Rowan: The EcoPan

The Child Of Eden

Rainbow- Elle Fanning
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I sit up as soon as I gain consciousness. I see a woman who looks in her late twenties sitting in a chair next to me. She has soft brown hair, lenses, and what looks like dark blue veins coiling around her arms. They're not veins though. They're the faded and smudged reminiscent of her old tattoos.

"Lark? "I gasp, extending my hand to her, she takes it. "Is that you?"

"Yes," she says with a sad smile. "I look different, I know." I'm slightly taken aback by all the new change in her face but that doesn't truly matter to me. She's Lark. That's all that matters.

"What happened to you? What happened to everyone?" I ask, swinging my leg over the side of the bed and I'm still wearing the gauzy black robe.

"I'm guessing you want to know about Ash first." She raises her eyebrows. "Well, what's your first question?"

"Is he happy? Him and Angel, are they married? Just tell me everything!"

"Okay, well Ash and Angel are actually very happily married. Ash is very happy, he weaves baskets and helps Angel make cloth. Oh, but do you want to know the most exciting part of all of this? He has babies! Or, I guess they're not babies anymore, he has a daughter who is seven and a son who is three," she tells me and my eyes fill with tears.

"I'm an aunt?" She nods. "What are their names? Where's Ash? Let me see them!" I have so many questions and things running through my mind that I can hardly focus on one thought at a time.

"His daughter is named Sky and his boy is named Aspen," she says warmly and I can tell she is fond of them.

"Oh, let me see them," I demand desperately and it's so hard to imagine my baby brother as a father. I have to see them! All of them. It feels like everything is moving so slowly. Can't they understand how badly I need to know everything that has happened? I'm miserably impatient.

"You will see them soon Rowan, don't worry. You'll see them at dinner tonight."

"What dinner?" I ask.

"We're having a dinner in your honor, of course. Everyone who you were close with will be there," she says and my heart starts to beat wildly. "Your mom, Ash, Angel, their kids, Rook, Fern, their kids. A few others, Lachlan, and Ivory and I."

I ignored the uneasiness I feel in the pit of my stomach when she mentioned Lachlan's name and I press on. "Who is Ivory?"

"She's..." Lark's voice seems to fade and I see guilt on her face. "She is my wife."

I sharply inhale and it almost comes out as a wince. Of course. How could a woman as amazing as my Lark not be married after twelve years? I feel a pressure on the back of my eyes and I try to hold back the tears. And Lachlan? I'm sure his charming smirk has been met by another set of lips by now. I don't say that though. I wouldn't be able to bear it right now.

"Oh," I whisper softly and it's hardly audible. "Well, that – that..."

"Oh Rowan I'm sorry for being so direct, I just didn't know how to say it," Lark apologizes.

"Tell me about her. Tell me about how you've been last twelve years," I say, wiping away a tear. That's not what I want to say though. I don't want to accept it. I want to scream and cry and shout, how the bik could she leave me while I was busy sacrificing everything for twelve years, but I know that that wouldn't be fair. I know that she deserves happiness and if Ivory makes her happy then I won't protest. It's not as if my opinion on her marriage would matter anyway.

"I went through a hard time when you went away," Lark admits. "I thought I would never move on. I thought I would never be happy again. About five years after it all happened I just felt so angry. I didn't want to cling to your memory anymore, that didn't matter anymore. I just wanted to be happy. It was around that time that I met Ivory." She lets out a sigh. "Ivory and I were friends for a few years but we've been together for three... I just needed to feel happy. I hope you understand. I can't imagine what this must feel like for you, being thrown back into your life after twelve years. Has any time even passed for you?"