stellaR (Editing)

Chapter XVI

Chapter- XVI

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.   -Anonymous

 

          Grae took a deep breath once more, before leaning forward and launching into her story.

     “My mother lived in a small village, and that’s where my sister and I were born. It was a rustic, remote place and everybody there enjoyed living their small-town lives; everyone except Cynda, that is.”

     “‘Cynda’?” Marée arched an eyebrow in disdain.

     “Short for Lucinda, my sister,” Grae explained hastily, adding, “I’ve always called her that- since I could talk. But, like I said, everyone but Cynda loved that small place- myself included. She started expressing her dislike in little ways at first. She would whine to anyone who would listen, and while in the beginning they would, in fact, listen, they quickly grew tired of her complaints. This made Cynda very angry. She felt people were ignoring her, and weren’t offering her the attention she needed to have.”

     I slid my glance around the table to see how the other members of the Five- minus Aria, who was still in the hospital-, were taking this newcomer’s story. Of course, Chaud caught my gaze. Blue eyes met blue eyes, and I struggled to understand what he was attempting to say to me. His face and eyes were hidden back behind his typical, unreadable mask.

     “I liked to think Cynda and I were close. And though she complained to me often about our ‘small world’, as she called it, I never let it come between us. I had always been resigned to growing up and living in a rural little area. It never bothered me. But she needed people. I tried to ask her why she needed them once. She told me that was the only way she could make a ripple; that being surrounded by people was the only way she could have her influence.”

     Grae had to pause as our waiter came back. While Sol and I had our food sitting in front of us, our new guests hadn’t ordered yet.

     I tried to collect my rampant thoughts about her story so far. While believable, there was something about it that seemed… fabricated? Maybe it was the constant tear-jerking ability Grae had as she told it. It seemed a little too perfectly fit to pull at your heartstrings, like it was a story someone made up to suit their own ends. I narrowed my eyes at her, but she was too busy smiling cheekily up at the waiter to notice.

     Soon enough he left, and Grae turned back around to all of us, getting right back into the middle of her story.

     “She used her ability on me once. I’d never noticed it when we were younger- how she would always get the better half of things, or more of a treat than I would. She hadn’t been pushing her opinions onto me then, but our mother.”

     “What about your father?” Sol asked curiously, and I had to agree.

     “Our father…” Grae’s face darkened slightly at the man’s title. “He was a lot of people’s father. As the head of our village, he was allowed to sleep with every woman in the village.” Her nose crinkled in disgust and she pointedly looked away from the rest of us.

     After a moment, she turned back to us, shrugging her shoulder helplessly.

     “What can you do? The past’s the past, and the only remedy for wrongs done then is to make your own wrongs now.”

     I shied away from her at the conviction in her voice. She sure felt strongly about getting revenge for any past wrongs. I could only guess she was talking about her sister.