Feeling my mind going numb, I decided enough was enough. I reached out to casually take the remote from Amaranth's hand, but I barely touched the plastic before he frowned, yanked it away, and set it far to his right side where I had no hopes of acquiring it.
"Oh, come on," I rolled my eyes, wearing a light smile, "It's May. I'm not watching a shopping channel pushing Christmas stuff. It's bad enough some stores start the music the day after Halloween."
"How can you ever get tired of Christmas stuff when it's our holiday?" Amaranth retorted back in sarcastic shock.
"But I'm not green anymore."
"Well, now we're like a candy cane instead." he shrugged.
"I suppose," I accepted with a small chuckle, "But do you seriously want to watch this?"
"Yeah."
"Alright then." I caved.
I wasn't into the show any more than I had been ten seconds before, but I was willing to endure my mild boredom for Amaranth's sake. The mind numbing did help me some as well. We had spent the past two days cooped up in a little bunker house owned by one of Eden's friends. Jac, Eden, and his friends had taken the major step forward of outing everything Jac had swiped about The Company, which, according to him, was practically everything they had ever let him have access to since he started working for them. I was being kept hidden until the massive shock died down just a little. I was glad for it, because I could almost sense the chaos going on in the real world. The television Amaranth and I were watching didn't have any news channels. Just pointless stations like the shopping network that was currently playing away. I ignored it as I snuggled up against Amaranth. Instead of spending the past two days worrying about all the Company outing business, we both had been lounging around in our pajamas quietly comforting the other's griefs. For me it was mostly what Stratus had done, which none of the others save for Jac knew about, and for Amaranth it was naturally the fact that he had killed another person.
Neither of us had brought up our issues directly, because we both understood we weren't at the point where we were ready to address them. Simply feeling the safety of the other's presence was all we needed at the moment. I got so wrapped up in Amaranth's embrace that I forgot about the two extra people in the room until Eden spoke.
"Ethereal. He's found the right files." he said softly but seriously.
His whole body was stiff, and the expression on his face was none too pleasant. Eden had taken the fact that they had inseminated me even harder than I was, I think. It made him feel as if he had still failed me. I had tried to console him saying I was fine with it all since he had gotten me out, but my words hadn't done much.
I let out a massive exhale, and Amaranth gave me a sympathetic smile and squeeze of my hand. We slowly stood up and began to walk over with our hands linked. I was already shaking. Why had I asked Jac to do this for me? Would I really feel better knowing?
"Maybe I shouldn't look..." I mumbled.
"It's your decision. Just remember that Jac is going to have to hand over all his files to the government for good once this is over. You'll probably never get this chance again when that happens." Amaranth reminded me.
"Oh, I really don't know what's best," I pouted, "But, I do have a feeling the curiosity is going to kill me eventually if I don't take a peek now, so screw it."
That got Amaranth smiling again, and he and Eden shifted so I got the best glance over Jac's shoulder at the computer screen. The document he had pulled up was long and stuffed full of words. It took him a minute more before he scrolled down far enough to get to the section we wanted.
"Here we are," Jac said, "The records about the sperm they used on you. As far as I can tell, it looks like they only injected the donations from one man. His name...ah, it's right here."
Jac scrolled the line I wanted to the top of the page. With another deep breath, I hesitantly bent forward and read the words he highlighted. Then my brain stopped working. I read the line again. Then a third time. I understood what it was saying, but at the same time I couldn't comprehend it at all.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Amaranth cursed with a scoff when he caught sight of it as well.
"Oh, come on!" Eden added too when he spotted the name.
"I take it you know this person?" Jac asked curiously.
All three of us nodded.
"I suppose that shouldn't be too surprising. They would have had to use donations from a nearby source, and I would bet on the fact that the reason why his sperm was the lone one used is because his was the only one carrying the albinism gene."
I had to walk away from the computer to collect myself. It wasn't that I was really all that upset. I certainly didn't hate the man whose sperm had been used. It was just that this fact was now another weight to the complicated mess of a pile that was my life right now; another stressful matter to have to deal with. I tried to smile when Amaranth followed to wrap me up in another embrace, but it came out as a grimace instead.
"Now how am I ever going to be able to look him in the face?" I questioned in exasperation, "Do you think I should tell him?"
"I...think you should wait to do anything like that until you're actually pregnant. It's not like it's guaranteed that that's going to happen."
"It is in my mind. I just have this feeling."
"Well, honestly, I have no idea what's best. It may be the pushover way to do things, but I'll just stand by you and whatever decision you feel you have to make." Amaranth admitted.
I shook my head vigorously and mumbled words of gratitude. He held me tighter and placed a kiss on my cheek. I couldn't then help myself from glancing up at the clock on the wall. The seconds were ticking by. I wanted this all to be a matter I didn't ever have to face, but I would be facing the world and all its consequences again before I knew it.
I was driven back into Berrybrook the next morning. We had gotten up early so we could visit Blaze beforehand in the little hospital in the nearby town that he was at. He would have been making the journey with us, but his wound had developed a slight infection that forced him to remain under the watch of the doctors. We were escorted in and out by state troopers, and it was then that I truly began to feel the gravity of what had changed over the past two days. The more that was revealed to me, the more I saw that, basically, Jac had single-handedly plunged the country into chaos. The information The Company had allowed him access to in order to capture me with ease had now backfired on them with a passion. Even I was stunned finding out just some of the people and corporations involved. Police officers that lived in Berrybrook. Members on the council committee. The Bayport mayor. The state's governor. Nearly a quarter of the country's elected officials. On and on the corruption went. Even seemingly harmless entities like clothing chains and major jewelry stores were being called out for their participation in furthering The Company's actions. Jails were overflowing as the most influential and dangerous members had been arrested, and I wouldn't be surprised if it took over a decade to sort through all the investigations a shake up like this would require.
Then there was me- suddenly the most famous girl in the world. My first experience seeing how I would be treated as an albino was as empowering as it was terrifying. In those first few days where I was being sent around talking to all manner of officials and government agents, I could have gotten them to do whatever I wanted. In a way, I did. Marked the humble survivor of a life of cruelty and hardship, I was accepted as the judge for many things that should have been out of my control. Jac had had the kind idea to erase from the records the worst of what Eden had been involved with during his time with The Company. All it took was a pleading look and a few words of support in my brother's defense, and he, in addition to all his friends, was cleared of all wrongdoings. He became the hero in the story. The gallant older brother protecting his baby sister no matter the cost. Jac was granted a similar status behind the scenes. His identity was being kept hush-hush due to him being the whistle blower. When asked my opinion on what I thought the government should do with him, I professed that I thought he should be given a second chance. That he had been a prisoner as much as I had, and that he should be given an opportunity as a free individual to prove who he really was. And that was that. Jac's slate was wiped as clean as clean could be. He was allowed to leave with no repercussions, and he was provided the same level of protection Eden and I were getting.
I wanted to talk to my friends. I wanted to address them directly as we all lived through the craziness that was those several days. I'm sure it was a horribly difficult experience for them- first finding out that Meadow Yonder had been kidnapped from her boyfriend's flat by violent criminals to having to watch the truth be told to them through television. The first public appearance Eden and I made was an enormous press conference. We told our story, revealed the secrets, answered questions, and even got to watch a tour through my old room that had been taken by special forces investigating the building it was at.
I was almost as glad being allowed to go my way from the chaos as I was escaping from The Company. It wasn't as if I could just go ahead and walk around like everything was back to normal, but I was able to move forward with the goals I wanted to accomplish. I took the initiative to take care of the most ambitious one first. I knew if I wasn't pushy about it, then Jac would probably have snuck away in his fear. I literally had to push him into the car that was going to take us to one of Berrybrook's government offices, which had been one of the places we had spent a lot of time in recently. Eden had his own business to take care of, and we weren't going to home until we could go together. With the press and paparazzi not being allowed inside, arranging the meeting there was the best idea I could come up. I did grow more sympathetic towards Jac when we neared the little lobby where we knew our visitor would be. I'm sure the nerves I felt were nothing like what was wracking his body.
"Just give me a minute to talk to him, and then I'll give you a segue for you to make your grand entrance." I whispered quietly, not wanting to let him hear us.
"P-perhaps we should wait until another time. Maybe i-if we-" Jac stuttered timidly before I cut him off.
"I thought much of the reason why you helped me was because you were tired of running away. There's going to be something less than ideal whichever way we do this, so we might as well just go ahead and get it over with."
"And if he hates me..."
"He's not going to hate you. I can't promise that he won't be angry for a bit, but he'll come around before you know it. I keep telling you- they've been waiting and believing in you all this time." I encouraged.
It looked like Jac wanted to accept my words, but his expression remained full of doubt when I began moving down the hall.
I had to stop and peak around the corner before revealing myself. Just as I expected, Allium hadn't been able to sit still. He was standing and fidgeting by one of the windows instead. I couldn't see his expression, but I could picture it all the same. I knew exactly how his face was set even though the week that had separated our last meeting from this moment seemed like a lifetime. Allium was foreign to me at first glance. Still in the habit of picturing him more like that little boy he had been, his body and nature ever more like an adult's stood in the place of that child. I wanted to stare and ponder the strange sensation, but I couldn't extend the poor guy's misery any longer.
"Charming." I called to him gently, stepping out from behind the corner wearing a grin.
His head turned both in a flash and in slow motion. However, he was next to me in an instant. I seriously could not figure out if he had simply moved around the furniture that fast or if he had walked right through it. What was more surprising was how I hugged him with more vigor than he hugged me, even though I had silently prepped myself to be as composed as possible. All I knew was that I saw Allium, and I couldn't help myself. It was like the moment with Eden all over again. I nearly bowled Allium over with the force of my embrace. My feet lifted off the ground ever so slightly, but Allium merely met the loving attack with grace. He eagerly took me in his arms, placed a lingering kiss by my ear, and then just held me as if he was never going to let go.
"Being friends with you is basically the same as asking for a heart attack," he joked, "You boggle me with mysterious circumstances, you disappear randomly, and then there's all the gunshots and big baddies. You sure know how to keep a guy on his toes."
My joy turned somber for a moment. Allium had overheard the original struggle at Amaranth's place then.
"I'm so sorry about all of this." I apologized softly.
"Don't you dare be," Allium warned both seriously and in a teasing manner, "None of this was your fault, and I'm content knowing you're back for good."
Allium ended the hug. Then he stared- his eyes growing wide as he met the real me for the first time. I let him look, and before too long he was smiling and shaking his head.
"Ethereal," he said in awe and disbelief, "I seriously am a fucking idiot. The amount of times I overheard Eden calling you that- I should have put the pieces together the second I got wind that there was something more going on with you."
Allium couldn't help but to stare again.
"God, this is so mental. You're white. But, but you were able to be changed green, You look just like yourself, but you look like an entirely different person too. I don't even know what to call you anymore."
"You can call me Meadow, if you want. You can call me Ethereal. You can call me Meadow until you get used to Ethereal. You can interchange the two forever for all I care." I shrugged.
"Which one do you feel is your real name?" Allium wondered.
"Ethereal." I revealed.
"Then I'll call you that, although I think I'll throw in a 'Medy' every now and again for old time's sake."
"Sounds good to me." I said cheerfully.
I was relieved to find that the majority of my nerves were gone. Talking to Allium now felt like how talking to Allium always had. Even with us discussing the very real situation that had changed everything drastically, I forgot that anything had changed.
Allium soon turned quite serious though.
"How are you doing?" he asked with concern, "I'm sure being drugged and kidnapped was bad enough. Then there was all that stuff you mentioned on TV. Another gunfight. Them inseminating you...and that part is just messed up!"
"I'm coping," I promised, "The more I get to act like Meadow, the better I feel. Seeing you helps a lot. How are you, by the way? You heard me being kidnapped, didn't you? And finding out about me how you did, I had hoped to tell everyone the truth before anything like this happened."
"Yeah, I heard what went down at Am's place. I was just venting to him my frustration that came about because I thought you had disappeared again, and the worry I had for you blossomed into total panic obviously when the shots started. Honestly, the little sleep I got that night gave me a nightmare. I spent the next several days freaking out with Frost and Sun since Am was hidden away for safety's sake. Finding out the truth about you, I don't think it was as shocking as it should have been given that I was just so relieved you were safe."
Allium ran his hand through his hair and sighed with a great heave.
"I am glad to have you back, but I have a feeling our summer vacation isn't going to pan out like we wanted it to. Your sudden fame is going to draw a lot of attention our way, and then there's my mom and her baby issue too..."
My face narrowed in confusion, and I tilted my head in curiosity.
"Your mom and what baby issue?" I questioned.
Allium instantly froze. The exhausted and exasperated glaze that had been coating his expression snapped to attention. His mouth opened and closed in hesitation, and his stare was mildly panicked.
"Shit. I forgot that you have no idea..." he cursed in self-annoyance.
"About?" I pressed more intently.
"I guess I've gone and done it now..." Allium mumbled to himself before forcing himself to address me, "My mom wanted to tell you about it after she told Eden, which she should be doing maybe even right this very moment."
I recalled that Eden had said something about Ms. Charm still being very adamant about speaking to him, and meeting her was one of the reason he had gone his own way. Otherwise, I had planned to have Allium's mom come here with Allium instead.
"Did, did you ever notice anything weird with Eden and my mom?" Allium asked hesitantly.
"Weird? Like, weird how? They've always seemed to get along when they go to those book club meetings and have coffee and stuff."
"They've been doing a lot more than going to book clubs and getting coffee." Allium revealed ominously.
At some level, I think my brain had already worked out what he was getting at. The rest of me was slower to believe it. I didn't want to have to hear any more big surprises, and the kind of surprise Allium was alluding to didn't mesh well with my goal of introducing him to the person hiding around the corner who could hear our every word.
"Med- Ethereal, this whole thing has been stressing me out, so I'm just gonna have to come out and say it. What we joked about that one time on that double-date with Am and Cocoa- it's coming true. All those times my mom suddenly wasn't around or had a place she had to be at out of the blue, that was her meeting up with Eden. They've been sleeping with each other for a long while, and now my mom is pregnant."
There it was. The idea in my brain had been manifested by Allium's words, and, as expected, I could only stand there and stare at him in shock for a good several seconds. My chest filled up and overflowed with disappointment. Why couldn't one thing go right? I had been so excited to reunite Allium with his father, and now my stupid brother was messing it all up. I wanted to glance back Jac's way to see how the news had hit him, but I was unable to do it without alerting suspicion on Allium's part.
"B-but your mom, and her engagement..." I pointed out miserably.
"That's a massive part of what's pissing me off about this," Allium scoffed, "The day my mom told me about the baby was the day she stopped wearing her ring. I noticed it right away, and when I asked her about it she finally came out with the truth. About the baby, and about her having given up on my dad long ago. It's been years since she stopped believing he'd ever come back. The only reason she continued to wear the ring was because she knew it would upset me- that a large reason of why I kept believing was because she felt the same way. She was right too. I recognized years ago as well that he was never going to bother to come back, and I only kept hoping because I thought she had hope too. We both wasted on our energy on a lost cause."
Allium spoke bitterly and miserably. More than ever I wished I had the power to rewind time so I could do something to fix this moment. Not bring Jac along so I could talk to Allium alone first or something.
"If it makes you feel any better, my mom and Eden aren't exactly in love," Allium continued, "She said they've stated to each other that they have no intentions of being in a relationship. The two of them were both just lonely, and getting together like they were was a good way of combating that. They are nothing other than real life friends with benefits."
On some subconscious level, I did find that snippet of information relieving. However, I was too caught up in my dread to accept it on a conscious level. All I could think about was how terribly this situation was turning out, and about poor Jac. The promises I had made to him had been firmly and utterly crushed within seconds. I had to face the small amount of irony in the current predicament as well.
"But I was just lying!" I said my thought aloud, speaking more to myself and Jac than Allium.
"Uh, what? Lying about what?" Allium asked back in rational confusion.
I basically ignored him as I began to ramble.
"I-I was just making it up. I only wanted to get a reaction. It wasn't supposed to actually be true! And how can it actually be happening?! What special kind of idiot is Eden? All these years he's been on my case about being careful and not risking anything like this, and he's the one who goes ahead and does it himself! This is all wrong! He's ruined this whole thing!"
Blank was the expression on Allium's face. He was trying to figure out what was going on with me as well as what in the world I was trying to get at. Unfortunately, I didn't help him out. My emotions hadn't exactly been stable over the past week. Even though I had managed to get plenty of sleep the night before, I remained exhausted. My capacity for handling things like this was at an all time low, and Allium's face narrowed in concern when I grew teary.
"Oh, this isn't how it was supposed to happen," I sniffled, trying desperately and starting to fail at stopping the wetness growing in the corners of my eyes, "After everything that's gone wrong, I just wanted something to go right. I thought this could be the one path that would find a happy ending."
"Ethereal, it's fine?" Allium tried to comfort as best he could.
I had to turn my head away and rub at my eyes as one or two tears trickled out.
"Charming, can you please not get mad? Can you promise to at least try?" I begged, my voice quivering, "Can you listen to everything first? You have to understand. He didn't do it because he didn't care. And, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't even be here right now. I never would have been able to escape. He was the only reason I was saved, so..."
I exhaled shakily, shaking my own head to keep pushing back the crying fit my body wanted to throw.
"I promise?" Allium said in another attempt to calm me, "I don't get this conversation at all though."
"I brought...someone..."
I trailed off hopelessly. With my plan of giving Jac a suave introduction ruined, I was reduced to mumbles and a pitiful turn of my head in the direction of the corner where Jac had been. Part of me expected that he had run off. With how nervous he had been at the start, it wouldn't have surprised me if he left at the reveal of the devastating news. It did seem like that was the case when awkward second after awkward second ticked by and he didn't appear. Poor, confused Allium stared too, occasionally switching his gaze from the corner to me as he kept trying to wrap his head around what was going on. I don't know if I felt happy or sad or regretful or what when Jac did finally slide out from his hiding spot. The perplexity on Allium's face deepened, and it especially grew worse when I gave no explanation.
Jac, dismal but giving it his all, found the courage to slowly make his way over to us. Perhaps thankfully, Allium didn't remain oblivious to the truth for too much longer. He stared at Jac and me before either something about Jac's appearance or our expressions revealed reality.
"Oh, fucking no." Allium snapped angrily.
I silently admired Jac for not flinching all that much or letting it show if Allium's words bothered him. He simply stood before his son quietly waiting for his judgment, and I held my breath as tense air filled the room.
"Now? Now of all times you choose to show up?! When mom and I were ready to forget all about you and the pain you put us through?"
"Allium, please," I pleaded, plowing on despite Jac motioning to me that it was okay, "Please don't be mad. You have to listen because you don't understand."
Allium sent a nasty glare my way, but even that wasn't enough to dissuade me.
"Your dad is just like Eden. The Company has had him trapped in a horrible job all this time. You heard what Eden said on television, didn't you? About how The Company completely hid what the job was actually like, and the second Eden started working they bogged him down with secrets so that there was no way to quit without risking his life? That's what they've done to so many people, and it's not just a minor inconvenience. Eden was so beaten down that before he found someone who could help him he was committed to stabbing me with a knife and then stabbing himself because that was the only way he could think to set us free. And, trust me, as someone who spent several days as their prisoner being forced around and abused, those people...they're terrifying."
My emotions were overflowing a bit too much. I was keeping most of the tears back, but both my voice and my body were shaking as if I was standing in winter's worst blizzard without any clothes. My emotional state was proving beneficial to my cause though. Allium's expression instantly softened, and he listened intently and with sympathy.
"Maybe it wasn't the best way to do things. Maybe there was another option," I resumed speaking, taking a deep breath to calm myself down some, "But your dad was only trying to protect and your mom from being hurt or threatened to ensure his cooperation. He wanted to keep you out of the mess he had been lured into, even if it hurt him as much as it hurt you."
I stood stiff as I found myself having no more words to say. I wanted to keep on pleading, but there was only so much I could say before my words became truly pitiful. Unsure of what else I could do to prod Allium along, I had to go quiet and wish that I had made enough of an impact. There was no telling at first what Allium would ultimately do, but my somber state had swept away his initial anger for the time being.
"She's telling the truth?" Allium questioned his father suspiciously with a raised brow, and Jac nodded.
"She is right about everything, including the fact that there was probably a much better way to handle the situation than just leaving. It felt like the only option to me at the time, but I suppose I didn't know what I know now back then. Still, I never should have run away. I should have-"
Jac was interrupted by Allium shaking his head.
"Mom told me that you barely slept. That you worked one shift in the morning and one in the evening every day. When you came home in between, you didn't rest. You watched me so mom could rest or clean or do whatever else needed to be done. She said that you never snapped back when she got grumpy and I was screaming up a storm. That even when she accidentally broke the new lamp you had just bought her, the first thing you had bought for yourselves in months, that you just laughed it off and wouldn't let her feel bad about it."
Allium paused and stared at the ground, a solemn intensity swirling behind his eyes.
"To tell the truth, when she was telling me she had stopped believing you would come back she still refused to say a bad word against you. She thinks it was more likely that you had died and no one could find your body rather than you choosing to stay away all this time. But, she also said that even if that was the case that she didn't feel you left because of a lack of love. She couldn't give a reason for why you would have left with good reason, but she refused to think anything else."
Allium shook his head again, but there was a glint in his eye when he glanced up.
"I really don't know what to make of this. I want to be angry, but if there's two people I trust in this world without fail then it's mom and Ethereal. If they're supporting you, then I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Besides, there is a decision I made long ago that I promised myself I would do if we ever met."
Jac didn't get the chance to ask what the decision was, for, without warning, Allium suddenly took a grand step forward and snuggled his arms around his father in a big hug. I burst out laughing. The expression on Jac's face was priceless. Allium's words had been making him hopeful, but now he had no clue what to do until I motioned for him to return what Allium was giving. Shaking and slowly, Jac wrapped his arms around Allium's back. The hug was awkward for a brief moment, but something within the two of them clicked. Jac held back tears as he embraced his son as if he was never going to let go, and Allium tossed away some of his pride in order to accept his father's hold like a young child would.
"Awwww..." I cooed.
Allium gave me a teasing grin of disapproval while Jac chuckled quietly.
Things got interesting after I joked that I needed to take a picture of that moment. Allium acted like Allium. Childish and teasing. What was bizarre was how Jac acted like Allium. I had to reason that him finally escaping The Company and starting to throw off the person they had forced him to be was allowing him to naturally be who he was. Jac went along with one joke, and before I knew what was going on he and Allium had turned into a golden comedic duo. Anger and bitterness about the past forgotten, I listened to the two of them banter on as I completely and utterly failed to stop my practically uncontrollable laughter from hurting my stomach. I was thinking to myself the whole time that the sudden development did make sense. Allium certainly hadn't gotten his jokester nature from Ms. Charm after all.
I needed that time with Jac and Allium more than I realized. A good laugh and something working out well was bolstering medicine to fight down the stress of the past week. It also supported the courage I had to have in order to follow through with my other goal for the day. Having hesitated back and forth all morning on whether or not it was the right thing to be honest, I soon stood outside a door I never thought I would get close to again. It would have been harder for me to knock had I not felt paranoid of someone staring at me. That was a side-effect of the constant attention the past several days. Jac had been the one who dropped me off and there was no one walking down the sidewalk, but it would go on to take me a long while before I was able to shake off the feeling that I was always being watched.
I knocked, and the door was opened less than ten seconds later. I doubted Purity had been expecting me despite the fast reaction time, for her face went blank at the sight of me. She motioned me inside, but she otherwise just stared with wide eyes. I knew she had heard the story. There was no need to explain the change in my appearance. The truth of that was clear in her expression. She was more shocked that I had chosen to come to her house of all places.
"You never were envious of me." she said without any hint of doubt.
"Never." I confirmed, holding back a smile.
"This explains so much." she said softly with a light shake of her head.
I gave her an encouraging smile, and Purity shook off some of her surprise.
"Um, so, did you need something? Not that I don't mind that you're here, but I can't believe you would come to my house of all places given what's happened."
"I have two reasons for being here. First I have to know though, are your parents home?" I questioned.
"My dad is. My mom isn't."
"Oh, good," I heaved a sigh of relief before getting a grip on myself, "Eh, sorry. I shouldn't be so outwardly relieved that your mom isn't home, but I'm still rather terrified of her even though I'm white now myself."
"It's alright. That's a perfectly rational reaction for you to have, and I don't think you being white would improve your standing with her, I agree," Purity revealed with a tiny smile, "You really don't have to worry about her though. She actually...doesn't live here anymore."
My mood that had been relaxing stiffened up again.
"Uh, what? Why not?" I asked in confusion.
"She and my dad are getting divorced."
There went my smile.
"Purity, I'm so sorry." I apologized, feeling like an idiot, and feeling even more so at her response.
"I'm not," she replied without shame, continuing on with ease, "Something about that trip to Wonder Light, it changed me. It forced me to open my eyes to reality, I suppose. I saw how much I hated how things were with my family when we returned. My mom absolutely laid into my dad for weeks about what happened- blaming him for everything and not giving him a moment's peace. It boggled me how it didn't seem to phase him, but that was when I understood that mom was acting how she always acted. The hell she was giving him then was how he had been living for pretty much as far back as I can remember. I started to resent her. I started to hate myself. It was humiliating and humbling trying to change, but I knew it was right. My dad and I grew really close while my mom just seemed to get worse and worse."
She sighed a little.
"I tried helping her. Hell would have to freeze over before she listened to my dad's advice, so I thought she would certainly be willing to hear what I had to say. Unfortunately, it turned out that even my words couldn't stop her from wanting things to go her way- and only go her way. To be honest, I cried a lot of nights. I was facing the nightmare I had known on some subconscious level existed. I have to think that my mom truly loves me somewhere in her heart, but the her right now only loves me because of the color of my skin. It's all that matters to her. Flaunting my deformity in the faces of others for her own benefit," she explained with a grimace, "As you can expect, she went ridiculously crazy when dad brought home the divorce papers. I thought she was going to burn the house down when she realized that dad had been smart enough to put everything in his name. She doesn't even have her own bank account. She was simply content to spend the money he earned with the card he gave her. She'll be getting nothing from their separation. I hoped after getting knocked down that peg that she might listen to me then, but...she was determined to lose me too. No matter how much I tried to comfort her and break down the wall she had built, all I saw was more anger and hatred in her eyes. She was completely terrifying, and that was when I knew I didn't want her as my mother anymore. Not the way she is now. If she can change, go back to the way dad said she used to be, then I might want her in my life again. Until then, I'm content to be with just my dad. The one who truly loves me, so much so that he did live through hell all these years in order to stay with me because he knew my mom would snatch away all his visitations rights if he did what he's done now before I became an adult."
A large, amused grin spread across Purity's face. She spoke so openly and with such assurance. I wasn't sure whether to feel happy or sad or both.
"I know. It's a confusing situation," she comforted, "My mom's safely bunkered with her parents, and she has plenty of marketable skills to get herself a good job if she remembers them and changes her attitude. She brought this situation upon herself even if her punishment seems harsh. I think it'll be good for her in the end though, and life in the Waters household has never been better."
"That is good. I do hope things work out." I said, working through all the conflicting emotions to return her smile.
"As do I, but I know this is not one of the two reasons of why you came over here." Purity pointed out.
"The first reason is that I just wanted to come say hi, and apologize on some level," I said with a tiny, goofy look, "I had promised to tell you the truth, but I kinda got kidnapped before that could happen. It just felt right that you should be one of the first people I visited. but, the main reason...I, um...I wanted...to talk to...your dad..."
"You want to talk to my dad? About what?" Purity asked in understandable confusion.
As if on cue, from upstairs there came the sound of a chair scrapping back and forth as someone stood up. A door opened and closed before footsteps approached the stairs.
"Was there someone at the door, Pure?" Mr. Waters called as he came down, "I was just finishing up the report that-"
His words ceased the instant he saw me, and he stared at me with both curiosity and concern as he reached the first floor. I did my best to keep calm, but there was no chance of that. My cheeks burned in embarrassment. Nope. I definitely couldn't look him in the face. It obviously wasn't as if he had ever touched me, but with what could potentially be going on in my body it felt to me like we had gone all the way. The thought alone made me want to melt into the floor and disappear forever.
"Me- uh, Ethereal, was it?" Purity asked slowly and continued when I nodded, "Ethereal wanted to talk to you."
"To me?"
Mr. Waters was just as confused as Purity had been. However, I had already begun to shake my head and steadily turn back towards the front door.
"N-No, I've changed my mind," I mumbled in pitiful humiliation, "It s-seemed like a good idea at the time, but I think it'd be better if I..."
I took several steps towards the door, but Purity suddenly dashed in front of me and blocked my way.
"You have been drugged, kidnapped, abused, shot at, and been forced through this media circus surrounding everything. You've got a lot on your plate, so there's no way you would have come over here if what you had to say wasn't super important." she stated with her impeccable perceptiveness shining through once more.
"P-perhaps it is, but you two have enough to deal with too. I don't w-want to be a bother or cause any problems, so-"
"Ethereal," Mr. Waters interrupted gently with a kind smile, "I'd like to hear what you have to say. Purity is right. You clearly felt it was important enough to make the visit over here. You don't have to worry about causing problems or anything of that sort. Even if your news is bad, I'm not so easily broken."
My determination to leave faded. I had to accept Mr. Waters' words. If he could handle Purity's mom for nearly two decades, then the truth I had definitely wouldn't strike him down for long at all. I also had to accept that I also desperately wanted his support. I know I had Eden, Amaranth, and Blaze and everyone else behind me, but they weren't affect by this situation like Mr. Waters was. Then there was the fact that I was terrified of what would happen if I wasn't upfront with him from the beginning. If I did become pregnant and have the child, I don't think I would be capable of hiding the secret. I figured the repercussions of his reaction would be much less severe if I dealt with the matter before there was even a child in existence.
"I think it's safe for me to say that you two are aware thanks to this media circus of what's been going on with me. What I was created for, why I was kidnapped, the procedures they did to me..." I trailed off after we three had taken a seat.
"We are. Both Pure and I have been following the story closely since the first report came that there had been a shooter and kidnappers at Amaranth's place. We hoped that with each new report that there would be good news. It was a shock to learn the truth, but a relief to know you were safe. Are you alright though? What they did to you must have been traumatic." Mr. Waters wondered with utmost sympathy.
"I'm handling it well enough. It was more the people there that bothered me, so I feel loads better getting away from them. I've been poked and prodded enough in my life thanks to getting sick all the time to not have a procedure like that shake me up greatly anyway. The effects of the procedure though, they do scare me a bit more." I admitted quietly, wanting to change the topic but knowing I couldn't since this was what I had to discuss.
"Do you know yet? If you're..." Purity couldn't finish her sentence both because she caught her mistake as well as because of me shaking my head, "Of course not. That's a stupid question. It's way too soon."
"It's alright. A potential...baby is actually the reason why I came over here."
Mr. Waters and Purity looked at each other with quizzical stares. I took a deep breath. My confidence fading again, there was no choice but to get the words out quickly before I lost all resolve.
"Like I said in that first interview, they manipulated me so that my chance of producing albino children is astronomically higher than what it should be. They did something similar to the sperm they used as well. Naturally, the sperm had to be carrying the condition already though. A well-informed person I know told me the plan of abducting me hadn't been worked out all that far ahead of time or with extensive detail. In order to get the sperm, they had to 'purchase' some using their influence from a nearby sperm bank. There's a bank here and one in Bayport, but there was a mere, lone eligible batch of donations that was given from one man, my friend was able to confirm," I explained, needing another deep breath before I was able to go on, "Maybe this is just coincidence and I've gotten the wrong person, but I have a feeling that's not going to be the case. M-Mr. Waters, um, h-have you ever donated to the bank here?"
My question was a whisper, and Mr. Waters' face had already sunk in stunned horror before I asked it. He had figured it out in an instant. There was no need for him to confirm it with a direct yes. Him letting out a thick sigh, burying his head in his hands for a moment, and then running his hands through his hair was a sufficient answer on its own.
"Dad, ew." Purity said in disgust, which almost brought a smile back to my face.
I remained quiet though, and that awkward, tense silence filled the room until Mr. Waters glanced up at me with embarrassment now as well.
"I never planned on doing such a thing, but it was one of those times where Shell had gone too far," he began with a sad tone, "I had always wanted more children. An only child myself, I liked the idea of having a slightly larger family as an adult. Shell was perfectly fine with that, until Purity was born. We had achieved 'perfection'. Shell didn't want to ruin that, because obviously a blue child is so inherently flawed in comparison that it shouldn't deserve to be given life."
His voice turned bitter for a moment, and his eyes narrowed in anger.
"I thought her way of thinking was ridiculous and cold, but naturally I wasn't going to push her into doing something she didn't want to do. I believed that when Purity got a little older that her stubbornness would fade. It never did. I grew upset, and so after we moved here I tried to talk about the matter openly and honestly with my wife. I should have learned by then that that's the way to achieve the exact opposite with her. Shell had such a low opinion of me that she thought I would stoop to forcing a pregnancy with her- mess with her birth control or poke a hole in a condom or something. Her paranoia was so great that she went to extreme measures to 'stop' me. She scheduled a tubal ligation operation. I didn't have any clue that she had even gone into the hospital until I got a call from the doctors that someone needed to be there with her in recovery. As you can imagine, I was livid when I found out what she had done. The doctors were livid too when they realized I had no clue about it and that Shell had forged my signature to mark that I had consented to the operation. However, there was nothing to be done. Shell was rendered sterile, and I had to accept the fact that I would never have another child of my own."
Mr. Waters slumped forward in his seat and clasped his hands together.
"I donated the first time mostly out of spite. Then I went through several more donations because I found that it made me feel better. I couldn't have another child, but I could give other couples one. I saw no reason to tell Shell or anyone else about what I was doing, and I marked each time on the papers that I was alright with any child that might come about from my efforts contacting me when he or she became an adult. Now, to learn that my contributions were used..."
I was stared at sadly in the pause where he thought of how to best phrase his words.
"In such a manner..." he finished dismally.
His gaze fell to the floor and stayed there. I found that I was able to look right at him again. More surprisingly, my chest felt lighter and free. It was the change I hoped I would somehow get, but I hadn't expected it would actually happen.
"Okay, I'm glad I came over." I said.
That brought Mr. Waters' stare back up and all the attention on me again.
"This is not the position any of us would have asked to be in, but I'm glad this ended up being the position we were forced into. I don't really know all that much about babies or how to care for them. Any extra pair of experienced hands I can get to help me, the better." I said with a smile, and Mr. Waters chuckled, "More importantly than that, it's a relief to know that my potential baby's biological father is someone who can be there for him or her with love, and not just be the name of someone neither of us will never meet or know."
"You are going to keep this potential baby then?" Purity wondered.
"I...I'll say probably, but I guess I already know the answer is yes. I could never live with myself if I aborted it, and can you imagine me trying to give it up for adoption with this mess that's surrounding me? That situation wouldn't end up so different from The Company selling it. Really though, the truth is just that my baby would be my baby. And I want to keep my baby."
"That's a very you answer, Miss 'I-want-to-be-a-mom'," Purity teased with a little, light-hearted push before she frowned slightly as realization hit her, "Still, you're potentially pregnant with my sibling. My dad's kid. That's fucking weird."
"I know." I laughed.
"How's Amaranth handling this news?"
"In a very Amaranth-type fashion. He knows I'd end up keeping the child, and he's saying he'll support me no matter what. In all honesty, I think he's already convinced himself that he's the father." I laughed harder.
Purity laughed too, and I looked back Mr. Water's way when he scooched forward in his chair a bit more. There was an accepting smile on his face.
"I'm glad that you coming over here was able to give you some relief. I will admit that this is rather awkward and I am embarrassed, but I do want to say that you have my support- no matter what happens. I already made peace long ago when I decided to donate that the children created with my donations are not mine. If you feel it's best that I step up as the father, I will do so without hesitation. However, if Amaranth decides that he does want to take on that role himself, then I say let him. Of course I cannot predict how your relationship will work out in the long run, but I have a feeling the two of you will not be so easily broken apart. I would rather the child be raised in a typical home with his or her mother and father together than in a bizarre situation like what we've found ourselves in. Overall, I'm content as long as I know he or she is well looked after and loved, although I wouldn't be adverse to seeing him or her every once in a while."
"Oh, definitely. I never had any intention of not letting you be involved. You can see him or her whenever you'd like. I was actually fearing more that you would want to keep this quiet and tell me not to let anyone know. I'm ecstatic that it's the opposite." I said gratefully.
I flinched slightly when Purity suddenly ruffled my hair.
"There's never any point in worrying about stuff like that with dad. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body," she grinned teasingly, "And, you know, I actually really like the idea of having a little sibling. You've got me on your side as well, so your situation is getting just that much better. Hopefully it will continue to do so."
"I think it will," I said optimistically, "Dealing with all the attention and stuff is going to be annoying, but with everything today going well I don't think I'll mind so much in the end. There's more exciting things for me to look forward to as well."
"Like?" Purity wondered.
I couldn't stop myself from smiling as wide as possible.
"The first thing I can recall ever truly wanting is finally going to happen. Naturally, 'Meadow's' backstory was made up. That changes one very important aspect of my life."
I paused briefly for dramatic effect before sharing the source of my anticipation.
"I'm going to meet my parents soon."
Then there was me- suddenly the most famous girl in the world. My first experience seeing how I would be treated as an albino was as empowering as it was terrifying. In those first few days where I was being sent around talking to all manner of officials and government agents, I could have gotten them to do whatever I wanted. In a way, I did. Marked the humble survivor of a life of cruelty and hardship, I was accepted as the judge for many things that should have been out of my control. Jac had had the kind idea to erase from the records the worst of what Eden had been involved with during his time with The Company. All it took was a pleading look and a few words of support in my brother's defense, and he, in addition to all his friends, was cleared of all wrongdoings. He became the hero in the story. The gallant older brother protecting his baby sister no matter the cost. Jac was granted a similar status behind the scenes. His identity was being kept hush-hush due to him being the whistle blower. When asked my opinion on what I thought the government should do with him, I professed that I thought he should be given a second chance. That he had been a prisoner as much as I had, and that he should be given an opportunity as a free individual to prove who he really was. And that was that. Jac's slate was wiped as clean as clean could be. He was allowed to leave with no repercussions, and he was provided the same level of protection Eden and I were getting.
I wanted to talk to my friends. I wanted to address them directly as we all lived through the craziness that was those several days. I'm sure it was a horribly difficult experience for them- first finding out that Meadow Yonder had been kidnapped from her boyfriend's flat by violent criminals to having to watch the truth be told to them through television. The first public appearance Eden and I made was an enormous press conference. We told our story, revealed the secrets, answered questions, and even got to watch a tour through my old room that had been taken by special forces investigating the building it was at.
I was almost as glad being allowed to go my way from the chaos as I was escaping from The Company. It wasn't as if I could just go ahead and walk around like everything was back to normal, but I was able to move forward with the goals I wanted to accomplish. I took the initiative to take care of the most ambitious one first. I knew if I wasn't pushy about it, then Jac would probably have snuck away in his fear. I literally had to push him into the car that was going to take us to one of Berrybrook's government offices, which had been one of the places we had spent a lot of time in recently. Eden had his own business to take care of, and we weren't going to home until we could go together. With the press and paparazzi not being allowed inside, arranging the meeting there was the best idea I could come up. I did grow more sympathetic towards Jac when we neared the little lobby where we knew our visitor would be. I'm sure the nerves I felt were nothing like what was wracking his body.
"Just give me a minute to talk to him, and then I'll give you a segue for you to make your grand entrance." I whispered quietly, not wanting to let him hear us.
"P-perhaps we should wait until another time. Maybe i-if we-" Jac stuttered timidly before I cut him off.
"I thought much of the reason why you helped me was because you were tired of running away. There's going to be something less than ideal whichever way we do this, so we might as well just go ahead and get it over with."
"And if he hates me..."
"He's not going to hate you. I can't promise that he won't be angry for a bit, but he'll come around before you know it. I keep telling you- they've been waiting and believing in you all this time." I encouraged.
It looked like Jac wanted to accept my words, but his expression remained full of doubt when I began moving down the hall.
I had to stop and peak around the corner before revealing myself. Just as I expected, Allium hadn't been able to sit still. He was standing and fidgeting by one of the windows instead. I couldn't see his expression, but I could picture it all the same. I knew exactly how his face was set even though the week that had separated our last meeting from this moment seemed like a lifetime. Allium was foreign to me at first glance. Still in the habit of picturing him more like that little boy he had been, his body and nature ever more like an adult's stood in the place of that child. I wanted to stare and ponder the strange sensation, but I couldn't extend the poor guy's misery any longer.
"Charming." I called to him gently, stepping out from behind the corner wearing a grin.
His head turned both in a flash and in slow motion. However, he was next to me in an instant. I seriously could not figure out if he had simply moved around the furniture that fast or if he had walked right through it. What was more surprising was how I hugged him with more vigor than he hugged me, even though I had silently prepped myself to be as composed as possible. All I knew was that I saw Allium, and I couldn't help myself. It was like the moment with Eden all over again. I nearly bowled Allium over with the force of my embrace. My feet lifted off the ground ever so slightly, but Allium merely met the loving attack with grace. He eagerly took me in his arms, placed a lingering kiss by my ear, and then just held me as if he was never going to let go.
"Being friends with you is basically the same as asking for a heart attack," he joked, "You boggle me with mysterious circumstances, you disappear randomly, and then there's all the gunshots and big baddies. You sure know how to keep a guy on his toes."
My joy turned somber for a moment. Allium had overheard the original struggle at Amaranth's place then.
"I'm so sorry about all of this." I apologized softly.
"Don't you dare be," Allium warned both seriously and in a teasing manner, "None of this was your fault, and I'm content knowing you're back for good."
Allium ended the hug. Then he stared- his eyes growing wide as he met the real me for the first time. I let him look, and before too long he was smiling and shaking his head.
"Ethereal," he said in awe and disbelief, "I seriously am a fucking idiot. The amount of times I overheard Eden calling you that- I should have put the pieces together the second I got wind that there was something more going on with you."
Allium couldn't help but to stare again.
"God, this is so mental. You're white. But, but you were able to be changed green, You look just like yourself, but you look like an entirely different person too. I don't even know what to call you anymore."
"You can call me Meadow, if you want. You can call me Ethereal. You can call me Meadow until you get used to Ethereal. You can interchange the two forever for all I care." I shrugged.
"Which one do you feel is your real name?" Allium wondered.
"Ethereal." I revealed.
"Then I'll call you that, although I think I'll throw in a 'Medy' every now and again for old time's sake."
"Sounds good to me." I said cheerfully.
I was relieved to find that the majority of my nerves were gone. Talking to Allium now felt like how talking to Allium always had. Even with us discussing the very real situation that had changed everything drastically, I forgot that anything had changed.
Allium soon turned quite serious though.
"How are you doing?" he asked with concern, "I'm sure being drugged and kidnapped was bad enough. Then there was all that stuff you mentioned on TV. Another gunfight. Them inseminating you...and that part is just messed up!"
"I'm coping," I promised, "The more I get to act like Meadow, the better I feel. Seeing you helps a lot. How are you, by the way? You heard me being kidnapped, didn't you? And finding out about me how you did, I had hoped to tell everyone the truth before anything like this happened."
"Yeah, I heard what went down at Am's place. I was just venting to him my frustration that came about because I thought you had disappeared again, and the worry I had for you blossomed into total panic obviously when the shots started. Honestly, the little sleep I got that night gave me a nightmare. I spent the next several days freaking out with Frost and Sun since Am was hidden away for safety's sake. Finding out the truth about you, I don't think it was as shocking as it should have been given that I was just so relieved you were safe."
Allium ran his hand through his hair and sighed with a great heave.
"I am glad to have you back, but I have a feeling our summer vacation isn't going to pan out like we wanted it to. Your sudden fame is going to draw a lot of attention our way, and then there's my mom and her baby issue too..."
My face narrowed in confusion, and I tilted my head in curiosity.
"Your mom and what baby issue?" I questioned.
Allium instantly froze. The exhausted and exasperated glaze that had been coating his expression snapped to attention. His mouth opened and closed in hesitation, and his stare was mildly panicked.
"Shit. I forgot that you have no idea..." he cursed in self-annoyance.
"About?" I pressed more intently.
"I guess I've gone and done it now..." Allium mumbled to himself before forcing himself to address me, "My mom wanted to tell you about it after she told Eden, which she should be doing maybe even right this very moment."
I recalled that Eden had said something about Ms. Charm still being very adamant about speaking to him, and meeting her was one of the reason he had gone his own way. Otherwise, I had planned to have Allium's mom come here with Allium instead.
"Did, did you ever notice anything weird with Eden and my mom?" Allium asked hesitantly.
"Weird? Like, weird how? They've always seemed to get along when they go to those book club meetings and have coffee and stuff."
"They've been doing a lot more than going to book clubs and getting coffee." Allium revealed ominously.
At some level, I think my brain had already worked out what he was getting at. The rest of me was slower to believe it. I didn't want to have to hear any more big surprises, and the kind of surprise Allium was alluding to didn't mesh well with my goal of introducing him to the person hiding around the corner who could hear our every word.
"Med- Ethereal, this whole thing has been stressing me out, so I'm just gonna have to come out and say it. What we joked about that one time on that double-date with Am and Cocoa- it's coming true. All those times my mom suddenly wasn't around or had a place she had to be at out of the blue, that was her meeting up with Eden. They've been sleeping with each other for a long while, and now my mom is pregnant."
There it was. The idea in my brain had been manifested by Allium's words, and, as expected, I could only stand there and stare at him in shock for a good several seconds. My chest filled up and overflowed with disappointment. Why couldn't one thing go right? I had been so excited to reunite Allium with his father, and now my stupid brother was messing it all up. I wanted to glance back Jac's way to see how the news had hit him, but I was unable to do it without alerting suspicion on Allium's part.
"B-but your mom, and her engagement..." I pointed out miserably.
"That's a massive part of what's pissing me off about this," Allium scoffed, "The day my mom told me about the baby was the day she stopped wearing her ring. I noticed it right away, and when I asked her about it she finally came out with the truth. About the baby, and about her having given up on my dad long ago. It's been years since she stopped believing he'd ever come back. The only reason she continued to wear the ring was because she knew it would upset me- that a large reason of why I kept believing was because she felt the same way. She was right too. I recognized years ago as well that he was never going to bother to come back, and I only kept hoping because I thought she had hope too. We both wasted on our energy on a lost cause."
Allium spoke bitterly and miserably. More than ever I wished I had the power to rewind time so I could do something to fix this moment. Not bring Jac along so I could talk to Allium alone first or something.
"If it makes you feel any better, my mom and Eden aren't exactly in love," Allium continued, "She said they've stated to each other that they have no intentions of being in a relationship. The two of them were both just lonely, and getting together like they were was a good way of combating that. They are nothing other than real life friends with benefits."
On some subconscious level, I did find that snippet of information relieving. However, I was too caught up in my dread to accept it on a conscious level. All I could think about was how terribly this situation was turning out, and about poor Jac. The promises I had made to him had been firmly and utterly crushed within seconds. I had to face the small amount of irony in the current predicament as well.
"But I was just lying!" I said my thought aloud, speaking more to myself and Jac than Allium.
"Uh, what? Lying about what?" Allium asked back in rational confusion.
I basically ignored him as I began to ramble.
"I-I was just making it up. I only wanted to get a reaction. It wasn't supposed to actually be true! And how can it actually be happening?! What special kind of idiot is Eden? All these years he's been on my case about being careful and not risking anything like this, and he's the one who goes ahead and does it himself! This is all wrong! He's ruined this whole thing!"
Blank was the expression on Allium's face. He was trying to figure out what was going on with me as well as what in the world I was trying to get at. Unfortunately, I didn't help him out. My emotions hadn't exactly been stable over the past week. Even though I had managed to get plenty of sleep the night before, I remained exhausted. My capacity for handling things like this was at an all time low, and Allium's face narrowed in concern when I grew teary.
"Oh, this isn't how it was supposed to happen," I sniffled, trying desperately and starting to fail at stopping the wetness growing in the corners of my eyes, "After everything that's gone wrong, I just wanted something to go right. I thought this could be the one path that would find a happy ending."
"Ethereal, it's fine?" Allium tried to comfort as best he could.
I had to turn my head away and rub at my eyes as one or two tears trickled out.
"Charming, can you please not get mad? Can you promise to at least try?" I begged, my voice quivering, "Can you listen to everything first? You have to understand. He didn't do it because he didn't care. And, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't even be here right now. I never would have been able to escape. He was the only reason I was saved, so..."
I exhaled shakily, shaking my own head to keep pushing back the crying fit my body wanted to throw.
"I promise?" Allium said in another attempt to calm me, "I don't get this conversation at all though."
"I brought...someone..."
I trailed off hopelessly. With my plan of giving Jac a suave introduction ruined, I was reduced to mumbles and a pitiful turn of my head in the direction of the corner where Jac had been. Part of me expected that he had run off. With how nervous he had been at the start, it wouldn't have surprised me if he left at the reveal of the devastating news. It did seem like that was the case when awkward second after awkward second ticked by and he didn't appear. Poor, confused Allium stared too, occasionally switching his gaze from the corner to me as he kept trying to wrap his head around what was going on. I don't know if I felt happy or sad or regretful or what when Jac did finally slide out from his hiding spot. The perplexity on Allium's face deepened, and it especially grew worse when I gave no explanation.
Jac, dismal but giving it his all, found the courage to slowly make his way over to us. Perhaps thankfully, Allium didn't remain oblivious to the truth for too much longer. He stared at Jac and me before either something about Jac's appearance or our expressions revealed reality.
"Oh, fucking no." Allium snapped angrily.
I silently admired Jac for not flinching all that much or letting it show if Allium's words bothered him. He simply stood before his son quietly waiting for his judgment, and I held my breath as tense air filled the room.
"Now? Now of all times you choose to show up?! When mom and I were ready to forget all about you and the pain you put us through?"
"Allium, please," I pleaded, plowing on despite Jac motioning to me that it was okay, "Please don't be mad. You have to listen because you don't understand."
Allium sent a nasty glare my way, but even that wasn't enough to dissuade me.
"Your dad is just like Eden. The Company has had him trapped in a horrible job all this time. You heard what Eden said on television, didn't you? About how The Company completely hid what the job was actually like, and the second Eden started working they bogged him down with secrets so that there was no way to quit without risking his life? That's what they've done to so many people, and it's not just a minor inconvenience. Eden was so beaten down that before he found someone who could help him he was committed to stabbing me with a knife and then stabbing himself because that was the only way he could think to set us free. And, trust me, as someone who spent several days as their prisoner being forced around and abused, those people...they're terrifying."
My emotions were overflowing a bit too much. I was keeping most of the tears back, but both my voice and my body were shaking as if I was standing in winter's worst blizzard without any clothes. My emotional state was proving beneficial to my cause though. Allium's expression instantly softened, and he listened intently and with sympathy.
"Maybe it wasn't the best way to do things. Maybe there was another option," I resumed speaking, taking a deep breath to calm myself down some, "But your dad was only trying to protect and your mom from being hurt or threatened to ensure his cooperation. He wanted to keep you out of the mess he had been lured into, even if it hurt him as much as it hurt you."
I stood stiff as I found myself having no more words to say. I wanted to keep on pleading, but there was only so much I could say before my words became truly pitiful. Unsure of what else I could do to prod Allium along, I had to go quiet and wish that I had made enough of an impact. There was no telling at first what Allium would ultimately do, but my somber state had swept away his initial anger for the time being.
"She's telling the truth?" Allium questioned his father suspiciously with a raised brow, and Jac nodded.
"She is right about everything, including the fact that there was probably a much better way to handle the situation than just leaving. It felt like the only option to me at the time, but I suppose I didn't know what I know now back then. Still, I never should have run away. I should have-"
Jac was interrupted by Allium shaking his head.
"Mom told me that you barely slept. That you worked one shift in the morning and one in the evening every day. When you came home in between, you didn't rest. You watched me so mom could rest or clean or do whatever else needed to be done. She said that you never snapped back when she got grumpy and I was screaming up a storm. That even when she accidentally broke the new lamp you had just bought her, the first thing you had bought for yourselves in months, that you just laughed it off and wouldn't let her feel bad about it."
Allium paused and stared at the ground, a solemn intensity swirling behind his eyes.
"To tell the truth, when she was telling me she had stopped believing you would come back she still refused to say a bad word against you. She thinks it was more likely that you had died and no one could find your body rather than you choosing to stay away all this time. But, she also said that even if that was the case that she didn't feel you left because of a lack of love. She couldn't give a reason for why you would have left with good reason, but she refused to think anything else."
Allium shook his head again, but there was a glint in his eye when he glanced up.
"I really don't know what to make of this. I want to be angry, but if there's two people I trust in this world without fail then it's mom and Ethereal. If they're supporting you, then I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Besides, there is a decision I made long ago that I promised myself I would do if we ever met."
Jac didn't get the chance to ask what the decision was, for, without warning, Allium suddenly took a grand step forward and snuggled his arms around his father in a big hug. I burst out laughing. The expression on Jac's face was priceless. Allium's words had been making him hopeful, but now he had no clue what to do until I motioned for him to return what Allium was giving. Shaking and slowly, Jac wrapped his arms around Allium's back. The hug was awkward for a brief moment, but something within the two of them clicked. Jac held back tears as he embraced his son as if he was never going to let go, and Allium tossed away some of his pride in order to accept his father's hold like a young child would.
"Awwww..." I cooed.
Allium gave me a teasing grin of disapproval while Jac chuckled quietly.
Things got interesting after I joked that I needed to take a picture of that moment. Allium acted like Allium. Childish and teasing. What was bizarre was how Jac acted like Allium. I had to reason that him finally escaping The Company and starting to throw off the person they had forced him to be was allowing him to naturally be who he was. Jac went along with one joke, and before I knew what was going on he and Allium had turned into a golden comedic duo. Anger and bitterness about the past forgotten, I listened to the two of them banter on as I completely and utterly failed to stop my practically uncontrollable laughter from hurting my stomach. I was thinking to myself the whole time that the sudden development did make sense. Allium certainly hadn't gotten his jokester nature from Ms. Charm after all.
I needed that time with Jac and Allium more than I realized. A good laugh and something working out well was bolstering medicine to fight down the stress of the past week. It also supported the courage I had to have in order to follow through with my other goal for the day. Having hesitated back and forth all morning on whether or not it was the right thing to be honest, I soon stood outside a door I never thought I would get close to again. It would have been harder for me to knock had I not felt paranoid of someone staring at me. That was a side-effect of the constant attention the past several days. Jac had been the one who dropped me off and there was no one walking down the sidewalk, but it would go on to take me a long while before I was able to shake off the feeling that I was always being watched.
I knocked, and the door was opened less than ten seconds later. I doubted Purity had been expecting me despite the fast reaction time, for her face went blank at the sight of me. She motioned me inside, but she otherwise just stared with wide eyes. I knew she had heard the story. There was no need to explain the change in my appearance. The truth of that was clear in her expression. She was more shocked that I had chosen to come to her house of all places.
"You never were envious of me." she said without any hint of doubt.
"Never." I confirmed, holding back a smile.
"This explains so much." she said softly with a light shake of her head.
I gave her an encouraging smile, and Purity shook off some of her surprise.
"Um, so, did you need something? Not that I don't mind that you're here, but I can't believe you would come to my house of all places given what's happened."
"I have two reasons for being here. First I have to know though, are your parents home?" I questioned.
"My dad is. My mom isn't."
"Oh, good," I heaved a sigh of relief before getting a grip on myself, "Eh, sorry. I shouldn't be so outwardly relieved that your mom isn't home, but I'm still rather terrified of her even though I'm white now myself."
"It's alright. That's a perfectly rational reaction for you to have, and I don't think you being white would improve your standing with her, I agree," Purity revealed with a tiny smile, "You really don't have to worry about her though. She actually...doesn't live here anymore."
My mood that had been relaxing stiffened up again.
"Uh, what? Why not?" I asked in confusion.
"She and my dad are getting divorced."
There went my smile.
"Purity, I'm so sorry." I apologized, feeling like an idiot, and feeling even more so at her response.
"I'm not," she replied without shame, continuing on with ease, "Something about that trip to Wonder Light, it changed me. It forced me to open my eyes to reality, I suppose. I saw how much I hated how things were with my family when we returned. My mom absolutely laid into my dad for weeks about what happened- blaming him for everything and not giving him a moment's peace. It boggled me how it didn't seem to phase him, but that was when I understood that mom was acting how she always acted. The hell she was giving him then was how he had been living for pretty much as far back as I can remember. I started to resent her. I started to hate myself. It was humiliating and humbling trying to change, but I knew it was right. My dad and I grew really close while my mom just seemed to get worse and worse."
She sighed a little.
"I tried helping her. Hell would have to freeze over before she listened to my dad's advice, so I thought she would certainly be willing to hear what I had to say. Unfortunately, it turned out that even my words couldn't stop her from wanting things to go her way- and only go her way. To be honest, I cried a lot of nights. I was facing the nightmare I had known on some subconscious level existed. I have to think that my mom truly loves me somewhere in her heart, but the her right now only loves me because of the color of my skin. It's all that matters to her. Flaunting my deformity in the faces of others for her own benefit," she explained with a grimace, "As you can expect, she went ridiculously crazy when dad brought home the divorce papers. I thought she was going to burn the house down when she realized that dad had been smart enough to put everything in his name. She doesn't even have her own bank account. She was simply content to spend the money he earned with the card he gave her. She'll be getting nothing from their separation. I hoped after getting knocked down that peg that she might listen to me then, but...she was determined to lose me too. No matter how much I tried to comfort her and break down the wall she had built, all I saw was more anger and hatred in her eyes. She was completely terrifying, and that was when I knew I didn't want her as my mother anymore. Not the way she is now. If she can change, go back to the way dad said she used to be, then I might want her in my life again. Until then, I'm content to be with just my dad. The one who truly loves me, so much so that he did live through hell all these years in order to stay with me because he knew my mom would snatch away all his visitations rights if he did what he's done now before I became an adult."
A large, amused grin spread across Purity's face. She spoke so openly and with such assurance. I wasn't sure whether to feel happy or sad or both.
"I know. It's a confusing situation," she comforted, "My mom's safely bunkered with her parents, and she has plenty of marketable skills to get herself a good job if she remembers them and changes her attitude. She brought this situation upon herself even if her punishment seems harsh. I think it'll be good for her in the end though, and life in the Waters household has never been better."
"That is good. I do hope things work out." I said, working through all the conflicting emotions to return her smile.
"As do I, but I know this is not one of the two reasons of why you came over here." Purity pointed out.
"The first reason is that I just wanted to come say hi, and apologize on some level," I said with a tiny, goofy look, "I had promised to tell you the truth, but I kinda got kidnapped before that could happen. It just felt right that you should be one of the first people I visited. but, the main reason...I, um...I wanted...to talk to...your dad..."
"You want to talk to my dad? About what?" Purity asked in understandable confusion.
As if on cue, from upstairs there came the sound of a chair scrapping back and forth as someone stood up. A door opened and closed before footsteps approached the stairs.
"Was there someone at the door, Pure?" Mr. Waters called as he came down, "I was just finishing up the report that-"
His words ceased the instant he saw me, and he stared at me with both curiosity and concern as he reached the first floor. I did my best to keep calm, but there was no chance of that. My cheeks burned in embarrassment. Nope. I definitely couldn't look him in the face. It obviously wasn't as if he had ever touched me, but with what could potentially be going on in my body it felt to me like we had gone all the way. The thought alone made me want to melt into the floor and disappear forever.
"Me- uh, Ethereal, was it?" Purity asked slowly and continued when I nodded, "Ethereal wanted to talk to you."
"To me?"
Mr. Waters was just as confused as Purity had been. However, I had already begun to shake my head and steadily turn back towards the front door.
"N-No, I've changed my mind," I mumbled in pitiful humiliation, "It s-seemed like a good idea at the time, but I think it'd be better if I..."
I took several steps towards the door, but Purity suddenly dashed in front of me and blocked my way.
"You have been drugged, kidnapped, abused, shot at, and been forced through this media circus surrounding everything. You've got a lot on your plate, so there's no way you would have come over here if what you had to say wasn't super important." she stated with her impeccable perceptiveness shining through once more.
"P-perhaps it is, but you two have enough to deal with too. I don't w-want to be a bother or cause any problems, so-"
"Ethereal," Mr. Waters interrupted gently with a kind smile, "I'd like to hear what you have to say. Purity is right. You clearly felt it was important enough to make the visit over here. You don't have to worry about causing problems or anything of that sort. Even if your news is bad, I'm not so easily broken."
My determination to leave faded. I had to accept Mr. Waters' words. If he could handle Purity's mom for nearly two decades, then the truth I had definitely wouldn't strike him down for long at all. I also had to accept that I also desperately wanted his support. I know I had Eden, Amaranth, and Blaze and everyone else behind me, but they weren't affect by this situation like Mr. Waters was. Then there was the fact that I was terrified of what would happen if I wasn't upfront with him from the beginning. If I did become pregnant and have the child, I don't think I would be capable of hiding the secret. I figured the repercussions of his reaction would be much less severe if I dealt with the matter before there was even a child in existence.
"I think it's safe for me to say that you two are aware thanks to this media circus of what's been going on with me. What I was created for, why I was kidnapped, the procedures they did to me..." I trailed off after we three had taken a seat.
"We are. Both Pure and I have been following the story closely since the first report came that there had been a shooter and kidnappers at Amaranth's place. We hoped that with each new report that there would be good news. It was a shock to learn the truth, but a relief to know you were safe. Are you alright though? What they did to you must have been traumatic." Mr. Waters wondered with utmost sympathy.
"I'm handling it well enough. It was more the people there that bothered me, so I feel loads better getting away from them. I've been poked and prodded enough in my life thanks to getting sick all the time to not have a procedure like that shake me up greatly anyway. The effects of the procedure though, they do scare me a bit more." I admitted quietly, wanting to change the topic but knowing I couldn't since this was what I had to discuss.
"Do you know yet? If you're..." Purity couldn't finish her sentence both because she caught her mistake as well as because of me shaking my head, "Of course not. That's a stupid question. It's way too soon."
"It's alright. A potential...baby is actually the reason why I came over here."
Mr. Waters and Purity looked at each other with quizzical stares. I took a deep breath. My confidence fading again, there was no choice but to get the words out quickly before I lost all resolve.
"Like I said in that first interview, they manipulated me so that my chance of producing albino children is astronomically higher than what it should be. They did something similar to the sperm they used as well. Naturally, the sperm had to be carrying the condition already though. A well-informed person I know told me the plan of abducting me hadn't been worked out all that far ahead of time or with extensive detail. In order to get the sperm, they had to 'purchase' some using their influence from a nearby sperm bank. There's a bank here and one in Bayport, but there was a mere, lone eligible batch of donations that was given from one man, my friend was able to confirm," I explained, needing another deep breath before I was able to go on, "Maybe this is just coincidence and I've gotten the wrong person, but I have a feeling that's not going to be the case. M-Mr. Waters, um, h-have you ever donated to the bank here?"
My question was a whisper, and Mr. Waters' face had already sunk in stunned horror before I asked it. He had figured it out in an instant. There was no need for him to confirm it with a direct yes. Him letting out a thick sigh, burying his head in his hands for a moment, and then running his hands through his hair was a sufficient answer on its own.
"Dad, ew." Purity said in disgust, which almost brought a smile back to my face.
I remained quiet though, and that awkward, tense silence filled the room until Mr. Waters glanced up at me with embarrassment now as well.
"I never planned on doing such a thing, but it was one of those times where Shell had gone too far," he began with a sad tone, "I had always wanted more children. An only child myself, I liked the idea of having a slightly larger family as an adult. Shell was perfectly fine with that, until Purity was born. We had achieved 'perfection'. Shell didn't want to ruin that, because obviously a blue child is so inherently flawed in comparison that it shouldn't deserve to be given life."
His voice turned bitter for a moment, and his eyes narrowed in anger.
"I thought her way of thinking was ridiculous and cold, but naturally I wasn't going to push her into doing something she didn't want to do. I believed that when Purity got a little older that her stubbornness would fade. It never did. I grew upset, and so after we moved here I tried to talk about the matter openly and honestly with my wife. I should have learned by then that that's the way to achieve the exact opposite with her. Shell had such a low opinion of me that she thought I would stoop to forcing a pregnancy with her- mess with her birth control or poke a hole in a condom or something. Her paranoia was so great that she went to extreme measures to 'stop' me. She scheduled a tubal ligation operation. I didn't have any clue that she had even gone into the hospital until I got a call from the doctors that someone needed to be there with her in recovery. As you can imagine, I was livid when I found out what she had done. The doctors were livid too when they realized I had no clue about it and that Shell had forged my signature to mark that I had consented to the operation. However, there was nothing to be done. Shell was rendered sterile, and I had to accept the fact that I would never have another child of my own."
Mr. Waters slumped forward in his seat and clasped his hands together.
"I donated the first time mostly out of spite. Then I went through several more donations because I found that it made me feel better. I couldn't have another child, but I could give other couples one. I saw no reason to tell Shell or anyone else about what I was doing, and I marked each time on the papers that I was alright with any child that might come about from my efforts contacting me when he or she became an adult. Now, to learn that my contributions were used..."
I was stared at sadly in the pause where he thought of how to best phrase his words.
"In such a manner..." he finished dismally.
His gaze fell to the floor and stayed there. I found that I was able to look right at him again. More surprisingly, my chest felt lighter and free. It was the change I hoped I would somehow get, but I hadn't expected it would actually happen.
"Okay, I'm glad I came over." I said.
That brought Mr. Waters' stare back up and all the attention on me again.
"This is not the position any of us would have asked to be in, but I'm glad this ended up being the position we were forced into. I don't really know all that much about babies or how to care for them. Any extra pair of experienced hands I can get to help me, the better." I said with a smile, and Mr. Waters chuckled, "More importantly than that, it's a relief to know that my potential baby's biological father is someone who can be there for him or her with love, and not just be the name of someone neither of us will never meet or know."
"You are going to keep this potential baby then?" Purity wondered.
"I...I'll say probably, but I guess I already know the answer is yes. I could never live with myself if I aborted it, and can you imagine me trying to give it up for adoption with this mess that's surrounding me? That situation wouldn't end up so different from The Company selling it. Really though, the truth is just that my baby would be my baby. And I want to keep my baby."
"That's a very you answer, Miss 'I-want-to-be-a-mom'," Purity teased with a little, light-hearted push before she frowned slightly as realization hit her, "Still, you're potentially pregnant with my sibling. My dad's kid. That's fucking weird."
"I know." I laughed.
"How's Amaranth handling this news?"
"In a very Amaranth-type fashion. He knows I'd end up keeping the child, and he's saying he'll support me no matter what. In all honesty, I think he's already convinced himself that he's the father." I laughed harder.
Purity laughed too, and I looked back Mr. Water's way when he scooched forward in his chair a bit more. There was an accepting smile on his face.
"I'm glad that you coming over here was able to give you some relief. I will admit that this is rather awkward and I am embarrassed, but I do want to say that you have my support- no matter what happens. I already made peace long ago when I decided to donate that the children created with my donations are not mine. If you feel it's best that I step up as the father, I will do so without hesitation. However, if Amaranth decides that he does want to take on that role himself, then I say let him. Of course I cannot predict how your relationship will work out in the long run, but I have a feeling the two of you will not be so easily broken apart. I would rather the child be raised in a typical home with his or her mother and father together than in a bizarre situation like what we've found ourselves in. Overall, I'm content as long as I know he or she is well looked after and loved, although I wouldn't be adverse to seeing him or her every once in a while."
"Oh, definitely. I never had any intention of not letting you be involved. You can see him or her whenever you'd like. I was actually fearing more that you would want to keep this quiet and tell me not to let anyone know. I'm ecstatic that it's the opposite." I said gratefully.
I flinched slightly when Purity suddenly ruffled my hair.
"There's never any point in worrying about stuff like that with dad. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body," she grinned teasingly, "And, you know, I actually really like the idea of having a little sibling. You've got me on your side as well, so your situation is getting just that much better. Hopefully it will continue to do so."
"I think it will," I said optimistically, "Dealing with all the attention and stuff is going to be annoying, but with everything today going well I don't think I'll mind so much in the end. There's more exciting things for me to look forward to as well."
"Like?" Purity wondered.
I couldn't stop myself from smiling as wide as possible.
"The first thing I can recall ever truly wanting is finally going to happen. Naturally, 'Meadow's' backstory was made up. That changes one very important aspect of my life."
I paused briefly for dramatic effect before sharing the source of my anticipation.
"I'm going to meet my parents soon."
This might just be the first time that I don't know what to say.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad Jac and Al's reunion ended on a high note. Al deserves something happy, and at least Jac will have a chance at a good relationship with his son, especially considering I TOTALLY GUESSED THAT MS. CHARM WAS PREGGERS.
I have approximate knowledge of most things.
Seeing Purity and Ethereal next to each other messed with my mind. Its so cool to see the subtle differences in their albinism (like Purity's hair being darker). I don't know if that's a CC thing or something, but I still like it.
Glad Mr. Waters took the news so well. I admit to laughing out loud when Ethereal and Am figured it out earlier. OF COURSE she'd wind up attached to Purity's family somehow.
I have no idea what to expect next chapter. I mean, I'm sure they'll be thrilled at finding out they have a white daughter, but they still wanted nothing to do with Eden so that's just a dick move. I wonder how Eden will be affected if they shower Ethereal with the love they didn't show him.
I thought it was time to add some happiness back into the situation ^^ Al with his father is super cute as well, so I had to give them an initial good reaction to each other. Obviously that doesn't mean it's going to be all flowers and sweetness with them from here on, but I'll just let you see how things pan out with them in the end.
ReplyDeleteI know most people were suspecting Rose's pregnancy, so it amused me greatyl to write about the reveal. All I could imagine was everyone's reactions of "I knew it!" XD
Everything about them (skin, eyes, hair) is the exact same shade, the brightest the white can get in the game, so it's all down to the CC making the subtle changes. That the white appears much whiter is one of the reason's why I picked the hair Ethereal has. I experimented with giving her a different style while she was green, but it made the most sense to leave it as is.
Mr. Waters is such a dear. I really love his character. I was working on a short story for him, but I just couldn't get it to come out good at all. There was too much to cover in just a one chapter story. I might narrow it down and pick one particular event in his life than trying to cover the entire situation with him and Shell.
I couldn't resist giving her some connection to Purity. The original plan was not to have them connect in any way exactly because everyone was expecting them to have some sort of connection through blood, but I couldn't help myself in the end :D
I believe you've misunderstood the situation with Eden, Field, and Jungle. It wasn't that they didn't want anything to do with him. They were perfectly fine in him coming around and getting to know them. He just wasn't allowed to acknowledge them as his parents (Field as his mother anyway.) This is the line from Chp. 5 where Eden explains it: "Field was glad to meet me, and, despite how I was conceived, Jungle was ridiculously nice to me as well. In fact, he was more guilty than Field was when they learned I had never been taken in. He was still adamant that my relationship with them was only that of a friend and not a son, but the three of us got along great."
And you can bet that Field and Jungle already know about Ethereal- what with her story being plastered around the world like it is :)
I'm the first to admit that I tend to fixate on one aspect of a piece of dialogue or explanation and ignore all else. I think in the scenario with Eden's parents, I fixated on the fact that while they were friendly and regretful, they still kept him at arms length rather than being parents.
ReplyDeleteMy parents are my birth parents, so I can only image the pain he'd feel if they welcome Ethereal like a daughter.
Does that make more sense?
Well!! I am .... happier about all this than I thought I would be. Nobody died, only the bad men - so .. :D
ReplyDeleteI love the twist in this - her potentially having Mr Waters baby gives the whole situation, kind of a happier ending. Lol - that is when why you said to me I am very close when I said that I felt that Purity and Meadow were connected somehow, but I did not expect that connection. Now I think I hope she is pregnant and can't wait to see how this baby turns out - white or blue.
Eden and Miss Charm's baby!! Can't wait to see that one either!! Jac turning back up now makes this situation very awkward!!
I am glad that Allium is now reunited with his Dad.
It will be interesting to see how Meadow reacts to seeing her parents and how they react to her :)
As much as I knew (and so did everyone else,) that Eden and Rose were going to have a baby together, I couldn't believe it! The age gap for starters, and then the fact that they never had anything serious going on! I mean COME ON EDEN! I can't believe Jac had to listen to all that, after being promised that he would be welcome.
ReplyDelete@Cece- I get more where you were coming from, yes. I'd say more on the matter, but as I am a bit late replying to your comment I'll just say that now you can see for yourself now that Chp. 44 has just been released ^^
ReplyDelete@Julie- I thought you would like the twist with Glacier being the donator daddy XD Like I said, there wasn't ever supposed to be that connection, but once the idea randomly popped into my head I could get it out. There were several other things like that too- like Grape warning everyone leading to TC finding Eden and Ethereal. That moment was just supposed to be a moment to explain more about TC in general, but it helped me give the important reason as to how TC discovered how the two were hiding.
I had them have the baby/babies about two weeks ago now. I was hoping for a slightly different child/children than what I got, but I'm still very pleased with the results ^^
@Anon- There's actually not much of an age difference at all. Eden, Blaze, and Rose are all around the same age: 37-ish. Eden and Blaze just didn't grow up in Berrybrook like Rose did.
Poor Jac did have to hear things the hard way, didn't he? With his reunion with Allium going well though, there's hope for how things might go with Rose :D