Beneath the surface: Forbidden love
Chapter 34

Marisela

You know in life, when everything stops making sense? Time moves slow. The hours pass by like a blur. You see everything, you hear everything, but you become so numb to it all. Your body moves on autopilot. You just become so so...

Empty.

Its been two days since I last learnt of the news, of who my real parents are.

Two whole days of knowing that my whole life was a damn lie. Where I am from, who I really am, all of it was based on a lie. A lie that my- that Nadia hid from me. A woman I called mother my whole life, was anything but.

Everything that I thought was true, was nothing but a lie. My whole life was taken away from me, and yet, I still don't know why.

I have all these questions, but I cant seem to find the right words to ask. There's only one person who knows the answers, but I know she will never tell me the real truth.

Nadia.

I have never felt betrayal like the way I do now. She took everything away from me.

Then there's Kael. The man I fell inlove with, without even realizing it. I thought he knew me better than anyone else. I opened up to him, told him everything. I gave myself to him in more ways than one. And yet, in that meeting, he broke what was left of my already broken heart.

I understood his men were angry, God, I would be too. I wasn't hurt by any of the words that they said, only what Kael said. I felt his eyes on me before he spoke his next words.

I sat there and listened to everyone call Sirens such harsh words, and I took it, because I understood their pain.

But, hearing Kael say those things? It felt like he was saying it to me. That hurt more than anything.

After Cory's death, Kael had been very distant. He avoided me like the damn plague! It was as if, I was the one who killed Cory.

He knew who I was. He knew what I was, and still had the audacity to say those words in front of me like I wasn't there.

It could've been though. Right? I mean, I am a siren after all.

I heard his conversation between him and Dimitri, I left as soon as my heart couldn't it take any it anymore. They didn't know that I was there.

''Those vile soulless creatures,'' he called us.

I cant change who I am, but he should know that I am not anything like them. Somehow I felt like I was being attacked in that meeting. After Kael's speech, I couldn't take it anymore. So when no one was paying attention I left. I hoped Kael would come after me, but he didn't. That's when it hit me. Kael was directing those words to me as well. Like he was warning me.

I am tired of feeling so helpless. So clueless. I needed to know the truth.

The whole truth. There was only one person that I could trust. Something within me was pulling me towards her. I don't know where she could even be. I as I begin to search on every floor, a servant stops me in the middle of the hallway.

"Luna!" He yells catching me off guard. I turn around and I am met by a young boy running towards me with something in his hand. As he nears I see it is a letter.

"I apologize my Luna," he bows breathing hard. I look at him confused waiting for him to get up. When he does, he hands me a letter. "Her majesty, the Queen Nadia asked me to deliver this to you." I stare at the letter held out before me. It took me a second to take the letter from his hand. I stare at it, I see my name written in Nadia's handwriting.

Marisela.

I look at the boy and nod at him in thanks. He takes one last bow and leaves. I look down at the letter, hesitantly. After a few seconds I open it.

Marisela,

I know by now you know the truth. How foolish of you to think that you could hide from me. Need I remind you, that whatever you think you may know, I tell you this,

I am your mother, I may not be your biological mother, but don't forget that I raised you. I gave you everything.

I will warn you, I am not a force to be reckoned with. You should've listened and obeyed. You should've stayed away from the ocean.

You may know who I am sweetheart, but you do not know what I am capable of.

That mate of yours is something special, isn't he? It would hurt to know if something ever happened to him.

I will come for you, my sweet sweet girl.

Love always,

Mom

What. the. hell.

I was frozen. I read the letter over and over again. And each time I did, the more shocked I would be. This can't be true.

Nadia's gone?

The news of what I just read, slowly settles in as I make my way to my bedroom. As soon as I am there I lock my door. I try to calm my nerves.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Inhale. Exhale.

None of it was working. My brain was running a thousand miles a minute.

I needed her. I had no clue where she could be. Then it occurred to me in a split second.

She's a witch. Surely there must be another way I could find her. My eyes instantly go to my night table. The book of mystical creatures I had gotten weeks ago in Kael's room, lay dormant on the table. I quickly snatch it up and search for something, anything that I could use.

Then I find it, what I've been looking for. I hurriedly read it over a few more times to be certain. Then, I grab everything that I need and quietly sneak out of my room and into the gardens, making sure that I am not being followed. I head straight to the forest.

Luckily there was no one around, everyone was inside at the meeting, the same meeting I left Kael in. My heart pulls at the thought of his name, but I push to ignore it. Only one thing was on my mind.

I ventured deep into the heart of the forest, where dappled sunlight played upon the mossy ground, and the air held a hint of wild magic. As if Mother Nature knew what I was about to do- well try at least. Carrying a bundle of fragrant herbs and a heartfelt plea, I reach a clearing adorned with vibrant wildflowers.

With bated breath, I begin to call upon the one woman I needed . In the soft rustling of leaves and the gentle sway of branches, I invoke her name, a whispered melody that seemed to resonate with the very essence of the woods. The sunlight filters through the canopy, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow, creating a surreal ambiance that mirrored the blurred line between the natural and the supernatural.

There's an electric thrill that surges through my veins, a tingling and pulsating energy that resonates in perfect harmony with my words. It's as though I've become a vessel for the mystical, a conduit for the ethereal, and in this moment, I am empowered by the realization that I'm touching something extraordinary.

As I chant, the world around me seems to blur, and I become acutely aware of the interconnectedness of all things. The air shimmers with a luminous quality, and I am enveloped by a sense of being both grounded and weightless, anchored in the present and yet simultaneously transported to a realm where anything is possible.

It's a feeling of being in tune with the universe, as if I'm dancing with the cosmos itself, and in this moment, I am a part of something far greater than the ordinary world. The sensation of magic flowing through me as I chant is nothing short of enchanting and fills me with wonder and reverence for the mystical forces that surround us.

As I continued to chant, the atmosphere shifts, and the air seemed to thicken with an otherworldly presence. Birds hushed their songs, and the leaves danced to an invisible tune. The boundary between reality and enchantment blurred, and I awaited a sign that the witch, drawn by my plea, would reveal herself, bridging the realms of the mundane and the mystical.

There, Avalon stood with a stunned expression. I'm pretty sure I wore a similar one.

I can't believe that just worked.

"Marisela?" I look at her slightly taken aback myself.

"How-how did you do that?" She asks, "you summoned me." She looks at me with a frown, her mind racing with so many questions that I couldn't even begin to answer. Truth be told, I don't know how I managed to do that either.

"You need to tell me what happened, why was I taken?" I get straight to it. "I'm tired of only knowing half truths. I need to know now."

''Marisela,'' she takes a step forward, immediately clasping my hands in hers, ''do you realize what you have just done? '' I shift on my feet. I didn't know what to say, instead, I hand her the letter. She takes it out of my hand and reads it instantly. I watch as her eyes glaze over each word. It took her a lot longer than I had expected so I assumed she must've read the letter over again, as did I. Avalon finally looks at me a moment longer. Anger flashes in her eyes, but I know it's not towards me.

"Nadia." She whispers her name, as if it were a curse.

"What happened back then Avalon?" I ask her again. This time, her eyes flicker with so many emotions, anger hurt, regret and finally sadness. She looks at me and sighs.

''When you were born, you were the most beautiful thing in the world.'' she begins as if lost in a memory, a small smile appears on her face, ''Your mother gave birth to you in the sea. All the Sirens witnessed the birth of their future Queen. Your father, Syris, was by your mothers side, when you finally entered the world, they had the biggest smiles that I had ever seen. Everyone cheered, it was the beginning of a new era. Sirens and Witches.''

''Witches?'' I repeat. Avalon looks at me and gives a sad smile.

''Yes, sweetheart,'' she nods sadly, ''Your mother was a witch. There's three different kinds of witches. There's a Seer, which is me. I have visions about the future, but for the past couple of years, it was visions based on the prophecy.'' she tells me, with a frown. ''Which is how I found you.''

''Found me?'' I frown. ''You didn't know I was alive?'' Avalon shakes her head sadly.

''No." A sad look appears on her face. "I had a vision years ago- well at the time I didn't know it was of you, so I decided to search for you, but strangely I could never find you. I was always close, but somehow I was still too far away, almost like you were being blocked by some spell.'' She frowns,'' When I found out that the King was mated to a Siren, I had a feeling that you were the girl I was searching for. The Alpha found me and I came willingly, something was pulling me towards you. I couldn't explain it, but when I found out that you were half human, I started to question everything. The prophecy. Your parents.'' she looked to me and I was hanging onto her every word.

''When I saw you, I thought I was seeing a ghost. You look so much like her.'' She smiles faintly, her eyes begin to get glossy. ''And that's when I put everything together. You were the lost daughter of Lucrecia and Syris.'' she sighs, ''My niece.'' Avalon had unshed tears in her eyes. ''That's why I had this strong pull towards you.''

Avalon and I stood in silence once again, only this time it wasn't tense. But then I remembered something she said.

''You said there were three kinds of witches.'' I ask and she nods as if remembering.

''Yes, three witches. A seer, a Bright and..'' her voice grew cold, ''a Darkling.''

''What is a darkling.'' I ask.

''A darkling, is the worst of them all, an evil witch. They are shape shifters, and they use a lot of dark magic. I wouldn't be surprised if Nadia has one on her side. That would explain why your father and I couldn't find you.'' she tells me. ''A Bright witch, is a witch who uses their powers for good, more specifically for healing. Your mother was a Bright witch.''

''Whatever happened to my...'' my voice breaks, ''my mother.'' Avalon looks at me with a somber expression.

''She was killed days after you were born, by a werewolf.''

''A werewolf?'' I ask perplexed.

''Many years ago, I was in a relationship,'' she laughs quietly to herself, ''with a werewolf. One you may know. Maria and Cory's father.'' My eyes bulge out of their sockets, Avalon laughs lightly at my reaction. ''He was a good man.''

''Was?'' I question. Avalon sighs once again with a frown.

''Something happened, I don't know what, but he changed. It was like a switch turned off inside of him.'' she says turning away as she remembers something. ''Peter, was his name. A good man he was, but he-'' she stops and takes a deep breath before turning to face me, ''He killed your mother.''

I knew she was dead, but actually hearing what really happened, hearing it out loud, broke something in me. I will never have that chance to get to know who my birth mother was.

''That is why your father- sorry, Syris,'' she corrects herself, '' hates werewolves so much.'' I started to feel sick.

I quickly ran over to the nearest bush and threw up the remainder of what was in my stomach. I hear Avalon stand behind me, I could feel her eyes on my back. After a few minutes of dry heaving, my stomach was completely empty. I sigh and stand up.

''Marisela, dear,'' Avalon asks quietly as she walks closer to me.

''This may be personal, but,'' she begins with a frown, ''Have you and Kael completed the mating process?'' She asks and I frown not understanding what shes getting at.

''We must take you to see the doctor.'' she tells me.

"It's probably something I ate earlier, I'm fine." I reassure her.

"Marisela," she stops me, a serious look on her face. "I don't think it's something you just ate." Her tone had a double meaning behind it. Slowly it all starts to make sense, and hit me like a truck.

No, it cant be.

------------------------

After the doctor left, Avalon stayed behind. She was lost in her own thoughts, as was I. We sat in the empty waiting room staring into space. After some time, Avalon was the first one to speak.

''Are you going to tell Kael?'' she asks me. I look at her silently, thinking about her question. I know the right thing to do, is to tell him the truth, after everything that has transpired now, I worry that this news will do more damage then good.

''I will eventually.'' I tell her looking away. "I'm still trying to process it." Avalon stands up and walks over to my side, pulling my hands onto her lap.

''Marisela,'' she begins, her voice sounding shaky. ''I understand that we may not know each other very well, but for a long time I thought I had no one left after your mother died,'' she says looking down, my heart starts to pull a little.

Avalon looks at me again, her eyes filled with tears, that only caused my own to do the same. ''But you are my family. My only family. I cant begin to imagine what you are going through, but I want you to know, that I am here for you, always. I know I wasn't there for you all these years, but that was a choice that was taken away from me, but I am here now, and I know this is what my sister- your mother would've wanted. I am starting to understand why this prophecy drew me to you, I have a feeling your mother,'' her voice breaks at this point, my own tears are falling freely as I listen to her, ''I have a feeling Lucrecia played a role in my visions. And I want to do right by her. by you, and be there for you." She looks down at my flat belly. "The both of you." She finishes.

I look at her, and see the truth behind her eyes, and my heart pulls towards her. She is my family. I pull her in for a hug, catching both her and myself by surprise with my action. Avalon wraps her arms around me and hugs me back. We both sit in silence holding each other.

''Every thing will be okay, I promise.'' she whispers to me. At a loss for words, I nod into her shoulder. When we finally break apart, Avalon pulls back a bit.

"Marisela, I know this may be hard for you to hear, but with everything that you know now," she looks away worriedly, "I think you should speak with Syris." It took me a few seconds to get what she was saying. And then it finally registers to me.

"You're the witch." I ask- more like state as she mentions my father-my real fathers name.

I remember the conversation I had with him, he mentioned how a witch was helping him. Avalon looks away again, this time feeling ashamed. She nods.

So they have been helping each other all these years. He was right, he had been searching for me my whole life. My eyes start to tear up again.

Syris. If he really is my father, he is the only other person I know who will give me answers. But now...

Do I trust him?

I was so easy to trust Avalon, but that's different. Or is it?

Maybe its time I have a conversation with my father.

Syris.

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