by Leyton, Bisi
The girl was right. Her mother did look amazing in a mid-length floral dress, her hair draped down her neck while adorned with wild flowers.
“I can’t believe she was shot two weeks ago and now she’s walking,” Amanda continued.
“Jason says it was a miracle,” David bragged. “But Mum’s strong.”
“A miracle,” Wisteria muttered. While she agreed it was a miracle her mother was alive, she was frustrated her mother wouldn’t tell her the whole story about this miracle. She glancing up at the clock tower..
“You know the clock’s broken?” Garfield reminded her.
Before she could answer, the crowd of a few hundred people cheered as her mother approached the top of the hill where Coles and Andrew stood.
“She must be really well-liked,” Amanda noted.
“Nah, they’re just afraid of Coles,” Garfield replied and the kids all laughed.
“We haven’t had a wedding in Smythe in …?” Wisteria’s voice trailed off as she tried to remember.
“Never. This is the first one since the world went mad.” Joining them, Steven turned to Wisteria. “Your hair looks nice.”
Running her hand over her short hair, she backed away. “Thanks.” Amazingly, her hair grew over an inch over the three weeks since Hailey attacked her. That never happened with her type of hair.
Steven gazed curiously at her. “You look—”
“Steven.” Hailey approached them. “We shouldn’t be here. This is for friends of the bride.”
“Hailey.” Steven seemed embarrassed. “Give me five minutes.”
“Yeah, so you both better leave.” Wisteria picked up the guitar Bach had given to her for her fake birthday.
“Wisteria, you need to play,” Jason called out to her. “We’re starting.”
“Go on, Steven!” Wisteria insisted. “This isn’t one of your games.”
He skulked off, seemingly hurt, but Wisteria seriously doubted that. Steven always landed on his feet, on Hailey—or on whichever other girl who might be hanging around.
Watching her mother approach, Wisteria started playing Ise Oluwa on her strings. As her mother reached the top of the hill, the only assistance she accepted was when Coles reached out and took her arm. They kissed before walking over to Jason, who started the wedding ceremony.
“So are you going to change your last name?” Garfield whispered as he watched the ceremony. “Wisteria Kuti Coles.”
Wisteria kicked him in the leg.
The wedding ceremony was over in twenty minutes and soon everyone was enjoying the free flowing apple juice and moonshine. The atmosphere was unusually relaxed and even Coles laughed a few times, but then it was his wedding day.
As soon as everyone seemed preoccupied, Wisteria slipped away, as she didn’t feel like being social. As she made her way home, she stopped and looked back up the hill as her mother and step-father flirted with each other. Then it dawned on her that she was never going to see her real father again. Now her mother had Coles, she wouldn’t leave him, even if an opportunity to leave presented itself.
“Wisteria,” her mother called.
Seeing her mother hobbling over, Wisteria stopped so the woman could catch up.
“You still haven’t chosen to forgive me?” her mother said as she reached Wisteria.
“Congratulations Mum.” She tried to show some emotion other than anger.
“Do you plan to be mad at me for the rest of your life?”
“Of course I have forgiven you. You’re my mother.” But that did not feel true.
Her mother chewed at her lip and then kissed Wisteria’s forehead. “Forgive me? Elliot thinks I owe you an apology,” her mother said. “But he’s wrong. I won’t say sorry, because I did what I needed to do. You’ll get past this. I’m your mother after all.”
“You’re never going to tell me the truth. Are you?”
“The truth—is I love you.” Her mother tried to hug her again but Wisteria raised her hands. “And I know despite this, you love me too.”
“I love you and that’s why your lying is so painful.” Otherwise, she wouldn’t care that the woman had been lying for years.
“Wisteria, you’re not angry with me for lying. You’re hurt because you blame yourself for bringing those people into the town, but it wasn’t your fault, baby. Those men and that crazy woman were monsters and they’d have found a way here, with or without you. You’re not to blame for what they did.”
Even though Wisteria wanted to be convinced, she wasn’t. “I’m tired. I was just going to lie down for a few minutes.”
The older woman made a face, indicating she didn’t buy Wisteria’s story, but she allowed Wisteria to leave without any further words.
Grateful to be alone, Wisteria trudged downhill and into the town. As she walked past Mulberry Orchard, a chill went through her, with the memories of all that transpired there. Images of Rupert and the other members of Red Phoenix flashed across her mind. Speeding up, she shook her head, clearing her thoughts.
Normally, she avoided walking this way, but it was the only way to Saint Luke’s. Rebecca or Garfield had offered to walk back with her but Wisteria didn’t want anyone else thinking she needed protection. But she knew at that moment she needed a little support.
A tall shadow fell over her shoulder.
Looking over , she saw a pair of green eyes watching her. “Bach, what are you doing here? We said everything before.” Increasing her pace, she continued on her way, but then he appeared in front of her.
“You lied to me,” he said.
“I don’t want to discuss this in public.”
“We are alone.”
Looking around, she found he picked the perfect spot to corner her, as they were hidden by a hedge. He moved toward her with his bright green eye boring into her soul. It made her nervous when he stared at her that intently. Especially, as she was still an emotional and physical wreck, she didn’t want him to see her like this.
“How are you?” he spoke after few moments of silence.
“I have been better.” Smiling, she forced herself to walk past him.
“Your mother is marrying your friend Coles.”
“Coles is marrying someone. I don’t know who she is.”
“Your mother?”
“If she really is my mother. I’ve no idea, not a clue, who or what she is. Then she says that I’m not angry at her. That I’m upset with myself because I brought Red Phoenix here,” she scoffed.
“Wisteria, you do blame yourself for what happened here, even though you should not. I can see it on your face.”
“I should blame myself. I brought those monsters here.”
“Because of me?”
“No, because of me. I’m such an idiot. I didn’t know who my mother was or that she knew all about you and your Family. I should’ve paid better attention. I’m sure the signs were there. She almost died for nothing, Bach.” She breathed out violently and prevented herself from crying.
“Wisteria, she was trying to protect you.”
“That’s why you left? You wanted to protect me too? Because I’m such a fragile little fool and everyone has to protect me.” She stilled and looked at him. “Thanks again for helping the town and I hope that life treats you well.” Calming herself, she started to walk away.
“Do not leave like this. I can see you are upset.” He slipped his arm around her waist.
“Ha!” She laughed bitterly. “Don’t worry, I won’t break. Do what you need to do, but I’m done being part of it.”
“Wisteria, I left the first time because I was afraid if you knew what my people really were you would hate me, and I left the second time because I know what your people can do and I hate that.”
“You came back to the island to tell me this?” Prying his fingers from her waist, she warned, “Don’t Bach, do not try and convince we me to go shack up with you. What the hell was your plan? Do you know how insane it was?”
“No, I
came to Smythe to find the red stone. It is important to us and Felip stole it from me. My family has asked that I return here to find out how it was made.”
“You want something and you expect me to help you because you helped me?”
“No, I came because… my Family will kill me if they know I have told you.”
“So why did you tell me?”
“Because I care about you, Wisteria. I would not have told you about the obsidian crystal if I did not. It was the only way I could think of, so my people would let me stay here.” He stepped up to her and she moved back until she was up against a tree. “And I need you to love me.”
His fingers grazed her neck and it tingled. Having him so close made her feel light-headed. “Why did you say I lied to you?” She had to remain in control.
“Because you act like you do not want me, when I know that you do.” Gently, he ran his fingers through her short hair. “Why did you not ask me to stay? I would have stayed.”
“I did ask you to stay,” She recalled and pushed him away. “But you wanted me to be your servant.”
Moving to the side, he let her pass. “No, you said Coles said I could stay.”
“Are you saying…? Let me get this straight, you’d stay if I asked you? That doesn’t make any sense.” If she’d any doubt in her mind before that this boy wasn’t human, it was gone. His logic wasn’t like any other boy she’d known. He almost sounded like he loved her. Shaking her head, she attempted to move away from him. Those things didn’t happen to Wisteria Kuti.
“I do love you.” He brushed his hand against hers.
She entwined her fingers into his. “You can read my mind?”
“No.” He laughed. “But I can read your face. You bite your lips in at least seven different ways, depending on your mood.”
“Really?” Realizing she was biting her bottom lip again, she stopped. “Okay, what am I saying now?” She stuck out her tongue.
Instead of answering, Bach leaned in and kissed her.
Stunned at first, she reached up on her tip-toes and kissed him back. She leaned into his arms and he lifted her up, his lips remaining on hers. Wisteria didn’t know what might happen in their precarious future, but she did know that she loved him and now he’d admitted that he loved her as well.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bisi Leyton was born in East London in 1978. She grew up in London, Nigeria and the States, listening to the stories life and love from aunts, cousins and big sisters.
She lives in London, but has worked around Europe including France, Germany, Ireland, Belgium and the Czech Republic. She has a fondness for reading graphic novels, and cracked.com.
You can email Bisi on [email protected] as she would love to hear from you. You can also follow her on twitter at @bisileyton or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Bisileyton2 or http://bisileyton.wordpress.com/ .
THE WISTERIA SERIES
Bisi is currently working on the second book in the Wisteria Series. For information visit the Wisteria Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Wisteriabooks .
