The Start of Pain

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Ian felt like drowning himself.

Which is a first, considering he loves himself very much. Among other reddish-haired things. But regardless, he feels awful enough to want to dunk his head on a filthy peasant pool. Ever since he met his 'twin', Ian's mind had been filled with ways on how to make that Alex' life as miserable as possible. Then, Alistair comes and drops the 'Alex might be Nikolai' bomb and all the previous thoughts disintegrated to pitiful dust bunnies.

"Do you suppose you could call me Auntie Irina? You're the same age now as another little boy I once knew...." she has once said to him.

And he had looked at her with this disdain. Because Isabel told Natalie and him that she was worthless.

To find out that this is what Isabel had done to her and her family. Ian felt like throwing up. More and more reasons are coming up to hate the blood flowing in his very veins.

"But when I was nine," he whispered and every turned to look at him. "Irina said that I was the same age as a little boy she knew before. That should be his son, so how..."

Alistair looked at Victoria who stopped talking ever since he said his theory and completely looked as if heaven and earth was colliding before her very eyes. "Are you sure you're sixteen years old, dear?" he asked her gently.

Victoria shook her head. "I don't know anymore," she said in an undertone. "I mean... I'm pretty sure I am." She could feel blood draining out of her, leaving her wanting to gasp for breath and cold to the core. Thoughts circling around the last few days pummelled her mind. The old man gave her a sideways glance and his old, wise eyes glittered as his shaky hands pointed at the locket. "Funny girl... with... little blonde... kid..." he wheezed in Russian wistfully. Victoria blanched. She felt like throwing up. The old man seemed to understand that and shook his head quickly. "No, no, no, no. Young girl with little blond kid," he blubbered, nearly incomprehensible. "Not her kid. No, no," the old man protested. "It's her kid." He nodded understandingly, leaning his head back on the rocking chair and closed his eyes. She was so lost in thoughts that she didn't even realize that the Cahills resumed talking, oblivious to her heart-wrenching apprehensions.

Jonah jumped up from his seat. "Aw, c'mon, people!" he exclaimed, looking at all of his distant cousins. "You really think it's possible to change someone's memory so completely that they don't even know who they are or how old they are or whatever?"

The rest looked at Natalie.

"How old are you, Natalie?" Ian asked her.

Natalie thought about it for a moment. "Twelve...?" She asked it more than said it. She chewed on her lip anxiously.

Jonah fell back on his chair in disbelief. "That is just... Wow," he breathed, feeling utterly slumped.

Victoria rubbed her temple with her free hand. She tried her best to zone back in the conversation. "That's the last made-up story I told her," she informed them, recalling the last time she was in the white room with Natalie. "The birthday she supposedly spent with -"

"My brother in the zoo," Natalie filled in almost immediately. "That's why I remember what a fish is!" Her face lit up, feeling a sudden spurt of gladness that she could figure something out for herself.

Victoria raised her eyebrows at her to prove her point.

"But..." Natalie hesitated before continuing. "I remember eating chocolate while walking behind Mu - Isabel," she said quickly, catching on that Isabel is not a favourite amongst these people. "And then... my brother - I'm not sure which one - scolded me because I was eating like a poor person."