A New Past

Chapter 22

Ro P.O.V.

We ran for miles on an endless road. I could barely lift my tired feet or keep my breathe steady.

'We're almost there," Julian panted.

"You said that 20 mins. ago," I scoffed sarcastically.

I got a chuckle from Luca and I'm  pretty proud of it.

We started walking towards a large stone near the ground. Julian kneeled and pushed the boulder to the side, revealing a passage.

He looked over to me, "Ro, you're gonna have to jump."

My eyes widened, "What?! You want me to jump down a hole that goes I don't know where? Are you crazy?!"

"Trust me on this."

Luca cut in, "I'll go."

He gently squeezed my hand and peered down. He sent me a last smile and jumped. I couldn't bare to watch when I heard him scream.

Thump

His voice echoed loudly, "I'm Okay."

I felt a weight lift off my shoulders, until I remembered I'm next.

"Here goes nothing...."

I closed my eyes, heald my breathe, and jumped in.

I landed on something hard and tried to feel around in the darkness. Suddenly, I felt something push me to the side and I yelled my heart out.

Someone covered my mouth and pulled me to them, embracing me in a hug.

"Jeez we're for sure gonna be found if you yell like that."

"LUCA!" He shooshed me, so I yelled in a whisper. "You scared the crap out of me."

He tried to not laugh but failed miserably. "Well, you landed on me."

I couldn't help but laugh too.

The lights turned on revealing the passage. Julian had jumped in and we hadn't even noticed.

He was looking at me and Luca with a stern face. That's a bit wierd.

We walked along a dark, metal corridor. At the very end was a metal door with an electrical lock. Julian punched in the code and the door slowly lifted, revealing an elevator.

Julian read my face instantly. "We can't take any chances on safety. We're gonna go even deeper underground.

We all stepped into the elevator, where I stood in the middle of the two.

The tension and awkward silence filled the space. I inched closer to Luca, which Julian noticed. He sighed and faced the other direction.

I hated the awkward moment, but what did he expect? He lied to me about my family and who he was for years. I mean he's 23! How do you lie to your best friend?

We reached the final security door. My jaw dropped when I saw the room.

The room had wooden walls and floors. Two leather couches were in the front decorated with bright red pillows. A fire place was on the right hand sight, filling the room with warmth. Stools were aligned by a table near the kitchen. On the right was a doorway leading to the seperate rooms.

"Woah..."

"Same here," Luca said placing a hand on my shoulder.

Julian chuckled and turned on the rest of the lights.

I heard footsteps coming towards us, making me sick to my stomach. I froze ,ready to face whatever was coming. When I heard my name.

"Mom?...MOM."

"Ro."

I wrapped my arms around my mom and hugged her with all my strength. I looked up and saw my dad and grandma coming too. Tears started rooling down my cheeks, as I hugged and kissed them.

My dad sobbed when he planted. akiss on my forehead and held me tightly,"I'm so glad you're safe."

I turned to my grandma,"Abuela.. I love you so much."

"I love you too Mijita. Shhh... everything is going to be okay now."

I finally collected myself and sat on the smaller couch, still holding onto my mom and grandma's hands.

I introduced Luca to my parents, who gave him questionable looks. I explained everything I had gone through and how he had saved. Dad thanked him and my grandma gave him a large smile.

When I finally caught my breathe, I asked "Who exactly was Gabriel?"

The room fell silent. My parents' faces grew grim, like they were scared, ashamed, and surprised. A single tear fell from my grandmother's eye, making tears swell in my own.

I looked into her eyes before continuing, "I need to know."

She sighed and looked at me then to our hands and back to me. "It's a long story sweetheart, but I think it's time you know about Gabriel."

She looked to the others and gave them a reassuring smile.

"I think it's time you know about your Grandfather."