An Orphan's Life
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine, in case you skipped the first twenty-nine chapters and two explanation chaps and just decided to read this chapter first and missed my many other disclaimers.
~ ~ ~
Elysia stared at the TV screen blankly, finishing another tape that was in the locker.
She looked over at Theo, who was sleeping on the other end of the couch.
He had refused to be taken home, claiming he didn't want to talk to his dad and explain everything to him.
Elysia smiled slightly, knowing he had lied.
She didn't mind, though. She liked having him around.
Especially when she was in a strange house with her cousins she had just met, one who was a tad overbearing, the other totally ignoring her, and Caterina, who was probably lurking around somewhere in the large mansion, planning some sort of evil scheme…
She sighed and took the tape out of the VCR and put it back with the other ones.
She wasn't tired, even though it was nearly four a.m. Everything that had happened in the last day was still processing in her mind.
The cardboard box had contained her baby clothes and blankets, some stuffed animals, and other various baby toys and accessories.
The videotapes were basically the moving version of the pictures that were in the locker. Her three birthday parties, holidays, and random days her mother had wanted to record…
She looked down at the remaining tapes she hadn't seen. There were four left for her to watch, but she didn't feel she should watch them now.
She looked around the room, trying to figure out what to do. She couldn't go to sleep, and even if she was tired, there was no place for her to lie down, since Theo was now taking up most of the couch.
She looked at him and shook her head, wondering why she had even allowed herself to like him. He was such a jerk when she first met him.
Calling her stupid all the time and avoiding all attempts at conversation.
He had changed a lot, judging from how he was treating her now.
This was one strange week.
She sighed again and stood up, leaving the room. She needed some air. A walk sounded good.
All she had to do was find her way out of the place.
That shouldn't be too hard.
~*~*~
Jacob opened the refrigerator, looking for orange juice. He'd had a busy night and orange juice was the only thing that could quench his thirst.
He looked up when he heard someone walking around. He frowned as he pulled out the carton of juice and began to drink straight from it.
Caterina was knocked out, the long day-er night, being too tiring for her.
* No, that's not her walking around. *
Lisette wouldn't be up either, being that she hated wandering the mansion when nobody else was up.
That left his "cousin" and her boyfriend that she didn't call her boyfriend.
He leaned against the fridge door and waited patiently for the person to come closer.
He raised an eyebrow as Elysia looked into the kitchen nervously. "Up for a midnight snack?"
Elysia seemed taken aback for a second, then she shook her head. "Um, no… I was actually trying to find my way out of here." She motioned around with her hands.
Jacob made a face as he put the juice away and closed the fridge. "Out of the hallway?"
Elysia blinked. "No, I mean your… house."
Jacob shrugged. "There are many doors that lead outside. Especially the one called the front door."
Elysia frowned and stared at him. "Well, I don't know this place too well, so forgive me for getting lost."
Jacob shrugged again. "Why do you want to go outside? It's snowing."
It was Elysia's turn to shrug. She looked down slightly. " I always go for walks to clear my head."
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "In the snow?"
Elysia nodded. "Or whatever the weather chooses to be."
Jacob stared at her quietly for a few minutes, then sighed. He crossed his arms and looked down at the floor, annoyed with himself at what he was about to suggest. "How about we go for a ride in my car around the city? Then, we can both clear our minds at the same time."
Elysia looked at him blankly, not sure why he was being nice to her all of a sudden. He had been treating her as if she were a liar the whole time they were together.
Then again, this might be her only chance to bond with her cousin. It wouldn't be good to sever all ties with what little family she had.
She gave a smile and nodded. "Okay."
~*~*~
The first few minutes of the ride in Jacob's sports car were quiet and awkward.
Both weren't sure of what to say to the other.
Jacob broke the silence by asking, "So, you're last name is Yuy?
Elysia nodded.
Jacob, who was concentrating on driving with one arm, frowned a bit. "That's strange. I never knew my Aunt Relena got married."
Elysia frowned at that and looked to him. "She didn't." She looked to the road for a second. "At least, I don't think she did."
Jacob didn't seem to notice her hesitation. "Well, I was just trying to figure out why you're a Yuy and not a Peacecraft."
Elysia gave a slight shrug. "She always told me that because my dad wasn't there to pick my first two names, then it was only fair to give me his last name."
Jacob nodded as Elysia paused to remember all the times her mother had told her that. He looked at her for a second. "Did he even know about you?"
Elysia frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, it seems to me like he didn't. I mean, nobody else has."
Elysia frowned some more. "If I knew about him, then don't you think he would've known about me?"
Jacob shrugged as he slowed to stop at a red light. " Perhaps. But don't you find it strange that you never saw him your entire life?"
Elysia looked down as she folded her hands in her lap. "No… That thought never really occurred to me."
She frowned, not liking the sudden doubts her cousin was giving her.
They waited at the light in silence, the only ones on the road.
Jacob watched the snow as it fell lightly outside.
It had been snowing a lot lately. He was surprised there hadn't been any major car accidents like there usually were.
He looked up as the light changed. "So, Aunt Relena never took you to him?"
Elysia shook her head as she felt the car pull forward. "No… Not that I can remember."
He nodded some more as he turned left. "I know you're upset with my father for supposedly not wanting you. But what I don't understand is why all of you're anger's directed at him. Let's just say your father did know about you. Then that would mean he had just as much of an opportunity to come pick you up from that orphanage as my father did. Why is he the good guy and my father the scapegoat?"
Elysia bit her lip as she tried to hold in her anger.
He was right. She knew that. But she wasn't about to let him justify his father's actions. Or the lack thereof.
Sure, her father could've saved her from that hell. Anybody could have.
But her mother had always told her what a good man he was. He didn't seem the type to abandon his child in the middle of nowhere.
What bothered her, though, was the fact that her mother had never told her about her uncle. There was a reason for that.
Maybe the reason was because she had known how Zechs would react. Maybe her mother had known he wouldn't take her. Maybe she felt that an orphanage would treat her far better that he ever would.
Elysia froze at that thought.
Was that it?
Was that why she never met him?
She looked to Jacob, unsure if she should say the thought aloud.
She tried to get it out of her head, not wanting to think about it anymore. She was in the car to clear her mind, not fill it with more conspiracies.
She focused outside on the snow, then tried to find something else to focus on, when her mind began slipping back to her bad thoughts.
She frowned when she saw a sign that looked familiar to her. She sat up a bit and looked around at the street quickly.
The houses…She had seen them before…
She looked at Jacob questioningly. "Hey, where are we?"
Jacob shrugged, having not paid attention to where exactly he was driving. "Some rich neighborhood, I guess. Why do you ask?"
Elysia ignored his question and gasped when she saw a street sign that was beyond familiar to her. "I know this place!"
Jacob frowned and looked to her. "How?" His eyes widened when she opened the door and jumped out of the still moving car. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?!"
He stepped on the brakes and glanced back at her as she began to run down one of the streets. "Where are you going?!"
"Home," she yelled back.
Jacob stared at her as she disappeared in the snow, confused. "What the hell is she talking about?"
~*~*~
Lisette had been having trouble sleeping. Her head was just too full of anger. She couldn't force it to stop working and just rest.
She sighed and walked out of her room, wondering if she should get something to drink.
She glanced at the old grandfather clock in the hallway as she walked by.
Five thirty-six.
It'd be a while before anybody else would wake up.
She sighed again and walked down to the den to watch a movie, forgetting that Theo and Elysia were supposed to be asleep in there.
She opened the door and frowned when she saw Theo, but not her cousin.
She walked over to him and shook him a bit. "Hey! Where's Elysia?"
Theo groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. "Why can't you people leave me alone?"
Lisette rolled her eyes and gave him another good shaking. "You're in my house, dummy. I can't leave you alone." She looked around the room. "Where's my cousin?"
Theo frowned and looked around the room. "I thought she was here." He closed his eyes as he thought and gave another groan when he remembered he had fallen asleep during one of the tapes and had heard someone leave the room not too soon after.
"She's probably wandering around."
Lisette shook her head. "I would've heard her." She looked at the ceiling. "Although, this place is huge."
Just then, Caterina came running in. "Where's Jacob," she asked a bit too panicky.
Lisette made a face and pointed to her. "I thought he was with you."
Caterina nodded a bit, looking a bit on the worried side. "I did too. I mean, he was, for some time. But he left while I was asleep." She frowned, not liking that he had left without telling anybody. "I don't like this."
Lisette stared at her blankly. "Like what? My brother probably went out for another drive and he might have taken Elysia with him. There's nothing to worry about." She looked at Theo. "Right?"
Theo was sitting up, looking a bit like Caterina. "I don't know… I thought he didn't like her. Why would he take her with him?"
Lisette sighed and threw her hands up in frustration. "God, you two are such babies!" She shook her head. "Look, if it'll make you both happy, let's go get in my car and drive around to go find them. There are not a lot of people out at this time, so there shouldn't be much trouble in doing so. Is that all right?" She looked at Caterina.
Caterina looked to Theo, who nodded.
Lisette sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Okay, then let's go."
~*~*~
Elysia stared up at the brick wall that was falling apart everywhere.
The wrought iron gates were rusted over and looked as if they'd fall any minute.
The whole place looked old and decrepit.
She tentatively walked through the gates and went up the long path that she knew lead to her home.
She hadn't really given much thought to her house, since she was placed in the orphanage. All her young mind focused on was her mother.
She never realized that she could go back home.
That just didn't seem possible.
She continued walking, going faster with each step.
Sure, her mother wouldn't be waiting at the door like she had always dreamed, but she could still have her room. The fireplace where they hung the new Christmas stocking she'd get for her birthday a few weeks before. The large staircase she had last seen her mother.
She could still have all of that.
She was now running, the suspense killing her.
The outside gates were destroyed, but perhaps the house wasn't as bad. Maybe there'd be a few cracks and holes here or there. But that could be fixed.
Everything could be fixed.
She would finally settle things with her uncle. She would have her father, who would love her unconditionally and cry and share memories of her mother with her. And they'll be happy, living in the house she had been forcefully removed from fifteen years ago.
Maybe Theo would be with her. Maybe he was "the one". And Jennifer would come and visit, along with Shane and Jade and Caterina.
And she'll be close to her cousins and they'll hang around a lot with each other.
She ran harder, recognizing her favorite tree right away that had always been in front of the house.
She stopped next to it, out of breath and stared straight ahead, trying to gather her thoughts.
The tree was still standing, obviously dead.
But it was still standing.
The only thing left on the hill.
She took a deep breath and stared at the emptiness in front of her.
There was nothing left.
The house had been burned down.
Everything was gone.
No fireplace. No staircase. Nothing.
She held back the tears as she slowly sank to her knees.
She had nothing.
There was nothing left from her childhood that she could remember, except for the bear.
She tried harder to stay focused as her body began to shake, half from the cold, half from the sobs she was holding back.
There would be no warm bed welcoming her back home after a long fifteen years of being empty.
There would be no toys to keep her entertained for hours.
There would be no Pargan inviting her to play chess in his room.
There would be no more days where she would sit in front of her mother's mirror and play dress up.
The house was gone, along with everything else that had been taken away from her.
And… What if Jacob was right? What if her father didn't want to get her?
Why didn't her father try to get her from the orphanage? He had to have known where she was.
Did he not want her too? Did he hate her?
Why did he leave her like her uncle?
She curled herself into a ball as she let the tears go, realizing that she truly was alone in the world.
She had nobody and nothing of her own to claim.
She laid in the snow as she cried, caring and thinking about nothing else.
She had nothing to think of.
She was alone.
For the rest of her life.
~*~*~
Theo grew nervous with each passing minute.
Something didn't seem right.
He looked to Caterina in the front passenger seat when she yelled," There's his car!"
Lisette pulled to a stop next to Jacob's car.
Caterina immediately jumped out and ran over to him.
She wrapped her arms around him, not noticing the expression on his face.
Theo stepped out of the car and walked over to him quickly. He frowned when he saw Jacob's face. "What's wrong? Where's Elysia?"
Caterina pulled away from Jacob and looked at him in confusion. "Yeah, and why were you just sitting there?"
Lisette got out of her car and walked over. "Is your car stalled or something?"
Jacob looked down. "She jumped out of the car and took off down one of these streets."
Theo's eyes widened. "What?!"
Lisette stared at her brother in confusion. "She jumped out of the car?"
Jacob nodded.
Caterina stared at him in shock. "And you didn't stop her?"
"How could I?I was driving. And I didn't know she was doing it until she was already out of the car."
Theo glared at him." Why didn't you go after her?"
Jacob looked down some more. "I don't know…"
Theo glared some more and turned away out of frustration. "I can't believe this!" He looked back at Jacob. "Did you see which way she went?"
Jacob pointed. "I think she went that way."
Theo took off, not even bothering to say anything else.
Caterina looked at Jacob, worried by how he was acting. He seemed distant. A complete stranger to her now. What was going on with everybody?
She looked to Lisette who was examining the street and obviously had the wheels turning in her twisted little head. Caterina wondered what it was this time that had the girl deep in thought.
Lisette walked over to Jacob quickly after she read the street sign, seeming a bit annoyed about something. "Jacob, did she happen to say anything to you when she jumped out?" she asked, hinting that he should know what she was talking about.
Jacob gave a shrug. "She said she was going home."
Lisette went and hit Jacob on the head. "Idiot! I can't believe you didn't notice this!"
Jacob glared at her, then frowned in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Lisette pointed to the street sign. "You've failed to realize that you drove to Aunt Relena's house. Or, her neighborhood" She shook her head, wishing she had been the older sibling. "You accidentally took Elysia home. Her home."
Jacob never looked up at her or said anything else.
She sighed and got back into her car, so she could catch up to Theo and help him find Elysia faster. This was going to be a long morning.
"I can't believe you, Jacob," she muttered as she started the car.
Caterina watched as Lisette sped off down the street. The girl had a hell of a mean streak in her.
She smiled a bit and looked over to Jacob who was staring at the ground.
She wrapped her arms around him, knowing something was bothering him. "What are you thinking about?"
Jacob sighed and rested his head on her shoulder. "Just trying to come to grips that I actually have a cousin."
Caterina pulled back from him and looked him in the eye, sensing he was holding in something else. "And?"
Jacob made a face and looked to the side. "And that my father has a lot of explaining to do when he gets home."
Caterina pulled him close again and looked out to the still empty street. "What about your mom? I mean, she would have a part in this too, wouldn't she?"
Jacob shrugged and rested his head on top of hers. "I don't think she knew about Elysia either."
Caterina's eyes widened in surprise. "Why do you say that?'
Jacob sighed again and shook his head. "I just have a feeling she didn't know." He closed his eyes, not wanting to think about it anymore.
Everything had been turned upside down. He was no longer in the mood to try to sort it all out. He just wanted to stay here and rest with the girl he loved near him.
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A/N: Sorry. Had to stop it there. I have to gather my thoughts again and figure out what to with the next chapter. I know what's going to happen, but I have a problem with transferring my thoughts into decent and sensible sentences. So, uh, sorry about any further delays in my updating. Hopefully I'll finish this thing soon, since it's finished in my head. 'Til then, R&R and go on to my third explanation chap. ~_^