Legacy of Dolyn

by Amelia Guillem

  It wasn’t until over six months that I heard from him again. And so, I gave in. I missed him, and I didn’t want to lose him. He was the only one who paid attention to me, after all. He was also the one I lost my virginity to. I knew I was doing wrong yet I wanted him. This event will repeat in secrecy for the following year to come.

  Forwards to the week before his wedding. I decided to end the affair. I didn’t want to be the other woman continually hiding from the public. I told him this, and he didn’t take it well.

  I told him every night we spent would not be wasted. He needed to focus on his upcoming marriage and future children. I know what is like being without parents. It wouldn’t be fair. Yet, he persisted. He told me he didn’t give a shit. I was so mad. But it wasn’t typical anger, but one stemmed from rage hidden inside my core.

  He slammed me into a tree and pressed as he laid his drunken lips on mine. I never expected this to happen. He gripped my wrist as I tried to fight off with my other hand. Since it was late at night at the park, there wasn’t anyone around to help me. I was feeling hopeless.

  That’s when it happened...

  A sudden fireball came out of my hand and set him on fire. He was engulfed in flames, top to bottom, screaming in sheer agony. I watched with my eyes in horror. I didn’t know what to do. There wasn’t a body of water nearby. I ran instead. He deserved it but not like this.

  Two weeks later, I was taken by the police and later sent to court where our secret affair got exposed. His family demanded capital punishment on me. That’s how many witches got punished in history.

  But lawyers spent months trying to figure out how did it happen. Nothing happened. I’ve heard he opened his eyes. He spent months in a coma. When he tried to speak, he died. The judge decided it was pointless to continue the trial and closed the case. I was let go, sure, yet some people angrily threw themselves at me like his fiancé did.

  People have seen me as a threat since the case. They ran in panic as soon I entered an area. Social media sites demanded my execution over and over. It was horrible.

  I didn’t understand how it happened. How in the world did I unleash a fireball when I never did any training?

  My roommates kicked me out with many of my belongings. I begged for help from them and my aunt. Both refused, and I ended up homeless. People were giving me an evil eye, so I had to hide where I was less likely to be beaten up.

  One day, a model whose friend with one of my roommates saw me and decided to help despite protests. She told me she was moving to Moulin City because her agency sent her there. She also said her brother would give me a job with the police department since he’s a cop there. So we moved, and I got the job. But she was getting caught in rumors because of me. I had to move out for her sake.

  Luckily, I found a cheap room. I told my roommate this, and she was sad. She said rumors didn’t bother her and losing friends wasn’t a big deal. But it was to me. It was because of me she lost her friends. I finally moved to the room where I met my new roommates. Thankfully, they knew nothing of my incident or the trial.

  The rest is history...

  Date: October 24

  Time: Afternoon

  “That’s messed up,” Maury said. “The reason you got kidnapped was due to the incident, even though it was accidental.”

  “Maury,” I paused, “I’m scared the same thing is going to happen again. You’ll be caught in rumors because of me!” I cried tears over his T-shirt.

  “No, don’t be scared.” He assured by wiping my tears with his finger. Such kindness...

  “He’s right,” Gwen agreed. “You were alone, and now you have us. If we get caught, we strike back. A goddess needs her bodyguards.”

  “Huh?” I puzzled.

  “She’s right!”

  Whoa, there! His eyes sparkled.

  “I haven’t thought of this before. In this case...” He holds my hand and leans forward making intense eye contact. My face is so red. “I swear I’ll protect you for the rest of my life!”

  “Wait, Maury! I never said you’d be...” Too late he said it. I never gave him permission to be my bodyguard. I mean, he should have a life of his own... Oh, never mind. My heart is beating out of happiness so fast that I can’t help but smile.

  “That’s so beautiful! You have a brave, shining knight of your own. Just like how I found a shining knight who later became my loving husband.” Now it’s Gwen’s eyes that sparkle. “Please say you marry!”

  Our faces are so red, no words can’t describe how deep red we are.

  Month Nine - November

  Date: November 1; Time: Afternoon

  Things haven’t been easy since the day I’ve been rescued. News from all over the world keeps talking about the incident non-stop. It’s insane. However, none of them mention me or my name. The reporters did comment on the sorcery part though.

  They mention theories, but all were dismissed by skeptics. Between this, the fact I’m a goddess reincarnate, and the God of Darkness attacking, I haven’t been able to sleep right. I’m so full of anxiety. We all are. How can we rest knowing this truth? That the end would happen at some point? We couldn’t even celebrate Halloween, which was my favorite time to dress up and drink.

  The thing we can do now is live our lives.

  That’s all we can do.

  “Look at these social media hashtags,” Aster said. He looks at his phone to see disturbing tags that I will not mention here.

  “The news is treating this like entertainment. Do people want this?” Agnes asked. “This is horrible.”

  “It is what is. Even in our time, it wasn’t any different. The only difference is the lack of technology,” Aster explained.

  Maury remains quiet with his hands in prayer position. I could nudge him but I rather not. He feels the same anxiety we do.

  “Guys, try to cheer up,” Gwen said. The four of us have been sitting on the sofa for hours. We ate breakfast this morning, but we didn’t watch movies. We sat to look at social media news instead.

  Agnes’s phone rings. She gets up to respond. “This is Agnes... Yes... I see... Thank you. I’ll return tomorrow... Yes, see you later.”

  With a press of the button, she hangs the phone. “That was the university. The police concluded their investigation and will stop visiting the school. This means I’ll be returning tomorrow.”

  “You’re leaving?” I asked.

  “Yes, Aster will come with me naturally. Though I won’t be able to teach until next semester.” Aster stays silent. He isn’t sure how to respond to this.

  I handed Gwen to Maury so I can stand up. I take my steps towards Agnes and hug her right away. I don’t know. I just had this sudden urge to hug her. Not only I do, but I also ended up crying. Is this my way of telling her not to leave?

  “Glen, don’t cry. It’s not like we’re not going to see each other ever again. We have our contact info, and we can visit too.” Agnes returns the hug and strokes my hair. She’s been so kind and understanding ever since. The fact I was nasty to her is now a thing of the past. But she has a life of her own and to hold her down would be selfish.

  I look at her. My face is red with tears. Agnes pulls me closer towards her. The others can only observe without saying a word.

  Date: November 3

  Time: Afternoon

  I received a text from Agnes this morning. I opened it up without delay.

  ***

  Are you busy right now?

  There’s this place I want to take you.

  I’ll be there to pick you up if you say yes.

  ***

  It looks significant, so I replied “yes.” Agnes responded she’ll be there in a few. Maury and Gwen will be coming with me. But Gwen must stay inside the bag for obvious reasons.

  After a long drive in Agnes’ car, we arrived at some place. It looks like a laboratory of some sort.

  “There it is, Simona City DNA Center. I thought about this last night, and I discussed with Aster. He a
greed we should have you examined here,” Agnes said.

  “She made the appointment as soon she told me this,” Aster added.

  “Glen, given your situation, isn’t possible that you are Gwen’s descendant?” she asked. Gwen is shocked as I am too. I thought of the possibility, but I don’t think it will be feasible. Besides, how is that going to be possible? Gwen’s human body has been dead for centuries.

  “Um, Agnes, getting Glen examined is unnecessary. Just because she’s a reincarnate doesn’t mean she’s my descendant. She just happens to be.”

  “You never know, Kitty,” Agnes said then shifts towards us. “Don’t worry about the payment. I have it covered. The scientists there know me, so they gave me half price when I told them it’s for my friend.”

  “Is this the place where you got tested for royalty?” I asked.

  “Actually, my father did. He tested on me and my sisters when we were little. And it turns out we are direct descendants of the Simone royal family. I used the research results to locate other relatives when I wrote my thesis.

  Our family is split into two camps: the direct descendants and remote branch. It is known fact families who are direct descendants get preferred treatment. You may have heard of scandals with distant members attacking direct descendants.”

  Yes, I’ve heard of said scandals in pop culture. Lawsuits are constant. Each member of the branch family demanding recognition (and compensation) from direct descendants. The Simone family has always been plagued by scandals.

  “So, how is this testing done?” Maury asked, returning to the topic.

  “Blood and a cheek swab,” Agnes replied.

  “Cheek swab?” I asked.

  “Yes, they take saliva from the cheeks. It’s the fastest way to get results.”

  “Can you take saliva from my cheeks?” Gwen asked.

  “Sorry but you’re a cat, Kitty. It doesn’t count.”

  “Aww! I’m amazed technology allows for easy recognition. There was no way to tell before then. Right, Aster?”

  “Yes, though the easiest way to tell was through the mother. And even then, not so much. There were too many abandoned and orphaned children.”

  “Is there any other way? Other than blood and saliva,” Gwen asked again. “How about using something like hair? Or maybe an item like my Book of Spells?”

  “Hair rots and fingerprints don’t count in DNA testing. Even if someone used a hairpin, it still wouldn’t count. Take this hairpin for example.” Agnes shows us a picture of an old hairpin from her smartphone. “This pin had oils and fingerprints, but they rot too quick. That’s why blood and saliva are used in testing. They have a longer shelf life.”

  “Can I see it?” Aster asked. His eyes widen upon seeing the picture. It’s a long golden pin with butterfly shape on the top. “I know this pin. I gave it to Lizabeth the night before her wedding.”

  “WHAAAAAAT?!?” Gwen, Maury and I shouted at the same time. Agnes’ eyes widen at the same rate.

  “It’s true. I found it in a market for a good deal. On the same night, I climbed up her window and gave it to her as a wedding present.”

  I gasped. I couldn’t believe this. Go, Aster!

  “Did you make out that night?” I asked with a nudge.

  “No, I couldn’t anyway,” he said with a blush.

  Hehe! Aster is so cute!

  “Hey, turn into Liz so she can confirm this.” I egged Agnes a bit to see if she turns into Liz. Agnes looks at me and shakes a little. “No, I can’t. Not in public.”

  What the heck I was thinking? Getting Agnes to turn into Liz would freak people big time. I must keep my lid on things. Stuff is already hectic as it is.

  "Could you send the photo to me?" Aster asked. I expected this from him. How could he NOT want the photo?

  "I'll send it later," Agnes affirmed.

  I want Agnes to send me the photo too.

  “Should we go inside?” Maury asked. We’re tired from standing, so we agree to go inside the building.

  Agnes greets the male scientist, who chats with her to catch up on things. Meanwhile, Maury, Aster, and I sit in the waiting room. Time flies slowly.

  “Who is Glendolyn?” asked the scientist.

  “I am,” I said indifferently.

  “Agnes told me about your arrival. Come with me so that my assistants can ask you some questions. Afterward, I will collect saliva from your cheeks, and it’ll be done.”

  “Will I get my results right away?”

  “You will get preliminary results up to five generations. Your full results will be given to you in two weeks,” the scientist replied. I’m shivering a little.

  The scientist takes me to a room where an assistant asks me questions about my name, age, date of birth, and more. The assistant then escorts me to another room to extract saliva from my mouth and place it inside a tube.

  “And done,” he said.

  That was quick. The scientist told me to wait in the waiting room. After an hour of waiting, he gives me the preliminary report. Even partial, the file is lengthy. It’s hidden inside a large thick brown folder. “Aren’t you going to open it?” Aster asked.

  “I don’t want to open it here,” I said, shaking my head and holding the folder tight. I’m nervous as hell because I’m scared to see what’s written.

  “Let’s go home,” Maury said.

  “I agree, it’ll be easier there,” Gwen added.

  We rush to Agnes’ car so we can hurry back to my place quickly. I didn’t want to open with strangers around me.

  After arriving back, we rush to sit on the sofa. I open the envelope and slowly pull the report as my brows furrowed. My hands are shaking.

  “It’ll be alright, Glen. We’re going to read the report together.” Maury rubs my back for reassurance. I notice Aster and Agnes getting closer, and Gwen popped on my lap. I’m not the only one nervous about the results.

  I tried reading it, but my voice stuttered. I asked Agnes to read it for me.

  “This initial report goes back to five generations. The first-generation spans over 100 years ago.” I notice her face resolute as she reads the delicate details.

  “She married... and they were...” she mumbled.

  “Never mind that! What about me?” I demanded.

  “Gwenevere Guillem...” Agnes muttered.

  “You seem to be fixated on the name,” Aster said.

  “Is there a reason?” Maury asked.

  “Grandma...” I whispered.

  Agnes gasped. “You are...” Maury and Aster look at Agnes. “Sorry, I got distracted. Mrs. Guillem was a famous prima ballerina dancer. I’ll tell you later.” Agnes continues reading the report. The family tree goes further down to me. I’m an only child, so I have no siblings. The names of my mother and father are listed.

  Wait a sec? My mother had a sister?

  I remember seeing an old photo of grandma with my mother when she was little. There was another small girl in the same photo. I asked my grandma about her, but grandma got upset and demanded that I never ask again.

  But what about the aunt I lived with when grandma died? Wasn’t she my aunt? Oh, wait! My grandma was married to someone else before grandpa and had a daughter. This means who I thought was my aunt is my step-aunt. No wonder we never got along.

  I wish I can meet my real aunt... and she’s dead. What a bummer! Such a misfortune...

  My real aunt was married to my uncle, and they have a child, a son. My uncle is dead too, but the child isn’t listed as deceased.

  This is it! I’m going to meet my cousin. He must exist somewhere in this world. I’ll travel the planet if I must!

  Let’s see... my cousin’s name is...

  WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!

  Date: November 4

  Time: Evening, Full Moon

  We’re inside a private room in Mangora. Maury and I are laughing our asses off. Why? Because we’re celebrating the fact we’re cousins!

  Aster and Agnes look
at us with an embarrassed look on their face. Gwen smiles by squinting her eyes. Maury and I drink as we hug each other.

  “I get the reason you’re happy but...” Agnes said.

  “Who would’ve thought it would be you all this time?” I slurred as I lay my head on Maury’s chest. “I was living with my cousin, and I didn’t realize.”

  Gwen still smiles at us.

  I gasp with my eyes wide. “This means Maury’s grandpa is also MY grandpa! I’m going to call him starting tomorrow. Maury, we must see him! I want to see grandpa!”

  “We don’t have a house anymore, but I know where he lives. Truth is I want to see grandpa too. Let’s go see him,” Maury said, patting my head.

  “Yay, Maury! You’re the best!!” I shouted while hugging him.

  “So, Agnes, what is this about Guillem you mentioned yesterday?” Aster asked as he sips his drink. “You said she was a ballet dancer. Care to explain?”

  “Yes, my father is a fan of hers. He went to all her shows when he was young. He said there was no one more graceful in ballet than Guillem.”

  “Do you know about this?” Maury asked me.

  “Yes, I do. But my grandma refused to tell me anything about her career. She hid too many secrets. There were things I wanted to know but never asked. And if I asked, she got upset, so I never bothered persisting. She was already sick too.”

  “Since you mentioned it, you were pulling unusual moves during your training,” Gwen said. My friends stare at her, hoping she explains further.

  “When she did stretching exercises, I found her raising her leg and she stood in a straight position. That freaked me out because I never saw it before. I thought it was a one-time thing, but she did it every day of her training.”

  “I remember seeing it too,” Aster added. “She raised a leg up while leaning on a tree as support. I wasn’t shocked as Gwen was because I’ve seen similar styles with court jesters. But that of Glen is quite unusual.”