Black Sapphire | Xaden Riorson | S/H

XLIV

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     Footsteps drop down the stairs far to my left. I glance up from my notebook to see Violet rounding out onto the ledge toward me with purposeful steps.
     "Afternoon," I greet. She raises her brows but doesn't respond, only continues her approach. I watch with a furrowed face as she comes to a stand near me, a bit further back from the cliff's edge that my feet hang just over.

     "I need to talk to you." I raise my brows and pull my legs back so I can stand, moving to one of the outcroppings that acts as a sort of seat. It's not too comfortable, and she turns to watch me with another step away from the drop.
     "Yeah, what's up?" I ask. Her face draws in again as she hugs her arms over her chest. She turns to look over the view for a moment before looking back at me.
     "Why did you never tell me your surname?" My brows fly up at the question before I furrow them and almost smile.
     "We didn't have one," I tell her carefully, worried she might've hit her head or something. "You know that. Didn't need one." She draws in a breath and swings her head down and back up with a more determined look on her face.
     "You didn't take your dad's?" she questions. I pinch my lips at the idea and then suck in a breath.

     "What's this about, Vi?" Her expression hardens a bit, almost mimicking her mother's for a moment.
     "Just... curious," she says carefully. "Please, Meira?"
     "It's..." I trail off and run a hand over my hair. I hate lying to Violet. She'd always been okay with me just telling her I couldn't answer questions, but I guess that's changed. "I don't know much about it, to tell you the truth," I start with as I glance away. "Something my dad's parents did. He said the name was a disgrace, and he stopped using it. He... He was homeless in Calldyr, so, nobody asked." Her face sinks a bit and it summons a rock in my stomach. I hate this so much, but it's not safe for either of us for her to know. "It was one of the things my parents bonded over, not having surnames."
     There's a hint of truth to that. They bonded over having last names you didn't tell just anyone. I'm pretty sure they both lied to each other about that for a while.

     "Why are you asking all this?" She looks a bit conflicted and I can see the war in her eyes. I want to tell her it's okay, that she can ask, but she really shouldn't and I don't want to encourage it.
     "I found something weird," she tells me quietly. She bites the inside of her cheek and looks back up at me. "You don't appear in the census until 625. And in it, you had a surname."
     "Oh," I hum, releasing some of the weight on my chest. "Yeah. I'm surprised you remember my actual name." I pause to laugh but she doesn't join. "You scared me."
     "You scared me," she echoes with a concerned expression. "What's that about? You didn't show up on any government document until you were 12. That was the first time your mom showed up, too." Something pounds in my chest when I remember she knows my mom's name.
     "My parents didn't want me to be conscripted," I tell her. Thankfully, that one is entirely the truth. "They figured it was better to keep me out of the government in general. I never planned on leaving the caldera anyway. My grandparents were able to do it with Mom, so it was feasible. We were told we needed a last name when we were enrolling in the census and my dad told them to just make one up. I don't even know what it is."
     She nods her head slowly.