The Touch

The Touch Volume 1

"The Void"

By: Myke D

Part 2: Connections

Chapter 13: Growing

"You're getting stronger, Zyan." The old man said as he gazed upon me. I was kneeling in front of him like Kyan and I had done before – but I continued to gaze at the stranger that Kyan referred to as our great-grandfather. We had avoided talking about the dream I had the week before, but it was difficult finding the time to bring the subject up with my twin. The old man smiled at me. His blue eyes didn't appear as tired as before. Instead, he seemed happy. "We'll be together again as a family, soon enough, grandson. Just keep focusing on your recovery. You need to be at your strongest when you make it home..."

"I am home, though." I replied.

"Not quite..."

"What do you mean?" I asked nervously. What was being hidden from me?

"Have faith, little one." He told me with a grin. "All of your questions will have answers when the frozen sun burns again."

"That only creates more questions," I began to argue but the man held up his hand to silence me.

"That is enough for now, Zyan." The man chided me. "Sorana awaits thy return."

I sat up in bed in a sweat and glanced down to see that Kyan was still sound asleep. I took a few deep breaths before I slid from the bed to get a bottle of water from the kitchen – not even caring that I was only dressed in my underwear as I navigated the dimly lit hallway. I stopped in the bathroom to pee before I went downstairs. The kitchen was dark, and I was forced to blink as the bright light from inside the refrigerator flooded the kitchen when I opened the door. I spotted the bottles of water in the bottom of the door and grabbed one. With a quick twist of the cap, I had the bottle pushed to my lips and started swallowing greedily. The different medicines that the doctors had given me gave me really bad cotton mouth, and Natalie must have warned my mother about my frequent trips to the refrigerator in the middle of the night. I had just put the cap back on my water when my father spoke from behind me.

"Hey, buddy." He said softly, I still managed to jump in fright and dropped the bottle. My father chuckled as I struggled to catch my breath. He reached out and hugged me tightly. "Sorry, Zyan. I was trying to be quiet so I wouldn't scare you."

"That didn't work," I said with a nervous giggle. I kissed his cheek as he rubbed my back for a moment.

"Obviously," he chuckled. My dad picked my bottle up from the floor and handed it back to me. "Damn, kid. You drank half the bottle."

"I was thirsty," I said with a blush.

My dad ruffled my hair and grabbed my water bottle. He took a quick drink before he passed it back to me and scooped me back up into his arms.

"Come on," he said with a smile. "I'll take you back to bed. I've wanted to tuck you in for a few days now, but your mother always beats me to it."

I smiled and kissed my father's cheek again before I hugged him tightly. I could feel his body heat through his t-shirt, and I sighed with pleasure as it kept me from feeling cold. My father was keeping me safe. I couldn't help but to fall more in love with the man. He chuckled and continued to hold me tight.

We heard Kyan snoring lightly as soon as we turned into the room. My father set me on my feet next to the bed and I quickly slid beneath the thick comforter. My father pulled the blanket up to my neck and kissed my forehead.

"I love you, Zyan."

"I love you, too, daddy." I said with a sleepy smile.

"Get some rest, Zyan." My father said. "I still have another birthday gift to give you tomorrow morning."

"Another one?" I asked hesitantly. MY parents had already decked out my bedroom with a huge flatscreen television and a PlayStation 4, not to mention the walk-in closet that was halfway full of clothes.

"This gift is one we give to each of you on your birthday," my father explained. "No more questions..."

I suddenly saw the man in my dreams, and I couldn't stop the gasp from slipping through my lips at my father's words.

"What is it, Zyan?" My father asked with worry in his voice.

"Just... I had a dream about an old man..." I told my father nervously. At first his eyebrows lifted in surprise, but he quickly smiled at me and stroked my cheek. "He wouldn't answer my questions, either."

"Maybe, he didn't have the answers you needed."

"Do you?"

My father froze before he hugged me tightly against his muscular chest.

"I wish I did, baby boy." He told me. "I really wish I did."

My father continued to sit with me until I fell back to sleep. He would randomly lean forward and kiss my forehead or the tip of my nose before he would just stare at me with disbelief in his eyes – like he didn't believe I was even real.

"I feel like it's a dream, too." I whispered at some point before I drifted off. I vaguely remember hearing him sniffle quietly before I began to dream about different puppies.

Kyan was spooning against me tightly the following morning. His arms were wrapped around my chest, and Kyan was snoring lightly. I giggled quietly for a moment before I pried myself loose from his arms and went to the bathroom. I slipped back into the bed when I got back, and Kyan immediately wrapped me in his arms again with a sleepy sigh. I smiled happily as I let myself fall back to sleep.

I awoke later to find Kyan's side of my bed empty. I glanced towards the window to see the sun shining brightly, and my clock said it was almost ten in the morning. I stretched out in the bed for a minute longer until I realized I had to pee again. I grabbed some shorts and a t-shirt to wear on my way to the bathroom. I turned on the shower and let it warm up while I did what I needed to do. I grabbed a towel from the closet and hung it on the bar next to the shower door before I stripped off my underwear and stepped into the shower.

I took my time to wash my body as I thought about the old man from my dreams. He didn't appear threatening in any way, and he simply told me that I wasn't home yet. I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about that, since I was certain that I was closer to being home than I had ever been before in my life. As long as I got to stay with my family, it didn't matter where we went from here.

"Hey, buddy." My father greeted me from the kitchen table where he was diligently typing away on the laptop he had in front of him. I noticed an untouched plate of buttered toast sitting in front of him when I stopped to greet my dad. "Did you sleep well?"

I nodded and leaned into his side for a moment before he pulled me onto his lap. I only hesitated briefly before I reached up and grabbed a piece of his toast. He chuckled and tickled my sides before he returned to his project.

"What are you working on, dad?" I asked as I leaned back into his chest.

"Volume Two of another series that I've been writing," he replied. "Volume One took off faster than I expected, so my publisher is pushing me to get this volume out faster than I originally planned."

"What's it about?"

"Vampires and werewolves."

"Nice," I said with a grin. "I like vampires. Is there a copy of Volume One here that I can read?"

"I have them in my office, buddy." My father stopped writing to hug me warmly. "I didn't know you were interested in reading."

"You're sort of my favorite author," I confessed with a deep blush.

My dad laughed and hugged me again.

"I was reading `The Touch' when you got to Greg's office," I told him. "I've read it at least seventy times by now."

My father looked at me and smiled in disbelief.

"I can almost quote it word for word," I said with a giggle before I had a flashback of one of the monster's beatings. "It got me through a lot of dark times..."

"I wrote the book to draw you out of hiding," he said with a soft smile as he held me close to him. "I'm happy that you were able to find comfort in it."

"I love you, daddy." I told him.

"I love you, too, Zyan."

"Where's everybody else at?" The house was unusually quiet.

"Your mom managed to drag Sarah and Kyan to the grocery store with her," my father answered my question with a laugh. "Your brother was very disappointed. He hates going shopping."

"Why?"

"Your mother can go overboard sometimes," he said with a mischievous smile. "With Sarah at her side, you and I are going to have the house to ourselves until after noon, at least."

I giggled at his comment.

"What are we going to do?"

"Well," my father replied thoughtfully. "I was considering giving you your birthday present, and then I thought that you and I could go get some lunch together."

"I'd like to go out with you," I said with a smile.

"Good, because I'm pretty sure that you're going to want to do a little shopping as well." My father said smugly.

I glanced up at him curiously before he motioned towards the laptop in front of us. I turned to watch as my father minimized the document he had been working on before he pulled up a web browser. My father typed in an address int eh search bar before he pulled up a banking website.

"What's this?" I asked curiously.

"Just a second," he replied before he typed in a username and password. Then, the screen changed, and I saw my name at the top of the page. I scanned the page for a moment and saw an amount at the bottom that made me gasp. "When I sold my first book, I created bank accounts for certain people in our family. You and Kyan didn't get your bank accounts until a few months after you were born. Anyways, each year on your birthdays, your mother and I make a deposit to your bank accounts based on the age that you're turning. Both of you started out with just one-thousand dollars deposited in your account. Each year we add one-hundred-fifty-percent to the amount from the year before and deposit that."

"This can't be right," I said in disbelief as I continued to stare at the monitor. "There's over eight-hundred-thousand dollars in this account, dad."

"You have to remember that you haven't been around to spend the money like your brother and sister, baby boy." My dad said with a chuckle. "Plus, that's not all of your money, buddy."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"You own stock in a few major corporations, Zyan." He replied as if it was no big deal. I just stared at my father. I was dumbfounded by this revelation. "I think you even own a percentage share in a hotel chain."

"I own a hotel?"

"Only part of it," my father stated. "Your lawyer has been doing business on your behalf, so I think you should show up at the next share holder meeting to prove that you're real. Would you like to see how much you're actually worth?"

I nodded hesitantly before my father clicked on a tab that opened up another window with a bunch of figures listed on it. It was complete gibberish to me, and I turned to my father for help. He simply pointed at a number at the bottom of the screen. My jaw fell open as the figure was higher than I could possibly imagine.

"Seriously?" My heart was beating rapidly in my chest.

"Yeah, buddy." My dad said proudly as he hugged me. "Your worth just over twenty million. It looks like you own a percentage share of a technology company, too. `Avatar Technologies'. Damn," he said suddenly.

"What?" I wasn't sure I could take any more excitement.

"It looks like you're one of the majority shareholders of the company." He said with a surprised chuckle. "That's the share holder meeting you'll want to go to."

"That's Uncle Geoff's company," I said quietly.

"Who?"

"Greg's brother," I replied. "He gave me my phone. I called him Uncle Geoff. His son is one of my best friends. We're family. We were..."

My father suddenly hugged me tightly.

"They'll always be a part of your family that you've been building over the past few months, buddy." He reassured me softly. "No matter what."

I sighed with relief and my father kissed the top of my head.

"Now, how would you like to go shopping?" He asked to change the subject.

"For what?" I asked nervously.

"For whatever you want, Zyan." My father chuckled and ruffled my hair. "Are you happy with your room? Do you want a computer or something?"

"A keyboard?" I asked nervously.

"Like I said, baby boy." My father said. "You can get whatever your little heart desires. You can get clothes, video games, movies... Anything, really."

My stomach growled.

"Or, we can go get food, so your mother doesn't accuse me of starving you to death."

I laughed along with my father, and he hugged me again.

"You've grown so much in just the past week that I've gotten to have you back in my life, buddy." My father praised me. "You're the bravest twelve-year-old I know."

"Thanks, dad." I told him with a blush. "I love you."

"I love you too, Zyan." My father said happily. "Now, let's go get some food and do our own shopping."

We stopped at a pizza shop that had a buffet for lunch and my father teased me when I went to the buffet for my fourth plate of pizza. I blushed and laughed along with him. It was nice listening to my father as he told me about the different books he had written over the past decade. I chewed on my pizza slowly as he told me about what it was like raising Kyan and Sarah while also traveling across America to promote his books.

"It helped that your mother was willing to be a stay at home mom, Zyan." He said with a slight grin. "I'd have never made it without her support."

My father paid our bill before he loaded me back up into the SUV and drove us to the mall. During the short drive, I spent the time fiddling with the knobs on the radio as I tried to find a station to listen to. Then, my father hit a button and I found myself being swept away by the sounds of "Fur Elise". I couldn't help but smile as I sat back in my seat and relaxed.

"Natalie told me that you loved listening to classical music in the car, so I programmed a few stations into the radio for you." My father informed me with a smile.

"Thanks, dad." I said softly as I continued to listen to the song.

When we got to the mall, my father handed me a small leather wallet. I opened it up to find a credit card with my name on it, and a photo identification card with my picture in the top corner. My mom and dad had insisted that I go with them to get an ID card a few days after I had been found. We had even stopped at a small Italian restaurant for lunch that day. My mother had held me in her arms during the entire meal. She didn't even care about the strange looks she was getting from the other diners. I smiled briefly at the memory until my father distracted me by handing me a small wad of cash.

"It's only fifty bucks," he told me as we walked through the mall. "It's so you don't have to use your card for little stuff."

"Thanks, dad." I said with a grin.

"Where do you want to go, first?" He asked me as he ruffled my hair.

I glanced around for a moment until I saw a shoe store and I pointed at it.

"I want to get some new shoes," I said excitedly. I had never been able to go just go blow money on myself before. It was my money, and I had enough in my different savings accounts to not have to worry about how much I was spending.

I spent nearly four hours in the mall with my father before I decided that I had enough. We had made six different trips to the SUV so we could empty our hands, and I had several things being delivered that wouldn't fit in the truck. All in all, it was a fun day for me. My mom called when we were nearly home to ask what was taking us so long.

"I think your son is going to be a shopping bug like you, dear." My father teased me as he spoke to my mom over the car speaker phone. "Can you have Kyan meet us in the garage? This is going to take a few trips to get everything inside."

"What all did you buy, Zyan?" My mother asked with a giggle.

"He pretty much bought the mall, Lauren." My father said with his own chuckle. "He definitely made an impression on a few salesmen, today. Especially, the young man that wouldn't stop looking at me for permission."

"Is that so?" My mother asked. "I take it the man learned that Zyan was the boss, today?"

"Definitely, Lauren." My father chuckled again. "You should have saw it. I had to walk away because I was laughing so hard. The man went pale."

"You said it was my money," I retorted. "He had no right to keep asking you for permission."

My father laughed again.

"I'm not denying anything, Zyan." My dad said defensively while still laughing. "You had every right to put him in his place. I just wish your mother would have saw it."

"Me, too." I said with a smile.

"Are you almost home, David?" My mother asked.

"We're about ten minutes out," my dad replied as he checked our surroundings.

"Okay, I'll start getting the rest of dinner ready." She informed us. "The pot roast shouldn't be too much longer, anyways."

"I love pot roast," I said with a grin.

"Me too, buddy." My father stated happily.

"I'll see you both, soon." My mother said before my dad ended the call.

Kyan and my dad helped me carry everything up to my room, and we rearranged the furniture so there would be a spot for my new desk and computer system that was being delivered the next day. My father left me and my brother to put away all of my new clothes while he went to help our mom finish dinner.

"How much money did you spend today, Zyan?" My brother asked in disbelief as we continued to hang up t-shirts.

"Umm," I had to think about it for a moment. "I think it was somewhere around ten thousand."

"Holy shit, dude!" Kyan said in awe. "I don't think I've ever spent that much money at one time."

I giggled.

"It was kind of fun," I said with a shrug. "I bought a really awesome keyboard, too. It won't be here until Thursday, though."

"Have you played the grand, yet?" Kyan asked.

"No, but Sarah showed it to me last night." I said with a dreamy smile as I remembered the glossy black grand piano that sat in front of a fireplace in its own room. It took everything I had not to sit down at it last night, and I knew I wouldn't be able to resist much longer. "I might sneak in their later so I can play it."

Kyan giggled at me.

"You don't have to sneak, Zyan." He teased me with a smile. "You can play it whenever you want."

It only took us another ten minutes or so to get the rest of my new stuff put away with Kyan's help. There were piles of books on my dresser waiting on my new bookshelf to be delivered. My dad was going to help me put it together whenever it decided to show up. I glanced around the room to make sure we didn't forget anything before I grabbed my cell phone and headed downstairs with Kyan right behind me.

"Did you know that we have a pool?" Kyan asked as we walked down the stairs to the kitchen. I stopped and glanced at him nervously.

"I don't think that would be a good idea for me," I told him quietly. Kyan looked at me in confusion for a moment and I stifled the tear that threatened to fall from my eye. I didn't trust myself to be able to speak anymore, so I just kept walking.

"Zyan, wait." Kyan said as he hurried to catch up with me. "I'm sorry. I forgot about what happened."

"It's alright," I said softly. "You guys can't keep holding back just because of me." I forced myself to smile back at Kyan and he frowned.

"I don't have to be a mind reader to know that you're being tore up inside over this, Zyan." Kyan chided me. "I also know that the memories of what happened haunt you constantly, and I wish that I could take them away from you. I would do anything to take that pain away from you just so I could see you smile without holding back."

I sniffled as I forced myself to look away from Kyan.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm trying..."

Kyan pulled me into his arms and held me tightly.

"That's all you can ever do, baby brother." Kyan said softly. "Just keep trying to smile. The pain of the memories will fade with time."

"I'll always have the scars," I said before I walked away.

I didn't stop in the kitchen and passed through quickly without glancing up. I had one purpose on my mind. There was only one way for me to get past the nervous breakdown that was pulling against my senses. I stumbled into the foyer and crossed to the piano with tears blurring my vision slightly. I quickly pulled out the bench and opened the cover before I took a deep breath. I began to play "Let it be" again, and I hummed along softly before I couldn't stop myself from singing. My voice trembled, but the music was actually helping me calm myself down. I yelped when I finished playing and Kyan wrapped his arms around me from behind.

"I love you, Zyan." He whispered with a tremble in his voice. "I love everything about you, baby brother. You're perfect just the way you are."

"I'm sorry I overreacted," I said softly.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't understanding," Kyan replied.

"I love you, Kyan." I told my brother. "I feel like I've always missed you."

Kyan squeezed me tightly.

"I'm never going to let you leave me, again." My brother reassured me before he finally let go of me. "Come on. Mom says dinner is ready."

My stomach growled and we both giggled. Kyan pulled me along to the dining room where our parents and Sarah were already waiting for us. Kyan pushed me towards the empty seat next to our dad while he went and sat next to mom. Sarah sat across from me with a smile on her face.

"What?" I asked suspiciously.

"Well," she began with a smug tone. "I was going to show mom and dad the video that Molly took last night, but you just gave them a live concert."

I felt myself blush and I looked down at my plate of food. There was a slab of pot roast drenched in gravy with a scoop of mashed potatoes beside it. Carrots and green beans were next to the potatoes with a baked roll to top it all off. My mouth watered at the smell, but I was too focused on how I had just embarrassed myself. Then, I glanced up at Sarah and smiled back at her.

"You still have to show them the video," I told her.

My sister suddenly scowled at me.

"I don't think it's going to be necessary, baby brother." She said quietly.

"Am I missing something?" My mother asked.

"Sarah played violin with me, last night." I replied to my mother with a grin.

"All I did was harmonize, Zyan." Sarah said with a roll of her eyes.

"It was still pretty, though." I said smugly. Kyan giggled from across the table.

"Have you ever played "Let it be" before, Sarah?" My mother asked.

"No," she said with a frown.

"I'd like to hear it," my father said with a grin.

Sarah scowled at me for a moment before she laughed and shook her head.

"You're going to be a pain in my butt, just like Kyan." Sarah teased me.

"I'm going to try," I said with a giggle.

"Life goals," Kyan added.

We talked about different things during dinner and what my parents had planned for the week ahead. My mother reminded my dad that we had a meeting with the therapist in the morning, which just reminded me that I was broken and had to be repaired. I felt myself beginning to spiral before Sarah brought up the fact that Mr. Waterson wanted me to play in the orchestra.

"I really must see that video, Sarah." My father stated once she had finished.

Sarah sighed and pulled out her phone. She quickly pulled up the video and passed it to our father. My mother quickly got up and moved around the edge of the table until she leaned over my dad's shoulder. I blushed slightly as I heard the music begin to play and Sarah smiled at me.

"Jesus, dude." Kyan said softly as he smiled at me. "Do you always sing like that?"

I shrugged.

Kyan turned and looked at Sarah with raised eyebrows.

"Do you honestly think we could do it?" Sarah asked him.

Kyan just nodded before he turned back to me.

"Zyan, I think it's time that you joined our band." My brother said as he grinned. "We would definitely win the talent show this year if you joined us."

"Talent show?"

"The city puts on a talent show every year on the Fourth of July," Sarah explained. "The winner gets five-thousand dollars, Zyan. Plus, they usually have talent scouts there for the really good acts. Kyan plays guitar, I play my violin, and Hayley plays drums for us. You can play the keyboard and sing."

I vaguely remembered meeting my cousin at the party, but I did remember that her family didn't live very far away from us, and Uncle Derek was an actor who had been in several movies throughout the years. I sighed and nodded. Sarah and Kyan high-fived each other with huge smiles on their faces. My mother hugged me from behind before she went back to her own seat.

"We actually have a chance at winning this year," Kyan said happily.

"I'll call Hayley after dinner and let her know," Sarah said. "She's going to flip!"

I glanced over at my father and he just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Sarah and Kyan continued to plan everything out between themselves as they discussed different songs that we could do. They asked my opinion here and there, but I managed to stay out of the conversation for the most part. My mom and dad continued to talk about different things they had planned, and I just smiled as I watched my family interact with each other. Kyan caught my expression and smiled at me.

I blushed slightly at being caught but Kyan just giggled slightly before he went back to talking with Sarah. My father scooted his chair closer to me and started rubbing the back of my neck while he and my mother continued talking. I sighed happily and let my eyes drift shut as I relaxed and leaned into my dad's side. I felt him kiss the top of my head as my exhaustion overtook me.

I was safe with my family...

********A huge THANK YOU to every single one of you guys! I hope everyone has enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned for Chapter 14!

*********Thanks again for reading "The Touch". If you wish to be notified of this or any of my other stories, please feel free to email me. – storymyke@outlook.com

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