Chapter 3
Three
Meanwhile back on Surge…
Dante couldn’t stand to look at his mother. The very sight of her made him ill. Her pleading eyes tempted him to roll his own.
“I can’t believe you. All these years you’ve been lying to me. Haven’t I suffered enough?” He ground his molars together, his fists clenched with trembling ire. He struggled not to explode; no good would come from another outburst. “Between this and Father’s long-standing agreement with the Grand Supreme, you two make me sick.”
“Forgive me, I wanted to tell you. Really, I did. But I couldn’t risk the secret getting out.”
His mother glanced into the city, avoiding his eyes. She’d deceived him.
It was the same look Autumn gave him before she disappeared. Deep in his gut he knew she was up to something.
All he could think about was her excuse to go to the kitchen and thank the chef for the chocolate chip pancakes he’d made her for breakfast. Her excuse was ridiculous. He was so foolish and lovestruck to believe her. Now, she’s missing, he brooded. Dante twisted his mouth to the side. “I suppose Armienti knows as well?”
She crossed her arms, lips trembling. “Yes.”
“Despicable. Absolutely despicable. You trusted him more than me? You’re my mother.”
“I’m his too,” she said in a whisper of breath, tears sparkling in the corners of her large brown eyes.
“Well, you’ve been mine for a year longer. I should’ve been privy to this information.”
Dante tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, recalling the years of his life he could never get back. How he toiled under the absolute control of the Grand Supreme because of his late father’s agreement. His parents never failed to disappoint him.
Thick black smoke churned through the city from his soldiers’ endless searching for his wife. It had thus far produced nothing, only destruction.
“Your father wasn’t a kind man. You saw for yourself. So I sought comfort elsewhere. What was I supposed to do?”
“Even still, you should’ve told me.”
He recalled the black and blue bruises decorating his mother’s skin on various occasions. Gifts from his father. He couldn’t blame her for trying to escape.
Dante folded his arms. “I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what I’m going to do with this information. You’ve proven yourself to be untrustworthy.”
His mother wept in her hands. Tears streamed down her blue cheeks. “Forgive me,” her voice quivered. “I’m sorry.”
He paused contemplating. “I suppose Ronan is my brother as well?”
“No,” she shook her head. “He isn’t mine, although I’ve always seen him as a son. The affair I had was short-lived.”
He turned his back on her, mouth twisting to the side. His mind spun a million kilometers a minute. His communicator buzzed within the confines of his pocket. His heart leapt to his throat. Dante slid his finger across the screen and answered the call.
“Hello? Yes, yes?” The communicator slid from his hand onto the shadowy ground below. It became like a speck of dust in contrast to the massive cityscape.
Nausea overtook him at the news of his soldiers recovering Autumn’s grounded aircraft. He raced to the far end of the city in search of it, hoping to find a clue to her whereabouts.