Wings of Fire As Humans

[16] The Taste Of Hand Sanitizer

"Babies," I corrected.

Secretkeeper slowly shook her head. "My seventh month, the baby died. And since everything I've been through, that prevented me from ever having children again."

I froze.

"W-what are you saying?" I said in barely a whisper.

"I'm saying I'm not your real mother. I... I found you abandoned in the middle of a cornfield during my first attempt of escaping. I..." She took a shaky breath. "I hid you in a small cabinet any time Morrowseer would come into the basement. I..."

Secretkeeper could barely speak. "But I did do a DNA test, and you're both very much siblings." Still struggling, she reached over onto the coffee table and held up a folder. "This has all information about you two. Including your real parents."

I had no words. Stop.

Deathbringer looked furious. I let out a cry, standing up.

"Why didn't you tell us?" he cried. Before Mom could even say anything, he began talking again. "So out whole lives you've been lying to us? What is wrong with this stupid family? Or should I even call us that anymore?"

"Please," Secretkeeper gently said. "I was going to tell you on your seventeenth birthday, but so many things had happened that I knew if I told you you would just break completely. I just... it's my fault we're all her struggling like this. I didn't want you guys to leave me."

Deathbringer covered his ears and closed his eyes. "So it's your fault we have to suffer like this? You said you loved us and—"

"I DO," Secretkeeper insisted. I was now covering my ears as tears streamed down my face.

"How could you?" I kept mumbling. I couldn't stop myself. Pain was an understatement. This was pure torture.

"You guys would be dead if I hadn't found you," Secretkeeper defended.

"That would have been better!" I suddenly blurted, my mask of a pretty face slowly sliding off to show the broken, cruel one. "You idiot! How dare you keep that a secret? This whole time neither you nor Morrowseer had custody of us! I hate you. You ruined our lives and for what? You're the worst thing that happened to me. I honestly wish you were dead!"

Deathbringer's eyes were wide, surprised at my ferocity. This was as bad as the taste of hand sanitizer.

I stood up to march out this house but Secretkeeper stood up to and grabbed my arm. "Please. Please, I only wanted to protect you. I still love you the same! Please, don't make this divide us. Please..."

Secretkeeper suddenly awry and crashed to the floor, fainting in an instant.

Deathbringer and I took a quick glance at each other before running over to Secretkeeper's side. I shook her.

"Mom..?"

"*"

"What movie do you guys want to watch?" Sunny asked.

"Let's watch a horror movie," Qibli offered. "I vote for It."

"No thanks," Turtle quickly said. "Let's watch comedy instead."

"Shut it," Tsunami snapped.

Glory snorted.

"Let's watch something having to do with food."

"Classic Clay," Starflight said, rolling his eyes at him.

"What do you want to watch?"

They all turned to me.