Chapter seventeen

"Are you alright ?" Hardy asked holding my shoulders .

" Yeah ,I am ! I was admiring the beauty of your room!"I added sarcastically .

"In a week from today ,it will be our room !

Liza ,I love you and I can't wait for you to be my wife !" He said kissing my knuckles but I quickly stepped aside before his lips could reach mine !

"Hardy, I'm sure mum and your parents are waiting for us downstairs !"I said but the lust in his eyes were more than my words .

"Let's spend some time together Liza ..!"He tried to get hold of my waist but I moved away .

"We have years to spend time together ,Hardy !

For now , just wait for a week more and I will totally be yours!"I said with a smile exposing my dimples.

A week more to expose the truth that you are all hiding from me ! I thought before taking the lead downstairs .

Once we got downstairs ,fatigue was already setting in so I got a way to let my mum cut short her long talks with the Williams'

After which ,we left for our little cottage in the woods .

Through out the night ,I kept thinking about Clinton and his kisses .

I thought about him confessing his love for me but I had to find out the secret that all of them were keeping from me before my wedding .

Clinton was right ,my instincts were not deceiving me but instead they were cautioning me .

When I was heading towards the washroom earlier at the Williams' , I hid behind one of the pillars as a result of my long gown getting stuck to one of the stand lamps and in the course of removing it ,I happen to overhear everything they were discussing .

The wedding was just to cover up the truth that they were hiding from me . "What could that be ?"I thought feeling betrayed.

"Feeling betrayed ?!"The voice was familiar .

"Clinton!" I panicked and almost jumped out of the bed but he covered my mouth .

"Shh! Your mum might suspect something and wake up !"He muttered .

"What are you doing here and how did you get in here?!

Don't tell me aliens can appear anywhere at any time they want ,huh ?!

Do you guys do that ?!"I asked almost freaking out from a scare .

"Relax babe ! I can't make myself invisible ,alright ?

I don't know if some aliens do that but I certainly don't !

I only followed you and your mum back home.

I walked through the woods and entered your room through the window but you didn't notice my presence!

You know you have just one problem Liza and that is ,you don't pay attention to anything!

If you keep thinking like this , when you are disturbed ,it can be seen all over your face and that can raise suspicion!"Clinton said under tone .

"What do you mean by that?"Liza asked sitting up on the bed .

"Your mum and in-laws are contemplating about whether you suspect them or not and your disturbed face and reactions will surely prove their suspicions right !

You will have to be strong and react normally so that you don't raise any suspicions or doubts!

When you are talking to them ,look directly into their eyes and speak confidently.

When you bow down your head while talking to any of them ,it would surely prove that you don't trust or believe them.

One more thing ,you should learn to be cunning when you are among them.

Babe, I hope that I have convinced you enough !"Clinton kowtowed before her and kissed her knuckles .

"I still can't believe that my own family has betrayed me this way !"Liza said rubbing her hands in his hair .

"I warned you not to trust the people around you completely but you said they were family so I left the issue for you to deal with!"Clinton said the bitter truth .

"Well ! Hmm ! I hate to admit but you were right Clinton !

Nobody deserves to be trusted amongst them !

Thank you for everything Clinton ,I' m grateful for your efforts!"Liza kissed his cheeks .

"It's okay ! What are friends for ?"He said pulling my cheeks.

"Friends ?!" I asked astonished.

"Yes friends!" He said blankly ."Were you expecting something more ?!"He asked sitting up by my side on the bed .

"No ,I wasn't !"I said standing up from his side and tugging my hair behind my ears .

"That's a lie Liza! After kissing you ,you expected something more than friendship .

I love you and I won't deny that but my fate doesn't allow me to start a family with any lady and you are aware of that.

I don't want you to waste your life with me .

You will die if you ever think of getting involved with me and I don't want that at all!

It'd be better you live and I look at you always !"Clinton leaned his forehead against hers and they both silently listened to their heartbeats .

"Clinton,for years I thought I loved Hardy more than my life but ever since the day I met you,my life has drastically changed from good to better.

I told you that ,I don't know what this feeling is called and I wasn't telling lies . I can't explain this connectivity or bond that I feel each time you come close but I'm certain that it's love !

I don't need decades to realize this feeling .

Only a night filled with truth and honesty made me realize this feeling!

I love you Clinton and I'm ready to complete your fate with you regardless of who or what you are!

At least ,I know that you won't lie or keep secrets away from me like my family did!

They all made a fool out of me and got me involved in a marriage of their own benefits!

If this is what Hardy calls love ,then he is making a mistake!

Clinton,I know what I'm getting myself involved in so don't expect me to bounce back because I won't!

You and I can't explain this feeling but I know you feel exactly as I do for you!

Instead of running from our fears,let's fight it together !"I muttered while we silently listened to our heartbeats .

"Liza,I know ,but I can't risk your life for my happiness .

I 'm so sorry but you've got to quit your stubbornness !

Good night !"He left through the window without even a goodbye kiss .

I couldn't sleep through out the night ,I kept thinking about what Clinton told me.

I was disturbed but I was not ready to give up on Clinton.

I was determined to fight for our love without caring about the consequences. I loved Clinton over a night and this was not surprising because I had the revelation in my dream.

I guess it was the craziest thing that I'd ever done in my life .

"Save me ! save me !"She said . I walked forward and she kept going back .

"Please wait !" I said running after her.

"Who are you ?!"I asked as I saw the figure clearly standing in front of me after a long run .

She was tall ,beautiful and had an awesome smile .

She reached out her hands to me but I couldn't touch it .

I tried doing so but she kept drawing away from me .

"Save me !"She said vanishing into thin air.

I woke up realizing it was just another nightmare of mine .

[knocks on the door]

"I'm leaving for work Liza ! Take care !" I pretended to be asleep so my mum left not wanting to disturb me .

After she left ,I quickly woke up and thought about the nightmare I had.

This time ,I remembered every single detail and saw the figure clearly as well.

Nonetheless , a tremendous headache greeted me so early in the morning that I went to get some painkillers from my mum's room.

I searched the entire room but I didn't find the exact place that she had kept the painkillers .

I then reached out for her bedside drawer .

"Alien in worlds!"I read out loud finding interest in the book .

It was a book I found in my mum's drawer as I was searching for the painkillers to calm my headache .

It looked old and very dirty.

But my extreme interest got me to sit and began to read .

I was curious to know the content of the book.

My mum was not the type who read books so having this book in her room definitely meant that it was of great importance.

Maybe ,it contained some answers to the secrets they were keeping away from me ,I thought.

I sat down and read every chapter of the book and I was mesmerized by what I read.

"Liza ! What are you doing here?!"Mum asked once she badged into the room .

Scared as a rat ,I threw the book to the floor .

"I asked a question ! What are you doing here in my room with this book in your hand ,huh ?!

Give that to me !"She demanded raising her voice at me .

"No ! You've got a lot of explanation to do ,mum !

Today ,your secrets will come into light ! First tell me what the meaning of this is ?! "Holding the book in my hand ,I demanded answers to my questions .

"What are you doing with it Liza ?! Come on ,give it to me!

That's not for you to read !"She said trying to take the book away from me but I remained relentless to give her the book .

"No I won't until you tell me the whole truth !

By the way , I've read the contents so I need answers ,dear mum !

I've been surrounded by lies all my life but not today mum !

I simply want to hear the truth! For once ,to make up for lost times ,be honest with me !

Answer all my questions ,mum !

What am I ?! I said what am I ?! Can you answer me right now ?!

Please ! I'm tired of this pain !" I raised my voice at my mum; something I've never done .

"We can work this out Liza . Let's sit and talk !"Elisa said trying to calm her daughter .

"No I won't ! Because the only thing I want is an explanation from you !I want answers !

Aren't you tired of keeping me in the dark ?!

Come on! Answer me mum ! Don't just stand there and look at me !

I said what am I ?!

Tell me or I will just land this fruit knife straight into my heart !

Because death and being played for a fool are equal !

You're slowly killing me ! So I'd ask one more time Elisa Mardy Blaire and I want you to look into my eyes and tell me the whole truth about who I truly am !

What am I ?!" I asked , this time more louder with the fruit knife in my hands .

"Okay Liza! I'm going to tell you the whole truth!

But just calm down and look at me ! Put the fruit knife back into the basket and sit by my side !

You need astute ears to listen to everything I'm going to say !

Please dear ,listen to me this once and keep the fruit knife back at its position !"Liza did just as her mother wanted.

"Let's start now ..!"She said sitting by her mum .

"Centuries ago ,a outcast witch got involved with an alien and they started a family.

But those creatures which were formed from their family were nothing like humans !

They possessed great charming beauty which could kill any human upon just a first sight .

They were no where close to humans at all !

Upon seeing this charming beauty ,the head of the clan decided to continue the generation and generate more power from that .

It became a need to reproduce in other to expand our generation and our territory !

A girl born child from our clan was an alien witch and a boy was an alien wizard. This was as a result of the alien mating with a witch.

Witches were not in good terms with aliens so the outcast witch which got involved with the alien was cast out of her clan for good .

The alien brought his love who was a witch into his clan and she was accepted ."Elisa narrated.

"Mum! Who are Zubida and Dakai ? Why do you worship them ?

Don't jump this whole tale!"Liza said with a frustrating tone .

"This is not a tale Liza , it's our story ! Our clan story ! Zubida was the outcast witch and Dakai was the alien who got involved with her .

We worship them even after all these centuries because their sacrifice for love brought forth our generation .

The children which came out of their love story mated with each other to expand the clan !

As time went by ,they got tired of living in the dark and decided to move among humans to experience what light was.

They wanted to feel what it felt like to be accepted among different clans .

They wanted to feel the human world !

In order to do that ,a spell was cast between aliens and humans.

No alien could mate with human to reproduce a half alien.

It would be a curse and any alien that got involved will surely die.

When an alien dies ,he or she gets stuck on a bed lifeless for only God knows when because we live for two centuries and vanish into thin air after that .

They do not get rotten and when their time is due ,they disappear into thin air however they are not considered part of our clan anymore .

They are considered traitors of our clan and their names are cast out of the clan as well along with their entire generation ! "

"This means that Clinton's mum was an alien witch !

Oh my God ! "Liza thought .

"Some can come back to life only if ,an alien with their similar bond mark resurrects them!"Elisa added .

"This means that we can bring Clinton's mum back to life if we find an alien witch with her similar bond mark .Thank goodness , there's still hope !"Liza thought wildly .

"The clan was expanding and aliens had two centuries to live just like I've told you !

It would be a curse for the child if aliens reproduce with humans.

If an alien wizard reproduces with a human,his wife will die and his child would be left with the same generational curse .

If it's an alien witch ,she will die living her husband and child with the same curse.

On the part of alien wizards ,they lose their wives but the alien witches die living behind their husbands and children.

The child produced as a result of this curse,does not get the chance to start a family with a human or an alien because he's considered half alien witch or wizard.

He has human blood and that's a curse to him or her !

That was the rule to step into the human world !"Elisa narrated .

"I guess this is why Clinton is refusing to stay with me !

I'd die !

But why ? Probably , I'm an alien witch too !

What stupid rules ?!"Liza thought with spite .

"Alien witches and wizards have mating marks which others call bond of eternal marriage .

Even the half aliens do ! The mating mark is a mark at the right ankle of every alien witch or wizard.

It is the identification to prove that one belongs to the alien witch or wizard clan!

Just look at your ankle ,you have yours which means you are an alien witch!"Elisa said pointing to Liza's alien mating mark .

"The mating mark ensures that once an alien witch or wizard gets intimate with their kind ,they are forever sealed . You'd belong to your spouse till you vanish after living two centuries .

Alien witches and wizards can only mate with each other to bring forth a creature of our kind and continue our generation .

If an alien witch or wizard mate with human ,the mating mark seals you and so the people involved pay for the consequences of their actions .

Also after intimacy with a human ,a bond mark is formed right on your left ankle .

For this reason ,our clan heads get to know those who have betrayed the clan .

These were the conditions laid down in order for the aliens to live among humans.

We took their form and our beauty was reduced in order not to kill any human just upon first sight.

We behaved like humans and worked liked them.

We practically do everything as if we are humans .

Just like alien witches and wizards ,human aliens posses great charming beauty because of the alien blood running through their veins.

Some alien witches and wizards have mated with humans upon the revelation in their nightmares and they chose to live their cursed lives with humans instead of fulling their duties to our clan. Their children are living with a generational curse!"Elisa said with a dull face .

"Do you know of any , mum?!"Liza asked .

"I know so many but Hazel Tangles ' case was what hurt the most!

Hazel was my friend but she chose a cursed life with a human instead of a happy life with an alien.

She gave birth ,and I'm sure she is stuck in bed with her husband and child mourning for her each time.

Liza,you are not human so you can never get involved with a human.

Your fate is with Hardy !

When you were born ,the alliance was fixed so you can't back off from the marriage now!

It would be a disgrace to his lineage !"Elisa said persuading her daughter with tears .

"Did Hardy know about this ,mum ?"Liza asked passing a tissue over to her mother .

"Yes he did but that is not a good reason for you to stop this marriage ,Liza.

I didn't tell you earlier because I knew you would have never accepted it!"Elisa wiped off her tears .

"Is that why you wanted me to get married so soon mum?

Answer me mum! Don't be quiet about this!

It 's time that everything in the dark comes to light mum ,so answer my question !

Did you rush my marriage because you wanted Hardy to give me the bond eternal marriage mark ?

Tell me ,mum !Is that it ?!"Liza demanded .

"Yes Liza! We wanted you to get married without knowing the truth because we were afraid that you would call off the wedding !"Elisa spilled the beans .

"Yes mum! I will certainly call off this marriage because I'm not ready to live with liars !

I thought we were family ,I supported you and this is how you repay me,is it ?!

Mum,I trusted you blindly but you have betrayed me!

You have made a fool out of me !

You wanted me to get married to Hardy knowing very well how I hated liars!

I thought I loved Hardy but I was wrong !

What I felt wasn't love but mere lust mum !

That is why ,I will not continue with this marriage!

This is my final decision!"Liza said putting back her mother's book at its rightful place .