He began softly, his voice low and cautious, each word chosen carefully, like a man navigating a minefield of emotions, "There's no right time to tell you this and you must know where we're going next."
He paused again, collecting his thoughts, or perhaps summoning courage, before continuing with a heavy sigh, that seemed to carry the weight of decades, "Jen, I am not an orphan."
Jenny's expression transformed from concern to utter shock.
Her eyes widening as Jacob continued, his voice low and emotional, "I lived on a small ranch with my mother and our housekeeper Matilda. I never knew my father. My mother told me he was a soldier who went off to war before I was born and never came back. She said he must have died in the war but she didn't receive any formal documentation. I asked Matilda about him when I was around 5 years old, but she said she had never met him – she came to live with us after he was gone. Years went by, and in my late teens, I tried to look for him, but my searches came to nothing. I ran away from home at the age of 19 because I discovered my mother Grace was a powerful witch and the high priestess of her coven. That she kept that secret from me all those years. I was hurt, stunned, shocked because I knew then that everything she told me was a lie. I felt couldn't trust her anymore."
Jenny's eyes filled with tears as she stared at Jacob,
Her mind reeling with this revelation about the man she loved, "Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered, voice trembling.
Jacob's eyes pleaded for forgiveness, filled with decades of hidden pain, "Because I was ashamed of my past. All I ask is for your forgiveness, please." He reached out, gently brushing away Jenny's tears with his fingertips, "Can you ever forgive me, Jen."
Jenny's expression softened, and she gently caressed Jacob's head with her hands. She bent down and kissed him with love and affection, Just like their first kiss, sparks of their enduring passion reigniting.
"You belong to me, and I belong to you. I forgive you my love," she whispered,
Their lips still touching as tears of love streamed down they faces.
***Toby sprinted through the forest, his long legs eating up the distance as he desperately sought escape from his own mind.
His eyes were wide with a mix of fear and confusion, his face pale as the realization of what he'd just done still sinking in like a cold dread. He burst through the trees and stumbled upon a breathtaking waterfall, its misty veil rising like a ghostly whisper. Toby slowed to a stop at the water's edge, his chest heaving with ragged breaths as he stared blankly into the cascading water.
His mind was reeling with questions, "What just happened to me? Is this real? Am I losing my mind?"
The roar of the waterfall faded into background noise as Toby's thoughts consumed him. His childhood started to unfold in front of him as he looked into the crystal clear water. How from the age of 14 he lived a charmed life. Always excelling at anything he did. How his friends would call him a freak because of his abilities, especially football. Most of all how teachers and students would always want to be in his presence or back the ideas he through at them. Also the night the school had a dance and he saved 2 of his classmates. Rushing into the flames as the hall burned. Coming out not smelling of smoke and not a scar or scratch on him. But most of all he can't remember when he fell ill.
He felt like he was staring into an abyss, with no safety net to catch him if he fell.
Toby's eyes widened further, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios, "Mr. McNamara… what I did to him. I need to see him, put things right."
His voice was barely above a whisper, laced with desperation and fear of exposure.
"He's going to tell people… And that just can't happen."
Toby's thoughts spiralled into chaos, "My family, school, everyone will know…
I'll be that freak with powers. Ostracized, feared, or worse, experimented on."
His heart sank like a stone in his chest, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead as he turned away from the waterfall, "I have to find him. Now. Before he talks."
***Fear gripped Jerry McNamara's heart, as he gulped down the remaining bourbon in his glass, hands still shaking violently. Pouring himself another drink with trembling hands, he sat down, trying to compose himself.
Toby stood in the entrance of Jerry's office, his eyes fixed intensely on him, "I'm sorry about earlier, honestly."
Jerry spun around almost swallowing the glass, his voice trembled as he replied, "You stay away from me."
Toby's gaze seemed to bore into Jerry's soul as he continued in a low tone, "It's no use telling people or the police about what happened because they just won't believe you. Also, that would make me very angry, and you know what happens when I get angry. I lose control, and who knows what might happen next time I lose control. Let's just keep this between us, OK, Mr. McNamara?"
Jerry nodded vigorously, bourbon glass slipping from his grasp, and smashed into pieces on the floor. Jerry stuttered, still trembling with fear, "OK, Toby, just between us, I swear it."
Toby leaned forward, his eyes glinting with an otherworldly intensity, as Jerry felt himself shrinking back, as if Toby's gaze could consume him whole. Toby just turned and walked out of the office, leaving Jerry shaken and pale.
As Toby walked back to the RV, his mind reeled with conflicting emotions, "I've done it again. What's happening to me?"
Yet, despite his concerns, he couldn't help feeling a sense of exhilaration, a thrilling rush of power, as if nothing could stand in his way.
Catherine greeted Toby at the RV door, hugging him tightly, "We all are worried about you. We're going somewhere, but Mom won't tell us. She said they'll tell us when you get here."
Toby smiled weakly at his sister, still trying to process his emotions, "Where's Mom and Dad?" he asked, glancing inside the RV.
Catherine answered "They're talking in the back… Mom was crying, Toby."
Toby embraced Catherine tightly, his voice low and reassuring, "Everything is going to be okay. I won't let anyone hurt us again."
As Toby entered the RV, Carmen and Jeremiah launched themselves into his arms.
Jeremiah exclaimed, eyes wide with admiration, "The bullies at my school are in for a big surprise when we get back home you're my SUPERHERO. Can you teach me how to shoot lightning bolts too?!"
Carmen giggled and chimed in, "Yeah Toby, make Jeremiah a superhero like you!"
Jenny rushed from the back of the RV, and swept Toby into a crushing embrace, "Don't worry, my son, dad's taking us to find the answers we seek." Her eyes searched Toby's face, her voice barely above a whisper, "Are you okay, my son, really okay?" Her hands gently framed his face, as if checking for any hidden pain.
"I'm working on it, Mum. But I'm fine." Toby replied.
Jenny released her embrace on Toby, her eyes locked onto Jacob's pale face, she seemed to forget the children were watching, her mind reeling from Jacob's recent revelation.
Then, suddenly, she turned to face the children, "We're going to see, your Granny Grace, Dad's mom."
The children exchanged confused glances, oblivious to the bombshell Jacob had just dropped on their mother.
Jenny's eyes darted back to Jacob, as if seeking confirmation or escape from her own stunned expression.
The children's eyes widened in shock, mouths agape.
Catherine squealed, "We have a grandma?!"
Jeremiah asked, "Is she nice, Dad?"
Carmen chimed in, "Does she have magic like, like what happened to Toby?"
Jenny started the engine, and they set off on their journey.
As they drove, Jacob cleared his throat, a nostalgic smile on his face, "It's a long story, but I'll try to keep it short. You see, kids, I wasn't always the man you know today…"
The children leaned in, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Catherine asked eagerly, "What were you like, Dad?"
Jeremiah added, "And why did you never tell us about Grandma Grace?"
Jacob took a deep breath, beginning his long, overdue family revelation, "I grew up on a ranch… with a mother…"
***A sinister shadow followed the Griffins…
Moloch trailed behind them, three vehicles back, his eyes fixed on their RV.
He threw a handful of crimson powder into the air, leaving a magical trail for the Gorie trackers to follow.
Moloch quickly dialled a number, his voice low and urgent, "We're on our way."
Ballack's voice dripped with malice on the other end, "That's good, my old friend. My trackers will see them as soon as the sun goes down."
The call ended, and Moloch's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with the dark implications, of what was to come.
***Back in the RV, Jenny glanced at the fuel gauge and called out, "Toby, tell Dad we're going to pull over at the next gas station; we're running low on gas."
Toby relayed the message to Jacob, who nodded thoughtfully, "Good timing, actually. I was about to tell the kids more about Grandma Grace."
Carmen bounced up and down excitedly, "Yeah, Dad, you were saying."
Jacob smiled, ready to continue the story, unaware of the deadly trail that Moloch was leaving behind them.
As they rounded the next bend, McGuire's Gas Stop came into view, its neon signs beckoning weary travellers.
Jenny manoeuvred the RV alongside the gas bowser and brought it to a stop.
"Who wants to use the bathroom ?" she asked the children, already knowing the answer.
All the children's hands shot up in unison.
Jenny continued, "OK, but don't go too far; we're leaving as soon as the tank is full. Go with Toby, and Toby, get us more beef jerky please."
The children piled out of the RV, chattering excitedly, while Jacob remained behind, lying on the bed, looking thoughtful.
As Jenny began to refuel, a sleek blue Cadillac pulled into the gas stop and parked in the customer parking area, its glossy paint job gleaming in the sunlight.
Jenny's eyes lingered on the vehicle, admiring its mint condition, "Wow, someone takes great care of that car."
Jacob, now sitting up on the bed, gazed out the window at the Cadillac, his eyes narrowing slightly, a hint of curiosity.
Moloch emerged from the Cadillac, stretching his lean frame like a cat awakening from sleep, wearing his old black leather trench coat.
He walked towards Jenny with a charming smile, his green eyes gleaming with false warmth, "Howdy," he said, his voice low and smooth.
Jenny returned the greeting cautiously, "Hi."
Moloch's eyes crinkled at the corners as he continued, "It's a fine day to travel; not a cloud in the sky, ay?"
Jenny agreed, "Sure…Mister."
Moloch's gaze locked onto Jenny's, and he reached out to take her hand in his, a gentle yet unsettling touch, "Just call me Moloch; everyone does," he said, his smile widening.
Then, his eyes sparkled with curiosity, "Say, where are you folks heading on this fine day?"
Jacob's eyes narrowed, His instincts screaming warning signals like a blaring siren in his mind. Catherine's music blasted loudly in the background, drowning out the stranger's conversation with Jenny at the gas bowser, Jacob's focus remained fixed on the ominous figure.
His mind flashed back to Sam's chilling words, echoing in his brain like a haunting prophecy, "Moloch always wears an old black leather trench coat." And there it was, the same eerie attire hanging from the stranger's frame.
Jacob still in pain made his way as fast as he could to the door of the RV and as Jenny was about to answer Moloch, Jacob shouted from the RV door, "Can I help you?"
Jacob's tone was neutral, but a hint of wariness underlying his words, put Moloch on subtle alert.
Moloch turned to Jacob, sizing him up before responding with a charming smile, "Moloch is the name, friend. And yours?"
Jacob replied evenly, "Jacob. I think I've seen you around the campsite at Lake Tehillah, am I right?"
Moloch's eyes clouded over for a moment, like a brief shadow crossing his face,
Before he answered smoothly, "Oh yeah, sure. I've been living there for years now."
Jacob pressed on, his voice casual yet probing, "Is that right? Last night or early hours of this morning, someone broke into our RV. Maybe they thought we weren't coming back to it. Did you see anything or anyone that seemed suspicious? It'll really help in the police investigation." Jacob lied.
His eyes locked intensely onto Moloch's, awaiting his response.
Moloch's demeanour shifted abruptly, he appeared nervous, even on edge, his smile faltering for a split second before he regained composure, "No, Jacob, I can't say that I did see anyone, I promise you, when I get back to the camp, I'll ask around, see if anyone noticed anything. Can't have folks breaking into other folks' property. Yes, sir, I'll look into it. I'll speak to the owner, Jerry, as well."
Jacob's eyes locked onto Moloch's, his gaze piercing and intense, "Well, now, Mr. Moloch, no need for all that. I've spoken to Jerry already; he and I had a great conversation."
Just then, the children and Toby returned to the RV, chattering excitedly, Catherine was giggling about something Jeremiah said, while Carmen clutched a stuffed animal.
Jenny, seeing the gas tank was full, said to Jacob, "I'll go pay for the fuel, love."
As Jenny walked towards the station office, Jacob turned back to Moloch, his tone polite yet dismissive, "Well, it was good meeting you, Mr. Moloch. Safe travels and all that."
Moloch's smile seemed forced, his eyes narrowing slightly, "That's mighty kind of you, Jacob. So, where are you folks heading?"
Jacob's gaze never wavered as he answered, "It's a mystery drive, Mr. Moloch. The best drives I find are mystery drives. Just follow the wind."
Moloch's eyes narrowed slightly, his smile twisting into a hint of scepticism, "Sure thing, Jacob, but they can also be pretty dangerous as well."