The Wrong Side

Chapter 40

"This is it?" I ask.

I'm standing in the middle of the living room of the house that used to belong to my parents before they died.

"Yes. I haven't changed anything about it since they were last here. I wanted to preserve their memory by leaving it the way it was."

I let my feet drag me around the place. Everything is covered in a layer of dust, but when I accidentally touch the control panel for the house, it seems to wake up. It's like it was dormant for a while, but the touch of an Ophia awakens it. I don't realize how much this would affect me. I told Venning that I would be fine, yet I can't help myself when I slide to the floor and curl up in a ball, trying not to cry.

He doesn't say anything and I don't want him to. There is a black frame across from me sitting on a counter that's showing digital images of my parents together.

My mother smiles warmly as she looks at my father. Her blue eyes are shining and her ginger hair is dancing behind her as she wraps her arms around my father. He is looking back up at her with the same kind of love that she's showing him. It's now that I realize how much Kadiya looks like my mother. If my sister's skin tone was a few shades lighter, they'd almost be identical.

My sister... Kadiya... my first real friend that stayed with me. Tears start to well up and I choke them back. My sister and neither of us knew. Well, I knew, but I had forgotten.

The image changes to my father and a young girl as he holds her hands, teaching her to walk and I pull my knees closer to my chest. Kadiya... I miss her so much. I want to see her again.

They look so happy as a family. I was never part of that.

I stand up and go over to the frame, picking it up gently and wiping the dust away so that I can see the image clearly. I can see his eyes now: a warm brown that neither Kadiya nor I inherited. Now that I think about it, most of our traits were inherited from our mother.

The image changes again. This time, I can see my parents, Kadiya, Venning, Ember Irving holding a baby in her arms and a little blonde boy with hazel eyes. My mother's stomach is huge and this time, I can't hold back the tears. They fall freely and a choking sob escapes me as my grip on the frame weakens and I drop it. It shatters on the ground and I collapse on the floor again with my head in my hands, crying uncontrollably.

I can't describe what I'm feeling. It's just an emptiness in my heart as the realization of what could have been settles in. I could have had a family with them. I could have had a normal life with parents, a sister, best friends without any of this crap I had to endure for the first sixteen years of my life.

"Damon..." I hear Venning's voice beside me and I can feel his presence nearby.

"H-how d-d-did it all c-come to this?" I whisper, not lifting my head or bothering to wipe my eyes.

It's silent as he finds the right words to say. He grabs my forearm and gently pulls me to my feet. "Do you want the entire story?" he asks and I nod. He sighs and leads me back to the living room where he sits down on the couch, inviting me to sit beside him. I take the spot and wipe my eyes with my sleeve.

"You ready for this?" he asks.

I take a shuddering breath and look up at him.

"Yes," I say. "Tell me everything."

He nods and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He takes a deep breath before saying, "If you want to start at the absolute beginning, then I'm going to have to tell you a bit about my life before the Endurance."

"Alright," I whisper and I look at him expectantly.

"Your mother and I were close friends," he says. "Ever since childhood. We went to the same school and grew up as neighbours."