What Was Your Name?

Tea Time, Interrupted

Roa's POV

As Bella dashed into the kitchen to get the tea started, Ben and Romeo were sitting on opposite ends of the table and watching the other. "Romeo. You've some nerve to come here like that— trying to steal her away." He hissed at the guest. Glaring at him, I took Romeo's hand and asked him why he was on earth again so soon.

"My mother had sent me to retrieve Autumn when we reported to her that she was here," He started, patting Bella's head when she passed by him with his teacup. "It was supposed to be a two-person mission. But Taboo had said something to me that messed me up, I couldn't understand it and it complicated the whole process." He sighed, slumping down into his chair. "Well there was no need for all that fuss, Romeo. You could've just said you wanted to visit her." I tried reasoning with him. Scoffing, Romeo sipped his tea and rolled his eye. "Well...what did he say to you, if it messed you up so badly?" Ben asked, softening his act.

Romeo's eye widened hearing him speak so kindly. "He asked me if I thought I was invincible, because of how highly I spoke about myself and my overconfidence in the mission." He explained to the three of us, Bella pouring milk into her earl grey. I heard the floorboards creak above us. "Did you make sure she was asleep?" I asked Bella. "No." She gasped, spilling her drink and rushing to the stairs, tripping over her feet. Ben chuckled. As she struggled to pick herself up, Autumn rushed down the stairs to help her. Before she was fully in view to me, Ben's ears flickered down and he looked away.

Instead of choosing to wear pajamas, Autumn was still in the dress she wore on our day out. Romeo bounced out of his chair and hugged her tightly, much to her discomfort. "Please let me go." She whispered, barely audible. Romeo loosened his grip, resting his hands on her shoulders and he started to weep without sound. "You're really alive. I can't believe it— my baby sister, alive after all these years apart." He cried. Autumn looked at him with a fearful, confused smile. "I don't have any siblings." She said, taking his hands off her shoulders. A heavy silence filled the air, the room filled with held breath. "But I don't remember much, so I'll say you're right. Do we have any others?" She said, smiling a mile wide. Romeo, if it was possible, grinned even bigger. "Yes! There are actually thirty of us all together, you being our youngest and only sister." He explained, pulling up a photo on his phone.

Autumn clapped and giggled in delight as Romeo pointed out the different brothers, pointing at some herself every now and then. "Who's that one?" She asked, her finger barely grazing the screen. "Oh...yes, that's Taboo— our youngest brother. Still older than you, but not as old as I am," He sat down, resting his face in his hands. "But I still don't know what he meant when he asked me that. Were there other boys who thought like me? Was I just born to be sacrificed?" He asked no one, voice raising with each sentence. Autumn started backing down, arm raising to protect her face.

Ben walked into the room, unaware of the situation. We didn't even hear him leave, let alone grab Bella's leather book. She never let us even look at it, and seeing how passionate she was with trying to get it back, it must have a lot of sentimental value to her. Ben, much to her dismay, opened the dusty covers to a random page. In her curly handwriting, he read just for a second and looked at her with sad, full eyes. "Even as an atheist, I pray to the moon and to her loyal stars that I am not killed for the crime of being small." He read out to us. At this moment it clicked to me.

Romeo, Bella, and Autumn all have one thing in common, and it isn't the long lifespan or their contagious smiles. No matter how much they cry, the sound they make is almost nothing. When she was mourning her brothers dying, her tears made the only sound as they hit the marbled floor. I don't think any of the others had to train themselves to quiet their despair, not even me. Before I could embrace her, Ben dropped the book and took her in his arms. She kicked at him as he lifted her up and buried his face in the crook of her neck, physically refusing to start melting in his comfort the way she normally would. "Stop pretending to be nice to me! Just take what you want and leave like everyone else!" She howled, her despair making itself known in ways I'm certain that she thought she would never do again.

Autumn started sobbing with her, sound creeping out of her slowly. I wanted to kill everyone who made these innocent people feel this dread waking up day after day. I take a quiet comfort in knowing that I can succeed in a slow way, starting with the one in our garage. It's not like anyone could feel the need to mourn for people like them, anyways, so I can clean the world of them and fulfill my own life's meaning. Win-win for everyone involved.

As I walked Autumn to bed, tucking her in with Woodslight, she gripped my hand before I left her completely. "I love you, Roa." She whispered, followed by sweet nothings as she drifted off to her dreams.

(A/N: WELL THEN. Thank you for reading this chapter, and you can always comment ideas for chapters that I can post as unrelated oneshots. As for the assessment I had, MY GROUP GOT A PERFECT SCORE IN EVERYTHING!! During spring break, I'll be away from writing to take a vacation to California, but get back to writing this ASAP)