“Who is Lauriana?” I get up from the dresser and join her on her bed. “You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I understand what it's like to have an untouchable topic.”
“My elder sister.” She breathes. My jaw drops and I don't try to hide how shocked I am, I thought she just had Adrian and Martin for siblings. “You have an elder sister?”
“Actually, three but they're all dead.” Her eyes begin to glisten with tears, I shouldn't have asked but I did and now I feel terrible.
“I'm sorry.” I say brushing her arm.
“I miss them so much.” She sobs, wiping the tears that fall. “Especially Catalina, she passed away two years ago but she was so amazing she always fought Adrian for me and he listened to her. My other sister Lauriana was the favorite around here.” She giggles.
“She was so beautiful and kind, good grades and good manners plus she had a way with people, Halsey wasn't so bad she was a great rebel Mom says when dad was still alive, he'd run after her day and night trying to fix problems she'd provoked instead of running the pack most of his time was spent on his children and back then, we had many attacks here.
You know what the worst part was? Lauriana died so young, at just sixteen years old, she suffered an unfortunate death on a camping trip with her mate who was five years older. The day of Lauriana's burial ceremony Adrian was enraged, the casket had hardly reached the ground when he annihilated her Mate, it was his first murder, and trust me it wasn't pretty.
It happened so fast and no one expected it you know, I mean who would expect an eleven-year-old to murder anyone at a funeral but he did, that was the day a ruthless Alpha Adrian was born, people who saw him do it say it was sickening, he didn't stop tearing that man apart even after he stopped breathing, he took his body parts apart and told them to burry him far next to her because she would have wanted it, to be close to him.” She sniff’s laughing. “Lauriana and Adrian were close she was that bridge between him and some sanity I guess that's why he used the shovel used to dig her gravel to murder her mate.”
I don't want to picture that image so I shake my head and wipe the tears on her face because there are no words to say, nothing that has rendered me speechless.
“From there, it seemed like a pattern, Halsey died then Catalina and now, my brother's worried I'm next. But hey at least Halsey and Catalina left us my nieces and nephew to hold while they watch over us from heaven.” She sighs.
Sweet of her, Mirabelle strives to see the bright side of everything. “I love that you always look for sunshine in the rain.” I smile at her.
“I wish Adrian could do the same, he never took their passings well. Every wound is so raw for him that's why he'll never let anyone get close to him. He is afraid of losing someone he cares for all over again.
It was overwhelming for him, dealing with his training and losing his sisters. That is why he vowed to protect his pack. If he hadn't given away our sister's to weak packs they would still be alive even though he was younger he made the decisions and mom made sure they were carried.
He holds himself responsible, so he does his best for Midnight Saints because he doesn't want anyone to go through what we did. Lauriana's death hit him the hardest she was his everything and her mate let her sacrifice herself for him, he watched her die and carried the news of her death to Mom like some reporter...wait why am I boring you with this story it's so sad come on do my hair now.” She sniffs, wiping every last teardrop.
“I don't know how to.”
“Neither did I until an hour ago give it a try.” She urges.
“How about we just cuddle instead?”
She opens her mouth to say something but pauses and laughs.
“You said you wanted to know me, right? ”
She quickly nods and I smile. “Well I'm going to tell you something about me, before and after Talitha.”
“Who is Talitha? You did mention her last night, a lot.”
I take a deep breath before I speak. “What did I say? ”
“Nothing, You averted the topic everytime I asked.”
I don't like to talk about her but Mirabelle has tried so hard with me, I feel like I owe it to her to let her know something that's affected my life and there's nothing that impacted me more than she did. “Talitha, just like her name was-no she is night. Even though she's gone now, I carry her with me everywhere.”
“Who was she to you? ”
“You know that friend who's like your twin?”
“Yea.” She nods.
“That's Talitha, she was....” I take a pause trying to find the right word, a more prudent word but there are no safe words when it comes to this story.
I'm telling it as it is.