It took six hours before Lucy's mother calmed down after reading the newspaper article. And another hour before both Lucy and Jade's mothers were ready to tell their version of events.
They didn't really remember the actual event. But they remembered how things suddenly had changed when they were about four or five years old.
***Flashback***
"Mommy, when are we going to see auntie Emily? I miss her" I asked my mom.
"Sweetie, we can't go visit auntie Emily. Remember how I told you auntie Emily is sick?" my mom said.
"Can we go and see auntie Stacie? I want to play with Bella?" I asked again.
My mom sighed before she answered me. She was getting angry again. And I wished I hadn't asked her anything.
"Yes we can go to aunt Stacie. And you can play with Hannah. We talked about it. Her name is Hannah not Bella. Do you understand me Evelynn?" my mother replied angry.
"Yes mommy" I said.
I was confused. Suddenly things were changed. My mommy was so sad all the time. And she was always angry. I didn't see my aunties anymore. Only my auntie Stacie. And she had hurt her arm. I missed the happy days when my mommy and aunties would laugh and sing and dance.
Mommy suddenly called me Evelynn. And Bella my niece suddenly was Hannah. I didn't understand it, but every time I tried to tell mommy that my name was Emma she got very angry and upset with me.
***End of flashback***
"So you don't remember anything that happened the day of the tragedy?" I asked my mom.
"No, but I think that my memory is from short after the tragedy the newspaper writes about. Because I clearly remember I had an aunt Emily" she answered.
"Well one of the Bellas was named Emily Junk" Jade said.
"It could definitely be possible" I agreed.
"What do you remember aunt Hannah?" I asked.
***Flashback***
Tomorrow I would turn sixteen. I couldn't wait to learn how to drive and get my drivers license. I promised my one year younger niece and best friend Evelynn that we would take a road trip when I had my license.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Bella, happy birthday to you" my mom and aunts sang to me.
With a grin on my face I looked at them before I blew out the candles on my birthday cake. I did my wish and then my mom started to cut the cake. After she gave me and Emma a piece we went to play with my gifts. Aunt Chloe had bought me a new doll. Aunt Bree got me a new book. Aunt Fat Amy and Aunt Cynthia Rose had given me a the fishtank with two goldfish I had asked for.
Covered in sweat I woke up. I was confused, today was my sixteenth birthday but I had dreamt about a birthday from years ago. But the strange thing about the dream was that I had dreamt that I had aunts. I only had one aunt and she wasn't my real aunt. Aunt Beca was my moms best friend. I certainly didn't have an aunt Chloe or Bree. And I didn't know a Cynthia Rose or Fat Amy?! And who was Emma?
In my dream my mother had both arms. But as long as I could remember, my mom missed her left arm.
When I went to the kitchen for my breakfast later that morning my mom wished me a happy birthday and asked if I had slept well.
"Mom can I ask you something?" I asked her a little bit unsure.
"Yes of course honey" she answered.
"Do we know someone whose name is Chloe or Bree?" I asked her.
As soon as my question left my mouth I saw my mom turn white.
"Not that I'm aware of" she said.
"I thought so. I just had a weird dream" I said and continued eating my breakfast.
She didn't comment on it and I shrugged it of. But somehow I had a weird feeling about my dream. Something wasn't right. My mom had looked so sad when I said those names.
***End of flashback***
"I haven't thought about that dream in years. After that dream I haven't remembered any of my dreams ever. And I never asked my mother about it again" Hannah said.
"Your dream must be from before the tragedy. Because the names you said were names of some of the Bellas. With the exception of Bree and Emma. But I guess that Bree could be short for Aubrey. And the Emma from your dream must be aunt Evelynn" Jade said to her mom.
Damn, I envied Jade for her photographic memory.
"She was a black woman" my mom said suddenly.
"Who was a black woman?" I asked my mom confused.
"Aunt Cynthia Rose" my mom and aunt said at the same time.
They were right. One the picture Jade's grandmother had showed us had been an afro American woman.
I quickly grabbed my phone. I scrolled through my gallery for the picture of the Bellas I saved on my phone. It was the same as Jade's grandma had showed us.
I gave my phone to my mom and aunt. They stared at the picture as if they had seen ghost.
"Aunt Emily" my mom whispered as she pointed at a woman on the picture.
Seeing the picture clearly brought up memories.
"They're real. All those times I doubted myself I had been right" my aunt Hannah said.
I felt sorry for them. Their whole lives had been a lie. One look at Jade and I knew she felt the same.
Somehow Jade and I had discovered a huge family secret. And I was desperate to find out what had happened. I wanted it for myself but more for my mom and aunt. They deserved to know what happened. They deserved to know the truth about what happened in their childhood.
I vowed to myself that I would find the legendary but forgotten Bellas. I wanted to know their stories. Even though something tragic had happened, they deserved to be remembered.