It was time for Lucy Gray to leave, but she couldn't bring herself to let go of Lumi.
"Oh, my baby. I can't believe I'm going to be away from you for so long." Lucy Gray showered Lumis's cheek, nose, and forehead with kisses, holding her in a tight embrace. Lumi tried to reassure her mom,
"Ma, I'll be fine. I'll stay here with Pa, and he can teach me about the Capitol. Once you come back, I'll be ten times smarter. You'll see."
Lucy Gray took both of Lumi's hands,
"You're already smart, sweetheart. You don't have to change for anyone." Lucy Gray took a deep breath, trying to hold back tears.
"I'll miss you every day, Lumi. Promise me you'll take care of yourself."
Lumi nodded with determination,
"I promise, Ma. You go sing your heart out, and when you come back, we'll have so much to talk about." With a final embrace and a lingering look, Lucy Gray reluctantly released her daughter.
"I love you, Lumi. Always."
Lumi felt a twinge of sadness as her mother left, realizing it was the first time she'd ever been apart from her. However, for the first time, she had the opportunity to spend quality time with her father, Coriolanus, a dream nurtured since her childhood days spent reading books left in the cabin depicting families with both mothers and fathers.
Lucy Gray couldn't shake the feeling of leaving a piece of her heart behind.
Lucy Gray approached Coriolanus slowly, a lump forming in her throat.
"Coriolanus," she began, "this is goodbye for now. I didn't expect things to get so complicated, but I have this opportunity, and I need to take it."
Coriolanus, sensing the urgency of the moment, looked at Lucy Gray with a soft expression. "Lucy Gray, before you go, can I have a quick goodbye kiss?" he requested, a hint of longing in his eyes.
She pondered for a moment, then nodded understandingly. In a fleeting gesture, they shared a swift and tender peck, a bittersweet farewell captured in that brief exchange. Lucy Gray tightly hugs Coriolanus goodbye, her heart heavy with emotions.
Lucy Gray waves a goodbye from the train, her hand lingering in the air as the distance between them grows. The ache of separation lingers in her heart as the train gradually takes her away.
Coriolanus straightens up, maintaining his composed demeanor.
"Lumi, time to go. Your tutor is waiting, and education waits for no one. Let's not keep her waiting."
Lumi couldn't help but think, Oh, I guess it won't really be just the two of us.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Lumi eyes the older lady, feeling a bit nervous. Coriolanus introduces her warmly,
"Lumi, meet Mrs. Bennett. She'll be your tutor, and I trust you'll learn a lot from her. Now, I have some work to attend to in my office. Be good, alright?"
"Alright"
Lumi introduced herself, saying, "Hi, I'm Lumi Iris Bai-"
Mrs. Bennett interrupts Lumi mid-introduction, a condescending smile playing on her lips.
"Dear, we must work on that accent. It's a bit too... district, isn't it? Proper elocution is crucial for success in the Capitol," she remarks, subtly implying that Lumi's background is a hindrance to her education.
Lumi, embracing her roots, replied,
"Well, I was raised by my ma, and she's from the districts, so..." Mrs. Bennett interrupted with a disapproving tone, "Ma? That won't do. You have to call her your mother."
YOU ARE READING
The President's Hidden Legacy
Romancewhat if Lucy Gray had survived? what if Lucy Gray ended up pregnant and raised the child alone in the woods? Part 1: Lucy Gray is met with a difficult decision to go back to district 12 to get her daughter medical attention only to be caught by the...
