Caitlin jolted, eyes widened as if she had just seen a ghost. The men looked at Nafeli and creased their foreheads. "Mom? You had a child, Caitlin?"
"N-no, she's my...niece...y-yeah. She's just used to calling me mom," she said, trying to dodge the bullet.
Nafeli clenched her fist as Avyanna looked at them. She was filled with pity for the young child, especially since she relates being denied as a daughter in the public as well.
This occurrence had made her mind flash with the memories she got since childhood. Even though she doesn't want these recalls to surge up her mind, it always goes against her will every time she sees something that causes her deja vu.
Witnessing these will recall the memories she was pained with. She can't bear to see another feel the same way as she did.
Avyanna rushed to Nafeli as her eyes started to go teary. It was such a harsh thing to say to a child. As soon as Caitlin saw her, she raised her chin. "Tsk..." she rolled her eyes.
"Hush, Nafeli," she said, caressing the face of the young child as she kneeled in front of her.
She tapped her shoulders and stood up. "Shall we go?" she beamed softly offering her hand for the child to take.
Hesitantly, Nafeli held onto her hands and looked at her mother who was intently glaring at her with a scowl on her face. Nafeli ducked her head low as her hair hid the face that held her broken expression.
She clasped Avyanna's hand and shook her head, with her face hidden under her locks, she pursued to move forward, away from her 'mother'.
Avyanna walked away as Narcester gently wrapped his arm around her waist and went away with them with no care about what was.
Tears fell from Nafeli's eyes as she started to clench her fists together.
Avyanna could only feel sorry for her, she stroked her hair and caressed her back softly. As the night had gotten late, Nafeli found herself into a shuteye.
"Her swollen eyes had finally stopped shedding unwanted tears," Avyanna said as she stroked Nafeli's hair that covered her face behind her ear.
"It's always no use to shed tears for someone so worthless."
Avyanna looked at Narcester who was standing behind her, looking at the young child lying in the back seat of his car. His voice was filled with seriousness, not a thing from it sounded nowhere falsely for Avyanna knew that what was said was true. She could only look at him and smile, she couldn't say any word like Nafeli, she shed tears on something so unworthy of it.
"Cry a thousand tears, shed tears of blood, may flowing gold streams fall from your eyelids, the person you shed it for will barely care. These people will only grow heads knowing how soft you are to cry for them. That is why many people have been taken advantage of."
Avyanna nodded, she gently closed the door of the car's passenger seat and slowly stepped towards the front seat. Narcester pulled on the handle as she entered, sitting down on the seat.
Silence is filling the car, and Nafeli is sound asleep whilst Narcester and Avyanna awkwardly stay silent. The road is empty and only they drove there, the sidewalks are empty and only street lights lightened the dark corners of the sidewalks. Avyanna fidgets trying to abandon the awkward silence but can't make herself talk or even so doesn't know what to talk about.
As they reached the mansion, still the awkward silence filled the surroundings. Ms. Aetos greeted them as she opened the door for the car to enter, Narcester strolled towards the car's passenger seat and reached his hands out to Nafeli who was still asleep so soundly. Gently, he wrapped his arms around the young girl and carried her into his arms. He took her into a guest room and laid her gently down on the bed. Avyanna who followed closely looked at Nafeli as her eyes glimmered showing her heartfelt pity for the young child.
"I'll tell Ms. Aetos to prepare a set of clothes for her. Avie, you should sleep," he spoke softly.
Avyanna was in a daze as she stared closely at Nafeli. Her eyes were still swollen and reddened because the tears she shed made Avie's heart weigh heavier.
"Can I..." she spoke underneath her breath, Narcester looked at her as his ears followed where the sound wave came from.
"What?" he asked briefly.
"Can I stay here with her? After what she witnessed tonight, I doubt her heart will just heal by tomorrow. I...want to comfort her, I don't want her to end the way I did."
Narcester looked at her sternly as he slowly sighed, "Do what you want. You have Ms. Aetos for assistance."
Narcester left and gently closed the door, Avyanna gazed at Nafeli as she strolled to the bed and sat down. She caressed the young child's face and stroked the hair that covered her face behind her ears. Ms. Aetos arrived with a pair of pajamas and handed them to her. They both assisted each other to dress the deep asleep Nafeli.
Night befalls, Avyanna woke up only to not find Nafeli beside her. As far as she could remember, she slept beside her, with her presence gone, Avyanna was in a panic.
She sprung up and immediately stood to search for where Nafeli was.
She gently tiptoed, afraid to wake anyone, especially Narcester, she made sure she minimized the noises.
"Nafeli?" she softly spoke.
No response but only dead silence, she felt nervousness rush in her as she slowly started to be frantic. She was nowhere inside.
"Where could she be??" she said to herself.
The cold wind blew from outside, the backdoor by the kitchen opened, and chills shivered down her spine. Could she have left? Where would she have run off to? Thoughts that made her nervous surged into her mind.
Rashly, Avyanna took a coat from the settee, wore it, and ran outside in search of the missing little Nafeli.
It was foggy and cold, compared to the cold breeze while when she was inside, the breeze from outside we're colder. It was chilly, but there's no way she'll let her temperature faze her. She still has to look for Nafeli.
"Nafeli! Nafeli!" she called but there was no response.
The front yard was silent, the garage too, slowly, she swerved her head to the direction pointed towards the garden area, and heard weak whispers of cries from a certain direction. Her worrisome countenance faded by bit as soon as this voice was heard.
Avyanna tried to find where it came from as it led her to a small area by the patch of the flowering bougainvillea trees.
Weeping, shedding tears, Nafeli rubbed her eyes repetitively in a rash manner. Avyanna tends to silence herself, but before she could have tried to stop herself from approaching, Nafeli had already noticed her and tried to hide from her.
"No need to fear me seeing your tears, Nafeli…" she slowly stepped forward and spread her arms wide open for her.
"Never hide your tears from me, I will be the fortress you'll run to as a refuge, I will be the one who'll embrace you when no one can. I will take your side in every battle." She calmly spoke sweetly.
Nafeli's tear slowly traced down her cheeks as it drooped down to her knees that she had been embracing as she sat all this while.
She averted her eyes on Avyanna and with those teary eyes, she faintly smiled, "How cruel can the world be to only have one copy of you who embraces me truly as is, even though we have only met a few days ago. How come, someone who bore me, the bearer of my blood, doesn't accept me the way you do?"