The Perfect She |Completed|

71. Optimists Live Longer | scene 74

Posted Sept. 5th, 2020

I initially just wanted to ask Calumn about the woman in no uniform who was talking about Autumn Air when we were going outside.

I didn't mean for it to escalate to something more, or to lead to me going outside.

This time, when I asked him, we weren't tucked in bed. We were in front of the window in our room, watching the calm and sleepy world. It was about almost midnight. Lucy had been tucked in bed a while before.

"a woman was talking about me." I whispered in the window. "who was she?"

I couldn't stop myself from thinking fi we didn't look suspicious. Wasn't The Man Behind The Cameras smart? Wouldn't he know if that we're suspicious when we go there ? something had to give us away? Maybe just the fact that he can barely hear us.... ?

Either way, I wasn't complaining. But my gut instincts were telling me its strange. Something wasn't sitting with me.

"your stepmother."

I frowned, feeling my heart drop to the floor. A stepmom? When had that happened? I never got any flashback of her.

But when she met my eyes, I did. A couple of memories passed in front of my eyes. One where she was in the kitchen, one where she brought me dinner, one where I helped her cook. And a few more where I yelled at her, and she cried. Was my bad behavior justified?

I watched something pass in front of her eyes too. She smiled, and her eyes straight lit up and became very happy. That gave her away as not one of Blake's minions. the second thing was her attire. She wasn't in white like his fake nurses, or Calumn's deep blue's uniform. She was in green cargo pants, black boots, and a tucked in shirt.

The view unsettled me. And a few seconds later, o realized why. I had only ever seen her in dresses. The woman could fight?

"stepmother?" I breathed. I tried to not let my voice give away my heartbreak and pain. but even as I spoke, I heard it. raw and clear as the light of day.

Calumn looked at me. "she might not stay forever?" he said, with hopeful emerald green eyes. His eyes were shining in the moonlight. Not only it made his eyes even more beautiful. But it also displayed well his care, and affection. I could tell he really cared about my wellbeing. And it was deeper than a need to keep me safe.

"Depends if your real mom comes back. I think you knew that." I snapped back to earth just in time to hear his words.

"who is she exactly, though?"

Calunm turned his face away. But I didn't miss the air of longing in his face. "A good person. Like a mother to a lot of people. She cares a lot, and she fights for those she loves."

Then he put an arm around my shoulder, and I knew the conversation was done. We had talked too much, already. The man must have been watching us the whole time. And the fact that he couldn't hear must have made his veins pop out.

The man had severe anger issues.

"if it goes well, we're fighting our way out tomorrow."

My eyes widened, and I gripped the bottom pf the window harder. Getting out ? performing my surgery to be sensitive?

yes! I thought, looking at couple walking outside, the misery was almost over.

I didn't know at the time that my curiosity would ruin it. when I felt Calumn fall asleep, I carefully got out of bed, put some shoes on, a jacket to cover my bare arms- it was chilly- and opened the front door.