•CHAPTER XXVII•

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"What?" The twins said in unison as their eyes widened with surprise.

I nodded and swallowed. The scarred image of my mothers blushed face and the darkened brows of the male swirled in my head.

"I just saw them now." I said with my heart beating fast.
"How do you know for sure?" Cole asked with suspicion.
He seems to not believe me which angers me more. I huff out a sigh and frown.
"Because Cole, I just saw them making out!"
He's taken aback and purses his lips together into a thin line.
"Are you sure?" Levi asks in a soft voice like he thinks speaking any louder will break me.
"Yes." I quietly nod in defeat. "Let's just go. I don't want to be here anymore." I'm not sure what I mean by that. I don't want to stand in front of the tall building where my mother has probably returned to the arms of her lover. But I also don't want to be in Morgenstel anymore. It's changing everything I've ever known and makes me feel twisted to my core.

The twins follow my fast pace quietly.
"Maybe it's just a misunderstanding?" Levi speaks up.
"Levi, I appreciate you trying to deflate the situation but I saw that I saw. My eyes don't lie to me."

There's a pause as we make our way down in silence. But then Cole steps in front of us all.
"Okay, so your mum is having lovey rendezvous at work. Is that really an issue? Aren't your parents divorced?"
"Yeah...they are but..." I don't know what else to say. He's right. I'm just being selfish now. My parents aren't ever getting back together any time soon, so shouldn't I be happy that my mother had found someone else?
"They have to move on at some point." Cole says.
"I just always thought that they you know...wouldn't find anyone else." I shrug feeling like a stupid child again.

Levi wraps a warm arm around my shoulders. His embrace makes me feel somewhat better. "Listen Azra, shit happens. It might not even be so bad. Bad things always have some sort of positive outcome. What if you get a really nice stepdad? He probably cares about your mum, and you too. He just hasn't met you yet. What if he was planning to meet you tonight? He could be the most genuinely good person in the world. Your mum is happy, your happy and ta dah! Happy family." He says with this brightness in his toothy grin. I can't help but shoot him down.

"That's not how happy families work." I mumble quietly and walk on after sliding his arm off me.
Like I would know anything about happy families.

The Maccons seem to be the family that I wish I had. I wish I was baby Mila, starting the world again. Completely fresh, with a new mother that loves me and siblings that care for me. I know I shouldn't think about wanting to be in a different family, but I can't help it. The twins' family is filled with warmth and joy. Something that isn't household lacks. It always has. I feel a pang if jealousy and mentally slap myself awake.

"Okay, here's what we do, instead of playing happy family." Cole says shooting a look at Levi who I feel guilty towards. "We wait and see. When your mum comes home tonight, if she's on her own then you sit down and ask her about it. If she comes home with him, then you all sit down and talk about. He'll get introduced and you can start there. See what happens. There's nothing we can do now, so all you have to do is let time heal."
"Yeah." I agree. "Do you think you know him?" I ask hoping that the town is small enough for the twins to recognise the man.
"Well what does he look like?" Levi asks.
"Uhm well I didn't get a good look but he's got brown hair, dark eyebrows. He's tall, wearing a grey suite..."

They look at me blankly.

"Yeah sorry, you weren't going to get anything out of that." I say and chuckle which they find relieving and laugh too.

We walk through the town, finding ourselves sitting down in an urban cafe sipping on hot drinks. The cafe was small but held the warm aroma of coffee beans that made me forget about my mother and her...boyfriend?
"...and then Jason had to pull both of us out before we drowned!" Levi said and snorted with laughter. They were telling of their childhood stories when they lived in Ireland.
"You're lucky you have siblings. I've always wanted a brother or a sister." I say lustfully and they raise their brows.
"No you don't." They both say together and then laugh.
"Sometimes I actually want to murder him." Cole says, talking about Levi. Levi gives him a disgruntled look.
"I can say the same about you, brother."
"Even Mila drives me insane sometimes." Cole adds and takes a sip of his cappuccino.
"But she's only so small." I say trying to stick up for the baby. "I'm sure you were just as annoying."
Cole shakes his head. "I was always quiet. Levi was the one that was crying all the time."
Levi shakes his head. "You got it the wrong way round. I was the quiet one, you were the crybaby." He said and they both bicker whilst I catch my eye on familiar long beaded braids.

"Charlie?" I call out. She swivels around and we meet eyes before the twins call her over. She has a wide smile on her face but dark circles under her eyes.
"Fancy seeing you here!" She chimes. "Can I join?"
We nod and she sits, crossing her fishnet covered legs.

I sip my tea so that I don't have to say anything. I have so many questions to ask her. She must have seen my text by now, and still hasn't sent anything. She doesn't seem phased by me, so surely she still isn't mad?
She looks perfectly normal, so much so that the twins don't suspect anything.

"What have you guys been up to?" She asks and glances at me for a split second before looking back at the twins.
"Nothing much, our brother is back for a while."
"Oh Jason?"
"Yeah; what about you?"
"I've been really busy. Helping my mum and all." She says and then a waitress brings her tea over.

Is that what she has been doing? Helping her mother with the animals?
"What about you Azra?" She asks and I snap out of my daydream.
My throat goes dry and I blink a few times before I clear my throat.
"Just been hanging around, nothing really."
Yeah, nothing. Just covering the body of my housekeeper whom your classmate killed.
"Hey, I have something to show you later Azra. If you're free?" Charlie says and looks at me with hope.
I instinctively nod.
"Of course."

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authors note:

so i'm going to upload twice today, i do update daily and i hope it's enough for you all. please please leave votes, they don't cost anything!

-kiim

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