Gen One- Chapter Thirty Eight

One could not have asked more a more perfect late spring day. The temperature was just at the right place to encourage running around in the warm, sunny heat without getting everyone all sweaty. A swirling breeze wafted the scent of flowering buds across the landscape while scatterings of clouds provided relaxing pockets of shade. It was difficult to not stare up into the endless beauty of the sky, and when I chose to do just that I spotted one particular diploma being tossed so high that I swore it joined the birds flying overhead.

I shook my head as I chuckled while I took a step down off the gazebo to address the person who had tossed it.

     "I think that poor diploma has had enough, Charming," I rebuked sarcastically, placing my hands on my hips, "You only just got it an hour ago, and it looks like you've already done a number on it. Don't forget how much trouble the both of us went through to help you get that piece of paper."

     "Sorry," Allium apologized with a bright smile, "I just can't help it- the excitement of being an adult graduated from high school is too much."

     "Adult," I repeated in amusement, "I don't think you're quite there yet. Not until I don't hear you humming the Fruity Loop-si-daisie cereal theme while deciding on whether or not to eat chewy gummies or a sprinkled granola bar for your snack before the ceremony."

     "Ugh, take all the fun out of life, why don't you?" Allium whined jokingly. 

I rattled off a list of other habits Allium couldn't continue if he wanted to be an "adult", and that set us off. Allium became determined to prove that I wasn't as much of an adult as I thought I was. He got me laughing at the most immature and childish jokes, and soon enough we were debating plot lines of children's television shows. My stomach tightened and got stitches from laughing so much, but it was definitely a good kind of ache. It had only been the past month or two where Allium and I could get along like this after all. Despite him saying he didn't care about Amaranth and me dating, there was a whole whopping helping of awkwardness between us even though Amaranth and I didn't decide to start dating until an entire month after our date. I think Allium had thought he was more over us than he actually was- since it wasn't like he had broken up with me because he had stopped loving me. It had taken many uncomfortable afternoons and talks forced out of frustration about the situation to get us to where we were now. Almost back to where we had started, as just friends. It was difficult to remember sometimes that that's what we had to be. As we stood there joking around, an hour and a half or so after our graduation ceremony from high school, it felt as if we had never separated at all.

We had though, and I was quick to remember it. Lingering nostalgia was pushed aside, and I meandered about a bit after Allium went to put his diploma in Frost's car where we had stuffed our graduation robes, hats, and other items soon to be collecting dust in our closets. Eventually, I made my way back onto the gazebo where I heard Sunset and Sunflower discussing plans that now had to be made for visits.

     "I think if I change my meal plan, I'll have enough to afford a trip down during that autumn festival you mentioned. I don't think I eat enough to need that extra $100 in university dollars on that plan anyway." Sunflower proposed.
     "You know, I will be coming back home during the holiday breaks like everyone else. You could just wait until then instead of spending all your spare money for a two day trip over the weekend." Sunset pointed out.
     "I know, but I really want to see Longbeach during its peak days. I don't want to have to wait months to see you either. Why did you have to be the one to choose a university that's super far away? You could have shared a suite with me and Meadow." Sunflower pouted.
     "I don't know if that's necessarily a bad thing," Sunset teased, "Not so much because of Meadow, but I've seen your room."

Sunset laughed as Sunflower's pout deepened.

     "No, but Longbeach is just the place I have to go," Sunset continued with a shrug, "Twilight North isn't exactly known for its prestigious acting program like Longbeach is."

I smiled to myself at that. Ideas proposed in jest were coming into reality all over the place. I was sticking with the astronomy program, and Sunset had decided to become an actress so she could smooch up all the hottest actors on camera. I had a feeling at least one of our goals was obtainable.

Those two continued with their conversation. I tuned in to the other one going on, although it was mostly just Amaranth pestering Frost.

     "That one looks like it's done." Amaranth said, pointing to the hot dog on the corner.
     "I just put that one down." Frost said impatiently.
     "I don't like my hot dogs even the slightest bit burnt."
     "I am well aware of that, for you have said it a million times now." Frost rolled his eyes.
     "This one needs to be flipped over."

Amaranth tried to snatch the spatula for himself, which earned him a gentle smack on the arm with it.

     "I know what I am doing, Vivid!" Frost rebuked, "If you don't stop bugging me, then I am going to burn them all to a crisp just so you starve."

Amaranth went quiet for a moment at that. The twitching of the smile on his face showed that he wouldn't be complacent for long.

     "That one looks like it's done." Amaranth went ahead and proved me right ten seconds later, pointing to the same hot dog as before and trying to swipe Frost's spatula again.

I took pity on Frost a moment later. I pulled Amaranth away to distract him so he would be able to finish cooking us our lunch in peace. With him being able to concentrate, we were all eating not five minutes later. Frost had even had enough patience to cook two hot dogs brown to perfection for Amaranth. We gorged ourselves on all the food we had brought before discussing every little thing we wanted to do over the summer. Some ideas were reasonable. Some were not, but they were the fun ones to plan out. I was thankful I could join along with all the talking with a hopeful heart. If my situation had been any different, I think I would have wanted to run away crying from disappointment and heartbreak. But, no, I was there having the time of my life merely enjoying the company of my friends and the excitement the hype of the next several months offered. I wrapped myself up comfortably in that joy, as well as around Amaranth's arm, as the two of us watched the others run around like the big kids they were when Allium began a game of tag.

     "I don't think we're ever going to change." I laughed softly as Allium and Frost dashed by.
     "We'd better not." Amaranth responded determinedly.
     "I am going to miss it though."

Amaranth gave me a carefully quizzical but knowing 'look'.

     "I'm going to miss it when we all go to school," I clarified, "You, Frost, Sunflower, and I will all be right next to each other, but Allium's going to be a bit of a walk away. Then we're sure to all get so busy with schoolwork that getting together like this isn't going to be as easy as we think it will. Sunset is going to be hundreds of miles away too."
     "True," Amaranth accepted with a nod, resting his head lightly against mine, "But I think the separation will make the moments like these that much better."
     "I just hope everyone's ready for the changes that are bound to come."
     "How about you? Are you ready? Do you think you will change?" Amaranth wondered.

There was something suspicious about the way he spoke. The tone happened so frequently now it often left me quite puzzled, but I had learned to accept it since he was never keen on acknowledging it himself.

     "I'll probably change the most!" I quietly exclaimed, suppressing as best I could the massive smile on my face.

The six of us couldn't be contained to that little lot for long. The grill was cleaned out, the trash was thrown away, the rest of the mess we had made was taken care of, and then we left for a new space to occupy our time. We found the best place to play at the lake nearby. Each and everyone one of us got totally coated in sand. Our nice clothes, much more than Allium's diploma, were what took a beating. There were races, sandcastle competitions, a short makeshift play that Amaranth, Allium, and Frost performed, several splashing fights at the waters edge, and a perfectly hilarious video captured of a disgruntled Amaranth gallantly taking a dip into the waves to find my shoe that Sunset had thrown after I annoyed her. I adored the memories I made that day, but the picture a passerby took of us before the worst of our chaos had been done was the next best thing I got out of that time together.

Amaranth, Allium, Frost, Sunset, Sunflower, and I didn't separate until late that evening. We took a quick break to clean ourselves before changing, seeing a movie, and running around town going everywhere we could. I was half asleep when I stumbled through my front door. I wonder if it being light in the house when I got back would have had me noticing the change I was about to go through. However, I doubted better lighting would have made a difference. The start of the change probably wouldn't have been that apparent anyway. Though I was aware to be on the lookout, never before had the shift occurred during the night while I slept. I was in for quite a shock when I woke up, having trouble rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, to find myself a color I had never imagined myself being.

When the realization of what was happening dawned on me, exhaustion left me and I leapt up in a flash. My heart beat so rapidly that it hurt for a moment, but it didn't take much to calm me down. Luck seemed to be playing out to our favor in the end. There was no reason for me to panic. Much. I had time to reflect on the lightening of my skin, hair, and eyes, which were all now more reminiscent of Sap's coloring.

I couldn't delay for too long though. The situation was delicate enough as it was. I took a deep breath to collect myself before exiting my room to bump into the very person I intended to seek out.

     "Oh," Eden said in lighthearted surprise when he saw me, "It looks like one of my calculations was right on the mark. It's only the day after your graduation, and here your previous dose is fading."
     "I'm just glad we ended up having a bit left over. I'm really not in the mood to get 'sick' right now."
     "I'm sure of it," Eden smiled, "What I've got left of the injection won't be enough to keep you your normal green for the full duration, but we've got two weeks or so of wiggle room."
     "And you're still going to uphold your promise that we won't even need all that time?" I questioned suspiciously with a raised brow.
     "It will be days now. That lead has really sprung back to life in the past month. We won't be making the super big blow we wanted, but it will be enough to accomplish what needs to be accomplished. I'll even have to head out shortly. It looks like my friends need my help during these final hours to give us the last push."
     "Alright." I accepted.

There was no way I couldn't be completely without doubt though. The past years had made me too skeptical of certain things, but Eden was so confidentially optimistic that we really could be making a strike against The Company any day now that I had to believe him for the most part.

Eden told me to give him a couple minutes while he prepared the injection. I went into my room to make my bed and plan the rest of my day. I would have to be cooped up inside until Meadow's coloring was back. However, I wasn't concerned. I figured my friends were probably all still sleeping and would be sleeping for quite a while longer. There wouldn't be much reason to meet up today given all that had happened yesterday, and if anyone did invite me out I could say I was doing something with Eden. I was still exhausted, so spending my hours lounging about watching television or goofing off with Button sounded just fine to me. I was also excited to plan for how I would have my room set up at Twilight North. I knew the layout and dimensions of my space, and with it getting to be Ethereal who would be attending instead of Meadow the possibilities of colors and designs were endless. Browsing online shops for bed covers, rugs, lamps, pillows, curtain, and the such had never been so fun. Contemplating again how I really wanted to go for an overall rainbow theme, my daydreaming was cut short by the sudden crashing of glass and an incredibly sharp curse belting out from the bathroom.

Biting my lip and assuming the worst, I timidly shuffled my way over to the bathroom. Eden hunched over the sink, his hands gripping the sides as if trying to break the porcelain, and him looking like he wanted to punch the mirror into a million pieces wasn't an encouraging sign. I glanced down to his feet where a tiny, thin puddle of clear liquid sparkled against the remnants of its broken container.

     "You dropped the last of the injection." I stated quietly, keeping any and all accusation out of my voice for pity's sake.
     "Eight years!" Eden cried, throwing his hands up in fury, "Eight years I don't spill a drop, but when it matters the most I break the whole fucking bottle! I swear- someone upstairs is playing a nasty joke on me!"
     "Eden, it'll be alright. You said we're only going to have to pretend for a few days longer. I'm perfectly capable of chilling around the house until then." I comforted.

Eden shook his head vigorously, sighed heavily, and ran his hands through his hair.

     "It's not that simple. Like I said, I have to leave soon to go help my friends. I'll mostly likely be gone all day if not all night. In fact, you won't be seeing much of me these next few days. There's no way I can leave you here by yourself with you being white, especially if something goes wrong. You either need to be green so you can have the freedom to leave the house, or you need someone who knows the situation to be with you at all times."
     "So...?"

I shifted nervously as Eden stared and stared and stared at me. His steady gaze warped into a reluctant laugh and conceding smile.

     "I guess there's no way around it. It was impossible to keep this a secret forever," he began mysteriously before grinning at me mischievously, "Get dressed. Pack up some clothes and whatever else you want to bring along. Don't worry about Button. I'll bring her to Sunflower's house after I drop you off."
     "And where am I going?" I asked, my suspicion now thicker than ever.
     "U's place. You're going to have to stay with him."

I swore I misheard him. Eden laughed again when I stood there and stared at him, purely dumfounded. He ushered me out of the bathroom and towards my room with that impish grin before he frowned when his gaze fell back to the floor and broken bottle. Changing slowly due to mild shock, I wrapped my head around the idea that I was suddenly going to be meeting the mysterious U. I don't know why I was so surprised that he would live nearby. He had been at the hospital that one time, even if my delusion had him invisible. I latched onto the idea that maybe I had met him once or twice. It would explain Eden's mysterious attitude. I would go on to find that I was both incredibly right and incredibly wrong. I had met U before, but it had been way more than once or twice. On the drive to wherever we were going, I stayed slumped down in the front seat as far down as possible to stop anyone who knew me from spotting me. However, when we slowed and Eden began to turn the car into the parking lot of a familiar building I straightened up with severe curiosity.

     "This is Blaze and Amaranth's building." I noted in my stupor.

Eden said nothing. Staring up in amazement, my confusion had me thinking that U just happened to live in the same building as my boyfriend and his uncle. Because, there was no way that U was...

Eden practically lifted me out of my seat and carried me up the several flights of stairs. I was almost too overwhelmed by the reality that we were heading for Blaze and Amaranth's floor and their door to understand that I was being pushed along because we couldn't have anyone see me. My color wasn't an issue for those who didn't know me, but I had spent too much time visiting Amaranth. Everyone in the building knew me, which then killed my idea that someone else living there was U. What was rapidly being proven true was the only logical answer. Still, I protested Eden slightly when he yanked open Blaze's door to lead me inside. That was when I became aware of my new, temporary color and how no one should see it. I clung to Eden's back, hiding behind him after he closed the door. Blaze, mucking about in the kitchen doing something, moved closer and laughed quietly.

     "You would drop the bottle and mess up what was going so perfectly." Blaze taunted merrily.
     "Yeah, yeah. Rub salt in the wound." Eden rolled his eyes.

Blaze just chuckled, and his smiled brightened and his eyes sparkled when our gazes met.

     "Hey, Meds." he greeted me cheerfully.

He held back a massive laugh as I could only stand there with my mouth hung slightly open. I didn't know what to say or do. I didn't even know what to think. All I knew was that things suddenly got much more crazy for me. There was silence in the room for a brief second due to my lack of ability to form words, but another voice soon filled the gap.

     "Hey, Blaze, if I run down to the store in the next half hour, do you think-"

Amaranth walked out of his room, clearly not expecting our arrival as a certain someone else had been. He froze the second he spotted Eden and me, and he fidgeted nervously seconds later. My face went cold as the blood drained out of it. Blaze knew about me, and that was wacky enough. However, I feared what was going to happen now that Amaranth was seeing me like I was. How was I going to explain this? How would he react to being introduced to my messed up life situation?

But, I noticed there was something off in the way Amaranth was reacting. He was surprised to see me. That much was clear. Yet, it didn't seem to be that my new, strange appearance was alarming him or puzzling him in the slightest. As far as I could tell, he was merely embarrassed because I had caught him in nothing more than his boxers. A problem he quickly remedied.

     "One moment." he said quietly in his embarrassment, turning on his heel and heading back into his room.
     "Oh, come on!" Blaze called after him teasingly, "There's no reason to pretend that after all the opportunities I've given you and Meadow that she hasn't seen you in less!"

Amaranth's door was already closed, so both Eden and I turned our attention to Blaze. Eden was scowling something awful.

     "Excuse me? You've been doing what?" he questioned disapprovingly.
     "Purposely leaving these two here alone for hours at a time so they could have the chance to do whatever they wanted to do?" Blaze answered in an innocent voice.
     "Why would you do that?!"
     "Well, I remember how crowded it was at my parents' house back in the day as well as how annoying it was to try and find a place outside the house to get anything done. I just thought I should give my dear nephew and his girlfriend the consideration I didn't get." Blaze shrugged before addressing my flustering, "There's no reason for you to get like that. I'm the last person you need to worry about judging you for it."
     "We've never done anything!" I cried, my cheeks blushing.
     "Really?" Blaze asked with true curiosity.
     "No!"
     "Pity. You don't know what you're missing. It seriously is the best pastime anyone could ask for."
     "I don't think I even want to know how many women you've slept with now." Eden sighed with another shake of his head.
     "Two hundred and sixty three." Blaze answered calmly.
     "Shit, Blaze! I said I didn't want to know!"
     "I have to ask, if that's the number, then how do you not have an army of children swarming your doorstep?" I wondered.
     "Can't have kids," Blaze responded simply, waving his hand to dismiss my fears when I thought I stumbled upon a hurtful truth he carried, "No, no. It's nothing like that. It was by choice. As Eden over here can tell you, I wasn't exactly quiet about my activities back when we were in high school either. My parents, though they tried to stop me, eventually realized there was nothing they could do other than try to help me minimize the damage that could be done. I like kids, but I never wanted any of my own. The brat is a weird kind of exception. Anyway, I got my parents to agree to let me get a vasectomy back when I was seventeen. I got the encouraged tests then to check my sterility after the surgery, and I've even gotten them a few times since just to make sure. I'm as infertile as one can get."
     "Oh."

I got another smile from Blaze before he turned his attention to Eden, that smile faltering.

     "There's no reason to freak out about the number. At least I know the number, unlike most guys who enjoying getting around like me. I can recall every instance. I remember every girl's name. I can tell you what color or colors she was. I know her favorite color, what she does for a living, how old she is, and even the birthdays for most of them. Not one encounter has ever been mixed with alcohol, and nothing was ever done until both parties were confirmed clean. I may be promiscuous, but I'm not irresponsible."
     "Alright, alright. Peace." Eden conceded.

Amaranth reentered the scene, his robe around him now. Blaze placed his hands on his hips as he walked over.

     "What?" Amaranth asked curiously.
     "Do you really mean to tell me that you never took your chance during all the times I spent hours boring myself out of my mind by keeping myself out of the house so you and Meadow could have some privacy?"
     "Correct," Amaranth confirmed simply, "And it's not like I asked for that kind of 'consideration', you know."
     "You definitely take after your father."
     "I would hope so, given that I am his son."
     "But, how could you not? C'mon, look at her!" Blaze exclaimed, grandly gesturing to me and giving me a teasing wink, which got him another eye roll.
     "Because neither of us were ready to take it there. Besides, the situation we're all in is ridiculous enough. I think the last thing she or I needed was to complicate matters with stuff like that." Amaranth explained.

That returned my train of thought back to the matter at hand. Taking a step closer to Blaze and Amaranth silenced them, and I finally addressed the obvious.

     "You're in on this?" I questioned incredulously, "You're 'U', Blaze?"
     "Yup," Blaze confirmed brightly, "The 'u' is for 'uncle', and Eden's 'B' is for 'brother', since he told me you discovered his code name."
     "You told me Blaze was just your friend." I reminded my 'brother'.
     "Like I was going to tell you the truth just because you got one guess correct." Eden pointed out.

I pouted before whipping back around.

     "And you," I spoke to Amaranth, "You're a part of this too? Like, what? Since when?"
     "Since I was seven," he replied without hesitation, "Blaze, okay- he's done a decent job with me, but he was never meant to be a parent."
     "You're goddamn fucking right, I wasn't." Blaze mumbled with amusement to himself.
     "He left his laptop right here on the couch where his curious little nephew could discover all the classified and secret documents he had open right on the screen," Amaranth continued, suppressing a laugh, "And, instead of doing the obvious thing of making me promise to forget it all and never ask questions about it again, he let me join the fold. Better to start me young or something, I guess. He seriously got me involved. To tell you the truth, that day at the park wasn't the first time we met. Blaze had no problem with bringing me along when he and Eden stole you away. I had the important job of opening the door for Eden when he carried you over to where we had the car hidden. I sat in the back seat with your head in my lap making sure you didn't wake up. Blaze told me it was my responsibility to look after you and help you transition when you became Meadow."

My mouth hung wide open this time. Amaranth looked at me with tender sympathy.

     "And it looks like I'm going to be helping you with this transition too, Ethereal."

Blaze roared with laughter and Eden and Amaranth couldn't help but laugh as well when I freaked out a tiny bit. I don't even know what I did with my hands, but they waved around some before I pressed them to my cheeks as they burned furiously.

     "Oh god, it sound so weird when you say that! To have that name coming out of your lips!" I exclaimed.
     "What? Ethereal?" Amaranth teased, emphasizing the word as much as he could.
     "Yes! Oh geez, I don't know if I like this!"
     "Well, you'd better get used to it," Eden encouraged as he placed a hand on my shoulder, "It's who you're going to be shortly enough. Your name will be your name again."

Doing what I could to compose myself, I changed the course of the conversation.

     "Why did I not know about this? Why didn't you tell me?" I questioned Eden bitterly, motioning to Blaze and Amaranth, "I can understand why you didn't tell me when I was a child, but surely letting me know my boyfriend was in on the whole thing would have made a lot of sense when I was struggling?"
     "See? I told you," Blaze spoke to Eden too, more serious than before, "There was no reason to keep it a secret. Not once she got a grip on being Meadow. It's not like having someone else she could trust and talk to about the situation besides you would have put her more in danger throughout this whole thing."
     "Eden made us promise not to say anything unless you figured it out yourself or trusted us with your secret on your own," Amaranth began to explain when Eden had nothing to say, "That's why I was trying so hard to get you to tell me the truth for all these months. You have no idea how hard it was to know everything, but not be able to do anything."

My heart sunk due to guilt and frustration, but Blaze wasn't one to let the mood in the room remain tense for long.

     "This is a little bit your fault as well." he told me.
     "What?" I frowned.
     "You're a certified genius just like your sometimes painfully stupid brother over there, but you never noticed an obvious contradiction that should have had you asking questions from the very beginning."

My expression must have contorted in confusion and deep thought as I tried to work out what he was getting at. Blaze offered no further answers, so Amaranth chuckled before taking pity on me.

     "There have been times when the four of us had conversations about Blaze and Eden knowing each other in high school when Eden lived in care, and then that same afternoon the two of us would meet up with Al, Frost, or Sun and you would talk about stories of Eden and you and your 'parents'. You accepted both existences. You accepted that both Blaze and I accepted both existences. You never noticed how horribly the two truths clashed with each other."

Yet another bout of silence overtook the room with me doing nothing other than stare pitifully forward as I could offer no rebuttal or coherent response.

More soft laughing happened before Blaze stepped past me to get to Eden.

     "Alright, so give me the lowdown on what we're doing next now that the plan has changed somewhat since you broke the injection bottle." he requested.
     "Oh, so that's what happened," Amaranth interjected, "I was wondering why you two were over here like this all of a sudden."
     "I suppose explaining would have helped." Blaze realized with a shrug before turning back to Eden expectantly.
     "Thankfully, this really shouldn't change anything. Ethereal will just have to hide out here with Amaranth while the two of us deal with the complicated stuff. They've already got me called down to come in and help for the day. I actually really need to leave soon if I want to be on time."
     "Which means they'll call me in too sooner than later." Blaze reckoned with a nod, "Alright. You hurry up and get out of here while I get these two lovers who don't like to love all snuggly and secured in the new bunker before I come join you."

The two of them went into serious mode. They discussed their plans in more depth, using some kind of code way of speaking to mask exactly what they were getting up to. It put me on edge. Gears were truly being set into motion now. Meadow was disappearing more every second, and she was never coming back again. Ethereal would be all that was left, and I wasn't quite sure if I was prepared to face her in the mirror once more. The heightened sense of security I got from finding two more allies faded when Eden was set to leave mere minutes later. I hadn't thought anything of him taking off earlier, but now I was terrified. Things could still go wrong. The goodbyes we said could be the last words we ever spoke to each other. The parting hug we shared could be the last time he ever made me feel safe. I clutched onto Eden for as long as I could before I was forced to let him leave and disappear from my sight.

The time I spent puttering about afterwards stirred an unusual sensation to life in my chest. I had spent countless hours over at Amaranth's place. Two nights ago I had been here the whole afternoon playing videos games, making snacks, discussing with him our impending graduation, and perhaps getting a little bit of kissing in. The situation now wasn't so dissimilar from that. Amaranth treated me no differently other than that we were free to talk about what had remained hidden between us for so long after he got properly dressed. We talked, munched on some pretzels, watched the morning news, and cuddled a little. Still, I couldn't shake off the feeling that everything was nothing like it had ever been. The familiar seemed like the unfamiliar, and Blaze and Amaranth felt like whole new people. It was difficult to grasp that they had known all this time. The entire way I remembered situations changed drastically. It had probably been Blaze who left that written note on the newspaper the first day Eden and I arrived in Berrybrook. I was suspicious that he had even known exactly what was going on when I bumped into Ms. Yellow given how naturally he got me out of there.

I became antsy before too long. My attention was kept distracted by a few of Blaze's "fun facts"- like the one where he explained that there hadn't been a jail break during my 11th birthday party, merely one of his and Eden's "friends" spotting someone they thought worked for The Company. In the end, however, even Amaranth's comfortable cuddling couldn't pin me down to one location. I took to pacing back and forth near the door, wishing a hopeless wish that Eden would be returning already. I had never forgotten for a moment that he was risking jail time by doing the noble thing and setting me free.

     "You'll want to be careful there," Blaze warned, "We do have the whole floor to ourselves, but that doesn't mean no one will spot you. It's best if you stay away from the windows until I find something to put over them."
     "Yeah." I said softly in acceptance, although I didn't move right away.
     "Worrying?" Amaranth asked sympathetically.

I nodded again.

     "I know that Eden hates me feeling guilty, but I can't help it even if it makes me that much more concerned."
     "Guilty? Why on earth do you feel guilty? It's not like you did anything wrong." Blaze wondered.
     "It's just...I don't feel like I deserve everything that Eden's done for me. All that he's sacrificed. All that he's risking. Especially when you take into account that, at the end of the day, we aren't related no matter how good we are at pretending. Eden's become my brother, but he was nothing more than a stranger who didn't have to do any of what he's done when this all started."

My heart ached as I stared out the window again. Then, the seconds ticked by, and I realized that it was far too silent behind me. Blaze and Amaranth were staring at each other in confusion and concern, almost alarmed.

     "What?" I asked.
     "What did you just say?" Blaze instantly questioned back in true puzzlement.
     "You mean about me feeling bad that a total stranger decided to risk everything about his life for me?"
     "The stranger part, specifically."
     "What about it?"
     "That's what Eden told you?" Blaze asked slowly in disbelief, something changing in his voice that had me growing nervous.
     "Um, yes? I mean, like I said, that's the truth about him and me when it all comes down to it." I responded uncertainly.

There was a brief calm before the storm moment when a bizarre smile graced Blaze's lips. He let out a low chuckle and shook his head as if I had told a lame joke. The ground held his steady stare for several seconds. After that, he exploded. He kicked something behind the counter, the garbage can I think, with a powerful blast. I jumped in alarm as he began venting loudly.

     "That goddamn fucking shitty piece of an asswipe!" he belted, barely containing himself, "I'm going to strangle him and then pound his lying fucking mouth into a puddle of goo!"
     "Blaze." Amaranth chastised coldly, giving his uncle a glare that even sent chills down my spine.

Blaze paced the floor furiously, muttering more expletives to himself until he was more controlled.

     "That...idiot is in for it! I didn't approve of him not letting us tell you that we knew, but I kind of understood where he was coming from. This. This though, it's nonsense! Absolute bullshit! There was no reason for him not to tell you! Not one! If I had known for one second that he hadn't told you, I would have come out with the truth of everything so I could tell you myself!"

I stood there in shock- my eyes wide. The intensity of the truth Blaze was presenting before me was too overwhelming for me to comprehend. It was just the beginning though. It was one mere piece. One secret of the many that would soon come together to tell the tale I had never heard. The reality that Eden wanted hidden.

     "He seriously never told you?" Blaze questioned incredulously.

I shook my head, failing to take a deep breath like the one he took. It must have been apparent that the obvious wasn't sinking in, so Blaze quickly took the plunge to press play on the story.

     "Ethereal, you haven't been pretending. Eden was never a stranger who decided to become your brother."

He took another deep breath, lingering just long enough for it to be painful.

     "Eden is your brother!"