Chapter 14: The Truth
Allen was vaguely aware of someone tucking him in gently and of the dull red in front of his closed eyes darkening to black with the swish of the curtains closing. Someone said something to him, but it was jumbled and sounded far off. He tried to open his eyes, but it was like his eyelids were made of lead. He struggled against sleep but soon lost the battle drifted off once more.
He wasn't sure how much time passed since then, but he woke up at long last and sat up drowsily. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and climbed out of bed.
"Oh, you're awake."
Allen spun around and stared at none other than his uncle. "So it wasn't a dream..."
"Depends what you mean wasn't a dream," Nicholas replied, a small amused smile curving his lips.
"You're my uncle, right?"
His smile widened a bit, and he nodded. "I'm glad you've finally remembered." He patted Allen on the head. "It's been lonely, knowing that you had no idea who I was. Anyway, get changed and come down for lunch, all right?"
"Lunch?" Allen repeated. It took a few moments for the word to sink in, then, "Oh no! How long was I asleep?" Allen rushed over to his mirror and tried desperately to get his hair to lie flat. Today it was cooperating better than usual. "I'm so late for school!"
"Calm down, Allen. General Cross called you out sick," Nicholas explained. "No need to rush around in a panic."
Allen took a deep breath to calm himself as his uncle had said. "You could've told me that before," he said, relieved.
"I told you earlier," the musician explained, "though you might not have been awake enough to really understand. I came in this morning, told you the General had called you off and to get a little more sleep."
"I don't remember that."
"Really? You answered me. You said 'Okay, thanks,' and went back to sleep." Nicholas stepped out of the room and added with a grin, "I guess some things didn't change from when you were six." He shut the door behind him.
The color rose to Allen's cheeks ever so slightly at the comment. He changed out of his clothes from the night before and into some of the many things scattered about his room from his search before the concert. Once he'd brushed his teeth and done the rest of his usual morning routine (despite it being lunchtime), Allen went down the stairs and into the kitchen.
He stopped, though, when he saw Cross at the stove making grilled cheese sandwiches. For a moment, he thought he hadn't actually woken up, but the pinch he gave himself on the arm proved otherwise.
"Looks like the lazybones is finally up," Cross commented, moving the finished grilled cheese to a plate and setting it down in front of Allen's seat. When Allen didn't move to sit and eat, the general said, "What, are you afraid I've poisoned it somehow?" He turned back to the stove and started on another grilled cheese.
Feeling like a moron now, Allen sat down and picked up his sandwich. "So, um..." he began awkwardly. He stopped speaking when all eyes were on him and took a big bite of his sandwich to give himself an excuse not to talk.
Nicholas didn't seem bothered by his sudden bout of shyness, and prompted him to continue with, "If you want to ask me something, I don't mind."
Allen nodded, and started again. "I... wanted to ask how it was I knew you..." he said awkwardly. The question hadn't come out right, so he clarified, "I mean, I can't remember much other than that you're my uncle and all, so..."
"You want me to tell you about everything from before the accident," Nicholas finished for him. When Allen nodded, he stood and left the room, only to return with a photo album.
Cross raised an eyebrow at the leather-bound book. "And you just happened to have that with you?"
The musician smiled sheepishly. "I had a feeling that Allen would want some answers." He set the book down and opened it. The first page contained a picture of a young Mana Walker in graduation cap and gown, and another with a young Nicholas dressed the same way. As this wasn't what he wanted to show Allen, Nicholas flipped through the next couple pages.
Allen noticed one page, however, and stopped his uncle from turning to the next one. The pictures were of General Cross standing next to a beautiful woman in front of a church. "You're married, General?" he asked, bewildered.
Cross came over to see what pictures Allen was looking at and frowned. "I was, once."
"But..." Allen didn't want to say he didn't seem the type to be in a long-standing relationship, but kept decided it was better to keep his mouth shut. Instead, he said, "What do you mean by 'was'?"
"It didn't work out," Cross said matter-of-factly. He gave Allen one of those looks that just dared him to pursue the issue farther.
Allen swallowed his tongue and flipped the page for Nicholas, just to avoid looking Cross in the eye. The next page contained more wedding photos, so Nicholas took the album and flipped ahead a few more pages until he reached one in particular. This one contained pictures of Mana and Nicholas with a baby.
"Is that me?" Allen asked, pointing at the baby.
Nicholas nodded. "Mana and I found you on our way home on Christmas Eve," Nicholas explained. "You were so small and it was so cold, we were afraid you might die. Mana insisted we take you to a hospital, and when no one claimed you, he also insisted we take you in."
Allen nodded, and Nicholas turned the page again. The next couple contained pictures taken years apart. Most of the pictures were of Allen's birthday. Another was a toddler Allen standing next to Mana and sucking his thumb, and another was of Allen sitting at a piano and smacking the keys with Nicholas rushing up to stop him from beating up the instrument.
Nicholas continued to turn the pages and tell the story behind the various pictures in the album, and Allen listened patiently. What his uncle said started sounding familiar to him only when he got to when Allen was seven. The pictures started getting fewer and farther between at this point, but Allen actually remembered some of the things Nicholas was talking about now.
Nicholas paused to take a swig of the drink Cross handed him, allowing time for Allen to look through a few more pictures. "What was I like when I was little?" Allen asked.
"Sweetest kid a person could ask for," Nicholas replied. "You were practically attached to your father at the hip and always did what he told you to do. Well, except going to bed on time. You hated your bedtime and hated getting up in the morning." He smiled at the memory. "Of course, you were a bit sensitive about everything, too. I remember when a kid said your arm was weird and you locked yourself in your room for four hours. You would've stayed up there longer, I'm sure, if you hadn't gotten hungry."
Allen felt himself blush. "Can I ask something else?"
"Shoot."
The teen hesitated, but asked anyway, "Mana left me with you to go traveling. Why?"
The musician seemed a little taken aback by the question. Before Allen could apologize and tell him to forget he even asked, Nicholas said, "He thought it would be best for you."
"I know that," Allen said. "But there had to be more to it than what he told me!"
Nicholas bowed his head and stared at his hands, folded by the album.
"There was more to it," Allen whispered.
"Mana... had a rare condition," Nicholas explained softly, "and he didn't want you to know about it, so he traveled around to keep it secret."
"What kind of condition?"
But Nicholas shook his head. "Something that there was no prevention or cure for. All Mana would tell me was that he wouldn't wake up one day1, and rather than have you there when it happened, he decided to travel."
"Why didn't he tell me?"
"You were nine when he was diagnosed. You didn't even know what death was." Nicholas frowned and patted his nephew on the head. "You were really close to your father, and neither of us wanted to upset you by telling you all this."
Allen forced a smile. "I would've been fine."
Cross let out a hollow laugh from across the table. "Right. Do I have to remind you about your trauma-induced amnesia?"
Allen was about to make a snide remark back, but the doorbell interrupted him. Cross went to answer—and probably tell whoever it was to go away—but in the end he came back with Lenalee, Miranda and Lavi behind him.
"You don't look all that sick to me," Lavi teased. He gave his friend a noogie in greeting, but it wasn't too difficult for Allen to escape the headlock. "What were you doin' skipping school?"
"I didn't skip," he replied, glancing over at Nicholas. "Something came up and I just couldn't come."
"Some family?" Lavi asked, grinning. Lenalee had already filled him in on what was going on; he was just messing with Allen for the fun of it.
"Yeah."
Nicholas smiled. "It's good to see you again, Miss Lee. And it's a pleasure to meet some of Allen's other friends as well." He offered a hand for either Lavi or Miranda to take. "I'm Nicholas Walker, Allen's uncle."
Lavi introduced himself and ended up having to introduce Miranda as well because she was star struck. Apparently, she was just as much a fan of his music as Lenalee and couldn't believe she was meeting him in person.
"We just wanted to make sure you were okay," Lenalee said, "and give you your homework."
Grinning evilly, Lavi whispered in Allen's ear, "The homework's an excuse. She only came to make sure you were okay." Lenalee smacked him in the head with Allen's work. "Ouch..."
"Anyway, we should get going," Lenalee hinted to the others. "See you at school tomorrow, Allen." She waved and pushed Lavi and the still star struck Miranda out the door. "Oh, and don't worry about work! Anita gave us both the day off!" she added before closing the front door.
Nicholas smiled. "You have some nice friends, Allen."
Allen blushed slightly. "Yeah..."
"You know, you should probably ask Lenalee out," Nicholas added, noting how Allen had been looking at Lenalee in the short time she was here.
"What? No! We're just friends." Allen stood. "A-anyway, I'm going to do my homework." He scooped up the papers and book Lenalee had taken for him and rushed up the stairs, cheeks burning.
1 Made up medical condition. XD I am a writer, not a doctor, and so I made one up.
Whoopie. Chapter's done. Answers some of the questions about Allen's past, I guess. :-D
If you see any mistakes, please tell me as always. Oh, and please no "Update Soon" comments in the reviews (hee hee, let's see how many of you actually read my A/Ns). Thank you!