The Prices I Pay ((MIKE ZACHARIAS X ERWIN SMITH X OC))

Chapter 30

"I can explain everything."

Silica's brow narrowed as Dot took one of her hands in his, and she resisted the urge to pull it away as she looked him in the face. There was something strikingly familiar about him — like she had known him all her life. She felt strange because of it.

"I'm not sure of any other way to put this," Dot said as he pat the top of her hand. He had a contemplative look on his face, like he wasn't sure how she was about to react. "But your mother, Agnis, is my daughter."

Silica found her grip on Dot's hand as her whole body tensed, and she was quick to shoot a wide eyed look in Erwin's direction, whom had been silently watching the interaction with a hard look on his face. She turned back to Dot.

"So that makes you...?"

"Your grandfather, yes."

Silica struggled to find what to say next, and instead sucked in a sharp breath to ease the overwhelming anxiety rising in her chest.

"Silica?" Erwin's voice made it to her ears as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I'm fine," she said without him having to ask. "I just... uh, I'm not sure what to make of this. Why did you want to see me?"

"I've been wanting to meet you since you were very young," Dot confessed. It made Silica feel as though her head was spinning. "But Agnis never allowed it, and by the time she had come back to the surface, you had already disappeared. So when I was told that you had gotten yourself contracted with the Scouts..."

"You've been looking for me?" Silica's voice sounded foreign in her own ears, and the prospect of someone related to her seeking her out was incredibly difficult for her to wrap her head around. "This whole time?"

"That's right." He nodded.

"I've been on the surface a whole year now," Silica continued. "Why wait this long?"

"I encouraged your mother to reconnect with you," Dot explained, and at her mother's mention, she thought back to when she had stirred up trouble within the interior to get her attention. It all began to make sense. "So hopefully one day I could meet you without causing you any distress. I know this all must be so sudden for you."

"I'm just..." she trailed off again as she looked at their hands. He still held her's tightly. "I'm not used to this."

She looked back to Erwin as she spoke, and he cleared his throat.

"Why don't we move this conversation to the sofas?" He suggested as he stood. "I believe you both have a great deal of catching up to do."

"Of course." Dot agreed as he followed Erwin's lead, and Silica's hand felt cold as he let it go. She fiddled with her fingers as she trailed behind them, and slowly sat beside Dot.

"I'm sure you have many questions." He assumed as he turned to her.

"I do." Silica nodded quickly.

Dot motioned for her to continue.

"Why did my mother choose to live underground?"

"Agnis had always been quite rebellious," Dot sighed at her mention and briefly looked down. "And when she fell in love, there was no stopping her. She followed your father underground and cut us off entirely."

"Us?" Silica leaned in as he spoke.

"Yes, my wife and I," Dot reiterated. "And her older brother. Your uncle, Moritz."

An airy sigh released from Silica's lips, and she sat back against her seat as the idea of her having real family members out there somewhere sunk in. Everything she had ever dreamt of was right at her fingertips, and she didn't know what to do with it.