18 THE TRUTH UNTOLD

*Diana's POV*

A lone teardrop fell from my eyes. I touched my face and was wondering why that happened. And why did he call me 'his child'. I wiped off my tears and acted tough.

"Who are you?" I said in a cold tone although I did not know him he seemed as if we shared some bond. He...felt like home to me.

"I know it must be too much to take in...I have been watching you for a long time and I have been waiting for this moment to arrive Diana."

"What moment?"

"I'm your real father Diana!"

My brain stopped working. I halted. I couldn't process anything. "What are you saying? How can you just come out of nowhere and claim that you're my father? Who the hell are you?" I wanted to walk up to him but I just couldn't.

"Remember the guy who saved you from your stepfather? You already have the mark on your shoulders. I wasn't a vague memory Diana. It was actually me who saved you that time. On your first day of high school, you were about to get into an accident but you didn't. I stopped the time for you. You knew something was wrong but just ignored it. You were really careless as a kid, I always used to come to your rescue even though they were small accidents they were really dangerous to me. I couldn't bear to see any scratch on your body. I was disappointed in myself when I came late that day. You already got that painful mark on your shoulder and I couldn't help you. As a father, I was disappointed in myself."

"You say you are my father and wouldn't let anyone scratch me? Then where were you when I was hurting here in the cottage? Where were you in the past few days when I almost gave up on my life?"

"I knew you would ask this to me...You came to your home Diana. Not only yours but the home of all Supernatural Creatures. It's a home for all of us! One must protect oneself without anyone's help. I wanted to but those were your tasks before turning into a strong and a reliable Guardian."

"Prove me that you are my real father!" I gritted my teeth as I spoke.

He came near me and held my hands. "Close your eyes," he said. I did. He took me back to our memory lane. I was there, the day I was born I was able to see my mother giving birth to me. She looked so happy carrying my little self in her arms. I saw my REAL FATHER among one of the nurses. I went to the day when I got my scar on my shoulder and saw that he was indeed the one who saved me and it wasn't a dream. I saw everything he wanted to show me. I was in tears. At last, he took me to the day where my mother and he were walking happily. They were walking and talking on the beach. I saw him proposing to my mother. She said yes! I have never seen her this happy. I went near her and tried touching her but couldn't because it was just a memory.

We came back and I saw him smiling at me. I could believe it now. That he was my real father! I lost my balance and fell to the ground I wanted to speak but couldn't find the right words to say how I felt. I couldn't control the lump in my throat anymore as I cried out in pain. My head was hurting to the point where I felt like I could burst anytime. I don't know why was I crying, why just why? Was it because of the physical pain or because of the deep emotions I was feeling?

"You are crying because of the pain you've kept inside yourself for so many years. You've forgotten who you are. You have become the person that everyone wanted you to be and in the process, you lost your real self. You show your emotions but they weren't real. You only expressed your emotions when you saw the people surrounding you were either happy or sad or when someone managed to hurt your broken self more. The only emotions you felt were anger and hurt because that is what you wanted to feel. You never listened to your own heart. You never expressed yourself. Instead of all these emotions, you had you wanted to cry genuinely. You wanted to cry when your father beat you, you wanted to cry when you left this town, you wanted to cry when girls bullied you, you wanted to cry when the people you loved and trusted started to hate you, you wanted to cry when your stepfather left you. Even though you hated him there was still a part of you that wanted him to stay, and above all, you wanted to cry out loud that day when your mother died because only you know that your mother died in your arms."

"Are you out of your mind? Just because I believe that you are my father now that doesn't mean you will say anything!" I was angry by his words but why did I felt like he was speaking the truth?

"You already know the truth yourself, Diana. You yourself are your own barrier. You are not letting yourself in! Try remembering what actually happened that day!"

As he spoke, I had this unbearable pain in my head and all the memories came rushing into my mind that I didn't remember having. I always had this hole in my memories and today it was filled. I remembered how my mother died and I felt my heartache.

I gritted my teeth and shouted "What's the point in crying when there is no one beside you when nobody wants to listen to you when you don't have a shoulder to lean on to. And what gives me the right to cry when I...I-I-I"

"SAY IT EVEN IF THE GUILT IS KILLING YOU! YOU REMEMBER IT ALL NOW SAY THE TRUTH!"

"What gives me the right to cry when I...killed my mother," I said with no emotions at all. I remember it all, how my mother died. It wasn't because she fell from the stairs and hit her back of the head and bled out to death. It was because she didn't agree with the fact that I was mature enough to make my decisions and go out alone! That's when I lost my anger and pushed her against the wall causing the back of her head to bleed and choked her as venting out my anger. I don't know why was I feeling so much anger. That was my first time reacting like that. I couldn't think of anything. At that time all I cared for was my anger. Which was vented out on my mother. She gasped for air but I didn't let her. She smiled and said, "I...guess it's... my time to go... as you are still weak and I… have already seen ...this moment where...eh my daughter...kills...me." I stepped back when I realized what I was doing. She fell to the ground. I pulled her in my embrace as I was frightened and said, "Mom I didn't mean any of this, mom don't leave me please."

"It wasn't... you who killed me! ...This is what I...bought ...upon me...it was the curse of marrying your father and have you!... You are special...don't blame yourself too much. I'll make sure you don't remember any of this...Don't hurt yourself okay?"

Those were the last words that came out of her mouth as her beautiful soul left this cruel world. I wanted to cry at that time but I wasn't able to everything became blurry and I fainted. I woke up a few days later and for a few days later, I woke up and out that my mother died and I had no memories of the night due to the traumatic shock I experienced. When I saw her reports it was said that she died because of the hit on the back of her head which caused her death. I was sad, depressed, and miserable, but I never felt the urge to cry because I knew how she was killed deep down. But all this time I didn't have these memories. I looked at 'my father' and asked "Why were these memories gone? Why didn't I remember this?"

He looked at me with sympathy and replied "It's because your mother already predicted her death. She already knew that you would kill her, but as a mother of course she can't let her child be unhappy for the rest of her life. She asked someone to erase your memories. Even though it was for a short while you were able to stay happy. But back then your mother didn't know that your memories would come back if you gain your powers."

I was at a loss for words, my mother was an angel and I killed her! How can I? I was feeling empty. I felt like a hollow human. It was at this moment I decided to die. I closed my eyes to avoid everything.

When he broke the silence "Diana it wasn't your fault that your mother died. It was because it was her curse. A curse for having the child with an Angel, me. A normal Guardian can't....no! Shouldn't fall in love with an Angel. But we did and it was a mistake. But that mistake gave us you! We were happy that you came into our lives, but happiness in our case didn't last long when we got another curse. I, myself am not aware of the curse. Diana after you gain your powers make sure to live safely. Before leaving I want to say one thing I,m proud that you are my daughter. Always remember that you don't open up to anybody and don't show your emotions on how you feel because you have darkness inside you. Just because you are a daughter of an Angel doesn't mean you are fully pure like one."

"Then what about the letter? In that, she wrote she died because I was weak."

"That was half of the reason why she died."

And with that, he vanished in the thin air. I stood there in the middle of the three pearls. I saw those little birds come to me. I fake smiled because they looked sad after seeing me. Unlike those humans and my uncanny emotions these three birds always understood me and were with me every time I was in danger, it's just that I noticed them later.

I was about to walk back when suddenly my watch buzzed. "My life is already a mess, who the hell set up an alarm in my watch? I turned it off when I noticed the time was 11:58 pm. I looked around and nothing was there and nothing was happening as well. I was confused. I looked back at my watch and the small hand of the clock just struck 11:59 pm and I felt the heat inside me. As if I was standing on burning charcoal. I was sweating. The area where I had my mark was blazing hot. The heat changed to a burning sensation when my mark almost turned blue. I winced in pain. I felt my legs giving up on me and cracking. Every bone in my body was breaking and I let out a howl of pain. I was lying on the ground looking at the sky all clueless about what was happening to me. The pain kept intensifying. My eyes had no more tears to shed now. My heart ached because of what I did to my mother and I was feeling all those emotions that I always avoided and wanted to avoid. More than physical pain my heart ached more today.

A real tear full of agony, pain, sadness dropped from my eyes as I said "I...miss you, mom!" This was my first time crying my heart out alone. I was all immersed in my mother's thoughts that I forgot I had the pain. Just as soon as a sharp electrifying feeling was felt in my whole body causing me to sit on and I saw some flashbacks of my mother and some other ladies doing something like magic and using their weapons. It was for a moment but I felt the power of the moment they were in. My hair turned white for a short while and I felt my vision stronger I could see the end of the forest whereas I was in the middle of it. The pain was gone.

I felt like I was born again. I looked at my hand and my Guardian mark looked more like a tattoo. The birds were dancing in joy. I stood up and I have never felt this good as how much am feeling now. I looked up in the sky and murmured "Mom, I'll do my best. If you are watching me now. I promise I won't disappoint you." I was about to go back to the camping area when I saw my archery set in the air fully polished and with the mark of the Guardian. I got a hold of it and was mesmerized by its black beauty.

I wanted to go back to the camping area but now that I saw my archery set fully new and polished, I wanted to practice. I whistled at the birds to follow me. I was shooting my arrows and I have never felt this stronger. I was reminded of a verse I heard when I saw the flashbacks I recited back "makári aftó to vélos na ríxei mia volída" I shot my arrow and it was actually a firey arrow. I was shocked but smiled. I was fascinated. I continued to practice when I heard a familiar scream from the back. "Why is it so familiar?"

I ran back to the area from where I heard the scream I was dazed by the view I was just witnessing. I saw a big huge monstrous creature snarling at someone. I moved silently near them behind a tree and saw the person on whom he was snarling at. My eyes widened as I mouthed "Emilia…"