Page 103 of Fallen Thorns
Yeah, something like that.
* * *
Christmas came and went;Rani and Mars spent the days leading up to it ensuring I didn’t slip up and do anythingout of the ordinary.They promised me I was doing amazing, and no one would ever sense anything was different. The woman at the corner shop was adamant that I had grown even more in the few months I’d been away, and never failed to remind me of how much I looked likeJerry.The old Arlo got so overwhelmingly annoyed, I had to let him at least roll his eyes and thank her for the groceries but leave swiftly.It hurts mum to be reminded.
Every day I thought I saw him —Michael. Whether it be a feather fluttering past my window, the clang of jewellery amongst the trees, or his voice soothing my mind by the stream. I knew it was unlikely he had followed me, my trip was not important to him, but it brought me comfort to think that he clearly thought of me.
I was washing dishes when my phone rang. My mother was out; Mars lounged on the sofa, flicking through random channels on the TV while muttering to themself in Tagalog.
It was Marianne. The first contact I’d had with her since that evening…
“Hello?” I picked up, curious as to why she was calling.
The line was muffled for a brief moment, but then I heard her voice. “Arlo, are you there?” She soundedworried.
“I am. Yes.” Mars looked over at the seriousness of my tone, muting the TV and mouthing ‘who is it?’
‘Marianne,’ I spelt out slowly with my lips, holding the phone from my ear momentarily.
Mars got up and wandered over, hovering beside my shoulder.
“Marianne?”
“Arlo, is Mars with you?” Her voice was intensely unsettled.
“They’re beside me, yes.”
“Good. I need you both to come home right now.”
I can’t just up and leave.I put the phone on speaker and held it between the two of us.
“What’s wrong?” Mars shouted into the phone, casually leaning on the head of the kitchen chair.
“I need you both here as soon as you can.”
She soundedterrified.
“Marianne, is everything okay? Is anyone hurt?”
“Lucienne Dumont.”
It took a few seconds for it to click in my mind but Mars knew instantly. They looked up at me, eyes wide with all casual glimmer gone.
“Lucienne Dumont,” Marianne repeated. “That’s her name. Dumont. Mars? Mars are you hearing this? Lucy is Isiah’s sister.Twinsister.”
What?
“How do you know?” Mars started making fists with their hands; knuckles going stark white.
“I didn’t. Not at first. He never mentioned a sibling. I never suspected it. But after seeing how strongly controlled their minds were — Jade and the others — I couldn’t shake the hunch. And I finally found records. It took me a while, but I did it. I proved it. I found them…” she choked up and the line went fuzzy.
“Marianne?” Mars shouted.
The line cleared, and it sounded as though she was rustling papers. “Isiah and Lucienne Dumont, born on the twelfth of February 1801 in Versailles, France. It’s her. Mars, she’s here.”
“And she’s out for revenge. Come to finish what her brother started,” Mars finished off, staring out the window, clearly unsure of what to do next.
“How could I have been so stupid.” It sounded as though she was crying. Understandable, though, given the circumstances.
