Chapter 17: After twenty four years
Vicky's POV
It's one of those rainy days where all you want to do is sleep. Valdis's birthday was yesterday which means only a few more days until her wedding. Ivan's older sister Gretchen and her husband Simba got her a week ago. Gretchen is due to have a baby in about a moon. They are at the sanctuary with Ozzie, Ivan's father who got here at the same time they did.
We are currently playing hind and seek. Kazbar rolled his eyes at the idea since we are all adults now. Valdis wanted to do it though for old times shake so he had agreed. I am of course in my same old hiding spot. No one has ever been able to find me here. I laugh to myself as I hear Kazbar getting annoyed at not being able to find me.
After awhile I get bored and come out of hiding. Half way to the sanctuary I see Kazbar with Ivan and Valdis taking to a bunch of strange Khajiits. Walking over Kazbar glares at me,"Well it's about time you show yourself.
I laugh and stick my tongue out at him. He just rolls his eyes as usual. Ivan turns to me and says,"Vicky this is your father's family."
"Oh I see." I say while I get a closer look at them. "You must be my grandma!" I say pointing to a small Khajiit that is the shade of white as my father.
She smiles at me,"You would be right." She points to the one behind her standing with a little boy and says,"He is your uncle Leland and his son Jed Jr. Behind him is my uncle Pierre with his grandson Leo and Leo's son Frost and his wife Night. Next to Night is Ivan's great grandfather Petar and next to him is my brother's son Stoic and his wife Windy. And finally next to Windy are my adopted sisters, Pamela and Nancy."
"Wow hello everyone!"
"Hello." They all answer back.
"Let's go to the sanctuary before the weather gets worse." By this point it was starting to get winder and we would get soaked if we didn't get inside.
"Good idea." My grandmother agreed. We started walking as fast as we could. When we pass Wayer's Rhonda runs ups to us.
"Hello. We just closed up shop early for the day." She says.
"Yeah it's not really good weather for selling armor." Valdis said from behind me.
"Are all of them your family members?" Rhonda asked pointing to behind her.
"They sure are!"
BANG!
"Ahhh!"
We ran as it started poring rain and reaching the sanctuary stopped at the black door. "What is the color of night?"
I say,"Sanguine, my brother." And when the door opens we enter.
"Welcome home."
We walk into the back room and seeing everybody Kazdar runs over followed slowly by my father. "Kazdar!" One of my grandmother's sisters says excitedly.
" Pamela and Nancy are both my grandmothers." Kazbar says from where he stands with Valdis.
"Yeah I know." I say.
"Oh."
My grandmother walks up to my father. "Robert!"
"Hello mother." He says nervously.
My grandmother then frowns and smacks him on the head.
"Hey what was that for?"
My grandmother crosses her arms,"I haven't seen you in twenty four years!"
"What!?" Me, Valdis, and Kazbar all shout in shock.
My father sighed,"I know. I'm a horrible person and a horrible son."
"But papa why? Why did you not see your family for so long?" I asked in confusion. He used to tell me stories about his family when I was little. I had never realized it had been so long since he saw any of them them. I suppose it does make since since he did say he was sixteen last time he saw them.
It still doesn't make any sense though. He loves his family so why hasn't he seen them? I feel terrible for my grandmother. I can tell from the look of pain that she had been devastated when he left.
Kazdar walks closer to us,"Just tell them Robert." He said. My father opens his mouth to talk and then closes it again. Kazdar sighs in annoyance,"Robert. They need to know. Tell them or I will."
"Tell them then!" He says and then out of the room.
"What in the hell?" I say to myself. I don't get any of this.
Kazdar sighs again.
"Do you really know why he ran away?" My grandmother asked.
"Yes I do." Kazdar says. "It's because of Vamperia."
Now I'm even more confused. My father's sister had something to do with this? But how when when she been dead for many years?
"I don't understand." My grandmother said.
Kazdar sighed again,"I would of thought it would of been obvious."
"Um no...?"
"Ugh. Robert blames himself for Vamperia's death."
Nancy speaks for the first time,"But it wasn't his fault. She was killed by vampires."
"Yeah but." Kazdar sighed yet again and continues,"He was with her. He thinks that if he had stopped her then she wouldn't of died. That's why he ran away. He blamed himself and he was too ashamed when he would look at you and see your grief."
"But why didn't he come back after he found out about Leland?" My grandmother asked.
"Because he thought he was a worthless brother and that Leland would be better off without him."
It got very quiet. My uncle Leland held my grandmother while she cried. Once she stopped she said,"I see now. I should of figured that out. It makes sense." She then got up and walked away in search of my father.
Kazdar sighed again,"I tried to get him to go visit and explain everything, but he wouldn't."
"It's okay son. You tried." Nancy said and patted him on the back.
"I'm going to go lay down." I say and then walk into the bedroom. Ivan follows me and we lay down together. "Well that was interesting." Ivan says after a few minutes.
"Yeah it sure was." I sighed and closed my eyes. Pretty soon my sister will be married and then not long after we would move away. I was looking forward to it.