Aeron stood in front of a white painted door, the block of townhouses shrouded in a peaceful quiet only interrupted with the occasional bark of a family dog.
After lots of searching, frustration, and a good amount of crying, Aeron had located the address of Artemesia Russo.
Since Ivan had told Arron her mother was alive, she didn't stop searching.
So here she was.
Aeron took a deep breath before lifting her hand to the door. She had to take a few more to stop herself from shaking so much. The thought of seeing her mom again was almost too much. What did she look like now? Would she even recognize her? She knows Ivan raised her, she hates Ivan.
What if she hates her?
Aeron took a step back, turning around and walking down the porch steps with her head down. She jumped as a familiar black-clad fairy stood below them, her arms crossed. She gave a small smile and looked down.
"Aeron, you know I cant let you walk away from this." Senka uncrossed her arms and placed them onto the taller woman's shoulders. "She loves you. You know that."
Aeron looked into the fairy's deep brown eyes and nodded. She loves her. She does. Aeron turned back around, walking up the steps and finally gaining the courage to knock. She fidgeted with her fingers as she waited for it to open. Five seconds passed, and turned into ten. Aeron's head hung and she sighed, before she heard the faint click of a door unlocking, and suddenly stood before a woman who looked to be the same age as her mother, which she deduced to be in her 40s. She forgot to speak for a moment before remembering the reason she was there. "Um, does an Artemesia Russo live here?"
"She does," The woman's voice was warm and kind, unlike all the voices Aeron had heard in her childhood. "What is your relation to her?" The woman could tell they looked similar.
"My name is Aeron," She began, "and I'm her daughter."
The woman's mouth opened slightly, shock taking over her features. "Oh my god," She whispered. she opened the door wider. "Come in, please."
Aeron followed the woman, learning her name was Diane, through the modestly decorated townhouse, only passing through a living room with a couch and tv before arriving at the door of what seemed to be a bedroom. Diane stopped before she opened the door and looked at Aeron directly.
"Listen, I don't know what you know about what happened to her," Diane began, not entirely aware of Aeron's knowledge. "She...she hasn't spoken to anyone in a long time. I just dont want to get your hopes up."
"Thank you." Aeron responded. It was good to know before she went in. She had no idea what Ivan ordered them to do to her, but she knew he would have made sure she didn't tell anyone about the comp.
The woman nodded and knocked as she opened the door. "Arti?" She called into the room. "You have a visitor." The room was as sparcely decorated as the living room, with only a bed, a small table on the left side, and a chair that had a blanket-clad figure sitting on it.
Aeron walked into the room, laying eyes on her mother for the first time since she was a child. She looked older than Aeron remembered, but she could have recognised her anywhere. Her straight red hair, the same color as Aeron's, was longer than hers was, and her brown eyes were more tired, as if she hadnt slept all night. When she looked at Aeron, her eyes sparked with recognition. Aeron almost instantly teared up. "Mama," she whispered, running to her mother. Her mother's hands reached out as she embraced her, both hugging too tight but not quite caring. More sobs now wracked both of the women, who still weren't quite sure whether or not this was actually real. Aeron pulled back, still crying as she cradled her mother's face in her hands. "They told me you were dead. I-" She choked and hugged her mother again. "Mama they made me do such horrible things."
Aeron's mother rubbed her back as she sobbed through telling her everything she missed. The torture she went through, her friend, finding her brother, and how he died. She told her about destroying the comp, and becoming closer to Senka after. Telling Will's mom he was dead was the hardest. She didn't believe them at first, but she had no choice when she saw the body Aeron had cradled in her arms, bearing the same face as her son. Aeron could never unhear the cry of pure agony the woman experienced. She told her mother about trying to find her, how she got so disheartened but never stopped searching, and her mother listened. Someone finally listened.
"I'm so sorry mama. So, so sorry." Aeron felt a hand on her cheek as her mother wiped away her tears. Her face held a warm smile, the same one she had when Aeron was small. She saw her mother shaking her head, telling her not to be sorry. Her mother leaned in, kissing her cheek. Her head lingered for a moment. She looked deep into her daughters eyes, her expression telling Aeron all she could never say, hoping to express the love for her that she felt so deeply. She pressed her hand to her heart before reaching out and pressing against Aeron's. They were one. Aeron was everything her mother dreamed of. She never wanted a child, but Aeron was the best one she could have ever had. She was practically her clone, and had grown to be even stronger, braver, and more brilliant than she had ever been.
The pair held hands for a while, Aeron eventually resting her head on her mother's lap as she ran a hand through her hair. The gesture calmed Aeron more than she had ever been, and after longer than she could remember without it being from pure exhaustion, Aeron fell asleep. A deep, restful, beautiful sleep. Finally reunited with her family.
YOU ARE READING
Winter's Burn
General Fiction"Her amber eyes turned almost black as the shadows overtook her thin frame. Tree branches became spindly hands wrapping their serpentine fingers around his body, vines twisting and knotting to pin him to the ground. He could have sworn he saw her le...
