Legend of Ghouls

Chapter Ten ~ Secrets & Lies

It sounds like our mother vanished after my engagement ceremony. Mother mentioned that he did something bad to split the family apart, but I found it difficult to believe in her. I want to know information from father about what truly happened between our parents. Ezra felt relieved that he found that our father showed up in our backyard. We do not understand why mother has not spoke to us about everything. I used to be one sided and used to be dragged into others stupidity long time ago, but I learned that there will always be two sides of the story. Now I am not hundred percent sure if our mother is being truthful about this.

“I apologize for the intrusion in your backyard. I hope I did not trouble anyone this morning.” Father bowed as he took a seat at the dining table.

“No need to worry. We do suggest being careful. Female flocks are still on the lose.” Moira mentioned.

“I understand the dangers out there. I still could not believe the Hakujin’s used my daughter's stolen DNA and cloned it into a Queen of Flocks. Funny I heard that Elettra wiped out the Hakujin’s in the prison and took his head as a trophy. The Hakujin’s did deserved it, but she also needs to be gone. Sickening but I hope she gets destroyed. We cannot let her ruin the lives of our people like the Takers and Hakujin’s done towards us.” Father said as he sipped his coffee

“Yes, how long were you trapped in the Sawyer before the Winter war?” Moira asked.

“I was abducted and locked up in the lab for three years until someone by the name Larissa Zen. During the Winter war, few of us saw a large incubator moved into a spot where Ritcher likes to sit and talk to it as a child. Larissa managed to break through the glass with her strong kagune as she slammed her fist on my glass to help me get out. She freed the others in the lab. She found a secret exit out of the turkey farm. We released others out of the lab. Most of us made it out alive. Takers killed two people in the lab. We all went into our separate ways. I tried to find you and your brother Ezra in the area. I tried to get a hold of your mother Vanna, but she acted oblivious about the situation and vanished to Michigan with another group. I joined the underground to figure out a way to find you until I found out that you were able to escape. Ezra joined the cyber team to find you. I am proud of my two children who survived and battled through hell.” Father said as he took something out of his pocket. It was our birth necklaces from the Aogiri Tree.

“Those are beautiful. We were supposed to have them at birth.” Ezra mentioned.

“Well, your mother didn’t want me on your birthdays. I do not know what I did wrong to deserve that. I never done anything harmful to your mother. I will tell you that she did leave both of you in highchairs with television while she sat in the kitchen reading novels and smoking cigarettes. She would have the child gate blocked in the doors. I did not like confronting her, but it was the only way to explain how her actions were putting an effect on our marriage and both of you. I tried to help her understand but it became a fallout between us. She framed me as the bad guy in her story by hiring her friends and family to go after me for no reason. I asked them questions of why they are attacking me for no reason? They went by what she said about me. I was able to comfortably share my side of the story to them. The family and friends decided to not involve themselves into our problems nor take sides. I don’t expect anyone to take sides. It is plain immaturity to fall for one side of the coin. It’s important to listen to both sides and full story before you make false assumptions.” Father said as he pulled out his wallet of our baby photos.

“That explains why. I feel like an idiot.” I smacked my head.

“It’s not you and Ezra’s fault that you didn’t know the truth.” Father reassured us.

It turns out that she kept things hidden from us for the entire years of our childhood. There are so many questions that I really want to ask our mother. I was not sure if I want to push for answers at this point. She always wanted to be left alone. It felt like she only comes out when it is convenient to her. After our father came back into the picture, I was contemplating on taking my mother to court for a lie detector test, but I already have enough evidence. My brother and I felt so awful for our father and what she put him through out of spite and manipulation.

Moira and Kaye allowed father to stay here for a few days before our final mission. I stepped outside with Shae as I saw my brother sitting on the bench of the cherry blossom garden from a distance. I walked up to Ezra and sat next to him while Shae sniffed around in the woods.

“What’s on your mind, brother?” I asked.

“Please don’t hate me, sister. Father and I worked in my office last night and spent hours of digging about mother together.” He admitted.

“Dude, it’s okay. I thought about digging for the truth as well.” I said.

“Let’s just say I am distraught.” Ezra pulled the documents out of his satchel. I opened the document as my eyes widened in shock. “We learned from our father what is in the dark comes into the light.”

“That is true. I wish she did not separate us from our father. That explains how we end up in different messed up homes.” I spoke as I flip through the pages and passed it back to him. Dragon and father came out of the house to join us.

“We need to go over to mother’s tonight.” I said.

“Sweetheart. Are you sure?” Father asked.

“I want to know why she tore us apart, helped us doing war, and all the sudden disappeared on us again. I have enough self restraint to confront her.” My tone shifted as I clinched my fist.

“If you do get out of line, remember I have the right to step in.” Ezra mentioned as he patted my shoulder.

“Understood, brother.” I responded.

“I will be right with you, honey.” Dragon said.

Late evening, I jumped up into the air and activated my wings to fly in the nice cooling breeze through the dark clouds as three of them followed me to mother’s house where it is few blocks away from Shibuya town. We arrived at our mother's front porch. I remember the sounds of the sirens howling in the neighborhood every night. I knocked on the door and waited for over ten minutes until she opened the door as she came out slurred and tried to walk up to me all happy to see me that her breath smelled like alcohol. We entered the home as Dragon snatched the wine bottle from her hand and slammed it on the table as she acted surprised.

“Why is everyone upset? Did something bad happen…?” Mother asked as she started stumbling on her doorstep.

“Cut the crap, mother. Do you want to take a guess who came back?” I blocked the kitchen doorway with my arms crossed and asked.

“Who came back…?” Mother acted shock.

“Do not make a fool out of us, mother.” Ezra removed the document out of his satchel and placed it on the coffee table.

“What is that...?” She questioned about the documents on the table.

“Read the files.” Dragon said with his arms crossed as she slowly reached from the coffee table and read the results.

“Wha…?!” Mother questioned the lie detector results.

“Father is alive. You’ve have not come back since my engagement ceremony. Why is that?” I asked.

“Well... I was going through stuff that you folks don’t know…” Mother stuttered.

“Mom! Stop trying to run away from this conversation. Do you not take any consideration that others are going through s**t after events are happening in our city?” I asked.

“Well… Alright fine. You caught me.” Mother stuttered.

“Here is the deal. It’s either you tell us the truth or burn bridges by losing your daughter. Which will it be?” I sat an ultimatum before I could make the decision.

“Alright. I cheated on your father while I was away from you, Ezra, and your father before our divorce. Your father and I didn’t get along well after I birthed you and Ezra during the past missions with our formal groups. Both of us were young and dumb. We were married for only three years until divorced. You were like only three or four years old at the time. After our divorce with the Aogiri Tree tribe, the elders of the tribe could not look at me in the eyes because of my revengeful behavior towards your father. He would always spoil both of you with gifts and adventures with his new partner on their missions. Coparenting was not my favorite. I sabotaged your father’s reputation out of anger. I forced him to choose it’s either your children or that woman. That caused everyone to turn their backs against us. What I did was wrongfully selfish to put you and Ezra through the mess.” Mother confessed as she starred at the table.

“Why did you create a lie saying that he tried to trap you and some random group ate him?” I asked.

“Accurate definition of selfishness.” Dragon said.

“I wanted to protect you folks from the truth. I left the party after your engagement ceremony because I didn’t know if the elders wanted to see my face again. If I were to tell you before the ceremony, you would hate me. That was why I kept myself hidden in my own home for years. I don’t leave my home unless TSC contacts me for urgent matters. I didn’t think you were going to find out, sugar.” Mother cried.

“I forgive you, but I’m hurt that you lied for years. You made us believe that he was the bad guy because you believe that he was to you. You can despise him all you want, but he is still our father. Whatever conflicted issues, that was between you and father. You are in the wrong for keeping our father from us because you held grudges against him. He’s done nothing wrong to us kids. Regardless of whatever issues you and father had in the past, cheating and lying is not the answer.” I stated.

“Turning your own children against their own father for no reason is not the answer.” Ezra said to Mother.

“If there were factual evidence that he was abusive or absent on purpose, then we would believe you.” I said.

“According to the documents and lie detector tests results, there were NO evidence of any forms of abuse or absent on purpose. You purposely drove him away to prevent him from seeing his daughter Viola and his son Ezra.” Dragon said.

“We love you, Mother. I believe you can do better.” I reassured her.

“Are you all still going to see me?” Mother asked.

“It is time you start doing reflection on yourself. To love someone, you need to learn to love yourself.” I said as three of us walked out and closed the door.

Not everyone likes to have unpleasant conversations, but there are things that needs to be addressed to moved forward. I wish it didn’t have to come to it, but we’ve been sitting in the dark for too long that it has finally come into light. Families are not always easy to handle. Sometimes all we could do is love them from the distance and hope they will do better.