Those With Wings

The Past

Zero

Ah yes. The day we went to tell my parents. Luanna had been pretty nervous, although she'd tried to cover it up. It were times like this that were her weakness. I've never seen her freeze up like this any other time. My parents had been sitting on their porch, looking rather satisfied and happy. They'd been delighted when they'd noticed us, and Minverva -who'd had her own child on her lap- had put her child on the ground and hugged me tightly.

"Long time no see", I told her, laughing. Minvera shone with happiness, and pointed at Anna, her daughter. "Isn't she beautiful?" she cooed.

I grinned. "Very."

Luanna hugged my parents, and then Minerva. "How is everyone?" she asked, a nervous smile trembling on her face.

"Old," my mother replied dryly, directing a wink at me. "What about you? You look young as always."

"Well, I'm pregnant," Luanna blurted out. I swallowed. I'd wanted to bring it a bit more gently.

Both of my parents looked rather baffled. "Well...uhm...congratulations," my father managed to choke out.

My mother glanced at me. "Really?

"Really," I affirmed. "We think it's going to be a girl, but we're not sure."

"How long?" Minvera inquired, hugging Luanna tightly.

"A month," I replied, smiling at my younger sister.

My father seemed a bit surprised that I was answering all the questions, but Luanna shot me a grateful look. I had no idea what she'd been expecting. For them to snap? Get angry? We were old enough to have children. She just always didn't like talking. If she had to fight, she would've been fine. She just was always nervous when it came to speaking. 

We'd stayed a while after that, and gone back again when Tapia was three weeks old. My parents had loved the baby, doted on it, especially because Tapia looked like a true angel. I am sad to tell you my mother died a year later, and my father the year after that. Of course Minerva had some time left, and our children played with hers for some time, until her children grew up while ours were still young. She died forty years after my parents, and I rarely saw her children. They were pretty freaked out by my still young looks and Luanna.

Luanna taps me on the shoulder, "hey, what are you thinking about?"

I rub my temples. "Everything, really."

She kisses my forehead, and then puts Yanara on my lap. I stroke the girl's hair. She resembles her mother so much. "Everything being the past?" Luanna inquires.

I smile at her. "Yes."