Tell Me Your Secret!

"Whether you try too hard to fit in or try too hard to stand out, it is of equal consequence: you exhaust your significance."

***

On the same morning that Artemis ached to talk to his Dad, a similar situation occurred at Katto's residence. Miraya has stood in front of his parent's room for more than 10 minutes. From standing to wandering around, she tried to find the courage to confess.

But through all the minutes going, the doubt was growing bigger on her. 

"How can I explain this?" she kept murmuring the same question since she's stood from the beginning.

"Miraya?" Marcella called her accidentally. Miraya then shifted her head around and, almost crying, so Marcella paced her step then embraced her directly. She knew that her sister was in a panic state. 

"Are you okay? What are you doing here?" asked Marcella through Miraya's shoulder. Instead of letting her go, Miraya tightened Marcella's hold for more.

"I can't do this, I'm so scared!" Miraya whispered, half crying on Marcella's shoulder. Marcella patted her shoulder gently tried to calm her down. She must endure panicking and overthinking things.

"Let's get outside!" Marcella took Miraya to their backyard garden, where she uses to plant and relax. She pulled her wrist lightly to her favorite swing and sat there.

"Now tell me what are you thinking?" asked Marcella kept her grasp on Miraya's fingers. Miraya's blurry eyes stared at her and tightened her grips.

"I'm scared of his disappointment. Did you see his glistening eyes when he thought Ariel as Artemis? It caught me off guard and deceiving him more. I just can't tell him the truth and make him mad." Marcella kept her voice off and let Miraya told everything she carried in her heart.

"I've been failing him for a very long time. And I just realize them now. I cannot do that for more," Miraya continued.

"How could you say like that? Dad and Mom are very proud of you. They will never think of you like that!" Miraya shook her head.

"No, they are proud of you. For your achievements and obedience. We're different, Cella." Marcella kept on denying her sister's thoughts about them. That was something irrelevant in her opinion.

"Mira, we cannot let this problem tangled our life for more. At the end, the truth will find its way out." Miraya bowed her head as if she regretted things.

"I've shouldn't see Dylan on that night. You are right, he's such a jerk!" Marcella only stared at her without judging for the mistakes she made. But Miraya kept blaming him and cursing Dylan more.

"He sold me that night as a bet with Artemis! I can't believe he did that to me!" Marcella widened her eyes in shock. Miraya did not reveal everything about that night's story so clearly. 

"That's a crime!" Marcella muttered shockingly. Miraya nodded and bowed her head again.

"I can't tell anyone because if cops find out, they will put me on a jail along with him. To be at the illegal racing has been a criminal itself and Dad surely is gonna be very upset on me." Marcella took a deep hard breath and glimpsed at somewhere else.

Miraya was right. It was not probably a good time to concede. Otherwise, they have to put all the story about that night seemingly. 

Marcella turned her head to Miraya and smiled faintly. They needed to back up each other whatever it took.

"Let's not talk about this today. I'll try to find a right time for it and I'll do the talking!" She said with a piece of courage that left for her sister to protect. 

As for Miraya, she stunned there staring at Marcella, who never stopped to be such a brave shield for her. She took Marcella into her warm embrace without saying anything. She knew she had to find another way to help; she could not just stay and see. Maybe Artemis could do something or even better to make the confessions together. 

BRAJAMOHAN'S MANSION

All odds were not stopping yet on Artemis sight right now. After witnessing his parent's actual behavior, Artemis now saw the fake sweetness between his Dad and mom that showed him during breakfast time. His Mom Lavender showed some intimate simpers to Ajax while serving him some pancakes.

"Do you want something, Honey?" Lavender interrupted Artemis, who has a blank mind for staring at the pancakes for too long. Artemis gasped a bit, then processed the question on his mom's expression for a minute before shook his head. But Lavender kept gawking at him as if she was reading something.

"Are you okay, Honey? Are you sick?" she still asked for being worried. Artemis kept on shaking his head instead of answering.

"When someone asks you a question, it is ill-mannered to respond it with head shaking like a stupid bubble head's toy. You must answer it!" Ajax uttered his curt acknowledgment towards Artemis while glancing at him. Artemis also put a glimpse to his Dad and answering Lavender eventually.

"No, Mom. I'm fine, thanks for asking." Artemis glanced at Lavender for few seconds before lowering his eyes to his plate again. Lavender then smiled vaguely and took butter for her pile. 

After finishing his plate, Ajax stood off and ready to leave for his work. But before that, he said few things that made Artemis doubt that he even his birth father.

"You should come for fitting suit at the boutiques that I ordered for you engagement's night. And I need you to get your ass to our company starting from today. I'll wait at the office, take your time, but not the whole day. Otherwise, I'm gonna ask my PA to drag you there!" Ajax commanded such a boss rather than a father. 

Artemis turned his eyes from pancakes to his Dad with a glare, but Ajax noticed him sarcastically. He didn't care and took his way out of the room. After unuse glaring towards his father, Artemis now turned to his mom.

"I've never saw him kissing you before he left. Is that normal?" Artemis was annoyingly asking at Lavender. She was dumbfounded and couldn't answer anything.

"I know there's something wrong about our family. Is there something that you both hide from me?" he demanded more reason that never came out from Lavender. She has a promise to keep to Ajax. 

"Nothing happens, Honey. Me and your Dad are just fine. Why did you ask like that?" Lavender replied as well as she could. But Artemis shook his head as he disagreed with her answer.

"I know you are lying, Mom." Lavender took a breath and lowered her sight back to the pancake.

"If I tell you my secret, would you say yours?" Lavender did not move her sight to Artemis as if she's not interested in the secret.

"Okay, I'll tell you what happened …" Artemis paused and closed his front body to the table.

"I'm switching my place with Ariel on the matchmaking!"