Chapter two
Around 7pm, the housekeeper went upstairs to call everyone down for dinner.
They all came down feeling better after having a few hours rest.
After dinner they all moved into the living room for coffee and tea. Then Rachel who remembered Derek calling Abigail "dear" earlier, couldn't help herself due to her skeptic inquiring nature, so she looked at the both of them and then asked "So you two, what is your connection anyway?"
Derek looked at Abigail with a questioning look on his face, as if he was asking her would she mind, or may I tell them the truth?
Abigail looked back at him. She seemed a little confused or embarrassed then she looked directly at Rachel and finally said "Well, Derek, he is my father."
Nick and Alex nearly choked of their drinks. However Rachel seemed to keep her cool and asked Derek "She is your daughter?"
Derek looked at her and then said only one-word "yes."
Rachel stared at him. She seemed angry.
Abigail noticed that so she said "He didn't want to keep this from you guys, I insisted he wouldn't tell anyone."
Derek turned in his seat and looked at Rachel. Then he told them the story. "About 25-26 years ago, I was about 20 y.o. I came here to Israel for some research I had to do. I met here a young woman named Eleanor, and we hit it off almost immediately. We spent about 2 months together, I asked her to come back to the states with me but she refused. I didn't even know I have a daughter until about two years ago. Eleanor was dying of cancer." He stopped for a minute took a deep breath and then continued. "Only then did she tell me about Abigail, and we first met at Eleanor's funeral."
He looked at Racal to see how his words were affecting her then continued "Do you guys remember about 2 years ago I took of for about 5 weeks? I never did tell you where I was going or why. Well I was here, came here to Eleanor's funeral and I wanted to get to know my daughter. We have been in touch ever since. By phone, emails. Then when sloan said that we need to open a house in Israel, I suggested he call Abigail. She seem to have inherit my gift of sight, and she has strong telepathic abilities, plus a few more "tricks" of her own, besides the fact she was an officer in the Israeli army helped. Leadership is not strange to her. She only left the army a few months ago after almost 7 years of service, and got right into the Precept position.
Then he turned to Abigail and asked "Those talents you have, makes me wonder why did you need help? It seems you were doing fine since the house opened."
Abigail looked at him and finally said, "Well, before. I didn't have any problem I couldn't solve, but this time its different. For some strange reason my psychic abilities are not, well "functioning" right. I can not get any vibe from this being or entity that's in the house. I just felt that this is way over my head so I figured I'd call the best for help."
Everyone was sitting still for a while. No one said a word. Each one had to digest this news about Derek heaving a daughter. After about 10 minutes Nick turned over to Abigail and asked "So what you are 25 or so, The youngest Precept ever. So since Derek is your father Sloan appointed you as precept at such a young age? That surely doesn't seem like the Sloan I know".
Abigail's face frowned and it seems she was hurt by that question. However she soon regained her cool and answered Nick in what seemed to be a cold harsh voice. "No, not really. I don't believe Mr. Sloan knows about Derek being my father, but I've been fighting ghosts and demons since my fifth birthday, so I had the "experience" Sloan was looking for and he figured I'll do the job as well as anybody Mr. Boyle, especially considering my military background."
Derek seemed amused at his daughter's "attack" on Nick, but at the same time gave him an angry look like saying, hey that's my daughter you've just insulted.
Nick seemed, by the look on his face he was sorry he ever opened his mouth. He took another sip from his coffee and then decided an apology was in place so he turned to Abigail and offered his apologies. "I'm really sorry Abigail, I did not mean to hurt your feelings. Its just seemed really strange to me that Mr. Sloan will appoint such a young precept, especially in a new house. I always figured he'd prefer and older more mature experienced person. I just was surprised, that's all. I do apologize."
"Apology accepted," said the young precept. Then she added, "Please guys, why don't you all just call me Abi. Abigail is such a long kind of an old name."
They accepted her remark without a word. Nick looked at Abi and said, "I think I'll turn in for the night I really should get some sleep if I want to check your security system tomorrow.
Alex got up and said, "I feel tired, I think I should get some sleep as well".
They left the room going upstairs together which made Abi ask her father "Is there something between those two, I mean on a romantic level?"
Derek smiled to himself then told her "No, nothing of sorts, they are just really good friends. And they are very protective of each other as all legacy house members are. Most of them anyway."
Abi felt a certain tension in the room, she felt Derek and Rachel should be left alone at this time to sort thing up. She got up, moved closer to her father, gave him a kiss on his chick and then said to the both of them "Good night guys."
Derek and Rachel, alone now, just sat there staring at each other. Derek felt her anger about not trusting her, of all people, enough to tell her this big thing. Especially after they have gotten so close in the past few month. She looked at him then said "I can't believe you kept this from me. I thought you would trust me enough. I really believed there was nothing we would keep from each other. I can not believe what a fool I've been, trusting you so much, telling you every little thing I could think of, never kept a secret from you. I asked you if there was anything you were not telling me, and you lied. In straight face you lied to me, said there was nothing. You call this nothing?"
Derek's eyes widened. He knew she was right, but he also remembered his promise to his daughter. He was not the kind of man who brakes a promise. No matter what. He looked at Racehl then got up and came closer to sit beside her, one arm around her shoulders, and the other holding her hand.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I know I should have told you, but I swore to Abi I wouldn't, not until she'll feel more comfortable about this." He turned away from her sighed and continued. "I am sorry Rachel, I never meant to keep you in the dark, in fact I wanted to talk to Abi for a while now, and ask her if she'd at least allow me to tell you the truth, But when she called and I figured with come here, help her, and after we solve the problem and clear this mess, I can ask her if we can tell the truth to you all. My friends and loved ones, but I guess she just wanted to prove herself or something like that before we tell you all, and she's right, I didn't even tell Sloan she's my daughter"
Rachel seemed willing to accept this explanation and his apology, but then she said "I have to think about this Derek, I need to figure out if I can ever believe in you or trust you again as I did so completely so far."
She got up and left him there alone with his thoughts. He was still sitting there when Abi came into the room. She sat on the carpet before him. She took his hands in hers and then rapped her arms around him.
"I'm sorry father," she said. "I never meant to put a wedge between you and your friends. Would you like me to talk to Rachel?"
He pushed her back held her hands then smiled. "No sweetheart, I don't think that will help, we have to go through this ourselves, I think that when Rachel has enough time to relax she will understand. If not I'll just have to figure out a way to convince her she can still trust me."
They sat there for a while. Abi's had on her father's knees, His hand caressing her hair. When they heard the clock ring for the midnight hour, Derek got up and went upstairs to his room.
As Derek passed Rachel's roomhe stood there for a minute. He wished she'd forgive him and come out to talk to him, but she didn't, so he went into his room.
A few minutes later, Abigail, who went upstairs as well, was met by Rachel who said, "I'd like to talk to you."
Abi asked Rachel to follow her to her room. When Rachel got into the room she just stood there for a minute gazing at the beauty of this place. The room was designed so perfectly. Like taken out of some ancient British castle. The roof was hand painted with ancient biblical images. The windows were like in an old church, colored glass. They were round. On one there were the face of the angel Gabriel. And on the other the face of Moses.
The bad was made of wood with hand carved figures. And the cover of the bad was a hand made knitting of A child her mother and, Derek. Abi saw Rachel look at it, and said, "My mother made this. She kept it hidden from me. She only gave it to me the day she died, when she told me about Derek being my father."
"I'm sorry Rachel, I did not mean to come between you and my father. Actually, until I saw how you were hurt I had no Idea you and him are so close. You are that close right?"
Rachel looked at her. She then sat on the bed and said, "Yes I guess you can say that. We have gotten closer the past few months. I thought we sheared everything. Never imagined he would keep such an important thing from me."
"That's my doing and my blame," said Abi. "He was, so to speak, between a rock and a hard place. I was gonna come visit you all in a month or so, and then tell you all, but I guess things just got a little messed up. I didn't expect it to be so."
She sat besides Rachel. "Please forgive him."
Rachel thought to herself, {I really like this young woman, she's honest and sweet} "Ok" she said smiling "I'll talk to him and apologize for over reacting."
"Great". Abi smiled at the older woman and then told her "Well, what are you waiting for, go on. I'm sure dad will be happy to see you right now."
Rachel smiled and left heading towards Derek's room.
Half way through she suddenly heard loud screams coming form Abi's room. She rushed back to see the young precept on the floor. She had some scratches of her arms and legs, as if someone ran a knife across her body.
"Stop, please, no more" Abi screamed.
It seemed Rachel's Return must have stopped the attack on the young woman. She was just lying there, crying. A second later Derek rushed through the door followed by Nick and Alex.
"Oh god," he said when he saw his daughter. Then looked at Rachel and asked her "What in gods name happened here?"
"I don't know," said Rachel. I was taking to her then I left. When suddenly I heard her scream and rushed back to see her like that."
"Abi, who did this to you?" he asked.
"I don't know dad. It's something in this house, I think mom stopped it, but she is getting weaker".
"Your mother?" Derek asked. "Her spirit is here?'
"Yes, she's been trying to worn and protect me, but what ever that thing is, it's stronger. I can't fully understand her."
Derek picked his daughter of the floor and laid her on bed. Then he said to the others, "you'd better go back to sleep guys."
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay with her" asked Nick.
"That's ok Nick, I'll stay with her, Thank you" was Derek's answer.
Alex and Nick left the room.
Rachel stayed with him. He found a first aid kit in one of the drawers and handed them over to Rachel. "Please Rachel," he said. "Clean her up, I don't think I can do this without falling apart."
Rachel Picked up the kit and cleaned Abi's wounds. After she was done, she got up off the bed walked over to Derek and put her arms around him. "She'll be ok Derek," she said.
"Thanks Rachel, I appreciate this."
He hugged her and said, "you should get some sleep as well, we will speak tomorrow. I'll stay here tonight."
Rachel left him standing there looking over his sleeping daughter. He wiped the tears from his eyes, the tears he didn't let anyone see. Then he sat on a chair besides Abi's bad, where he stayed all night.