Awakened

3

Alexandra flung the front door open, storming into the house, slamming the door behind her.

'This mysterious stranger is infuriating,' she thought to herself, trying to calm her growing frustration.

"Andy? Are you okay? Why are you storming about?" She heard the voice of Abby before her and Peter walked into the room, confusion written all over their faces.

"Where are Lia and Daph?" She asked icily. She didn't know what to believe at the minute, and she wouldn't be able to calm down fully until she knew the whole truth.

"They're upstairs, sleeping. They got very tired while ice skating," Peter answered, chuckling slightly.

"Good, they don't need to hear this conversation."

"Andy, what's wrong?" Abby asked, evidently concerned.

Alexandra didn't answer. Instead, she walked into the living room, not bothering to turn to see if she was being followed.

"Sit." She basically commanded her parents when she felt their presence behind her.

The two adults looked at each other, knowing how impatient and angry their eldest daughter could get. Not wanting to increase her negative mood, they did as she said.

Peter looked as if he was about to say something, but before he could, Alexandra cut him off.

"I want answers. And I want you to be completely honest with me." She said, her face and voice void of any emotion. The only clue as to her confusion, hesitation and frustration was her eyes, and the way they glistened in the light.

"Answers for what?" Abby asked.

"Am I adopted?" Andy questioned, getting straight to the point.

She watched her parent's faces, taking in their expressions that were a mix between shock and horror. Shock that she had found out, and horror that she seemed to be angry about it. They knew full well that Andy had a bad temper, and it was clear to them that if they didn't choose their next words carefully, she was likely to explode in emotions.

"It's a simple question. A yes or a no answer." Her voice was still cold, and unwavering.

The couple looked at one another, before looking back to their daughter with apologetic looks on their faces, answering "Yes," simultaneously.

Alexandra's face went hard, her eyes glazing over. She was now completely void of emotion, neither one being able to tell what she was thinking or feeling.

"We didn't tell you because it doesn't matter to us. When we found you and took you in, we knew we would love you as if you were our own, no matter what. And that's exactly what we did," Abby began, before Peter added "We never wanted to hurt you by not telling you. We were going to tell you on your seventeenth birthday."

"And that makes the fact that you lied to me for my entire life okay? You didn't think that I'd want to know that my family isn't my family? That I have other relatives out in the world, ones that I've never even met?" Andy's voice was becoming louder and more harsh.

"We couldn't find your birth parents. Trust us, we looked for months, but there was no sign of them anywhere. Eventually we just decided to raise you as our own. You'd forgotten that you hadn't always been with us, you were only five years old, after all."

"Even if I did forget at a young age, you should have told me sooner. Like I said, I'd rather know if my family aren't actually my family." She replied, stonily.

"You are family, Andy! Even if we aren't your birth parents, we still love you as if we were." Abby told her, in an almost begging manner.

The couple knew how stubborn she could be, and how she held grudges against people for a while. They couldn't imagine having their eldest daughter hating them, or not talking to them.