Into the Spiral (The Spiral Defenders Series: Book One)
Page 37
Chapter Thirty
By the time Ronnie’s tears subsided, her eyes were red and puffy and her nose was full of snot. She hunted down a tissue and when that didn’t help much, she wandered down to the bathroom for a quick shower. Thoughts about her new identity chased each other in her head while she stood under the hot water. The shock of finding out had worn off and now she just wanted answers—answers she knew Gavin couldn’t give her. As the water ran cold, she realized that despite this turn of events, she now needed to go back to Kalearnia more than ever. She had to find out why she’d been raised on Earth.
She returned to her room and dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, cold despite the warmth outside. Once dressed, she left her room and headed downstairs to her dad’s study. There was one question that could be answered now and the papers she needed would hopefully be here.
Ronnie took a deep breath and crossed to the three-drawer filing cabinet in the corner. Her parents kept all their important papers in here. She tried the top drawer and was surprised to find it unlocked. Of course, her parents didn’t know she knew about the possible adoption, so they had no reason to lock anything against her.
Her breath whooshed out of her lungs as she spotted a folder with her name scrawled across the top of it. With trembling fingers, she pulled it out of the drawer and set it on her father’s desk. She turned on the desk lamp and opened the file. The room spun for a moment as she read the top of the first page. “Certificate of Adoption” blazed in bold black letters. She sank into her father’s leather chair and flipped through the first few pages, reading papers of release from her birth parents and consent for her adoption. The papers were all dated only three days after her birthday.
She stared at the names written on the lines for “birth mother” and “birth father”. Alina and Cenric Evenbright. These were the people who were supposed to raise her. Why did they give her up? Why had she been sent to the people who raised her for seventeen years? The questions swirled in her mind, compounding on her grief and shock.
Her hands shook as she shuffled the papers back into their folder. Unsteady legs carried her back to the filing cabinet so she could put the folder away, making sure not to leave any evidence of her discovery. She wished she could forget what she’d learned today, but now that she knew the truth, she couldn’t let it go. The word ADOPTED flashed across her eyes in big bold letters. She took a shaky breath and slumped down into her father’s chair. Without thinking about it, she picked up the phone and dialed Gavin’s number.
“Ronnie?” he asked, sounding concerned. Tears pricked her eyes at the sound of his voice and she blinked them away. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t cry about this again until she got answers from the people who gave her up. She took a steadying breath before she spoke.
“Can you come back?” she asked in a small voice. The line went dead and a moment later, Gavin appeared in front of her. His sudden appearance replaced the last of her grief and confusion with momentary awe.
“Will I be able to do that some day?” she asked, staring up at him with wide eyes. He nodded, his lips turned down at the corners as he studied her.
“You will be able to do whatever you want,” he promised. He ran a hand through his hair as he shifted from one foot to the other, suddenly nervous. “Listen, I’m sorry about before.”
She shook her head. “Don’t. I don’t care. I understand why you couldn’t say anything. I just want to forget about it until I can get the answers you can’t give me.” He nodded and she forced a smile. “I want one more day of being normal, like we were before that horrible phone call. Besides, it’s still your free day. We shouldn’t spend it being upset.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. She nodded.
“Of course I’m sure. That’s about the only thing I’m sure about right now. I need to feel normal for a few hours.”
He still looked worried as she stood up and wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his shoulder. She sighed as his arms encircled her. This was what she needed.
“I do have one question you might be able to answer for me,” she said as she lifted her head. He raised his eyebrows curiously. “Is she always such a bitch?”
A smile ghosted his lips. “Only in situations like this, which don’t happen very often. Usually, Queen Alina is the most loved monarch our world has seen.”
“I hope her disposition changes by the time I get there.”
He sighed as he shook his head and Ronnie stepped out of his embrace. He leaned his hip against the corner of her dad’s desk and pinched the bridge of his nose. Ronnie wished she could do something for him. He suddenly looked a lot older than the sixteen she originally thought he was, which she knew wasn’t the case since that was when he got his tattoo.
“How old are you?” she asked. He opened his eyes and stared at her, not quite comprehending the question.
“What?” he replied and she smiled.
“I asked how old you are,” she repeated.
“Nineteen, though I feel three times my age right now,” he sighed and rubbed his hands over his face.
She did the simple math in her head. “You look pretty good for fifty-seven,” she teased. He removed his hands to give her a wry smile. She bit her lower lip to keep from giggling.
“Good to know you think so,” he said wearily. “I hope I look this good when I really am fifty-seven.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
She kissed his cheek. He looked at her in surprise as she took a step towards the door and clasped his hand, entwining their fingers. “Come on, you can help me pack so I’m ready when Rick comes around,” she told him. His surprise melted into a knee weakening grin.
“Just as long as you don’t forget that dress,” he agreed as he followed her out of the room.