little santiago (shadowhunters) - SLOW UPDATES

chapter four

c h a p t e r f o u r ; the santiagos

"Who was that vampire?" Elizabeth curiously asked when they drove away towards the abandoned church, which the shadowhunters called the Institute. "The one who was talking to you guys last night?"

"Why? Did he feed on you?" Isabelle asked worriedly.

"No. No one fed on me," Elizabeth responded instantly. She was sure no one fed on her, she'd know, right? "I was just curious."

"Raphael Santiago," Alec responded.

Elizabeth looked dumbfounded. "R-Raphael Santiago?" She stuttered. Clary and Simon checked on the seventeen year old. Why did he have the same name as her father?

Raphael Santiago. That was Elizabeth's father. Her favorite person in the world. He shared a name with a vampire. A vampire that seemed so familiar, but she didn't know why. She wanted to know why.

The Santiago's were a close family. Everyone in their neighborhood knew them, they had the two most beautiful children, Manuel and Elizabeth Santiago. Manuel had actually been in a couple magazines as a model since he graduated high school three years ago. Elizabeth had been a model for a couple art classes and was in a tv commercial once.

Raphael and Ester Santiago were high school sweethearts, who graduated from the same high school their two children attended. Of course, they were beautiful. They were devote catholics and proud of their latino heritage. Raphael's family came from Mexico and Colombia, while Ester's family came from Argentina.

When Elizabeth came home from her night spent with her three friends, she broke down crying in her mother's arms. She didn't mean to, and she didn't want to. But she was scared that entire night all alone in a dark secluded room. She refused to sleep in her own bedroom by herself that night. She didn't tell her parents what happened, except that she didn't want to be by herself.

"¿Estas bien, mija?" Her father asked later in the day. Elizabeth nodded except she wasn't okay. She had questions, but she was still scared that they'd come back for her in the night.

She hadn't contacted Simon or Clary since they dropped her off. She didn't want to. She didn't understand anything and she still didn't believe them. But she knew the truth. She met a vampire, she met three shadowhunters. She probably even met a werewolf, without knowing it.

"Did you and your friends fight?" She shook her head. She could have lied and said yes, she should've lied and said yes.

A couple days later, she woke up alone. She didn't freak out the night before. She finally felt safe enough to sleep alone in her own bedroom. School started in two weeks. She was eighteen in a week. This was the year she wouldn't have Clary or Simon around to eat lunch with or make fun of other students walking past them.

"Do you feel like talking about it?" Her mother asked when Elizabeth walked into the kitchen to eat. Ester handed her a dish of eggs and bacon. Elizabeth shook her head as she sat across her brother.

"I actually have a question," she said. Everyone turned to her. She hadn't spoke more than two words since Saturday morning. "Just out of curiosity. Manuel is named after mom's grandpa. My middle name is abuela's name. Are you two named after anybody?"

"My great grandma's name was Ester," her mother responded. "I was the first girl in a few generations, I think they named me after her before they had any more boys."

"Dad?" Elizabeth piped back in.

"I don't actually know, mija." Her father responded. "I never asked Abuela, but we could if you wanted to come with to see her today."

"You're seeing Abuela today?" Elizabeth asked.

"We always see my mother on Saturday's. It's also her brother's birthday, but I don't think she likes talking about him," her father explained.

"Abuela had a brother?" Elizabeth asked.

"She had one. He passed away when she was younger. I wouldn't bring it up, mija."

"Yeah, okay."

⁂

Elizabeth followed behind her father as they walked through the nursing home. Abuela Rosa had lived with them for awhile, but it was ultimately their decision it was better for her to be cared for 24/7 by professionals. That didn't stop them from visiting almost everyday or as much as they wanted to.

"Hola, mamá," Raphael smiled at his mother. Abuela Rosa hugged her son. "Look who I brought with. Elizabeth, you remember Elizabeth. Your granddaughter?"

"Of course," Abuela Rosa smiled. "Mi nieta hermosa. Beautiful just like my mother," Elizabeth smiled hugging her grandmother.

"Abuela, I had a question. Was my dad named after someone?" Elizabeth asked, sitting beside her grandmother.

"Si. Mi hermano, Raphael. My brother was important to me, and I loved him a lot. He left when I was a teenager. I never saw him after that. He left and never said goodbye."

"I'm sorry, Abuela. I didn't-"

"No te preocupes, mija. Don't worry, it's your family history, it's important to know where you came from. We came all the way from Guadalajara and he was the only one that noticed I was missing Mexico. We used to watch the stars at night together. He was my favorite person in the world. Until you came along, mijita." Elizabeth smiled. "Mi nieta hermosa."

Elizabeth held back tears when Abuela Rosa smiled at her son saying hello again, and greeting Elizabeth again.

"I know it's hard," Raphael Santiago- Elizabeth's dad said hugging his daughter as they walked from the nursing home. "But she remembered you, that's good."

"She remembered her brother, too," Elizabeth stated.

"She'll always remember him, she'll remember a lot more about her younger days than the recent years. She asks about abuelo-"

"Dad?" Elizabeth cut her father off. He stopped as they reached the car. "I don't like seeing her like this."

"I understand."

"It really hurts," Elizabeth cried. "Last time she didn't recognize me or Manny. She barely recognized you."

"It'll be okay. Us Santiagos are strong. Nuestro sangre es fuerte. We will get through it, and we'll be stronger than ever," her father assured her. Our blood is strong.