Awakening Book One of the Trust Series - By J. E. Swift Page 0,98
the door was shut, Nathaniel leaned back in his chair, placing his sole attention on Lionel.
“What news do you have for me, Lionel?”
“I made contact with your son as you requested.”
Nathaniel looked eagerly at him. Nathaniel was a larger than life persona. His good looks and charisma made him a leader that people in the Cine Tofa eagerly followed. It was almost cult like in his opinion. Nathaniel spoke, people listened. Nathaniel ordered, people obeyed. His boss loved running the show, loved people loving him.
His public persona was affable and kind. It was what drew people naturally to him. People wanted a person who took charge, and Nathaniel was more than happy to take on that role for them. Although he would never admit this to a soul, Lionel personally thought that he was smarter than his boss and more fit for the role, but he knew people found his persona quirky and often times intimidating. It did not help his case that Nathaniel was naturally a stronger Actual.
Nathaniel had it all. He got whatever it was he wanted. Money, Power, and women all were part of the package deal of being head of the Cine Tofa. It wasn’t unusual for his friend to be off with one of his many mistresses that he kept around to keep him distracted. People gave money to him willingly and if Nathaniel got his way, in only a few short years after the Inception, he would have all the power he could ever dream of. Nathaniel had it all. Well, had it all, almost.
His chief had plans for his heir to take over the family business. Garrett was his only child and was just as charming and motivating as his father. If his mother had not had a change of heart and moved over to the Trust, Garrett would be second in command right this moment, ready to take over the reins any second that was needed.
Instead, his mother had fled with Garrett in the middle of the night when Garrett was six years old. They moved to Colorado, which at that time was a safe zone to Trust members as deemed by an old treaty agreement. At that point, the Trust was stronger than the Cine Tofa and had larger numbers so the father could not go after the son. Nathaniel was furious at his heir being taken away and as the years neglected to produce another child, Nathaniel became more and more desperate for his only son to be back in his clutches. It was then that Lionel, who was already living a double life, was asked to further infiltrate the Trust and keep tabs on the prodigal son.
His mother had changed Garrett’s last name to her maiden name, Stevens. She did not lie to him about who his father was, but was not forthcoming either. Very few people in the Trust know the truth about Garrett’s identity. When Mary Livingston came to Jonathan McPherson, her friend since childhood, begging him to let her son and her live on Trust land, outside of the persecution of the Cine Tofa, Jonathan, being the conscious person he is, agreed. The only concession he made is that their true identities remain a secret for their safety within the Trust. Mary readily agreed.
Still, Nathaniel found ways to contact his son. Letters would mysteriously sneak through courtesy of Lionel and they would reach Garrett’s eyes only. The letters were from his father, explaining how much he truly loved his son and how much he wanted him back. When Garrett was sixteen, he had a rough patch with his mother who found the letters. Garrett ran away and ran straight to his father as his father had always hoped.
Nathaniel was more than pleased his heir had come back. For three years, Garrett lived with his father, his father teaching him everything he knew about the Cine Tofa. Garrett had not changed yet at that point, but he was showing signs as a Potential that the awakening would be soon. Nathaniel had convinced him that our people had a responsibility to others to protect them from themselves, that people who had not evolved like us were a danger to themselves.
Garrett had believed all of it. He was the perfect son and Nathaniel realized that he would be a great leader. When his transformation was complete, he was going to mentor Garrett directly himself to make sure that he was as strong of an Actual as he was.