Chapter 20

John walked a great distance to Blackthorn District while it still rained heavily. Valentine Manor's gate opened after waiting for some time. Gardens of roses covering the fields gave off an earthy smell. Trees continued to grow at the far side of the yard while blue flowers lined the edges of the yard. John saw neatly trimmed hedges everywhere. A large pond-like pool sat in the middle of the yard. The closer he got to the mansion; he felt this daunting feeling again. Vehicles were parked near these two large fountains. He could feel the palm of his getting sweaty as he walked closer, passing the fountains. John realized he'd be out of place from the way he was dressed compared to everyone else.

John took a deep breath as he looked over at the door that was ajar. He pushed open the door to see a few people walking around the house dressed in suits and dresses. John descended the steps as he entered the area where a crowd stood. He stopped at a statue Melina stood by the last time he saw her at the mansion. John clenched his fist as he felt frustrated with himself. He took a deep breath as he looked around at the people in the room. Briana stood talking to Jazlyn while her sister Zayna talked with Gizmo. Scarlet was at the bar with a young woman. John walked over to the bar and took a seat next to Scarlet. She looked at him with a soft smile on her face.     

"Didn’t expect you to come. You can't be okay with people thinking that of you, can you?" Scarlet questioned as she passed John a glass after pouring him a drink. He shrugged as he looked around at all the people that came to the memorial.  

"It's easier than trying to live up to people's expectations. I'd rather be the unexpected guest than someone that people would be upset if he missed something." John replied before taking a sip of the hard liquor in his glass. Scarlet nodded as she took a sip of her drink before pouring herself more.         

"Gizmo convinced Briana that you weren't coming, and I think it upset her a lot. Zayna was even more upset when he told her." Scarlet said.

John looked over his shoulder. He saw Zayna looking in his direction, causing him to raise his hand. Her sad expression turned into a smile as she seemed to brighten up a little. The girls were family to him, and he was aware of how messed up it would be if he didn't even appear.

"Proving Gizmo wrong is something I live for." John replied.

 He raised his glass before taking a sip. Scarlet chuckled as she looked over her shoulder when a shadow appeared behind John. He turned to see Gizmo wearing a dark gray suit and an angry look on his face. John let out a deep sigh as he faced Gizmo.                        

"Everywhere you go tragedy happens and you still being here, means more tragedy is coming." Gizmo said.

Then as expected he grabbed John by his hoodie, causing John to smack his hand away. He stood up and got close to Gizmo. Neither of them was about to back down from the other as Scarlet squeezed in between them. John felt his skin crawling as the air in the room changed. He could feel the power flowing through him this time, and it was ready to explode.        

"Now's not the time to be trying to fight each other. Your friends are mourning their father's death. The least you two could do is pretend to be civilized for their sake." Scarlet said with an aggressive tone. 

John sat back in his chair as he turned away from Gizmo. He heard Gizmo mutter something as his footsteps walked away. Scarlet sat back down beside John as she continued to drink. The strong scent of the liquor burned the insides of John's nose as he took another sip. The drink made him hot as he looked around to see more people coming into the mansion. John stared off into space as his senses heightened. He sniffed the air as he picked up on a familiar scent. The palm of his hands became sweaty as he sat in disbelief. It couldn't be who he thought it was, could it? A few minutes before John felt a hand on his shoulder. 

He looked up to see a pair of familiar light brown eyes staring at him. A young woman wearing a purple dress stood over him. Her wavy brown hair covered part of her face causing her to push it aside. She appeared to be blushing as she looked at John as he stood to his feet. Compared his five-foot ten stature, she was at least five foot six.              

"It's been a while, John. I hadn't expected to see you here." The woman said as she continued to blush.

John felt his hand shaking as he stared at her. He licked his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he grew uncomfortable. Gizmo stepped in between them as he wrapped his arms around her. He had his charming smile on his face that won the heart of many women. John was annoyed by Gizmo's rich guy attitude, but it always benefited John when needed.  

"Is this the beautiful Eris Earnheart we haven't seen in years?" Gizmo said in a flirtatious tone.

 Eris laughed nervously as she gently pushed Gizmo away from her. He laughed as he shoved his hands in his pocket. "It's good to see you too, Gizmo." 

John turned away from the two as he grabbed a bottle of liquor off the bar counter. He saw Scarlet staring at him with an angry look on her face. He waved as he headed over to Briana and Zayna. As he got closer to them, they both smiled. They walked over and pulled him into an embrace. His shoulders became less tense as he stood there as they hugged him tightly.  

"I couldn't leave without seeing you too." John said as they stepped back, still smiling. He could see the sadness in their eyes as he looked at them. People that walked around them seemed to stare at John with judging eyes. He hated when he started noticing the stares as it caused his skin to feel cold. 

"I'd wish you stick around more, but I understand you like to handle things alone." Zayna said as she looked away while fiddling with her fingers. 

John placed his hand on her head as she looked up at him. His soft eyes made her blush as she tried to hide her smile. He touched her chin before walking passed her. John moved around the crowd of people with haste. As he walked up the steps toward the door wanting to escape the glaring eyes.

The rain had stopped but left a fog covering the air. The murky sky above made John feel it would rain again at any minute. He descended the stairs entering the yard in a hurry. As he continued walking, he heard the door open behind him, but he didn't look back. He saw the color purple out the corner of his eye, causing him to look over and see that it was Eris.       

"What do you want, Eris?" John sighed.

He took a sip from the bottle of liquor. He waved his hand as he walked through the fog while Eris walked closer to him.   

"I was hoping to sit and talk to you, duh." Eris said with a nervous sounding laugh. John looked at the bottle, before he handed it to her, causing her to look at him surprised. He stopped walking as he turned in her direction.  

"Normally, I'd say there's nothing to talk about, but something tells me you won't leave me alone until you get it off your chest." John said in a serious tone.

 Eris stood frozen. She finally took a sip of the liquor before passing the bottle back to John.                           

"I've thought about this moment every day, but I don't know where to begin." Eris laughed as she appeared to blush. John took another sip of the drink as he stared at her with a serious look. He didn't know why he was so willing to hear what she had to say. 

"You have until I finish what's left in this bottle before I walk away." 

Eris appeared to become serious. She took a deep breath as she snatched the bottle from John. He looked at her confused as she sipped from the bottle, then wiped her lips.     

  "I disappeared four years ago on you after graduation because my mom disappeared. I met my dad for the first time, and he made me pack my things so I could leave with him. That's not an excuse for why I didn't at least call but when I came back to the city you were gone. When I finally worked up the nerve to call, your phone was no longer in service. John, I'm sorry I abandoned you, which is something I never intended to do." Eris said, sounding unhappy. 

John took the bottle from her to take a sip before he realized there was nothing left. He threw the bottle in Gizmo's fountain as he turned away from Eris. John had heard all he needed to hear, which gave him closure.   

"Take care of yourself, Eris." John said over his shoulder.

 He covered his head with his hood as he walked the trail to the main gate. John figured he wouldn't see her again with everything going on in his life. His only focus was finding Shadow Wolf and creating a cure for the berserkers. Eris appeared beside John again as she stumbled around blindly in the fog. John grabbed her arm as he led her to the exit because his vision allowed him to see clearly.     

"Before you ghost me, can I at least treat you to lunch, John?" Eris asked as John's stomach growled. 

She laughed as John felt his face turning red from embarrassment. Reluctantly, he agreed to have lunch with her as he walked with her down the street. The fog seemed to thicken the longer they walked.  

"Don't trust her." The voice in John's head snarled as he looked over at Eris. 

John realized he was losing his mind at this point and didn't know how to stop it. John placed his hand on his head as he sighed, frustrated. 

"What are you trying to gain right now?" John asked in a serious tone.

 This seemed to surprise Eris. She shook her head as she stopped walking to look directly at him. The voice in John's head made him feel guarded now and he didn't know how he felt about feeling this way.      

"A chance to be in your life again, John. Not everyone has an ulterior motive for doing things." She said as she rolled her eyes, appearing annoyed. 

John eyes her suspiciously as she kept the serious look on her face before she looked away. He walked over to her and looked down at her with his glaring eyes.                            

"Everyone has a reason for doing what they do, so I think you have another motive. Now don't get me wrong, I'm still taking you up on that offer for lunch." John said as Eris laughed. 

They went back to walking as they finally exited Blackthorn district. "Everyone has a reason for doing what they do, so I think you have another motive. Now don't get me wrong, I'm still taking you up on that offer for lunch." John said as Eris laughed. 

They went back to walking as they finally exited Blackthorn district. They crossed the street before cars passed through the intersection. The fog was starting to lift as they continued walking through the city. John's stomach growled louder as he became aware of his hunger, causing him to hold his stomach in pain. After walking for nearly thirty minutes, the two stood outside of a restaurant called Fred's diner. The sight of another restaurant saddened

John as he thought about Mr. Zestro. 

Eris walked over to the door and pulled it up as she urged John to step inside. He took a deep breath as he stepped through the doorway as he got whiff of the greasy burgers being served. The place was fairly small but the food being served appeared appetizing. John could feel himself salivating as he walked to a booth. He sat down, feeling himself sink into the seat. He started to smell cigars and beer around the place. A waitress approached chewing gum and appeared to be annoyed. The woman placed menus in front of John and Eris as they ordered drinks. After she took their orders, she strutted away as the sound of thunder caused Eris to Jump.

 John looked out the window as the rain poured down, sounding like bullets hitting the pavement. John's heightened hearing amplified everything around him. He hated it because he could hear the chewing of every person in the room, causing him to wince in pain. It was still difficult to control his abilities, but he did his best to focus on one thing at a time.                         

"I know it's not Zestro's pizzeria, but the food here is pretty good. Despite how bad the place looks, I'm sure you'll enjoy it here." Eris whispered as John nodded. 

She rolled her eyes as she looked away. He tapped the table with his finger as his mind started to wander.  "Eris, why'd you come back to this place?" 

He looked over at Eris reflection to see her looking at him with a strange look on her face. She didn't say anything for a moment as she appeared to think about his question. "Well, I graduated from college, and I'm still waiting to start working for the task force." 

John turned to her, confused. He didn't understand why she would want to work for the task force. They were becoming corrupt because John still knew someone helped Dante. He also knew that Michael Stoker helped Dante with a hideout. Most of the big faces in the city were secretly pushing a war. Every day it seemed that war was inevitable. The sound of thunder grew louder as John stared at Eris silently. He nodded as he looked up to see the waitress had returned, causing him to point at what he wanted off the menu. Eris ordered her food as John looked over at her.      

"Why do you want to join the task force?" John asked, staring at Eris as he tried to show his interest in her goals. She smiled in a way that showed him her shyness. It made him nervous as he couldn't help but remember how beautiful she was.   

"I'd have all the tools I need at my disposal to find my mother wherever she is." Eris replied as she handed her menu to the waitress. 

John took a moment to take in her answer before nodding his head. He always longed to know his mother, but he knew he'd never met her. John couldn't even imagine what his mother looked like or how she sounded. Mrs. Valentine was the closest thing he ever had to that, so he had some sense of understanding why Eris wanted to join the task force. He turned his head to look out the window when he noticed someone standing across the street. 

The air in the room changed as John's skin began to crawl while his senses amplified. As he stared at the figure watching him, he noticed the wolf mask on his face. John slid out of the booth and stood to his feet.  

"Is something wrong, John?" Eris asked.

John pushed through a group of men passing by him. He didn't take his eye off the man across the street. John felt himself becoming anxious as walked over to the exit of the diner. He could hear Eris calling his name as he pushed open the door and stepped outside.

The figure turned around to run, causing John to dash across the busy street. He threw caution to the wind as he leaped over cars in pursuit of Shadow Wolf. The rain felt like needles on John's face as he ran. Shadow Wolf leaped over a group of people walking down the same sidewalk. John leaped in the air hoping to cut the distance, between him and Shadow Wolf.

He crashed into the ground as Shadow Wolf managed to evade his grasp by turning down an alley. John grunted as he sprinted after him as he saw him cut another corner. When John got around the corner Shadow Wolf was gone. Frustrated, John punched a giant hole in the wall of the building next to him. Once again, Shadow Wolf managed to get away from John. He knew he was being toyed with at this point, and it made him furious. John turned away as he walked back the way he came feeling as if he failed again.