My breath froze in my lungs as I stared wide–eyed at the scene.
No, I wasn’t mistaken. It was very clear to me now. That was Penelope.
“Uh… Do you know her?” Jace asked in surprise, his eyes darting between me and the woman.
But I could hardly even hear him. Before I knew it, I was moving toward the group.
“Hey, Lyric!” Jace caught up with me, holding my wrist. “Calm down now will you? What’s going on? Did she offend you or something?”
“No! 1-“I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I was trying so hard to think straight. It was hard to do that when I was reminded of the kids I lost.
“I just need to talk to her. Right now.”
I fred my hand from his and continued toward the group.
I’ve been looking for her for five years. One might say it’s been a long time and the kids were already dead, but I didn’t care. I needed to know where my babies were buried. I deserved that as their mother.
Penelope had been a nice woman. She took me off the streets, gave me a place to sleep and fed me. Although, I didn’t understand why she suddenly went missing after I put to bed. But she had been a nice person.
“Penelope,” I called when I reached the group. She was laughing about something Jace’s mother had just said, and the moment they saw me, their conversation died down.
“Lyric, darling. Is there a problem?” Jace’s mother asked sweetly.
But I didn’t even look at her as I kept my gaze pinned on Penelope.
She looked better than she was five years ago. Prettier, hotter. She was holding hands with a man I assumed must be the Elder. He looked way older than her.
She must have gotten married to him of recent, because when I met her, she told me she wasn’t married.
“I need to speak to you.” It was all I could to keep my voice even.
She didn’t seem shocked. Then it dawned on me. She clearly didn’t know who I was. She only knew me as the ugly girl.
“Uh…who are you? And why would you want to see me?” She asked politely.
“She’s my friend.” Jace settled beside me. “Don’t worry, she doesn’t have any evil intentions. I’m sure she’s just…curious about something.”
I swallowed hard. I wouldn’t know what to do if she refused to speak to me. The last thing I wanted was to break down in front of all these people.
“Okay.” She nodded.
She followed me to the garden which was very secluded.
“So, what is this about?” She raised her brows.
At that moment, I was out of words.
For five years, I’d tried and failed to get over the death of the kids. Seeing Penelope now didn’t make it any better. Instead, I had to feel the pain all over–my panic when I didn’t hear my babies cry after I put to bed. I remember asking the doctor what was wrong. I was in so much pain I couldn’t stay awake, and when I woke up, they told me I had a stillbirth and Penelope had taken them to bury.
I remember going to her house but she never came. At a point, I was even worried that something bad might have happened to her.
“Where did you bury them?” The question came out without proper thinking.
She furrowed her brows, clearly confused.
“Are you crying?” She asked with surprise.
I sniffled and touched my cheek. Damn my inability to hold back ter
“It’s me, Lyric.” Another sniffle. “The scarred preg
Successfully unlocked!
Now it registered. She must know who I was by now because the shock that crept into her face was unmistakable.
“Ly–Ly–Lyric?” She stuttered my name.
I sniffled again as I nodded. “You remember me.”
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She gave me a head to toe stare, her mouth wide agape.
“What the hell,” she muttered. “You look…” she shook her head. “How am I sure this is you?”
“24th Maple Street?” I raised my brows, stating her address.
I still remembered it. It was the third place I’d gone to when I returned to the country. I was disappointed to find a new tenant there.
“By the hunts!” She covered her mouth with her palm. “It’s really you! How’s this possible?”
“Long story. I’ve been looking for you, for a very long time. What happened? I never saw you again after the hospital.” “Well, I-” she cleared her throat, her eyes blinking rapidly. “I–I got into some sort of trouble. It came urgently and I didn’t want to drag you into the mess with me.”
I didn’t doubt her. When I lived with Penelope, she always seemed like she was into some sort of shady lifestyle. She kept telling me she had enemies and all. But she was good to me.
So, she ran from the hospital because she wanted to protect me?
“Where did you bury the babies?” It was so difficult asking this very question, and I hated that I had to repeat it.
I didn’t even get to hold them in my arms. I didn’t get to hear them cry. If only… If only they’d just let me hear the sound of their voice before they passed on. If only they’d given me the satisfaction.
“Lyric, I’m so sorry,” Penelope said in a very soft voice. I realized it was because I’d started crying so much. “I’m sorry for what happened. After everything, I didn’t expect them to die.”
“Where did you bury them?!” I asked in a more pained tone, my sobs rising a notch.
It hurt. So so bad.
“I kept them somewhere safe.” She breathed. “I actually thought the pain would be less if you didn’t see them when you woke up.”
“Well, you were wrong. Because for five years, I’ve been looking for you. I’ve been… looking for them.”
“Gods, I’m so sorry,” her voice broke, like she really was. “If I had even the slightest idea, I promise I’d have come to you myself, Lyric.” She nodded. “I’ll take you to them tomorrow. Is that okay?”
“Wh–Why can’t it be today?”
She frowned. “Lyric, it’s getting dark already. And I can’t just abandon my husband. We have something important to do right now.”
Dipping her hand into her purse, she retrieved a pen and small piece of paper. “Here. Call me whenever you’re ready. I promise I’ll take you to them. They’ve been in a safe place, Lyric.”
She handed the paper to me with her number on it.
I sniffled as I wiped my face. She was right. It was getting dark already. I shouldn’t expect her to take me to a cemetery by this time.
“It was nice seeing you again, Lyric. Maybe we can catch up tomorrow.” She gave me a hug before parting.
For almost a minute after she left, I stayed rooted to the spot, still imagining everything to be real.
“Hey, what was that about?” Jace asked as soon as I returned to my car.
I couldn’t even say anything. I simply shook my head and went into the car.
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