A Little Touch of Magic | The Callers #1

Chapter Twenty-Three

I just wanted to say before I jump into the chapter a very Happy Holidays to those that celebrate something at this time of year! I'm a day late putting up this chapter due to being home with my family for Christmas yesterday so I do apologise for the delay but I hope you enjoy! (I also may be late posting this Sunday's chapter too, what with it being New Year and all!)

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Dinner was quieter than I would have liked. Apparently, an unexpected visitor had shown up and I had to eat quickly so Father could chat to him. I tried to hover near the dining room door after eating so I could eavesdrop, but I was quickly shuffled on my way thanks to one of the men that was crawling all over the place.

I was sitting in what had been my bedroom before the attack. It was a little broken now; the window had a crack in the glass, the furniture had fallen over and broken in places, but it was still liveable.

Mr Ravencroft had given me a small pack with my tiny amount of belongings and placed a walkie talkie in with them. I was supposed to use it once a night to pass on any information I had gained, but I found myself unable to push the button to talk to him.

If what my father had told me was true, then Mr Ravencroft was just using me to advance his side and didn't really care about me as much as he had led me to believe. I wasn't under the illusion that my father loved me or anything, but he made me feel wanted.

I looked up as I heard footsteps outside my door, wondering whether my father was coming in to say goodnight, but they continued past my room and further down the hallway. I didn't know if had been him or not, but I was disappointed all the same.

A moment later, the walkie talkie crackled to life. For a second it was just static and then through the static, a whisper.

'Ilaina?' It was Mr Ravencroft.

I could tell from his tone that he was worried. Probably because I hadn't checked in.

'Ilaina, are you there?' he tried again.

I tapped my fingers on the case of the talkie, wondering if I should respond. I hadn't wanted to make my father suspicious, but what about Mr Ravencroft and the others? What would they think if I didn't respond? Would they come charging down the hill to the mansion to take me back? What would they do if they found out I didn't want to?

I bit down on my thumbnail as I tried to think of the best way to handle the situation I found myself in. I liked Mr Ravencroft, and the others; they had been so nice to me, showing me how to control the powers inside me. But this was my father we were talking about. I couldn't just turn my back on him, or betray him when I was just getting to know him. I couldn't.

And I wouldn't.

'I'm fine,' I replied into the walkie-talkie.

'Ilaina?' Mr Ravencroft's crackly voice called back. 'If something's wrong you have to let us know.'

'Nothing's wrong. I'm fine,' I said, keeping my voice firm. I didn't want them to worry about me because there really was nothing to worry about. 'I'll check in tomorrow, I'm tired.'

I turned the walkie-talkie off before he could reply. I knew that he was probably running through a million horrible scenarios in his mind at it, but I really was tired. I would just deal with whatever he had to say to me tomorrow.

***

'Let's discuss dear old Mr Ravencroft,' Father said the next morning.

'What is there to talk about?' I asked, trying not to panic too much. I couldn't betray either of them but they kept pushing me to.

'I want to know what he's up to,' Father replied simply. 'He had that blasted safe room blocked so I can't get into it anymore. I know it's still there, it's how you all escaped from us, after all.'

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I thought about the locker that had been down there with father's name on it.

'If you know anything, please tell me,' Father said, bending down so he could look me straight in the eye. 'I promise I'm not going to do anything to them. Not now. I just need to stop them.'

'Stop them? Why?' I couldn't help myself.

Father smiled as he noticed my interest piquing. 'They're trying to hurt myself and the men who follow me. I want to make sure that he leaves us alone.'

'By hurting them?'

He at least had the decency to pause. He closed his mouth and frowned. I waited for him to form the words that were clearly escaping him at that moment.

'It's not about hurting them. It's about being left alone,' he finally said. 'For too long, they've tried to control my life and now I just want to be able to live it the way I want to.'

I frowned at him but when I opened my mouth to say something, he waved a hand to let me know he wasn't finished.

'I've never been the same since your mother left me. Ravencroft knows that and he still continues to push me the way he does. I'm not promising that things won't turn ugly, because they very well might,' he continued. 'But I will do everything in my power to protect you from that man if that is what you truly want.'

'You want me to really stay with you?' I couldn't help but be surprised by what I was hearing.

The man who had plagued me and the children at the Home. The man who had sent shadow monsters to frighten me. He still wanted me to be his daughter. He wanted me.

'I have missed so much of your life already, Ilaina,' he said, his voice softening. 'I don't want to miss anymore if I can help it.'

My eyes teared up. My father was not the monster that everyone had painted him to be. He wanted me. He really wanted me. I started sobbing, my worries about being accepted leaking out of me along with the tears.

Although he didn't hug me, as I'd always imagined, my father did place a tender hand on my back and rub small circles to calm me.

It was a dream cometrue, but I still had to worry about Mr Ravencroft. What would he do when hefound out about this?

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Thanks for reading this new chapter of A Little Touch of Magic. I do apologise if there's some errors in it; this is one of my NaNoWriMo written chapters and I know there is some errors in the text.

If you enjoyed this chapter then please do leave a comment - good or bad - down below.

Only a few chapters left!

Have a great week.

Heather x