Chapter 1: AC215
Lies, I
hate lies. Well, maybe not so much as lies, but the fact that I have been lied
to, and have had the truth withheld from me for so many years.
I
don't know how to act around her anymore, she tells me one thing, and it proves
to be another. Would it have been better for me to stay in the dark forever? I
mean, what kind of mother hides the world's history from her child?
It
was my 18th birthday, and I was dressing for the party. A long white
sleeveless dress with a fitted bodice and a full skirt is what I chose, much to
my mother's distaste for some reason. I donned a blue and silver sash across my
shoulder to make her quiet, and left my short, straight brown hair untouched
except for a small clip on the left side. I also wore glasses, which I really
don't need, over my Prussian blue eyes. Mother hates it when I wear my glasses; she has an obsession with seeing
my eyes. I considered it my rebellion for the evening.
I
heard a knock at my door as I slid on my white satin gloves.
"You
may enter." I commanded.
"Miss
Fallon…"
"Please
don't refer to me by my first name."
"I'm
sorry then."
I
turned to face a woman I have despised since childhood.
"Angelica
will be fine, Aunt Dorothy."
"Ah
yes, I forgot, Angelica." She said in her soft, mischievous tone, "Miss Fallon
Angelica Darlian." She sneered a little in the pronunciation of my full name
and I looked at her questioningly.
"What
is it you want? Did my mother send you to fetch me?"
"No,
I just thought I would see you in private to give you your gift."
"That's
not really necessary Aunt Dorothy, you can give it to me when the other guests
arrive."
Dorothy
smiled a little and approached me with a box. Streaks of silvery gray shimmered
in her platinum hair, and as she presented me with her gift her gray eyes
widened with what appeared to be delight.
I
sighed and took the box from her hands and peeled the gaudy birthday wrapping
from its casing.
As
I did this, she spoke, " Since you are an adult now, I figured it was time for
you to learn about the secrets of history; what the books today omit."
I
pulled the burgundy leather bound volume from the box and read the title aloud,
"A Complete History of the Colonial Space Wars: After Colony 195-197." I looked
up at a gleeful Dorothy Catalonia with a raised brow, "Um, ok?"
"That
book was incredibly difficult to find, but I hope you appreciate it."
"I
can only say thank you." I shrugged.
"You
are very welcome." Dorothy offered a sweet smile. I smiled too for only a short
moment, and then I took my glasses off and looked in the mirror at myself.
"When
you were just a child you were definitely Relena's daughter." Dorothy began.
"Hmm?"
I turned to face her, confused with her statement; my glassed remained off.
"But
you are truly his daughter now."
Jesus
Christ this woman is whacked. I thought that every time she said something like
this. I couldn't help myself to ask however.
"How
do you know of my father? I thought he died before I was born."
Dorothy
laughed, almost uncontrollably for a moment, "Is that what she told you? Hah!
Your father and I knew each other; of course this was long ago, geez, almost 19
years? And I know he's not dead."
I
was getting angered with her, she confused me like this all the time, but now
she had hit a soft spot; an empty spot in my life.
I
couldn't help but make light of the situation with sarcasm, "What happened to
him then? Did he walk off and disappear into space one day?"
"You
could say that." She smirked.
I
didn't get it; I didn't get her either. Hell, I didn't get a lot of things,
that's why I often skipped class to have some time to myself.
"Angelica?"
I
turned as my mother entered the room. My mother, Relena Darlian, former
President of the United World Nation, and now the Chief Representative of the
World Nation Senate.
She
looked toward Dorothy with some sort of disgust on her face, "What are you
doing in here?"
"Why,"
Dorothy began, "I just came to give my best wishes to the young princess as
well as my gift to her."
"Please
do not refer to my daughter as a princess, you know better than that."
Dorothy,
just smiled sweetly, "The truth cannot hurt that much. MISS Relena." She hissed
out my mother's name like it was a disease, "Perhaps you should try telling it
sometime."
She
stalked toward the door and nodded he head toward me, "Farewell and Happy
Birthday Miss Angelica…Peacecraft."
"Peacecraft?"
I felt myself dramatically stagger back; now I know I watch too many movies.
My
mother however, stood her ground, "Dorothy Catalonia, leave these premises
now."
Dorothy
closed her eyes and snickered a little, "Yes, your Majesty." Then she
disappeared into the hall.
My
mother looked back at me rolling her eyes slightly and letting out a sigh of
either impatience or relief. Possibly both.
"Just
ignore whatever she told you." She said to me.
"What
did she just mean about Peacecraft?" I asked.
"It's
nothing, just an old title I used to have." She said rather hastily.
I
slipped the book from Dorothy behind a side of my desk so that my mother wouldn't
find it, "Was it Father's last name?"
"Oh
no, no, no. I stopped going my Peacecraft as a Peacecraft before your
father…Er…Became your father."
"I
see, well, Dorothy said that he's still alive, is that true?"
I
was suddenly given a cold glare, "I told you to ignore what she said to you."
I
snapped back, "How can I ignore something that you, my mother, will not tell me
about? I have to listen to semi-psychotic bitches obsessed with the past to
learn my family's history?"
"Watch
you mouth!" My mother came toward me as if to slap me.
"Who
was he, Mother, tell me!" What is his importance? And why does everyone know
but me?"
A
moment of silence passed when I knew she would give me the answer she always
has, "Your father was a Fallen Angel."
I
pushed my glasses back up on my face.
"I
will have to go and find my own answers then." I said sharply as I walked
passed my mother and out of the room, "Tomorrow I will depart for the
colonies."
