LXIX. WOE IS ME
21:12 ─❁────────── 21:79
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❝"Come on, little lady, give us a smile"
No, I ain't got nothin' to smile about❞
༻───────────────༺
THE WHITE AND FLUFFY CLOUDS drifted across the summer sky over the Burrow as the dewy smell mingled in the air through the open window of the Weasley twins' room. Harry Potter sat idly on the windowsill, looking aimlessly with longing out toward the clear summer sky as the snowy owl perched herself on his hand with a letter in between her beak.
Summer had been nothing but uneventful for Harry. He thought things would change once he got back from Hogwarts — well, a lot of things did change, but one thing that didn't change was the fact that there was still a wall that kept him away from his... girlfriend.
His girlfriend... Did she count as his girlfriend yet? They haven't even made it official last year, so he guesses, no? Nonetheless, it was clear as the skies above to him that they were no longer only friends. They were something more.
The moment they had gotten back to Little Whinging, they did not waste a single breath but to meet each other again at the very playground that had led them up to where they were now. It was nice, spending time with each other, alone without anyone bothering them... or so he thought no one was about to bother them anyway until a few weeks ago where their rendezvous became scarce and before he knew it, it came to a halt as she told him how her adoptive parents were now monitoring her every move up until competition day.
It was miserable not having to see her much anymore. The only thing that kept them sane was the letters that she seemingly sent hushly, fearing that if her parents were to know about them, something might happen.
Dear Harry,
How are you doing? Probably fairing better than I am since you're now at the Weasleys, huh? Merlin, I wish I was there now because all I want to do recently is just sleep and offing myself if I could.
Yesterday I had a bit of a back pain when performing with ribbons and they still expected me to go on with the practice? It was practically killing me, but I'm glad Hugo was able to convince them to give me a day off.
This is hellish, you know? I want to stop doing this. This isn't fun anymore, and quite frankly whenever I bend my body, my body stretches so much that it hurts my muscle. But whenever I were to tell them that, they would only shrug it off and tell me to suck it up.
I'm done with this already...
Anyway, enough about me, tell me how you're doing there with Ron and Hermione! Are they doing good?
I hope to hear more from you, since your letters are the only thing that's at least keeping me alive and not make me want to purposely bend my neck and die already. Toodles!
Yours truly,
Lucie.
Harry sighed and leaned against the window as he pondered over her letter that was in his hand; Lucia was never to complain much, which meant that the thing her adoptive parents were doing was really hurting her now. He wished he could just drag her out of their house and bring her here...
Wait a minute... can he?
In the north side of the country, Lucia DiFiore laid idly on her bed, a floral journal on her lap as she looked out at the summer world outside of her window. She hated this.
Why did she have to do this again? Why was she so hellbent to 'repay' the Beaumonts for things they hardly ever done? All they did was caused her pain, so why was she so naturally hellbent to compensate them when in reality, she didn't have to. She wasn't the one that chose to be adopted, so why was she getting the short end of the stick?
She leaned back her head on her pillow in distress. Nothing she do here was enough for them. Nothing she do was satisfying to them, whether it'd be a whole performance with every single prop she learnt to use, or if she were to do artistic gymnastic and play with bars, she would never be enough for them.
She should've been done long ago, but instead she decided in continuing with the torture.
She really was a masochist, huh?
Tired would be an understatement as to what she was feeling currently. All she wanted was to... be release. Like the butterflies that were fluttering outside her window.
"Would you look who's recuperating from almost breaking her back!"
Turning her gaze to the doorway, Lucia made to let out a small groan; Hugo Beaumont entered his little sister room with a a deck of cards and a plate of sandwiches in his hand, as Leon Casimir followed in behind his best friend with a tray of orange juice in his hand.
"How are you doing, Lucia?" he asked, setting down the juice on her bedside.
She managed a smile at him, "I'm doing better than last time," said Lucia, before snapping her eyes at her older brother, "And for the last time, idiot, I did not almost break my back!" she threw a pillow at him.
Hugo swiftly caught it and smiled. "Whatever you say," he sang, before looking around the room to the empty pillow in the corner of her room. "By the way, where's that little ferret of yours? You really don't want Mum or anyone else to find out about it,"
"You don't have to worry about him." Lucia brushed his words off, wincing as she attempted to reach for the orange juice. "He'll come back,"
Leon scrunched his nose grimly. "Really, what was Mrs. Beaumont even thinking? She knew your back hurts," he said as he helped her out with the juice.
"That's just it," said Hugo. "She doesn't think."
"Why do you even keep up with her?" Leon inquired her, but Lucia merely leaned back on the pillow on her back.
She no longer had any idea as to why she continued to keep up with Mrs. Beaumont's orders when there was really no need for her to do so in the first plcae. Well, perhaps it was because she was scared, but she wasn't anymore, was she?
Not when she had already grown up.
Hugo casted Leon a warning look, asking him to drop it. Then he managed a smile on his lips and a deck of cards on her bed. Lucia looked questionably at him. "What's this rubbish?"
"Rubbish? This isn't any 'rubbish', dear sister. This is a game,"
"A game that I want you both to leave me out from," stated Lucia sarcastically.
"Sheesh," said Leon. "Fine,"
Lucia rolled her eyes and continued with reading her book as the two began their game of UNO. It the circumstances were different, she would have joined them for the game, but alas she was just too much in thoughts that she feared she would only be ruining the fun of the game. Leon's words echoed in her mind.
Why did I ever keep up with her?
"You know, what do you even like about gymnastics anyway?" Leon asked, putting down a yellow card.
Hugo snarled.
She shook her head, "I-I dunno... I mean, I guess I used to love incorporating the backscale pivot in my ribbon performance. It once made me feel like I can defy gravity for a few seconds..."
"Yeah, but you said you used to. Does that mean you don't like doing it anymore?"
"I-It isn't that I don't like it... I just don't have the passion I used to have for gymnastics in general. Sure, I sometimes do it just for fun, bending myself to see how flexible I am... or even manipulating my limbs just to freak others out... but these days, I don't even know anymore," said Lucia quietly.
"With a mother like mine, it would've been more of a surprise if you still had that passion now," joked Hugo, which Lucia could only smile pathetically at.
"Mother forces me to do many styles and skills that I'm not so comfortable with, and it isn't as though I like doing it becase of the championships in the first. I was practically forced, so maybe that's why I'm losing my love for gymnastics..."
"That, or the fact that she keeps on screaming at your face whenever she could," said Hugo, scoffing. "Face it, Mum never tries to make you better because she already knows you've already perfected everything you've done. She only screams to you just to belittle you,"
"Then why do you never tell her that you want to stop doing it already?" Leon asked.
Lucia tensed.
Of course this question would come out sooner or later. It was the most obvious question to ask, why had she never told her mother that she wanted to quit the arts already?
"Hugo,"
"Hmm?"
"Are you winning or losing?" she asked, trying to redirect their attention elsewhere.
Hugo looked at her blankly. "Don't you even know how UNO works?"
Of course, she doesn't, for she never had much time to even learn the basics and rules of UNO with how busy her summer life had always been, especially pre-competition season.
Sighing, he glanced up from his deck of cards and toward his adopted sister. "The one winning right now is your ex-boyfriend right there," he scoffed just saying the word.
"He's not my ex-boyfriend," stated Lucia, furrowing her eyes.
"Yeah, but he wishes he was," snorted Hugo, which only earnt him a sharp glare from the blushing Leon.
"Bugger off," he snarled.
Hugo smirked.
Lucia hummed, disregarding their bickering as she looked at the cards in wonder, watching as the game unfold before her. "I just rejected his confession," she reminded him, "but how's he winning?"
"Because all I have left is one card," Leon then groaned, "And can we not talk about that yet?"
"He's still in denial," whispered Hugo.
"That's not his fault..." said Lucia.
"Well, anyway he's still wining," said Hugo roughly in irritation. "Unless..."
Lucia was beyond confuse. Unless...?
Leon scowled. "Yeah right," he stated. "I'm gonna win and when I do, you have to bow down to me for a whole week!"
"Lucia'll never let that slide," said Hugo, using the Lucia card on his side, seeing as he was beginning to pull almost ten cards now, being on the losing end of the game. "She'll never —"
"Don't bring me into this," Lucia scowled, pulling out her novel from underneath her bed with a painful hiss.
"You're supposed to be on my side!"
"Was I? All I recall was the fact that you both raided my room while I was peacefully in recuperation, where I'm supposed to enjoy my free day from doing something I hate and finally getting to enjoy my summer for once by immersing myself into the books that I love and pretending like I'm a character from a book! But instead, I'm surrounded by a bunch of knobheads," ranted Lucia, before shoving a mouthful of sandwich into Leon's mouth right as he was about to remarked back at her.
"Wucky I stwill wove you," said Leon, munching on the scones jubilantly.
"Hmhmm," Lucia nodded, fingers turning to the next page, "I am certainly lucky, huh,"
"You cow, Lucia." Hugo said, but Lucia was apathetic at this as she heard this a little too much already to even be bothered.
She only gave Hugo a mere glance before she went back to reading. "Says the pig stein himself,"
"I'm not —"
"Do you really think it's clever of you to argue with Lucia?" said Leon, fiddling with the single card in his hand patronisingly at his opponent. "She'll most likely ignore your whole existence, especially when she's that immersed in reading," he beckoned to the girl behind him, who was already engrossed into the land of fiction as she had a sudden giddy look.
Leon looked at the others smugly. "I mean, I would know since I was someone she spent the most time with and all."
"You wished," scowled Hugo. "I'm the one that spends most of the time with her when she's back home. You gotta emphasized more on the fact that it's only apart of your imagination and remember that you got dumped Lucia in the nicest way possible because she's way too nice for her own good like that," he grinned, putting down a card.
"Prat," scoffed Leon. "And I was not dumped. I got rejected nicely —"
"Yes, you were," argued Hugo. "Stop avoiding reality, Leon,"
Leon's eyes twitches in annoyance. Clearly, with his status in this game, Peter was only trying to edge him on to make a slip up. What sore losers, he thought.
"Ha ha," a sardonic tone laced his voice, "let's see who gets the last laugh."
"Yeah. Let's," simpered Hugo.
Glaring at one another, Hugo finds this very amusing as he picked a card from his deck. It was as though time slowed as the card was place onto the others like it was a trophy, while Leon's world came crashing down on him.
He had to draw four.
"NOOO —"
"Say, guys, do you think I should do it?" Lucia finally asked, causing Hugo and Leon to snap their heads at her, perplexed.
"Do what?"
"Tell her. Tell her that I don't want to do this anymore?"
༻❁༺
Days have past since she had first revealed to them about her plan. She was finally going to do it. However, will she be able to successfully do it without backing down?
She didn't know.
Sitting in the back of the car, her eyes wandered out to the window, watching as they pass by houses as they were returning home her latest training. It was nothing new for Lucia to be nervous, but as of this moment, it felt as if her life was on the line as prepared herself for something, to her young self, would be unimaginable.
Lucia fiddled with her jacket in nervousness. This was it. She was going to do it. Breathe in, breathe out, Lucia. You're going to be fine...
She hoped.
"M-Mother, may I —" Stammering? Way to start of the conversation confidently! "No, I mean, I need to speak to you about something," started Lucia firmly, her hand shaking underneath her jacket.
Lucia stiffened as her mother looked through the review mirror at her with her piercing grey eyes that made her ever so nervous to even contradict. She swallowed hard, squeezing her eyes shut and clenched her fist. It's going to be all right... It's going to be all right...It's going to be all right and nothing bad's going to happen...
"What is it?" Mrs. Beaumont said sharply. "This better not be something trivial —"
"It's not! Well, it's not something trivial to me anyway," said Lucia quietly, gnawing her lip. "I-It's something... something fairly important, and I think you should hear me out for once,"
Mrs. Beaumont cocked a brow, before she said lowly: "Go on,"
"I-I was wondering — no, I want to stop doing one of the extracurricular activities you and father have me doing," Before Mrs. Beaumont could comment on her words, Lucia quickly continued hastily, "Because it's starting to wear me down and I don't think it's good for my health anymore. I-I appreciate your efforts in raising me and wanting what's best for me, but I would love for you to stop doing so much now,"
Mrs. Beaumont narrowed her eyes piercingly at Lucia, who initially began to feel fear crept into her body. It was nothing like how she felt back in the Department of Mysteries — scared to death — but it was still a sensation that she had been dreading all this time. All she could see in the dark vision of hers was the imagery of her mother lashing out at her.
What if she couldn't defend herself?
What if this will be the last straw for her? Would she lash out on Hugo if she did that? That was the last thing she wanted...
"Is that so?" replied Mrs. Beaumont ominously, but for some odd reason, her presence felt almost omnipotent before Lucia. She was scared now.
Breathing sharply, Lucia nodded reluctantly.
"Tell me, dear," Lucia saw the grip Mrs. Beaumont had on her steering wheel, "What is this extracurricular activity that you are so hellbent to quit?"
"I-It is... It's..." She started feeling cold sweat all over, her hands going clammy and her body trembling. Come on, Lucia, you can do it. She's too much of a coward to a lay a hand on you, just do it!
"It's gymnastic."
There.
She finally said it.
The air in the car suddenly shifts as she let out those words. Lucia suddenly felt her chest gradually becoming heavy and tightening as her eyes hesitantly spared a glance at the review mirror, where she saw horrifying sight; Mrs. Beaumont glared dangerously as a sinisterly dark look crossed her face before she managed a smile.
A false one.
Lucia turned pale with fright as her breath shortened continuously, feeling suffocated.
"Why? I remember you loving gymnastics when you were little. Why the sudden change?"
"B-Because..."
"Because?" Mrs. Beaumont arched, eyes staring daggers at Lucia's meek appearance.
"I-I..."
"You what?"
"It's because I just don't like it anymore!"
Silence filled the tensed and overwhelming ambiance of the car when finally, Mrs. Beaumont spoke with absolute. "How dare you speak to me that way! I am your mother, Luciana!"
Lucia flinched at her tone.
She felt nothing but fear flooding her whole body like a tsunami striking a city, preparing for destruction. Her head went heavy as it felt as though she was moving in circles, and her heartbeat dangerously, heartstring tugging, pleading her to run awaxy or just shrink herself. However, shockwave in her mind that sent the fear she had to fly away, only to be replaced by anger.
How dare she used her full name.
No one uses it so casually. No one.
An unknown courage seeped into her skin as she straightened herself, bravely laying eye contact with her mother, despite her shaking state. "I-I do not appreciate you... you using my name, Mother..."
"And what rights do you have to speak to your mother with such insolent tone? Do you know who you are talking to, Luciana?! I have never seen your attitude so horrible... It must've been that freak of a school you went to —"
She couldn't take it anymore.
"It isn't my school, Mother! It's you!"
"Me? Are you listening to yourself right now?! Do you know how crazy you sound like?!" Mrs. Beaumont flared, "YOUR FATHER AND I HAVE RAISED YOU SINCE YOU WERE AN ORPHAN. WE GAVE YOU FOOD TO EAT, CLOTHES TO WEAR AND A ROOF TO LIVE UNDER, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?! ALL WE ASK IS TO MAKE YOU PROUD, IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR? YOU ARE NO LONGER AN ORPHAN BECAUSE OF US —"
"D-Don't you dare step foot into that territory, Mother!" Lucia couldn't believe her ears. Truly, how dare she. Her blood boiled, and all she could see was red; "It — it was not my choice to be adopted by you. You make it seem like adopting me is just you doing the world a favour, making it seem like I'm this devil child in front of our neighbours and paint me like this spoilt brat in front of everyone we meet and that I should be nothing but grateful toward you and Father!"
"I... I — not once have I ask for anything that wasn't mine and I have been grateful, that's why I always do your bidding even if it is unfair how it's only me that has to go through all this stuff! All I ever asked was for you and Father to love me — to fulfill that promise you made to me at the orphanage, but nooo you instead made my life a living hell!" she cried, tears of frustration escaped her eyes, ruining her eye makeup.
"LUCIANA BEAUMONT!"
"Do not call me that! I'm fed up with you calling me by that name with so much loathing — it's Lucia Di — Fio — re! DiFiore! I am not Luciana Beaumont!"
"You know who is fed up with your behaviour already? I am. As your mother, I have loved you the moment your father and I picked you up from that orphanage. We gave you home because we loved you. We spent so many times with you because we loved you. I have given you everything in that I could afford, time, money, love that even my own children could not possess. Please remember that, dear,"
Love?
Did Mother and Father ever love me? Is her words... are they the truth? Was she just over-reacting?
She was, wasn't she —
"Why are you dressed like a harlot?"
"Lucia, do not believe what Mum tells you because they're all lies! She knew what she was doing all these years!"
"I noticed something about your bond with Mrs. Beaumont... you're kind of scared of her, aren't you?"
Scared?
"What're you watching, Mrs. Casimir?"
"Ah, Lucia! lovely to see you and Hugo here!" Mrs. Casimir smiled lovingly at the pair of siblings, "Well, I was just watching the news about these children that fled from their homes because they feared their parents. How horrid... no parent should be the material of their children's fear...."
No parent should be the material of their children's fear... No parent should be the material of their children's fear.
No mother should be the material of their daughter's fear.
Despite keeping a record of wreckages in her mind, she had never noticed the real wreckage that had been in front of her eyes this whole time. Sure, she caught the unfair behaviour of her parents, but had she really comprehended the damages they have done to her? The fear that they settled in her so effortlessly?
Smile... smile.. smile... That was the only thing they taught her. To control her.
Hugo knew, he warned her. Leon noticed, he pointed it out to her. Harry realised, he comforted her.
But what about Lucia herself? She merely brushed it off.
It frightened her how easy it was for her mother to dictate her mind effortlessly without herself even noticing it. She felt violated. She felt as if she was no longer the master of her own mind. How could she have never noticed? Why did she brushed it off all these years?
You knew...
You knew but you felt like it was unneeded for you to care about it.
You knew.... but you trusted them.
Trust.
It was because she still trusted them.
"S-Stop the car,"
"Stop the — are you listening to yourself right now? What is wrong with you today? Is there something that isn't satisfying right now? Tell me!"
Lucia rose her eyes to the review mirror, but her mother merely disregarded her and looked forth at the empty rode to their house.
She wanted out of this already.
"Y-You want me to tell you what isn't satisfying me? Are you sure about that?" she asked quietly.
Mrs. Beaumont didn't speak, indicating for her to go on.
She felt angry. She felt rage. Lucia could feel blood rushing through her brain, painting the walls red. Lucia could laugh at this.
And she did.
Hysterically.
Mrs. Beaumont looked alarmingly at the girl, "What is wrong with you?!"
"Y-You — what's wrong with me, you're asking? You made me like this! You molded me into this girl... this girl that I've been confused whether this is the real me! You made me think that the girl I was before this was just an irrelevant phenomenon of nature! You keep saying that you love me, but you don't! You make me scared instead! I'm scared of you; doesn't that frighten you at least a little bit? Having your daughter fear you?!"
Mrs. Beaumont sat calmly, tapping her fingers against her steering wheel.
"Have you taken your medicine? You're acting up again,"
Lucia was frustrated as she cried out, "There it is again! You're making me out like I'm crazy!"
"I am not, Luciana. I am worried for you as a mother should be. I love you."
"Then why can't you show it?" Lucia looked defeatedly at her mother. "Then why do you look at me as if I'm a nuisance? Is it because I'm a freak? Is that it? If I was normal, you would love me like you would love your sweet Hugo, Damien, Claire, and Annette?"
"I love you —"
"STOP SAYING THAT AND INSTEAD SHOW IT!"
"Do not yell at me, I'm warning you!"
"Or else what?" Lucia challenged, wiping her tears way. "Are you finally going to disown me?"
Mrs. Beaumont stomped her feet on the break pedal, wheeling around at Lucia who immediately clutched onto her jacket frightfully. "Don't test me,"
The beating of her heart stopped. Lucia stared ahead at her mother blankly, before she nodded slowly and turned her gaze out toward the window.
"Fine. Disown me."
With that, Lucia scrambled out of the car, slamming door shut behind her. She hurriedly up the porch with Mrs. Beaumont closely behind her.
"LUCIANA BEAUMONT, STOP RIGHT THERE!"
Hugo and Leon flinched at the volume of the Beaumont matriarch's voice and immediately ran out from the living room along with Damien, Claire, and Annette to see the commotion.
"What's going on? I've never heard Mum so... so angry before..." said Claire, clutching Damien.
"What did she do now?" sighed Damien.
The four Beaumont and Casimir instantly straightened themselves as they saw the silhouette of the two figures closing in toward the door, following their silhouette wer loud yells that neither of them would expect come out of the the girl's mouth.
"It's Lucia DiFiore! Get it right!"
"H-Hugo..." whimpered Annette.
Hugo swallowed the lump in his throat, "You three go upstairs and into your rooms,"
"What — why should we —"
"JUST GO, DAMIEN!"
Though grudgingly, Damien hoisted Annette of the floor and seized Claire's hand, giving his older brother an odd look before he dragged his siblings up the flight of stairs. Hugo turned Leon.
"Mate, I'm sorry, but perhaps you should leave —"
"No way am I leaving," scoffed Leon. "Not when it's this serious,"
"Fine! Just follow me!" Hugo beckoned him along with him up the stairs to Lucia's room, where he began to scribble words onto a small paper. Leon watched as his best friend went to the window and blew a whistle, before an owl soared down to the windowsill.
"What are — ?"
"Don't question it, mate. It's better if you don't," said Hugo airily as he stuck the paper into the owl's beak. "Give it to this guy name Harry Potter,"
"Who's Harry —"
"I dunno exactly, but Lucia's been writing to him. He's from her school," Hugo said after he sent the owl off. He then hurried around the room, throwing Lucia belongings into her trunk and stuck his head out of the window, blowing another whistle before a small champagne ferret came scrambling back in. He hastily hoisted the ferret up and into a wicker basket along with his blanket, toys and treats.
"Is he... you know... her...?"
"Not really the time, don't you think?" said Hugo sarcastically.
"R-Right..." Leon laughed nervously, but he couldn't help but be struck by a lightning of sullenness at the thought Lucia having a boyfriend already. "Um... well... why did you just used an owl to send it to him? Couldn't you just call him? Plus, isn't it a bit weird that you did that,"
"I said don't question me, Leon!"
"Sheesh! Sorry!"
"YOU WILL NOT BE LEAVING. I FORBID YOU!"
"And what right do you have to lock me in this place like an animal in a cage, huh? Pretty sure you only want me just to use me!" Lucia's voice became clearer and clearer, which told the pair enough that she was arriving to her.
"I HAVE LOVE YOU —"
"SPEAK TO THE HAND, MOTHER!" The door to her room creaked open swiftly and emerged from the corridors of the house was Lucia.
Hugo had never seen her so disheveled, and he was starting to regret letting Leon stay, for he didn't want anyone to see Lucia in a state of vulnerability as she had always been insecure about it.
However, his thoughts were cut off at the sound of her stomping into her room, looking at them.
"What are you two doing here?" she asked, sniffling.
"W-We heard you..." said Leon quietly.
"Why —"
"Don't dilly-dally anymore, Lucia. I've packed your stuff already, and Bao Bao is in that wicker basket. Escape while you can. Now." Hugo said.
"Hugo..."
"HUGO STOP HER NOW!"
Hugo heaved out a sigh. "Do it. Go."
"Y-You do understand that I'll be leaving you, right?" said Lucia. "R-Right?"
Hugo nodded, smiling sadly at her. "And that's fine. It's not like we can't see each other again, anyway. We can still write to each other..."
"Oh, Hugo..." Lucia sobbed, throwing herself around Hugo. "I'm sorry..."
"There's nothing for you to apologise. I've been waiting for this day to come," said Hugo, hugging her tightly. "I just want you to remember that you're still my little sister no matter what,"
Lucia nodded, wiping her tears away.
"HUGO!"
"Hurry!" said Leon.
She gave him a hasty hug, before she seized her trunk and the wicker basket. Immediately she trudged out of the room and down the stairs, where she saw her mother staring back at her daringly.
"Luciana, what is it that you are not satisfied with? Mummy will give it to you," Mrs. Beaumont tried to reason with her.
A painful look crossed Lucia. "I'm not satisfied with the love you so confidently say that you gave me, Mother,"
She took a step down.
"I wanted you to listen to me, but you never did,"
Another step down.
"You belittle me so much to the point that I'm insecure of my own skin,"
A step down.
"I was your marionette, and your were my puppet master. That revelation truly hurt me, Mother,"
Finally, she stood face to face with Mrs. Beaumont.
"Are you shock? Are you shock that I finally found my worth and realised just how damaging you are?" Lucia tilted her head, displaying her messed up mascara in intimidation toward her mother. "Are you mad?"
Mrs. Beaumont heaved a sharp breath.
"Where is that little girl that I adopted? What happened to her?!" she seized Lucia's hand gripping it tightly. "TELL ME WHAT YOU DID TO MY DAUGHTER!"
"Mum —"
But Lucia shook her head at Hugo, causing him to back down.
Right, he told himself, this was her fight.
Lucia smiled bitterly.
"She's gone. Because of you."
Without sparing her mother a glance, without hesitance, Lucia began her way out of the door, dismissing as her mother dropped to her knees in disbelief.
But Lucia knew it wasn't because she had lost a daughter. It was because she had lost her plaything.
She was done.
She couldn't take it anymore, and she finally left.
The aching on her back was prominent, but Lucia couldn't find the time to worry about it as she walked along the streets toward the playground in Magnolia Road aimlessly. She could hear Bao Bao squeaking from inside of his wicker basket, as if asking her if she was all right.
Was she?
She didn't know.
Mrs. Beaumont didn't disown her, that she knew. It was her that left willingly. So, why did she feel so lost?
Having been under the possession of the Beaumonts, Lucia just now realised how much she had been tied down by them... how much she relied on them without knowing. Perhaps that was why she felt lost without being controlled by them?
Somehow, it felt as though she lost apart of herself the moment she walked out of that door.
Hugo assured her that it was the right thing. He and Leon told her that they were going to support her decision... she shouldn't regret leaving her god awful, adopted parents, but why was the good memories she had of them decided to show itself only now?
Why were they crossing her mind now?
"Mr. and Mrs. Beaumont. This girl here is name Lucia. She's only six and was just registered into the orphanage recently,"
"My, my, what a pretty girl you are," said Giselle Beaumont warmly to her. "We brought you some sweets. Would you like some?"
Lucia shifted where she stood, shy to meet the Beaumont couple. Bashfully, she nodded as she hugged her stuffed bunny closed to her chest, a hand outstretched for the sweet.
"Where did she come from?" Andre Beaumont asked the teacher, looking sympathetically over at the little girl as she played around with his wife.
"We're not sure. All we know is that she came from the west side of the country," sighed the teacher pitifully. "Her name is Luciana DiFiore, but that's the only thing we got from her. Every candidate that sees her wants to bring her back home with them, but she always denies them. However, it seems that she's warming up to you both..."
"Do you like bows?"
"B-Bows?" she stuttered. "What are bows...?"
Giselle Beaumont stared sadly at the small girl, before she took out a red bow. She reached her hand out to put it on Lucia, but the girl recoiled, scared.
Giselle bit her lips, rethinking her steps to approach the girl. "Lucia, dear, will you let me show you what bows are?"
Little Lucia stared at the scarlet fabric in the lady's hand, and hesitantly she nodded. Gingerly, she took a step forward to her, causing Giselle to smile.
"Good girl," she chirped proudly as she put on the bow on Lucia's head. "There! Look how adorable you look!"
"Adora...ble?" Lucia tilted her head, before a smile made its way to her lips as she giggled. "Adorable! Thank you! Thank you!"
Giselle nodded smilingly. She then turned to her husband hopefully.
"Let's bring her home,"
Perhaps it was the part of her that wished things were different. That wished they never had a fallout in the first place...
She wished things were different.
She would die a thousand of time just to prevent this from happening.
She wished they had never met.
Lucia hugged Bao Bao in her arms, swinging back and forth in the swing absentmindedly. Her eyes burn in intensity, and she felt as if she didn't have any tears left to cry.
"Bao Bao... what am I going to do?" croaked Lucia helplessly. "What am I going to do now?"
Bao Bao whimper in her arms.
"It's okay, tesoro," she said, "I'll protect you,"
But who was going to protect her?
Before she could let out another sigh, a hand suddenly touched her shoulder and Bao Bao let out a hiss.
Lucia bounced off the swing at once, wheeling around, brandishing out her wand from her pocket. Her chest heaved heavily, however it didn't seem like it was all that needed to be violent, for the culprit weren't dangerous at all.
"We finally found you, Lucia..."
Standing in front of her was Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger with happy faces, while Harry Potter looked at her straight in the eye in relief.
"L-Lucia?" Hermione called for her, tone worried.
"Are you crying?" Ron asked, concern.
Harry stared at her with a look of revelation painted his canvas of a face as he caught sight of her crystalised eyes and wobbling lips.
"I... I..."
He didn't need to be told more; Harry pulled Lucia into his embrace instantly before her legs were to give out on her, and before either of the company knew it, she let out a loud wail.
"Harry..."