Awakening Book One of the Trust Series(102)

“Take that off.”

He frowned at her. “No.”

“Garrett Stevens, I said take that off.”

His jaw jutted out in defiance. “It is Garrett Livingston, and I said I am not taking it off. It is part of my history. It is part of who I am.”

“You cannot wear that here. Any member of the Trust, anyone, will recognize that immediately and know who we are. Your father-” she spit out the word with contempt, “is sending a message by sending that. That ring puts us in danger.”

Garrett clenched his jaw. “Danger? He is giving me a family heirloom.”

“I don’t care. If you knew your father, you would not be so eager to wear that on your finger.”

“Well, I never got that opportunity, did I? You took me away from Dad. You never let me visit him or see him! He is a great man.”

“Your father is sick and egotistical. I would not ever use the word great as an adjective.”

“I hate you for taking him away from me.” Garrett turned away from his mother.

“That’s fine. You can hate me all you want. I expect that ring to be given to me by tomorrow morning, Garrett. If not, there will be severe consequences to pay.”

Garrett remained silent, staring at the blank wall. His mother turned and walked away.

Garrett’s teenage figure melted away into nothingness, but the room remained. Garrett glanced quickly at Caitlyn, his eyes filled with shame. “Those were the last words I ever spoke to my mother.”

Before she had an opportunity to respond, the room darkened. There were no spoken words in this scene, just Garrett getting ready to leave his home, packing up a single suitcase before lifting his window and leaving. It was heartbreaking for Caitlyn to witness, but she guessed it was harder for Garrett to recall.

The room swirled around them one more. They were outside a door, with an unsure Garrett looking at a letter and knocking on the door of a huge house. A butler answered the door. “May I help you?”

“I… I… I am looking for my father. Nathaniel Livingston? He gave me this address if I ever wanted to visit him. He is not expecting me.”

The butler’s eyes raised and he led Garrett inside without further questioning. He motioned for Garrett to remain there, while he went deeper into the house. Garrett could hear the murmurs of voices, but only a word here or there could be made out.

“…son… suitcase in hand…”

Silence and then the word, “sure?”

“positive… spitting image of you…”

Garrett could not make out the rest but within a minute, he heard two sets of footprints steadily reaching his ears.

The butler returned, with a man that Caitlyn was positive had to be the infamous Nathaniel Livingston. The hair and the build were the same, but what were most striking were the hazel green eyes.

Nathaniel Livingston looked at him briefly and then upon seeing the ring on Garrett’s right hand, smiled broadly. “Garrett.”

Garrett still looked unsure. “Dad?”

Nathaniel’s eyes began to water and he opened his arms. Garrett put down his suitcase and walked over to his father, giving him a large embrace. They stood there for a moment, when Nathaniel whispered. “I knew you would come back to me. I’ve missed you every day since you have been gone and I never stopped loving you.”

Garrett pulled away. “I… I left Mom. I wanted to get to know you and she wouldn’t let me. So… I ran away. Can I… can I stay with you?”

If possible, Nathaniel smiled even more broadly. “Son, I was hoping you would say that.”

The image darkened. It then seemed as if a hundred more memories from that time period appeared, when in reality it was probably only twenty five or so. His father for the first year or two was extremely loving; instilling a trust in Garrett and letting the father/son bond Garrett so desperately desired take over.

Garrett adored his father. He admired his strength, his drive, ambition, and his intelligence. His father mentioned frequently how he could not wait for his son to Awaken so he could truly teach him everything he knew. Garrett was taught and shown all the amazing things that Actuals could do; the potential that each person had in themselves; Caitlyn began to understand the place the Garrett came from with his thinking. Although she may still not agree with his thinking, she could understand how his father’s teachings would make him believe that.

It was all very magical and inspiring. Caitlyn was amazed at how charismatic Nathaniel Livingston could be. It was not until Garrett turned around the age of nineteen that his father’s true colors began to show.