Hollow

Chapter 9

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I stared at Liam and assessed each of his features. His hair was a light brown, almost blonde, like Victor's, and his eyes were blue like mine and Miranda's. He had a slight beard growing along his jaw line.

He watched me as I did him, though the look in his eyes was one more of disbelief.

I glanced over at my parents and Samantha while Liam and I had our visual exchange. I felt that I needed to do or say something in order for everyone to be satisfied. We were currently just standing in front of the open door, unmoving.

I looked back to Liam and searched for the right words but none came. What was someone supposed to say in this situation? It's nice to meet you? That certainly didn't sound like something you said to family.

"I'm sorry, I'm not really sure what to say." I admitted.

A small smile crept over his lips. "Neither am I." He told me. "But, I'm so happy to see you, Bella."

The sound of footsteps approaching caused me to avert my attention to behind Liam. There was a young girl in a red and black cap approaching, holding a large, square package.

"Oh, the pizza." Miranda said. She walked passed us all and met the young girl. I watched as she handed over the money in exchange for two thin, cardboard-looking boxes.

Miranda came back over to us with a wide smile. "Well, there's no use standing around here. Let's all go inside and get acquainted, okay?"

We did as she said and I followed them to the couch, returning to my previous seat. Miranda set the boxes out on the coffee table and opened them up. Victor appeared from the kitchen with a stack of paper plates.

I sat with my hands in my lap and watched Miranda pick up a piece of the pizza and set it down on a plate. She held it out to me with a small smile.

"We weren't sure what you would like on your pizza, so we just got pepperoni and sausage-" she stopped short, suddenly looking nervous. "You eat meat, don't you?"

I nodded. "Yes, thank you."

I took the plate from her and stared down at its contents. It looked like some sort of bread in the shape of a triangle. It had a layer of what I guessed to be cheese with small pieces of meat scattered on top of it.

I picked it up and watched it flop around. It was unlike anything I'd ever eating. At the agency we learned to proportion our food with a certain amount of protein, starch, and vegetables.

This pizza didn't look like it quite fit the requirements.

I lifted it to my mouth and took a small bite. I blinked in surprise when I registered the taste. There were so many different flavors that I wasn't expecting. It was incredible.

"Do you like it?" I looked over to Miranda who had been watching me.

I nodded. "Yes, very much, thank you."

Everyone else grabbed their own plates and began eating.

"So, Bella." Samantha said suddenly. "Your mom tells me you're going shopping tomorrow. I was wondering, if you're comfortable, if Angela and I could join you two?"

"Angela?" I questioned. I didn't recall anyone telling me about someone named Angela.

"Oh right, your memory." She mumbled, shaking her head. "Angela is my daughter, and your cousin. She's a year younger than you, but you two were really close when you were little."

I tried to remember, or at least imagine a childhood with this cousin, but I couldn't. I thought back to what Samantha had said earlier; we would have to make new memories.