I try to be patient, but I'm hurting deep inside
And I can't keep waiting, I need comfort late at night
And I can't find my way, won't you lead me home?
'Cause I'm lost in this dream, I need you to hold me
Beyoncé- Scared of Lonely
"You look so much like your mother." The man… Mr Carter says to me affectionately.
I see his hand hesitantly reach for my face and I instantly recoil away from him.
Who the hell does this man think he is.
He clears his throat sheepishly and retreats his hand away from my face.
I don't know what to feel. A thousand emotions rave within me, it's hard to sum it up. But for now, I'll settle on just the one: denial
"I've waited so long to meet you. I-"
I cut him off immediately, his words make me feel queasy and perturbed. "You are not my father."
He looks taken aback. In an attempt to regain his composure, he suavely smoothens down his nearly immaculate suit.
I've watched Maury, Paternity Court and Dr Phil all for this moment. I should be ready for this, I used to think I was when I would watch those shows and see the kid in question getting all emotional over the estranged relationship with their parent, I'd say to myself that I was stronger than that, if the time ever did come for me to I meet my father I wouldn't feel or exhibit any signs of grief or pain. Well the joke's on me.
"I know this is must be overwhelming for you. I don't doubt that your mother has had some unsavoury things to say about me."
"Do you blame her? You abandoned us." The hurt is not masked from my voice and I hate that I'm feeling so vulnerable around him.
"It's… Much more complicated than that." He tells me tentatively, as if he's afraid I'll break down any second.
"I don't care. I don't care about any of it." I shake my head vigorously. Trying to clear my hostile thoughts to properly process this mess.
"Amiyah.'' He sighs my name languidly.
"Look. I don't know what kind of crazy coincidence this is. But I'm not up for a reunion right now. Can you get on with the termination, or punishment or whatever." I look away from him and set my eyes on the pink, Disney princesses clock that is hanging on the bedroom wall, it's a lame attempt to appear blasé instead of hyper-emotional.
Then, in a flash Elliot's bitchass appears from out of thin air, holding a coffee mug and staring at Mr Carter haughtily.
"I told you this wasn't a good idea."
"Elliot. Please." He sighs resignedly
"She deserves to know."
They're having their own secret conversation right in front of me which automatically makes me feel even more out of this crazy, complicated loop. "What are you talking about?" I quickly turn my head from Elliot to Mr Carter. "What is he talking about?"
"Nothing, Amiyah." He says placidly.
"I'm not a child! I know you're hiding something from me."
He looks at me sympathetically and releases a tired sigh.
He walks closer to me and places his hand on my shoulder, before I can shrug it off a wave of nausea washes over me, my body feels weightless and, it only lasts a split second and when I reopen my eyes I'm no longer in the bedroom I've spent a week in but in a large corporate style office.
The interior style of the office is nothing to write home about, it's pretty basic; average décor, a couple of chairs, a huge desk and a large, intimidating office chair. But it's the view that the tall uncovered glass windows offers that nearly leaves me breathless. All that can be seen when one looks out of the windows are clouds, no buildings, no birds, just frothy, thick clouds which look as if they surround the building instead of look down upon.
"Take a seat." He points to a chair opposite his imposing desk chair, I hesitantly sit down on the edge of the leather chair and stare at him expectantly.
"I don't know what to tell you?"
"How about the fucking truth?" I mumble, crossing my arms in aggravation.
A serious look takes over his face before he starts to speak.
"We don't hire new facilitators. Especially not humans... Each person that works with us has been doing so for generations, we're very big on loyalty and legacies…That woman that recruited you? That was Eloise, my sister, well your aunt. She had a glamour put on her appearance to shield her identity from you, we were all unsure of whether your mother had shown you any pictures of my side of the family. It was at my insistence that you came into this situation without any knowledge of who we are. I'll admit, it was a very feeble attempt to try to keep you from getting upset."
There's too much information for my brain to process. It was all a lie? Everything?
"And the trial? Was that all fake too?" I ask hoarsely.
He nods his head slowly. "We needed you to stay there for much longer, without asking too many questions."
"Why go through all this trouble?"
"There are some dangerous people who want to hurt you."
This statement completely takes me off guard and I'm left baffled and bothered.
"Why do they want to hurt me? I'm not any kind of threat."
"I should've made myself clearer. These people. They don't only want to hurt you, they want to kill off every living member of my- our family."
"Oh, this is some bullshit!" I burst out incredulously. "I hope you let them know that we're estranged, shit, we don't even share the same last name."
"I'm sorry that you're being dragged into all of this. Trust me, if there were a way I could keep you out of it I wouldn't hesitate to take it. But I promise you Amiyah, I am doing everything in my power to keep you safe."
His sentimentality makes me feel uncomfortable, so I instantly steer the conversation to something that won't make me tear up.
"Does my mom know about this?"
"No." he says plainly staring intently at the empty whisky glass on his table.
"What? I've been gone for months! She must be freaking out. I've got to call her." I start fidgeting in my chair and I begin to feel nervous as I start to think about the ass whopping I'mma receive the minute I walk through her door.
"You don't need to worry about that. Time progresses much differently in each universe. Although it's been almost 6 months for you in Forks, only a week has passed in your world. We've let Tracee believe that you've been sleeping over at a friend's." He tells me assuredly.
Before I have time to properly mull over the whole time difference thing, Elliot, whom I had almost forgot was lingering in the room, speaks up from his spot on the wall.
"When are you getting to the good stuff." He asks, jadedly.
Mr Carter sends Elliot a deep glare that hardly wavers him. He then scratches his slightly stubbled chin and briefly closes his eyes in dread.
"I've decided to give Elliot a share in the business. His family has many connections, and he's agreed to help us only if we make him a class A shareholder."
"Congrats… Is that all?" I say insincerely feeling tired and fiercely irritated.
"Well you see. An outsider can't own shares here, it's a family business."
My gaze has fallen to my lap, where my fingers are pulling at the loose thread in my sweat pants.
"This sounds like a you problem."
Elliot scoffs and crosses his arms over his broad chest. "You'll come to see that it's a we problem, princess."
I roll my eyes and curse him under my breath before speaking out louder. "What exactly is tall, dark and stupid talking about? This is in no way a WE problem."
"Amiyah…" Mr Carter says my name slowly, like he's testing the waters before he drops a cannonball. "The only way that Elliot can become a part of this family is through marriage."
"And what does that have to do with me?"
Mr Carter and Elliot both look at me pointedly.
It slowly dawns on me what this man was asking of me, and I quickly conclude that everyone in this room most definitely has me fucked up.
"Let me get this straight." I start off calmly, repressing my growing lividity. "You're absent for pretty much all of my life, throw me in a place where the chances of getting attacked by a vampire is higher than the sun shining just to make sure I'm not murdered by a bunch of people that only want to murder me because of you, and now that we've 'reconnected' after 15 years, you want me to marry this asshole to save you and your precious business?"
He visibly cringes from my harsh tone, and sends a pleading look to Elliot, who's staring outside of the window in faux concentration.
"No one is making you do anything you don't want to. Amiyah." He says evenly.
I huff out my frustration. "Good. Because I don't want to marry him."
"Elliot begins flailing his arms heatedly. "That's fucking cr-"
His rant is silenced by a dark look sent to him by Mr Carter. He then takes over, in a level, less rash tone.
"Amiyah. I know I'm in no position to be asking for any favours. But we are desperate. It's not only the lives of our family that is in jeopardy, but also the existence of every universe we protect. These people that want to hurt us have only vengeance and rage set in their minds, they won't see any reason, therefore we need all the help we can get. I'm not forcing you to go ahead with this, and I assure you no one will either. But all I'm asking is that you think about it a bit more. If not for me, then for the…friends and the relationships you've forged in Forks."
At his mention of Forks my thoughts automatically drift to Edward. I know now that there is literally no chance of us ever having something that will last, the kiss that I witnessed, although painful had helped me to realise that he was never mine in the first place. But I still loved him, and despite it all I want him to be happy.
The room is silent for several minutes, until I finally speak up.
"I'll think about it…" Mr Carter and Elliot both release a relieved breath. "But I want to go home first." I add on hastily.
"Of course, I'm sure you miss your mother very much."
Guilt ferociously pecks at me. Wow I'm a terrible daughter. "No. Uh I mean I want to go back to Forks." I move around sheepishly in my seat, the tips of my earlobes burning from the awkwardness of it all.
I don't know why, but there's still a selfish part of me that wants to be with Edward, even if for just for a few, idealistically phantasmal months.
I know, I know. I'm a very naïve, delusional girl.
"For the vampire?" He asks, me abrasively.
I feel a strong need to defend my reasons for wanting to go back. "Not just him. I've got friends there. And my grades are really good too."
And the award for worst bullshitter goes to…
"That place isn't your world Amiyah. You can't stay there forever." He stares at me in disdain, his brown eyes showing hints of empathy.
I look back at him hopefully. "I know that, but maybe just a couple more months."
"Or years." I say under my breath.
Elliot, speaks up once again after minutes of silence. "I say you let her go. 12 months in that universe is only 2 weeks here. Let her have her final moments with her lover boy. She'll get the chance to say goodbye. And when she comes back she'll be eternally grateful to you for letting her see her undead boyfriend one more time, she'll practically be skipping down the alter."
His speech, although in a warped way is in favour of me, causes me to sneer at him.
"You're an asshole."
Mr Carter shakes his head, but has a short moment of pensive silence, which has me on the edge of my seat.
"12 months." He says finally, sending a jolt of excitement down my spine.
"Really! I can go?" I squeal eagerly, bouncing my knees up and down.
"Elliot will check in on you every month, and you will limit your contact with that vampire. But yes, Amiyah. You can really go." He says with a slight smile.
I instantly feel as if I'm soaring. Yeah, I don't know what awaits me in Forks, or if I even still have a relationship. But the thought of me getting the opportunity to see Edward again lifts my heart from the dark hole that it had been trapped in since the last time I saw him.
Things are already looking up.
A/N Unedited.
Hello! I'm writing this at 3 am because I have very little preservation for a proper sleeping pattern, but I'm milking the final days of my holiday break until I return to university. I'm gonna try really hard to get the next chapter out within this week or the next, so wish me happy writing.
I hope you all had a great holiday and I'm wishing you all a very happy New Year (lol 8 days later.)
Review please? I love to hear feedback!