Confronting The Past
POV: Alexandra
I was faced with my nightmare scenario coming back into this town. I was face to face with the girl who tormented my entire childhood. Sally was plastering a fake smile on her face, something she did when she was around other people. She liked to make herself seem so sweet and innocent around the elder people of this town. I knew what she truly was since I had been on the receiving end of her ridicule and, sometimes, physical bullying. My shoulders involuntarily tensed up. She looked at the two men who were with me and then back at me, “Hello Alexandra. It’s so good to see you. It’s been months. Hasn’t it? Who are these men that are with you?” I plastered a fake smile on my face and pointed at Talon, “This is my uncle on my mother’s side. Her twin brother, Talon.” She smiled at him, “Oh are you visiting Mrs. Batiste?” Talon muttered, “She’s not in town.” He wasn’t interested in talking to her and it was very evident when he turned his back on her and told me he would wait for me in the car. I didn’t blame him, he had just been depressed and wasn’t prepared to deal with the plastic and bubbly jerk. She then looked at Blake and a small blush started to creep into her face. I was about to open my mouth when Blake slid his arm around me, “I’m Blake, her boyfriend from college. Isn’t that right, darling?” I nodded, silently reveling in the look on her face when he said that. She was not pleased that the man she was starting to crush on was with me. I asked, “Speaking of boyfriends, how is yours?” She mumbled something about him breaking up with her after he cheated on her in college.
She changed her facial expression back to the fake smile, “Oh, by the way, I’m having a party at my house tonight. I would love it if you and your boyfriend would come.” Blake shook his head, “Sorry, we can’t. We’re going back to our college in the morning and we promised each other that we’d have a date alone. Besides, if you’re who I think you are, I’d rather not subject my beautiful Alexandra to your cruelty.” Her mouth hung open and she shot me a glare, “What lies have you told your boyfriend?” I shrugged, “I don’t lie to him. He knows everything about me.” It was very much the truth and Blake knew exactly what Sally did to me, in detail, without my having to tell him what went down. Blake rolled his eyes, “Even if she never told me anything, I can sense how fake you’re being right now. I’ve dealt with people like you my entire life and I can tell that you’re a bully. Bullies aren’t in any way attractive, you’re ugly on the inside.” She glared at him, “Even so, if you knew what happened to my uncle, you’d know that I have a right to be angry with her.” He smirked, “Oh? And what did Alexandra, as an infant, do to your uncle? Hm? What can a baby do to a grown man? I read about it in the papers where I’m from and I can tell you that your uncle was actually a sleazeball who tried to kidnap a baby.” A gasp was heard behind us from Maribel, “Excuse me but I would like to ask you two to leave. That was uncalled for.” Blake shrugged, “What’s uncalled for, madam, is blaming a child for an adult’s act. What’s uncalled for is targeting the same child and her family all of her life for something someone else did. What’s uncalled for is bullying of any type. This whole town seems to be infested with bullies. Perhaps, madam, you should look at yourself and others around you and your attitudes. If any of you had ever bothered to try to get to know Alexandra Batiste, you’d all find a caring and sweet soul.” Blake held out his hand to me at that moment, “Come, my love, let us go from here…not because we were asked but because the stench of ugly souls is too much for me to bear.” I grabbed his hand and we started to walk away when we heard Sally shout, “I didn’t want you in my house anyway!” Blake chuckled, “Poor rotten soul, it must be hard to maintain that facade all the time.” With that, we left the store and strode out to the waiting car.
Talon looked at the triumphant smirk on Blake’s face, “Something good happen?” Blake nodded, “Only something I’ve been wanting to do for ages. I got to tell someone who perceived herself a princess that she was, in fact, a frog.” I laughed hard, “I have never seen anyone speak to that girl the way you did. It was epic.” I knew that my father would usually go after those who bullied me when he could but I never got to witness him laying into that family. I knew it went on because I heard the discussion that my parents had. The way that Blake handled the situation was admirable that he probably practiced it a million times in his head over the years. I thought of something and got out of the car before we could drive off. The men I was with were a little confused that I asked the driver to stay and hopped out of the car. Sally had emerged from the flower shop with some flowers in her arms. I looked at her, “You may think that you hurt me over the years to make up for something you perceive I did to your family but just know that your attempts were laughable. You never broke me down. That’s all I wanted to say.”
I walked off and got into my car. I heard her screeching at me as we drove away. Likely something about me on a personal level but I felt satisfied that I confronted my past properly. I sighed in satisfaction as Blake smiled at me, “I’m glad you spoke up for yourself, Alexandra. She never should think that she has power over you.” Talon nodded, “I didn’t like to be around her. My instinct told me that she wasn’t a nice person and I feel like if I heard the nastiness that came out of her mouth that I would probably punch her in the face.” I laughed, “While I don’t condone a man punching a lady in her face, I probably would have paid to see that. I’m glad you retreated though, dear uncle. She would have pressed charges and we would have never seen you again.” He nodded, “That was what we call a strategic retreat. Sorry I couldn’t defend you, Xan. In my defense though, I left you in the capable hands of His Highness.” Blake gave Talon a very appreciative look, “I had it under control. There was no way that woman would have ever emotionally harmed her. As I said, it’s something I’ve wanted to say to her for a very long time. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.” We finally made our way through Blackwood Manor’s gates. I asked the driver to pull up to the front door so that I could take the opportunity to visit with my grandfather.
l hopped out of the car and met Delilah at the door. She hugged me tightly, “Ms. Alexandra, it is so good to see you. Did you find your uncle?” I waved behind me and Talon stepped out of the car. She ran up to him and hugged him, “You don’t know how elated we all were to find out that you were alive still. Come on in and I will feed you all dinner before you head back to Vellum.” Blake also stepped out of the car and Delilah bowed, “Apologies Your Highness. Welcome to Blackwood Manor of Terre.” We walked into the house and I asked Delilah, “Where is my grandfather?” She smiled and pointed at the study, “Where else?” I laughed, “I might’ve known.” Darren Batiste spent all of his time from waking to sleep in the study, smoking his pipe, and reading various books. He was the very image of a grandfather: gentle, sweet, and soft-spoken. I knocked on the door and heard his firm voice call out, “You may enter.” I walked into the room and he looked up from his book then smiled, “I had heard you were in Terre. Did you find young Talon?” I walked up and hugged him, “Yes, I found him. I had to literally slap some sense into him. I promised that I would keep this from mom so if you could keep the staff silent, it would help make me not be a liar.” He laughed, “Of course, I see the fear of Talia is still in her twin brother. Can you really blame him? Have you not seen her temper?” He shrugged, “I’ve been a witness to it but I’ve never been on the receiving end.” I laughed as I sat down near him on the settee, “That’s because you’re her favorite.” He smiled at me and took a puff from his pipe, “It’s because I don’t sass her like someone else we know.” I gasped playfully, “I do NOT, sir.” He gave me a pointed look and I giggled, “Okay, maybe a little but it’s fun to get her riled up every once in a while.” We laughed together until a comfortable silence entered the room until we heard a knock on the door. My grandfather asked the person to enter and I had assumed it was either Blake or Talon. I turned to see Mordred enter the room and he smiled, “There you are young Alexandra. I have been looking for you. I have something we can try in regards to your curse.”
