Escaping Rejection

9 . Siblings and Castles

IONORA'S POV :

Running away from him hurt. It was like one part of my body was preventing me from moving further away from him, pulling me towards the pack house while the other party of me was pushing me forward telling me to get the f**k out of there. Both the parts were pulling me in opposite directions and my soul was being ripped apart. But I kept pushing and the fear of rejection kept me going. Following the sound of water through the woods, I finally reached a clearing where the sound of water was the loudest.

Looking down, I notice that I was right above the waterfall. The sound of water gushing down the fall and the soft breeze that tickled my face calmed me. It made me forget all my worries for a second. Only for a second though, because just as I closed my eyes, I heard the sound of paws coming my way which meant that I was being pursued. He knew I left then.

What are you waiting for? Jump i***t.

Liane shouted in my head.

Geez, I was only preparing myself for the jump of my life.

More like preparing to get caught.

I didn't reply as I took a deep breath and dived. Only two thoughts were running through my mind at that very moment. One, what if it is rocks that I land on and I end up being a bloody pancake on the rocks. And two, I was wearing a white T-shirt which would become wet and expose my not-so-sexy bra. I lived in the forest, what do you expect?

I didn't have to worry too much about my first thought as I hit the water with a splash. And that ladies and gentlemen, was an Olympics worthy dive. The water was cold and if I didn't get out soon, I would become a human popsicle. Diving further down the water, I rise above after passing the waterfall. Looking around the cave, I realise that it was not dark, which was what I had expected. The walls of the cave were lined with candles which were probably magical since they were alight even in the breeze that drifted through the opening in the waterfall. I come out of the water and just lied down on the ground of the cave taking deep breaths. I could only hope that whoever was following me would not follow me to the cave. If they did, I was screwed.

"Don't worry child, the cave exists only for you and me. You are safe here." A gentle voice said from behind me.

I sat up and looked behind me. She looked the same from my memory/time-travel, whatever it was. Her long silvery blonde hair was elegantly tied up in a braid and her purplish blue eyes glowed in the semi- darkness. She was beautiful and she was my blood. She looked just like my mother and this fact made me choke up.

"Don't cry, doll. Haven't I told you that tears make me weak?" She said, coming over to me.

I laughed, wiping my tears. The woman I thought dead was standing in front of me. The joy of knowing that the only person who cared for me was alive was sinking in and I forgot everything that happened the last few days.

"Aunt Marrise." I all but choked out.

"My, my, look at you." She said, holding my face in get palms and turning it around. "You look so grown up and beautiful. You are beautiful inside out. Just like you were all those years back."

I smiled wide. It had been so long since someone called me beautiful or even acknowledged me as someone other than an outsider, a nobody. The feeling was so unfamiliar and caused a burst of warmth in me.

"You look beautiful , Aunt Marrise. It's been so many years and you haven't changed one bit. Its like looking at a younger you." I said, admiring her beauty. My aunt was well over 40 years but still looked like she was fresh out of college. Is it a wonder then that Vivian was so gorgeous?

"What can I say....... It is the power of make-up." She told me, keeping a straight face. But I knew better. There was no make-up.

"So it's not due to you being a witch?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She sighed. "Your mate already told you then. I wanted to tell you everything myself but I guess he beat me to it. I will tell you everything you need to know but I want you to meet someone first. follow me." My aunt said, turning towards the cave and walking inside. I followed her, confused.

We walked for a few minutes in silence. My aunt had a blank face on but I knew she was worried about something as she kept clenching and unclenching her fist.

Finally she stopped and said, "Flore coronam"

I faintly remembered that they were the same words Vivian had told me to say while knocking the walls of the cave. But I didn't have to as my aunt had come to get me.

The second she uttered the words, the walls of the cave shook and I watched in shock as the walls crumpled revealing a beautiful mansion surrounded by trees and a brook on either side. It was like one of those things you saw in pictures but never in real life and if you did see it in real life, you would probably run towards it and touch it just to make sure it was real. And that's exactly what I did.

Running towards the palace in full speed, I made a bee-line towards the walls which were adorned with creepers giving it an almost ethreal look. And then I stared at the wall, afraid to touch it as if it would dissappear at my touch.

"You can touch it. It won't dissappear." My aunt said, coming and standing next to me.

I rolled my eyes. "Great. Don't tell me you can read minds too."

Being around witches made me feel all inferior and untalented.

"You are far from inferior , Nora. You just haven't realised what you are capable of yet."

Easy for powerful witches like you to say, I thought in my head but kept quiet.

"Now come in. Your br-cousin is waiting." She said, giving me a tight lipped smile. I had a feeling she wanted to say something else but corrected herself.

Walking towards the big doors of the mansion, I couldn't help but be in awe of everything. I also couldn't stop the sliver of jealousy that filled me. For almost 4 years , I had been living as a rogue, sleeping on treetops , running from packs and stealing food, while these people lived in luxury.

The doors magically opened when my aunt neared them. If the outside of the mansion was magnificent, I didn't have words to describe the inside. Chandeliers the size of a small car adorned the high ceilings while the paintings hung up on the walls added an exquisite feel. I felt like an outside who didn't belong here or even deserve to stand here with my shabby clothes and wet hair.

"Don't just stand there, come on in. And don't be shy. You are family , Ionora." My aunt told me after seeing me standing in the doorway with my eyes opened wide.

I went inside and stood awkwardly by the sofa not wanting to dirty the pure white leather sofa or put my butt-prints on it.

"So you're finally here then. I was starting to think you drowned." Vivian said, coming into yeah living room with two classes of wine in her hands.

"The amount of faith you have in me is astounding." I say, rolling my eyes.

She only smirked in reply, coming over and handing me a glass. I had never drank alcohol before and I didn't plan to anytime soon but I took the glass anyways as I didn't know what to do with my hands and holding the glass would help.

My aunt gestured for me to sit and I did. She came over to me and said, "I need you to meet someone. He will help you remember a lot of things which you don't remember. I need you not to freak out, okay?"

I nodded, confused. Why would I freak out?

"Vivian, bring him here." She said to her daughter.

Vivian went through one of the doors in the living room and emerged with a guy. I couldn't see the guy's face clearly as it was covered in a beanie. She and the guy came over and sat opposite to me while my aunt sat next to me.

I could see the guy's face a bit more clearly now and he seemed familiar. A bit too familiar. Before I could figure out where I had seen him, my aunt interrupted my thoughts.

"Nora, meet Ian." She said, gesturing to the guy sitting in front of me.

"Do I know him? Have we met before?" I asked, looking between my aunt and Vivian.

They didn't answer me, instead the guy did. He removed his beanie and I gasped in shock. I dropped the glass of wine and it broke into a thousand pieces, the sound echoing in the room. My aunt and Vivian jumped at the noise, moving away to avoid the splinters of glass but I stood rooted in my spot, staring at the guy who was a male version of me.

The words he said next only confirmed my thoughts.

"Ionora, it is me, Ian. Ian Zendale. Your twin brother."

Needless to say, I fainted.

Fuck my life.