"What?" I immediately panic. "What is it? Do you know him?" I question frantically.
She tugs at her hair as she closes her eyes and draws in a deep breath, trying to calm herself I suppose. She walks around the room once before stopping in front of me and Esme, and just before I question her strange behaviour, she speaks.
"You have to tell me the truth first." Her statement both confuses me and worries me. What does she mean by me telling her the truth?
"The truth about what?" Esme questions, as if reading my mind.
"I mean, are you hiding something, Tallulah?" Wren clarifies, staring right into my soul and causing me to swallow harshly.
Am I hiding something? No, I'm not. However, I did not exactly tell them about what happened with my mother and the fact that I do not have any powers, unlike them.
Anyway, I am not sure if I'm supposed to tell them or not. Yes, it is about me, and yes, they are my best friends but I cannot forget that this is a huge part of my mother's past and life. By telling them, I can be putting my mother to danger, and I certainly will not be tolerating doing that.
"No," I finally decide. "What would I hide? You know everything about me going to the city and meeting Louis." I lie, thanking Lyara in that moment that I can lie easily and be believable.
"Not about Louis, Tallulah," Wren shakes her head slightly, eyeing me sympathetically. "I mean about your mother or father?"
It is only then that Esme gasps and her hands fly to cover her wide open mouth, as if something has just hit her right now, as if she realised what Wren means, just like I did. Wren either knows or she heard about something before, and I don't know which so I still don't say anything about it.
"No," I blink heavily. "What do you mean by saying that?" I want to drag the truth out of her mouth without saying something that might reveal anything about my mother or me.
"Well, is there is something that they aren't telling you?" She stupidly asks.
"How would I know, Wren?" I laugh bitterly.
"Just tell her, for Lyara's sake!" Esme snaps at Wren who closes her eyes.
"His name is Conall. Artis' brother is Conall," she informs me. So, she does know him. "Three years ago there was a major problem in the village but they kept it as a secret."
"What problem?" I quietly ask. What have I missed?
"It was one of the men here involved with a woman outside. A human," the blood drains from my body as she continues, "the one who found out was Conall, Artis' brother and he demanded that that man must be executed..." She trails off, glancing at Esme as her hands starts shaking slightly.
"What?" I question the both of them.
"They executed him..." Again, she trails off before taking a deep breath and continuing, "along with the human woman, because she was pregnant. She was carrying his child."
The air vanishes from around me, and I start to feel like there is a tight grip around my neck, suffocating me and blocking all the air from my lungs. Can someone be so cruel and brutal? Do people truly think that wickedly? Do they not think about the soul of the people they are killing? The soul that was not even born yet?
As the tears start to burn my eyes and my heart starts functioning rapidly against my rip cage, I let out a small whimper as I ask, "What are you saying?"
"Baby, I'm so sorry," Wren chokes as she sits next to me on the bed and takes my hand between hers. "When we knew that you left early that day in the training, I knew something was up, especially when I knew from a girl called Donella that your Master said that you have no powers."
I close my eyes as the tears slowly roll down. I try to balance my breathing and stop my heart from beating so fast, but it is hard when Wren continues talking, "Aengus isn't your true father, is he?"
And that is it. That is all it takes from here to break me into loud and unstoppable sobs. Four arms immediately wrap around my body as I cry harder into Wren's neck.
Why did it take four days for me to break down? Why didn't I break down when my mother first told me? Why did it affect me now? So many answers are available for these questions, but the clearest ones are; because you never knew that this has happened before. You never knew that they murdered three innocent souls for just loving each other. You never knew that your mother might have been in their place if Conall knew. You never knew that you wouldn't have been alive if it weren't for your mother and father. You never knew that loving Louis so much might bring great misery for you, and that he could be murdered because of you.
"No," I whimper loudly as another sob breaks through my mouth, breaking my heart all over again and making my friends' grip around me tightens. "This can't be true," I whisper as I cry, trying so hard to wake myself up from this awful reality.
I never meant to fall in love with Louis, and I'm sure that my mother never meant to fall in love with Peter. Things happen to all of us, and we carry all of the consequences of these things for those who we love. And it is true, even though what Wren said must stop me from continuing whatever is happening between me and Louis, I can't help but accept the challenge.
I do not want to do anything. I'm going to let things go as they go and I'm not going to stop what has already started and I will fully take the consequences of what will happen.
Wren pulls back slightly, pulling me back to reality with her as she rubs her hands up and down my back as Esme plants a small kiss at the top of my head. Esme finally speaks, "I think you should talk to your mother."
"I know," I finally say, though they understand it wrongly. "She told me when I left the training."
"What?" They both say in disbelief.
"You knew about it?" Esme questions.
"Yes, she told me when I got back from the training," I sigh as I wipe away my tears. "I'm sorry but I didn't know if I should tell you or not, but you guys already suspect it."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Lulah," Wren says as she gives me a frown. "I'm so sorry."
"His name is Peter," I say suddenly. "My real father."
"Did you meet him?" Esme asks softly.
"No," I shake my head slightly. "She gave me his address though."
"Does she still see him?" Wren furrows her eyebrows as she questions.
"She said that the last time she saw him was eight years ago, I guess. I can't remember." I inform them, taking a deep breath after.
"Well...?" Esme urges me.
"I think I will go," I finally decide. "I just don't know when and how."
"Well," Wren begins. "Wait for the right time I guess, and everything will go as it is planned. Don't worry yourself about it." She smiles softly and I return it.
Then, it stays quiet for the next ten minutes or so, us cuddled up on Esme's bed and just generally thinking about everything and anything.
You see, I once said that I underestimate a lot of things, and that is still true, because I underestimate my friendship with Esme and Wren for a lot of time, I just don't appreciate it enough or I don't give it much thoughts. It is moments like these when I sit down and realise that without my two best friends, I wouldn't be where I am today. I would be lost.
They are a gem, truly. I guess one can never really appreciate something before losing it, or facing a hard situation with it. Just like me, Esme and Wren. Just sitting here in the middle between them, makes me realise how thankful I am for having them, how lucky I am that they stand by my side and always have my back.
In a heartbeat would I give up my life for them, honestly. They have given me so much, and don't get me wrong, I have given them so much, too, but it is these things that value our bond and relationship between each other.
I truly love them so much it hurts, and I don't even realise it.
"Oh my fuck, guys," Wren excitedly screams as she jumps out of the bed with a huge grin on her face. "Tallulah, at the first day of the training we learned how to break free!"
"Break free?" I confusedly ask. "Weren't you guys supposed to only find out about your powers?"
"No, actually the Air House was supposed to do the same, but Sir Artair changed it." Wren explains.
"Why would he do that?" I scoff.
"He thinks that powers are the most important thing, he is always extra focused on them." Esme shrugs.
"Oh," I nod. "Anyway, break free?"
"Yes, duh!" Wren says as it's the most obvious thing. However, right before I start questioning her, she takes of her shirt and faces her back to us.
And that is when it catches my eyes. The too familiar, long, arched lines on her back that I have seen too many times on my mother's back. Slowly, these two lines widens as Wren takes off her bra, and I watch as they slowly get out from these line, their whiteness blinding me and putting me in awe for their beauty as they expand and get bigger.
Wren then moves them, making them cover her chest as she turns around with a smirk on her face.
"Oh my Lyara," I barely whisper, eyes wide in astonishment. I quickly turn to Esme as I ask, "are yours the same?"
"Just a bit blue." She shrugs with a huge smile on her face.
"Wren, this is so fucking pretty, oh my," I quietly say.
"Well, fuck if I didn't give Harry a show just yesterday." She announces proudly.
My jaw falls open, "you didn't!"
"Oh, I did," She wiggles her eyebrows with a grin. "And I'm not the only one."
I know for a fact that I did not give anyone a show, so when my jaw opens even wider and I turn to see a blushing Esme, I know that my thoughts are right. "What the fuck..." I whisper.
"Wait till you know who." Wren giggles as she returns them back and puts on her clothes again before jumping on the bed.
"Esme?" I ask as a smug smile starts to stretch my lips. "Who was it?"
"Promise you won't tell anyone." She warns.
"Since when do we do that, honestly?" I huff as I roll my eyes.
"Well, I don't know if you remember or not, but me and him had a 'thing' in the past," she breathes before a smiles breaks her free. "And I just couldn't help it because it's always something different with him."
"Who is it?" I rush her.
"Sir Boyd." She bites down on her lip as she says so.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
"What?" I snap, my jaw dropping. Fuck, it hurts already. "Are you fucking with me?"
"No, I'm not," she laughs slightly.
"No, fuck no," I say, blinking heavily. "Wow."
"I know." Wren laughs.
"Wow." I repeat as I laugh at the end.
"Oh, shut up," Esme playfully nudges me with her shoulder. "I'm sure you and Louis won't keep your hands to yourselves for much longer."
"Ha, ha," I roll my eyes, though I feel the heat rushing to my cheeks for just thinking about me and Louis getting intimate. Man, it's such a fantasy.
"We'll see who laughs at the end." Esme shrugs before she stands up and literally kicks us out of her house because we, especially me, interrupted her 'sleep'.
I walk Wren to her house, having a few conversations with her before we arrive to her house and say goodbye. And as I walk towards my house, I notice Ed in the cemetery.
Smiling sadly, all the memories comes crashing back to me as I see him sitting next to the only cemetery he always sits next. Without noticing it, I find myself walking towards the cemetery and towards Ed.
Cautiously, I sit down next to him and he eyes me with a sad smile before focusing back on the grave.
"Hi, Aaliyah," I say so quietly, smiling softly as I rest my head on Ed's shoulder.
"I miss her," he sniffs, sounding as if he is one step away from crying. "So much."
"Oh, Ed," I whisper as I wrap my arms around him, embracing him as he silently cries on my shoulder. "It's okay, love."
"It's been a year, Tallulah," he cracks. "A year without her and it has been like hell." He whispers as I rub my hands up and down his back.
"I know." And I do know. Ed and Aaliyah weren't like anyone else. They were literally inseparable, and they loved each other greatly that I envied them. I envied them because I never knew that this much love existed, that people who can love each other like they did existed. It was surreal; it was almost abnormal for anyone else here.
They would always stand next to each other, through good and bad, they would always have each other's backs, and even though they fought a lot, they never rested before they solved their problems together. It was crazy how they grew up already in love with each other and they never got bored or sick of it.
When Aaliyah got sick and cancer got the best of her, it was like Ed's world has crashed upon him. It was awful to see him in such a desperate mood, looking helpless and lost. However, he would never let those emotions control him when he was with her. He would always smile and tell her how she will get better, and how their wedding will be the best, and how their children will be just as beautiful as she was. He was truly an angel to her.
"I miss her so much." He repeats as a sob finally comes out of his mouth. It looks like he has been blocking it for a long time.
"I know, Ed," I say quietly, tightening my arms around him. "I do, too."
And it is selfish for me to think about Louis in this time, when my friend needs my attention and care, but I can't help but hope for so many things right now. Their love has made me jealous, but it also inspired me and gave me hope.
And right now, I can only hope that Louis would carry half of the love that Ed carries for Aaliyah, for me, because my love for Louis has passed both Ed's and Aaliyah's love.
Hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading and please, don't forget to vote and comment :) x