Our Forbidden Love 2

12: Starley

I open my eyes. The vision from the past slowly fizzed out until it was no more and instead I could see my bedroom. Over the past week since I'd been finally out of hospital I kept seeing visions from the past, though it was usually the same one from 2017, where Piper told Weedy about Alex and I saw Alex's file; only it was repeated over and over again for days on end. But finally, I'd seen the vision I'd wanted to see, where I saw my own file. I was glad that I'd seen it tonight, though I wasn't sure if I completely enjoyed the vision that accompanied it. That seemed like private information between Daddy and Bubbles and I'd found something out about Mummy that I hadn't ever considered. I'm so confused. Why am I seeing visions from the past? I'm not anywhere near the Memory Well or a Memory Bowl spell. I think I just needed to ask Daddy

I pulled myself out of my thoughts and revelations of the visions and looked down at my arm. I was still wearing the bandage on my arm because the wound hadn't healed at all yet. On a good note, however, it meant I still had time to train and prepare myself and my Scouts for Weedy's arrival; if she meant what she said. I got up out of my bed, sparing a look at the banner back in its rightful place above my bed. I was still really confused on how it got there in the first place but I loved it all the same.

On my way out to the kitchen, I swim past the spare bedroom that Alex is sleeping in. The door is partway open and I peer in. His face breaks into a smile when he sees me at the door and he beckons to come in. I push the door open and swim through.
"You okay?" he asks, "you look really pale. Well, you're always pale, but right now you look particularly pale."
"Well, I uhh, I had another vision," I say.
"What was it about this time?"
"Well, I saw the same one about you and your file but then I saw my own file," I say.
"But, you wanted to see that one. Didn't you?" he asks and I nod. "What happened?"
He gets up from the bed and swims over to me, hugging me and cupping the side of my face in his hand. We stay here for a while, me listening to the steady beating of his heart which calms my confused mind.
"There was a conversation. With Daddy and Piper, about Mummy. And I'm just so confused. She was full-merfolk... He was full-merfolk... That's how Bubbles and I are full-merfolk... Why was she surfing?"
"Starley," says Alex, holding me out from his body, facing me and looking into my eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"Our relationship is Mummy and Daddy's. They... she was a human... surfer. He went to visit her, just like I went to visit you."
***
"Binah, do you know where Daddy is?" I ask as I walk through the doors of Government House.
"He should be in his office," she responds and I thank her before quickly hurrying to his office. I knock on the door and I hear his call of 'come in'. I push the door open, swim through and then close the door behind me.
"Starley!" he exclaims. "What is it? Do you want to sit?"
I shake my head. I needed to pace as I talked. If I sat, my confused and anxious brain would never calm.
"What does it mean if you see visions of past events?"
"That's reverse Reading," he says, instantly. "It's only something that natural Readers can do. Only Cameron and I on the Government should be able to do that."
"Okay, so what does it mean if you see visions of the past and you're not a natural Reader?"
"This has happened to you?" he asks, only just getting on my train of thought. I nod. "Well, usually it means you're being possessed by a Reader, but your eyes look fine. I don't know what that means, Starley. I'll ask Piper and see if she has anything on it in the Records Room."
I nod again and send a telepathic thanks to him.

Now, time to ask the main question that I was here for. My heart was beating so loudly I was sure Daddy would be able to hear it at his desk, or at least see my rib cage pulsing with each heartbeat.
"Is that all you're here for?" he asks, obviously seeing my thoughts racing around. I shake my head.
"Mummy was full-merfolk, wasn't she?" He nods in response to my question, looking confused as if he can't see where this is going.
"Then why was she surfing?"
"Oh, you saw that vision," he says. "The one between Piper and I?" I nod. Yes.
"I would've preferred to keep that private," he says, standing up and slamming his hands on the desk, scaring me.
"Well, it's not like I could control my thoughts when I'm asleep!" I retort back.
"Yes you can!" he snaps.
"I didn't know I wasn't meant to see that!"
"It just would've avoided this awkward conversation," he argues.
"This isn't awkward. I'll tell you what will be though, when Piper finally goes to talk to Alex about his family tree. That will not end well." When he looks confused, I say, "yes, I've Read it."
"Just because you've Read it doesn't mean it's going to come true."
"Okay, well, if you've viewed it in full colour and it's started coming through the mirror, you know it's going to happen," I say.
"It's not a mirror, Starley."
He wasn't getting my point. At all. I wanted more information on Mummy. I hadn't known her at all and Bubbles barely remembers her. I can only get the information from Daddy or Coral. But Coral's gone and Daddy's the only one left who really knew Mummy.
"Then why was she surfing?" I repeat.
"There was a 'malfunction'," he responds, and I feel that maybe he's only going to give me that for a response, but then he continues. "She was full-merfolk; both her parents were full-merfolk. She was just born with legs. Trust me, it surprised everyone. She was full-blooded but she'd been born with legs. Alex didn't surprise us because the father was a human, but Sandy was full. She was full-blooded just without her tail. She had to live in an orphanage in Australia, until she was capable of taking her 'birth' again, and that's when she got her tail."
"Oh..." I say. That's all I can say. I'm still confused. That's only made it more confusing. I thought it was going to help.
Why was there a 'malfunction'?
What did they tell the orphanage?
What about the friends she would've made in Australia?
What happened to them?
And worst part, she wasn't around anymore to ask.