Damian's life in WellBerg had become a blur of sweat, aching muscles, and endless work. The days seemed to stretch on without end, and yet, in the back of his mind, the search for his father remained the one constant—a burning question that wouldn't let go. Despite John Walters' warnings, Damian couldn't shake the feeling that he was close. Every step he took, every task he completed, felt like it was leading him toward something, or someone. But nothing had prepared him for the day when the veil would finally be lifted.
The sun had dipped low in the sky, casting a dim, reddish glow over the streets of Midtown, the district where the common folk scraped by, living in the shadow of the more powerful sections of WellBerg. It was a far cry from the Highspire, where the elite lived in their gilded cages, but still, it was a place where survival was possible—if you were clever enough.
Damian was trudging through the busy streets of Midtown, his hands still raw from a day spent hauling crates, when he caught a glimpse at one of the most beautiful woman, he had ever laid eyes on.
She was standing near a small pub, leaning casually against the wall, watching the flow of people with an air of detachment. Her dark hair framed a sharp, pale face, and her eyes—sparkled crystal blue like diamonds—seemed to notice everything, yet nothing at all. There was something unsettling about the way she moved, the way her gaze seemed to pierce through the chaos of the street.
Damian couldn't help but stare. There was an odd familiarity about her, as if he'd seen her somewhere before, but he couldn't place it.
As he walked by, their eyes met. For a moment, Damian felt a jolt in his chest, like a spark igniting a fire that had long been smoldering.
"Lost in thought, aren't we?" Her voice was light, almost playful, but there was an edge to it that made him pause.
Damian stopped and turned, his brows furrowing in confusion. "I—uh—I'm just trying to find my way around."
"Looks like you've found it just fine," she replied, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Damian Wellford, right? The son of Calvin Wellford?"
His blood ran cold. The mention of his father's name, said so casually, struck him like a hammer. His mouth went dry, and the question he had carried for so long, the question that had brought him to WellBerg, seemed to hang in the air, unanswered.
"How do you know that?" Damian asked, his voice low, cautious.
The woman's smile widened, and for a moment, she looked almost amused. "Word travels fast in this city. You're not the only one looking for answers, you know." She paused, then added, "Your father... he's not exactly the kind of man you can just find, Damian. But if you're smart, you might get yourself a job down at Highspire."
Damian's heart skipped, stumbling over his words "Wh-Who are..."
The woman put her fingers up to Damian mouth, and whisper as she stood closer to him, "Not here, if you want to know more follow me."
Damian clenched his fists at his sides. He kept a short distance from the woman as he followed her down what looked like an abandon alley way.
She turned towards him, and leaned against the side of the building taking a moment to study Damian looks.
"Well, my name is Jessica, Jessica Diamonds."
Damian stared at her blankly, the name ringing zero familiarity toward him.
She let out a soft sigh, shaking her head left and right ever so slightly, "It makes sense you don't exactly remember me, you were what 3 or 4 years old when you left the city with your mother. That's gotta be what 17 years ago now."
Damian, a bit perplexed by her, takes a cautious stance. "Alright, so now I got a name to match the face, how do you know me and my father."
Jessica chuckles to herself softly, "Ha... Well to be honest we were neighbors before you left. Your father and mine were good friends."
Damian, analyzing her every word caught the "were" he quickly pointed it out. "You said were?"
Jessica stopped leaning against the wall and took a step toward Damian, "Yeah, were. But there is no need to get into that at the moment."
Damian reluctantly stepped off and allowed her to proceed.
Jessica Continued, "So yeah, we were close when we were young. I still have a few photos of us that my mother keeps."
Damian taking a chance, "Do you think I could possibly see these photos?"
Jessica nods, "Yeah, of course. Come with me." She then grabs Damian by the hand escorting out of the alleyway.
A few minutes pass and they end up by a house, that does not look anything like what you imagined a noble family would live in, but seeing as she was reluctant to talk about the relationship between her father and his father, he kept his thoughts to himself.
As they enter the house a strong smell of chicken hit Damian in the face. He has smelt a homecooked meal in over a month now, he squeezes Jessica hand as they walk through the old home.
Jessica turns toward him and smiles. "Welcome to my house. I'm going to let my mother know I'm back and I'll bring the pictures."
As she says that an older version of Jessica appears in the doorway to what looks like leads to the kitchen. She smiles at Jessica but when her eyes land on the man standing behind her, he smiles quickly fades.
In a quivering voice she speaks out, "Is-is that wh-who I think it it is?"
Jessica shoots over to her mother and gives her a tight hug, she mumbles something that Damian can't quite hear from where he's standing. But just as Jessica lets go over her hug, her mother studies Damian for a moment and then a soft smile appears on her face. Finally, after what feels like a few seconds she says, "Welcome back. Damian."
Jessica runs up the stairs of the house, leaving Damian and Jessica's mother alone.
She reaches out toward Damian and gives him a light hug; he does not return the hug.
She rests her hands on his shoulders and looks at him with eyes of curiosity, sadness, and hope.
She breaks the silence, "Who probably have no idea who this old woman is who just hugged you, do you?"
He lets out a soft chuckle, "Sorry I don't but considering where I am and who Jessica is, I assume you know exactly who I am and who my family is."
The woman lets out a hearty laugh, "Yeah, I do sweetheart. But first, my name is Sandra. I'm Jessica's mother."
As she introduces herself, Jessica comes sprinting down the stairs holding a small portrait. She hands the portrait to Damian. As he stares down at it, he seems a picture with his mother, and what looks like Jessica, but could only be Sandra, considering that there were two little toddlers on either side of the women, whom could only be Damian and Jessica.
After the realization that these two women were a part of his life and the only picture he has ever seen of his mom in his hands, his eyes started to water as emotions started to overflow from him.
Damian whipped the tears from his eyes as he looks up at the two woman who look like they want to do nothing but embrace him in a tight hug. So, he let the moment happen and they send several long moments hugging.
Afterwards, Damian finds a seat in the kitchen while Sandra goes to prepare some food, and Jessica sits across from him. Damian sets the portrait at the table.
"Thank you." Damian says before looking up at Jessica. "I mean it, this right here is the only picture I've ever seen of my mom, and she looks so happy in it. It shows that you two met a lot to her."
Jessica just smiles at him and tilts her head to the side. "You're welcome."
They sit there and make some small talk, and a few minutes later Sandra comes with two plates full of food and sets them on the table, one in front of Jessica and another in front of Damian. She gives them both a warm smile before heading back to get her own plate.
After they finish dinner, Damian speaks up, "Thank you both for this moment and the food. It's been so long since I've had a good meal."
Sandra looks over at Jessica and smiles as if they were communicating telepathically, then she turns her eyes toward Damian. "You're welcome, but that brings up another topic. Where are you staying exactly?"
For a split-second Damian faces morphs into an embarrassed look but he quickly reins his emotions in and says, "Currently, I'm staying at the homeless shelter."
Both Sandra and Jessica look at each other and nod, then Sandra takes a small moment before saying, "Well, you're more than welcome to stay with us."
Damian looked over at Jessica who just smiled and nodded her head.
He took a few seconds to think it over, but knowing if he went back to the old beat-up mansion, where spiders are your best friend, and the cold is your sleeping companion. He quickly decided that he'd stay with them for the time being.
After agreeing with them that Damian would be staying with them, Jessica showed Damian an old room right across from hers.
"This'll be your room." Jessica said in a cheerful tone.
"Thanks for today and tonight, Jessica. I'm glad you called out to me."
"Don't mention it, I'm glad I did. You were staring pretty hard though, like what'd you see." She said in a teasing manner.
Damian lets out a laugh from his belly. "Yeah."
Damian straightforwardness causes Jessica to have a slight blush on her face.
He turns toward her and gets a somewhat serious expression on his face before saying, "Tomorrow though we have to talk more about my family situation though. I want answers as to what happened."
Jessica smiled at him, "Well to be honest, we haven't talked to your family in years, but I'll help however I can."
Jessica walks out of the room and Damian gets ready for the night. Sleeping on a bed where the wind doesn't bother him, he quickly falls into a deep slumber.