What Is Your Name?

Chapter 22: You Were Spared (Lillian)

"Crap, I'm late for class!" I blurted.

"Pfft, you're bothering to go to class?" Sky teased.

"Yes. Unlike you, I value my education enough not to skip every other day or so. If you were smart, which you aren't because you never go to school, you would come too."

"That seems very redundant." Sky raised his eyebrows, smirking. "I would only go to school every day if I went to school every day?"

I laughed. "Isn't that how everything works? You're only alive if you're alive."

"Wrong!" Sky corrected. "I'm only pretending to be alive. Never underestimate the power of being dead on the inside."

"Never underestimate it? Sky, I invented it."

"Hey, there you guys are!" Grey barged into our room. "You're gonna be late for class!"

"That's what I said!" I laughed.

"Screw it. You shouldn't underestimate the power of chronic laziness either, Lil. I'm going back to bed," Sky said.

"Mr. Halifax, Ms. Aubergine, I'm sorry my class has interfered with your social life, but I'd really appreciate it if you were on time," Ms. Randolf scolded.

"Sorry we're late, but can you please not use my last name? It kind of... brings up memories," I explained.

"It's not even your last name anyway," some kid in the back muttered. "Don't last names come from fathers?"

"I don't have a father," I told her grimly. "Besides, as weird and random as a synonym for 'eggplant' is as a name, it's slightly less threatening than 'Aphelion'."

"The Shadow's name is Elliot Aphelion?" Tempest snickered.

"I know, right? You'd think if he had one shot at changing his name, he'd pick a better one than 'The Shadow'!" I laughed.

"And I guess he found weird names attractive, too," the same kid in the back huffed snarkily. "Something Aubergine. What was the name of the chick he knocked up, again?"

"Don't talk that way about my mother!" I screeched.

"Class, please! Ms. Aubergine, please go to your..."

"Aubergine Aubergine Aubergine!" I raged. "That's all I know, okay?! If you want to know my mother's name, you'll have to ask Sky, but if you ever want him to tell you, you better start showing her, his beloved sister, some freaking respect! I know you don't like me and my uncle, but the last person you're going to give any crap to whatsoever is my mother, because rest assured she was a far better person than you'll ever be!" Everyone fell silent, even Grey and Tempest. I wished once again that Sky was in my class. He would know what to say.

I sat at my desk, scowling at that stupid kid in the back. Ms. Randolf sighed heavily and began her lecture of the day. A little into the lesson, the person next to me tapped my shoulder sharply. She glared, rolling her eyes in Tempest's direction, and handed me a piece of paper. Iphones had now been invented 60 years ago, but sure, pass me a note. I glanced at Tempest, who nodded, and opened the note.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything when those kids were crapping on your mom," it said.

"That's ok. But why didn't you?" I wrote back. I passed it to the annoyed girl next to me, who passed it to the boy behind her, who passed it diagonally behind him to Tempest. I watched to make sure no one was reading our notes because rude.

After a few minutes and some strange, hesitant faces from Tempest, the note came back to me. Tempest had added, "I was scared. Has Grey ever mentioned our mom before?"

"He said something happened with her and my dad, but he never said what, and I didn't pry," I replied. These notes better not be being intercepted.

Finally the note returned. "Let's talk after class, ok?"

I met my friend by her locker after class. "What's up?" I asked.

"Before I tell you, this was never an excuse for me to hate you. It was the reason I did, but it wasn't a good one," Tempest began.

"Ok... Please tell me you're ok, Tempest. You're scaring me."

"That kid... wasn't wrong when she said the Shadow is attracted to weird names," Tempest sighed.

"Are you kidding me? Halifax is a much better last name than Aubergine. It's like you're a cool action hero or something!"

Tempest laughed. "If only. He... he hurt my mom. The way he hurt your mom. He's not my dad or anything, before you think that, but... Mom got pregnant. And she couldn't take it; she was so scared. It was so hard." Tempest stopped and started sniffling. My girl had been nicked by a bullet and kept a straight face, but she was crying at this. This was what broke her. She took a shuddering breath and tried to continue. She couldn't.

"Tempest..." I whispered. "Tempest, you can get through this. You don't have to become like me." Tempest looked over at me. "You're allowed to break down, but you can do this. We can do this. You're a hurricane, remember? A whirlwind of emotions and ideas. And that makes you stronger."

"My mom said good night to me one night, soon after," Tempest choked out. "We found her body in the kitchen the next morning. The Shadow had killed her to avoid having another child. And I always thought, well, he didn't have to raise it. I didn't know he already had a kid, and when I met you, I couldn't help but wonder why you were spared when Mom... wasn't."

"That really sucks," I agreed, "and I know there's nothing I can say that will change that. But you know who he did spare? You. You were spared, Tempest. The universe spared you for a reason. 'There are some things humanity just needs.' Remember when you said that? We need you, Tempest. The school needs you. Grey needs you. I need you. And Sky needs you, who would've thought."

Tempest smiled grimly. "And I know my mother's name." I sighed, but Tempest wasn't done. "Someday you'll know your mother's name. Sky promised."

I nodded. "You're right. Sky promised."