Sweet Till The End

16 - Are you calling me fat?

"No, you're not my mother," I replied.

Irene Belserion claimed that she was my mother – which was absurd. Right? How could I have found her so easily? Shouldn't she be somewhere on the other side of the world or dead? Maybe I just wished that she was any of those two options because I didn't like the fact that she abandoned me so I wanted to forget her – pretend that she was gone.

"How do you know that for sure? Do you know your real mother? Where do you think you got your beautiful red hair? Where do you think you got your big boobs?" Irene asked, gesturing to herself and the end.

Her eyes, the same shade of brown as mine, stared into my eyes in a mocking tone. With the same features and scarlet hair, it was hard to deny our similarities and the possibility of our relationship. I huffed as I unconsciously crossed my arms over my chest.

"I don't know my real mother but looks aren't everything. You just might be a doppelganger or distantly related. Seriously, why are you so sure that you're my mother?" I demanded.

"I remember the look on my daughter's face when I abandoned her in the alley. I remember those brown eyes staring up at me, just like yours are now. I didn't want to leave you there but I didn't know what else to do. You were my daughter, I gave birth to you and named you Erza but I couldn't look after you. And for that, I'm sorry," Irene said, the tiniest hint of regret and guilt on her face.

I was taken aback, not expecting the softness of her tone. And although it was hard to accept, I could feel in my heart that she was truly my heart. That didn't mean I would accept her as my mother – she abandoned me and now she's just the woman who gave birth to me.

"Okay, let's say you are my mother. Why did you abandon me?" I asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"I had no choice. When I was still pregnant, your father left, saying he didn't love me anymore. He took everything when he went and I was left poor. When you were born, I tried to find your father but I found out that he died in a car crash. I didn't know what to do; I couldn't look after the both of us. And I regret leaving you but I had to think of myself. So I put you in the alleyway but I knew you would be found by people who could take care of you better than I ever could," Irene explained.

"And you never looked for me after that?"

"I was too ashamed of myself. How could I face my daughter who I abandoned? You would hate me for sure and I was scared. But then I started hoping I would somehow meet you and here we are. It must be fate. I'm given another chance to do you right."

She took my hands in hers. Her hands were gentle and warm with an unexpected motherly touch. I glanced down hesitantly. Her words, albeit regretful and kind, didn't remove the unease and distrust I felt.

"You want to start over? Be part of my life?" I asked her.

"Yes, more than anything. Even though you're an adult now and don't need a mother, I would love to get to know you," Irene said earnestly.

"Okay. Then first, tell me about Zeref."

My mother paled. "I...I can't do that. You don't understand. He's powerful. With lots of connections and money he got from whatever he does, he practically owns this whole school. He could kill me or worse, get me fired."

"Then you're a coward and not my mother. I know that Zeref is a powerful person – I've seen his wrath. But he's a bad person who should still be in jail and we need to stop him or he'll take down Fairy Tail University. You and I both know that my university doesn't deserve this."

"I'm sorry, Erza, I really am. But I have to go now. Maybe I can get your number and we can meet up some time to catch up," Irene suggested nervously.