chapter three
1492 Words
THE ONLY FAMILY member I had left was grandmum and I couldn't bear losing her.
My class finished shortly after grandmum brought in breakfast, so I decided to come outside and eat at the table. I watched her as she cleaned the stove, her face looking at ease compared to last night's but there was still something bothering her.
Her lovely voice calmed my thoughts as she hummed the same tune I used to hear her and grandfather sing together and a little smile played on my lips.
She turned around and blushed lightly when she realised I was looking at her "What?"
I giggled, "Nothing." I placed a piece of toast into my mouth. Silence filled the air as I finished off my toast and watched grandmum finish clean the stove.
The same question from yesterday made its way back up my throat, only this time banging to be let out. The ticking of the old clock over the bookshelf grandfather made years ago was heard, making my head hurt as it seemed to get louder and louder as each second passed.
I had to let it out.
"Granny, how long has the wolves been here? In the woods?" I said quickly so I had no time to stop myself.
The clock stopped ticking and I held my breath in hoping to get a response.
tick.
tock.
tick...
tock...
tick-
"Shortly after your great grandparents left, dear." She said, pouring my cup of tea.
I let out a breath and continued, "So how'd they come about?"
I eyed her and noticed she crinkled up her lips which made her look as old as she was. She sat down in front of me and looked down at the wooden table. It felt like hours before she replied but eventually she did.
"I suppose, you should know. You are of the age." She sighed and folded her hands in front of her, "What the schools don't teach you is that the Irish have visited before, bringing in the wolves along with us into this land. Sometime later, the Irish left us to fend for ourselves so we began to build ourselves a village which we shortly settled into. We began to grow and reproduce, making our people increase in numbers. Each household held a wolf of their own,"
"One day, many many years later, the Irish returned, disrupting our peace, and the wolves hadn't left the woods since they realised the Irish were back as if they knew something. The Irish left again and we then began to go about like before."
I nodded, "So what did the Irish do to disrupt our peace?"
She shrugged "They never said, but I can tell you this, your parents were involved with them."
I then remembered, some time ago, grandmum told me to never be like my parents, for they took part in many wicked actions which brought down the village and the wolves, but she never told me what actions they did. "What did they do?"
She frowned and shook her head, "Many questions should be left unknown to the public, my dear."
"But y'know of them." I started to whine.
She looked at me sternly and I immediately closed my mouth and sighed mentally. I drummed my fingers unto the wood, thinking deeply. I'll find the answer myself then. Leaving that question at that, I asked, "Can you at least tell me about grandfather's parents?"
Grandmum bit the inside of her cheek, hesitating on telling me about them, but she still continued, choosing her words wisely, "Your great grandparents were birthed into wealthy families at the time. They bought some land and built this same cottage, as I told you already."
I nodded.
"What I haven't told you was that your great-great grandparents were involved with the Irish." She said this, lowering her voice, "They had some connection with these wolves. After your great great grandparents died, your great grandparents gave birth to your grandfather, who was born very abnormally, like you and your purple hair. Not that you're abnormal," She chuckled, "You're as beautiful as a rose. When you were born, I was the happiest lady alive."
"Grandma..." I said giggling, "You're going off track."
She chuckled "Sorry, dear. Where was I?"
"Grandfather." I reminded her.
"Oh yes, his teeth were already formed and his hair was as dark as midnight and was very long. He was tested by these very same 'special doctors' you were tested by. The people of the village that time started losing family members, and thought the Irish killed them. Others thought the wolves ate them,"
"When your grandfather was about eight, he began to behave wild. Not the kind of wild like children screaming wild, the type of wild like growling and behaving animalistic wild. His parents carried him to these doctors and they tested him to be part wolf."
"Like a werewolf?"
"Like a werewolf."
"Cool!" I said a little too excited, "So I'm a werewolf?"
She shrugged, "They hadn't say. They did say you had some form of the connection, with the wolves that your parents hadn't."
I finished drank my tea, "So I may or may not be?" and she nodded to my question then looked down at her fingers. The atmosphere shifted and it felt dark, making my anxiety rise.
"What is it?" I asked, worry clearly seen on my face.
"Since we're talking like this, I have something to say," as she started to speak, her voice was becoming laced with fear, growing stronger with each word she spoke, "When you went to college, I started to become weak. I thought it was of old age, so I didn't worry. Each day though, I became weaker and weaker, until one day in the garden, I fainted."
My eyes widened and I shot up from the table, knocking over the mug I was drinking from. It shattered on the tiles, but I didn't care, "Why didn't you call me? I would've come right away!"
My grandmother looked terrified and I felt sorry for her, so I sighed and sat back down, settling myself down. "How'd you get to the doctor's?"
She looked less terrified since I spoke with a calmer manner and said, "Thank the Lord the milkman had come, or else I would've died in the pepper field from fever, but," She paused and a tear fell from her eye.
My heart began to pound quickly, "What? What?" I asked impatiently, "Are you going to die?"
My grandmum looked up at me, "I'm not afraid to die Violet, but I'm afraid of losing you."
I began to get angry. Not at her. Not at me. But angry at the world, "Don't be ridiculous," I said. My disbelief taking over for me, "Stop talking such shit." My grandmother's eyes widened at my usage of language but I continued, "You're not going to die...You can't die." My voice cracked and I began to cry, "What did the doctors say? "
"Doctor's diagnosed me with cancer, Violet." Her voice broke and so did my heart. "I was going to tell you, but your mind looked so at ease, I just couldn't. The day you came back, I not too long came from the doctor's."
My mouth opened to speak, but I couldn't. My eyes were now as soaked as the ocean. "H-How long?"
She bit her lip, "Stage two."
No. This can't be.
"Curable?" I asked, with a little bit of hope.
She sadly shook her head and I just stared outside. The wolves seemed to be looking at the cottage but when they saw me looking at them, they ran.
I turned my attention back to my grandmother, "How long do I have you for."
"For as long as you lived." She said, wisely, "I'll still be with you, even after my body has faded away to be part of the earth. I want you to grow and love life and live freely."
I wished it was true. I wished I could believe her. But I couldn't, for the ticking of the clock started back again, telling me that time flies and not even my grandmother would be able to see me every day of my life as I grew.
The clock struck twelve, indicating it was afternoon. Both of us were here sitting down for an hour, but it felt longer and my head began to spin.
"Orphan! You're an orphan!" The kids from my past were saying as they kicked at my back when I told them I lived with my grandparents since my parents had died.
"No!" I cried as I held onto my head, shielding myself from anything "I have my grandpa and ma!"
But the children laughed. They always did.
I began to laugh. My grandmother was clearly taken aback from my heartless laughter.
I laughed so hard until I couldn't breathe. "Oh, God!" I slapped the table and laughed even harder. Laughter is the best medicine. Right?
I laughed with the children in my past, but it wasn't funny.
I laughed at how truthful they've been, and how oblivious I was.
I was always the girl, in my own bubble. Away from reality. Away from the truth.
And now I had to accept it.
I had to accept that I am "Orphan".
I am "Violet Girl".
I am she.
1482 words
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