ISBN 9789899734869-20
2000 Words
With a smile, Eleanor put down her hand, 'And we're grateful to have you with us, Lana. This is your destiny. However, it's not all fun and games as I'm sure you will understand. You must work hard to achieve your best. It will be a struggle, but I do believe in you.'
'Thank you,' Lana grinned.
'And Emma. How about you?'
Looking down at the floor, Emma felt her cheeks turn a little pink before she opened her mouth to speak, 'I'm good, I guess. I mean, it's been life-changing and, erm, I don't know. I think I'm confused if you know what I mean? So much has happened so quickly that I feel like my head hasn't really caught up yet...'
Eleanor leaned right across the desk and put her hand on top of Emma's for a moment, 'I know exactly what you mean, Emma. Nobody expects you to be able to accept all of this in a matter of days. It takes time to come to terms with it. But you've already proven yourself, you've shown yourself how strong you are. You too, Lana. I've never seen Watchers with the strength you both have, both physical and mental, at this stage in your development. It usually takes a few years to get to where you both are now. When you were attacked last night, you both mentioned a feeling you got in the pits of your stomachs, a euphoric kick? Many Watchers never get that at all. And yet here you are, both experiencing the same thing after just a few short weeks. It's quite remarkable. This takes me to the next thing I wanted to talk to you about. Because you share the same quality of internal strength, it is proof that you share a parent. Watchers usually stem from a human mother and an angel father. However, your mother was the angel, not the other way around.'
Emma and Lana both sat with their mouths open, listening intently, not knowing what to think.
'What about our fathers?' Lana asked, finally closing her mouth.
'Clearly, you have different fathers,' Eleanor smiled. 'Sadly, both died shortly after your births.'
'But how? And how is it possible for an angel to give birth?' Emma whispered while a few tears drifted down her cheek.
Leaning back, Eleanor opened the top drawer of her desk and pulled out a packet of tissues, handing them to Emma.
'Well, as I told you before, I was an angel who came to earth and fell in love. I too, had a child,' she said as the girls gasped, but let her continue, 'My child was taken from me the same time they banished me to live in this form, neither young nor old. So, it can happen; it's just usually the other way round, that's all.'
'But what happened to our fathers? How did they die? And what happened to your child?' Lana blurted.
'Lana, your father was a man called Baraka. Originally from Africa, he came to London to join Praxos thirty years ago. He died just over sixteen years ago.'
'Baraka...' Lana whispered, as she tried to discreetly take a tissue before wiping at her eyes, careful not to smudge her mascara.
'Yes, he was a very gentle man, Lana. Fiercely loyal and protective.'
'How did he die?'
Eleanor pushed her chair backwards and slowly stood up, walking towards the screen where she watched the lions sleeping in their enclosure. With a deep sigh, she turned, 'There is something we haven't spoken about yet. I wanted to wait until you were all more prepared, but I guess you have a right to know. You have a right to know who killed your father. Not all Watchers are good like we are. Some fight for another cause. They fight for evil, not against it. Baraka was killed by one of those, who we call, The Skulls. I'm sorry, Lana.'
Lana's shoulders shuddered slightly as she blew into the tissue and wiped at her eyes as Emma leaned over and hugged her lightly.
'And what about Emma's father?' she sniffed.
Turning to look at the pale dark-haired girl, Eleanor nodded, 'I'm afraid he too was killed by the same group.'
'What was his name?' Emma asked, sadly.
'Abraham. He was American, from somewhere near Boston, I believe. I'm truly sorry, girls.'
As they sobbed the loss of fathers they had never known, Eleanor sat back down behind the desk and gave them a few moments before she spoke again.
'I know it's not easy to talk about all of this, girls, and I'm so sorry, but there is something truly remarkable here that you have failed to pick up on,' she said before adding, 'You are sisters. Twin sisters, in fact. Well, kind of twin sisters. As an angel, your mother was able to carry you both at the same time, although you Lana were born a few days earlier than Emma. I know it sounds unbelievable, but angels have many special powers, and she wanted to carry you together. She wanted you to develop a special bond, which you have, of course.'
As the truth dawned on them both, they turned to look at each other, the tears soon turning to smiles and they stood up and held on to each other for a minute before returning to their seats and looking toward Eleanor.
'I have always known the truth, of course, but I couldn't divulge it until you were of age. I was there when your fathers were killed; they saved a lot of people that night. Your mother, however, was so distraught that she couldn't continue to live with the humans and so she took steps to find the right family for you to grow up with. She chose the Morgans.'
'That's just so... so incredible. It's unbelievable. But how did we get there? Mum and Dad always told us that we were found on the island as babies?' asked Emma as she continued to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
'Before Baraka and Abraham died, Della was...'
'Della?'
'That was your mother's name,' smiled Eleanor kindly before carrying on, 'She was fun-loving, a little eccentric, and she loved to do the unexpected. So she first sent you, Lana, in a little hot air balloon across the water so that you landed almost on your parents doorstep.'
Lana's eyes widened in disbelief, 'She put me in a hot air balloon? I could have died!' she blurted out.
'Shaking her head, Eleanor continued, 'That was impossible. You see as I said before, the angels have many special abilities, some might call it magic. You were safer on that balloon than anywhere else on earth, Lana, she made sure of that....'
'Hang on a minute,' Lana suddenly blurted out, standing up and pacing up and down the room, 'I dreamed it, I did, I dreamed about it fairly recently. I remember it so clearly now, the balloon drifting through the night sky and eventually landing in the back garden. Oh My God, that was me, that was real,' she shrieked.
'Yes, Lana, that was you. It was real. And as I was saying, a few days later, she sent you, Emma, in a miniature boat down the Thames and out into the North Sea. You were bound for Andilyse Island, for the Morgans. You too were incredibly safe. Della was determined about that.'
'What happened to her?' Emma asked as Lana finally sat back down.
'You must remember that she was heartbroken. She'd lost the two men that meant the world to her. She needed to mourn her way, and she couldn't do that with two babies. She knew that your lives would be so much better with the Morgans and so she had to let you go. Once she knew you'd arrived safely, she returned home,' Eleanor said, pointing upwards.
'But how is that possible?' Lana asked.
'What do you mean?' Eleanor replied.
'When you chose love over your work as an angel, they - whoever they are - cast you aside and cursed you. Why didn't they do that to our mother?'
Eleanor looked sadly at both the girls before sighing loudly, 'When the angels come down to earth, they are given a limited amount of time to spend here among the humans. To learn, to love and some to reproduce, but they must eventually return home. They are usually given between five and ten years. Della was here for two years before she returned.'
'You mean... she was going to leave us anyway?' Emma said distraught.
'I'm afraid so.'
'But that sucks,' Lana muttered.
'Yes, well. That's the way it's always been. And if you try and do something about it, you end up like me,' sighed Eleanor as she re-arranged some papers on her desk before Lana spoke again.
'Is she still alive?' breathed Lana.
'I believe so. But once the angels have come and gone, I don't think they can return. I'm sorry. But you've had wonderful upbringings, haven't you? I know that Audrey and Patrick Morgan were chosen for a reason.'
'If Della really is our mother, how come we have different birthdays?' asked Emma pouting.
'As I said before, Della was capable of powerful magic. Lana came first, and you Emma, weren't ready to come into the world for another few days. She had a long labour,' Eleanor smiled. 'I know this all sounds like fiction but their world,' she said, pointing upwards, 'is very different to the world we live down here.'
'But what about you? Did you lose all of your abilities when you chose to stay here?'
Eleanor nodded, leaning back in her chair, 'Most of them. They left me with a few, but I can only use them in my younger state. But enough about me, it's almost five o'clock. I should prepare myself for the change. Do you have any more questions?'
The girls stood, shaking their heads.
'I know you will have more once you've had time to take it all in. Just know that my door is always open for you, for both of you, okay?' she said as the girls reached the door.
Just as they were about to close it behind them, Lana turned back and asked, 'What about your child, Eleanor? What happened?'
Eleanor shook her head, 'My daughter was taken from me. I never knew what happened to her,' she said sadly, turning away from them, indicating they should go.
Lana quietly closed the door behind her, just as the clock struck five o'clock. A long deep groan could be heard as they walked away.
CHAPTER 26
The following day, the group was given a 'pass' day, where they could do whatever they wanted, so the girls decided to go shopping. Before they left the boat, Declan handed them an envelope, 'Your Mum and Dad asked me to give this to you for when you had some free time. Have fun today, but remember, don't use your abilities in front of anyone. See you later,' he said before disappearing back indoors.
As they stepped off the boat, which was moored at Westminster Pier again, they avidly opened the envelope to find a card from their parents and a rather large stash of 50-pound notes.
Lana gasped, jumping up and down, while Emma giggled along with her before reading the card:
'We hope you're both enjoying your work experience in the city, girls. We know that shopping on the island isn't much fun for you both (especially you Lana!). So here's some spending money to buy whatever you want in London. Don't spend it all at once! We love you lots, see you soon. Love Mum & Dad xxx.'
'Come on, let's hit the shops,' giggled Lana as she dragged Emma along beside her.
'Would you mind if I came along,' said a voice out of nowhere.
'Joe!' squealed Lana, 'Where have you been? We didn't see you at all yesterday? Of course, you can come with us.'
Grinning shyly, Joe floated alongside them, 'I was with some of my own kind.'
'What? Like other ghosts, you mean?'
Josiah nodded as they stopped at traffic lights waiting for them to turn green.
'Yes. I found a cemetery where there are quite a few of us.'
- Writer
