"I will go try to talk to him."
"No, David, I really think I should. But, before I do that, I need to ask a couple of questions. First, did you know about this?" Sherry asked David.
"Yes I did know about it. Eli asked me if it was all right if he started calling me Dad, seeing how we are acting like we are going to get married." David said, without looking at her.
"My next question is a simple one; did you encourage him or try to discourage him?" Sherry then asked.
"Well, I didn't encourage him, nor did I discourage him. I simply asked him for his reasoning, then told him he would have to talk to you and George about this before a decision was made." David said standing tall, knowing he was in the right, at least hoping he was.
"Thank you. Okay, I will let him explain those reasons. I guess I need to go talk to him. Matt, drive safely and we will see you next week sometime." She said going to give her Uncle a hug.
"I ain't going anywhere till I know my boy is alright! You just go on in there and talk to him, I will wait right here. I am in no major hurry." Matt told her.
Sherry headed into the house, but stopped right before going in. She turned back around and asked her Dad what he thought. His reply was that every boy needed a Dad, and she could do a lot worse than David.
Sherry headed up to Eli's room, all the while wondering if maybe Eli was trying to replace her, now that he knows she isn't his real Mom. Her biggest fear in life was losing Eli. She started to panic when she saw his room empty, but figured he had gone down to be with his fish, he would normally do that when he was upset about something. Sure enough, Eli was standing on a stool overlooking his main ray tank. She had made enough noise coming down the stairs so as to not scare him by sneaking up on him.
"Eli, I would like to talk to you, if I may?"
"I am sorry, Mom, David said I was to wait until you and Grandpa said it was alright. I just got excited and forgot. I am sorry, please don't be mad at him, it was my fault, not his." Eli rushed to say.
"Oh, Sweetie, I am not mad at anyone; concerned, yes, mad no. What I am concerned about is simply that we have only known David for a little over a day. I kind of feel it is a little soon for you to start calling him Dad, even though we are acting like we are getting married. Maybe it would help me if you could tell me why you want to call him that."
"Well, I know I have only known him for like a day, but it feels like I have known him a lot longer, because I have known Mr. Hunt all school year. See, after the beginning of the school year, I tried to come up with a way to get you and him together. That is, until I found out that Mr. Hunt was married and had a little girl. Mr. Hunt has always looked out for me. He helped me with some of the bullies and even a few of the not so nice teachers at school. So when I saw there were two of them, I almost flipped out. But then David stood up for me to Mr. Hunt. David yelled at Mr. Hunt because Mr. Hunt hadn't told me about my rights. Then David told me about how no matter what, he would be honest with me, even if that meant not telling me something so he wouldn't lie by mistake."
"And, he gained Grandpa's respect by being honest and open about him doing the active scanning of me with his empathic gift. He also didn't laugh or yell at me when I made the mistake of trying to hook up his trailer without him. The only people who ever showed that much caring about me before is You, Grandpa, and Uncle Matt! To me, that means he cares about me like a Dad would. I have always wished I had a Dad, and I would hope he was just like David." Eli said with tears running down his face.
Sherry was speechless and couldn't reply to him. She too had tears on her face. She was a bit shocked when it was her Father who started talking first.
"Elijah, that is exactly what a Dad would do! I think David would make a great Dad for you, as well as a great husband for you, Sherry! I for one, cast my vote for yes. If Eli wants to call David Dad, then he should be allowed to." George said with pride in his eyes while looking at his Grandson.
"I would have to agree with your Grandpa. Son, if you want to, and David doesn't have a problem with it, then you may call him Dad." Sherry said while pulling her son into a hug.
"Mom, I love you! I will always love you, no matter if I get a Dad or not!" Eli told his mom while hugging her. "Don't worry, you will never lose me!"
"Thank you, son! How did you know I was worried about that?" She asked the boy.
"I don't know, really. I just know that it is your deepest fear, that you will lose me."
"Well, I think we need to go talk to your Dad about that, then." She said with a smile.
The three of them went back upstairs to find David and Matt back at the kitchen table. Eli went over to the two men sitting at the table and apologized for running off. Both of them told him not to worry about it. Matt made sure that Eli was all right before hugging everyone, including David, and hitting the road.
"Um, is it still all right if I still call you Dad?" Eli asked David, kind of nervously.
"If it is all right with your Mom and Grandpa, then it is more than all right with me." David replied looking over at the other two. Both of them nodded to let him know that it was alright with them as well.
"Eli, isn't there something else you need to talk to your Dad about? Something that happened in the basement, just a bit ago?" George prompted.
"Oh yeah, thanks, Grandpa. While I was hugging Mom downstairs a few moments ago, well, I was kind of able to just know what her deepest darkest fear was. How could I do that?"
"Damn! Eli, you are getting gifts faster than anyone I have ever heard of! That is a gift called Fear Projection. Most of the time it is used as a defense. To protect yourself from attack, you would use a person's deepest fear against them, so you can get to safety. Although through the ages, there have been some dark Wizards who have used this gift as a form of torture. Until you master it, you might only pick up a person's fear while touching them, like hugging your Mom. Later, once you are a bit stronger, you can do it on command. I must warn you, though, knowing a person's deepest fear isn't always a good thing, or a pleasant thing. You should never let a person know you know their deepest fear, unless you can make sure to ease that fear. Fear itself is very powerful, and dangerous." David was back in teacher mode, trying to explain this new gift to Eli. Before he could go on, though, his cell phone rang.
He was surprised to see who was calling him. He figured it would be a few days before word of his engagement would reach the council.
"Hello?"
"Hello David. This is Donald. How are things going in your neck of the woods?" Councilman Donald Hulse asked.
"Great, Councilman, what can I do for you?"
"Damn it, boy! How many times do I have to ask you to call me Donald when it is just the two of us?" The councilman laughed.
"Sorry, Donald, old habits are hard to break. So what do I owe the honor of the call today?"
"Well, I was just talking to that twerp of a brother of yours, and he informed me you might be getting married. Hell, Boy, I didn't even know you were seeing anyone. So I had to call and get the info confirmed by the source, before rumors start flying around the halls here."
"Donald, my idiot brother was correct. I have met a wonderful woman, whom I have been seeing for some time, now, and we plan on getting married, I asked her just the other night. However, things are going to be a bit complicated for us. First off, we are moving up to Dyersville, on a farm which is being basically given to us. Then there is the fact I am taking on a new Trainee, a personal choice Trainee. I am taking a leave from all council duties until further notice." David told the councilman.
"David, what is going on? This is not like you to be so quiet about major events like this. If I am reading you right, and I very well could be wrong over the phone, you are scared to tell me something. Talk to me David, we have known each other for a long while."
"Very well, Donald, I will tell you everything." David said smiling at the look of shock on the three faces looking back at him. "Do you remember the Everett's?" David waited for an answer.
"Yes, I believe the whole family was killed in a house fire except for one young girl, who was later adopted by a Council Member, why?"
"What? What Council Member adopted her?" David asked getting a bit excited.
"Councilman Gregory Dace, why, what is going on, David? You are scaring me."
"Well, the whole family wasn't wiped out. It turns out that the Everett's son, Todd, who was in college at the time but home for the week, had gotten his girlfriend pregnant before he was killed. She happens to be whom I plan to marry."
"David, you need to be very careful of whom you tell this to. There are some who believe that it wasn't an accident that the Everett family was killed. The fire was ruled arson by the local police department, though nobody was ever charged with the crime. Also, a weird side note is that Vicky, the young girl who didn't die that night because she was staying at a friend's was adopted by the Everett's. She is only a Class IV, not a Class III, like the rest of the family. So except for this boy, that family line had been wiped out. There has been some speculation that the Everett family was high on the watch list for producing the next Dexas. What is the class of the boy's Mother?"
"She is a Non Wizard. The boy is only a Class V. I think if it got out that Todd Everett is his father, but he has a Non as a Mom, he should be fine." David said, thinking his logic held.
"I would hope so, but then again, if it is true that someone took out that family because they might produce the next Dexas, then someone isn't thinking very straight. I still say we need to be very careful about who finds out about the boy's heritage. Let's see, the boy is what 10 or 11? Is he in middle school, yet?"
"Yes, he is in 6th grade."
"Okay, the principle at Dyersville Middle School is a Class IV and a friend of mine. I will give him a call and ask that he find you a teaching post at the school. The county sheriff is also a Class IV who was in the Marines with me. He owes me a few favors as well. I will have him keep an eye out for anything weird going on, or any strange people in the area. Keep me posted on how things are coming with this young man. Also, I'd sure as hell better get an invite to your wedding! I will be in touch, soon." The older man said before hanging up before David could reply.
"Damn, I was hoping for more time than that. Well, that was Councilman Donald Hulse, 9th Councilman for the Council of Wizards. He is an old friend of mine whom I have known since my Navy days. He and I have worked together many times over the years. If there were any council members I could say I truly trust, he would be at the top of a very short list. Eli, he would protect you with his life, mainly because I claimed you as my son."
"What was that about it getting out that Todd Everett was my Father and that Mom was a Non, so I should be alright?" Eli asked.
"Well, Donald told me that there are those who believe that the fire that killed him and the rest of the family wasn't an accident. He told me that some suspect that the Everett family was killed because they were believed to be a possible linage line for the next Dexas."
"YOU MEAN THEY WERE ALL KILLED BECAUSE OF ME?" The boy screamed.
"No! If they were killed because someone believed one of them could be the next parent of the Dexas, then they were killed because someone was very sick, not because of anything you did or could have done. Do you understand that?" David was getting a bit worried.
"Who would do something like that?" Eli asked, looking between his Mom and David.
"Well, Son, Katrina thought that there were several people who were sitting on the Council of Wizards at the time who didn't want the next Dexas to be found. She thought that one was dark enough to be capable of just about anything. This is why she went to so much trouble to hide who your birth parents were."
"I want the person who killed them to face justice! Can we make that happen, Dad? When I am strong enough, can we?" The boy asked, quietly crying.
David pulled the boy into his lap before replying. "Yes, Son, once you are stronger, we will find out who did it and bring them to justice."
After a few moments of silence, Sherry decided she needed to get on with the rest of the day. One of the things she knew she needed to do was go to the grocery store, as having two extra people in the house were taking its toll.
"If we are going to eat tonight, then I need to get to the store. I still don't even know what we are going to have, but I know I need to go. David, is there anything you can't or won't eat?"
"No, I am not a picky eater. Let me give you some money though, or would you rather I go with you?"
"Tell you what, I will pay for this trip, you can pick up the next one. I think that will make it all fair in the end, until we can come up with something else. Is there anything you would like for me to get while I am there?"
"Yes, please pick up a good supply of fresh, 100% apple juice. Both Eli and I are going to need it to keep up our strengths for practicing his new gifts."
"Why apple juice?" A confused boy asked.
"Have you ever heard the statement, an apple a day keeps the doctor away?" After Eli nodded, "Well, that statement was made because apples provide us Wizards with most of our energy. It is said that without apples, Wizards would cease to exist." David explained to the boy.
"Well it's a good thing this one loves his apples, then. He has one with almost every meal!" Sherry explained to David.
"That is not surprising. Most young Wizards do love or appear to love apples. They just don't understand why they do. Eating apples is very good for young Wizards, but I find that drinking apple juice, the pure stuff, absorbs into the body much faster and is therefore better for replenishing a young Wizard who is in training. I also will admit to drinking a lot of it myself when I am the one doing the training." David laughed.
"Honey, I think I should go with you. After all, you're not the best in the kitchen, so I figured while we were still here, I would do the cooking." George delicately tried to tell his daughter.
"Dad, I know I am not the best in the kitchen, but I have had your cooking as well, and I know that we will do better with me in there than you. I don't want to hurt your feelings, but really."
"Well, I will have you know I went back to school, not long after you headed off to college. I figured if I was going to survive and not go completely broke going out to eat every night, then I had to learn to take care of myself. So, I went back to school and learned to cook, and I became quite good at it as well. Let's do this, I will cook tonight, then you can cook tomorrow, and we will let the boys decide who gets to cook from here on out. Deal?"
"Sure, that way we can share the duties. Is that alright with you two?" Sherry asked David and Eli. Who both nodded as they were trying to keep from laughing at the father daughter duo complaining about each other not being able to cook.
After they left, David turned to Eli saying, "Don't worry, Son, even if they can't cook, I can." Which caused Eli to fall on the floor laughing.
While Sherry and George were attacking the grocery store, Eli helped David move some of his things into the guest room. They didn't unload everything, seeing as how they weren't planning on staying there, that much longer. Once that was done, David asked Eli to head out to the back yard so they could start some of the training he wanted to get done.
One of the things a Trainer did with a new Trainee was working on mindset. For young Wizards, being able to clear their mind so they can concentrate was one of the hardest things they had to learn. With the gifts Eli was now showing, David figured his levitation gift would be the perfect one to work on this with. His idea was to have Eli hold something in midair, while David worked on distracting him. David planned on making sure things were safe as well as fun for Eli.
When the two of them got out into the backyard, David pulled out a large beach ball and started blowing it up. Once it was full of air he tossed it over to Eli. Eli tossed it right back, causing David to start laughing.
"Well, I wasn't planning on having a game of catch, but we can do that in a while if you wish." David laughed tossing the ball back over to Eli. "What I want you to do is make the ball float in place about 4 feet off the ground, about right here." David said showing Eli where he wanted the ball to hover. "Once you get it to stay in place, then we will work on the next step. Now you need to clear your mind and concentrate on only the ball."
Eli tossed the ball up into the air and then closed his eyes, he thought about what he wanted the ball to do, just like he had done with the trailer, only the ball fell back to the ground. Without getting upset, Eli kept trying. Slowly the ball lifted off the ground but then kind of bounced in the air between 2 to 6 feet off the ground. David was very impressed with the effort Eli was putting into this exercise. Eli wasn't going to give up, he kept working the ball until it stopped moving right at the 4 foot mark. The ball didn't even wiggle, once Eli got it under control.
Eli looked over to David with a smile on his face. His look was kind of like, what now? That is when David pulled out the scarf he had in his back pocket.
"Very good, Eli, but don't get cocky. What we are going to do now is blindfold you with this scarf while you keep that ball where it is. You are going to have to keep your concentration while your other senses take over for the lack of sight." David walked up to the boy and tied the scarf around his head blocking out his sight. He was impressed with the boy's control over the ball, while he was messing around with the scarf, purposely dragging it out to mess with Eli's concentration. However, Eli was able to handle it for the most part. The ball was only moving around slightly, the whole time David was dealing with the scarf.
Once the scarf was in place, Eli got back control of the ball. That is when David pulled his next surprise, a long feather. David would use this feather to tickle the young Wizard on his neck to try and break his concentration. Once David got started, his methods worked, the ball fell out of the air.
"Hey! That's not fair!" Eli yelled at David.
"Well, that is what we are working on. In order for you to master this gift, or any gift, for that matter, you must be able to control what you are doing, no matter what is going on around you. Your life might be in danger at some point and you need to use your gift to save yourself, but if you are in pain, are you going to be able to concentrate with that going on?"
"Okay, I see what you're saying, but you could have warned me."
"Now how would you learn if I warned you about what was going to happen. Now, let's get that ball back in the air and try again." David reset the scarf on the boy's head and got ready to do it again. This time he was using a water gun on the boy. Eli started laughing yet he was still able to control the ball.
"That was great, Eli. You did a wonderful job of controlling that ball while I was getting you with the water gun. Now, what I would like for you do to is try to lift the ball, as well as lift the chair over there. See if you can control both of them at the same time." David issued the next challenge to the boy.
Eli tried for a while, then just sat down. David was worried he was just giving up, but then Eli raised his right hand pointing it towards the chair, while his left hand did the same to the ball. Using his hands as guides, he was able to lift the two items then he turned his hands over and both items held still in the air. David couldn't believe what he was seeing. He had never trained anyone with this gift before, but he had heard how hard it was to master one item, let alone two.
"Eli, I would like for you to tell me about what you want most out of moving to the farm. Keep both of them up in the air, but at the same time, I want you to think and talk to me."
"Okay, I think I can do that. What I want most out of moving is a new start. Maybe at this school, I will be able to make a friend or two. I haven't had a true friend for a long time, and that really sucks. But that is alright, even if I don't, I have great people around me. You, Mom, Grandpa and Uncle Matt are all I really need." The whole time Eli was talking, David was watching the ball and chair to see how Eli's control was, they didn't move. "I am really excited about growing my company when we get there. I am hoping I will be able to put enough money away to pay for college. I think I would like to be a Veterinarian or maybe a marine biologist."
"Would you be upset if you had to settle for being a King? I know that you can have a career, but you will have to make some strong choices when that time comes."
"That's alright; I know you and Mom will help me decide when the time comes. I am not too worried about it." David had tried to get Eli a little upset, hoping it would cause him to lose his concentration. He was totally blown away by what happened next.
"Boys, we're home." They heard Sherry call out.
"Mom, we are practicing in the backyard. Do you need help unloading the groceries?" Eli called back. Not once did the chair or the ball act like they were going to fall.
"Eli, you have a great control over your gift. I want to try some heavy items, as well as trying some really light items, like a piece of paper. But, for right now, let's you and I go see if we can help them." David started to head into the house when he realized Eli wasn't following him. "What's up Eli, come on, let's go."
"Umm Dad, there is someone, a Wizard I think, in the house next door."
"Well there are Wizards all over the place, so having one next door isn't that surprising. Don't worry, no one could see over this fence."
"Dad you don't understand. I feel this person is young and hurt. Also, that house has been empty for two years. I think we need to help him." Eli said, still staring in the direction of the house next door.
"Okay, I will go over and check it out. I want you to stay here though, got it? I am serious, Eli, you must stay here!"
"Alright, Dad, but I think you need to hurry." Eli said while a single tear fell down his face.
Eli could feel the boy next door was hurting and very scared. He didn't know what was going on with him, but Eli could tell it wasn't good. David quickly went into the house to talk to George and Sherry about what was going on. George said he would go with David to check out the house next door. They decided not to call the sheriff or the local police until they found out what the situation was.
David and George walked over to the house. They tried the front door but found it locked up tight. David decided to send George around one side and he would go the other way and they planned on meeting up at the back of the house. David told George to look for any point of entry, but do not go into the house without him.
George had only gotten about half way around the house when he found the broken basement window. There was no way he was going to fit through that window, but David might. George went on around the back of the house to meet up with David. He told David about finding the broken window, but that it was way too small for him to fit though. The two men headed back over to the window.
David decided he needed to get into that house to find this boy, and from what Eli said he needed to do it fast. Without thinking much about the danger, David slid feet first though the broken window. He cut his forearm on a broken piece of glass. He had to tear a piece of his shirt to wrap around his arm to stop the bleeding. He would use his Minor Healing gift after he found this unknown hurt Wizard.
After looking around the basement and not finding anything, he headed up the stairs to the main part of the house. David was happy this house was basically the same floor plan as Sherry's house. He didn't have to go far to find the problem. There was a bit of blood on the floor right at the top of the stairs. David followed the blood trail that led him into the living room where he found the young boy.
The boy looked about 13 or 14 years old. He was a good size kid, but David could tell the boy had been beaten pretty badly. The boy wasn't moving and hadn't even acknowledged David being in the room.
"Hello, please don't be scared. My name is David Hunt and I am here to help you. Can I come a bit closer to see how badly you're hurt?"
The boy started crying hard, as he said, "Please don't hurt me anymore."
David slowly made his way over to the boy to try and look him over. He could tell this boy was in bad shape. Once he got to the boy he could tell this boy was hurt more than his healing gift would allow.
"I am a medic, and I am here to help you, not hurt you. Can you tell me your name?"
"Cody, my name is Cody." The boy said through his tears.
"Okay, Cody, can you tell me where you hurt the worst?" Even though his arm was still slightly bleeding, he knew he needed to try to heal as much of Cody as he could.
"My lower back on the right side hurts the worst. That and I am peeing blood really bad." Cody wasn't crying near as bad now.
"Cody, before I do anything for you, I need to get some help. I am going to go tell a very good friend of mine to call for some help. I will be right back." David tried to get up but the boy had grabbed his hand and wouldn't let go. "I promise you I will be right back and we will get you better."
David ran to the front door and unlocked it. He yelled for George to come while he was calling his sister in law. Karen was an emergency room nurse. He figured she could help him without getting the cops involved. After telling her he had an emergency and asking her to rush over, David asked George to get Eli and bring him over. He thought maybe having another child there would help keep Cody's fears down. Once that was done, David rushed back to be with Cody.
David did his best to help the pain Cody was in. Cody said it felt a little better, but he hurt all over. David knew he couldn't do much for the boy without hurting himself.
"Cody, I have called my sister in law, Karen. She is a nurse who works in the ER and can help us. Before she gets here, I really need you to tell me what is going on. How come you broke into this house, and why you are hurt?"
"My dad isn't a very nice guy and he got into deep debt with some really mean dudes. At first they just beat my Dad up and didn't mess with me. But, then Dad owed them more money than he could ever pay, so he gave them me as payment. I was to be their slave to pay off my Dad's debt, but they had different ideas. They used me as a punching bag at first. Then they wanted me to do things, nasty things. When I refused, they beat me really bad. Two days ago I was able to slip out of the house without them seeing me and I came here. My family used to live here, but my Dad lost this house to the bank. I still had some stuff hidden under a floorboard in one of the closets upstairs that I thought might help me."
About that time Eli came running into the house. He saw Cody laying on the floor and stopped cold. He didn't say anything at all for a few seconds.
"Cody, what happened to you? Dad, is he going to be alright?" Eli said as the tears started to flow.
"Eli, what are you doing here?" The hurt boy asked.
"David is my Dad, and he asked me to come over to be with you, but I didn't know it was you." David could tell there was something between these two he didn't know about.
"Eli, I am so sorry for everything I have ever done to you." Cody managed to say before passing out.
I would really like to thank THE STORY LOVER for editing this work for me. Please let me know what you think.