Page 82 of Validus Vale Academy 1
Something in my brain doesn't just fizzle, itsnaps. "What do you mean,” I say slowly, “birth parents?" The words feel foreign on my tongue.
Alexis stops abruptly. His jaw clenches, and he closes his eyes. “Oh, shit, pulu. Shit, shit. I’m so sorry. I thought you knew.” His voice is a low, agonized apology, laced with self-reproach. “It says in your school file that you’re adopted.”
My mind reels, trying to grasp the implications of his words. "It’s a mistake," I whisper, but without much conviction. It’s in the school file, after all. "I’d know…" The thought trails off, doubt creeping further into the edges of my certainty.
Surely, I’d know?
Alexis pulls me to him, and we collapse together onto my bed. He’s running his hand up and down my spine, and I realize I’m crying.
For a few minutes, I give in to sobs. Am I not the biological child of my parents? The warmth of their love had always been absolute, but the possibility of them not being…mine?The idea cuts my heart into tiny pieces.
No! I want to have been formed by their DNA, not some stranger’s.
But.
I hadn’t looked like them—at all. Mum’s plump body and sweet, rosy face covered in freckles was my polar opposite. And she used to call my tall, blonde Dad her Viking warrior. Something that had never even crossed my mind now feels like a probability.
Just like that, I don’t know who I am.
I look down instinctively to check if the earth is crumbling beneath my feet. A wave of nausea washes over me, and the world tilts precariously. Alexis gathers me closer, and Ludo is suddenly handing me both a tissue and a glass of water.
I shiver, probably from the chill of shock, and Ludo pulls a blanket over me as I lie against Alexis’ chest. The two men work in tandem, trying to make me comfortable and safe.
It works—I do feel safe, I feel cared for, and I don’t feel alone. The realization of that feeling breaks me out of my shock. “Sorry,” I whisper, my cheek pressed against his now-soaked tee.
Alexis makes a noise, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “What the fuck have you got to be sorry for, pulu?” He moves my face, looking down at me, completely confused.
“I’m sorry for over-reacting…” I mutter, a sob caught in my throat. “Being hysterical, soaking your shirt, you name it.”
"You’re being ridiculous," Alexis chides softly, his gaze searching mine, gentle and worried. “I’m the one who’s sorry, Theo. I- I presumed…” His voice cracks. “I’m such an ass.”
“It’s OK,” I say, pushing myself to sit upright and take a drink. “I’m over my freak-out. It was just a lot to take in,” I say, blinking away the last of the tears.
“Gods, I’m so sorry,” Alexis repeats. “I’m a fucking idiot.”
—I’ll hurt him up for upsetting you, Nymph.—
“No, Ludo. I don’t want that. I don’t want either of you to be angry, with yourselves or each other, you understand?” I’m amazed I can sound so fierce while trying to pull myself out of an existential crisis.
Alexis exhales a long sigh. “Theo, I’ve just turned your whole life upside down, Gods…” He rakes a hand through his shaggy black hair.
Is my life turned upside down? When I actually consider it, I realize it’s not.
Sure, coming to terms with the fact I’m adopted may take many of Willow’s rum hot chocolates to find real peace, but I’m OK. I just need to file this whole adoption thing away in the back of my brain to be dealt with later.
The twins trump any other crisis going on.
I take a deep breath and then smile. “Everything’s OK. I’ll be OK, but I don’t want to talk more about it right now. Can we get back to where we were?”
My professor’s expression changes. “Right, sorry. Back to business. I’ll play this however you want. I’m all yours to command.”
The words make me squirm a little, and I peel off his lap. “Thanks.” Another big breath. “OK, next ground-breaking piece of news. I need to tell you something I learned from Johnny DeVille’s brain.”
“DeVille, the senior Elite?”
“Yeah. I caught him thinking about Wes and Donovan, and another guy who I’m pretty sure was Maximus.” A smile creepsonto my face as I remember how the twins looked in my vision. Happy and excited. Happy and excited because they were on their way to me. And now I have to drop another bombshell on our already crazy day.
I don’t know why I’m so nervous to tell them this; both Alexis and Ludo were cool about the telepathy. “I, er, saw inside Johnny’s head, like the visuals that were going on in there. I can tell you what they were wearing and everything.”
