Guessing Sparkles (WA 2013)

That Warm Feeling

"The next time you look for your one true love, try dropping by to my house and you'll see what you're looking for." - KC Sparks

Picture on the side is Miss Margarrette Huntington :)

Chapter Twenty-Three: That Warm Feeling

 I didn't say anything. Heck, I had no idea what to say. The words were suddenly stuck inside my throat, and I found it hard to say a single word. Like, someone just stacked them all up there to block the air passage in my body. Trust me, if you were in my situation—you'd feel the same way too. The creepy sender was right about the whole "truth about my life" thing. That my life wasn't exactly what I thought it was. And I was wrong for thinking that I already knew all the bits and pieces about me. What I didn't know was that, everything I knew about my life was all just a lie. A piece of crap created by my so-called "parents" who treated me as though I was a doormat—or rather, a dirt. 

Now it finally dawned on me why they never cared about the things I wanted to do with my life. Why they never asked me about my dreams. What I wanted to pursue in college. Why I was always locked up inside my room. They never asked and definitely didn't care about my complaints too. My intuition was right, but I was just blinded by the hope that perhaps I was wrong. That perhaps, my parents were just mad about something that made them like that. I was hoping that maybe deep down their heart—they were also hurt about the whole situation. And I prayed back then that I was really their biological daughter. Their neglected, biological daughter, actually. The girl who did all she could do to make her parents proud of her. That once and for all, they will consider her as a part of the family.

But once again, fate proved me wrong. As a matter of fact, my theories about fate were never right in the first place. Back then, I used to think that fate was something special. The reason why people were happy about their lives despite of all the problems piled up on their shoulders. The one that caused things to happen just how nature planned it to be. Fate for me now was nothing but a cruel thing. The reason why my life became this lonely and miserable. And also the reason why I couldn't be happy in my life. 

"So you're saying that I am Claudia?" I said and frowned.  "Um, I think this is crazy. If I'm really Claudia Warnes and my parents aren't Janice and John Sparks, then why am I in their custody? Marge, this is all messed up."

We were still at the same deserted island. Marge has her own little shack built just near the shore. Trust me, I was curious too as to why she was here. As far as I could remember, Marge came from a royal family. That she wasn't the type of person who would want to live in this type of place. Even I, who didn't come from a royal family, won't choose to live here. The island looked too isolated. My intuition told me that perhaps the island was far away from the city. And yes, I had no idea as to what was the name of the island. 

Marge, on the other hand, looked pretty well. She didn't look starved or famished. Instead, Marge looked healthy and happy too. There was a radiant glow on her face that I didn't see when I met her at Martha's. She looked so lonesome back then. Sure, she smiled and laughed with me, but it didn't really reach her eyes. There was a trace of loneliness on her face. Like, she was longing for someone that she couldn't have. But now, she looked different. She was like free as a bird. That the burdens piled up on her shoulders before were finally gone. Her mood was joyous and it seemed like nothing could go wrong.

"You're Claudia Warnes," she said and threw a stone into the water. "You're not Clarie Sparks. That's just a lie created by your foster parents. Mr. and Mrs. Sparks aren't really a couple. Someone payed them up to act and take care of you."

"What do you mean someone payed them up?" I said and blinked. "Who would do that? I don't understand, Marge. Why are you here? And why do you know about my life?"