The Orphaned Wolf: Chapter 11

 The Orphaned Wolf

Chapter 11: Remembrance

Three days had now passed since the party at Castle Von Adler-Land. Kyle was in his room reading a book on Englands history when a butler knocked on the door and came into his room. “Master Kyle, Londons Chief of police, Sir Thomas is downstairs. He requests an audience with you.” The butler said.

Kyle: “Do tell him that I will be down shortly.” He said, then the butler left the room.

Kyle took a moment to put on his jacket, button his shirt and adjust his tie. He then went down stairs to find Thomas was waiting.

Thomas: “You’ve grown since I last saw you.” He said to Kyle, remembering the last time they met was in 1950, when Kyle agreed to stay with Wilkins.

Kyle: “I do recall seeing you back then, though we were never properly introduced.” He said, while he and Thomas shook hands. “So what can I help you with today?” He asked, then Thomas made a depressed look.

Thomas: “I came here, to show you this.” He said as he picked up a stainless wooden box from the table next to him. “After Wilkins adopted you, the king asked me to continue looking into your family history. The day after you met Lord Erik of house Von Adler-Land, I received this from New York City.” He explained as he handed the box to Kyle.

Kyle: “What’s in here?” He asked.

Thomas: “Your…Families belongings!” He said, then Kyle widened his eyes, then stared at the box. “The mayor of New York went to where your old house use to be and they found some things that weren’t destroyed by the bomb. They were in a safe in the basement.” He explained as Kyle opened the box. “I thought it best to wait a couple days before giving it to you.” He said, then Kyle closed the lid.

Kyle: “Please excuse me!” He said, then went upstairs.

Wilkins: “Kyle is something the matter?” He asked as he came into the hallway, but Kyle just ignored him and went down the upstairs hallway. “Thomas is he alright? Did something happen?” He asked about what had happened with Kyle, then Thomas explained why he came-by the estate.

Thomas: “He then excused himself, then went upstairs.” He explained to Wilkins about what he said to Kyle. “Wilkins…I think you should go talk to him.” He said as he put his hand on Wilkins shoulder. “Good day!” He said, then left the estate.

Wilkins walked upstairs to Kyle’s room, while keeping a worried look on his face. He saw that Kyle’s door was open and heard sniffles coming from inside. Wilkins knew that Kyle was crying. He entered the room to see that Kyle was on the sofa bench at the end of his bed. Wilkins saw that Kyle was looking at the opened box.

Wilkins: “Is everything ok? What’s the matter?” He asked in a concerned tone as he sat next to Kyle.

Kyle: “I miss them! I miss them so much! I never thought about it until now.” He said in a sad voice as he put his hand over his eyes while crying.

Wilkins then took the box and looked through the contents. He saw that it contained a silver watch, a gold necklace, a bronze pocket watch, then Wilkins saw a photograph which showed a picture of two wolves holding a baby pup in their arms. He looked at the back of the photo to see the names ‘Alexander’, ‘Maria’ and Kyle. He then saw a small gray box and opened it to find it contained two rings. One made of gold and on made of silver with an encrusted emerald. Wilkins also found several other pictures from Kyle’s childhood.

Kyle: “I never even got to say goodbye.” He said, then Wilkins wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.

Wilkins: “You were only eight years old. You didn’t know what was going to happen.” He said, then put his arms around Kyle. “It’s alright!” He said, trying to comfort him. “Do you remember when we first met and I told you how I lost someone that I cared about?” He asked, then Kyle looked at him.

Kyle: “Yes, I remember. Who was it?” He asked, still sniffling.

Wilkins: “Her name was ‘Selene’ and she was my wife.” He said as Kyle made a gasping look. “We met in London at a local bar back in 38. We fell in love and got married in January of 1940. About two months after the war ended, she was in an accident.” He explained.

Kyle: “What happened?” He asked, wanting to know more.

Wilkins: “She was on her way home from dinner with friends, when the car got hit by the truck. The doctors said that she sustained severe injuries. When I went to see her at the hospital, she was awake and happy when she saw me come into the room. I sat at her bedside while holding her hand. I tried t stay awake, but I fell asleep.” He paused for a moment. “And when I woke up, She… she was gone.” He said, then started to cry himself.

Kyle: “What did you do after that?” He asked.

Wilkins: “After Selene died, I went into a depression. I spent most of my nights at a local bar, drinking my sorrows away.” He said as he wiped his eyes. “After a few weeks, I was at the bar drinking my pain away. After a couple of strong drinks, I looked in the mirror. I thought I imagined it, but I saw my usual self in the mirror. But when I saw the illusion, I heard a voice say, ‘Is this what she would want?’ I heard it say.” He explained.

Kyle: “What did it mean?” He asked about what Wilkins saw in the bar.

Wilkins: “I left the bar that night and took a cab home and thought about what the voice say. I then began to remember everything I did when I was with Selene. I woke up the next morning in bed and thought about what happened the night before. And after thinking about it, I knew that Selene would want me to move on from the loss. I knew that I would have to move on, but I still felt that there was something missing in my life. So when I found you and took you in, that emptiness I felt all these years just went away.” He explained as he looked at Kyle.

Kyle: “The day that my house was bombed, my mother heard the alert on the radio. She grabbed me and took me out to the barn that was about a half-mile from our house and hid me under a trapdoor in the floor in one of the stables. She told me that she and my dad would be right out to join me.” He explained as Wilkins put his hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “After a while, I-I started to worry. So I got out from under the floor and went to the opened window when I heard a noise. I looked up and saw a missile falling from the sky. The next thing I saw was my house blown to bits.” He explained as he wiped his eyes. “I just stared at it, hoping to see if my parents would come out, but they didn’t. I just curled up in the corner and started crying.” He said.

This was the first time that Wilkins had heard the full details about what happened to Kyle’s home. He remembered when they first met, Kyle only explained that his house was bombed during the war and he was outside in the barn. Wilkins then took hold of Kyle’s hand.

Kyle: When you asked me if I wanted to live with you, something inside me told me to say yes, and I did. When that happened, the sadness I felt from all those years of being alone, just went away. I tried remembering all the good times that I hand with my parents to keep me going, but when I got this, the memory of the day I lost them just came rolling back. I tried to block it out, but I couldn’t get the image out of my head. I just didn’t want to accept that they were gone.” He said, then looked at the box.

Wilkins: “The memory of your parents will never go away Kyle. They will always have a place right here.” He said as he put his hand on Kyle’s heart. “I know that they would be proud of you right now, seeing the young wolf that you’ve become.” He said with a smile.

Kyle: “I know Selene would feel the same. After all, you helped make me into what I am today.” He said as he put his hand on Wilkins heart.

Wilkins and Kyle looked at each-other with smiles, then hugged. Kyle knew that Wilkins was right and that his parents would always be with him. Kyle then took the box and placed it on his desk and he and Wilkins left the room.