Chapter 10: Who I Really Am


    Gradually, Arda’s shock left her and she ced the phone back onto the table. It was barely touching


    the table when her phone buzzed with a call from her younger sister.


    Arda took a few more seconds to calm herself down before receiving the call.


    “Hey, sis.” she said.


    “You’re not my sister.”


    “What?”


    “You are not my sister and I think it’s about time you knew.”


    “Mabel, what are you talking about?”


    “Ask my dad and my mum.”


    Arda did not fail to notice how she stressed the word my in her statement. Before she could say


    anything, her sister was off the line.


    For a moment, she chose to believe that her sister was joking. Arda redialed her number and it kept


    ringing but there was no response. She decided to call her father who received the call in a single ring.


    “My dear, you’re still upte?”


    “Yeah, studying.” She responded. She didn’t want to talk about her problems.


    “Okay. Take it easy.”


    “I will. Where is Mabel?”


    “She’s around somewhere in the house.”


    “Look dad, I know that Mabel and I barely get along as siblings but she just said something nasty to me


    on the phone. Now, she won’t take my calls. I need you to tell her to stop. I can’t take her shenanigans


    anymore.”


    “What did she say?”


    “That I’m not her sister. She said I should ask you and mum. She’s just talking nonsense.”


    There was silence at the end of the line but she knew that her father was still there. So why wasn’t he


    responding? He cleared his throat and she heard Mabel’s voice in the background. “Tell her the truth


    dad, tell her. Mum, please tell her.”


    “Dad, I can hear Mabel’s voice in the background. What is going on?”


    Fear was slowly creeping up her spine. Her heart was beating faster than normal. She felt as if it was


    going to burst if it did not stop. “Dad, please tell me it’s not true.”


    She heard her father sigh heavily.


    “Sweetheart, this is not how I envisioned telling you about this but you know your sister…”


    “Dad, no. Please tell me it’s not true.”


    “Dear, you need toe home and I’ll tell you everything, but no matter what? You’re still our baby.”


    Arda felt like her head was about to explode. A dizzy feeling was threatening to overpower her and it


    felt like her body was struggling to hold her.


    “Arda.” She heard her father call her and it sounded distant because of the turmoil overtaking her


    senses. “Arda, are you still there?”


    Arda could not speak. Her eyesnded on her reflection on the mirror. Who the hell was she? She had


    to know. She couldn’t take all the secrecy anymore. “Sweetheart,” She heard her father say. “Are you


    there?”


    “I’ll be home tomorrow.” She said and ended the call. Then she felt tears filling her eyes and rolling


    down her face. She had thought that the breakup with Luke had drained her tears. She had thought


    wrong.


    Moving herself away from the dresser, she walked over to the bed, her hand covering her mouth so


    that she would not cry out and disturb her friends. They had already held her hand over one problem.


    She didn’t want them doing that again twice in one night. It felt like her life was a curse but not


    everyone had to know that. Not even her friends, not now at least.


    She climbed onto the bed, slipped under the covers and cried herself to sleep.


    Hourster when she woke up, it was to a new day. She sat up on the bed and instantly, memories of


    the previous night flooded her vision and she acknowledged the reality that was her life.


    She no longer had blood rted family. Her rtionship was broken before it could even begin and she


    had a stalker on the loose.


    The only important thing now, was getting home so that her adopted parents would enlighten her about


    her birth.


    Arda left the bed and began preparing for the weekend. She packed a bag and ventured into the


    bathroom to freshen up. When she emerged at the living room, it was with her packed bag.


    Arda was not prepared for the sight that greeted her eyes. She stood, trying to absorb the shock of


    finding her friends with their lips locked together at the entrance of the kitchen.


    When they saw her, they quickly disengaged, guilt covering their faces. Arda could not stop feeling


    betrayed. Luke had been right after all. And just when she thought that the surprises were over, this


    had toe up.


    She looked up to the ceiling. “God, please who did I offend?” she asked wearily. “Who are my


    ancestors? And who did they offend? Am I fated to bear some sort of consequence?”


    “Arda,” Jacob said so that her eyes fell on him. “Please don’t be hysterical.”


    “Hysterical?”


    “Perhaps, it’s a wrong choice of words but all I’m saying is that you should please calm down. We were


    going to tell you eventually.”


    Arda looked at Karina who nodded in support of his words.


    As she stared at them, she found that she was unable to decide if she was more angry than


    disappointed.


    “Luke was right after all. He was the one that told me.”


    “Arda…” Karina began.


    “Look, what I don’t understand is the reason for your secrecy. I mean, what are you both hiding? I just


    don’t get it.”


    “There’s a reason for that.” Said Jacob.


    “Oh please, spare me.” Arda said wearily as she headed towards the main door. “I’m going home.”


    “Arda, we’ll talk about this when you get back.” Jacob said to her. “Please don’t hate us.”


    “Go eat a rock, both of you.” Arda threw over her shoulder. Then she let herself out of the house and


    mmed the door shut behind her.


    Outside, the sun was starting to tear through the sky. It looked like the day was going to be warm and


    sunny. The atmosphere looked pleasant but Arda did not feel pleasant. She was slowly losing her grip


    on reality.


    She walked over to her car, threw her bag into the back seat, slid into the driver’s seat, started the car


    and drove off.


    On the city streets, she appreciated the smooth traffic. She could not wait to get home and find out who


    she really was or where she came from.


    It took Arda an hour’s drive across the city during which she crossed a major bridge that linked the


    smaller town where her family resided with the city where her school was located.


    Her home was one of the several rustic ranch houses seating by a quiet street. The houses were a bit


    far from each other andy behind a backdrop of trees and natural vegetation. It was easy to get into


    the woods from each home.


    She knew that her family was home as she spotted three cars by the house. She joined her car with


    theirs and when she stepped outside, she saw her family at the door. Her parents were middle aged


    and looked good but stressed at the moment. She guessed it was because of the present situation.


    The tension was obvious as they all stared at each other. Then her parents hurried over to her and


    hugged her. She couldn’t move.


    She turned her gaze towards Mabel who remained standing on the front porch. Without a word, Mabel


    turned and stormed into the house.


    Arda held onto her parents. She didn’t feel any different about them. They had raised her even though


    she wasn’t theirs and she had never suspected anything because of all the love they poured on her.


    “I still love you both, no matter what.” She said.


    “We love you too.” They both responded and Arda knew it was the truth.


    Later, they all sat inside the living room to listen to her father. Arda was seated beside her mother who


    was holding her hand.


    Mabel sat alone, looking bored as she toyed with her fingers. Arda’s fatherced his hands together


    and began to speak.


    “It was years ago but it feels like yesterday. My favorite sport is hunting. It’s kind of like a family thing


    and you all know that. So one night, I went hunting during a full moon.”


    Arthur shed back to the day he found Arda and remembered everything.


    ***


    Thest thing Arthur expected as he aimed his hunting gun at a deer was to hear the cry of a baby.


    Under the re of the full moon, amidst the sound of chirping crickets in the forest, the animal stood


    beside a tree,pletely oblivious of his presence and the danger he posed for it.


    Arthur was about thirty-five years old and of average height and blessed with a kind face. Between


    keeping his gun aimed at the deer, he wondered how a baby coulde to be in the woods in the


    dead of the night.


    Perhaps, the baby’s mother was with it, he thought or maybe they were lost. Whatever the case, he did


    not appreciate the distraction.


    The deer he had in his sights was plump and he could already picture the savory meal it would make.


    As he kept monitoring his impending kill, it became obvious that the animal could also hear the baby’s


    cry.


    It craned its neck, looking like it was trying to decipher the direction of the sound. At the same time, it


    was turning its back on Arthur. Then it leaped forth into the bushes but not before being struck on its


    nk by a bullet from Arthur’s gun.


    The deer let out a yelp of pain and Arthur watched it blindly gallop forward and sh headlong into a


    tree. It staggered backwards, only to hit another tree before tumbling sideways, frantically kicking out


    its limbs for a bit and finally going numb on the grassy ground, blood seeping out of the smoky hole


    from the gun shut.


    Arthur could still hear the baby’s cry and it wasing from the direction ahead of him where the deer


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    currentlyy. Holding onto his gun, he hurried forward, following the desperate sound of the baby’s cry.