Lost in Wonderland: A YA Dark Fantasy Adventure Novel (Once Upon a Haunted Doll Book 1) by Valentina Valerian

Author:Valentina Valerian [Valerian, Valentina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-06-06T04:00:00+00:00

29

His Secrets

8th August 1875

When I place the herb in front of Father’s nose, he immediately awakens.

“Oh my goodness… did I… thank you so much,” Father says as he rubs his eyes.

He sits up and stretches before looking around in confusion, trying to recall what happened.

“Are we still at the toy store?” he inquires.

“Yes.”

Father’s eyes widen as he notices no trace of the nutcracker.

“What happened to that nut? Is he still alive?” He asks, his voice trembling.

“No. I defeated him.”

There is a long pause as Father stares at me in awe. I can tell he’s proud of me because of his facial expression, such as the way he holds his chin high.

“You’ve really grown in confidence,” he finally says, his voice full of surprise. “Well done.”

I blush and lower my head. “Th-Thank you, Father.”

Father’s body spasms in pain as he says, “You’re welcome.” He slumps to the floor, his eyes rolling up in his head. He begins to sweat and breathe heavily.

“Father!” I cry out shaking him.

For a brief moment, his body relaxes and his eyes open.

“What happened to me?” he asks, perplexed.

“You fainted,” I say, concernedly looking at him.

“I’m sorry, I must have gotten too excited,” he says, rising to his feet.

I make a blink. Father is acting strange… or, more accurately, differently than what I have observed from him in the last few hours. But I can’t pinpoint exactly what has changed.

“Father… I think we should sit here and talk for a while - you appear quite frail right now.”

“Alright. What would you like to discuss?”

I hesitate. “Father… I know you’re my father, but I don’t know anything about you… and I want to know everything I possibly can about you.”

Father is a little creeped out, but he ultimately understands me. “Yes, my child, you can ask me anything you want. But I’d like you to answer one of my questions in return so that I can get to know you.”

“All right,” I say, taking a deep breath and turning to face Father. “Can you tell me your full name, Father?”

“My full name is Gabriel Janvier. I may have had a middle name, but I was never told about it.”

I raise my brow. Never told about it? What exactly does he mean by that?

“How about you?” Father inquires.

“It’s Zoé Alarie,” I say, my gaze fixed on my father.

He gives a nod. “What a lovely name.”

“Thank you,” I say, beaming from ear to ear.

“All right, I’ll ask you another question then,” Father says, smiling. “What does it all mean? Your name, I mean.”

I’m hesitant. “It means little doll,” I say, my smile having faded. “Can you explain what yours means?”

“Playful, witty, and crafty,” Father exclaims, his eyes widening with surprise. “Our names really do define us, don’t they?”

I scowl. “Not really,” I say quietly, my hands twitching. “I thought my name meant something completely different.”

“What did you interpret it to mean?” Father inquires, intrigued.

I turn to face Father. He appears to be a nice man, and it feels good that he addresses me as a person rather than an object or an animal, as my previous carers did.

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