Dreamcatcher

Chapter Seventeen: Wreak Havoc On Me

"W-What?" Rachel quivered.

It made no sense. It made no sense at all.

"I think you should sit down for this." James suggested as he gestured for Rachel and Clark to sit on the couch.

By taking her hand, Clark tugged on Rachel's hand, taking them over to the living room couch where Rose and James followed as he dragged over a chair to sit on while his wife stood by his side.

"I want to tell you all of it. But are you sure you want Clark to-" James spoke until he was interrupted by Rachel, confirming that she wanted Clark to stay.

Rachel wanted Clark to stay. She needed him to stay, else she would be lost without him.

By witnessing her commitment, James acknowledged his daughter's decision and nodded faintly.

"Of course. In every way that matters, Rose is my wife and your mother. But the woman you saw at the overlook... her name is Sera - your birth mother. I'm going to tell you everything, Rachel. Everything I've shielded you from for so long. But the truth can be hard to look at. Is this something you're ready for?" James continued, bringing further light into the revelation.

Rachel could see it now: she could find herself no longer in her own home but a dark abyss with only two lights. One on her and Clark, and one on the telescope from the overlook. The fact that she only appeared to zone out didn't hide the fact that she was intently listening closely to every detail shared by her father.

Rachel snapped back to reality only for a moment, she looked at Clark with glistening green orbs.

"Clark?" Rachel whimpered. 

"I'm right here, babe." Clark cooed, giving the knuckles of her hand a kiss.

"When I was in high school, there was one person everyone adored. Her teachers, her friends - everyone adored her. Sera was everyone's favourite. Every boy wanted to date her. I could barely believe it when she picked me. Sometimes I think that's what kept me blind for so long." 

Even then, James reminisced about the fond memories he shared with his Sera. But those memories brought him nothing but pain. 

"She was so alive, so passionate about everything," James rambled. "Early on, though, I realised I wasn't enough for her. While the rest of us were pursuing college, careers, families... Sera wasn't looking for any of that. She was looking for an escape. When Sera became pregnant, I thought it would solve everything. And it did, for a little while. Becoming your father was the greatest moment of my life. There wad so much love, but... I was still blind."

As James continued to share his story, Rose placed her hand on his shoulder to support him, as did Clark with Rachel as they listened to how everything came to be.

"However much she loved you then, it still wasn't enough. For Sera, the need to escape was always there. For over a year, I tried to help her. I made myself believe that she was still a good person. That, no matter what happened, she would never do anything to hurt you."

Only then did it finally make sense as to why Rachel felt so needy to take drugs. Because not only did she share the same qualities as her mother, but also that her upbringing and the influence of others misguided Rachel into doing the things that she had done.

That was why her life was so fucked up.

As was Clark's.

"Eventually, I saw her for who she really was: a destructive person. Someone who could never be satisfied; by anything or anyone... Even the love of her own daughter. I was desperate. I didn't know what to do, so I made a choice. I was never going to let her harm you again. What you saw at the overlook... it was true. We kissed. It was the saddest kiss of my life. It was a kiss goodbye. I told her that I was happy for her, that she finally got her life together. Finally. But she didn't get to just decide one day to be a mother. Not after what she'd done. Not after all the people she hurt, all the lives she destroyed. I told her she'd been given the greatest gift in the world. To be your mother. And she squandered it. It pained me to hurt her like that. But I'd do it again and again to keep you safe."