"There's No Need Of Wings To Fly"

Chapter 10 ~ Xena.

"See Dave...everything started nine months before your birth..I was always with your mother and your father at that time.."

"S-so my dad was still alive?" I asked mumbling to that woman.

"Oh, yeah he was, but for a short time. When your mother discovered she was expecting a baby, he shared the happiness of the moment with her but a few weeks after he died, leaving your mother to face the pregnancy alone and me to put to use my project."

"Which project are you talking about?"

"Look Dave, I've always kept an eye on your mother and even before she figured out she was pregnant, I had already discovered that. During the night, while she was sleeping I injected her with a substance, which would have led the baby she was raising in her belly to be strong, capable, fast, smart.. in other words, to be what you are. The spell could only take place ingesting a liquid dose of the substance and a dusted one. Luckily it has been easy to make your mother ingest the solid part too, it was enough to pretend to be gentle that morning and I brought her the breakfast to bed.

"Asshole!" I shouted to her. She seemed to be impassive and a little satisfied smile was developing on her mouth.

"Wait, it's not over yet." she motioned to make me calm down.

"Nine months after your mother was so happy and I was even more because your birth would have represented a new start for me. The 23rd of July came, the day waited by both of us: your mother had so much pain that I had to bring her in the hospital rushing. I waited for her outside and when they let me in, I found her with a little baby in her arms, he was so cute at first sight, with those big and black eyes, with a lot of hair on his head and those beautiful chubby lips. I found out that she called you Dave and I wasn't surprised, it was your father's name.

So time passed, the more you were growing up the more you learnt new things, the more people loved you. They didn't only love you for your nice character, but also for your nice looks: your eyes had brightened up and they became nut-brown, while your hair was still chestnut brown but slowly it was becoming more and more curly.

I took my decision more or less when you were 5 years old. I figured out that my plan wasn't working and I was wondering about a lot of things. You were growing up more and more and your powers didn't reveal.. what had I done wrong? Therefore an evening in August I wrote a letter: I wrote to your mother that I didn't want to see her anymore, that she didn't have to remember me and that I would have never returned. I had given up on you and on my project, but deeply inside I still harbored a little hope; meanwhile I casted a spell on you and I deleted everything you had ever known about me from your memory, but despite that I kept on following you in secret.

I followed you for years.. I wasn't always behind you, I was thinking about other things, but I still didn't understand why you didn't reveal your talents. My doubts disappeared some months before your 16th birthday. I saw the changes, I saw how people started to hate you, I saw how my dream was finally becoming real.

Therefore, for a year I followed you in secret, I made sure that your powers increased and that my hope did the same. Slowly almost every person who loved you beforehand, was learning to hate you and I was proud of that. I followed you again and again and now here I am, a year later, a few months before your 17th birthday."

"What do you want from me? I don't even know who you are!" I asked desperately.

"I'm the woman who has created you, the woman who has made you who you are, you own things that nobody will ever have, you have them thanks to me."

"Okay, thank you then. Thank you for ruining my life, thank you for making people hate me."

"But does it really matter? Why do you care about people? Your place is beside me, Dave, you'll stay next to me, you'll help me, you'll do big things for me, we will always live next to each other, I'll need you. I came here to get you, to bring you where your destiny orders."

"I'll never come with you, ugly witch! I'll never leave my mom! She needs me! I'll never do what you've done to her!" I spit.

"If you don't want to come at choice, you'll be forced."

"No! Never! I don't even know who you are and where do you come from!"

"Oh...damn, I forgot the details. I'm Xena, your aunt."

And in that moment I felt my heart stop for an instant.