Bearer of the Signs

VI: ZETA

VI: THETA

The awkward silence was unbearable. A cold breeze flew past Cecil's warm skin, making her shiver. She looked up and saw grey clouds, they were lucky it still hadn't rained, or else they would be soaked in Auri's chariot. She glanced at her brother; also in deep thought, then at the man flying the golden chariot. She looked back at her brother. He was hiding something from her; she wasn't that much of a fool. But what was it? What was the secret her brother desperately tried to hide?

Jason felt the weight of his sister's stare; he did not dare to look up, fearing that if he met those piercing green eyes, he would crumble down and reveal everything.

"Jason..." Cecil said hoarsely. Jason cringed.

"w-what is it?"

"Tell me..."

Jason sighed, he should have thought of this earlier instead of trying to avoid this from happening. He looked at Cecil, still unscathed after a huge shift in their lives. He just hoped her heart would be the same after another shift.

"T-there's reasons... why mum... why Gina doesn't look like us..." Jason started, looking at the gloomy sky; it strangely matched his feelings, then again... London's skies never did change that much.

"Yeah, because she said we look like dad."

"Cecil... we—our—Gina—it's..." he sighed and looked down; he locked his emerald eyes with his sister's jade ones.

"Fifteen years ago, two babies were found struggling to live in the ashes of a burnt mansion. The owner of the mansion was anonymous and unnamed, and no one knew where the babies came from. The daughter of the mayor of the town took in the babies to make her look good in the public eye after being humiliated to the whole town population.

"But after taking care of the babies who were confirmed to be siblings, she learned to love them. But her father, the town mayor, despised them. He called them bad luck and 'Cendrillon', 'cause they came from ash and reduce to ash. Without a doubt, he tried to kill them and have them killed.

"The woman knew this and escaped during the night. She fled to a country far away where no one would recognise her; she fled to London and raised the children as her own."

Cecil's heart pounded so fast, she thought that she might faint.

Jason couldn't take it anymore; those mesmeric eyes were hauntingly large and filled with such agony, such denial. It was almost as if Cecil were already screaming 'No! It's not true! I refuse to believe it!' He looked back down and braced himself for her wrath, her questions, and her sadness; but only received a throaty cackle. He swiped his head up so fast, he almost got whiplash. His sister... has finally lost it. Maybe it was a bad idea to put so much pressure on her in just one day.

'Well she did ask for answers.' The voice in his head reasoned.

But the boy was too worried about his sister, he watched Cecil crumble to chuckles and tears, and slowly maybe her sanity too had crumbled too nothingness.

Cecil's sides ached. She inhaled and exhaled the polluted winds of London quickly, she was laughing so hard she thought she might explode! She could not believe that Jason expected her to believe that farce of a story, she chuckled.

"Town Mayor..." she said between bated breaths, "...Cendrillon...ran away...ashes...mansion..." she laughed again and fell off her seat.

This was bad. This was very bad. How could she possibly laugh at this? Jason was telling the truth... unless...

"It's the truth, sis! I'm not lying or making this up!" Jason protested.

She laughed harder at his joke.