve the ring,” he continued. And just like that, he floated in the air towards the attic, past his friend and I.

Rebel tightened his invisible grip around my neck so tight that I knew death was inevitable. I could feel life escaping my body, my neck was tense as I tried my best to gasp for air. I prayed to whatever Gods may be that I would find peace in my next life. Just when I’d given up, I heard a loud crash coming from the bay window, glass scattered everywhere and slid across the floor. The fox from my dream with piercing, blood red eyes had jumped through it into the living room and, soon after, tackled Rebel with an aggressive pounce. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The fox breathed fire at him, warming the living room like a sauna in an instant. In a flash, the short man reappeared with a titanium ring in his hand.

“Don't worry about me, Leon, kill the girl,” Rebel exclaimed in agony.

Leon extended his arm towards me and a blast of water slowly began to overtake me. The fox was busy with Rebel, so all I could do was try to fight him off. I pondered how to beat the water wielder knowing the water would knock me off my feet.

“Sorry, little one. The fox can’t save you from me,” Rebel chanted suddenly, revealing a cruel smile.

Everything in the present faded to black just after he said that. I felt my life slipping out of my grasp just when a flash, a boom, a lightning bolt, pierced through the house and knocked Leon unconscious. The electrical current laced itself throughout my body but it didn't harm me, as if the lightning belonged to me. Bright lights surrounded me as the buzzing of the electricity cascaded into my body and gave me an adrenaline rush as I breathed fresh air again, away from the invisible grip now.

There’s no way that came from me. I don’t have powers, it’s impossible.

“Hurry! Grab the ring Charlotte,” said the Fox as he morphed into a beautifully tanned man, with piercing red eyes and floating golden flecks near his irises. He had broad shoulders that matched his perfectly chiseled body. A small fire tattoo inside a star rested on his neck and peeked out of his flame retardant cloak. I could feel that the image of what I understood to be reality crumbling in that very moment.

Did a fox just talk? Did a fox just turn into a man?

I snapped back to reality. Time was clearly of the essence. I snatched the ring from the floor beside Leon’s unmoving body and anxiously placed it in my finger. In a flash, I was immediately transported into a barren bedroom with nothing but a chair and fireplace that cracked softly, quietly, like whispering; So peaceful compared to the chaos that had unfolded before my very eyes just seconds ago. I saw no door and no foreseen exits in sight. I started to hyperventilate just before I saw her, my mom, walking gracefully towards me.

“Don’t be afraid, Charlotte. I can see you’re confused. Please allow me to explain, you’re currently in the inbetween,” stated my mom.

“What―What do you mean the inbetween? Am I dead? Why can I see you? I thought you were dead,” I exclaimed while backing away from her.

She closed the space between us in an instant and enveloped me in a hug. I froze. “We don’t have a long time here, I can only stay for a few minutes and I’m not allowed to answer all your questions. Just know I love you and everything I did was for you and your sisters,” she said.

“My… sisters?” I asked

“Yes you have two sisters, Celeste and Ember. You and I were separated from them when you were in my belly. Charles, an evil lord from our home world, ‘Netero,’ killed your father and put your two sisters up for adoption to wealthy families. We would’ve been killed if your father didn’t get us out in time. The man you have called your father was a kind man who was your father’s best friend on Earth. He loved you as if you were truly his.”

I wriggled angrily out of my mothers embrace. “Are you saying he wasn’t my real father? The two of you lied to me!” I screamed, banging on the walls in search of a way out of this place.

“We were protecting you and the rings. That ring on your finger, when joined with the other two, has the power to create and destroy worlds. Charles wanted to use it to destroy Earth, so your real father hid them” she said. As she explained this, I noticed her color began fading from my vision. Her figure was becoming blurry; Mutated within seconds. “I’m sorry, our time is already up. Follow the fox to your sisters and protect the ring with your life…” her voice faded and just like that, she was gone.

The room began to transform into a quaint living room with papers scattered in every corner.

“Charlotte, Charlotte, CHARLOTTE, wake up,” exclaimed the fox. “They aren’t dead so we have to move fast, we have to get out of here!”

I looked around, slightly disoriented, stunned, confused by the exchange my mother and I just shared. I met the fox’s bright red eyes. “Where am I?” I asked.

“We’re still at your house but we have to go. Rebel and Leon will wake up and I don’t have enough energy left to fight them both,” said the fox.

I rose slowly onto my feet with the foxes help and he hurriedly led me towards the back door. “Where are we going?” I shouted.

“To Netero. If you want answers, protection, and to meet your sisters, then follow me,” he replied.

He whipped out a device that appeared to be a crystal, but it glowed brilliantly as if it were alive. The device quickly took shape as a swirling cloud of gray matter materialized before me. My eyes dazzled in disbelief. The fox interrupted my wonder, motioning for me to step through.

“What is this?” I whispered.

“It’s a teleportation device,” He smiled, “It’s going to take us home.” He reached out to me and I gasped as he gently grabbed my hand.

I may not have known him but I invited his touch. For some reason, I trusted him as if I’d known him my whole life. A deep sense of security overcame my body from head to toe. Suddenly, the thought of going home to a place that has people just like me, and not being an outcast anymore, enticed me. I willingly stepped into the deep cloud, ready to face the new world I’d call home.