Twin Image: Family, Before Anything

Chapter 23

~Two weeks later~

-October 4th, Tuesday-

~Natalie's POV~

I tie my little message to the frame of the already lit lantern, as does my son, and then husband. I wipe a fallen tear and look around me, and I watch Caspian do the same with his lantern in the arms of Christina and Will. I see friends of Rosemary do the same, all with light purple paper lanterns, like ours. Purple was her favorite color, and this, is exactly what she wanted. A lantern funeral.

I remember her and I got deep into conversation one day, and she asked me what type of funeral would I want for when the day came. As in, what would I want the people I love to do once I passed. I told her, I personally wouldn't want the traditional all black funeral. I wouldn't want a funeral at all. I'd want a celebration of life, where all of my family and friends come together and just ...reminisce.

No tears, or at least, minimal. I told her I wanted laughter, and smiles when it's my time. Right before I asked the same of her. And this, is exactly what she wanted. I watch Caspian, Chris, and Will all lift up their big lit lantern, and let go.

I shed a few tears as I watch it float up into the bright night sky. We lift ours with everyone else, and let go. And we all watch the abundance of lanterns grace the sky, and I spot a few with little Roses on them. I smile. "Daddy can we go see how Caspian is?" My son asks his father, and he nods, and kisses my cheek before heading over there with our baby in his arms.

I look back up with a hand on my bump, and I watch the lanterns float higher and higher. Suddenly, I feel something being injected into my neck, and I try to turn around but, my legs gave out and the next thing I knew, I was being caught and carried by two petite and feminine grips. I can't see and I can't move, but I'm still conscious. I know I was injected with some foreign paralytic serum but, this blindness is familiar. I could get out of whoever's obviously trying to kidnap me if I could just see them.

Or see anything to be honest! I could trip them with the ground or a rock if I could just fucking see it! I gasp, realizing exactly why this blindness was familiar. Stephanie. But why?

What did I do? "In here!" I hear, and I recognize the voice immediately. Elaina. I feel myself get basically thrown into and duck-taped to a chair. And I feel every bit of it.

They do see I'm pregnant right? "Alright let her see." Elaina says, and it is then I'm given my vision back, and immediately, I throw both of them against the nearest wall. But I wasn't the only one who started throwing. Just as I threw them, Stephanie threw a dagger from thin air towards my baby bump, making it freeze with the sharp tip piercing my skin. "Put us down or your baby gets it." Stephanie chokes out with her arm extended, and even though I knew my baby would be safe, I still would prefer to get out of this unscathed.

I put them down, and they gasp for air. Guess they assumed I need to move to use my powers, as does Stephanie. "Use those powers again, and it'll be more than just your baby inside of you getting it." Elaina threatens coming over to this table, and grabbing this tablet. As if me or Tobias would let her anywhere near our kids. Please. She taps away onto it, getting closer and closer to restrained and paralyzed me. She flips it, on the screen was a video. She presses play.

And I see her mother, Jeanine Matthews, up on Erudite's podium, giving a speech. A speech explaining the decree, the open faction decree. And how the Erudite would never participate in such lawless ways. The Erudite crowd bursted out into a riot, obviously disapproving. Just then, a gun goes off once, and down falls Jeanine.