Inexperienced Heart

Chapter 29: Confusion

Landa did not know how long she had cried for nor how long she had been by her parents' sides. She cried long and hard, but soon no more tears fell. She still sat there, feeling a sense of emptiness and loss. What would she do without her parents? Where would she go without her parents to guide her? She loved them so much. How she missed them! They were gone. Dead. Gone forever. No longer could she go to them for comfort.

While Landa was pondering her tragedy, she did not hear footsteps approaching. The person stood in front of her. Still, she took no heed.

"Landa, what happened?"

Only when the person spoke did Landa look up and see Elliot Surfer. Landa could not tell him her parents were just murdered, though it was obvious and they were in plain view.

"Why are you here, Elliot?" Landa's voice sounded hoarse and sad.

Elliot bent down. "Don't you see? I am Logan. At least, that's what you called me. But I am really Elliot."

Landa stared at him, utterly confused. "Now, I have lost Logan as well," she thought.

"I don't understand. Prove that you are Logan and Elliot," she said.

Elliot stood up, left, and returned with some items.

"You see me now. I am Elliot. I am wearing the same clothes as Logan. Please tell me you see that," he said.

Landa looked at his ragged, torn white shirt with some red splatters she assumed was blood. She looked at his blue skinny jeans with a few holes in them. She looked at his dark blue shoes laced. She realized for the first time that these clothes were indeed the clothes Logan had been wearing. She felt very stupid. The first time she saw Logan, she should have immediately recognized Logan as Elliot by his clothes and his blue eyes.

"Yes," she finally said.

"Good. Now I will put this black wig on my hair and put some makeup on my face. And there you have it. I have been transformed into Logan," Elliot replied while making the appropriate transformations.

Landa stared at the 'new' Elliot. Except for his striking black wig, he looked and resembled Elliot a lot. She felt dumb. She felt like she should have seen it all along. As Elliot was about to remove his extra items, Landa raised her hand as a signal and said, "Wait!"

"Did Goldtin tell you to do this?" she asked.

"Yes," Elliot admitted. "You recall how I told you I like Mira and then ran off? Well, afterwards, Goldtin came to my house. Don't ask how he knew where I lived. You can imagine my shock at seeing him. He told me everything and I reluctantly agreed to go. I even lied to my parents telling them I was going to be gone for a while with my friends. Actually, Goldtin practically forced me to come along. He said I need to learn manners and be more respectful to girls."

Landa laughed.

"You can laugh. I did not think it was funny. But I got what I deserved, I guess. You can see why I was rude to you and I'm sorry, by the way," Elliot said.

"You already told me," Landa commented.

"Is it alright if I take off my wig and makeup now?" asked Elliot with embarrassment.

Landa was hesitant. "I guess. But man, it's going to be hard calling you Elliot when I've been calling you Logan for so long. And it's going to be hard being around you. I thought you were just another boy. What did you say was your last name again?"

"Refrus," Elliot said.

"Refrus. Refrus," Landa pondered thoughtfully. "Of course! Refrus is your last name backwards. Why didn't I see it before? Refrus. Surfer. Elliot Surfer."

"It's still going to be hard admitting you're a boy I know. I had no idea," Landa said.

"Come on, it'll be alright. We'll get used to it," Elliot encouraged.

"Yeah," Landa sighed. "By the way, do you still like Mira?"

"No," Elliot responded. "I gave up when I was hanging out with you day after day."

"Stop making it sound like it was bad! Was it that bad? Was I that bad?" Landa asked.

"No, it wasn't that bad and neither were you. It was actually good," Elliot said and smiled.

"You're a Surfer. Is that how you knew the story behind Lost Surfer's Hollow?" asked Landa.

"Yes," admitted Elliot.

"So you know Isabel?"

"I'm related to her. I was seven when her family was murdered. I am her brother! She was part of my family!"

"So that's why you hate Palson so much and you're so against my hanging out with Roco."

"Yes."

"So the parents you live with-"

"Are my foster parents," finished Elliot.

"You lied to me. You knew where Lost Surfer's Hollow was located. You knew Palson was the evil one all this time!"

"I had to lie! Goldtin's orders. I'm sorry." Landa understood.

They sat in silence. Elliot soon stood up. As he turned his back, Landa spoke up.

"Mira is taken. She and Peter like each other. I accidentally intruded upon them."

"Good," Elliot said as he turned towards Landa.

"Elliot, Palson murdered both my parents," Landa told him.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Why have you been ignoring me recently?"

"I'm sorry. It's because I was dreading telling you who I am and what you'd think. There were times when I saw you and I thought you had guessed the truth, so I turned away from you." Then, he left without another word.

Landa continued sitting by her parents in silence, feeling thoroughly confused. Her parents were dead. The boy she had called Logan was Elliot. She did not understand. Why had he hidden his true identity from her? "I guess I will get used to being with Elliot, instead of Logan. But what does it matter? They're the same boy," she thought.