What lie behind him takes my breath away!
A whole community, not quite big enough to be a town. Buildings line in rows all made of wood. Farm fields lay behind that and go for miles. Children bounce along the stone streets holding the hands of their parents. People! Plausible willing to help us! Adults carry bags of food through the streets, with a smile! The biggest thing that gets my attention is a large white building off to the back with a cross on the top. A church! This is real, all of it. There is actual another world. Other people. A home. The words pop into my head again before I can stop them. Staring at all this I swear my mouth falls open. Each house looks big enough to fit about four to six people and each has a little porch. I blink repeatedly to make sure I am not dreaming.
"Come with us," Liam says as Greg and Jack break away from the group and go in the direction of another house. I watch Jack and Greg walk up to one of the smaller houses and a women runs out, her hair flying behind her. She jumps into Greg's arms and kisses gently. That must be his wife. A little girl stumps out behind her mother. She can't be more than seven. She clings to Jacks leg and smile broadly. Tobias carries me off before I can witness anything else.
Liam leads us down a row of houses and stops at the last one. A tiny little cottage with drapes shut tightly over the windows. Tobias gently sets my down and stares back at the house. Liam looks at me and nods to the door. Does he mean to knock?
"Knock and tell her your name, your real name."
I take a gulp and walk up the porch, the wood squeaks under my feet. I rest my hand on the door surprised by its smoothness. I knock.
The door fly's open almost immediately and women stumps out, bathrobe clutched tightly around her. She looks almost fifty years old.
"Who the hell are you? It is 6:00 in the morning."
Her voice is rough and angry. I clear my throat and tell her my name.
"I am Beatrice, Beatrice Prior."
Immediately her face brightens and opens the door wider.
"Liam, Maggie, how about you and your friends come inside for some tea. Liam smiles and starts up the steps to the porch.
"Please sit down," She motioning to a small couch in the corner of the room. "Maggie, you can make some tea."
"Of course, Catlin."
The cottage the open with a two couch's in the far corner and a kitchen in the other corner. Across from where I stand is a set of stairs which must lead up to the women's bedroom.
"Here, you should sit down," I state to Tobias.
"I am fine."
"Sit!"
I finally wrestle him onto the couch and get a mug in his hand, but he immediately puts it down. I come back with a wet cloth in my hand and start to dap it onto his face.
"I told you I am fine," Tobias says pushing the cloth away.
"You carried me from the river after getting beat up. You need to relax for a minute."
"You're so bossy," He laughs, drawing me into his lap. I let him. He wraps an arm around me and I rest my head on his shoulder so I face the stairs. Liam and Maggie come and sit down across from us. Maggie places a mug on the table for me. It feels awkward with the silence and I can tell Tobias feels it to. Finally I can't take it anymore.
"When are you going to let us go back to our friends and family?"
They don't get a chance to answer when the women bursts in.
"I am so sorry for my grumpiness." I jump off Tobias lap as she comes over to me. Before I can say anything she pulls me into a hug. I jerk back and stare at her confused.
"Ok, what is going on," Tobias states coming behind me. Liam, Maggie and Catlin all look at one another and tell us sit. Tobias puts and arm around me and we both sit down on the old couch. Millions of things rush through my mind. Catlin starts talking to me.
"Natalie Johnson or I guess in your cause your mother was my daughter. Liam is my son and Maggie we adopted one year six years ago. She was ten years old and without a family. Your mother thought that leaving would be best. To start a new life, but I had a feeling that was not why it was created. I still don't know. But know you are here, in front of me, us! Amanda was the leader of the fractions project. She was your fathers mother, your grandma. And I am your mothers mom, your other grandma."
Now I am in shock. So Maggie is my age, Liam is my uncle and my mom choose to leave her family. I can't breathe at this point, it is all too much. I stand and my legs feel like jell-o, but I run. I run out into the moist morning air. I run through the streets. I run through the trees until I reach the river. Then I just collapse.
I have been living a lie!
Trusting a lie!
Being the lie!
Did my mom really want be or was she forced to have children?
Everything, all around me, it is all moving too fast.
I can't breathe I can't think, all I can hear is the ringing in my ears.
That is when the sky lights up with bullets.