“Why’d you call a family meeting?” Greta questions. She can’t keep the annoyance out of her tone. Afterall, she had just gotten home and immediately corralled to the table. Bell can’t blame her. She’s also wondering why this has to happen so suddenly.

Her family tree project triggered her mom. But why? Has the guilt of keeping secrets finally gotten to her? It is hard to decipher. Her mother has always been good at having a poker face. Or maybe she never had one and just tricked their minds into thinking she did.

This is so complicated.

They are sitting at their round table. Her mom is across from her with Greta to Bell’s right and her dad to her left.

“There’s something I need to tell you all.”

While both Bell and Greta know of at least one secret of their mother——that Bell has a soulmate and their mom erased that piece of information from everyone, their father has no idea. And then there is the fact that her mom’s soulmate isn’t Hai. Bell feels bad for him. This will all feel like an incoming truck headed towards him with no previous knowledge.

“You can tell us anything,” Hai says, taking one of Wren’s hands. Bell winces when her mom takes her hand out of his grasp.

“I appreciate that, but this won’t be easy for any of you to hear.” What does that mean? Bell thought she already knew the worst of it. Sure she figured there was a missing piece, it couldn’t be that bad. Right?

Bell wishes Cross could be there with her. His presence just calms her in a way she never knew any person could.

“What is it Mom?”

Wren is fidgeting with her wedding ring. It’s a habit that she did when she became stressed. Her mom turns towards her dad, speaking directly to him. “When I met you, you were perfect. Still are. You were a gentleman. Kind. Sweet, just like our last name. I was so excited because I just knew we were soulmates. We had to be. You were any girl’s dream guy. And you were mine. Except when we touched for the first time, neither of us lost our powers like soulmates should.”

Bell’s heart breaks for her father. His eyes get comically wide and the shock is evident. “What? I clearly remember—“

“Let me finish please,” Wren cuts him off, pleading with him. His mouth shuts but a new look glazes over his eyes. Betrayal. “I was a young girl with hard to please parents. If that’s any excuse. They liked you. I loved you. So I changed your memory.”

“Wren…”

“I know. I had no right. I thought I did the right thing at the time. And when we had Greta, I was even more sure of my decision. The regret felt less and less as time went on.”

Greta glances at Bell with sad downturned eyes. She takes her hand under the table and clasps it tight. Even though she knew this, it didn’t hurt any less to hear about her mom’s lies.

But her mom wasn’t done.

“Then I went to on my friend’s combined bachelor and bachelorette party one town over. I met a man from the groom’s side. Arlo. Immediately I felt a pull to him. I didn’t know why. I assumed that he just reminded me of you and I just missed you. But it was more than that. When I dropped my purse, he helped me with my things and our hands brushed together. Instantly, the noise of everyone’s thoughts quieted. I was so overwhelmed by finding my soulmate. I did something that wasn’t fair. Wasn’t right. To you.”

This part is the thing her mom left out before. But it still didn’t fall into place for Bell. Her mom’s words hung in the air, heavy. With her dad’s hurt increasing tenfold, there must be something that she doesn’t get.

“How long ago was that?” Hai asks, voice layered in emotion. To his credit, he stared right into Wren’s eyes and doesn’t shy away even though he probably wants to.

“17 years ago,” Wren replies quietly.

That number hits Bell like a tornado or a tsunami. Or all the natural disasters clumped into one. The missing puzzle piece falls violently into place and the meaning becomes clear. _She _is_ _17 years old. _17_.

“Mom, what are you saying,” Greta questions, not having caught up with Hai and Bell yet. If only Bell could go back to that point. The point before understanding.

“I don’t regret it. I just regret what I did after. Two months after that I realized I missed my period. I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. While there was a chance the baby was yours, I knew the timing made more sense with Arlo.”

Bell feels her world crumble. The brick tower in her mind that held her sense of self just crashes to the ground. Her mom’s deception ran much deeper than what she originally thought. How could she keep this from her? This is her life and she feels like she never owned a second of it.

All of it was fabricated by her mother. Thinking she didn’t have a soulmate. Feeling like she was weird for not having powers or a soulmate. People judging her for that. Living this happy life with a happy family.

It was all a lie.

Maybe Wren read her mind or guessed what she was thinking because she covers Bell’s shaking hands with her own. “I need you to know, Bell, that I do not regret having you. You are not a mistake. I do regret how I cowardly and cruelly passed you off as Hai’s biological daughter. I should have been honest with everyone involved.” Her voice quivers just like Bell’s entire core is doing.

Hai is quiet. Bell isn’t sure if she’s impressed or scared by that. Her father always lifts the mood, but now he’s silent.

“Does Arlo know? About me?” She finds herself asking, though she doesn’t even know how she has the brainpower to form words right now.

Her ability to speak to her mom must have encouraged Wren because she gives the smallest hint to a smile. A ghost of one.

“Yes. He agreed with what I thought was best. I send him regular updates about you.”

So she could be honest with him. But not her own daughter.

Was Arlo just fine not being in her life? To have another man be her father?

Bell doesn’t even know what else to do or think anymore. Her mind is exhausted. Her emotions are spent.

“I think you and Dad need to have a talk. Without me or Bell,” Greta suggests, already standing up from the table and guiding Bell up. She barely registers her sister——half sister’s words.

As Greta drags Bell up the stairs to her room, she could hear the beginnings of their conversation.

“Why now, Wren?”

“I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t say it right now.”

Their voices get muffled as they get to Greta’s room and lets Bell take a seat on her bed. “Bells? What are you feeling?”

She has to place her palms flat on the bedding and concentrate on the texture of it. Picking at the loose threads, she shrugs. “I don’t know what to feel. My whole life is a lie.”

Greta kneels in front of the bed, staring directly at Bell’s watering eyes. “No it’s not. I’m your sister. Dad is still your dad. Just because he biologically isn’t your dad doesn’t mean he isn’t yours. He raised you alongside me. We’re still your family.”

Bell lets the pep talk sink into her mind. It makes her feel a bit better. Everything Greta is saying makes logical sense. But her doubts and betrayal won’t go away because of sense. But she does appreciate the effort. At least there’s someone she doesn’t have to question their intentions.

“I know. I just don’t know what to do,” Bell confesses.

Being the comforting sister that she is, Greta doesn’t push anything. She just lets them sit like that in the quiet. Bell really needed that. To mull over everything that transpired.

There’s a silent strength between the two of them. They’ve always been able to read each other as if they were twins (even though now they find out that they don’t biologically share both parents).

“Why don’t you go over to Cross’? I’ll cover for you with Mom and Dad,” Greta says, handing Bell her phone that she hadn’t realized that she didn’t grab before going upstairs.

Throwing her arms around her sister, she takes this moment to truly appreciate Greta. To know that in this time of doubt that her sister is her rock means the world to her. “You’re the best.”

Greta gives a chuckle and pushes her towards her window where there is a tree with easy branches to climb down. “Yeah, yeah. I know. Tell Cross I say hello.”

When she lands on the ground after a near fall on the tree, Bell glances at her home. It looks completely different than this morning before school.

It used to be her comfort place. A safe place. But now….she doesn’t know.

———

(I start school tomorrow or today when some of you may read this, so I’ll probably slow down on posts. Or maybe not…depending on how crazy school makes me feel.)