"Your roots, are an important part of who you are. They are the foundation, of what your existence has become." -Janice Adrien
August 8th,
Loubala, Democratic Republic of Congo
19:50 UTC
"These are the trips you need to bring me on. It's nice...WARM, and nice." I smiled. Mom shrugged, and continued to wrap her snow-coloured hair. The wrap had intricate patterns of blue, red and green.
"What do you think of the motherland?" Mom asked me.
"They lied. I knew it couldn't be how they said." I replied.
"Who?"
"All those commercials, those businesses. World vision, all of them. It's disgusting, how they could portray an entire continent that way, mom. It's beautiful here."
"All they care about is money and nothing else. They exploit the perception of the viewer. It's just business."
"Animals and plants, is all they show. I feel like people don't even know there are actual people here, just starving kids, animals and vegetation."
"It's sad." Mother agreed. "You know what's even more saddening?"
"What?"
"Without us, none of them would have phones. But we get exploited and silenced..." The Amazon added. "Now go, put your shirt on, I gave it to you, right?"
"The one that matches yours?"
"Yes!"
"Yeah."
"We're leaving in fifteen minutes, Saru. The reception begins at seven. What are you doing with your hair?"
"Ponytail."
"Come see before we leave to make sure it looks good. Don't forget your earrings."
"Of course, mother."
Mom and I stepped outside. The sun was soon scheduled to set, and the fresh smell of the trees tickled my nose. It was the smell of trees, but also of rain. The rain sprinkled for a few minutes, but that was it. The longer rainy season was approaching, about a few months away, even little bits of rain like this was quite uncommon, and softened the dirt roads. The roads were bumpy and uneven, but the people drove their cars as if it was smooth.
I followed mom, and we walked down to a house fifteen minutes away. Cars honked, and people ran in the middle of the streets, knocking on car windows, selling items.
"Remember Trevor, who got married a couple months ago?" Mom asked.
"I do."
"This is the non-religious wedding."
"But they're not here?"
"No, they reenact with siblings of the two."
"Interesting."
"Listen."
Clapping of hands arose in faintly near the house. It got louder, and louder.
"It's a song." I told her.
The clapping was in rhythm, alongside lovely voices chanting a soft melody. The voices were stacked on top of each other, and the harmonies cleared, as we approached the house.
"Just on time?"
"Just on time."
21:20 UTC
Loubala, DRC
The reception room was solid. Tables were scattered around the room, and in the front of the room, was the dance floor. The legendary dance floor. Only those who wore the best peach-coloured suits, and had the best dance moves could enter. Like many others, I enjoyed the simple two-step. Mom and I sat down in the back of the room, with a table reserved to her and I.
Each of the tables were white, with an elegant decor.
Mom ravaged through her purse. She pulled out a colour-less Polaroid.
Two identical women with high cheekbones, and braided hair glared at the camera.
"Saru, you know who these are?" Mom asked me.
"She looks like you. Your grandmother maybe, and a twin?"
"The first and second Adriens."
"You know this means that photo was taken like 100 years ago, right? When cameras weren't invented."
"This city was ravaged. Mom told me that grandma's city was a technological haven. They were advanced. At the time this picture was taken, was a few days before she escaped.
"The Loubalan massacre. I can't believe she escaped."
"This one, with the scar was the warrior. That one, is the one who got married. Her husband was in Greece at the time, and was able to help her escape the country, at the time known as Zaire. And in her stomach was my mother. She travelled by boat, but on the way there, she catches some sort of illness. She arrived in Greece, but passed out, and fell nearly fatally ill. Her husband's work moved her to Oymyakon, Russia.
"One of the coldest places on earth."
"Population of 500 people."
"They spent four years, and later moved back to Congo, when she was pregnant with mother."
"Then, theoretically she should have the possibility of gaining a genetic immunity to the cold, right?" My mother questioned my knowledge. It makes sense, a genetic mutation to adapt to the cold.
"Yeah, it makes sense, that her daughter would." I replied. "But she didn't, didn't she? Which is why we have a literal weakness to cold weather.
"Mother grew up in Congo, and with her father being constantly held up in work, mother and Serene gained an interest in the location that her father had returned to, Greece. They stayed there for several years, and on their way back, their ship was intercepted by a pirate ship. As Adrien and her husband got abducted, she acted quickly and sent daughter of only eight years on a small emergency raft that they had built. Adrien prayed and hoped that there was an island, or anything that would be able to save her daughter..."
"Themyscira." I spoke.
"But you cannot just find Themyscira. Paradise Island finds you. Artemis, patron of Themyscira allowed mother to stumble upon it. She learned and lived with the Amazons. Adrien was from man's world, and so she didn't possess the true Amazon DNA, and thus she aged, albeit, a little slower than a regular human, and she had a desire to have a child.
"So how did she reproduce? There were no men..." I inquired.
"Correct. Those who wish to bear children are impregnated by a sorcerer, who creates sperm cells, and the whole pregnancy is the same. The children usually end up looking very similar to their mothers because the DNA doesn't get split. She decided she wanted to, and thus the Adriens were born. She was pregnant with me." Mom paused to wolf down a piece of chicken. Like mother like son.
"With that attachment to man's world, she decided to leave Themyscira."
"To come back here." She nodded.
"There was a myth regarding leaving Themyscira, that once you leave, you can never go back. No one ever knew if it was true, not even Queen Hippolyta, because she had never left. And we both know Themyscira can be found."
"But can it? None of us can retrace it, not even you or Diana, who've been back and forth many times." I argued.
"That's because Queen Hippolyta does not want us back. But when it will time for us to return, when Themyscira needs us to return. It will be found once again." Mother assuredly spoke.
"I just have one question Mom, about this city."
"Shoot."
"What exactly happened? You say the city was ravaged, by they had the technology to fight back, no?"
"They did, but not the spirit. We were once a peaceful city, and a technological haven, but similar to monks, we were not interested in fighting. We could only defend ourselves; and so we did. When the city was invaded we opted to protect our citizens, and defend our land, but they took everything. Yes, we have recovered, but we have only aligned our course with the rest of the world. If it was not for them, we would be decades ahead. We would be spearheading a technological change— an advancement, for the entire country."
"Who ravaged the city?"
"Who else? The only people who try and conquer lands that do not belong to them." She sternly replied.
"Dumb question, I guess."
"Anymore? We have all night. The good songs will get played in a few hours. Then we'll get moving." She nudged me.
"Did Artemis ever tell you why? Why she chose the first Adrien?"
"Because, she found them, her and Athena, training. The first Adrien had the eyes of Athena. Wisdom, and the observation, and investigative abilities."
"Like— "
"Not the actual grey eyes that you have, but she was incredibly observant, and tactical. To find the gods, you have to be able to one, look past their mortal form, and two, find their physical resting places, if it is visible to the naked eye. Athena's and Artemis' were, in the same cabin we just were."
"She must've studied up on the gods."
"Oh, Saru, she did. But her eyes did half of the work, the other, was her simply her curiosity. It was a coincidence she found them there, but it was not a coincidence that she deciphered the fact they were gods. They talked, and she would name her daughter, Serene, for the moon."
"That's your mother's name."
"And the rest, is history."
"Okay. Cool." I replied.
"Now one question for you, Mr. Adrien." Mother wore a sleeveless dress, with our customary pattern on it, with a matching headpiece. Her white braids sprouted out the back, and she placed her toned arms onto the table.
"What's up?"
"What do you think of your father?"
"He's…alright, I guess. Why?" I questioned.
"Divorce has an effect, on everything. And it had an effect on you. I never asked you how you felt about it." She answered.
"I think he's okay. I still love him, but I can't forgive him. When I am ready to tell you, I will."
