A love lost pt. 2

Chapter One



Providence, Rhode Island ~ Present Day

“Koren,” Jacob softly shook his sister. “ Hey sleepy head you need to wake up.”
Koren softly yawned, as she stretched her arms above her head. She hadn’t slept that well in a very long time, regardless of the different methods she used to help aid her in getting some sleep.
Realizing where she currently was, she quickly shot up. “Oh Jacob I am so sorry I fell asleep while you were talking. Why didn’t you wake me up before now?”
Her brother handed her a can of Diet Dr. Frost soda, and smiled as he sat down on the
couch next to her. “ Well you were sleeping so peacefully until a moment ago.”
“Thank you so much Jake.” She opened her soda, and took a sip from the frost colored can. “ You wouldn’t believe the dream I was having.”
“What was it about?”
“Do you remember the story that momma used to tell us about when we were younger?”
“Which one are you talking about Koren? Mom used to tell us several stories when we were younger.”
“The one about the fight between good and evil.” She set her soda down on the coffee table and pulled her legs up on the sofa.
“There were still a quite few of them sis.”
“The one with the immortal man that raised the three children to fight against evil.”
“Yeah, what about it Koren?”
“That’s what I dreamt about; God I miss mom.”
Jacob looked at his sister and smiled softly. “We did have a lot of fun when mom was around didn’t we?”
“Yes we did.”
“Why don’t you write an article about it? I mean you do work for a paranormal magazine. The story would be just perfect and then the story will be passed down several generations; mom’s story will go on.”
“First I have to pass it by Steven, he gets severely angry if anyone tries to put an article in the Paranormal Gazer without his prior authorization.”
She wheezed through her nose, mimicking her rather uptight, checker and polka-dotted clothes and heart patterned suspender-wearing boss.
“I would swear the man is still single, if I didn’t already know that he was married. He is almost as bad as the man in my dream.”
“Tell me about it tomorrow Koren. You need to get some sleep for work tomorrow, and I need to be getting to work, like ten minutes ago.”
“Unfortunately you are right.”
“You know Koren, you can stay here if you want since it is so late.”
“It’s okay Jake I promise. As much as I appreciate the offer, I really do need to get home.” She got up and put her coat on, and walked outside with her brother.
The midnight breeze softly blew through her hair, and she looked up at the moon and star lit sky.
“Do you need me to give you a ride home?”
“No thanks Jake,” she softly smiled. “ It’s such a beautiful out tonight, so I think that this time I will walk home. Besides, I only live one block up the street.”
“Are you sure? I really don’t like the fact that you are walking home by yourself this time of night.”
“Yeah dad,” she sarcastically laughed. “I’m all grown up now, and I think that I can walk one whole block by myself.”
“Alright smart ass,” he laughed as he sat on his motorcycle, and put his helmet and gloves on. “I’ll see you later?”
“Of course you will, just be careful okay?”
“I will, I will.” He laughed as he drove off.
The wind began to slowly pick up as she made her way home. The scent of Old Spice began to fill her nostrils as she reached the barbershop next to her apartment building.
Because everyone was closing up for the night, and the streets were only lit by one streetlight, she hurried inside her building. The sad feeling of loneliness quickly filled her, as she entered her quiet little apartment.
All she had for companionship was a few porcelain dolls her mother left for her, and she wanted more than that.
“This is completely pathetic,” she sighed as she went to her room, and went to bed.


* * *

Achillios sat alone in a dark corner of the restaurantPortuguese Bloom. As he sat back watching the other patrons, he slowly rolled a tall glass of Port between his hands.
As he watched the couples sitting with one another, he longed for his beloved Evangeline even more. It had been so many years since he lost her, that he nearly forgot what it was like to be in the arms of a woman.
For centuries, Achillios walked alone on Earth. That is until he found the three children Luciana told him about. Faith, Prayer, and Christian Zeal were not like every day children; their parents were also of wolfen origin.
Though they were triplets, they all had a completely different look about them. Faith has sterling silver eyes that shine as bright as day, and light blonde hair with streaks of purple in it; Christian has deep sapphire blue eyes, and dark red hair with black streaks; Prayer has lavender eyes, and sterling silver hair with darkened blue streaks throughout it.
When their parents defied Damianos by changing their malevolent ways, he had them killed. Before he had any chance of getting to the children, and corrupting their impressionable minds, Achillios took them in.
For eighteen years, he taught them about the fight between good and evil. Night and day, he trained them in logical studies as well as teaching them about their ability training. As far as he was concerned they were his children, and no one was going to ever hurt them.
“Dad are you okay?” Faith sat next to him, and set her tray on the table.
“I’m okay Faith,” he softly sighed as he pushed his hair out of his face. His eyes sparkled a radiant sea blue as the lights from the restaurant hit them. “I only get like this when I...”
“Think of mom, and the past right?”
“Faith, you do know that neither of us were...”
“Look Dad,” she interrupted him,” as far as we are all concerned, you guys were, are, and always will be our parents.” Her silver eyes sparkled with happiness. “ Now are you hungry?”
“Actually, I am a little hungry.”
“Okay,” she stood up and pulled out her pencil and pad. “What would you like to eat?”
“Well...I‘ll take a double bacon, Pepper Jack and Swiss cheeseburger, seasoned fries with cheddar cheese and chili dip, a garden salad with vinegar dressing, a roll with garlic butter, and for dessert, I will have a raspberry-chocolate and butterscotch mousse parfait with whipped cream.”
“A little hungry huh?” She chuckled, “ would you like some more Port?”
“Yes please. Thank you so much Faith, you remind me so much of your mom.”
“You’re welcome dad.”
As she left to bring his order to the kitchen, Christian walked out front with a tray in his hand. “Here’s dad’s food, and there is some extra fries.”
“How did you know it was dad and how did you know what it was that he ordered if I didn’t bring you his slip?” She looked at him perplexed.
“Well there are two simple reasons,” he smiled. “ One, I saw dad come in, and secondly, he orders the same thing just about every time he comes in. The only time that he doesn’t order it all, is if he just wants Port and Broas.”
“Shut up dim-wit!”
“Faith,” Achillios approached the two of them. “He is telling the truth, I do order the same stuff every time I come in.”
“See Faith, it is the truth.”
“But this time, I am going to take it home to eat.”
“Great move Chris, you offended him.” She scolded as she elbowed him in the stomach.
“What’d I do? All I said was that I noticed that he ordered the same thing every time he orders dinner. What’s the big deal with that?”
“It’s fine guys,” Achillios interrupted the two arguers. “I am down today, and have been all day. I just can’t take seeing all of the couples, without thinking...”
“About the anniversary of mom’s death?” Christian wiped the tears out of his eyes.
“But isn’t she still out there to be found dad?” Faith had a look of confusion upon her face.
Achillios nodded his head, his eyes filled with nothing but sorrow. He knew that he would soon have her once more, but the fact of the matter was that she would, in a sense, be another woman. How could I betray the memory of you Evangeline? There is no woman who is even close to being like you?
“I know what’s going through your mind dad, and you shouldn’t think that.” Faith shook her head in disagreement. “ You aren’t betraying mom’s memory. In a sense it is mom because mom’s spirit is in whomever the woman is.”
“I don’t know about that Faith, but one thing that I do know is that I am going home now. Tell Prayer that I will see him at home later.”
“Okay dad, I will.” Faith seemed as if she were a little girl by the way she looked at him.
“No problem dad, we’ll tell him.” Christian felt so bad for his dad. “ Just go home and get some rest okay?”
“You don’t have to worry about that at all.”


* * *


Koren sat behind her desk and angrily tapped her fingers, as she listened to Steven run his mouth about the previous articles. All he ever does is bitch about us, and how shitty our writing is, but as soon as the critics love our stuff, he loves it enough to be right there to take credit for it all.
“Koren,” he glanced at his clipboard and glared up at her, as if he had heard her.
“Yes?”
“I need to talk to you after the meeting.” He glared at her through his glasses.
Koren sighed , and just nodded her head. She couldn’t stand him in a group environment, let alone after the meeting when everyone was out of his office. He wasn’t so bad when he was a journalist, but now that he was her editor, he was just an asshole.
“I have the perfect topic for your next article.”
“Oh really?” She arched her eyebrows defensively. “Who gave you the right to choose my topic for my article?”
“I did actually,” he smirked. “ You see Koren, you have been acting like a spoiled little girl since my promotion...wait a minute, I don’t have to explain anything to you. I am your boss, not the other way around.”
“Yeah for you.” She twirled her finger in the air, in sarcasm. “What do you want... a cookie?”
Steven glared at her through his glasses, and grinned at her.
“Oh yes indeed, I have the perfect job for the likes of you.”
Koren jumped up out of her chair, and put her hands on her hips. “ What the hell do you mean by the likes of me?”
“Just shut up and listen to me for once.”
“Then I suggest that you hurry the hell up already, before I turn fifty.”
“You are going to go to Portugal, and guess what you are going to do...”
“Relax for once without your constant nagging and moaning about everything that I do?”
“No, you are going to research the local ghost stories in Lisbon. You are booked on the next flight tonight...”
“What?!”
“Shut it up right now Koren...”
“Look Steven, I want to do something different for my article.”
“What, do you actually think that this is up for negotiation?”
Koren took a deep breath and got up the courage to tell him her idea. “ I wanted to do an article about a man who is over one hundred years old...”
“And what is so special about him? People live to be over one hundred years old now.”
“No now please let me finish.” Koren rolled her eyes in agitation. He truly is an idiot, and yet he is my boss. “This man was an immortal who raised three wolfen children that had unique abilities, to fight against the powers of darkness.”
“This is a paranormal magazine Koren, not a magazine about Crypto Zoology.”
“So you’re saying that immortals and werewolves are normal?” She glared at him like he was an idiot. “ Now I know you have lost it completely Steven. What the hell is normal about what I just told you? Do you think that people like them roam around the world announcing who they are?”
“Like I was saying,” he rolled his eyes. “ You are booked on the next flight tonight going to Boston, from there you’ll take a plane to J.F.K, and then you will take another plane from there that will take you to Portugal. You have one week to find out...”
“One week?!”
“Shut up and listen to me!” Steven hollered at her. “Or I’ll make it less than a week. I am really tired of your childish ways Koren. You really need to act like an adult or I’ll treat you like a child.”
Koren crossed her arms and glared at him. “Ever since you became my boss, you have become a real jerk, actually you have become a major prick.”
“Thank you so much, not that your opinion matters to me though. You have one week to come up with an article about the different ghost hauntings there. And I mean real stories Koren, not ones from stories you have been told.” He walked out of the room.
“God why did you make that man such an ignorant jerk?” She snatched her purse and left for home.
As she slowly walked down Thurbers Avenue, Koren kept wishing for something better in her life. The closer she got to her apartment, the more she thought about what had happened, the more hurt she had truly become. There was no point in fighting it, she knew that she had to do the article or she would lose her job.
Being angry from being both emotionally and physically defeated; she stormed into her apartment building and went upstairs to pack.


* * *