Caught Between Our Worlds

Chapter 11

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"People are going to judge you anyways

So you might as well

Do what you want."

                                                                  ~Taylor Swift

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Alex's P.O.V

Calm and not in the least bit flustered.

That was my dad's reaction after I broke the news to him. It was two days since then and I had admitted him to the hospital this morning. I must admit I was pretty irate at him for not reacting at all. That was before what I witnessed last night. 

I wake up with a start. I'm a pretty light sleeper and if there's any noise in or around the house I shoot up out of bed. I glance at my clock and see that it's a quarter past one.

I softly move to my room door, my bare feet not making a single sound. I press my ear against the door and strain to hear the sound I swore woke me up. My heart thumping, blood echoing loudly in my ears. I listen for a minute before I give up and am about to head back to bed when I hear it again. 

This time there's no mistaking the muffled sounds coming from the living room downstairs. I quietly open my room door before making my way down the stairs swiftly and silently. The living room light is on and I let out a faint sigh, relieved that it wasn't someone breaking into the house.

Curious at who would be awake at this hour I peer over the side of the wall into the living room. I see my father sitting down on the couch with a pen and paper. My eyes are then drawn to his face and the sight that meets me makes my heart clench. Tears are streaming down my fathers face as he continues to write what I presume is a letter. The sound I heard, a feeble sob occasionally escaping his lips.

Tears prick at the corner of my eyes as I watch him. Then as quietly as I came, I went back to my room shutting the door with an almost inaudible click.

Suffice to say, I cried myself to sleep.

Taking my dagger out of my pocket I run my thumb across the blade, as I make my way through the forest to my lake. The coolness of the blade was comforting. I liked keeping my dagger in my hand it reminded me of the power such a tiny thing has. I didn't want to be around anyone, not at least for the next few hours. 

I did what the doctor advised, and for the last few days I spent every waking moment with my dad. And I savoured every moment. I took in all the advice he gave me, all the stories from war and when we were alone, stories about The Magix. And on rare occasions my father also spoke of his best friend. Apparently he was a fairy and met my father when he was just a boy.

The stories my father told always fascinated me, especially since they were stories of things that he actually experienced. It made me long to experience the life that he had. 

Walking through the forest was as close to adventure as I would ever come. I'm pretty sure no human had been here in at least a couple of decades. As I reach my lake I strip of my clothes but leave my dagger with me this time. I sheath my dagger and fix it on my belt around my bare waist. I carefully wade into the water and turn to float on my back. 

I let the peace and quiet of the forest wash over me as I close my eyes. I needed some quiet to think. Now that my dad could no longer provide for us I had to figure out a way to get us enough money for everything. But so far I couldn't think of anything.