Sandcastles

32

Octavia

We're here, we actually made it to Utah. Even better we are outside of the house where my biological mother lives. It was hell finding her, I still don't understand how Neal and Bailey found her, but they did it. All I have to do now is walk up to the front door and ring the doorbell. That's it, just this one simple task and I'll get my answers.

So why am I so nervous, my feet are practically glued to the sidewalk. This is what I want, this is finally my opportunity to get the truth from an adult so why am I just standing here like some freak. "I can't do this....I can't what if she's not there? What if she doesn't even remember having me?"

"She's going to remember you Tavi."

"But how do you know that Bailey? Any number of things can happen."

"Judging by how small that house looks, the only thing we should be worried about is claustrophobia. I've seen garages bigger than this, mom's garage is bigger than this." Her statement took a minute for me to process, why in the world would she even say something like that. Not everyone gets their money doing Illegal things.

With her snarky remarks aside, it gave me a few moments to build up some courage to walk over to the house. Next step was for me to knock the door, my hand was raise a few inches from it. I swallow the last of my doubt and bang on the door a few times. This was it, it's too late to turn back now, the loud sounds from the television that was playing was either turned off or muted, letting me know whoever was inside heard my knocking.

A few long seconds and the door slowly opens revealing a beautiful woman. She looks between the three of us then opens the door fully, "can I help you?"

"Yes ma'am, we're looking for a Garcelle Beauvis."

"That's me, how can I help you children?" Neal nudges me to continue speaking to her but I was stuck on the fact this is my biological mother.

This is her, the woman I've been seeing in my nightmares. She looks the exact same, this felt almost surreal. I'm standing in front of the actual person who birthed me, the woman who I should've been calling mom all these years. Someone with normalcy unlike the others who raise me.

I was stuck all over again this time unable to speak, this was just unreal. "I'm sorry my sister spaces out sometimes. My name is Alani and this is our brother Nathan. We stumbled upon a birth certificate that belongs to my sister and on it her name was Octavia Beauvis. You see we were confused because we've only ever called her Naomia. We also noticed your name on it so we looked you up." The woman's eyes open wide when Bailey said my name, they were so wide they almost pop out of her head. "Ma'am are you okay?"

"Uhm y-yes, I'm sorry it's just.......it's been so long since......Octavia, is that really you?" All I could do was nod. The woman pulled me into a hug and I froze at her touch, it felt weird. It wasn't warm and loving it was cold and confusing. "When you were taking away from me I thought you were dead. Oh my gosh, come inside please." She pulls us inside then locks the door behind us. We follow her to a sitting area where the television was playing while silent, looks like she put it on mute. "You kids want anything to drink; water, lemonade or tea?"

"No thank you."

"What did you say you and your brother's names are?"

"I'm Alani and he's Nathan."

"Beautiful names," she was speaking from the kitchen. She has the water running so it was almost impossible to hear her over it so she was shouting her response. I took it upon myself to look around the room we are in.