Chapter 26 - Grandmother Lilian.

"Family will come and go. It seems."

~

It was silent the living room. Pure silence. No one, and I mean no one, uttered a word, and I was getting tired of it. Tired of the games, tired of secrets being kept and tired of getting hurt.

All the time.

I trusted Ragnor. I did. I truly did, but he kept all those things, away, secret, hidden, locked and chained from me and Mika. What's the point after this meeting. When things are revealed, and we get hurt. Once again. Would I be capable of trusting someone besides my sister again?

Would I?

Sighing softly, I rubbed my forehead with my index finger and thumb, the silence was purely and truly bothersome. When I looked to my left, I noticed how Mika had her fists balled, how her mouth formed a straight line. From time to time, Mika would sigh, or should I say Mieke?

Should I?

I don't know. Mika fits her more than Mieke. Or am I saying that just because I've called her Mika all my life, and found it easier?

Easy?

Would I be able to trust someone besides my sister? Should I call my sister Mieke or Mika? I've called her all my life, Mika. Was it easy? Was my life easy? No, it certainly was not. All my life, wait. Allow me to rephrase my sentence.

All our life. We've been beaten, abused, starved, spat at, kicked at, yelled, screamed, insulted at.

And I'm pretty sure from what I've seen, no one, perhaps besides some, lived the way we've lived, breathed the air we've breathed, and cried the way we've cried. To those who've lived the way we lived, breathed the air we've breathed and cried the way we've cried.

Understand us like the way we understand you. Understand those, who share the same pain. Understand those who are just like you. And trust me, I don't mean it like I know everything. I don't mean it to make myself sound like God. I mean it from my heart.

Or whatever that remains of a shattered heart.

I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped my lips. As I thought of the way I thought, I couldn't help but ask myself the question. Have I matured or something? After all, if I did. I wouldn't be surprised. When you're hurt you learn, no?

As the chuckle escaped from my lips, Ragnor turned around to face me, frowning, which caused me to growl. "We've been waiting for quite some time now. And to be honest, it's been getting on my nerves. How come Granny Lilian is still alive?!"

I said as I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down as my voice it was on the edge of cracking. No more tears, I've had enough. Don't show them tears, Cat, don't show them. Adam shot Ragnor a glance, which didn't go unnoticed by Mika and Sami.

Mika asked, her voice hoarse as she whispered, "What?! Don't tell me you've been hiding something from us as well." Her comment made my eyes widen and my blood run cold. "You do.. Don't you?" I spat. My eyes were still wide open as I gripped the railing of the armchair, my knuckles slowly turning white.

Adam opened his mouth for a short second before closing it. Which angered me more. I thought of him as a brother, I thought of him as a brother.

Why God? Why?

I thought as I quickly wiped away the tears that were threatening to spill as I glared at him, my vision being slightly blurry as I spoke, "Tell me, tell me what the fuck you've been hiding from us! Tell me!" I spoke, nearly screaming at him. My voice was close to cracking as I was close to breaking.

"I, I-I'll be honest. As a little boy, I knew your mother. She was kind, sweet and loving. She took me in as I didn't have any parents, I was three at the time, they told me; when I was taken in by her. Four years later, two girls were born. I was seven then. You can guess who those two girls were," He murmured softly. Mika's eyes widened as I gritted my teeth, trying to stay calm.

Trying my best not to snap. Trying my best.

Not to cry.

I hated crying, I hated it with a passion. It made me feel weak, miserable and pathetic. I hated myself even more when I cried, in front of others. I keep my walls firm and strong, no one will break through them.

"Mika. Cat." Ragnor started. He seemed hesitant. I wonder why. The next following words made my heart stop beating. My eyes widened in horror as I'd die a little more.

"You two... aren't sisters."

••••••••••••••••••••

I felt cold, I felt the colour from my face leave me as his words left me cold. We're not? We aren't sisters? She isn't my sister? This feeling of nausea entered the pit of my gut. My eyes found those of Adam pleading him, to tell us that this was a sick, sick, sick cruel joke.

I started to question my very own existence. "What..?" My head snapped to my left. I saw how pieces of the railing of the armchair were threatening to crack and fall off. "Liars.." I heard Cat hiss.

"You're lying..." It was my turn to talk next, I muttered as I placed my head in my hands, my hands covering my eyes as my voice cracked. "Y-You're l-lying," I said once again. Only this time a little louder, till my head shot up. Glaring a hateful glare at Ragnor I yelled, "You're lying! First this vampire bullshit! Then Cynthia being our aunt! Then your explanation about our existence! Then this! T-Tell m-me y-you're lyi-ing.. P-Please." By now, my eyes would well up with unshed tears.

"Bastards!" I could hear Cat roar, in a blink of an eye she was being held back by Sami. "Let me g-go!" This guy, he sure is fast. I thought, staring at the two. Adam stood up slowly from his seat, raising his arms in the air. "Go on, punch me, hit me, tear me to pieces. Do whatever it is to make you happy. I deserve it."

Rage would be visible in Cat's icy blue eyes. She squirmed around in his grip, in Sami's grip yelling, "Bastards! You're all lying! Tell me this is a fucked up dream! That we'd wake up any minute now and life would be normal! Pl.. Pl-ease.."

Her voice cracked when she stopped fighting against Sami's hold, tears travelling down her cheeks. "Damn it." I could hear her mutter under her breath, as she would be crying silently. "I told myself not to cry..." Cat whispered more to herself then us. I myself didn't notice that I was crying as well.

Ragnor stared down at the ground, his black locks of hair covering his face as he rested his cheek on the palm of his hand. The feeling of nausea was soon replaced by the feeling of rage. "Why?" Cat and I asked, at the same time. Our voices just above a whisper. "Why?"

We said, somehow surprisingly in synth. "WHY?!" We screamed, our eyes immediately changed to its crimson colour. I cringed when I felt something snap around my neck. I looked down to see a black choker, similar to the one that was snapped onto Catty's neck, except for hers was white. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed my reflection in the glass cupboard.

I saw how mine was a black choker with white patterns. "What. The. Fuck. Is. This?" I spat, slowly starting to feel drained from all of the bubbling rage deep inside of me. Ragnor looked at me with sadness in his eyes. "It's designed for those of the Deriva bloodline. To keep those who are related to Lilian in check in case they snapped."

He said softly, which would make me pause for a moment, thinking, until "You said me and Catty aren't sisters, but you said that Lilian is our great-great grandmother. Care to explain?" I said, speaking out loudly, which caused Cat's eyes to widen as she glared at Ragnor.

"You two, aren't sisters but then, I never said you two weren't fully blood related. You two are cousins. Cynthia, Rosemary, and Ziva. Three sisters, their mother's name being Grace, and Grace's grandmother would be Lilian." The tears that were sliding down my cheeks slowed down as I stared at Ragnor.

"Rosemary.. Mistress Rosemary and Mistress Ziva?" Sami said with a questioning tone, as he led Catty to the couch, sitting next to her. Cat's eyes were wide open which I could only guess, that this had struck her speechless. "Do, you know them?" I whispered. He only nodded. "To be honest, uhm.. Miss-" "Mika" I said, as he nodded.

"Drop the Miss please." I added, at that he shrugged his shoulders, nodding. "Okay. Mika, you're Mika and this lady next to me is Cat? Right?" He asked, as I would nod again. "To be honest. You remind me of Rosemary, as Cat would remind me of Ziva." He spoke out, casually sitting on the couch.

"I'm guessing, Rosemary is the one who took Adam in, when he was three. No?" A soft whisper danced throughout the room in the air as said person's head shot directly at Cat's direction. "How do you know?" He asked, surprise clearly laced in his voice. Cat wiped her face with the back of her sleeves.

"You looked at Mika with grief and sadness when you explained. Your eyes held so much sorrow, it was almost as if you were talking to someone you held dear to you, who died years later," was all she said for Adam to understand.

"And Ziva would be Cat's mother," I said, as the two oldest nodded their heads. "When is the first full moon in the eleventh month?" The words left my lips too quickly for me to understand what I just asked. "Seventh of November, why?" I froze at that as my eyes widened.

I muttered, "That's my birthday.. Cynthia challenged us to fight her on my eighteenth birthday. This can't be good! She's up to something!" I shouted out, as Cat looked at me then glared at Ragnor, ignoring Adam. Sami was quiet, as always.

"I agree, I agree with Mika. The witch is up to something, and it can't be good. She destroyed our childhood, we killed her husband. She's bound to get revenge one way or the other!" All two men were silent, seemingly in deep thought 'till Adam nudged Ragnor in his side. A faint whisper was all I could hear. "Should we?"

Should they what? I wondered. "No! What the hell are you thinking, it's too soon!" I heard Ragnor retort as a sadistic smile crept it's way up onto Cat's face. "Let's take a visit.. To Granny Lilian. Shall we?" When she said that, the two men's eyes widened and their breath hitched.

It took only a few seconds until one snapped out of it and one sighed.

"Fine, we'll take you to Granny Lilian. We'll leave in six hours. Alright?" Ragnor said.
Seriousness laced his voice. We all nodded.

"Alright, it's settled then. We shall take you to Lilian Deriva.