Fairytale | Jerza | AU

5. Irene Belserion.

Erza's POV:

     I collected our coffee mugs from the table and went into the kitchen. I kept them near the kitchen sink and came out in the living room.

     I sat next to Hynhe. Her face was grim. She then spoke,"Erza, do you, do you want to talk with me, or Juliet, about your mother...? You haven't talked about it at all! You need to... speak, tell us.."

     'Mom..' "I.. I...." I choked on my words. "Tell me, Erza, open up..." Hynhe said in a surprisingly soothing voice.

     "I... I don't... don't" I spoke in a cracked voice, tears blurring my vision. Memories of my mom's death filled my mind.

Flashback

Evening

Erza's POV:

     I rang the bell of our home, expecting to see Mom. But no-one opened it. Suddenly, my phone rang and I accepted the call. Juliet's voice came through.
"Erza.. uh-..can you come over to our house? Quickly? It's urgent."
"Okay... I will be right over."
"Yeah, be careful"
"Yeah, bye."
"Bye."

     I kept the phone inside my pocket and waited another moment before deciding that mom wasn't home and went over to Juliet's. I rang the bell and stood there, waiting. I heard footsteps and a click and the door opened, revealing Juliet.

     She was looking battered and her eyes were swollen. She took me inside and closed the door. Hynhe was sitting on the sofa with a very serious expression on her face.

     "Erza," she spoke,"we have to tell this to you now... Better sit down." I sat on the sofa and she continued. "Your Mom, Irene, is.. is .."

     "Is what?" I asked, anxious. She sighed and looked at me."She is d-dead." I gasped. 'No, no... that's impossible, right? It can't happen, right? No...no,not mom... Did I hear right? ... Mom..'

     Tears ran down my face and I broke down. I cried like it was the end of the world. But my mom was dead...

     Juliet rushed to me and took me in her arms. She tried to calm me, "Erza, I know it is a very horrible feeling... We loved Irene too. Cry your heart out... I am here... I, no, we will always be here for you..."

     I cried and cried. It was like someone had made a big hole in my chest. I took heavy breaths. It hurt so much. After I was calm, Hynhe and Juliet told me what had happened.

     "She died in an accident. She was walking when someone driving a car collided into her. The driver has already been arrested...." I don't remember the details of what they said. My mind was wavering, thinking...

     That night, I cried myself to sleep at Juliet's place. She told me to stay there till I was better.

Morning

Erza's POV:

     I woke up in different surroundings from the usual. I sat right up and memories from yesterday came back to me. My heart sank and everything felt gloomy.

     I came out into the living room. Hynhe was sitting at the dining table, heaps of papers lying all around her. I brushed my teeth and had breakfast. Then I went to have a shower.

     The warm water that fell on my skin was soothing. For a moment I forgot about everything that was going on. I wanted to drown in the water.

     After the shower I dressed up and went into the living room. Hynhe was still there, doing paperwork. Hynhe also happened to be my mom's lawyer.

     So, I guessed she was doing some work related to my mom's... death. By the look on her face things weren't looking to good.

     "Is there a problem, Hynhe?" I asked her. She looked at me and sighed. Then, she said, "Irene has her debts as we all know. But now that she is... Well, it seems you will no longer be owning that little apartment of yours."

     "What?" I asked, my eyes wide. She said, "Yes, you no longer have a place to live... You can live here, so that won't be an issue... But there seem to be many things I don't know yet..."

     "What are you talking about?" Juliet asked, entering the room. Hynhe looked at her and said, "I found some papers in Irene's closet along with all the legal stuff. And, I never knew about them..."

     "Then even Irene must not be knowing about it... You are her lawyer after all." Juliet said. I sat there not understanding what was going on. I had taken leave from school for a few days.

     The school year was ending and most of what remained were final exams. I tried my best to study for the exams, but that wasn't of much use.

Night

Hynhe's POV:

     I took a closer look at the papers. Some of them were property papers of some house in Magnolia. On closer inspection, I found that Irene owned a house in Magnolia, which now, legally belonged to Erza.

     After dinner I called Erza and Juliet and discussed it with them. Erza said, "I am fine with living in another city..."

     "She needs a change of place too... This place holds bad memories for her..." Juliet added. I nodded. We decided that Erza would be living in Magnolia city henceforth and will complete her education there.

     I felt that Erza needed to go as far away from this place. She needed to make new memories, happy memories.

Erza's POV:

     I was surprised to say the least when Hynhe told me about a house in Magnolia city. It was a far away place. But I agreed to go and live there. I wanted a change of pace. And place.

     After Hynhe told us what we needed to know I went to bed. I changed into my pyjamas and snuggled under the covers.

     Memories of Mom came to me as I lied on the bed. My mom loved me so much. And I loved her back as much. She was my everything. She was my hero. She was my world. It was taken away from me.

     I remembered going with Mom to fairs and movies. I remember walking in parks while eating ice cream. She cared for me. She was always there to help me, always by my side.

     'Why did you leave me, Mom? Why? Was I not a good daughter? What did I do wrong? Please, please come back to me...' Tears ran down the side of my face into my hair.

Present

Erza's POV:

     I couldn't get words out of my mouth. I took a deep breath and let it all out, "I didn't know what to do... I was so confused..." Tears ran down my face, but I continued, "I wasn't sure of what exactly had happened. I-i didn't want to be away from Mom. It hurts sooo much... I d-don't want to feel this way, ever..." I stopped to take a deep breath.

     Hynhe stroked my back, trying to soothe me. I continued, "It felt like my heart was pulled out of my chest. I... I wanted to throw all of it away and rest my head in mom's lap... B-but.." My voice cracked.

     Hynhe awkwardly held me in her arms, enveloping me in a warm embrace. It felt nice and I was reminded of my mother. My heart felt lighter after opening up to Hynhe. I fell asleep in her arms, still around me.