LiTTLE CHERiNE Book 03 - post002

Her face set and I felt my heart sink. “Yes. I know what you are doing, same as you did with Themi and Theresa, you think I will be a weakness, so you apologise to try to make me feel a part of the family again.”

Previous Post 001

1404

I felt like spiders were walking up and down my spine. “What then love? How do you wish to handle it, what would make you feel how truly sorry I am?”

“Nothing. Father, I want to join them, I don’t belong with you, I’m not really a Cherinian anymore.”

I felt my world imploding, everything crashing into rubble within me. The memory of how our emotions were manipulated in the previous war with Doris made me hold on, go deep into her mind searching for evidence of manipulation. I found nothing but her own thoughts and a cry from my heart tore through me. I staggered to my feet and turned from her even as the girls ran out. They had seen and heard. I felt the anger in Cherine as she walked up to her and I grabbed her with my mind, stopping her.

“All of you, get back into the house. Privacy.” I faced them all coldly and they finally left us. I turned to Rosie.

“Whatever you say or feel, you are still my daughter. You will stay here and I do not want to hear any more of this nonsense about you not being a Cherinian.”

She did not back down, her eyes just as cold and hard as mine. “I did not say I was not a Cherinian, you did!! You divorced me remember, would you have if I were a Cherinian? As far as I can see you have a number of choices. You can hold me here and I weaken you, or you can destroy the memories of what I saw today so that I do not take the information with me and let me go. Which will it be?”

If she were a normal human child I might have put her across my lap and spanked her. Whatever she said, she is in truth a Cherinian by birthright. I had to treat her as a sort of adult. I walked across the lawn trying to control my emotions so as to think objectively. Claudia came out, tears running down her cheeks and handed me a packet of cigarettes. With trembling hands I lit one and returned to Rosie. I sat in a chair by her.

“You know we all hate the smell and yet you still insist on smoking. What you do is not selfish just because you are Robert? Either you go sit further away where I cannot smell you, or I will move.”

I put out the cigarette. “No need for you to find more ways to hurt me Rosie. I don’t think I have ever felt this kind of pain before, the only reason I am able to hold it in is because of my need to protect all of you.

I do not see your leaving as a possibility. Rosie, you do not have a problem with the others, just with me. If I were not here, if I were not a Cherinian, would you feel like one? I know the answer is yes. As far as I can see, there is only one answer to this. You are staying and I will leave.”

“You can’t do that, they will all hate me! If you leave she will kill you this time, now she knows more about us. She will know that if she kills you, mother will also die and then there will be no more Cherinians, we all die. You have to let me go!! Please.” She could not see that her pleading was betraying her love for us and her loyalty to all Cherinians, but then she was still a child.

“Rosie, will you promise me one thing? When this is all over, will you give me another chance, at least to be your daddy if you do not want to be my wife. Promise me!”

“You mean if you win the war?”

1405

“Oh Rosie! You are tempting me to go out to kill them right now to avoid this stupid conflict. There is no if, we will win.”

“How can I promise to return if you win? Nobody would want me.”

“I promise they will. Promise me.”

She eyed me suspiciously. “You tell me first what you are thinking. I don’t trust you.”

“Alright. I am transferring my healer to you, it will be your responsibility to look after all of them. Rob will take over the protector. You do realise things have changed, my powers are no longer as they were? So are my weaknesses, today you have become my greatest weakness and I can no longer stay.

I agree, if I leave they will kill me. You are wrong, Cherine will not die, she will do as I say and stay to fight this battle. Once it is all over, if you have also protected my tissue I will return. You have the healer so the decision is yours. If you bring me back, it will be on condition that you promise to let me try to win your heart again. Tell them goodbye for me. I will be on the Emerald Isle. Be strong my love and look after them for me.”

“They won’t let you die!” She looked frightened.

“I told you my powers have changed. Even as we speak I am dissolving my body. Atom by atom this body is being torn apart, there will be no body for them to bring me back to. Rosie, despite what you think, I do love you. I acted foolishly, but it was out of my fear that grew out of my love for you.”

I could no longer speak, I was too insubstantial too draw breath into my lungs and force it out. I sent to her the pain and love in me. She screamed as I began to fade in front of her and the girls all ran out followed by the rest. I was hardly a ghost of myself as I saw them and then faded away.

My strategy will only work this one time, for they do not know what new things I am capable of doing. I locked my thoughts to myself, blocking them all out even as I stayed to watch and listen.

They found a hysterical Rosie. They tried to get her to tell them what had happened, but she could not take a breath to talk. She did not resist as her mother and Dommi went into her mind to find out. When they came out, she cringed with fear.

“Rosie, you killed my Robert, my only love?”

“Mum I did not mean to, I swear!”

“What did you mean to do then? What did you expect, you know how he is. Oh Dommi, how do I obey him? I must go to him.”

“Stay here!!” Dommi shouted at Cherine. “We agreed long ago, we obey!” Dommi turned to Rosie, her face cold. “You still want to leave?”

“I can’t! He left his healer with me. I have to watch over all of you and the tissue so that he can come back.” She wailed.

“You told him you are not a Cherinian, so why should you care!”

“I lied. Please look inside me, you’ll see.”

Dommi came back, her face grim. “Cherine, go into her and see for yourself.” It was an order and Cherine obeyed. She came out emoting her fury and soon as she was in control of her body she lashed out, slapping Rosie.

“You stupid bitch, how dare you!!”

“Cherine! Stop that.” Dommi put her arm around Rosie. “Think damn it, this is Robert Cherine, think, you know how he thinks.”

1406

The rest of the girls were crying, Diana was already falling apart, her twin daughters not far behind her. Cherine saw Candy already lying on the lawn, her head on the lap of Wendy who was desperately trying to hold on herself and bring her back.

“Dommi, he keeps on finding new ways to die. How can we bring him back this time? I don’t know what to do.”

“Is the link broken?”

Cherine just stared at her, unable to answer as I blocked her, but maybe her eyes spoke for her

“I thought so. Rosie, you will do as your father asked of you?”

“Yes.” Her answer could barely be heard.

“I think it is time for him to decide how he returns. Rosie send the healer to help him come back.”

*Trust you to see through me Dommi.*

I went over to Diana and sitting in front of her and our daughters I gathered myself back again. I touched her face gently.

“You silly thing, you still haven’t learnt to trust me?”

She recovered as she felt my love reach out to her and heard my voice, felt my touch. I expected the tears, the joy, what I did not expect was the slap. She then attacked me, her nails scratching me. I sat through it and my heart was filled with joy. My Diana is at last certainly growing - maybe she will not be so quick to give up and die next time. She felt my joy and it angered her for a second or two and then she stopped and glared at me. When she finally tried to give me a smile, I kissed her.

“Thank you my love. Look to the girls, I need to go to my Candy.”

I gathered her tiny body in my arms and reaching out brought her back. As her sweet breath began to tickle my throat I walked over to Rosie.

“You are a remarkable girl. I’m very proud that you are my daughter.”

Her voice trembled as she asked, “You knew?”

“I did not. But I knew you are my Rosie, I knew you had to be lying when you said you were not a Cherinian. You played a dangerous game love, and we will have a talk later. Right now we have a large group of worried people who need to be told of the plan my brave daughter hatched to be a Mata Hari and help us win this war. You were really willing to be hated by them all?”

“That was the most difficult. Especially mum and you.”

“Rosie, I am getting a little bit old, my memory is not so good anymore. Can you remind me, did we get married in this world?”

She did not answer, my little girl is not stupid. She sat trying to puzzle out why I was asking her. Finally she answered ‘yes’.

“Then we got married according to the laws of this world. Our divorce could not have been legal. Guess you are still stuck with me. Anyway, how could you believe such nonsense, that saying I divorce you makes it real?”

She is still as stubborn as ever, or maybe she is still hurting. Grimly she looked back at me. “If just saying you married me makes us married, then just saying you divorce me makes us divorced, whichever world you do it on.”

“I’ll concede you the point only for one reason - the pleasure of marrying you again.”

“If I say yes.”

“Will you?”

“You must take your healer back and then I’ll answer you.”

“Sorry, no can do. The healer is yours till this fight is over. Why don’t you grab this opportunity to have your healer learn all that mine does? Maybe mine will also learn something from yours?”

Next: Book 03 Post 003

I hope you enjoy reading this long, long story of fantasy, adventure and love.

Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου

(Alexander Zenon Eustace)
^{30th June, 2019}

* posted on Steemit: 1st July, 2019



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