Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Looking at their identical faces, I felt myself grow confused. Who were these people and what did they want with me? For some reason, I felt comfortable under their gazes as they stared at me. Finally, one of them, I think it was the son, came to his senses and introduced himself as Alonzo Regale. I somehow knew that his name sounded familiar but I couldn't understand where I heard it.
Ugh this is going to annoy me now
The father just stared at me as if he was in a trance but eventually ended up following his sons example and induced himself as Alexius Regale.
Oh, so they are related somehow.
I opened my mouth to ask what happening just to cut the awkward tension but I decided say something completely different, "so, who wants some of these?"
Everyone diverted their attention towards the plastic bowls on the table although Mr. Willson jumped at the chance, the father and son duo gently shook their heads and denied politely.
Once everyone was a little more comfortable, I asked the question I was dying to know, "so why am I here". I wasn't one to beat around the bush so I got straight to the point and asked my question. Suddenly the tension that left drifted back into the room in thick tendrils and strangled anything it could get its hands on. It felt as if everyone was avoiding the question but I looked and Mr. Willson pointedly with a look that screamed 'tell me what's going on'. Finally, Willson opened his mouth and the next words that came out of his mouth made my mind completely blank.
'Aunt Paula is dead'
'dead'
Gone
I couldn't bring myself to look back up from my lap, I didn't want anyone to see my cry, I was happy, no I was ecstatic and I cried because I was free. It was going to be okay.
I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked into Mr. Willsons eyes and whispered with a soft voice "so what's going to happen to me now"
Clearing his throat, Mr. Willson gestured to the two men, that I completely forgot about, that sat on the sofa and spoke out "Athena, this is your father and brother, they have come to take you home."
Home
Home. Home. Home
Home
My eyes snapped up to the two men on the sofa and it's like everything became clear. That's my father and brother, the same people who left me or didn't leave me. I don't know, I don't know what to believe anymore, she ruined everything, everything that I could have had, ruined.
Gone.
My hands were getting sweaty and my head started pounding. I suddenly felt this white, hot anger surge through me. The type that made me want to kill. No. No this can't happen.
I had to get out of here
I had to leave
Everything that I looked at just made me angry and I couldn't... I couldn't let them see me this way, so I did what any normal person would do.
I ran
I needed to get out of there
I needed to get out of my own head
I need to find Lana.
As soon as I turned the corner I ran outside and right to my car, just the fact that I couldn't open the car door quick enough made me angry, so turned around and did that only thing I could think of, I punched something. The closest thing to me in that moment was a tree and I didn't stop punching it. The anger was wrapping around my brain, blocking my senses so I couldn't feel the pain nor could I feel the deep, red blood trickle down my hand. All I could focus on was the rage, the pain, the hurt.
It felt like hours before I stopped my assault on the tree and finally realised all the pain that I was in. Seconds later I could hear the distant calls of Lana and the questions she spewed out but the only thing I could manage to tell her was that my aunt died and I had to leave with my father and brother. I never hid anything from Lana so when I told her, she just held me. She held me for a long time before I decided that it was time to go back into the office.
Walking into the office was awkward for me but I just kept my head held high and walked in like fearless person that I was. I could tell that my relatives were worried but I just shrugged off their looks and grabbed my belongings. "See you later Willson, thanks for everything" I said whilst giving him a tight hug. Backing away, I took the other container filled with baked goods and gestured for my biologicals' to follow me outside to the car park.
