Fontaine Academy

Chapter 45

Patrick

Tiago never got back to me about the hunt so half an hour before we are supposed to leave I text and call him but both go unanswered.

I go by his room and this time I knock instead of letting myself in.He doesn’t come to the door and one of his neighbors tells me he saw him leave campus earlier with his friends.

I am not sure if he means his new friends or the rest of us but I think he means the former.My suspicions are confirmed when the guys say they haven’t seen him and he is not at the meeting site.

What I did not expect to see is my father and the other members of the order including the three suspects.

“Welcome hunters. Today we are going to be doing an unplanned hunt to lift the spirits of fellow hunters Cullen, Nate and Darren. You can pair up however you want and let the best hunter prove himself. Patrick, you are with me.” dad says.

We are doing a real hunt?!

I get flashes from the last hunt and break out in a sweat.

I can’t go through that again.

The moment dad turns away to answer a question from one of the hunters, I disappear into the woods.All I have to do is hide from my dad and let off a few shots when I see a quarry. If I keep moving it will be over soon enough.

Everything goes according to plan for the first hour; I keep moving, let off a few shots here and there and no one is the wiser. But when I go to move to another hiding spot dad steps into my path.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” he asks voice dangerously low.

I decide to come clean.

“I don’t want to hunt, I never have.” I say.

“But you are an excellent shot. All you have to do is squeeze the trigger, there is nothing to it. Or do you want me to put you on mercy duty like last time?”

My blood runs cold as my mind is assaulted with the images from the last hunt.

“No! I won’t do that again. I barely survived last time.” I say.

“You were fine stop exaggerating.” He says.

“How would you know? You never checked in. You saw how out of it I was that day and you didn’t say anything. Even when I said I would be spending the vacation with the Ramirezes you didn’t question it. I could barely function because of that day!”

“You are so weak. A hunter doesn’t feel remorse for taking out prey, that’s why prey exists. I can’t believe someone as weak as you is my son. I did everything right!” he rants.

“What?” I say barely above a whisper.

“Don’t look at me like that. I give you everything and this is how you repay me? By embarrassing me? I didn’t want to believe it but I guess that Ramirez boy really changed you.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask calmly even as fear shakes me to the core.

I am not ready.

“Renaud said he saw you guys on break acting like honeymooners. I didn’t want to believe it but it must be true. That’s the real reason you don’t want to hunt because you are not a real man anymore.” He sneers.

I can’t believe those words just came out the mouth of someone I thought was my role model. I don’t think I have ever been more disappointed in Damien Fontaine.

“My relationship with Tiago has nothing to do with my dislike for hunting. I have never liked it. The only reason I even joined this order is only because you said it is tradition and not to disappoint you. Sexuality has nothing to do with it.” I say calmly fighting against the instinct to lash out.

“Sexuality? Sexuality has nothing to do with it?” he grits out then looks to the clearing to his left where a deer has just stepped into the middle of.

“Prove it. Prove that you are still a man and shoot the prey.” He says.

When I don’t make a move to lift my rifle he lifts his and points it at me.

“Pick up the damn gun Patrick.” He says in a dead voice.

I don’t move I don’t think I even breathe as I stare down the barrel of his gun.

If I don’t do as he says will he shoot me? His own son?

“All you have to do is pull the trigger. It’s easy just like we practiced.” He cajoles but it does nothing to calm my heart that is trying to beat out of my chest.

“Do you need a refresher or something? Okay fine I will demonstrate.” He says and fires in the next second.

The crazed look disappears from his face and is quickly replaced by fear. I wonder what has him spooked so follow his gaze to my arm which blooms red. That’s when the pain sets in and I hit the ground.

When I open my eyes I am in a blindingly white room and the smell of antiseptic is quite strong.

“Good, you are awake. The police will be here to speak to you any minute now so we don’t have much time. I told them it was only the two of us having some father-son bonding time. You got shot when you were squatting behind a bush and I mistook you for a deer.” He says carefully.

“Why?” I ask.

“We can’t tell them about the others because then we would have to explain about our order and the three hunters can’t afford any more police attention.” He says.

I was asking why he shot me not why we have to lie about the number of people present.

He sighs I guess taking my silence as protest.

“It was barely a graze, Patrick. Just collaborate my story and keep our family’s name out of the news. Okay?” he says.

I nod.

When the cops arrive a moment later they ask to speak to me alone and I tell them exactly what dad said I should say.

An hour later I am discharged and I take a cab back to school.As soon as I open the door to my room Tiago jumps up from the chair he was sitting on and almost tackles me to the ground.

“Patty, I heard you got shot! Are you okay?”

🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️

A/N

Thanks for reading!

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- Oli 💌