Ordo Noctis

Chapter 17

Mrs. Romano froze. "My... son..."

Mars smiled nervously.

"My son!!" She cried, rushing toward him and enveloping him in a bear hug. When she pulled back, she looked him up and down. "Fifteen years... wow. Has it been that long?"

"Yeah..." Mars looked unnerved at how much affection he was being shown. In truth, I would have reacted the same way. We hadn't been shown a lot of love growing up - in fact, although it may sound crazy, I only learned what 'love' meant when I was nine, from a movie. And it took me two more years to learn that it's usually something a parent shows to their children. But looking at Mars reuniting with his mother, it just looked right to show warmth and fondness toward each other.

Wow, am I really analyzing human emotion while you're trying to enjoy a sentimental moment? Sorry.

"How did you find me? Where have you been? Tell me everything about yourself!" Mrs. Romano sat back down on the couch and gestured for Mars to do the same.

"FRANCESCO!" She yelled, making me jump. "COME HERE!"

A tall and slender man entered the room. He was exactly what I would imagine Mars looking like if he had more age, less hair, and... you know... none of the muscles.

"Our son!" She cried.

Mr. Romano furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, then his eyes widened. "Oh my God." He rushed over and sat down as well.

"This is your father, dear," she explained to a flustered Mars. "Goodness, this is so amazing!"

Mrs. Romano looked up at me, and I did my best to hide behind my hair. Nevertheless, she somehow managed to notice me. "Oh, is this your girlfriend? She's very pretty. Hello, dear, please have a seat."

"No, not - nope, that's not -" I stuttered.

"Just a friend," Mars explained, holding back a smile. He was probably thinking about what I had done back in First Aid when I lost my memory.

Uncomfortably, I moved over and sat in an armchair. This was such a family moment - I felt out of place.

Carla, the maid, came back with a tray of glasses and a pitcher. I took one and became very occupied with its interesting shape, doing my best not to look up.

"So, tell us about your life!" Mrs. Romano said excitedly, smiling at her husband before turning back to her son.

Mars shifted awkwardly. "Um, it's a very long story. We might want to start with you instead."

His parents' faces fell until they both held a solemn expression. "You're right; we owe you an explanation for why we left you," his father admitted.

"Your mother and I both come from strict Roman Catholic families. When your mother found out she was pregnant, we had only been dating for two months. When our families learned that she was pregnant, they told us we had to keep the baby. But neither of us were anywhere close to being able to raise a child, so we had no choice but to give you to an orphanage. We got married about twelve years ago and are now doing much better, as you may have noticed." Mr. Romano gestured modestly to the extravagant house. "I'm a pediatrician, and your mother is an author. We have been wishing that we had set up some way of finding you, because now we are more than ready to raise a child of our own. And I speak for both of us when I say that we are so very sorry everything happened this way."

Mrs. Romano nodded along with a sad smile. "I'm just so grateful to finally meet you, the young man you've become. What did you say your name was? Mars?"

Mars blinked. He was probably still comprehending all of the information. "Um, yes."

"Mars Romano... wow," his father said. "Where - or, I suppose who - did that name come from?"

Mars laughed weakly. "That is a very interesting story, and it has to do with Star."

I looked up, brushing my hair out of my face. "Hmm?"

"Will you help me tell the story?" Mars asked.

"Come join us on the couch, darling," Mrs. Romano said, patting the empty space next to Mars.

"Yeah... okay." I moved over and sat next to him. The three of them looked at me expectantly.

"I guess it all starts with a few people concerned with the growing government in Ancient Rome..."