Awakening Book One of the Trust Series(91)
Still, Nathaniel found ways to contact his son. Letters would mysteriously sneak through courtesy of Lionel and they would reach Garrett’s eyes only. The letters were from his father, explaining how much he truly loved his son and how much he wanted him back. When Garrett was sixteen, he had a rough patch with his mother who found the letters. Garrett ran away and ran straight to his father as his father had always hoped.
Nathaniel was more than pleased his heir had come back. For three years, Garrett lived with his father, his father teaching him everything he knew about the Cine Tofa. Garrett had not changed yet at that point, but he was showing signs as a Potential that the awakening would be soon. Nathaniel had convinced him that our people had a responsibility to others to protect them from themselves, that people who had not evolved like us were a danger to themselves.
Garrett had believed all of it. He was the perfect son and Nathaniel realized that he would be a great leader. When his transformation was complete, he was going to mentor Garrett directly himself to make sure that he was as strong of an Actual as he was.
It wasn’t until Nathaniel started talking of more extremist ideals that Garrett started to pull away. The younger Livingston did not agree fully with the ideals that his father felt. Garrett could not understand that since they were the greater beings, normal humans needed to be disposed of or controlled for our safety and for theirs.
Garrett ultimately decided that he did not agree with the Cine Tofa and left. He again went to Jonathan McPherson, asking to be let back. This time Jonathan was more reluctant but with some advice encouraging leniency from Lionel’s end, he had ultimately agreed.
Garrett was distraught to learn that while he was away with his father, his mother had passed on. Lionel had been the one assigned to handle that particular task. Mary Livingston never knew it was coming. Lionel decided to take mercy on her and make it quick and painless. She was just a meaningless pawn in all of this, and in truth, he felt sorry for her. The Trust investigated the death, but it was determined that she died of natural causes. Luckily, not everyone in the Trust is as honest as the McPherson family famously is, and the evidence that would have implicated him mysteriously disappeared.
Nathaniel had wanted Lionel to mentor Garrett, but he had already been disposed on mentoring Jonathan McPherson’s son, whom if Lionel was honest with himself, showed as much potential as Garrett did. Garrett was assigned another mentor when his change occurred and while they were not linked to the Cine Tofa, the mentor was sufficient. Garrett could always be taught more later when he rejoined back into the Cine Tofa as planned.
Lionel was assigned to reporting back to Nathaniel how Garrett was progressing. Nathaniel was pleased with Garrett’s ability with projectile telepathy; but was frustrated that he was not pushed further. He wanted Lionel to teach him more, but it could not be done without raising suspicion. So when Lionel was given the order to bring Garrett home, he knew it was the order to for him to return permanently as well after all these years and reveal his true identity.
Nathaniel was waiting impatiently for a response. “Where is he, Lionel?”
Lionel looked straight into his hazel eyes. His sons were identical. “I couldn’t retrieve him. I tried, but there were… complications.”
Nathaniel’s face turned into a scowl. “What kind of complications?”
Most men would flinch under that stare, but Lionel was used to his mannerisms. “Garrett was not particularly willing to come back with me, so I had to persuade him, so to speak.”
“What kind of persuasion?”
“Nothing several weeks of healing won’t fix.” Lionel lied easily. It would not do for Nathaniel to know that he had sacrificed Garrett so he could escape easier. He lifted his arm to reveal the deep gash that Caitlyn had given him during their fight. “As you can see, he did not leave me unscathed either.”
“So, my question again is, where is he?”
“I was ready to take him with me, when Jonathan McPherson’s son appeared with Caitlyn Young.”
Nathaniel placed his hands behind his head. “Declan. Yes, that man is more trouble than all of the Trust combined sometimes. You shouldn’t have mentored him so well. We would have been better off either having him be mediocre and not knowing what he was or killing him in an accident.”
Lionel conceded that he was right. Lionel created a dangerous weapon for the enemy. He knew his strengths and weaknesses and could control Declan easily, but Declan was now mentoring others and Actuals like Caitlyn were very, very dangerous.