The family ties of Lily Juniper Abernathy (book 3)

Chapter 25

Finnick

I sat back against a tree and watched my mom chase Charlie in circles across the sand. You wouldn't think they'd been a bombing here two days ago. It looked just the same, like it never happened. Like nothing but the waves could shake the sand. I turned and kissed the side of Lily's head "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm alright."

"Do you think you're up to going to the new years party?"

She nodded "I think so? As long as I get to sit down?"

"I don't think anyone would see you struggle?"

She smiled "Yeah, that's true?"

"Mommy," Charlie sang coming over to us

"Yeah?"

He hugged her and mumbled "I love you mommy."

"I love you too sweetheart?"

He ran back over to my mom.

"Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"We'll be ok won't we?"

"I'd say so." I mumbled as I stroked the back of her hand.

Lily

I never understood even now how Finn could be so optimistic. He always had been but I still didn't see how he could be after all this time, and all the things we'd been through. Mind you, I was an admittedly a pessimist so maybe that was why I didn't understand...I still hadn't called Marcel to ask him about the terrorism. In all truth I was a little afraid to. Part of me hoped he'd tell me it'd got ridiculous and he'd left...but he wasn't there at Christmas. From what I could gather from being there when my mom asked my aunt Elvie where he was she said he was "Traveling to gain a masters degree in bio-chemistry and that the phone signal is bad so he only phones once a year."

Once a year in four years that anyone hears a thing from him... Was that a cover up? My aunt Elvie might be covering for him- she never liked me anyway. None of them did. But, I couldn't see her, despite her faults, doing something like that because I knew my mom would turn me in. In fact my mom threw me out when she thought I had been involved.

Maybe this is something I should tell Finn?

If I'm keeping Marcel's involvement a secret that makes me just as bad. I got angry then- why had it taken 4 years for me to realise that?

I turned to him "Finn,"

he smiled "What?"

"I have something I want to tell you, right?"

He looked really confused "Right?"

"I think I've done something wrong, and, I think I should've told someone sooner."

"Oh..kay?"

"Promise you won't get mad?"

"Unless you're going to tell me we're over, or, I dunno, you've had an affair- and if you have then you've done an excellent job at hiding it- then yeah, I promise?"

I sighed hard: by the joky tone in his voice he thought this was going to be something small and insignificant that I was fretting over.

"Finnick, I'm not kidding, this is serious."

His face went straight- I hardly ever call him his full name and he hardly ever calls me mine. I can see now he knows it something not to be joked about.

"Lily, what's wrong? Whatever's happened we can probably fix?"

I was ready, ready to tell him the whole story. My voice and vocabulary didn't feel the same way.