Confusion
"Why are you guys just standing there? It's me, Tea." Galatea asked.
Everyone just glanced at each other and back to the girl.
"Then again, you may not be my friends. You look just a lot like them. I'll go." She walked towards the door. But as she reached for the handle, a hand grasped her wrist. Her amber eye shifted down to her hand.
"Galatea." Scipio looked at her, "We grew up."
"You must have found the merry-go-round!" She smiled, "No wonder you're so old."
"No, Tea." He smirked. "It's been ten years since we last saw you."
"What?" Galatea backed away. I remember seeing you yesterday."
"Yesterday?" Hornet asked.
"Galatea, what happened yesterday?" Prosper asked.
"Well, Scipio just saved me from falling off the roof. After all of that, there was that letter."
Scipio looked at her and ran his fingers through his hair.
"From who?"
"It doesn't matter." Scipio said. "Tea, that's all you remember? Just reading that letter? Nothing else?"
"No. Why?"
"Galatea, you're supposed to be dead."
She gasped, "What? How could you say that? I'm right here, alive!"
"What about the bomb? That day was the day it went off. You died that night, Tea, ten years ago." Prosper explained.
"No." She slid down the wall. "Reading that letter, that's all I remember. Then, I found myself in this house."
"So, what do we do now?"
"You guys head home. I think we need some time to recover from such a shock." Scipio said.
"What about her?" Riccio pointed at the distraught Galatea.
"Let me handle that. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Alright. Bye, Scip." Prosper led everyone out of the house.
Scipio stood against the wall, looking down at Galatea. "So you found out, huh?"
Galatea nodded. "I didn't want the others to know. Why wait at the last minute, Scip?" She got up.
"Galatea, I would have stuck by you! But what did you do? You called the police on everyone!" He snapped.
"You were willing to die with a cyborg?"
"I was willing to die with my daughter. And now I find her, alive and well, ten years later. How did you do it, Tea? How did you survive a nuclear blast when thousands of people didn't?"
"Lucky, I guess."
"This is a nightmare." He sat down on his couch.
"What happened, Scipio? You're not the guy you used to be? What happened to the Thief Lord?"
"That was long ago! I grew up! I had to get over you!"
Galatea looked at him, "I loved you. I never stopped loving you, even if I was dead or not. Do you forgive of what I've done?"
"I don't know, Tea."
"Give me a chance to explain. I ratted you to the police out of love. You didn't deserve to die. You had more to a life than I did, Scipio. Having a week to live trying to find my father was my life. Then, at the last minute, he's standing right in front of me."
"Tea, it would have been hard for me to be father back then. Even now."
Galatea sat down and buried her head in her hands, "This is going to be hard."
"Scipio, I'm home!" Gretchen hollered.
"Who's that?"
"Damn it, I forgot." Scipio muttered. "Just stay there." Scipio said as he went over to greet his fiancée.
"Hi." Gretchen kissed him. "I'm sorry I had to come home late, it's just there are so many stubborn people in the world and-" Gretchen walked in and found Galatea on the couch. "Scipio, who's this? A witness from a case?"
"No, no. This is, uh," Scipio sighed.
"I'm Galatea. I'm Scipio's-"
"Cousin. She's my cousin."
"Oh, where did she come from?"
"An orphanage." Scipio lied, "Her family went missing from the bomb, and they sent her to an orphanage."
"Then, how did she find you?"
"I ran away." Galatea got up. "I read about Scipio in the newspaper, I knew he looked familiar. So, I found out where he lived on the internet. I'm sorry if I came here, ma'am. I was trying to find the only family I had left." She gazed over at Scipio, "I'll leave right away if you want me to."
Gretchen looked down and smiled, "No, it's fine. Scipio and I met in an orphanage and we kept each other company. I know what it's like being alone for a great amount of time. You're welcome to stay here, Galatea."
"Really? Thank you." She smiled.
"Why don't I show you to the guest room?" Gretchen lent her out her hand towards Galatea.
Galatea gladly took her hand and went upstairs.
--
Galatea sat upon the black and grey linens of the full-size bed. Her amber eyes pierced through the window onto the night-filled lake.
"Galatea?" Scipio knocked on the open door.
"Yes?" She didn't bother to move.
"How do you like the room?"
"It's fine."
"That's good." He nodded. Scipio looked at her and sighed, "I can tell you're mine. You're a terrific liar." He smiled.
Galatea smiled and looked at him, "I learned from the best."
"Scipio!" Gretchen called from downstairs.
"Coming!" He yelled. "Give me a second." Scipio departed for the kitchen.
--
In the kitchen, Gretchen stood over the stove, pouring olive oil into a pot of boiling water.
"You called me?" Scipio entered.
"Since when do you have a cousin, Scipio?" Gretchen crossed her arms.
"I didn't know." He shrugged.
"How do not know if you have a cousin?"
"Gretchen, it was ten years ago. I thought she got killed! I thought she was gone forever…"
"At least she found the only family she has left." Gretchen walked up to him and placed a kiss upon his lips.
"You're right."
"Of course, I'm right. That's why you fell in love with me."
"There must be another reason than that." Scipio laughed.
"Go finish dinner. I'll go check on your cousin." Gretchen went upstairs.
--
Galatea still sat down on the bed, only looking through a photo album.
"Galatea?" Gretchen went into the room, "I see you found our photos."
"So much has happened." Galatea flipped through the pages. "Back then, Scipio and I were inseparable." She smiled.
"Like brother and sister?" Gretchen sat beside her.
"More like a father. He did what was best for me. He was more of a family to me than to my real family."
"What was wrong with your real family?"
"They kept testing me. They thought I could be so much more."
"Pushing you beyond your limits?"
"Something like that." Galatea closed the album and sighed, "Again, I'm sorry if I came here unexpectedly. I didn't mean to cause so much since you're getting married to Scip."
"Don't be. You stay here as long as you like. Hell, we'll even adopt you."
"That would be great, but there would be so much to adjust to. Where would I go to school, for instance?"
"Farburg Academy, that's where Bo goes. Don't worry, everything will be fine once we clear all the confusion."
Galatea hugged Gretchen, "Thank you, Gretchen."
Okay, the new chapter! Hooray! Sorry i been caught up in school lately. So Rosalie3, you got ur wish! :D