Chapter Text
-> 14 - 05 - 2017
| Alto - 8:21 PM |
That year Mother's Day was... complicated in many ways because, well... Aiden was beaten up by the Warrens and Martin was stabbed, which left them with some problems.
"I'm fine, Mom" Aiden kept repeating to his worried mother. "What if you get a bruise or something happens to you?" she was worried; she had come from the police station a few minutes ago.
"I'm fine, Mom" he murmured, Martin asleep beside him. "I'll go get some food. Wait here, okay?" His mother kissed him on the forehead before leaving. Only when the door closed did Martin open his eyes.
"Your mom is very worried about you" he said, laughing. "She's my mom. Wouldn't yours be?" he asked, confused, though then he remembered that Martin and Lyra were born to a gay couple, so... "Ah... that's right." He looked away.
Martin sighed and looked at the ceiling. "My mom and Lyra's died years ago" he said calmly, as if describing the weather. "Oh... I'm... I'm sorry," Aiden said, looking at him now. Martin clasped his hands together quietly. "I can't remember her voice."
He glanced at the mirror beside him. "Not even her face. Because the only thing we inherited from her were her eyes." There was something in his voice that made him feel a pang of pity. "I know her name was Lena. She was a friend of my dad's, and when she found out they wanted a family, she offered."
Martin sighed, looking at Aiden. "I know that because of our DNA, something in her was activated and she died." Aiden's eyes widened. "Oh..." He didn't know what to say.
What do you say when you hear that? "They've never told us directly, but Lyra and I always knew."
Martin looked at the door, "I don't know what happened between you and your parents. But I can see they're trying." Aiden tensed at that, "It's complicated" he murmured, looking at him "You go to therapy on Tuesday afternoons or evenings, right?"
"How do you—?" he was surprised by that. "Bosses. It's something we learned as children, and because when they're not in town they do it by video call. Anne overheard it once by accident."
Aiden closed his mouth and nodded. "It's good that they're trying. They care about you." Aiden looked away. "Now they do" he murmured. Martin sighed wearily; he still had pain in his abdomen.
"Better late than never, as my aunt says" Martin murmured. "What do you mean?" he looked at him, confused. "Sometimes it's better to do things, even if it's a little late, because at least you're trying instead of ignoring the problem."
Aiden didn't understand that, but he nodded. The door opened and Aiden's mom came in with food. "Hi Martin. I brought some for you too" Jessica said, handing him the items.
Aiden saw his mother's efforts and looked at the food, at the blankets they had brought from home; they were really trying. Fixing something that's been broken for years is difficult, according to his family therapist.
Forcing the process will only hurt them, but if he tries, he might have something he never expected. "Happy Mother's Day" he said to his mother as he got Martin ready to eat.
"Oh..." Jessica glanced at the calendar. "I'd forgotten" she sighed, chuckling softly. With all the stress of legal matters, anyone can forget even important dates. "I forgot too" Aiden blurted out.
Jessica started laughing. "Better late than never" she blurted out, and Aiden looked at Martin, who was happily eating and giving a thumbs-up. [Better late than never] he thought as his mother closed the curtains
He thought about his parents and his friends, he thought about that stupid plan he had... [Dying], as much as he wanted it, was still an option lurking in the back of his mind. But every time he saw Anne, Ira, and Theo...
[Maybe it is worth it] he thought. Even if he couldn't be with Ashlyn and live the life he, like a foolish young man in love, had imagined, [At least she's happy] or so he saw in a photograph, [Better late than never] that he start to live
Although he was worried about the attack Theo suffered, he knew he had to recover to take care of him, he had to recover for his friends, for himself. He had to let go of that thought that only condemned him to death.
"When you're finished, Martin, I'll take you home, and Aiden, we'll go home. You've been discharged" Jessica said cheerfully. The other two teenagers smiled, happy to finally be leaving the hospital. Being there had made them nervous.
Ben appeared with Lily in his arms; they were about to leave because Lily had school tomorrow. "Get well soon, Aid!" Lily said, approaching him to hug him. "Otherwise, the monsters will eat us tonight!"
Aiden started laughing and, looking at his cousin, asked him something simple, "Do you know that today is Mother's Day?" Ben's face was priceless because he panicked.
"Boys" Lily muttered, "They always forget everything, don't them, Aunt Jess?" Aiden's mom nodded, laughing. The truth was, Noemi had also forgotten what day it was, but Lily had already given her the present she'd made at school.
Ben ran off to apologize to his mom, who hugged him, laughing. For Naomi, Ben will always be her baby, one who has grown up so much but is still just as gentle as he was as a child.
-> 8:29 PM
With all the stress of the situation—not only Aiden and Martin in the hospital because of what happened with the Warrens, but also because Theo had been attacked—everyone had forgotten the most important date.
"It's Mother's Day" Taylor blurted out when she noticed the balloons and streamers at the supermarket with Tyler. "What?!" Tyler exclaimed, alarmed. And yes... they'd finally noticed. How come they hadn't before? Stress... so much stress.
"What are we going to do?!" Tyler looked at his sister in alarm. "What do you mean, what are we going to do?!" Taylor exclaimed, even more alarmed. "You're the one who always remembers the dates!" he yelled.
"Well, I've been really stressed lately, okay?!" Taylor looked around, scared. As usual, they started arguing, one thing after another. Everyone in the supermarket looked at them strangely, but then they had to calm down.
"Okay! We still have about four hours. There's still time!" Taylor encouraged herself, even though everything for Mother's Day was practically sold out. Since they'd spent most of the day at the hospital, they hadn't noticed, and with little Theo...
"We can make a cake!" Taylor said, running to the dessert area. "Okay, Mom likes chocolate cake." Taylor started putting things in the cart next to Tyler. The two of them were alarmed.
They bought some flowers and balloons and ran off. Their mother wouldn't be home until 10 because she was going to church that night, so the two of them ran home.
"Take everything out!" she yelled to Tyler as soon as they entered the kitchen. Tyler and she had never rushed so much to make a cake, and Bellamy, who was half asleep, went downstairs and saw the mess. "What happened here?"
"There's no time!" Taylor shouted, mixing the ingredients. "Do you need help?" she asked, and the twins shouted "Yes!" So she calmly grabbed the decorating supplies, put the flowers in water, and hung the balloons.
She went to the twins' room and took out some red bunting they had. She went to another room and took out Taylor's yellow Christmas lights, Tyler's guitar, and other things with calming music playing.
In the background, she could hear her mother and uncle shouting. But then she stopped... [It's Mother's Day] she thought, a bittersweet taste in her mouth. [Mom...] she clutched the decorations and sighed, [It's not the right time]
She continued tidying the room and just as she struck 9:20 PM the cake came out of the oven. "There's no time, bring the fan!" Taylor yelled to her brother, they needed to cool the cake down to decorate it.
"Bellamy, get the utensils!" she yelled again, and the girl calmly approached. Taylor followed the YouTube recipe and began cutting and preparing the cake. "This better taste good. I'm putting my heart, blood and soul into this!" Taylor shouted.
Because yes, Taylor cut her finger cutting the cake; they were sweating from making a cake at top speed, and maybe there were tears of frustration. They spread chocolate, added a design, sprinkles.
"Something's missing!" Taylor said, then ran upstairs and pulled out a photograph she'd taken with Logan's camera a few days ago. "When did you take this?" Tyler asked, offended.
"What does that matter now?!" Taylor protested, pulling out a skewer. "What does it matter?!" Tyler was striking a pose like a little old lady. "I look bad in that picture, Taylor!" he complained. The photo showed Tyler and Martin yawning.
Bellamy looked like she hadn't slept in days, and well, Taylor looked perfectly fine. "You just need to look good in the picture to get it taken, right?" Bellamy started laughing. "Obviously!" Taylor said.
She glued the photo to the stick and put it up. It was all four Hernandezes now. "Perfect!" she said happily, and just then the door opened. Mariana walked in, completely confused by the decorations. "Happy birth- I mean, Happy mother's day!" Taylor shouted.
Tyler's face was covered in flour and dirty clothes; he was holding the cake, and Bellamy was playing a soft melody on the guitar. "You didn't have to, children!" Mariana smiled as she approached, and Martin opened the door.
"Hi!" he said happily and saw the cake, "Oh, we're having cake for dinner tonight!" His smile was big as he approached, "I was a little late because I went to pick up Martin from the hospital," she said normally, Tyler and Taylor were happy
"By the way, it wasn't necessary. I know you're going through a lot with all this" she said, gesturing to Bellamy and Martin, who were already eager for cake. "But thank you anyway, kids." Mariana hugged them and kissed them on the cheek; her kids were so tall now.
"Let's eat"
They had a quiet night, and the twins cherished the memory as something special. They hoped that night at the PD would be as good as that dinner.
-> 9:21PM
Ashlyn was in her living room with her parents. They were playing cards quietly; they didn't usually do anything special for Mother's Day. Her mother found going out stressful because there were so many people.
So her dad always bought Emma's favorite cake, and they celebrated quietly. Although things were a bit quiet this time, Ashlyn had been very stressed lately, and her parents noticed.
"Another piece?" Mike asked, pointing at the pastry. "Of course" Ashlyn replied, watching how much of a portion he cut. "Mine's smaller" she protested. "That's not true!" Mike retorted.
"It's true!!" she said, approaching and crouching down to see the piece. "Mom! Dad's giving me a smaller piece!" she protested. Emma started laughing, and taking out a ruler, they began to measure.
It was indeed 0.5 cm smaller. "Really?!" Mike was amazed by his daughter's keen eye. But then there was a knock at the door, and when they went to open it... "Ira?" Mike was surprised to see the boy at that hour.
"Hello, Grandpa!" said the boy, smiling. Anne and Theo appeared from behind some bushes. "We just came for a quick visit!" said Anne, approaching. "Ira smelled the cake, that's why he knocked on the door early" said Theo.
"Hey!" Ira protested. Emma inside giggled softly. "Come in." Ira didn't hesitate for two seconds; he went straight to Ashlyn to look at her intently. "Cake?" the girl asked, to which the boy nodded, his eyes sparkling.
"These are for you," Anne said, handing something to Emma. They were painted pebbles. "Do you like them?" She glanced down at Theo, who was watching her expectantly. "They're pretty!" she said, and she wasn't lying; the pebbles had clearly been chosen.
They had their own design and had been outlined with paint. "Pastel!" Ira happily began eating. Ashlyn couldn't understand how her quiet evening had turned into this. But she didn't dislike it as much as she thought.
They stayed there until 10 PM, when they had to return so Ira and Theo could sleep. "Goodbye!" the siblings called out. "Happy Mother's Day!" they shouted before running off to the Clarks' house.
Ashlyn sighed wearily and went to rest. She said goodbye to her mother and went to her room where, to her surprise, she found a small box. When she opened it, she found a drawing that was clearly of Ira and some painted stones.
There was also a photo. It showed Anne with Aiden, Ira, and Theo playing Mario Kart. "I know we're your favorites, don't deny it" it said on the back, along with a happy face. She chuckled softly and then put the little box in her closet.
Where no one could find next to the other drawing that Ira gave her many days ago.
-> 9:31 PM
Things were very different in Logan's house. He didn't grow up with a mother, so Mother's Day was more about his grandmother, who had taken care of him since he was only six years old. His mother died a long time ago.
Logan has no memory of his mother at this point. All of that was lost in the fire...
But it wasn't so bad; it's hard to cry for someone you don't know. And it turned out he wasn't the only one who felt that way. "I don't remember her voice" Lyra said. "Martin and I have videos of her, but... I never felt right watching them."
"Is that why you don't tell anyone your third name?" he asked curiously. "Partly. Partly because it's a reference to a movie" she said, laughing as they drank chamomile tea with honey.
"Reference?" Logan asked curiously. Lyra just nodded. "In a few years, a movie about the dying sun will be released." Lyra started laughing. "It's my dad's favorite movie."
Lyra's eyes moistened slightly. "Adrian is the name they give to one of the characters' mate. I won't tell you because of spoilers." Logan nodded; he hated spoilers. "And it's also the name of a planet whose life was key to saving everyone."
Lyra smiled slightly, sipping her tea. "It's the movie that connects my mom and dad. It's a very personal name." She sighed, gazing at the starry sky. The stars were shining brightly that night.
"I guess we have a lot in common" Logan smiled, watching Lyra nod. "Kids, it's time for bed" Mary appeared from behind. "Coming, Grandma!" Logan smiled at his grandmother, who sighed.
"Good night" she said quietly, leaving. It was good to see that Logan had a companion who understood him so well, even though she would be born almost a decade later.
Before going to sleep, the two gazed at the stars together in silence. "To those who are no longer with us" Logan said, raising his cup. "To those who deserve to be remembered" Lyra replied. They clinked their teacups and drank in silence.
Leaning on each other.
-> 13 - 05 - 2040
| The nest |
Mother's Day is usually a time when everyone gets together to celebrate. But this year was different, although the parents did come to check on their children. Things are tense.
"You need to rest, trooper" Mike told his daughter, who looked so exhausted. "We're close, I can feel it" she protested, but Emma went over to her daughter and hugged her. "I know, sweetheart. But even you deserve a few minutes of rest."
Chappy was on the sofa. He'd been living with her parents in Alto, since being in the New York house depressed him because he couldn't find any of the children. "Hello bonito" a woman called up to him. The old dog wagged his tail at the sight of her.
Ashlyn bent down and kissed his forehead. The dog made sounds and licked her face back, happy. She began to sob involuntarily; she missed her children and regretted the pain she had caused Anne by not telling her the truth.
The door opened and Aiden's parents came in. "We brought food" Daniel said with a smile. "Aiden is with the others already in the south area" Jessica said. The two adults also went over to see Ashlyn.
They had known her since she was 15. It was a long time; they loved her like a daughter. "You need to rest" Jessica said, and together with Emma, they managed to get her out of her office. Chappy was pacing.
The four adults were still surprised by the power Ashlyn had acquired, but in their eyes, she was often just the girl who led her group of friends, the one who was very picky about her food or reluctant to be touched.
They walked to the southern area, where, deep in the woods, stood a cabin belonging to Aiden. It was far from the noise, yet close to the infirmary. Everyone was there.
Mariana hugged Ashlyn tightly and led her to the sofa where Taylor was still sobbing. That day marked a month since their children disappeared, or rather, since they hadn't woken up. But among all the family members, there was someone who didn't fit in.
Nathaniel Heeler had come to see Gilbert. But he was drawn into this by Mariana. "Pain makes us equal" she said, letting the 22-year-old cry in her arms. Leah was by his side, handling business matters for her friends even there.
"The coals are already lit" Mike said cheerfully. "For an old man, he's still got it" Daniel joked. After years of being family, they had learned to tease each other. Chappy was, at that moment, the only joy in the family.
Even he was feeling it. "The vets say he's improving" Mike murmured to Aiden. "But they say the depression might make things worse. Sometimes he doesn't want to eat or drink water."
Aiden watched his dog. His firstborn, in a way. "You'll be okay, champ" he used to tell the dog all the time. Naomi and William helped Mike with the grill, while Daniel and Jessica took care of making the rice and vegetables.
Lily and Emma helped set the table. Mariana took charge of supporting the children. She knew the pain of such a significant loss and wouldn't let the children go through that too.
Because yes. They might all have been almost 40, but to the adults they were still just kids. So they took care of everything and let the youngsters rest. Although Nathaniel helped out more than once, whenever he could.
"Don't underestimate these old guys!" Mike would say, though his white hair betrayed his age. "We've survived worse than heavy furniture" William and Daniel agreed. Nathaniel could burst into tears out of nowhere.
Of all of them there, he was the one who had the least idea what was going on. When his brother didn't return from his sleepover, he got so scared that he started looking for him in Manhattan, but his surprise was even greater when he got a call from the hospital.
They told him they would take care of everything and that they had to tell him a national secret. He has no idea what's going on, but if those people can bring his brother back, so be it.
Logan stared into space, sometimes wishing his grandparents were still there, but it was something he was getting over. Ashlyn, Taylor, and Mariana were by his side, comforting them. Ben kept bringing water, and Taylor played the guitar for them.
The meal was quiet, filled with jokes, banter, and playful teasing. Nathaniel ate in silence, pleased that his brother had made friends with such good people. Leah, on the other hand, was stressed, arguing with the shareholders.
When Taylor and Aiden asked, she said everything was fine. She didn't want to put any more pressure on them now when they could barely stand. When 7 p.m. struck, Nat left to go to New York.
"I trust you" he told everyone before leaving. All the adults felt a weight on their chests because of that. A young man's hopes placed in uncertain hands.
The adults went to rest, and the rest went to the medical ward. There they watched the sleeping children, intubated, so still it was painful to see. Lily was there to support her brother and sister-in-law.
"Happy Mother's Day" they whispered to each other. Watching the children sleep, they knew it wouldn't be long before the next expedition left the nest. They all hoped that this time... they would find something.