I sat down at the kitchen table across from my dad. The oak wood tabletop between us seemed like an expanse of more than wood and years. It almost seemed like the man I knew as my father had disappeared and there sat someone else entirely. I could see the difference in the way he sat, in the ridged lines of his posture, but most especially in the look in his eyes. A stranger stared back out at me from his dark brown eyes.

I couldn’t help the shiver that came over me. It caused me to sit up straighter and something told me I needed to pay close attention to what came next. This was vitally important, and I couldn’t afford to miss a moment of it.

“Michael, we don’t have much time and there’s so much to tell you. Both your mother and I had hoped it would never come to this, but it has, so we must deal with it the best way we can. So I’m going to tell you everything as straight as I can, and I would appreciate it if you kept any questions you have until I’m done with what I need to say. Alright?” He stopped to make sure I understood.

I gave him a nod that I did.

“Now, I know you have probably drawn some of your own conclusions about all of this stuff going on,” he waved a hand toward the living room and the broadcast still going in the there. “You saw that ship that they pulled out of the lake?” Dad gave me a questioning look.

I nodded again and swallowed a large lump that had gotten stuck in my throat.

Dad nodded his head as if in agreement, but what agreement I did not know. “Well, that was our ship. Yours, mine, and your mothers. We came here nearly twenty years ago. We hadn’t planned to come here exactly. It just worked out that way. Our ship had suffered major damage and we were lucky this planet was within range so we could land.

“It didn’t take long for me to realize the ship was too damaged to make it back off this planet, especially with there being no replacement parts available. We did have a bit of luck that this planet’s dominating species looked so much like us.” Dad ran a hand through his hair as he looked off as if reliving a memory. “Though I suppose it wasn’t a huge surprise. Before Ethia had shut her borders a few millennia ago, it is said that we had populated much of the greater universe.”

Dad waved another had as if to erase everything he just said. “But none of that really matters. There’s far more important things to discuss like why we left Ethia in the first place. I told you about your brothers. They were a big part of it. That’s for sure. But there were other reasons.” He stopped for a moment as if loath to continue.

I, for my part, was glad for the break. I needed a moment to catch up. I felt dizzy and sick to my stomach, a part of me thinking this wasn’t real at all and I had somehow stepped into a bizarre nightmare of some kind. But I was saved from pondering too much on that as my dad took a deep breath and continued his story.

“There was a lot of political unrest with the current rulers of the Empire, it was a difficult time. Your brothers’ attack against you just made things worse. What’s more is your mother was concerned that your brothers would try again. Your biological father claimed that wouldn’t happen and that you would be safe, but she didn’t believe him, neither did I for that matter. It was clear that he had lost control of his sons, at least when it concerned you. So your mother and I made a choice that your safety and wellbeing was more important than anything else, and with help, we devised a plan to get you out of Ethia.

“We were supposed to go to another planet outside the Ethian galaxy. That was the plan. They used to be allies to the Empire. We figured we’d be safe there and far out of the reach of your father. We didn’t think anyone would dare cross the borders of the Empire into the greater universe. Though Earth certainly wasn’t our destination, but once we were here, we decided to make this work. And it did, for twenty years.”

Dad stopped his commentary to stare out the window of the dining room for a long moment. Again, it gave me time to catch up, to process the information. Even so, I was having a hard time with it, and there were so many questions running through my mind. I finally was able to settle on one to ask.

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“So no one knew who we were when we got here?”

Dad looked back to me. “Eric’s dad knew. He’s the one who helped us get settled here. When we first landed, we kept a low profile as best we could, but it was difficult. We didn’t know the language of this planet, or know the customs. I’m afraid we stuck out quite badly, but we were fortunate that Jim Layton ran across us fairly early on.

“He helped us cover our tracks and set up a life here. He even gave us his last name and pretended we were distant cousins. He was a really good guy. Honestly, I’m not even sure why he was so eager to help us. He did so much for us. In the end though, I think it was because of you.

“You were still pretty messed up from what your brothers had done to you. Your physical injuries had healed, but it was the psychological that had not. You were so scared of everything, and jumped at any sudden noises, and wouldn’t talk to anyone, not even me or your mother. Well, you talked to his son Eric. You two seemed to hit it off from the start. He was only a few years older than you, so I think that’s why you were more comfortable with him. I think too, that he might have also reminded you of a close friend you had to leave behind in Ethia.

“It was a tragedy that damn drunk driver ran into Jim not even a year after he had gotten us settled into this new world. So, of course, after he passed, we took Eric in as our own since Jim didn’t have any relatives that could.” Again, dad trailed off as he relived old memories.

“How old was I when we came here?”

“Five, nearly six.”

I shook my head in disbelief. Still not really accepting what I was being told, because if I did buy into all of this, then I would not only have to come to terms with the fact that I wasn’t born to this planet like I had always believed, but that my parents had willfully kept that from me. I could feel my entire foundation starting to crumble, and it was leaving me with a decidedly unsettled feeling. Oddly enough, there was no panic, no hysteria, just a twisting in my stomach like I’d ate something bad and a growing feeling of anger toward my parents, to our unexpected visitors, and to this whole day in general.

“How come I don’t remember anything? You would think I’d remember something, anything.” But as I told dad before, my first memory was of Eric and I playing in the lake in upstate New York. I felt a little betrayed by that, now knowing there should have been so much there. Memories of a whole other life, culture, and world, but there was nothing, but my memories of being here on Earth.

“I am afraid that is my doing. You see many people in Ethia have these enhanced talents called Dome-ni. Some are passive, and almost not even worth noting. Some not so passive. Mine would fall into the latter category. I’m what they call a Mind Bender. I can manipulate and block memories among other things.”

I blinked at my dad as my mind slowly comprehended what he said, feeling a growing sense of horror at his words. It seemed impossible to me that he would do such a thing, but I couldn’t deny the dark feeling of betrayal that was now settling onto me along with everything else. I found the corners of my eyes burning with unfilled tears as I shook my head in utter disbelief.

“Why? Why would you do such a thing?”

There were tears streaming down my dad’s face now. The shame, the guilt there plain to see. “I am so sorry, son. Your mother and I tried everything we could think of before we resorted to blocking your memories. You have to believe that. But the trauma you suffered from your brothers was severe and impeded your ability to function normally.”

Anger erupted through me because I could hear what he wasn’t saying as things became all to clear to me. “So it was easier to take my memories and lie to me so you could fit in better and not accidentally be outed by a blabbering child. I’m sure you figured this planet probably wouldn’t look kindly to you just settling in like you were one of them.” I threw back at him.

The man across from me sat back in his seat with a defeated look on his face. “You have every right to be angry with me, but you need to understand that you were just a child, Michael. A very young one at that. And at that point, the truth was doing you more harm than good. Your mother and I were only doing what we thought best for you at the time.”

“You could have said something when I was older. I’m twenty-five years old, Dad. I’m not a child anymore and I haven’t been for awhile. Neither has Eric for that matter, but I bet it didn’t even occur to you to tell him because he’s not even family like you really aren’t my dad!”

A deep shadow fell across my dad’s face, and I immediately regretted my words. I didn’t mean them, or did I? At this point, the anger was talking and it just felt good to lash out, because it was the only thing keeping me from falling to pieces right now.

I stood up from the table and I marched across the kitchen, not even sure where I was going, but I knew I couldn’t stand looking at the man across from me one more second. I heard dad’s kitchen chair scrap across the floor behind me.

“Michael, we aren’t done here. There’s more you need to know.”