Through Her Eyes [Completed]

Mother and Child

Lea Salonga-Muhlach
Canberra, Australia

"I am."

Two words. That's all it took to make my heart stop. I fell back in my chair, legs weak beneath me. Ciel's hand shot out, catching me just before I hit the ground. Her grip was firm, but I flinched anyway.

"Scared, aren't we now?" she teased, a smirk curling on her lips—half mockery, half something darker. The shift in her demeanor was always so subtle, yet terrifying. One moment, she was a friend, a savior. The next, she was the threat. Death, in her mind, was the ultimate solution to every problem.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it." I said the words firmly, but my voice cracked at the edges. I wasn't sure this would be like all the other times when she'd only threatened me. Maybe this time, she really meant it.

"Tch, that's no fun, Lea." She stepped back, arms crossed, her gaze sharp and cold. The girl I had been talking to minutes earlier—soft, even playful—was gone. This person was different. Cruel.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Her lips quirked, amused. "I am Cielo Arya Meyers," she said, drawing out the words slowly. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

Ciel had a dissociative disorder—multiple personalities, Angelina had told me once. I'd researched it, trying to understand, but seeing it in real life was surreal. The transformation was seamless, like a shadow sliding over her. But now, two distinct personas fought for control.

"She's asleep, isn't she?" I ventured, trying to get a sense of which one was speaking to me.

Her brow arched, an almost imperceptible flicker of curiosity. "Is that what you think?" She chuckled softly. "Do you think I'm someone else? A different person from the one you spoke to a moment ago?"

The one who wants to save me.

"Angelina Clayton," I muttered, recalling the conversation that had planted the idea in my head.

Ciel's eyes gleamed, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. "Ah, Angelina. She's been feeding you ideas, hasn't she?" Her tone was light, but there was something dangerous underneath.

I swallowed hard. "Why would you want to kill me, Ciel? After everything you've done to save me?"

Ciel's expression softened, and she glanced away, almost as if my words had struck a chord. But then she smiled again—soft, unsettling. "You sure know how to shift the mood, don't you?"

"Tell me what's really going on here." I stood, forcing her to meet my eyes. I couldn't reconcile the girl who had risked everything to save me with the one now threatening to end my life. "You broke every rule to protect me, and now you're telling me you did all that just so you could kill me?"

Ciel's smile vanished. She closed her eyes and let out a long, slow breath. When she spoke again, her voice was laced with exhaustion. "Like I said, I'm going to kill you, Lea. Your existence as Lea Salonga. You're going to be dead to the world. That way, I can protect what's mine."

"Money? Power?" I snapped. "That's what this is about?"

Her gaze darkened. "It's about survival."

"And what about your father? Nicole? What about them?"

Ciel scoffed, her tone dripping with disdain. "My father? He treated me with contempt the last time we spoke. Nicole will move on. They always do."

"Move on? Easy for you to say. Your father—he'll be devastated. You think you can just vanish without consequence?"

Ciel let out a dry laugh. "He probably already thinks you're dead. Or that you've run off with some lover. Believe me, he'll move on. As for my father... I've already decided. I'll never acknowledge him as my birth father again."

I stared at her, unable to process the words. "What are you talking about?"

Ciel leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms, her face suddenly cold and detached. "I don't owe him anything, Lea. Not anymore."

Her words sliced through me, sharp and final. I thought about all the times I'd seen her with her father, the pride in his eyes, the way he used to stand by her, protective. And now, she was so detached, so cold.

"I still don't get it," I said, shaking my head. "Even if that's true, what does killing me have to do with any of this? What does erasing me from the world accomplish for you?"

Her eyes flared with impatience as she began pacing the room like a caged predator. "You don't get it, do you? You're a loose end, Lea. Loose ends need to be tied up. Disappearances—deaths—they're clean. Safe. You've seen too much. You know too much. You think the people in power care about some emotional bond between us? They'll cut you down without a second thought."

I swallowed, my throat dry. She was right—I had seen too much. Things that could destroy lives, careers, even bring empires crashing down. But I never thought Ciel would be the one to finish me off.

"Then why save me in the first place?" I demanded, stepping closer. "Why go to all that trouble if I was always just a loose end?"

She stopped pacing, her back to me, and for a moment, I saw her shoulders tense. Silence stretched between us until finally, she turned to face me. Her eyes softened, and for the first time, I saw a crack in her armor.

"Because..." she started, her voice barely audible. "Because I didn't want you to die."

I blinked, thrown off by the sudden vulnerability. "You didn't want me to die, but now you do? That doesn't make sense, Ciel."

Her fists clenched, and she took a deep breath. "I'm not asking you to understand. I'm asking you to accept it. You're going to disappear. And when you do, you'll be safe."

"Safe?" I scoffed, the word bitter on my tongue. "From what? From you?"

"No," she snapped, her voice rising. "From them. The ones who would do far worse than kill you if they knew what you knew. I'm trying to protect you, Lea. But I can't do that if you're still here, visible, a target."

"And what about you?" I challenged. "You think they'll let you walk away? After everything you've done?"

Her laughter was hollow, empty. "I've been dead ever since you left me at Paddington. There's no walking away from this."

I stared at her, the weight of her words crashing over me. This wasn't just about me. She was already living on borrowed time, and killing me—erasing me—was her twisted way of keeping me safe.

"No," I whispered, stepping closer. "There has to be another way."

For a fleeting moment, her eyes softened again, and I glimpsed the Ciel who had risked everything for me. But the moment passed, and she shook her head.

"There isn't."

She moved toward the door, her footsteps deliberate, like she was closing this chapter of her life for good. "When the time comes, you'll know what to do."

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. What could I say? She had made up her mind, and I had no plan. Not yet.

Her final words echoed like a death sentence as she walked away.

"I am your only way out."

And then, she was gone.