8My parents were starting to realize that there was something, well...different about Ezmeralda. She can't completely hide her powers, or her mind. After the three weeks had passed, my mother and father trusted her entirely. Even then, she didn't dump all the information on them like a ton of bricks.
It was a rainy day when she began her 'Who I Really Am' speech. Her and I had planned it all during the last week, and I thought that it sounded pretty good.
"I'm not entirely who you think I am," she began. Her head was down, she looked ashamed. She was. She felt as if she should've told my parents the truth sooner. "You know a girl named Aurora. She's a blonde who lost her family when she was four."
"That's who you are, darling. You're Aurora." That was my mother.
"No." Ezmeralda again. "Aurora is not my name. And I lost my parents when I was one year old, and not four."
"Then who did you stay with? Surely you did not grow up all by yourself. Only Ezmeralda could do just a thing." My father this time. He had a smile on his face, as if he thought this was just a joke.
A tear rolled down Ezmeralda's pale cheek. "That's just it. I -didn't- stay with anybody. There is no blonde named Aurora. My name is not Aurora."
It took a while for my parents to digest this. "Why are you telling us this?" my mother asked. She was obviously concerned, though she was trying to hide it. She is not adept at hiding her feelings. "Why now?"
"Because my memories are returning. And I cannot stay with you forever. And so you must realize why I have to leave, why I must find out what happened to my brother."
And now, with a look of resignation on her face, Ezmeralda slowly turned her hair back to its natural color.
This was truly a sight to see. Brilliant, silver light formed a ring around the top of her head, taking off the mask on the hair trapped inside the circle it made. The circle widened, and traveled downwards, until its sides met the end of Ezmeralda's unnaturally purple hair.
My mother and father gasped, staring at me. I was calm, smiling even. I nodded to both of them. "It's alright," I whispered. "She won't hurt you."
"My name is not Aurora," Ezmeralda said, softly and slowly. "I am Ezmeralda."
*****After Five Minutes of Shocked Silence*****
"Please, talk to Felix. He will explain. I am really quite tired." And with that, she lay down on the bed, eyes fluttering closed, but I knew she was only pretending.
I faced my parents. "First of all, yes, I knew who she was all along. And I can promise you that the books are wrong." I saw a faint smile tug at the corners of Ezmeralda's mouth. It was good that my parents were facing me, and not her 'sleeping' form.
"I have been her friend for about four weeks now. I got to know her pretty well, and I can assure you that she is not the killer that the books claim she is." And so I explained everything that happened, from my first expedition into the forest to the setup a little bit later. I concluded with, "Mom. Dad. She loves us. She has been alone for eleven of her twelve years. All that she needed was a friend."
"Oh, Felix, I'm so proud..." My mother leaned towards me and wrapped her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug. "You didn't judge her. We did. We're so proud..." she said again. My father joined the bear hug, and soon Ezmeralda was up and in it too. She smiled at us.
"I have never had a family. You, all of you, have granted my lifelong dream. And for that, I thank you."