Powerless (Book 1): Powerless (8 page)

Later that evening Philip returned to the topic with the boys, gently quizzing them to find out how much they had taken in.
It was clear from the outset that
Lee had an astonishing
appetite for
information
and
ability
to
recall
it, as Lee was able to divulge back to him in great detail everything that he was taught by his father.
This,
Philip
hoped,
might
have
been
his
power,
but
Lee
wasn’t
so
fortunate.

*

Lee brought his attention to the cold cup in front of him and pushed it to one side with irritation, as the real reason for his birthday melancholy came to mind once more. Every year he couldn’t help but recall his own history to mind, as if by retelling himself his own story it could change a past that haunted him. He went through it in his mind systematically, with an eerie detachment that never lasted long enough. He tried to put himself in his father’s shoes as he considered how he felt knowing a second son was about to be born, but it was near impossible. Imagining that kind of connection with someone, bringing new life into the world. A life that was completely and utterly your responsibility. A life that you would have to love, no matter what problems it caused, who it hurt, who’s life it turned upside down.

The distant sound of sirens pulled Lee from his deep thoughts. Hearing sirens ringing out and bracing himself for the inevitable, only to see a fire engine whizz past the coffee shop on the other side and not even turn onto his block. Looking at his watch confused and thinking,
Why aren’t the cops here?
Maybe Jimmy was afraid to call the cops as he would have to explain a lot more than just bruises on himself. Most certainly the cops would question the bruises on Beth.

Content that he was not going to have to call his father from a jail cell, he picked himself up and went to his family.

CHAPTER FIVE

Lee joined Tom and Philip for dinner; it was always a welcome relief to him to have them close at hand. Only when he was sitting in a room with them did he have a feeling of belonging, a sense of acceptance that had never been easy for him to come by in the outside world.

After the dinner was finished Philip disappeared for his post dinner ritual of two laps of the block and, unbeknownst to his boys, a sneaky cigarette when no one was looking.

Lee busied himself by the sink, working his way through the pile of dishes. Tom walked into the room from the sitting room where he had been rattling through his bags.

Placing a box on the sink beside Lee, he turned to sit at the table without talking. Lee spied the box and asked, “What’s this?”

Tom laughed, “Oh, I forgot you don’t have x-ray vision, open and you will see!”

Lee looked at Tom not knowing if he should be insulted, but before he had time to say anything Tom hastened him, “Go on!”

Quickly drying his hands, Lee lifted the box and sat at the table opposite Tom. Opening the box to see a dull blade inside, Tom interrupted the process and asked, “Do you recognise that?” Seeing the handle on the old knife Lee knew straight away exactly what was in front of him.

“Only you, Tom, could make a great present out of something I already own!” Taking the knife in his hand and removing it from the box be continued. “Man I haven’t seen this thing in years. Where did you find it?”

              “I have me ways,” Tom stated and as his brother inspected the knife Tom went on. “Do you remember that day?”

              “How could I forget, I was a kid and you nearly got me killed.” Lee replied.

              Tom acknowledged “Well, if Dad ever knew I think both of us would have been.”

The incident had happened many years before; Philip
bought
a
cabin
high
in
the
mountains,
keeping
it a
secret
from
everyone
except
his
two
sons.
This
was
the
place
where
he
would
take
his
boys
at
the
weekends
and
holidays
to
train
and
study.
It
was
also
a
sanctuary
to
Philip,
a
place
to
go
to
escape
the
world
after
his
wife
passed.
Often
going
for
long
hikes
himself, he
could
regularly
be
found there
working
on
reconditioning
vintage
muscle
cars; buying
wrecked
cars
and
totally
rebuilding
them
as
he
did
with
his
father
all
those
years
previously,
never
keeping
them
for
too
long,
only
long
enough
to
find
his
next
project.

The
education
given
to
Lee
would
also
benefit
his
brother
as
the
two
boys
were
always
at
each
other’s
side.
One
of
the
most
important
things
Philip
instilled
in
his
sons
was
the
importance
of
going
unseen,
both
as
a
survival
tactic
and
also
as
an
everyday
tool
to
be
applied
to
his
life.
Philip
taught
the
two
boys
to
use
and
trust
their
instincts,
ingraining
a
mantra into
their subconscious;
“Trust
your
gut.
It
won't
lie
to
you. If
something
doesn’t
feel
right
it's
wrong.”

Philip
also
taught
Lee
that
he
was
different,
special,
and
if
anyone
other
than
his
brother
found
out,
this
could
put
himself
and
Tom
in
danger; fearing that if the truth got out Lee could be taken away from them and tested as if he were a Neanderthal in a world of homo sapiens, a link to a forgotten past.

Needing
to
know
if
the
training
regime
the
boys
were
on
was
actually
working,
Philip
brought
the
boys
high
up
into
the
mountains
and
gave
them
limited
supplies.

He handed
them
some
hunting
and
tracking
gear and looked them dead in the eye as he spoke to them.
“It
will
take
you
four
days
to
get
off
this
mountain
safely;
I
have
given
you
enough
water
for
two
days
and
equipment
to
catch
your
own
food. I
have
installed
a
GPS
tracking
tag
into
each
of
your
coats
and
an
emergency
beacon,
so
if
you
do
get
in
trouble,
activate
it
and
I
will
come
and
get
you.
You
are
to
set
up
camp
here
for
tonight
and
start
to
make
your
way
off
the
mountain
and
back
to
the
cabin
in
the
morning...”

Once
again
he reminded
his
sons,
“Trust
your
gut.
It
won't
lie
to
you. If
something
doesn’t
feel
right,
it’s
wrong,”
and
with
that
Philip
left.

The
two
boys
sat
down
and
began
to
plan
their
route
off
the
mountain;
they
decided
that
contrary
to
their
father’s
wishes
they
would
in fact
set
off
that
evening
rather
than
wait
for
the
next
day.

They
were
keen
to
impress
their
father
,
determined
to
navigate
the
four
-day
trail
in
two
days. Thinking
this
would
evoke
feelings
of
pride
in
their
sometimes
-distant
father. L
ee hoped with this opportunity he would prove himself to his father as equal to everyone else in the world and that maybe with his approval on this Philip might stop treating him as an outcast, different to everyone else, and his shortcomings would no longer become an issue to Philip and to himself.

They
were
above
the
snow
line
and
wanted
to
get
below
it
before
considering
camping
down
for
the
night. Reaching the edge of the snowline darkness set in and the boys considered stopping, but both were too keen to continue. They sat down to change their socks, which by now were wet from the deep snow spilling over the tops of their boots. As Lee slipped off his boots Tom snickered looking at the socks that were on his feet. Lee looked at him, slightly agitated by Tom’s guffaw. He barked, “What are you laughing at?”

Tom pointed to the water-soaked socks on his brother’s feet. Lee, looking at his feet, couldn’t help but smile as he had unwittingly worn Kermit socks for the hike. Lee laughed back good-naturedly. “Well, at least they are my lucky socks.”

Tom reached into his pack and pulled out a thick pair of green thermal army socks, handing them to him with a grin. “I think these might be a little better suited.”

Lee pulled on his brother’s socks, tied up his boots and began
to
traverse
the
mountain.
Guided
by
the
stars, they navigated through the woodland with only the moonlight to illuminate their path.
Walking
most
of
the
night,
they
stopped only
for
three
hours,
when
the
night
was
at
its
darkest,
to
rest. Finding cover at the foot of a ridge protected from the wind and under the cover of thick foliage they
bedded
down
for
a
while.

They
arose
before
dawn
and
packed
away
all
their
equipment
and
were
ready
to
continue
on
their
way.
There
were
no
complications
the
first
day;
understanding
exactly
what
to
do
and
where
they
needed
to
go.
They
needed
to
walk
ten
hours
and
then
find
shelter,
allowing
two
hours
for
respite
and route
re-adjustment,
correcting
any
navigational
errors
they
made
along
the
way.
While
walking
they
needed
to
find
a
water
source
and
a
source
of
food.
They
found
the
water
easily
and
decided to source food when they found the best place to bed down.