(2020 rewrite)

I looked at Kyle as he was distracted by the trees passing by us. Alfred agreed to bring all of us to see my father. He was alive and I deserved to see him.

"You okay Malikai?" Beth asked and I turned my head smiling at her from the rear view mirror.

"I'm okay Beth. Just a little shocked to know he's okay. It's been fifteen years and we both thought that the other died in that fire. I just wish my mother was still alive." I said and felt a cold warmth touch my fingertips. I looked down and saw Kyle's fingers trying to comfort me. I grabbed his hand my fingers trying to intertwine with his. I looked over at him again his eyes now tranced by our hands. I squeezed his hands getting him to smile at me.

"I do too Malikai. I got to meet her a few times and even though I don't know everything about her I do know that she was such a lovely woman." Beth said and I smiled nodding in agreement.

The car ride was a lot longer than I expected. I had ended up moving to the middle seat around the halfway point to lean on Kyle. His arm had me secured close to him as we watched the trees together.

The car finally stopped at a big house that could hold this family and more. I looked up seeing it go from the nice white it was to the black rubble of my old house. I closed my eyes inhaling enough and letting it out.

"Everything will be okay. I'm right here." Kyle said, making me open my eyes and look at him. I nodded and we both got out attaching to each other quick after I looked at the house again.

I heard giggling from children and looked behind us. Two boys dashed after each other one almost running into us. One tripped and pushed his small body up crying.

"Diego!" The little boy yelled causing the older looking one to run back. He helped him up and pulled a bandaid out of his pocket covering his scrapped knee. I went over and knelt down.

"Are you okay little boy?" I asked and he looked up at me.

"You look like the king who lives here." He said back to me and I shivered a little.

"Well the king is her father." Alfred said and rubbed the boys heads. "Diego why don't you take Mason to your mother?" The taller boy nodded and they went into the house.

"So are they like my brothers?" I asked not thinking my father would get a new family that quickly.

"Good heavens no. Your father is the owner of a wendigo safe house. He and I actually used to live here with our parents and our ancestor Ethan." He explained as we walked to the door our partners walking hand and hand behind us. "He was supposed to take over but had found love in your mother. She bared you and he stopped arriving. So after the house burnt down other wendigos thought you were killed with your parents but when he showed up no one knew what to do. He was alive and no one could bring themselves to tell him what had happened." I nodded and sighed.

I looked up at the big house and soon everything else disappeared besides the rubble and ash. I was breathing heavy and felt something touch my shoulders yet I didn't see what was really there.

"Just calm down Malikai. It's not only you anymore. You are with your kind. Your partner and his parents." A deep voice rang in my ears. I turned seeing no one at all and turned back to the house. I saw my mother and a tall well kept man. He was laughing with my mother at the perfect house and looked back at me. I shivered at his waiting gaze and nodded walking towards the house. They disappeared and I was back to reality. Yet he was vividly in my head.

He was tall and had enough muscle not too much and not too skinny. His skin was the color of a latte. His eyes were such an ice blue that I think they were like Kyle's. He had a button up and a vest on all held up by a bow tie. Nice dress pants and dress shoes. He made me cautious of who my mother was talking to.

I pushed the door open and walked in women and men looking at me with shock.

"Amelie is alive too?" Some were saying causing me shiver at my mother's name. Kyle grabbed my shoulders pulling me to him.

"It's okay." He said and I heard that man say it again. "Just calm down Malikai. It's not only you anymore. You are with your kind. Your partner and his parents." I nodded to Kyle and smiled. "Is she cheating?" "No she can't be."

"Where is Aleksander?" Alfred asked and everyone froze. I watched a woman come in front of me and put her hand on my cheek.

"Malikai?" She said my name more like a question. I nodded and she looked like she could cry. "I only got to see you in your mom's belly." She told me and smiled like an aunt would to their new found niece. "Aleksander is in his office Alfred. He said he was expecting you today so we got excited you'd bring Beth." She said and Beth poked out smiling at her. The woman lit up and they hugged.

I looked at Alfred and he smiled nodding his head to the stairs. They curved at an angle my eyes not taking in the high ceiling and the spacious entrance till now. We walked down a more darkened hallway and into another.

"Does he like space all of a sudden?" I asked.

"No his office is just in the back of the house." Alfred chuckled at me before we went to a double door room. Alfred opened the door after knocking and looked shocked. "I'm sorry are we intruding?" He asked not letting me see my father yet.

"No Alfred. Ethan's just telling me about your arrival." I could heard his voice and I knew I was crying. Kyle hugged me now worried about me before Alfred noticed.

"Malikai are you okay?" He asked and went to go help before I pushed back from Kyle's chest and nodded. He held the door for me and I went in wiping my eyes.

"Malikai?" I looked up looking at the man I didn't have to crank my neck back just to look at anymore. I rushed to him and he hugged me tightly. I stood just wanting to cry forever. One of my parents was alive.

"Afternoon Ethan. It has been some time since I last spoke to you." Alfred said I turned to my father.

"Who is Ethan?" I asked and he smiled.

"An ancestor to a lot of us." He said moving so I could see the man I saw in my head not too long ago. His hair slicked back and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hello Malikai. I saw you last when you couldn't even look at me without falling over." He chuckled and flashed a sharp toothed smile.

"I don't really remember." I told him as I went closer to him.

"That does hurt a little but I could show it to you." I looked at him confused and saw that I didn't catch the red rings around his pupils. He was different up close. I nodded and he grabbed my hand facing me towards the door. I looked down at a little baby and giggled at her.

"Malikai it's time to eat." My mother. I turned to look at her walk in and stop smiling. "Your name was Ethan right? Sorry I'm not good with all these wendigos." She laughed and I looked to see him looking down at the baby. The baby looked up at him and fell over her neck not able to go that far back yet.

He chuckled and grabbed her hands helping her up as he knelt down in front of her. "Sorry. I don't really know my own height. I just look down at everyone. So this is Malikai?" I looked with him at my mother and she nodded.

"She's part human and Alek wants her to be raised human but at least she gets to see an ancestor. How is your sister?"

"Protective and all over me as usually." He said and the baby who I now was fully aware was me grabbed onto his hand that laid on his knee. "Malikai that was rude of me." He grabbed my little hand and kissed it. "I am Ethan. We will not know each other well for awhile but you will see me around when you feel most alone." He told me and I watched as my little baby legs pushed myself up holding myself up on his legs.

"Oh my god I need to get the camera." My mom went out of the room and I just looked up at him with so much amazement. He was indeed beautiful to my little self. I heard the camera and saw the flash looking back at my mother and father now looking at the two of us.

I was back in the room and looking at Kyle. I smiled at him and his look of fear changed into a smile itself.

"Thank you Ethan." I said and he only grinned.

"It's kinda what I do. Remember every moment of my life." He chuckled and all I could do was nod at him. I went over to Kyle and leaned into him happy I had him and could have this side of me I didn't have all my life.

"So this is Kyle all grown up huh?" We both stopped looking at each other to look at my father. "And with my daughter I can clearly see."

"I wasn't just gonna let a pretty girl like her go without someone like me sir." He said and my father laughed.

"Sir? You're more formal than your father. Just call me Alek I don't like being formal." My father was probably the most underdressed person in the room besides Kyle and I. He never was formal. He even hated when my teachers would call him mister. He always liked being called just by his first name. He always said he wanted to stay young and things like sir and mister made him feel old.

"You're the exact same." I giggled.

"So? What you want me to be a strict dad like... Call me sir and mister or you can't see my daughter ever again. Or do you want me as fun dad. Like hi I'm Alek and I don't know your intensions with my daughter but I'm trusting her in your hands right now." I smiled and rolled my eyes.

"You know that answer." I told him.

"Kyle you better call me Alek or I swear." He even lowered his voice a little more making everyone laugh. I truly did miss my father. He made situations feel so refreshing.

We walked together catching up on what he had missed in my life. He caught me up on his life and what he did before. How he knew Alfred and Ethan. He even was explaining when my mother and him first met Kyle.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about you being a wendigo. I really wanted you to live life as a human like your mother." He bluntly said after we were the only ones in his study.

"You told me you were gonna tell me when I was older. I respected that dad. I mean I wish I knew earlier than now but I'm happy to know that I'm not too far from Kyle." I smiled at him making him reply with the same gesture.

"I'm happy that you're not super upset about the whole thing. I just wanted you safe and I'm glad that you're not mad. I just wish your mother could see how much you've grown. You really do look like her." He said with a more saddened smile now. I looked at him worry now on my face as he chuckled. "I'm sorry to make you worry. I didn't mean to be like that. Ethan tells me as much as he can that she is still here."

I nodded in agreement with Ethan's words. "She is. She would never let you go off on your own." I said and honestly I felt my mother was in the room with us. I was happy to get the warm feeling she always gave me when I was little again. I smiled at my father before looking to the door due to a knock. Ethan came in smiling at us.

"Dinner is ready and everyone is waiting for you. I'm gonna be heading out back to Beatrice because you know how she is." I stood my father following with me as he nodded to Ethan. "It was nice meeting you again Malikai." Ethan smiled before he was gone.

I looked around then to my father who only smiled. "Why would he stay? He's quite the busy man. He's been here longer than Alfred and I. It's crazy to think about. He and his younger sister are known through wendigo history. Ethan was said to be a circus act awhile back. Beth has been a model since they started having them. Ethan was also the first gay man to lash back at the protesters."

"He's gay?" I said and my father only chuckled.

"He's surprising is what he is."