Chapter 8: Reunion gone awry

Siren's P.O.V.:

We walked into the house hand in hand and I immediately felt the stares of everyone in the room fall on me. I took a deep breath and shifted all my weight to my right hip and waved at the room smiling.

"Hey people," I said cheerily. "What's up?"

There was a deafening silence as everyone continued to glare at me, the relief and joy from earlier gone as the realization came to them. I had been alive all this time and hadn't made contact with anyone. I felt Atem shift his weight awkwardly beside me then everyone turned their glares to him and I got annoyed.

"Hey! Please don't blame Atem for anything! He had no idea until this afternoon and nobody has any right to judge him. Until this afternoon he was searching for something that may not even have existed. You know, nobody was supposed to know at all! That stupid shadow creature got released so I had to reveal myself and then Macarm Elda went and opened his mouth and decided that everyone should know! If I had it my way, you guys would still be thinking that I'm dead!"

Atem breathed in shakily beside me and I squeezed his hand. He was hurt by that last comment but it was the truth, something that I'd gotten a new found appreciation for. Everyone started screaming at once. Then my mother stepped forward…

…and slapped me…

"How dare you!" she screamed. "How dare you put us all through something like that? Didn't you care at all? Of course you didn't! Now you just waltz on in here and scream at us!"

"Mum, I…" I began quietly, uncertain of what exactly to do, she hadn't ever hit me.

"No! Don't you dare call me that! My daughter would never do something so selfish and inconsiderate!" she continued to yell.

I saw Rebecca step forward slowly, "Aunt Eleanor…"

"NO!" my mother shouted. "Don't be fooled by this trick like he has!" She pointed at Atem before grabbing him and yanking him into the room. "My daughter died at her father's hands, nothing more."

I bit my lip. Lord Koram's words suddenly came back to haunt me. 'They will not welcome you. The woman who always held so much weight in your heart will turn them on you. Only a few will stick with you after the reveal. I am afraid that it will happen sooner than you realize, my child, and I cannot help you prepare for it.'

I stared wide eyed. This was the part where I either ran and those who loved me followed or I stood my ground and watched my family be torn apart. I had believed myself to be strong. I believed that I would have stood my ground but now I was faced with the reality that I couldn't handle and desperately needed the comfort of absolutely certain love.

So I fled…

I raced to the one place where I knew that my arrival was expected. I ran all the way to the other side of the island, the wind speeding my flight through the desperation of my mood. I burst through the door to find my great grandfather, two grandfathers and my grandmother sitting in the kitchen. I through myself in my grandmother's arms and cried as she folded me in her embrace.

My mother's mother and father, Helen and Hayden, and my father's father and grandfather, Allaran and Galleus, crowded close and hugged me tightly. We sat like that and awaited the arrival of my friends. I heard the door open and the hug broke, leaving only my grandmother holding me. Suddenly, I felt a familiar embrace hold me and draw me away from my grandmother.

Atem held me tightly and I clutched onto his shirt, my tears beginning again. I felt more familiar arms enfold me and I continued to cry for a while before pulling my head back to see who it was. I don't know when or how it happened but we were now in the lounge next to the fire place. I turned my head and saw Yugi and Rebecca and their children, Daren, Serenity, my Aunt and Uncle, Thain and Angel, and a face I'd never expected to see.

"Kaiba?" I said, mystified.

"Hey," he said smirking.

I blinked and tilted my head in a confused manor and Atem smiled at me, "You look cute when you do that."

I rolled my eyes and hit him playfully. Then sniffed and looked down, "I had hoped that Mai…"

They all looked down sadly. "She took your mother's side," Seto informed me sadly.

Mokuba hugged me, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, sweety," I said. "I was sort of expecting this; it just hit me really hard."

Serenity held my hand and Rebecca hugged me. Yugi smiled, "Hey, I'm still here. I'm the best friend so only I really matter."

I laughed and hugged him tightly. "Of course, I mean why would anyone else matter when I have my bestest friend with me?"

Yugi laughed and he introduced me to his kids. "This is Jaden, Atem's his role-model," Yugi rolled his eyes, "and this little one is Rose."

We all sat down on the hearth and they told me that Seto and Atem had had a long talk and that he was a 'good guy' now and I told them about the ancients and my new found ability as an enchantress. They gawked over it and Atem rolled his eyes, finally understanding the reason why he became my friend so fast. Meanwhile, the other Ancients and Carers had arrived. When the stories were over I looked up and noticed them. I stood and hugged Koram Elda. He held me and stroked my hair.

"I tried to warn you, child," he said quietly. "I'm only sorry that I could not better prepare you."

"I know, thank you," I whispered back.

I let go and Rein, Kedan and Sthenos hugged me tightly. I pulled them towards the others and did the introductions thing. We all sat together and everyone got along really well. By the time it was midnight and grandpa Galleus chased us to bed, everyone had become very good friends. Atem refused to leave and instead laid a sleeping bag on the floor of my room.

And that's only because Grandpa Galleus insisted on it.

I went to the bathroom to get ready for bed and came out wearing my black satin pyjamas. They were long sleeves and button-ups because the night had suddenly turned cold and rainy (I didn't do it). I took a seat on the window ledge and looked outside at the ring of houses. There were six of them, one for each Ancient's family. In the centre was a round training area with a garden circumference where the kids played or the teens camped out or the older ones just relaxed.

Atem hugged me and I jumped in surprise before hugging him back. He led me to the bed and we sat there together. He just held me. That was all I really needed after that absolutely awful reunion. I fell asleep in Atem's arms.

I knew, of course, that the sleeping bag would go unused tonight.

Really short and kind of buggy. Sorry about that. I just felt that a confrontation was necessary, especially since my mother would probably murder me after finding out that i was alive but had never contacted her -_-'

Let me clear up on Koram's premonition. Koram Elda is a sorcerer! He conjures spirits to perform his bidding and uses them to fuel his magic so he's a bit of a mystic. He's not a seer, he's just solemn and insightful.

On a lighter note - how about that Kaiba hey? I couldn't leave the twit on the dark side ^_^