Chapter 10 #2
“You have always been proof to me that there is something more. You came from whatever good is made of—whatever form of matter creates it. My boy, made of starlight. A light in our lives and everyone around you. You can’t waste that on an old woman.”
“But you’re not just any person to me, Gran,” he said desperately.
“I know. I know. I have been so lucky to have you in my life. I’ve had a good, long life, and now, it’s time for you to live yours—away from all the bad memories, the pain, that holds you back. Let it go, Renn, and go find the life that is waiting for you.”
He knew she was right, feeling the conviction to his bones.
“Think about it tonight, okay? Get some rest. It’s been an exciting day.” She stood balancing herself with the chair before she was steady. “I’m so proud of you, Aldrenn, whatever you decide to do.” She grabbed his face and kissed the top of his head, hugging him for a long minute.
All Renn could do was hug her back, his words lost.
The morning light stemmed in through the skylight in his childhood bedroom, the warm scent of pancakes ushering him awake.
For a moment, he was twelve again. Renn was surprised that sleep had found him so quickly—he must have been more tired than he realized.
But that was probably more due the fact that he was back under this roof.
He rolled over to check his phone, a message from Nate appearing on the screen.
Nate
Don’t you dare think I forgot about yesterday.
Renn couldn’t help but smile at his best friend’s concern as he typed back.
Renn
Charlie and Camille are excited to see you. When are you coming over?
Nate immediately began to type a response.
Nate
Don’t deflect. But fine. Tell them I’ll be over this afternoon.
Renn sighed. Facing his grandparents was one thing, but telling Nate might be worse, if he decided he wasn’t joining the SEA. He typed back a response and got out of bed.
When he made his way downstairs, he was surprised to find not two people waiting for him at the kitchen table, but three.
“Ah, Renn, you're finally up,” his grandfather said brightly.
The man sitting at the table looked out of place in his official captain’s uniform.
“Captian Grey,” Renn said startled, fumbling a little before saluting him.
“I may have called someone, in case you needed more convincing,” Camille admitted, sheepishly.
“Aldrenn, I hope you don’t mind me being here. Your grandparents informed me of the situation that has been troubling you. They invited me here and I immediately came to see you.”
For the first time in his life, Renn was utterly unprepared.
Not because of what his grandparents had done on his behalf, but because he was finding it hard to tell his superior that he was feeling .
. . what? Too sentimental? That at the very end of all the hard work he had done he was seriously considering walking away.
The very last thing Renn ever wanted to be was weak.
A silent sort of panic fell over him.
Did he do it all wrong? Was he thinking too much with his heart and not his head? His blood was turning cold, but his heart was beating rapidly.
“Captain Grey, can you give us a moment?” Charlie’s steady voice broke Renn from his spiral.
“Of course. I’ll be out here when you’re ready, Aldrenn.” He nodded to the deck that was beyond the door to the backyard, softly closing the sliding door behind him.
The three of them stared at one another for several seconds before Renn cleared his throat. “I, uh . . . I don’t know what to say,” he confessed.
“Your grandfather suggested we pull out the big guns. In case . . .”
“In case you couldn’t convince me to go,” Renn said gently, with a small smile on his lips.
“Not convince you, Renn,” Charlie began.
“To remind you of your dreams—everything you’ve worked for.
And to remind you that your grandmother and I may be old”—he warped an arm around Camille—“but that is not your burden to bear—it was never meant to be. We’ve known since you were a child that you were meant to leave, and we want you to. It’s where you belong now.”
Renn felt like he was six years old again, his grandfather teaching him to ride a bike, or as a pre-teen learning how to work on a car engine and everything else in between. That was just one of Charlie’s subtle ways he taught Renn—being the ultimate example.
His grandmother had taught him love and strength, while his grandfather had taught him responsibility and respect.
Renn inhaled deeply, having to look away from them as he tried to steady himself.
And that was life, he supposed. Kids grew up, moved away.
But he wasn’t ever just an ordinary kid.
His father certainly wasn’t ordinary. Elias was exceptional—exceptional at his job. But everything else . . .
Renn had been called that same thing many times throughout his life, and yet all this time, he had done what he could to be nothing like him as the man. But the occupation as captain was another story.
“What is it, sweetheart?” Camille stepped forward, looking up in his face as he kept his head bowed.
“If I do this, if I leave . . .” He looked up, his green eyes meeting hers. “Am I just like him?”
She didn’t miss a beat. “No.”
And that was it.
A single word contained all he needed to know—a simple confirmation.
His grandfather gave him a reassuring nod, and Renn didn’t think he could have loved his grandparents more than he did at that moment.
They had never spoken ill of his father, never told him to reject the things that made them similar, never told him to change.
His father was a man who made his own choices, even if they could be argued as the wrong ones.
It didn’t matter now, though. Now Renn had to make his own.
She took his face in her hands, still finding it hard to believe that the little boy she sat with on the beach not so long ago, was this tall, strapping man before her. He even had a hint of stubble on his face and that made it even more strange.
She chuckled lightly. “Goodness, you are so handsome,” she said, staring up at him.
“Are you just now realizing this?” he joked, before kissing her on the cheek.
If it wasn’t obvious to everyone before, Renn’s caring heart came from the two people who looked at him with such love. He didn’t say anything, simply winked and joined the captain outside.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, sir. I truly had no idea they contacted you. I would have been better prepared to?—”
The Captain held up a hand. “Please. No apology is necessary. In fact, I must tell you, it is admirable to care for them so much.” He paused. “It is honestly a great quality in the making of a captain—to care for others more than themselves,” he added.
“Thank you, sir.”
He felt wholly out of place next to Thomas Grey, in his grey hoodie and sweats, but the captain didn’t seem to mind. He felt like a new cadet suddenly and not the twenty-something-year-old officer. Renn knew there was much more he needed to learn, especially from someone like Thomas.
“You’re lucky to have such a close relationship with your grandparents, Officer Anton. I never knew my own,” he started. “Of course, you have lost others—great losses.”
Renn modestly nodded, not sure how to respond to his statement. It was complicated, to put into words the loss of what everyone saw and what he had truly lost. But hopefully the captain—especially after today—saw how much Renn had too.
“I’ll get right to it. I know you aren’t meant to receive your official orders for a couple weeks, but I wanted to make you an offer in person.”
Renn cocked his head curiously.
“Join me and my crew.”
“Sir, I’m honored, but you don’t need to do me any favors. I’m just a new officer, like so many others, and should be treated as such.”
“I’m not doing you a favor, Aldrenn. I wanted you on my crew as soon as possible; I simply want to make it official. I’m offering you a job of a lifetime—something only few are qualified for let alone called to do. You’ve earned the position, and I expect you to earn more.”
Renn stood in disbelief, but he’d be lying to himself if there wasn’t the smallest hope he’d get to work with the captain someday. This was a dream come true, much sooner than he ever anticipated.
“And to entice you further, I can request Officer Hayden be assigned to my vessel as well.”
Renn chuckled.
“Now, that is a favor, I will admit,” the captain confessed.
This all sounded too good, but it was all laid out perfectly in front of him.
Perfectly because he had earned this—working himself further than he knew to study, learn, prepare.
“I accept, sir, and I commit to you as your officer and promise you won’t be disappointed.
I will work hard and look forward to your guidance,” Renn vowed.
The captain held up a hand. “Oh, I don’t have a single doubt in your capabilities, Officer Anton. I would never make this offer to anyone else.”
Renn nodded gratefully.
“This is just the beginning, Aldrenn. Next stop, the stars.”