"My mother had a very gentle soul," Maya began pensively. "I still vividly remember our reading sessions. She was the one who sparked my interest in books. Seeing her always reading with soft music in the background, I would wonder what got her so occupied."

Maya chose to start with her mother's influence on her love for reading, a love that still prevails to this day.

"It quickly became the way we would spend our time together. Finding the most comfortable spot in the house and quietly exploring different worlds," a smile broke on her face as she revisited her happy memories.

"Funny enough, it sometimes took her ages to finish a book. I would already be well into my third while she would be finishing up the first one. Back then, I didn't understand that she was picking easier books for me as I was still young and felt proud when she would compliment me and call me a talented reader."

Andrea and Linda mirrored Maya's smile. They must've admired how supportive Maya's mother was. Maya found herself struggling to find more memories to share with Elena, to paint a better picture of her mother. It's been such a long time since she thought about it in detail that Maya began to feel the jarring amount of memories she formed without her mother, saddening her.

"My dad had a more playful side, and it could be overwhelming for my mother when we would jump around and move fast," Maya pondered for a moment. "I guess it was justifiable, as my clumsy self would always break something along the way."

"Air mage since a young age," Andrea joked.

Maya smiled. Strangely enough, ever since she was chosen, it was as if she were finally completed and her clutz side would be negated while in her element. Although she still needed to work on her finesse.

"Dad and I tried not to disturb her too much because I would always end up grounded. Although Dad would often take me for an ice cream in secret to make up for grounding me," she chuckled.

"Your dad sounds like a fun guy." Andrea and Linda laughed, hearing this wholesome story.

"Let's see. What else…" Maya continued, perpetuated by her good fond memories. "She was a stay-at-home mom, but she couldn't cook. However, she liked cleaning. We wouldn't have a lot of guests, but she always liked keeping everything pristine."

Maya zoned out for a moment, and others waited for her to continue.

"When I think about it, it was a little weird how much time she would spend cleaning… Nevertheless, she was never high-energy. I didn't understand back then… why she couldn't keep up with my wild stories and adventures. But I understand it more, now. As a child, I used to take more after my father's side, but I guess… I grew up to be more like her."

Maya fiddled with her fingers. She'd been finding more and more of her mother in herself for the past years. Was her mother's life just like Maya's for the past years?

"It's a bit contradictory. After she died, you'd expect that adventuring with my father would take over. But he didn't have much time to indulge me… So, I calmed down… Took her role, I guess…"

Maya's words trailed off, and everyone was silent for a moment.

"She sounds distant and depressing," Elena said, expressionless.

Her words pricked Maya's heart. Did she not hear the same story Maya was telling? Feeling the need to combat it, Maya quickly said:

"No, she was great. She loved me. They were both great parents and did their best."

"They sound like wonderful parents," Andrea said to console her.

"I haven't talked about her for so long. It is weird to say those things out loud," she reminisced for a moment. Her breathing felt heavy. She needed someone to distract her from the memories that were trying to tackle her. "What were your parents like?" She decided to keep the conversation going and let others take over.

"My parents were simple people, living a simple life off their land," Andrea began. "I don't think they understood me much. Content with their little piece of the land, they didn't care to see the rest of the world."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Andrea's story was a little different since her main source of conflict was her parents.

"They were a bit older too," she continued, "in comparison to my peers' parents. Sometimes I felt like I was being raised by grandparents. And they were quite rigid, having feuds with their siblings and never letting Loretta and me meet the rest of our family."

The girls listened carefully. For someone as gregarious as Andrea, she didn't often talk about her past life.

"I didn't have a strong relationship with them. It was my sister who was closer to them. I considered them too controlling. But I do miss them," she admitted quietly at the end.

It was the shortest story Andrea had ever told. Perhaps this was one of the rare subjects she didn't like to overindulge in speaking about.

"Well, my mother was the most badass woman out there," Linda claimed proudly. "She was my hero."

A bittersweet expression settled on Linda's face as she prepared to share her story.

"She was as tall as a tree. That's why the elders kept telling her that she would never be able to marry. However, my mother did not care if her husband was shorter than her and would not let any man treat her as less than him."

Maya was surprised at how forward-thinking and bold Linda's mother sounded. Despite Linda being of a shy nature, Maya could see some of that headstrongness when it came to matters she was confident in.

"Fortunately, she found my dad, who was very understanding and loved her despite everything," Linda continued. "Since our environment wasn't made up of very understanding people, they emigrated out of China. If they weren't killed, they would've conquered the world together."

"Aww… What a fantastic pair. They should have come to Italy to adopt me," Andrea joked, chuckling.

Linda smiled wistfully. It was clear she admired them greatly.

There was only one person left that hasn't shared anything tonight. Andrea, Linda and Maya exchanged looks. Since they began sharing stories about their parents as a silent agreement to bridge Elena's lack of any, she made surprisingly few comments.

"Were you ever adopted, Elena? Or, at least, had someone as a parent figure?" Andrea asked gently.

"If you don't get adopted as a young child, the chances of ever getting adopted are almost impossible," Elena explained, hesitant to continue. "But I had a sort of a parent figure, once… I think," she added to stick to the theme.

Andrea lay on her stomach, propping her head on her palms, ready to hear a story as Maya was fondling with her hair.

Elena poured herself a new full glass of clean vodka and took a large gulp before she began.

"I remember this old lady often visiting the orphanage. I think she used to foster older kids who wouldn't get adopted, but because of her financial situation and age, she was no longer able to. However, she continued collaborating with the orphanage, so I often saw her."

Maya furrowed her brows as it sounded like Elena's idea of a parent figure was quite loose, and the connection she had with the old lady didn't seem strong.

"She was the only caretaker who showed me kindness, and she was the only person who encouraged my interest in art," Elena continued, resting her face on her hand. "One day she grabbed my hand and told me to come with her, that I'll become her daughter."

The girls subconsciously leaned in in anticipation.

"News of being adopted was a miracle for a kid like me who was already getting too old by that time. And now I was going to have a home. I believed it," Elena even chuckled. "It was unreal. However," her expression darkened, "It's been only a couple of days when I returned 'home' and found her hanging from a rafter in her attic atelier."

Their eyes widened as they were stunned by the sudden unravelling at the end, realizing what she was implying.

"My lord!" Andrea gasped.

"That's horrible," Maya felt as if she'd received a punch in the stomach.

Linda only silently hugged herself.

It was distressing that whenever Elena was encouraged to speak seriously, rather than jest, she would divulge something harrowing.

"She was loved by orphans, so, naturally, I was vilified," Elena continued talking in a flat tone as if she didn't feel either way about the word she was saying. "Even adults called me 'ved'ma,' superstitiously thinking I hexed her," Elena chuckled joylessly. "You can infer how the life of a cursed child would play out from then on. Now, who would want to adopt a witch?"

It seems Elena had to deal with unfounded animosity from such a young age. However, Maya had a sneaking suspicion this wasn't the worst thing that happened to her. It was something she learned to guard her emotions against.

Although Maya and Elena hadn't yet shaken hands, Maya now understood the depths of Elena's terrible childhood and finally reached some understanding. For a child who couldn't find replacement parents, it was natural that she would place all her expectations on her original ones, viewing them almost as deities.

As if by a silent agreement to distance themselves from heavy subjects, the mood lightened later. But they couldn't deny that they were all just a group of miserable teenagers trying to forget the terrible things they'd been through and focus on a positive future.

As Andrea tucked with Maya and Linda with Elena, Maya found herself unable to fall asleep. In the darkness, she waited for a long time for dreams to reach her.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.