Hometorius : Coming Home

chapter 21 : The True Truth

Marylin POV

When I opened my eyes, I was already on the porch in front of Fleur's grandmother's hut. I slowly opened the door and sneaked inside. Apparently, everyone went to sleep, because the house was quiet and dark, all the lights were off. I took off my shoes and put them on the radiator in the corridor. Going to the living room, I pulled the envelope from the bag. Holding it in my hand, I sat in a chair. Quietly and carefully, I pulled out the letter, or more precisely the letters, because there were three, and began to read. It so happened that the first one was signed as from Kate.

"Jaroslaviec, no idea when

Dear Mary!

I don't know if you know, but I miss you terribly. I was going to write a letter to you and now the perfect opportunity came.
A strange letter has recently been addressed to you. I was very curious about what was inside, but I didn't open it. Unfortunately, that was until last week when I couldn't stand it and had to examine its contents. Do you know what turned out to be? Some kind of a questionnaire. And as it was addressed to you, I decided to send it to you. Don't worry, I have not read anything. I mean, I just took a look.
I hope it's nothing bad and that you won't get into any more trouble because of me.

I miss you
Kate W.

PS - please tell Sam that I- I mean /we/ miss him."

With trembling hands, I opened the second letter. Indeed. It was the exact same survey I filled in the basement before I found myself in France. Victuvius's poll. I looked at it and almost shouted in surprise. Or fear... or both. Throughout the entire page, the inscription "EVERYTHING IS UNTRUE" ran. Red lettering. A print. Such as in criminal films on some suspicious files or something like that. And nothing more. Only invalidated survey. So, I took the third, and last, card in my hand. I took one look at it and I knew that it was exactly what I expected. Correct answers to the survey. I don't know why I keep calling it a survey. It was more of a test, quiz. Well, those were correct answers to the quiz. I started reading.

First and last name(s): Marylin Contilia Freeze

Names and surnames of parents: Marylin Freeze, Victuvius IV McDevil

Name of sibling(s): Lynda Keenly, Fleur Weather, Zarina Flora

Date and place of birth: Russia, Moscow; January 14, 1998

Home address: sorcerers live everywhere

The biggest surprise for me were the first points, which asked about the main personal data. Now I felt like the most deceived person in the world. I began to think seriously about who was lying to me: my parents, or Victuvius.

* * *

"Mom, I have to ask you something," I started a conversation with my mother.

"Has something happened?" my serious tone at once worried her. "Where are you even? We're worried about you, me and dad. We've already hanged up-..."

"Mom," I interrupted her, irritated. "I'm calling on a more serious matter than my disappearance."

"Marylin, say what you mean, because I'm about to lose my mind."

"When was I born?"

"And this is that 'more important matter'?" she snorted through the phone, mocking me.

"When was I born?" I hissed.

"May 14, 1998." she answered without thinking.

"Mom, I'm asking my real birthday. I got answers to a questionnaire, some kind of a quiz, that I was filling up recently and I know the whole truth. Speak, when was I born?"

"May 14, 1998." she repeated, this time not so sure.

"I really know the truth. I just want to hear it from you."

I heard a deep breath in my earpiece and then a long exhale. So, after all, it's really true. My mother has been lying to me my whole life. I felt something was boiling in me. One more moment and I will explode, I thought. I've never felt so angry.

"You were born on January 14, 1998 in Moscow."

"Why did you lie to me?" I asked in the quietest voice I could.

"Marylin, I..." she began to explain, but I interrupted her.

"I'm not waiting for some melodramatic explanations here! I only want one specific answer to one simple question!! No beating around the bush!! Is it really that difficult!!!?" I couldn't stand it and I started yelling for good.

"Sweetie, calm down..."

"Pft, 'sweetie'," I snickered into the smartphone speaker. "NEVER AGAIN, DO NOT EVER CALL ME A SWEETHEART!"

"Marilyn..."

"I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO SAY TO YOU!... Oh, I'm sorry," I said in the sweetest voice in the world. "I apologize, miss, but I have nothing else to say."

I hung up and I wanted to throw the phone at the wall when I remembered that it wasn't really mine. And secondly, I wouldn't be able to communicate with Kate. Or anyone at all. There was something else that stopped me from throwing that phone. It was some voice I heard inside my head. It was composed, sweet but firm. It didn't say anything specific, just was there.

I decided to go take a walk around the city. I was already putting my shoes back on, I was already grasping the golden handle, when I heard another voice, this time a real one, coming from the kitchen.

"Marylin, why don't you go to sleep, eh?"

'Right, I should've expected that' crossed my mind and I entered the kitchen.

"Why are you not sleeping?" I asked and replied to myself, "I woke you up."

My voice was sad, although I didn't regret waking her up. Fleur stood with her back to me. The moon illuminated her face, making it seem even paler than she really was. She looked like a vampire.

"I've been waiting for you," she answered quietly and slowly turned to face me.

"You want to know what letters I got, huh?" I asked with a strange smile.

"Sounds about right..."

"I won't tell you anything," I replied, and after a moment of reflection, I added: "sister."

"Ah, so it's true," Fleur mumbled more to herself than to me. "The survey..."

"Yes. you're correct. The survey. And now excuse me, I'm going to lie down."

The Frenchwoman seemed to not hear it, or she just didn't care. As everybody else. I'm used to the fact that everyone ignores me, treats me like air.

"Where were you born?" she asked, staring at the floor covered with stone tiles.

"In Moscow," I said, walking toward her room.

"Moscow," she repeated to herself in a whisper and she just changed the subject, "I am sleeping in my room."

"Then, I'm sorry, where should I sleep?"

"Come, I'll take you."

She started down the dark corridor without lighting. She didn't want to wake her grandmother. I wondered what would happen if we were caught. And where leaded me to. We passed Fleur's room and walked along the corridor covered with many smaller and larger paintings.

Suddenly, I saw some movement on my left. I stopped and after a moment I took a step back. An old-fashioned mirror hung on the empty wall. It was probably the only wall in this house without any hand-made decorations. I walked closer. As expected, everything burned in the reflection. Ever since I have gone through the mirror at the Hoary Hag's from my reality to here, I love mirrors, especially the flaming ones. 

I went even closer, and closer, and some more, until the mirror took me in.