[Dante]

"The cameras caught Dante snapping pictures of all the pages of the file," Raven reported to my father. "I've gotten his phone, check it out." She handed him my phone.
"Since when?" My father lamented and continued, "among the three you are the most obedient one Dante. I am disappointed." He gave me back my phone. "Remove your SIM card."

Raven gave me a pin and I swiftly removed it without any complain. My father deftly grabbed my phone and hurled it to the ground. He then retrieved a gun with a silencer and aimed it at me. My instincts prompted my legs to take two quick steps back, but I believed my father wouldn't go as far as to harm his own son though. Suddenly, I heard a muffled shot, and I realized it had been aimed at my phone.

"Give me your ICloud account and password. I can't trust you anymore," my father demanded, removing the silencer. He then cocked the gun as if blowing out the candles on a birthday cake and left it on the table.

     After I reluctantly handed over my account and password, his computer operator quickly scanned it and discovered that I hadn't sent the pictures there. He promptly signaled this to my father.

     Furious, my father slammed the table. "Fine, I told you that you won't know about your mother, and that's final. Next time, don't push me, or I'll aim at you," he warned, glaring at the useless phone on the ground. "You'll receive a new iPhone tomorrow, but don't ever enter my office again. Leave."

I left the interrogation room without a backward glance, leaving Raven and Lander sitting there. The place resembled a police station's interrogation room, painted in navy blue with a simple wooden table and four chairs. I didn't understand why Dad had one, but I wasn't about to ask. His first rule always echoed in my mind like a wizard's incantation whenever I dared to defy him.

I pocketed my SIM card and headed to see Lucas. I walked thinking on how easy father had been with me, he was always fond of taking offenses till the edge and imposing detrimental punishment on us. But that day, he wasn't very furious as usual, maybe because his birthday was just in two days from then.

I knocked Lucas's door. It was already late, eleven in the night, but I wanted to see that he had successfully received the images I sent him. At the moment, I heard strides approaching and he opened.

     "What happened over there?" he inquired.
"Nothing, dad just gave a shot to my phone. That's all."
"Ah, that's very generous coming from him," he chuckled and then gave me his phone, "see it here."

"So you received it," I confirmed.
"I have to admit you are a genius. You just got all the fucking information spilled," he praised.

We walked to the balcony, my eyes fixed on Lucas's phone. I was so engrossed in the information I had unearthed that I almost bumped into the wall near the door. My eyes widened with each revelation, much like when I was captivated by shocking scenes in the books I read.

"So, my mother is Trix Darwell? Who is that?" I asked, astonished.
"I don't know." He shrugged. "My mother, according to this, is Melanie Strone and Lander's is Teresa Darwell."
"So we're not triplets? And who are all these women?" I spoke through clenched teeth. "Wait... if these are their maiden names... then it implies... no, no, no, no!!" I shook my head in denial.

"Trix and Teresa are Father's sister." Lucas finished. "I know Teresa, she is the aunt that took care of me in Claudial, and yes she is his sister... but, I have never heard of Trix or Melanie." Lucas groaned.

"No wonder father hid this secret." I cursed my curiosity internally.

For sometime I regretted knowing that information. Why would they? I couldn't find an answer for that.

"S-see you tomorrow, bro, I want to think about it."  I stammered and went to my room. I was at a loss for words and completely stunned. Just the idea of pondering about it was disgusting and filthy. My mother was my aunt, and my father was... my uncle.

     I decided to sleep and treat the topic the next day or else my mental health was going to be in danger of collapsing and I wasn't ready for that. I never taught my life could be that awkward.

***

As usual, I sprang out of bed at the crack of dawn, eager to meet the day head-on. The first thing I always did was to go and unfold the curtains to let the natural light in. As I did so, I saw the whole panorama was frozen, it had snowed in the night. I took a hot brisk shower, brushed my teeth and got dressed in a black comfy hoodie, long wool pants and crocs with stockings—all of the same color.

    With my glasses perched on my nose, I decided to indulge in a few moments of meditation. Even though I wasn't entirely convinced of its mystical powers, it was a feeble attempt to suppress the thoughts of my aunt being my mother. The feeling of disappointment I had in both, the emotions swirling within me were both beyond words.

I went to Lander's room—after the session—to see his situation concerning the punishment he would had surely received. I wanted to decide whether it was a suitable time to treat the pending matter, but on arriving, I was met with an eerie sight, his bed was immaculately made, devoid of his presence.

     "Where would he be?" I asked myself.

I went downstairs to search for Raven or the other two cooks for them to make some tea for me, but the whole house was empty, I could even see the gate without guards from one of the windows and it was already about six or so. They already use to be active by that time, especially when father was around, so, I guessed father might had discovered they accepted Lander's bribe and called a halt to their job as he did with the previous house staff we had.

    I went back to my room halfhearted, I didn't know how to make that special tea I liked. Our father didn't tolerate any interaction of us with the kitchen, so all my life, I hadn't even fried an egg. My reliance on the household staff for even the simplest tasks had left me utterly clueless about basic culinary skills, even heating water was difficult task for me—just kidding it's easy, with the microwave. Without a phone to look up a recipe, I was left feeling utterly helpless.

When I arrived I felt the need to speak with someone. I longed to reach out to Caleb, my best friend, my rock in times of turmoil. However, my phone had met an untimely demise at the hands of Thomas. Lucas. He was a good option but he was surely still on bed, he woke up by ten on weekends.

     I glanced at the bookshelf near my desk and realized I hadn't started none of the books I borrowed at the WHS library. I was instantly struck by a sudden urge to lose myself in a world of words. It was satisfying to have a pair of books unread, all the other classic, fantastic and gothic books that were there... I had already flipped through their pages at least three times. I loved to be driven in other world, see how characters interact with each other and learn the message transmitted by such pieces of art. They actually helped me in my daily life as a youth.

That morning, I decided to delve into a book. But before I could even crack open the book, I was interrupted by Raven, who barged into my room and tossed a brand new iPhone 14 pro max in my direction. I caught it, unboxed it and inserted my SIM eagerly. Instantly, before I could set my iCloud in, I received an incoming call from my father and picked.

"Dante, I expect you and Lucas at the training camp by the swimming pool section. You have five minutes," my father's curt voice echoed through the phone.
"We are coming now, I'll go call him." I said and then whispered, "what a disgrace."
"What did you say?" my father asked, his voice concerning.
"That we're down right away." I groaned.

I had always wanted to have that brave attitude Lucas had and that heart of being able to face our father and confront him. It's something that I was afraid to do and that made me always respond positively and with a good attitude towards everything he said even though I didn't supported his tyranny. Lander just didn't care about our father, he always responded anyhow and made fun of him, yet never dared to confront him directly.

I went to Lucas's room which was adjacent to mine. As I got there, I found him already prepared, mirroring my own choice of attire. We both went out and went down stairs.

"How's it going? Bro" Lucas asked me.
"Well. I decided to leave it for now. I will confront dad and ask him for justification when opportunity comes," I said. The image of those files weren't leaving my head but I didn't want to worry him. "You don't seem to scream a lot now, is everything better?"
"I guess it's because of my anxiolytics that they don't happen anymore. But I feel mentally stronger."
"When are you going to tell me what happened?" I blurted. "I can't grant you much support if you conceal what the sect did to you."
"Not ready," he said, shrugging. He then narrowed his gaze forward and let his hands on his pockets. "Later today, maybe." He maintained his gaze forward and surged ahead of me.

With a minimum of effort he opened the front door of the house and we both left. The icy air that hit my face was very unpleasant, I could feel how it passed under my hoodie making me feel lot of cold. "What would have happened for our father to request our presence few minutes to seven in the morning?" Is one of the questions that rumbled through my head as we marched through the whitened floor.

"Why so late?" father asked on seeing us.
     "We just delayed a min—"
"Some find it difficult to walk in the snow, in the middle of the morning." Lucas said, cutting me off.

My father sent a warning gaze to him and Lander then appeared from behind. His eyes were bleary and he had bags below the same, he had definitely not slept that night. He came just in a pair of black boxers and was shivering to death. Even his curly black afro hair was rough and unkept. His face was definitely not the same. I tried to speculate what dad would had done to him, but nothing came to my mind.

"This is to serve as a warning to you both... the next time any, and I mean any tries to organize a feast in my domain..." he smirked and stopped. "The workers even accepted the misery they were given, can't believe that. I won't tell you what you'll go through..."

"Guards, open the swimming pool," he ordered and his two personal guards made it. He was then given a cup of the pools cold water and he splashed it on Lander's face, making him startle and clench his fist. Lucas glanced at me but said nothing. "You'll swim to and fro ten times... go now. I have important things to do."

I didn't know whether my father wanted to kill my brother of hypothermia. My heart ached for Lander and I was about to confront dad, but I still felt that incapacity to speak to him of his grievous ways of doing things. I couldn't gaze my dad anymore, apart from how I felt disappointed on him being also my uncle... I also couldn't bear seeing what he was doing to my brother. As my father callously ordered him into the frigid pool, I recoiled at the cruelty on display. The little remaining respect I held for my father crumbled in that moment, leaving nothing but a bitter taste in my mouth.

     We saw how Lander plopped himself down in the water. He made two strokes and began to sink.

     "One, two..." my father counted. "Three. It's enough, get him out guards." He turned by his back and marched to the house, but stopped on his way. "Tomorrow we'll be going to the forest house for my day. And Lander, get prepared, I'm going to take you next tomorrow to work. The money you spent recklessly... you're gonna toil for it." he announced and continued walking.

    Lander was shivering and one of the guards gave him two towels—not too helpful. I ran quickly to go and aid him walk to his room. Lucas stood still but when I narrowed my gaze on him he went to aid me and we both helped Lander trudge to his room. I felt under the weather, just like when father punished Lucas the day he tried to protect our rights. On our way to the room we saw father greatly enjoying some tea with Raven as if nothing had happened, they were hateable.

     We arrived and I helped Lander get to the shower, and seated on his bed with Lucas, waiting.

     "We will talk about what the sect did to you later okay?" I said.
     "No problem... I ain't ready either."
     "Don't think you are escaping, we'll surely have that conversation."

     Lucas smirked and we kept complimenting Lander for his great decoration in his room. He had a gaming zone with a desk and red loudspeakers and desktops on it. He also had his great sit by his desk and abstract paintings and neon charts slightly lied on the walls generating contrast with the white walls. He also had a piano by the other side of the room, where he played his exquisite music and led lights on the top edges of the room.

     Lander came out with the same outfit as Lucas and I. Instantly I was overwhelmed by the thoughts of when we were young... the way dad cared for us, taking us to all the recreational places one would believe of, from high ranked restaurants and zoos to parks and hotels in Wellington, Claudial, Birmingham and Burlington. Also how he patted us whenever he came from work and gave us presents we loved very much. However, everything changed when we became teenagers, when he made the decalogue. I wished Lucas had seen father's good facet then and not now that he's far from that.

     The memory of our childhood, once filled with joy and warmth, now felt like a distant dream. The bond that once united us in love and laughter had been fractured by our father's relentless pursuit of power and control.

[Lucas]

     Lander flopped on his bed and enveloped himself in the vibrant, almost blinding bedsheets. He was still unable to utter a single word. I felt bad for him.

     "Damn, he should just get healed... to disturb me." I grumbled to myself as I caught his gaze. His devastated and pallid appearance was a far cry from the Lander I knew, and it was truly overwhelming.

     Suddenly, Raven burst into the room with four cups of tea, jolting me back to reality.

     "From your father..." she announced, leaving the tray on Lander's nightstand. "Lander, hope you get better soon, you have two cups." With that, she headed for the door.

      "And Loki..." she paused and fixed her gazed on me. I clenched the bedsheet with my right fist, despising the nickname. "You've just received a CD player. It's before your door," she continued. I calmed down and opened my eyes in awe. A new surge of hope washed over me. I stayed for few minutes more in Lander's room, Dante and I were imitating Lander's daily jokes trying to make him have fun.

     "Guys, I have to be leaving now. Lander... hope you get better." I said in a haste.

     After giving few sips to his cup of tea Lander remarked with difficulty, "I'll b-bother you soon, don't worry."
     I smirked and left Lander's dormitory. Outside, I sighed in relief—he was getting better fast—and went to my sanctuary. I grabbed the machine in front of the door and entered my room, locking the door behind me and releasing a pent-up breath.

As I placed my new CD player on my desk, my thoughts drifted back to Allegra, and the memories of her murder began to seep into my consciousness. I quickly shook my head to dispel them and reached for my anxiety medication, washing it down with water from the dispenser in the mini parlor before my bed. Refocusing on the CD player, I couldn't help but wonder what it held.

     "What are you hiding from me?" I muttered as I opened the player. Afterwards, I connected it to my computer and inserted the CD to the player. An image of Allegra in her room appeared but the screen abruptly turned black, triggering haunting memories of her tragic end.

     "What the fuck is this now?" I exclaimed, pounding my palms on the desk as the dark screen persisted.

     "Is this CD damaged or it's the player?" I pondered, scrutinizing the CD player from different angles, "but I just bought it, so..." As I moved to remove the CD, I heard something coming from the playing video.

     I replayed the last segment of the video and Allegra's image reappeared. She said: "Say you won't let go."

     I immediately knew what Allegra was trying to say. I reached for her phone on my bedside table and powered it on. I quickly went to her offline music player and on the search box I looked for "Say you won't let go". Two audios appeared to me, and as I listened, the second one revealed Allegra's sweet, yet commanding voice. "Say you won't let go" by James Arthur was the music I sang for her on our third date, the day I professed my love for her.

     "Teddy..." I heard.

Author's Note

Hey guys, hope you're digging the book. If you liked the chapter don't forget to leave your comments and votes, I'll really appreciate them.

⚜️Quick Quest⚜️

What event do you await the most? The mystery man's identity revelation. The mystery woman's identity revelation, Tabby's complete message. The story of Thomas and his sisters.