Darkness and Revenge

10//Meet The Parents

"M-mom?"

"Liliana Paris James!"

She looks at me in disgust in reply to my question. I should have expected something like this to happen but I was expecting her to have something to say after all this time. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't expecting an apology, I don't want one. I was expecting her to say something malicious like, 'Did you abort the abomination?' or 'Are you still dating that low life?' but she didn't stay a word. She just watches as I walk out into the centre aisle with Lena, Drew and Caleb following behind me. I think this is the first time in my life that I've ever seen my mother speechless, especially when she's around so many people. I notice my mother's expression harden even more, if that's possible, then as I turn around to see what she's watching I'm looking at the sight of the rest of our family walking towards the spot where I'm stood with my siblings. Nate and Charlie are carrying the twins with Avery and Zac walking behind them; Dani, Cali and Frankie are walking over together whilst Hayley is holding her mother's hand, clearly sensing how tense she is; Jay and Louis are walking over as well, while Jay is holding the hand of the sweetest little boy I've ever seen. This sight amazes me, my family support each other no matter what happens. For anyone else, the death would have torn them apart but we aren't that family and we never will be. Luca's death hurt each of us in it's own way but ultimately, it brought us all closer together than we had ever been.

"Alene, Andrew, Liliana, Calum. How could you not invite your own parents to your brother's funeral?" another voice comes from behind my mother, this time it's a man's. The figure steps forwards and I notice that it's my father.

"You aren't our parents and they aren't our names." I turn around to see who spoke. Caleb.

"Your birth certificates say otherwise son."

"Actually Caleb's right. We changed our names legally and I adopted the younger three because of what you did to Anna and Luca." Have I mentioned Lena's always the voice of reason? She is.

"Can we just let mommy do her speech now?" a small, shaky voice spoke up from behind us all and as I share a look with Nate, who's standing on my left with his arm around my waist, I can tell he knows exactly who it was as well. Turning to my right side, I can see Addison still in Charlie's arms and Marco stood in front of them facing my parents.

I turn back towards my mother and notice her face contorted in disgust, evidently realising exactly who's child Marco is. Her face hardens into a glare when she notices Addison in Charlie's arms. The twins are so obviously related and it's not hard to tell they're Nate's kids. They're essentially his carbon copies but have a slightly tanned skin tone, showing my father's Italian side. Once when Luca and Nate went to pick the twins up from school, their friend's mom was flirting with Nate because she thought he was a single dad but when I arrived late from work to meet them, I walked over and kissed him. When the woman noticed the ring she left him alone, walking away whilst apologising. I've never let the boys pick the twins up alone anymore and after she heard about what happened, Frankie has been the same about Drew and Hayley.

"Mother can I just do my speech then you can leave?" I feel a sudden urge to protect my family so I immediately think that if I can persuade them to stay for the rest of the funeral, we'll never have to deal with them again.

"Of course Liliana." my mother's reply is way too sickly sweet for me to be able to trust her more than I ever have. My mother was never a very trustworthy person; I barely spent time with her during my childhood but by the time I was 13, she was training me and Lena to take over her part in the family business.

We all walk back down the centre aisle back to our seats and I carry on walking until I get to the front to prepare for my speech. I stand up there, staring at my mother and realise I shouldn't be here. It should be my funeral today, not Luca's.

"I-I can't do this."

I don't know what's going through my head right now but all I can do is run. I run down the centre aisle, through the doors, out of the building, into the car park, then I stop. I spot the cherry blossom tree that me and Luca used to come to all the time to talk to each other or just to think.

I run over and sit underneath the tree then I hear the doors to the church open and close before I notice the people who walked out. It's Nate, Addison and Marco. The kids run over to me and grab me into a huge hug with Addison sat in my lap and Marco sat on my left side.

I look up over Addison's head and notice Nate is stood a few metres away just watching the three of us and smiling. I give him a sad smile back and he starts to walk towards us. Nate understands how it feels to lose someone really important to you. He lost his parents and sister in a car accident when they were visiting his grandparents in Italy, he was only 12 at the time. I met him the year after and he was really closed off; it took me years to get him to open up to me more but eventually he did and I couldn't be happier that I didn't give up because now I have the most amazing family thanks to him.

"Are you alright Principessa?" I can't help but smile at the nickname Nate gave me when we first met and he thought I was a spoilt rich girl who's parents would give her anything.

"I don't know if I can do this. It's my fault Nate, I should be dead not him!" I hear a gasp from behind Nate and as I stand up, holding Addison in my arms, I notice all my family stood there with shocked expressions on their faces: Lena, Drew, Dani and Frankie with Hayley and Louis; Zac, Charlie and Avery with Jay; even Cali and Caleb with my "parents".