Life's Little Teardrops

40. A Reveal

I'm walking through what's left of the garden. The plants next to the JuV buildings are scorched and dead but most if the larger plants are fine. There are still bushes, roses, hedges, and assorted other flowers still alive.

Right now I sit on the park bench in the middle of the garden looking over all of the blue roses and yellow tulips, thinking of all the thing that have happened since I left the school.

The sun is almost setting and I'm not sure where we'll be staying tonight, the study has been airing out but still smells lightly of smoke.

I'm just glancing over the flowers when I hear footsteps from down the path and Terra steps out from behind a hedge and sits next to me.

"What are you thinking about?" She asks leaning back with a sigh of relief.

"Oh nothing. And everything. What about you?" I ask feeling the finally cool air sink over my face.

She looks up at the sky and I know it's one of those moments where some emotionally dramatic speech is about to be made.

"I'm thinking about the truth. How lying can make being normal so strange. How, if you lie for so long then going back to being honest feels so.... alien. You know?" She says smiling into the distance, something in her eyes makes me think she's tired if lying and is just waiting for me to give her an opportunity to come clean.

"What have you been lying about Terra?" I ask her as she closes her eyes into the sky.

"Everything. And nothing. My entire past." She looks at me with an expression of expectancy. She looks at me with an honesty that let's me know what she says is not so radical.

"Eliza. I'm Erin."

I look at her for just a moment after the words leave her lips with a thought of shock. Until my mind thaws and I am able to force my mouth to make words.

"Your Ridley's sister?" The question it's self is simple but what it means is a labyrinth of information and metaphorical puzzle pieces.

"Yes." As she says it her eyes waver and I am able to pick touches of brown and green out from under the blue.

"They're contacts." She says blinking.

"Does Ridley know?" I ask starting to feel a little anger bubbling inside me although it is unreasonable.

She looks guilty and shakes her head.

"She had to fulfill the plan on her own. I got to be the evil-genius that created it, I wanted her to be allowed to be the hero. I wanted her to know she could do it without me. At some points it was hard not to jump up and hug her but I knew it was important." She says. Her smile has fully faded now and she looks solemn as the sun sinks lower.

"When will you tell her?" I ask her.

She looks down at her hands in her lap. "I'll tell her when she get's back. I'm excited to move you know?" She responds nonchalant.

"So you're the one who sent me the notes and the stuff for initiation?" I ask thinking of the first note which is still in my backpack.

She nods. "You couldn't help if you weren't a member. And the notes were just little things I read in the cards."

Everything is coming together every detail Ridley told me about her, expert in medical sciences, tarot card reader, lover of classic rock.

"Well It's nice to meet you, Erin." I say looking over the plants to the parking lot where Ridley, Luna and Margo have returned from firehouse. They arrive in the yellow corvette from a few weeks ago.

After 10 minutes of Q&A me and Terra begin the walk to the trees where everyone is in a circle. Everyone seems to be having a discussion of the weeks sleeping arrangements.

"We can stay here." Ridley says Jona as the whole group sits to watch.

"Ya where there's no electricity, heater, cooler, food or shelter." Jona says sarcastically looking irritated.

"Guys lets just stay here for the night. We can go raid some stuff before it gets dark if we hurry. We can get a generator from Tractor Supply." Trinity pipes up helpfully.

Ridley nods but Jona rolls his eyes.

"I'll go." Luna says raising her injured arm.

Terra looks at her patronizingly. "You're injured." Terra says waving to the bandaged arm.

"Oh ya how'd that happen?" Margo asks, I raise my eyebrows at her and she snaps then nods. "The Hillbillies." She smiles.

"Ya. Before you go though I have to make an announcement." Terra says earning her expressions of surprise from everyone but me and April.

"I've been lying to you guys. I'm not naturally blond, I wear colored contacts too so I could let my sister be independent. So she could do something herself." She pauses looking over all of us but her eyes fall to the ground before Ridley.

"I drove across the country to get here. Then I changed my name and acted like I was knew to JuV. In the end I've been lying to everyone but I also had to keep an eye on things because...." She pauses and looks from me to the ground.

"I wouldn't want my Order to fall apart."

Everyone here knows the basic story of the Black Rey's but only one person pics up on Erin's speech. Ridley takes a step closer and clutches Erin's shoulder looking into her eyes. "Erin?" Ridley says visually examining her sister's bone structure, eyes and the hints of auburn near her skull.

Terra nods and suddenly they both are enveloped in tears and are clutching together like frightened little kids, like they'll never see each other again.

As soon as Margo puts the pieces together she is instantly enveloped into a 3way hug. Following her is April, Luna, Rorry and Darren, Trinity and then Jona. I stand awkwardly as the entire group but me hugs with tears of emotion.

"Just get in the hug!" Terra yells from inside a pack of smiling,hugging and crying teenagers.

I look over the circle and decide to join in between April and Trinity the two most accessible people in the hug that I know.

We all just sit there hugging for a while until we all move around to form a circle with our arms around each others shoulders.

"This is gonna be a good summer." Terra says with a huge smile everyone else smiles, too.