OTNV Ch. 3 - The Matriarch (Part 7)

    Nove:

    It's safe to say that I'm content with my life at the moment. I have a nice place to live, and I've got a solid group of friends. I'm not really even an adult yet, and things are going quite well for me. 
    I've been in Romulus for several years now, since I was able to escape the prison in Waterloo village (with the help of 30). I was welcomed warmly into town, and despite my unique appearance, I feel that I fit in nicely. There's so many types of people in Romulus, it'd be hard not to find any others with similar interests. I find myself slightly on the quieter side, but there's plenty of others like that. Off the top of my head, 20 and 21 are pretty similar to me, 20 especially. We're both readers, I guess you could say. I grew up with it, and I'm assuming 20 did as well. My mother would read to me nearly every evening, and it's still a really large part of my life. I reminisce for a moment.
    My mother had such a sweet voice. It was soft and gentle, and I always felt warm and comfortable whenever she spoke. Just having her hold me and tell me everything would be okay made me feel at ease after a long day. My mom was just the best. Everything about her was so secure. I don't know what my life would be like if she was not present in it. She had hair that was smooth and chestnut brown. Her skin was soft, and she always dressed herself in light greys or whites. And although she was gentle, she was not fragile. Make no mistake, she was perfectly capable of defending herself. She had good strategy, and I think I picked up some of those skills from watching her. I've learned so much from my mother, and to this day, it's all still relevant to me.

    I know my mother so well... but... my father is a different story. The twins and I are in the same boat, as far as I am aware. The difference is that I'm not sure whether my father even knows I exist. On the contrary, 45 and 20's father, 30, is perfectly aware of their existence. But it's very weird because they don't know that 30 is their father. He's gone out of his way to not tell them.  Sometimes that makes it hard for me to talk to them, and a few of our other friends feel the same way. We actively talk to all of them but somedays it's hard to keep up with what's basically a trick at this point in time. I don't like to lie to anyone, especially my friends or anyone who trusts me. I'm not a rude person, and I don't want to hurt anybody. I mean, I've got my own things to figure out right now... but I hope 30 tells them the truth soon. There is no reason to continue making things so difficult. It would be nice for them to actually get to be a family and to have everything to be okay.

    45 and 20 have started searching for their father, when in fact, they're speaking to him nearly every day. I feel very bothered that he'd do that to his own children. 30 is a great guy, don't get me wrong, but it just doesn't seem quite right to me. I know he just wants to keep them safe, and I'm sure he was really affected by their birth... I know he just wants the best for them, but isn't there any other way?

    That mess of a situation leaves me with questions of my own. Where even is my father? There's just so much that I don't understand. I just think about how great my own mother was, and I wonder why my father never married her. I just wish I knew what happened. It frustrates me more than I show it. I hope, for my own sake, and that of 45 and 20, that we'll all be able to find the truth.
    
    I turn the page of my book and sigh. I've just been here, rereading an old favorite of mine by Agatha Christie. I'm glad I can just sit here and enjoy this. I live in a small home near the town center. It has mostly floral wallpapers, and the furniture all came from a dollhouse found during the initial construction of Romulus. All of the pieces were refurbished and polished. My home here is one of the only places that's decorated this way, and truthfully, that makes me feel very special -- as though it's all distinctly mine, and there's nothing else quite like it. 
    I just lie there on my bed for a few moments, not reading, just... staring. I look at my arms, also distinct and unique from the rest of society. I just think about the twins and all of the crazy, but yet still calm, social problems that appear to be swirling around and haunting my group of friends as if it were some kind of angry spirit. I must say, when I speak to my friends, it really is an elephant in the room. I just want them to know. But, I want the truth for myself, too. I have my own father to find. We all have stuff to figure out, I guess.
    I've decided that I'll start searching too. There's no reason to keep wasting time. We've all got our thing, our one big problem, and we all just have to get to the bottom of it. 30 has to admit the truth, or 45 and 20 have to figure it out. I have to find my own father, too. There's just so much left now to figure out... so many issues to resolve... so many truths to uncover. Seems it's about time we all set off on our own missions.

    TO BE CONTINUED