7 yrs, Gone and Forgotten

Chapter 23: Return to the life or go on

Lee’s POV

     I sat silently in the car in front of the safe house as I tried to make sense of everything. The night had turned into chaos, I learned my real name, just met my father, and had to put up a fight of a lifetime, all in a matter of hours.

     Abel cleared his throat and I turned to him, “I know your mind is on overdrive. But I also know who you are and controlling your emotions has always been something that you have done better than anyone. And as much as I would like to tell you, you don’t have to do that anymore, I am afraid I can’t. You are going to have to continue to control them and let them out when the time comes.”

    Considering his words, I sat up straight and took a deep breath while shoving all of it down, “Can you tell me what happen to me and why now, in seven years why now is everything crashing down on me, why didn’t anyone bother to try and find me sooner?”

     He turned his head to peer out into the night from the front windshield, “I wish I could tell you everything from the beginning, but unfortunately that isn’t how this is going to work.” He turned his head to me and offered a smile which made me feel like a small child again. “You have to trust me; can you do that?”

     “Don’t ask me why, but I trust you with my life, blindly without knowing anything.”

    “Good.” He sighed. “I will tell you what I can. Then you are going to have to walk a path alone to learn the rest. When you get to the end, I will be there to help you and guide you. And you should also know, when you get to the end and learn everything, you have been given a choice to either return to a life you lived or go on as Leona Marlette. That will be completely up to you, but you have to learn of your past first before that choice can be made.”

    “Why can’t you just tell me everything now and let me figure out what I want to live?”

    “Because you have locked away in you something powerful. It will destroy you from the inside out if you don’t unlock it. It doesn’t matter if I tell you everything or not, if you don’t walk a certain path to find all the keys in unlocking it, then you will never be able to. Do you understand?”

    I nodded my head, “But why do I have to do it alone?”

   He laughed and patted my shoulder, “Because you can not be influenced by anyone in self-discovery. This is something you have to do completely alone.”

    “Okay, then. I am listening, tell me what I need to know and how to go about setting out on this path.”

    “Your name is Sidney Lane. You are twenty-seven years old. Your birthday is April 21. Your mother’s name was Mary. I am your father and all that training that you have had in your life began with me. I raised you to be strong, confident, and I trained you to protect yourself and others. You have twin siblings, and another in your life that was raised as your brother.” He pointed to the house, “That house is full of friends, not enemies. Friends of both Sydney Lane and Leona Marlette. But you can not trust anyone. Until you find out who you are, you have to remain guard. As much as they want what’s best for you, they will try to persuade you to go one way or the other, and you can’t have that in your life right now. You have to make those decisions according to your heart and mind.”

    I pointed to him and raised my brows, “And you, can I trust you?”

    He nodded his head, “You can, because at the end of this road I will love you and be proud of you whether you decide to be Sydney Lane or Leona Marlette. I will not persuade you to be one or the other and I will support you with my whole being for whomever you choose.” He reached in his pocket and handed me a piece of folded up paper. “This is the address you will meet me at tomorrow at midnight. Pack lightly, I will have everything you need. I have a car already for you, as well as all your documents with the name Sydney Lane if you choose to use them. Don’t worry with bringing electronics with you, I will have an untraceable phone already set up for you, and I have some cash stashed that will be waiting on you.”

    I couldn’t contain myself anymore, as I lunged across the console and wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands pulled me closer, and I let the tears freely flow down my cheeks. I knew with all my heart that he was exactly who he said he was, and he was my dad, he was my home, and he was where my love began.

     I slowly pulled back and wiped the tears away, “Sorry.” I whispered.

    He cupped my cheek with his large, calloused hand and smiled at me, “No need to be sweetheart. You have no idea how much I missed that. I never thought I would feel those tiny arms around my neck again.”

    “Can I ask one more question before I get out of this car?” He nodded his head, “How did you guys find me?”

    “Luscious found you by sheer luck, after following you he ran into Eva and pulled her into it. Eva put a plan together quickly to get closer to you to make sure, but when she made the video of you fighting with your friend blind folded, she knew for sure without a doubt. The video was forwarded to Jake and he and Luca started putting the plan together to get you here. I was notified once they knew for sure you were coming and well here, we all are.”

     “And who is Luscious to me?” It was probably a corny question, but I wanted to make sure I didn’t leave any boyfriends behind or anything.

    He laughed as he hit the unlock button, “Don’t worry your brain with things of that nature right now. But Luscious is only your friend. A very good friend, as well as his wife Laney.” I reached for the door to open it and he grabbed my arm causing me to turn back around, “And one more thing, I hate to tell you this part, but it’s kind of important. You have to do this all quickly. Three weeks from tomorrow to be precise.”

     “Why?”

    “Let’s just say the wedding of a lifetime, and everyone in our world is requested to attend.”

    “Our world?”

    He laughed, “That’s enough for tonight. Now go, and I will see you tomorrow.”

    I stood in the road as I watched his car vanish into the night and I couldn’t help but smile like a kid on Christmas, I had a dad. A dad that supported and loved me, I had a dad.

    “Lee?” A deep voice rang out from behind me, and I turned quickly to see Luca standing there with his hands in his pockets.

     “Hi Luca.” I ran and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Thank you,” I whispered in his ear before stepping back.

    “For what?” He asked awkwardly.

    “For being you. I am not sure what your role in my life is right now, but I know you played a big part. And in case I forget to tell you when I figure it all out, I wanted to tell you now.”

   He laughed, “So I see you have already spoke to Abel?”

   “I have, and can you really call me Lee knowing my real name?”

   He ran his hand across the back of his neck, “I can’t really call you by your real name just yet. Not until you decide who you want to be. I know you as both people, but the girl standing in front of me right now is Lee, the lady I met last night with a friend of mine. Trust me, I pray I hear Sydney come out of my lips again one day. But I will wait to see.” He reached in his pocket and handed me a sealed envelope. “When you get to the end of your journey, you open that, but not until then. I know you will leave here tomorrow without saying goodbye to anyone, and no one will know you are even gone until you have already traveled a thousand miles away, so I wanted to make sure you got it.”

   I looked down at the envelope and then back up at him, “Seems you know me quite well.”

  He wrapped his arm around my shoulder as he led me toward the house. “Just know, we are all here for you and will support you, no matter the life you choose. But I understand why you have to do things the way you do on this next journey.”