The Beautiful Monster

Chapter 268  Truth

Melina couldn't count how many missed calls she got from Tyler. Part of her wanted to talk to him because he was usually her main source of comfort, but she knew who she actually needed to talk to right now.

When she took off running after Blair disappeared, she was going to head to her dorm, but she knew that Tyler would look there to find her. She couldn't face him just yet. She needed to talk to… Benjamin.

She hid behind the gentle slope of one of the hills outside of campus, hoping that no one saw her. She didn't want to be bothered right now.

She wanted to get her head straight if that was even possible. After drawing in a breath, she tapped on Benjamin's contact and brought the phone up to her ear as it rang.

"Hey, Mel. Doing okay?" Benjamin answered like usual. His voice made Melina's eyes water. Nothing was at it seemed. Benjamin wasn't who she had always thought he was. He almost felt like a stranger at this point.

"I know that you're not my real dad," Melina said, cutting to the chase. She didn't care to do small talk. She wanted the truth, the full truth. She refused to accept anything else.

"What happened?" Benjamin asked in a quiet voice.

Melina shook her head, feeling tears break from her eyes and stream down her face. She didn't even know what to say.

She could hardly process what happened. All that she knew was that Blair was working for some evil person that saw Melina as a threat for some reason and tried to kill her.

Then, she found out that Tyler was sent to the school to protect her by her real parents that she didn't even know existed.

"Stay where you are. I'm coming to you," Benjamin said when she didn't answer. "Will you text me where you're at and stay there until I get there?"

Melina felt her throat tighten. She didn't know if she could face him, but if she wanted answers, she would have to.

"Yes," she replied before hanging up. She sent him her location before putting her phone down and then laying against the slope of the hill, letting the tears run down her face. Right now, she truly was alone, and she didn't know if that was going to change.

~*~

Benjamin arrived after a few hours of travel. He found Melina laying on the hill, staring up at the sky with a tear-stained face. He frowned and sat down beside her, putting a few feet of space between them.

"I'm sorry, Melina," he started off by saying.

Melina didn't move at first. She didn't even speak or blink. She just stared up at the sky, running through the scene in the forest over and over again.

She also thought about her past, trying to find clues to support Tyler's claims. It was hard to find any. Benjamin hid the truth well.

"Why?" she asked.

"I'm your uncle.Your dad's brother. Your mother is a demon and your father is from a descendant of witches.

Together, they had two children, a witch and a demon-witch hybrid, a girl and a boy," Benjamin started to explain.

Melina sat up straight, turning to face him with wide eyes.

"I have a brother that's a hybrid?" she asked him.

Benjamin nodded.

"You're twins. Together, you're incredibly powerful. You're strong apart too, but you have immense power together. You'd be a threat to anyone," he told her.

"Where is he?" Melina asked him.

"He's living his own life states away. He doesn't know the truth, and he doesn't know about you. Neither of you were supposed to find out," Benjamin replied.

Melina narrowed her eyes. She had a brother taken away and hidden from her. Her entire family life was a lie! She couldn't believe that she had been lied to for so long.

"Why were we separated?" she asked him, her tone sounding sharp.

"A very powerful demon started to come into power. He has plans to take over the supernatural world and enslave the human world.

Your parents knew of his plan to wipe out any powerful beings that were strong enough to stop him.

Because of your special blood, your parents knew that they had to separate the two of you to hide you," Benjamin said.

Melina felt her blood run cold as she stared at Benjamin, trying to wrap her mind around everything that he was telling her.

It sounded crazy, but some of the pieces were starting to come together for her. Plus, his story was starting to align with Blair's.

"I'm guessing that he still found me," she said.

Benjamin nodded with a frown.

"You're an incredibly powerful witch. I sent you to this school so that you could learn how to protect yourself.

Someone noticed how powerful you are, and it reached the wrong person," he murmured as he lowered his eyes, looking ashamed. "Your brother must not be using his powers much because he hasn't been found yet."

Melina was relieved to hear that. She didn't know her brother, but she wanted him to stay alive long enough for them to meet one day.

"Shouldn't I see him since that demon found me? He can help me fight him off or something," Melina asked.

Benjamin shook his head.

"It's still safer for both of you to be apart. The demon hasn't gotten to full power yet. We've been trying to figure out ways to take him down," he sighed.

Melina wasn't sure about that approach, but she still wasn't fully in the loop yet.

"Do my parents even… think about me?" she asked him. Maybe that was a stupid question to ask since they basically abandoned her in a way.

"Of course. They love you dearly. They gave you to me because it would keep you and your brother safe. I did my best to raise you, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I still see you as a daughter," Benjamin told her with a gentle smile.