Yayyyyyyy,
here's the next chapter!!!
Because I don't want to keep torturing you!!!
I don't want to be cruel like some other authors, who know exactly what I mean!!!
*cough* Shannon, do u hear me??? *cough*
(No hate on Shannon)
I don't want to keep you all waiting for two years.

Anyways, just remember what you agreed to in the last chapter!!!

I am NOT a creepy old man, so pls don't report me!!!

I just want to break the fourth wall!!!

(Which... isn't a crime, I guess)

Anyways, uh... enjoy!!!

- Umber

PS: Also, uh... I wrote an extra long chapter for you all, for the support you've shown me. Honestly, I don't know if my stories would exist without you all!!!

Thank u so, so, so much!!!

I love you all!!!

❤️❤️❤️

Enjoy!!!

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Ciara's POV

I woke up, gasping for breath.

I had weird dreams, and I couldn't remember them anymore.

Also, I was feeling REALLY dizzy right now.

Uh...

Where was I???

I started panicking.

Wait-

Oh, yeah, I was in my hotel room!!!

Oof!!!

I calmed down again.

Wait-

Where was I again???

And I started panicking again.

In my hotel room, yeah, of course, where else would I be???

I calmed down again.

I stood up and went to brush my teeth, but everything felt so... weird.

No, weird wasn't the right word...

Unreal fitted better.

Why was all this feeling so unreal???

Why was this feeling as if in a dream???

I pinched my hand, and I felt a sharp pain.

Ouch.

But still, it felt so unreal.

As if this was all happening in my dream.

"Ok, then DEFINITELY DON'T go to the toilet!!!" I told myself.

But... I did.

And everything felt normal, but also abnormal at the same time.

Why was I feeling like this?!??!?!

What was happening to me?!?!?!?

I took a quick shower
(This place was really hot, I had sweat the whole night, and I was stinking)

I thought the shower would help me fresh up, but of course, I was completely wrong.

It made me feel like...

I belonged here, but I didn't belong here at the same time!!!

Where did I actually belong to???

What was happening to me???

I shook the thoughts away.

I wouldn't let this ruin my beautiful vacation.

So I went outside to eat at the Café nearby, and I saw my Mamas already waiting there for me.

"Hey, Sweetheart!!!" Mama C kissed me on the cheeks as a "Good Morning", "Did you have a good sleep. You weren't doing well yesterday. You had a light fever!"

"Anyways, I think it's gone now, cuz you look soo freshed up and gorgeous today!" Mama D hugged me. "I think you were just a bit tired yesterday! As I always say, who needs doctors when they have sleep??" Mama D laughed.

"...Yeah, who needs doctors??" I tried for a real smile.

And I was successful.

"Yeah, come on, what do you want to eat??" Mama C asked, dragging me towards the nearest table.

"Um... I think I just want toast. And boiled eggs." I replied.

"And I think I want a french toast." Mama D said.

"Ok!" Mama C agreed. "And for me, ot will be just scrambled eggs."

The waiter came, and Mama C ordered.

He was a bit weirded out by the fact that I had two moms, but he got over it soon and plastered a smile.

I just wanted to punch him in the face for that.

Like, why couldn't people accept families like this?!?!?!

It may not be the think the nature had originally planned, but it was a great family.

And if it made us happy, why should we care about what the others think???

My motto was always just: You only live once.

And I wanted to make the most of my life.

After breakfast, we took a little walk along the beach once again and then made our way back home.

Oof, this was gonna be a 7 housr long travel time.

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In the car:

Mama C was driving.

We were on our way, chatting normally with each other, when, all of a sudden, Mama D started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Diana? What happened, darling?" Mama C asked in a worried tone and stopped the car at a nearby parking lot.

"I- it's just that, I miss my mum!" Mama D started sobbing again.

Ah yes.

Grandma Umber.

She had always been mysterious.

But she had accepted the fact that Mama D married a girl.

Unlike Mama C's parents.

They had kicked her out and abandoned her, so, of course, Mama C didn't like to talk about them.

Mama C used to call Granny Umber "Mom".

She always used to say that Granny was a "Mom" she never had.

Grandma Umber had even accepted me as her own granddaughter and had often played with me.

Granny Umber was a bit emo but she was always a cheerful and kind woman, she had often played with me when she had still lived.

Strangely, her body had been found in the forest, people still had no clue about her mysterious death.

Everyone in our family (that means Mama D, Mama C and me, Mama D had no family except Granny and Mama C's family had abandoned her), had grieved for a long time.

"Oh- Oh, sweetie!" Mama C leaned over and hugged Mama D. Then she leaned back and cupped Mama D's face with her hands. "Is there - is there any way you could be Ok again...?"

"Could we- could we please visit her grave??? I- I want to be near her again."

Everyone agreed, and we first brought a few flowers for Granny's grave, then we drove to the cemetery, where Granny was buried.

Now, I started to get that feeling again.

As if, none of this was real, and I was still dreaming.

I had ignored this feeling the whole car ride, but it was getting stronger and stronger every minute.

We entered the cemetery and went straight to Granny's grave, Mama C was holding Mama D the whole time.

I knew that Mama C also wanted to cry but held her tears back for Mama D's sake.

Mama D needed someone strong to lean on in this moment, and Mama C was determined to be that person.

When we reached Granny's grave, Mama D softly touched the rough stone and started sobbing again.

"I miss you, Mum." I heard her murmer in a heartbreaking voice.

Mama C softly led her away from the grave, giving me a sign to stay where I was so that Mama D could calm down again, and Mama D let her.

I heard faint sobbing noises as they moved away from me, and I heard Mama C whispering soothing words to Mama D.

I observed Granny Umber's grave and looked at the tiny details simply because I had nothing left to do.

Then I noticed the black rose.

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Flashback:

(I was 10 years old)

"Hey, Ciara, Sweetie!!!" Granny Rose greeted me after I came back from playing outside. "I need to talk to you about something!!!"

"What is it???" I asked, confused.

Granny was never serious. She was one of the most carefree people I had ever known.

"Well, come on in!!!" Granny waved her hand in the direction of our house. "I'll explain it to you inside!"

Granny had lived with us since forever.

She had her own Villa, but she sold it because she didn't want to live alone.

"What is it, grandma?" I asked as we went inside.

"Well,", grandma made herself comfortable on her favorite chair- which was black, obviously- and continued. "When I die -"

"Grandma!" I glared at her. "Don't say such things!"

But Granny just chuckled. "Everyone is going to die one day or the another, Ciara. Death is what makes life worth it. If death didn't exist, everyone would take life for granted. Death is what gives life a meaning."

(Btw, I um... invented this sentence, what do u call ot, something. Whatever, yeah, I invented it for myself [that's what I always call it, if I invent something and then I find out that it was already invented in the stone age] and I would really appreciate it, if u could tell me, whether this already exists or not, and if this exists, I would really appreciate it, if u told me who said this)

Grandma had a point.

But still, I didn't want to accept the fact that she was going to die one day.

Even thinking of that just broke my heart.

"Ok... but what did you want to tell me???" I asked.

"Well,", she handed me a black rose, "when I die, I want you to place this rose on my grave. I won't tell you why, so please don't ask me. You will probably understand in a few years. So please promise me that you will place it on my grave. Also, please promise me that you won't tell your Mamas that you had this conversation with me, alright?"

"I promise, Granny!"

Flashback ends

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I held out my hand and touched the black rose.

If it was a real rose, it would've dried up by now.

So, obviously, it was a fake.

I took the rose in my hand and examined it.

The stem had always seemed weird to me.

It was a bit thicker than the ones of the usual roses.

I traced my finger along the stem and noticed a little opening on it.

I dug my fingernails inside the little crack and opened it.

Inside was a little paper scroll.

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I hope you liked this chapter!!!

If you did, pls don't forget to leave a vote!!!