Learning My Roots (Hope Estheim Love Story)

Chapter 8: My Other Secret

Disclaimer: Everything besides Bella and her family belong to Square Enix.

Disclaimer: everything besides Bella and her family belong to Climax Group.

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"My mother was born on Cocoon as a shifter. A shifter is someone who can transport themselves from one world to the next," I told her. Lightning understood that part. "My mother shifted to a place called Divinia. She traveled almost everywhere there as a kid. One day, she went to Hessia and met with a crown prince on the street. They fell in love and got married. They had a son," I told her. She understood that part as well.

"Everything changed for her when she was framed for a crime. She was stripped of her title as queen and was exiled from the kingdom. She traveled between Shadani-mo and Transentine to visit her friend Buki and Elco. One day, she found out that she was pregnant with me. Thats right. I was a princess born in exile even though I never thought myself one," I told her.

"So what happened?" she asked me. "My mother shifted me back and forth between Cocoon and Divinia. My mother taught me everything about Cocoon. She taught me how to read and write," I said. she gave me a nod. "A month ago, my mother decided that we would move to Cocoon. I didn't mind. As a birthday present, she gave me her engagement necklace. It was a reminder of where I was from," I said.

"We moved near Hope's home. Our mothers were good friends," I said. "Where is your mother?" she asked. I sighed. "I was forced on the train with Hope and his mother. A PSICOM soldier took her from the line and shot her in front of everyone. It was a warning to everyone to listen," I told her. I felt a tear fall and I wiped it away. "I promised myself that I would be strong," I told her.

"Did you inherit the ability to shift?" she asked me. "I did inherit the ability. I used it once. It drained my energy. My mother told me not to use it until I was older," I said. Lightning looked at the sky. "You should get some sleep," she said. "Okay. Can you not talk to anyone about where I'm really from? Not even Hope knows yet. I want to tell everyone at a later time," I said to her. "Of course," she said. I got comfortable and got some sleep.

Morning....

I felt someone shaking me. I opened my eyes to see Hope in front of me. "Come on. We need to get moving," Hope told me. I got up and stretched my body. I felt refreshed. We got going towards the woods. It looked interesting in a way.

Lightning gave us a signal to come forwards. "Can't believe we made it through," Hope said. We felt shaking. the door behind us closed. "That will slow down the pursuit," she said. "But aren't there troops on this side," Hope worried. "We can't relax just yet," I told them. We all agreed.

Hope wanted total point. "Can you handle it?" she asked. "It's not a question of can or can't," he said. "Now your learning," she said with a small smile. He would lead the way. We walked further inside the woods. Hope turned to Lightning.

"Have you been here before? On duty I mean," he asked her. "No. I haven't. This area is covered by the woodsland observation battalion. You scared?" she asked him. "Not really. I'm ready to fight if I have to," he said.

Lightning pulled something from her back and gave it to Hope. "To keep you safe," she said. He took the thing. "I want it back," she said and walked forward. He was glad that he followed her. I was a bit worried for him. We got onto an elevator.

Hope stopped and looked around. "What is it?" I asked him. "We need to hide," he said and pulled our hands. We hid behind the tree leaves. Three motor bikes with soldiers passed by us. They didn't look like they were even looking for us considering that we were l'cie. We walked out from behind the leaves.

Lightning said that the Sanctum hadn't notified the other soldiers about fugitive l'cies because they didn't want their failure publicized. This would make it easier for us to move around. We found a door. Hope wanted to know about Snow's group. It was NORA. It stand for No Obligations Rules and Authority.

I could see the anger in his eyes again. We got through an area of feral creatures. We had a five minute break. Hope looked worn out. I was a bit worn out myself. Lightning notice his behavior. I did too. "What's eating you? It's Snow isn't it?" Lighting asked him.

"What happened with him?" she asked. "You wouldn't understand," he said. She walked over to him and kneeled down. "You, Bella, and I are a team Hope," she said. He looked at me and then to Lightning. He let out a sigh.

"My mother was killed...because of him. It's his fault. And he needs to pay for it. I'm not ready yet. But, I will be soon," he said finally. He stood up from the ground. "That's why I followed you. Snow dragged us all into this. You and me. Your sister Serah. Bella. He's gotta pay," he said.

He started to walk away. Lighting looked at me. "I'm worried for him," I said. She gave me a nod. This was not the boy I knew.