CHAINS OF OUR BLOOD

End of Pretense

"To bare one's soul is to invite pain..."

I am now perched in one of the tall chairs in the kitchen's island table with Monica and Roark on my sides. I tried to look nonchalant about not seeing Meredith when I gained my senses, I was right, what transpired was only in my mind.

Monica's father was making mac and cheese. Yum! Food is always a good way to lighten the mood. He served it with a big glass of raspberry smoothie.

"Wow, tastes great sir!"

I said in between bites. Tasting a lot of my favorite vegetable, it's almost like it's baked carrots and cheese with some macaroni tossed in, ha! Maybe Monica loves carrots, I looked at Roark's and noticed he was eating like he liked it, I swear, I remember him spitting out a carrot, and that was in the presence of his dearest mother. I doubt if he's being polite.

"It's a pleasure, and please call me Patrick, or even uncle, not sir young lady. My baby girl loves to eat that. I swear she's a rabbit, she lives off carrots!"

"Dad, they are very nutritious. You said so yourself."

"Yes princess, I did, but I didn't mean for you to only prefer carrots..."

"Meredith is the same, it's her comfort food. But I don't like them."

Huh? I didn't know that, shows how we guard our secrets against each other. But Roark knows that he's eating carrots right now, right?

My musings were cut short by Monica's father's thundering laughter.

"I thought as much, you're your father's son. Davey despises carrots! I remember the first time I cooked for him and Amy, he was saying that carrots are the disgrace to the vegetables! But he has a thing for cauliflowers, and thus it's what I placed on your dish, Roark."

I see Monica's father is such a considerate person. But how did he know I would love carrots?

"Aunt Amy loved them though, right?"

"Well, not really."

I saw Monica's father look uncomfortable for a moment but what he said next was...

"So, you're Nathaniel Locke's daughter?" He said looking at me

"And I take it, your sister, was it Meredith, I was sure it was Edith?" He said to Roark, "Is your sister too young woman?" Looking at me again

"I dare say this is messier than I thought." He said to no one in particular.

I was astounded! How did he know?! Wait, wait, was it not? IT WAS NOT!

"Wasn't I hallucinating then? I said what I said out loud?"

"Yes"

Roark and Monica said in unison.

"What?! So that's why she's not here, she left to celebrate and gloat over my weakness..."

"No, no... She took it badly, yes. But she didn't leave to gloat Faith, she left her bag...you know..."

Meredith never, and that's NEVER, ever leaves her bag. So, now she knows my secret longing for everything to be okay, for us to be sisters, then why did she not gloat? If what Roark is saying is true. Then, is it possible that she feels the same? After all these years of making each others life hell, was it, was it really possible? Fainwyn suddenly lost her appetite.

_________________

Roark witnessed for the first time, to see a myriad of emotions flashing in Faith usually very impassive face. So now he knows it isn't exactly hopeless for them to reconcile.

"Faith, I don't and won't pretend to know where you stand, I know Meredith, she's difficult. But it's sad that you both let your disagreement go on for such a long time. I don't know how this all started, but I think it's time to stop."

He was clueless about their fight, that is until 2 years prior when he heard his sister crying, in obvious pain. He didn't how to help her. He didn't know how to comfort her. How can he give something he never experienced.

He just listened to her cry and rant, he heard her shouting at something she clutched in her hands, "That witch, médisant! Traître! Comment ose-t-elle, comment ose-t-elle! Ce est honteux!!! " (That witch, backbiter! Traitor! How dare she, how dare she! This is shameful)

Meredith almost never speaks french, to spite their mother who made her speak only french when she was younger, but he knew when she gets overly agitated she reverts back to her first language.

But he never imagined that he'd find a crumpled page of magazine on her trash, and that it would be of Faith( Yes, I call her Faith, because I actually like that name for her and I used that name to address her for a year before realizing it's not her full first name). The page was wet from Meredith's tears and was too crumpled for the printed words to make sense. He had to Google it. And what he found was of Faith's interview with Royalty magazine, the reporter was asking her if she's aware of her mother's close relationship with mother and she was implying that even with my mother being a social pariah, she's best of friends with Meredith.

Her exact words being "why ever would I not, the Duchess Aurelia and mum are close, and even though they are seldom invited to the same social functions, they see each other almost everyday. My best friend is the duchess daughter, we go to the same school and our homes in the Upper East Side back in Manhattan are close. I wish they were here actually, my royal cousins should invite them next time, as it is, Queen Ingrid extends her gracious invitation to them for the New Years Eve Banquet."

I don't see how Meredith saw it as an insult, I don't concern myself with gossip. But after that incident. I paid more attention to what people say about mother. And it turns out they are mocking her at her back, just because she's not invited to royal assemblies anymore, and if she was, it was always because of Princess Elisbeth.

"I don't know Roark, it's a lot to take in right now. I just don't..."

I suppose she's going through a lot right now for me to expect a positive answer right away. But my hope for Meredith and Faith to be reconciled actually was bolstered. There is tomorrow after all. Now, he only has to focus on Meredith, he is sure she's going through a lot too.

"It's okay Faith, I understand. I am very pleased to have finally met you, uncle, however, I have to rush. I need to console Meredith. And Faith, I hope the pretense ends here. "

_________________

I looked at a very troubled girl, hiding my own troubled thoughts, I need to call David. We badly need to talk. Does he know, does he know that his eldest child isn't his. That these girls, these girls are sisters?

_________________

Yes, I know it's a promotional photo from GOT, I love that series! So I just want to say I am aware that the photo I used has an inscription. That is all.