Aldus

"Alright guys, you're all probably wondering why I sent you all a text of an emergency meeting and to not contact Aldus at any cost." Lex asks the group, the guard just looks to each other and chatter with themselves. "Is Aldus in trouble?" Raven asks with curiosity, Lex turns his head towards her and replies with putting his arms crossed against his torso. "Yes, very. The reason I brought you all here today is simple. Aldus has betrayed us, he has been contacting the Duskwalkers. We don't know for how long, Bransen has found him on the phone with a leader. Bradley I assume." Lex spat. She just looks down and sighs in frustration, disappointment evident on her face features. "I thought he was acting strange, I thought it was just old age. When he started being distant, I thought he was just depressed. I should have known." Lex goes over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder in a sympathetic way. "You couldn't have, being distant at that age is normal. You went with your logic, you couldn't have known. Don't blame yourself Raven." She smiles weakly and nods subtly. "What about his family? Don't they have to know why we are going to be keeping a watch on him? If we start acting different around him or his family, then they will be suspicious." Ashton speaks up. "We are in contact with his family; his daughter's family is aware of the situation. In fact, they're here today." Lex points to the back of the room, where Aldus's daughter and ... Alphys? Alphys is related to Aldus? I did not see this coming.

"Hey Alphys, how are you doing?" I go to Alphys after the meeting and ask. She just looks down at her feet and have a solemn look on her face. "I can't believe Granddaddy did this, he is a good man, I swear. He used to bring me to Dairy Queen in Moncton every weekend before the incident." Alphys speaks up, her voice cracking from crying,I presume. "You two were close? This has to come off as quite a shock then." She looks up and smiles, recalling some memories. "Yeah, when Grandma was still alive, we used to go out all the time, he was friendly and he was happy. Then the crash happened, I could have been there that day, I had homework when they asked if I wanted to tag along to the mall. Then the bus came and ..." Alphys' eyes gloss over and she hiccupped with sobs. I sit beside her and give her a reassuring hug. "Don't give up, you will do great things, I know it. Make your Grandmother proud, stand up and say no to the world who is pushing you down. I think there is a reason that Aldus went this path, if that tragedy happened, he wouldn't turn his back on you or the pack. In fact he should be more determined to fight for it. There is something he is not letting on. Do you know what he has been doing recently? Strange places he goes to that he doesn't normally go to?" "Can we go somewhere else? It is embarrassing that they can hear everything I say." Alphys nods to the door. "Sure, any way that could help you talk about it." I lead Alphys out the door and she leads me down to the south wing of the town. "Where are we going?" I ask her. " To a place where no one can hear me and it is my personal writing and painting spot. It's where I'm calm and away from everyone." When we reach the edge of town, she stops and says, "This is the place where my Grandma used to take me sometimes, it's very peaceful to me. It IS in the middle of the woods but you're the saviour. So we're safe." Alphys chuckles and I smile warmly, ruffling her hair.

Aldus leads me to a treehouse in the woods with a waterfall adjacent to it. "Woah, how did you find this place? It is beautiful." I ask her while we're climbing the tree, the branches creaking with each step. "I was just walking though the woods one night and saw the waterfall, I instantly loved the spot because it reminded me of my Grandmother, so I built a treehouse." She responds when she is at the top. When I reach the inside interior of the treehouse, I notice multiple pictures and postcards from different countries and their monuments from Aldus. "Did your Grandfather go all the way around the world?" I point at a picture of The Empire State Building. "When Grandpa was himself, he used to take pictures while on missions for the guard. He has been to Italy, Paris, New Orleans, you name it." Alphys smiles at the memory, clinging to the photo as if her life depended on it, her other hand clutches to her dolphin necklace. "Did he give you that necklace? It's beautiful." I smile and she responds with a warm smile, her dimples raising. "Yeah, he got me this a very long time ago. I was probably about eight when he got it for me. I wear it everyday since then." I shuffle and sit on the edge of the tree. "So do you know why he would do this? This is just too weird. If he was like that before and no he is doing this, something isn't right." "I knew I wasn't the only one! It is weird as heck! He was happy in the guard, he wouldn't just do this without cause!" Alphys stands up and flails her arms angrily. "Would you be able to do something that might help us figure out what's wrong? I need you to visit him, note where he goes?" Alphys shifts her weight on each of her knees, uncomfortable. "I will do everything in my power to bring your Grandfather back to you. The real him." I hold Alphys's hands, gingerly, she nods with a hopeful smile.