Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!
*immediately runs and hides so avoid thrown furniture*
I AM SORRY!
I swear to whatever god there is that I did not mean to wait this long! I'm really sorry, honest, but I have had SO much going on I have just haven't had any time or energy to write anything. I had several surgeries and so I spent a good two to three weeks in the hospital for monitoring and recovery.
For anyone interested, the surgery was a brain surgery called "Temporal Lobe Resection" and was a really good thing! I've had seizures for 13 years and the surgeries might have gotten rid of them for good! My vision might start being normal! =D =D =D
Anyway
I've kept you guys waiting long enough. Because I finally got my surgery, I'm in a good mood right now and so I decided to make this an extra good one just for you guys! :) So let's just jump right in!
I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!
Important Author's Note:
1. Because the surgery was a resection (removal) of a small portion of the visual center of my brain, my vision is just the smallest bit unfocused. So there will be a couple of spelling mistakes just because I can't really see words unless they're close up. I'm pretty sure I got the most of them ( got this cool writing help called Grammarly) but I wanted to warn you just in case.
2. Also, feel free to send me a message if you're interested/want more details about my surgery
Makayla opened her eyes and was greeted with soft light.
Looking around she saw she was still laying on one of the couches in the room Ganabranth had shown her to. The day before had been filled with numerous tries to escape: she had discovered that the bedroom door locked from the outside and couldn't be picked and the windows could open but were too high up to try and climb or jump out.
She sighed as she looked around. She had to admit that the room was nice but she felt no comfort. Sooner than later, she had to give Ganabranth her answer. But what would she even say?
Makayla shook the thought from her head for the present moment. Looking around, her eyes rested on the low table and noticed a fresh change of clothes. She saw it consisted of a pair of denim shorts, clean underclothes, and a red halter-style crop. She liked the outfit but her current one was plenty clean enough and knew that wearing the new clothes would show she was starting to give in to Ganabranth.
Plus, she felt pretty creeped out that he would give her such revealing clothes.
So she sighed and walked to the bathroom to freshen up, ignoring the outfit. She splashed her face with cold water to try to wake up; she kept telling herself that this was all a horrible dream but everything remained the same.
Makayla sighed, holding back tears.
Forcing herself to keep a strong facade, she tried to room's door and was surprised to find it unlocked. She slowly opened the door and poked her head out. She could hear movement from downstairs and took another deep breath before stepping out the door towards the stairs. She moved carefully, ready to run, but froze in confusion when she reached the bottom step.
Ganabranth was there, yes, but he was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. And not just cereal but eggs, toast, waffles, bacon, the whole deal.
He was dressed in an open green flannel over a plain t-shirt, casual jeans with a leather belt, and socks. His brown hair was combed back in a look of casual neatness. For a long moment, Makayla couldn't say anything as she watched him sing with the radio. She could only stare as he looked… well, he looked like a regular person. Nothing like the torturous, evil, gang-leader she knew him as.
He turned and then seemed to notice her.
"Oh, good morning!" He greeted with a warm smile and gestured with his spatula to the small table. "Come, sit. I made breakfast."
Thoroughly confused and extremely wary, Makayla slowly moved to the table, making sure to sit opposite to the older man. He noticed and raised an eyebrow amusedly, placing a plate of food in front of her.
"Sleep well?" Ganabranth asked as he sat across from her after turning the volume down on the small radio, happily helping himself. The redhead neglected to reply so he continued himself. "I did. Not sure why but I felt like I slept pretty nice last night. I woke up in a good mood so I decided to cook breakfast. Most of the time I eat out and I'm beginning to question why. I mean, I'm a really good cook!"
He chuckled to himself as he took another bite.
Makayla wished she was hungry. It smelt amazing but her stomach felt too queasy to eat. So instead she sat awkwardly as he ate and chatted casually. He seemed to notice she hadn't moved or eaten and paused.
"You haven't even touched your food yet." He noted. "Are you feeling okay?"
Makayla couldn't help but hesitate as he sounded genuinely worried.
"Um… I, uh- I'm just not hungry." She tried weakly.
"Well considering the lack of food in the cells, if you're not gonna eat then I hope you accept my offer." He reminded casually. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the blood drain from her face. "You alright?"
"No." She admitted honestly. Her hands were shaking, and she was tempted to jump to her feet and bolt to the door. But she knew that was a bad idea and didn't try. "Imagine you were me. Would you be okay?"
"Touché." Ganabranth chuckled. He stood and stretched his arms, grabbing his empty plate and bringing it to the sink. "You sure you don't want anything to eat?"
Not sure what else to do, Makayla grabbed her fork and carefully took a small bite of her food. She tried to hide her surprise but couldn't help as her eyes widened slightly; it was really good. The older man noticed.
"Eh? What did I say?" He chuckled.
Slowly, Makayla took another bite, then another. Before she knew it, her plate was empty. It was only after she finished that she realized that he could have put something in her food.
'Too late now.' She thought.
She held back a small smile as she felt herself relax ever-so-slightly. A belly full of good food felt nice. She looked up to see Ganabranth looking at her and felt that relaxation immediately fade. Her heart rate began to quicken and her hands once again shook.
"W-What?" She demanded. The dark-haired man shrugged, the smallest smirk tugging at his lips.
"Just thinking." He replied simply.
"What about?" Makayla had to force out the question.
"My offer." He stated, now serious. Makayla gulped as he returned to his previous seat. "I hope you've thought of your answer?"
Makayla felt her heart stop. This was the moment she dreaded: her answer would determine her fate and most likely the fate of many others. She suddenly found herself unable to speak, her mouth dry. She attempted to clear her throat but failed. Her hands shook enough that she was unable to even grab ahold of her cup. Her mind reeled a million miles an hour as she tried to force an answer to appear. She came up blank.
"Nothing?" Ganabranth pouted. Makayla could only shrug. "Bummer." He thought for a moment, hand on his chin before he snapped. "Y' know, I said you'd have to answer today but I never said when."
"What do you mean?" Makayla frowned, shoving her shaking hands into her pockets.
"Well, it's only…" He looked at his watch for the time, "Nine o'clock right now. If you still need some time to think, I can give you until tonight?"
"YES!" The redhead immediately agreed. He gave her a look and she felt herself blush. "Uh, I mean- um, yes… please…"
"Um, okay then. Tonight." He nodded a bit awkwardly.
He then stood and stretched, his back popping as he leaned back. He gave his watch another look then walked to his living room, gesturing for Makayla to follow. Warily, she did.
"I have a few errands to run before tonight," Ganabranth told her as he sat to slip on his shoes. "I need some groceries, there's a crack on my car's windshield I gotta get fixed, and I have to stop by work to check on some things."
Makayla narrowed her eyes as she sat across from him. Why exactly was he telling her this? And she couldn't help but shiver when he mentioned his "work" so casually. He noticed her expression.
"If you're wondering why I'd tell you, it's because I was going to ask if you'd like to come with me." He explained with an amused look.
"But why though?"
"Figured you didn't want to spend all your time locked up in the house." He shrugged, sitting up and grabbing yet another pack of M&M candies. He seemed to have a slight obsession with the candy.
Makayla thought for a moment as she considered the new offer. She didn't want to spend any more time than necessary with Ganabranth, but he was right that she also didn't want to spend any more time locked up anywhere. Giving him a quick once-over, she figured he was less likely to act like the torturous-leader in public and agreed.
"Great!" Ganabranth jumped to his feet, rubbing his hands together. He checked his pockets, making sure he had everything before starting towards the back of the house.
Not sure what else to do, Makayla followed.
He led her through a door off to the left that open to reveal a small staircase that looked to lead to a basement. He casually walked down the steps but Makayla hesitated. Usually, Ganabranth and basements weren't a good mix. But at his insistence, she cautiously descended. They arrived at a second door but instead of opening it, Ganabranth paused.
"Real quick, I have a bit of a confession to make." He began, a strange look on his face. Makayla gulped.
"And wh-what-what's that?" She stuttered. Unconsciously, she made sure to keep a sizable distance between her and the older man.
"Not a lot of people know this but I like to buy and collect rare things... and cars just-so-happen to be my favorites." He winked.
"Wait, what?" Makayla blinked. Ganabranth was a car collector?
"Yes indeed!" With a dramatic wave of his arm, he swung open the door and urged her in. Makayla stepped into the underground garage and couldn't stop her jaw from dropping.
Inside were a dozen of the nicest and fanciest cars she had ever seen. She'd never seen half the cars' logos but she did recognize a Tesla Model S, Audi R8, and a Rolls-Royce Phantom.
"Woah…" She gasped as she admired the vehicles.
"Yep. These are my babies!" The dark-haired man agreed with a proud smile. "It took a while to build up my collection, but it's a hobby I enjoy."
"What types do you have?" Makayla asked as she ran her hand along the side of the midnight-blue Audi. A smile, the first real and genuine smile she had ever seen, came to Ganabranth's lips.
Unknowingly, Makayla felt her fear of Ganabranth lessening ever-so-slightly as the older man talked about his love of cars. Yes, she feared what he may do in the future to come but that fear was beginning to change from him as a person to the things he might do.
"You wanna drive?"
Makayla looked up from where she was admiring the interior of a silver Jaguar XJ220.
"What?"
"Well, we still gotta get some groceries. And my dodge's windshield got chipped by a semi-truck last week," He reminded, gesturing to a blue Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. "So we gotta get that filled before it spreads. You agreed to come so I was asking if you wanted to drive?"
Makayla felt stunned. Ganabranth would let her drive his seventy-thousand dollar car?! She thought about it for a moment before sighing.
"As tempting as it sounds… I can't. I don't have a license or even a permit." She confessed a bit awkwardly.
Ganabranth nodded, hand on his chin as he thought.
"Hm. That's a problem." He agreed. Then he shrugged, grabbing the car's keys from a nearby set of hooks. "I guess we'll have to fix that too."
Makayla frowned, not sure what he meant, but followed nonetheless.
"You ready?" The older man asked, an excited look on his face as they climbed into his car. Makayla nodded and he started the car. The hidden garage door opened and the two drove off. As soon as the two drove onto the main road, Makayla's jaw dropped.
Palm trees, enormous buildings, beautiful waterways, sunny and clear skies; the city was-
"Beautiful!" She gasped. Ganabranth chuckled as he saw her expression out of the corner of his eye.
"Like it, eh?" He chuckled. "Yeah, this place is pretty great. Given, it's a bit crowded for my liking and the traffic sucks but it's still home."
"Where are we?" Makayla wondered as she gazed around.
"Welcome to The City Beautiful! I give you… Orlando!"
"Orlando?" Makayla repeated. "As in Orlando Florida?"
"Yep." Ganabranth agreed, cursing as a nearby car cut them off.
"But how? We were at the top of Georgia just yesterday. How'd you take me to Florida in seconds?" She asked suspiciously.
"That… is a very good question." The Serpents' Leader agreed. "But that… is also a question I will only answer if my offer is accepted."
Makayla felt her heart drop at the reminder and she slumped back in her seat, no longer feeling like she did moments before. She sat silently for the rest of the way to the dealership. Even after the mechanics filled the windshield's crack, she said nothing. She sat silently, missing her brother and friends. She searched every part of herself, praying to find her answer, but just like before she found nothing but sadness, regret, and fear.
"Hey. Are you alright?"
Makayla sighed; she didn't bother replying to Ganabranth. She wished she had a way to even call her brother but unfortunately, cell phones were like a monster-magnet to demigods. So she followed silently as Ganabranth shopped, ignoring the conversation he tried to make. Even when they returned to his house, which she saw from looked Mediterranean style and very expensive, she said nothing. It was only at dinner when she spoke.
"I have a question for you, Beautiful."
Makayla looked up from the takeout Ganabranth had delivered minutes before.
"And what would that be?" She sighed.
"Well, technically it's a scenario-type riddle." He corrected, setting his fork down and leaning back in his chair.
Makayla nodded, gesturing to continue.
"Alright, let's say you're walking down a forest road when three flashes of light appear." He began. Makayla frowned, wondering where the conversation will go."One flash is red and the other is white. Respectively, the white flash reveals a small figure with a halo and the red flash, a small figure with red horns."
"A mini angel and devil?" Makyla raised an eyebrow.
"Essentially, yes." The older man shrugged. "Anyway, the third flash reveals a person that is tied up and gagged. Gesturing to the person, the devil says, "This person is evil. He killed a man and deserves to die. Kill him." But the angel says, "This man is good. He protected a child and killed the attacker by accident. Free him." Who would you listen to?"
"Why?" Makayla wondered. Ganabranth shrugged, crossing his arms.
"It's something I ask everyone. I just want to hear how you answer." He told her honestly.
"Um… I guess I'd listen to the angel and free the man." She answered hesitantly. He nodded slowly.
"Why?"
Makayla frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Why would you free the man?" He repeated.
"Um…"
"Is it because the angel said he was good?"
Makayla nodded in response to Ganabranth's question. He seemed thoughtful for a moment.
"Alright. Now let's switch it around." He decided. "Let's say the angel had said he was bad and the devil said he was good. Who'd you listen to now?"
"What are you talking about?" Makayla asked suspiciously in response. He said nothing so she continued. "I guess I'd do what the angel said."
Ganabranth nodded, completely serious.
"So you'd listen to the angel no matter what it said?" He clarified. Makayla began to nod then paused. "Is it just because it's an angel? What if the man really was innocent? Would you still kill him?"
"Of course not." The redhead denied.
"Right, because you knew the truth. So you'd do what's right even if it meant listening to the devil?"
Makayla felt herself hesitate before again nodding.
"Alright. Now let's say you didn't know the truth." Ganabranth's gaze seemed locked on Makayla, watching her every reaction with intense focus. "Let's say the angel still said he was bad and the devil said he was good, but you didn't know the truth about the man. Would you listen to the angel? Or the devil?"
"I don't- I don't know." Makayla stuttered, shaking her head.
"You'd listen to the angel, right?" Ganabranth knew. He leaned forward, elbows on the table as he watched the redhead. "It'd be an instinct to listen to the angel no matter what they say because they are naturally portrayed as good and truthful while devils are evil and liars. You'd ignore your instincts if it said to listen to a devil, even if they ended up being right. No one wants to agree to something that everyone sees as bad."
"Where are you going with this?" Makayla felt fear unwillingly seep into her mind as doubt began to grow. The smallest hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of Ganabrath's lips. He took a sip of his drink, his usual light beer, before he continued.
"What I'm saying is that it is human instinct to listen to what they perceive as good. They could be told that it's actually wrong and something else is right but as long as you believed it good, you wouldn't listen. You'd go with what you want to see right."
"So? Are you saying that's a bad thing?" The Daughter of Two stuttered.
"Of course not." Ganabranth denied. "But I am saying that sometimes, what you see as right or good, is actually bad. And vise versa; sometimes what you see as bad is actually good."
Makayla frowned.
"Are you trying to tell me that you are actually good?"
"I didn't say that." He argued, though his expression said that was exactly what he meant. The demigod shook her head.
"No. Sorry-not-sorry, but there is nothing you will ever be able to say that will convince me that you are anything but a devil." She told him.
"All I'm saying is to take a look at your life and see your angels and devils. Which ones really are angels? And which ones are actually devils?"
With that, Ganabranth stood, leaving Makayla alone with her thoughts.
And that concludes the forty-third chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!
Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue. Please leave a review because criticism, advice, complaints, and/or compliments are all welcome.
Have a good one and I'll see you later!