A world unturning - Scarlett, James, Ava, Elise, Arthur
"The time has come that things are explained," Ava said.
Scarlett was sitting beside her, hands sitting heavily in her lap as she watched them. She knew that James and Ava had only been waiting for Scarlett to be okay for this conversation to happen, but three months after Astrid's dead Scarlett wasn't sure if she'd ever be okay again. The loss of her sister ached, a constant dull thud against her ribcage that sometimes threatened to tear her apart. Sometimes she thought no one else was feeling that pain, but they must have been. To imagine that she somehow hurt more for the girl they'd brought into their life than the man and woman who had adopted her, or the big brother who'd love her, was not only stupid but incredibly selfish and cruel. Of course they hurt. Every single one of them hurt, including the angel woman who now spoke, who'd known and care for Astrid like a mother before Scarlett had even met her.
Elise and Arthur knew that whatever they were about to be told was big. It had been promised to them before they'd all traveled for Astrid's last month and Scarlett knew that sometimes they must have thought of it, especially since Ava had barely left the family since Astrid had passed away. She was always there, always ready to aid them in any way she could.
"I made a promise to Astrid that I would try to explain to you both the things that she knew, and the things that Scarlett and James knew as well. There are secrets that have been kept from you, not because your children didn't love you, but because they have all loved you so terribly that they would do anything to protect you, even if it were from the truth."
Arthur had narrowed his eyes on Ava, the ancient angel who looked no more than sixteen. "Ava..."
"Dad," Scarlett said, looking up. She looked at Ava. "Let me?" Ava nodded gently and Scarlett got up and walked over to her parents. Then she sat down on the floor in front of them, taking their hands. "I've wanted to tell you so much but I didn't know where to even start and when I say it you're not going to believe me. But... I'm different." She squeezed her eyes shut. "That sounds stupid."
Elise squeezed her hand. "Scarlett, what is it? You know we both love you no matter what."
"I know that, it's just-" Scarlett looked over behind her at Ava. "Ava," she said a little helplessly. "Could you- I can't explain, can you just show them?"
Ava's expression was wary and then she nodded. "Of course, if that's what you want. When you're ready."
Scarlett nodded to her, thankful, and then looked at her parents again. "Okay, something is about to happen and it's going to be scary but I promise you that it is okay, and Ava is our friend."
Arthur and Elise both tried to say something but Scarlett held their hands tightly and turned her head to nod at Ava. James took a few steps away from her and chewed on his thumb, watching between the angel and his parents.
Ava let loose her wings as carefully as she could, not wanting to knock anything off the walls.
Elise gasped and Arthur swore, both of them trying to move away. Scarlett held their hands tightly. "Mum, dad, it's okay, it's okay, I swear. Ava's an angel and she would never hurt you. It's okay, she raised Astrid before she came to us, she's a good person."
The next ten minutes were spent with Elise and Arthur panicking and asking how it was possible and denying all the while as James and Scarlett tried to calm them down, explaining how scared they'd been to first learn it all as well.
Twenty minutes later Ava sat at one end of the kitchen table and Elise and Arthur at the other while they continued to give her wary glances while asking all the same questions that James and Scarlett had once asked as well. There was tea in front of everyone, steam rising up, but no one had touched their mugs.
"So," Elise said once again, clearing her throat. "You're over a hundred years old... but you're not from the Christian God?"
Ava was infinitely patient, especially for someone who'd done this many times before. "One hundred and fifty-two... or three." A small gentle smile. "It's difficult to keep track at my age. But I'm not sent by any God," she assured them with a shake of her head. "What I am is more of a genetic anomaly, a rare breed of humanity and nothing more."
Arthur took a deep breath. Then he looked at Scarlett, shaking his head. "I don't know what I thought you were going to tell us about Ava, but it wasn't this."
Scarlett gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry," she told him. "I was just as scared and confused when I found out. So was James. Everyone reacts like this, you're actually doing really well."
"Oh," Elise said a little vaguely. "Well... that's quite good to know." James hugged her.
Scarlett didn't really want to go on, but it was no use stopping now. "There are other things that I need to tell you," she admitted. "I started with Ava because I knew you'd need to see some sort of proof, but there's more."
"Oh," Elise said again.
Scarlett tried to lay it out as carefully and slowly as she could. The other types of supernaturals, what she was, what Astrid had been, the Templar, the hospital, all of it. Everything they deserved to know but didn't, every secret that she'd been keeping for the last four long years of her life.
Afternoon turned into evening and evening turned into night and in the late hours when they should have all been in bed, Scarlett was curled up between them on the couch, silent and just happy to be in their arms. She had kept her life from them but they had never stopped loving her.
I wish we'd known, sweetheart. We should have known.
She hated that there was guilt from them because she'd kept secrets but there wouldn't be any more.
No more secrets. Not ever.
That night she slept in her parent's bed for the first time since she was a child and she cried and let them stroke her hair and whisper parental words of love.
Scarlett was sitting beside her, hands sitting heavily in her lap as she watched them. She knew that James and Ava had only been waiting for Scarlett to be okay for this conversation to happen, but three months after Astrid's dead Scarlett wasn't sure if she'd ever be okay again. The loss of her sister ached, a constant dull thud against her ribcage that sometimes threatened to tear her apart. Sometimes she thought no one else was feeling that pain, but they must have been. To imagine that she somehow hurt more for the girl they'd brought into their life than the man and woman who had adopted her, or the big brother who'd love her, was not only stupid but incredibly selfish and cruel. Of course they hurt. Every single one of them hurt, including the angel woman who now spoke, who'd known and care for Astrid like a mother before Scarlett had even met her.
Elise and Arthur knew that whatever they were about to be told was big. It had been promised to them before they'd all traveled for Astrid's last month and Scarlett knew that sometimes they must have thought of it, especially since Ava had barely left the family since Astrid had passed away. She was always there, always ready to aid them in any way she could.
"I made a promise to Astrid that I would try to explain to you both the things that she knew, and the things that Scarlett and James knew as well. There are secrets that have been kept from you, not because your children didn't love you, but because they have all loved you so terribly that they would do anything to protect you, even if it were from the truth."
Arthur had narrowed his eyes on Ava, the ancient angel who looked no more than sixteen. "Ava..."
"Dad," Scarlett said, looking up. She looked at Ava. "Let me?" Ava nodded gently and Scarlett got up and walked over to her parents. Then she sat down on the floor in front of them, taking their hands. "I've wanted to tell you so much but I didn't know where to even start and when I say it you're not going to believe me. But... I'm different." She squeezed her eyes shut. "That sounds stupid."
Elise squeezed her hand. "Scarlett, what is it? You know we both love you no matter what."
"I know that, it's just-" Scarlett looked over behind her at Ava. "Ava," she said a little helplessly. "Could you- I can't explain, can you just show them?"
Ava's expression was wary and then she nodded. "Of course, if that's what you want. When you're ready."
Scarlett nodded to her, thankful, and then looked at her parents again. "Okay, something is about to happen and it's going to be scary but I promise you that it is okay, and Ava is our friend."
Arthur and Elise both tried to say something but Scarlett held their hands tightly and turned her head to nod at Ava. James took a few steps away from her and chewed on his thumb, watching between the angel and his parents.
Ava let loose her wings as carefully as she could, not wanting to knock anything off the walls.
Elise gasped and Arthur swore, both of them trying to move away. Scarlett held their hands tightly. "Mum, dad, it's okay, it's okay, I swear. Ava's an angel and she would never hurt you. It's okay, she raised Astrid before she came to us, she's a good person."
The next ten minutes were spent with Elise and Arthur panicking and asking how it was possible and denying all the while as James and Scarlett tried to calm them down, explaining how scared they'd been to first learn it all as well.
Twenty minutes later Ava sat at one end of the kitchen table and Elise and Arthur at the other while they continued to give her wary glances while asking all the same questions that James and Scarlett had once asked as well. There was tea in front of everyone, steam rising up, but no one had touched their mugs.
"So," Elise said once again, clearing her throat. "You're over a hundred years old... but you're not from the Christian God?"
Ava was infinitely patient, especially for someone who'd done this many times before. "One hundred and fifty-two... or three." A small gentle smile. "It's difficult to keep track at my age. But I'm not sent by any God," she assured them with a shake of her head. "What I am is more of a genetic anomaly, a rare breed of humanity and nothing more."
Arthur took a deep breath. Then he looked at Scarlett, shaking his head. "I don't know what I thought you were going to tell us about Ava, but it wasn't this."
Scarlett gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry," she told him. "I was just as scared and confused when I found out. So was James. Everyone reacts like this, you're actually doing really well."
"Oh," Elise said a little vaguely. "Well... that's quite good to know." James hugged her.
Scarlett didn't really want to go on, but it was no use stopping now. "There are other things that I need to tell you," she admitted. "I started with Ava because I knew you'd need to see some sort of proof, but there's more."
"Oh," Elise said again.
Scarlett tried to lay it out as carefully and slowly as she could. The other types of supernaturals, what she was, what Astrid had been, the Templar, the hospital, all of it. Everything they deserved to know but didn't, every secret that she'd been keeping for the last four long years of her life.
Afternoon turned into evening and evening turned into night and in the late hours when they should have all been in bed, Scarlett was curled up between them on the couch, silent and just happy to be in their arms. She had kept her life from them but they had never stopped loving her.
I wish we'd known, sweetheart. We should have known.
She hated that there was guilt from them because she'd kept secrets but there wouldn't be any more.
No more secrets. Not ever.
That night she slept in her parent's bed for the first time since she was a child and she cried and let them stroke her hair and whisper parental words of love.