Sage

WHY DO I FEEL SO SLUGGISH?

Slowly I begin to open my eyes, it took a second to adjust my vision. There were bright lights passing me and it didn't take long before I figured out that they were street lights. I lift my head to look around and see that I am laying down in what appears to be the backseat of a car. My attention goes to the driver, a dark figure wearing a black sweater and matching black hat.

"Where...am I?" I say, sitting up.

When did I get into a car? Last thing I remember was sitting at home on the couch, catching up to some shows on Hulu and eating these delicious cookies Greyson had sent to our home.

The figure turns his head slightly to the right. "Took you a while to wake up, I was worried I over-drugged you."

My eyes widened quickly, and confusion took over. "Gideon?"

"Sage." He responds back, keeping his eyes on the road.

I lean towards him, peaking out the window too see and endless road. "What's going on? Where are we going and why did you take me?"

"It's time you saw the truth." His gaze slid to mine for a brief second.

"Truth? What are you talking about?"

He began to tense up. "What they refused to tell us, what they hate I found out."

"You're not making any sense, refused too tell us what? What did you find out?"

Gideon sighed. "Unfortunately words won't be able to do you justice, what you're going to see when you wake up will change your life."

"When I wake up—?"

Suddenly he stabs my neck with a needle and before shock could hit me, my eyes wouldn't stay open and all I saw was darkness. The alarms that blared in my head were loud but started to become quiet.

And as just as he wanted, I fell asleep.

****

"Gideon!" I shout, sitting up so quick that I see stars.

My blood turned to ice when I saw that I was on a bed, one that I know never belonged too me. The room was very warm and welcoming, as if it were a guest room. No pictures or posters on the wall, but it was beautifully decorated with pieces of furniture that reminded me of home for some reason.

The wallpaper was a light brown, almost cream colored.

Gideon did vanish for years without word, could this be his home? Where he's been all this time? If so, why did he take me here now? Why'd he kidnap me and take me here? The fact that my own brother drugged me up and injected me with whatever that was disturbs me. All he had to do was ask me to go with him to his home, I wouldn't have objected at seeing where he was staying this entire time.

Yet, something about that doesn't sit well with me. Clearly he didn't think I'd want to go here and that's why he forced me here. Took me away, somehow, and threw me in his car to drive away. All for what? The truth?

What truth, Gideon?

I get up and begin to walk, I've been through enough problems to know how to remain calm. With the things that's happened within the year, my nerves are made of steel at this point and it's going to take a lot to change that at this point.

Yes, my own brother kidnapping me in unpleasant but he's still my brother. At least he's not some sicko that...did horrible things to me at my prom.

Opening the door, I leave the room and see that wherever I am, I'm in a regular home so far. Voices from downstairs prompts me to freeze, there were two of them and I know for sure one belonged to Gideon. The other, I could not make out that females voice, yet it was oddly comforting and familiar.

"I begged you not to bring her here." The woman says.

"But she has a right too know." Gideon replies, his tone harsh.

As they spoke, I walked down the stairs, slowly.

"Gideon, she cannot be here." She explains to him. "And I've explained to you why."

"Your reason it bull, you don't need to hide this from her. She's an adult now, not some child you can protect anymore with this ridiculous lie the Emerson's coaxed up to make sure things go their way."

Why is he talking about the Emerson's?

A lie?

"Please, get her out of here now and drive away. Don't come back either or I will be forced to move away." She pleads. "They have finally allowed me to live my life as my own, I won't let it be destroyed again for my selfish desires to be reunited."

The closer I get to the voice, the more I begin to remember it. The feelings I associate with it were a variety pack, filled with an emotional mess. My heart began to tighten at the idea, the voice I longed to hear for so long. The one that would bring a smile to my father's face whenever she told a story about how they met and fell in love.

The one that I craved too hear.

The one that I never thought I would hear again.

The one that caused so many wonderful memories.

Finally I reach the bottom of the staircase and made a turn towards the two people arguing about family matters that I was never privy too.

"Leave my house now, take her." The woman repeats to Gideon.

I looked at her from behind and my nose began to burn.

Barely able to conjure the words out of my mouth, I breathed. "M-Mom?"

Gideon turns to me, his jaw tenses up.

The woman turns around slowly and looks me in the eye. Within two seconds my entire world had shattered and there was nothing anyone could tell me that could explain the ghost I am seeing right now. The mirror-image of my mother was standing before me, a woman who had died years ago was right there.

"Sage—" Gideon starts.

However, I ignored him and threw myself at the woman. Wrapping my arms tightly around her, praying that as I did she would not be an actual ghost and I'd pass through her. All I basked in was her warmth, she's alive. My mother is alive.

Yet, she did not accept my affection and instead pushed me away.

"Sage..." She says.

"Why? Why haven't you told me? When were you going to tell dad?" I began to ramble. "Why were you hiding from us? What's happening?"

"Sage..." She repeats.

"It's been so long since we've seen you, we didn't even get to say bye at your funeral." I cried, my voice cracking. "You know how many nights I couldn't sleep knowing I'd never see you again?"

"Sage." Gideon enters.

"I'm getting married soon, were you going to miss your daughters wedding?" At this point everything was a blur, my eyes were filled with so many tears. "You missed my graduation, you missed so many birthdays, and breakfast's with Dad and I. Every year on your anniversary Dad pours two glasses of your favorite wine and stares at a picture of you. He hasn't even dated anyone since you, he's been lonely—"

"Sage!" Gideon shouts, snapping me out of my breakdown. "Listen."

I frown at him. "Fuck you, how long have you known about this? How long have you known our mother is alive!?"

"That's not our mother!" He scowls.

I snap. "Then how do you explain this!?"

"I'm your Aunt." The woman explains. "I'm your mothers twin sister, Esther."

Slowly my attention focuses back to her. "You're not...she's not..."

"Like I told you Sage, these rich bastards are fucked up. The secrets they hold can go on for miles and they don't lose a second of sleep in doing so." Gideon tells me.

"But that doesn't make sense, mom never mentioned a sister." I sniffle.

Esther's gaze turns cold. "Because I'm the Emerson's dirty little secret."

What does that mean? "I don't understand."

"You're not supposed too, that's why it's a secret." She emphasizes, walking around the counter and grabbing a glass then begins to fill it with water. "You must be thirsty and hungry."

I continue to watch her as she slides the beverage towards me, then heads to the fridge and rummages through it. Completely ignoring the elephant in the room and the answers that needed to be said. The temptation to press her for more information crossed my mind but it felt like forever since I've had food.

So I sip the water and wait for her to speak more.

Gideon pushes himself off of dishwasher. "Sage, you need to get out while you can."

"Get out of what?"

He frowns. "The marriage, you're marrying for the wrong reasons. Andrew Emerson is using you as a pawn to get to the Blackstone's."

"Why would he need to get to them? Isn't grandfather good friends with Richard?"

His expression didn't hide his annoyance with me. "It's a business transaction, Sage, Andrew could care less about Richard. All he cares about is how to destroy them."

"He's not like that." Now I'm frowning. "You don't know him, you've been hiding all of these years. How could say that about him."

Grandfather is a sweet man, he loves Richard, the whole reason Greyson and I met was because they're friends. Because they wanted to marry their family into each other, there's no malicious intent behind this arrangement.

"Because the two families have been feuding since the dawn of time." Esther comments. "What you're seeing isn't a friendship, but a truce. Richard grew tired of the an endless hatred shared between families, so he suggested to my father to make a truce. To seal it they promised to wed one of their offspring's off to the others, because hating your own family would be redundant."

None of that can be true. "Why were they feuding?"

"Money and power, our families have always fought for both. Before our riches Carlton Emerson and David Blackstone were actually friends, both working together to achieve the American dream. Apparently during the process the David betrayed Carlton, thus becoming rich and powerful. Leaving Carlton out without any profit and in the process, stealing his wife away with it. Carlton swore from that day on that he'd be more powerful and wealthier, and achieve vengeance. Showing the offspring of the family what he had felt that cold time in his life."

Sounds like the Blackstone's.

Being frivolous is in their nature, I should know.

Gideon shakes his head. "And you're marrying into the family for that very reason."

"For vengeance? How?"

Esther crosses her arms. "What my father had planned to do with Heather."

"Mom?"

She nods. "Heather's purpose was to marry Richard's first son, that was delayed for a few years since Richard was more focused on work then making a family, but the two were always meant to marry one another the moment they were born."

Hamilton?

You've got to be kidding me

"She was to be wedded with him and essentially be a double agent, sharing their secrets with father to use and destroy them. But she wasn't made for that, your mother wasn't heartless like them. And opted out from the beginning." She continued. "Then she met your father and did the ultimate betrayal by having a child with him, thus getting her excommunicated from the family."

"Hamilton and my mother? That leaves a foul taste in my mouth." I frown.

She chuckles lightly. "I can see why you would say that, but believe it or not Hamilton was quite the looker back then. He would give Greyson a run for his money had he focused on taking care of himself instead of throwing money to get what he wanted."

"I'm sorry but no one is giving Greyson a run for his money." I protest.

Have you seen him?

"Back to the point." Gideon rolls his eyes. "Andrew won't tell you but you're filling in for her. You're exactly where he wants you to be, accepted and trusted into a family that ours have hated for generations."

I look at him. "But why would I do that? Even if that was the plan, I actually love Greyson. There's no way I'd betray him like that."

"Not unless there was something he could use against you." Esther says quietly.

Now my gaze slides to her. "There's nothing that would make me betray him. Nothing."

"Are you sure?" Gideon asks. "Nothing?"

I clench my fists. "I love him."

"What if you had to chose someone else you loved?" His tone was ruthless, hinting an unfortunate twist to the story I had not expected. "Did you see the way you looked at Esther, ran to her without blinking. The overwhelming sadness leaving, and an abundance of happiness to replace it?"

"What are you getting at?" I purse my lips, my gut telling me that ignorance is bliss. That whatever I'm going to hear next will crumble everything I began to repair inside of me. The nerves of steel I bragged about would shatter and I would be left in that dark place I barely got out the first time.

Esther crosses her arms. "Andrew Emerson is many things, Sage. Remember that, and a mastermind is one of them. Everything he does is for a reason, he's always twenty steps ahead of the game to get what he was raised to achieve."

"I don't understand, what could they use against me? What could possibly change my mind?" The question was stupid to ask, but needed to be said.

Just for an answer I didn't want to hear, but needed to.

"Our mother."

Esther looks up at me. "The ultimate pawn, Heather Emerson."