Transformation Tragedies [CoRIII]

Chapter 11 - Agonizing truth II

[Senicourt... Nicole stares at her phone which lays near the edge of the counter, where it's charging. Without hesitation she unplugs it from the cable and starts scrolling through her contacts with lowering brows. She doesn't care whether it's late or not... She needs answers...]

Mary: Hello?

Nicole: Hey Mom, it's me...

Mary: Nici? But why are you calling at this time?!

Nicole: Believe me, it's important. Listen, do you guys know anything more about Hana?

[Mary drops silent at the other side of the line, clearly not having expected her daughter to call nor bring that topic up. She sighs and Nicole can hear her father taking over the phone as he gets into his wife's presence. His tone is dark when he speaks up.]

Daniel: You're asking about Hana?

Nicole: Yes, and I beg you to tell me. I feel like there's more I should know.

Daniel: Oh dear, you don't wanna know...

Nicole: Trust me, Dad. I really do. Besides, I've heard some stories about her, so I'm eager to hear the rest.

Daniel: Hana... She was... something. I remember having had her as babysitter when I was a young kitten. My father had an important emergency meeting out of town and Mom was ill by an extremely contagious disease, meaning I couldn't stay alone with my still new born brother at that time. So he asked Hana to take care of me. She was around 25 at that time I assume from what he told me.

Nicole: Did she... take good care of you?

Daniel: Yes. Yes, she did. But gosh... she was scary. Not that she was mean or anything, but her overall behaviour and expressions were always so freaky to me. Whenever she'd hold my brother in her arms to feed him, her smile almost seemed like turning into a psycho grin. And her attitude, oh boy. Even my father, who was way older than her, didn't dare to get into an argument with her as her fuse was way shorter than mine. And I think that says something...

Nicole: Gosh I... I'm sorry you had to witness that then though. I didn't know...

Daniel: Don't worry about it. Like I said, I was very young and these memories are only sketched in my mind. Though I honestly never expected to get a daughter with those same...

[Daniel suddenly goes quiet and this leaves Nicole with lots of upwelling nervousness.]

Nicole: S-same what?...Dad?

Daniel: Genes! We didn't want you to get her... genes. I'm so sorry, Nicole.

Nicole: About what? Y-you know I'm born with this, right?

Daniel: That's exactly the problem. We're sorry for going through when we-

[Nicole's eyes widen when she suddenly hears her own father slightly sobbing. Did he just start crying? Her father? She had never, but never ever heard him cry before. Lowering her ears, she lets her head dangle a bit as it keeps aching by the overwhelming information and her still ongoing confusion.]

Nicole: I d-don't understand... Y-you went through... with getting me, you mean?

[Mary then takes over the phone again as she manages to keep a stronger tone in her voice and is just as surprised by her suddenly emotional husband as her daughter.]

Mary: Listen, please don't get mad when I tell you this... But there's a reason why our pressure on you, which we regret to this day, was present back in those days.