Plurk paste

Telling Marion about it was a horrible idea. Blair wanted to crawl inside a hole and die. Stupid, stupid!

Having a friend made it a whole lot easier for Blair to adjust to her new life in London. Despite being total opposites, she and Marion just clicked, and they'd been inseparable since the day they met. Her father even remarked that they were like "two halves of a coconut"–a saying that Blair thought sounded weird but understood anyway.

But now she feared all that would change.

On that fateful day, they were chatting on the swings of the community playground when the topic about Marion's parents came up.

"I never knew my dad, so I don't really care much about him, but Mum and I were okay…" Marion said. The bitterness coupled with nostalgia did not escape Blair.

"We didn't have much, and Mum was often tired when she came home from work, but she always played with me until we both fell asleep. But all that changed now that she's gone."

A gentle hand caressed a lock of blonde hair longingly. Blair's chest ached at the familiar sight.

"I'm really sorry, Marion," said Blair as she reached out and squeezed her friend's hand. "I really love my mother, too. I don't know what I would do if she died. But please believe me… Your mother never left you."

The blonde girl withdrew her hand from Blair's sharply. "What are you talking about?"

Blair took a deep breath. She wasn't prepared to tell her friend about her gift, and this probably wasn't the right time, but she felt like Marion needed to know, for closure, at least.

The little redhead got up from the swing and stood up in front of her friend. "I know I'm going to sound mad, but I know that she really does love you because… well, she's right here beside you. She always has been, even when we first met. She loves you very much, and she never wanted to leave you."

Marion looked at her incredulously. "Are you saying that you see ghosts? Her ghost? Hah! I never said she was dead. She left me at the orphanage when things got bad. She said she'd come back for me, but sh-she never did… It's been months since I last heard from her. She just stopped caring ok. She's not dead… She can't be," she said as she fought the tears threatening to spill from her blue-green eyes.

A wave of panic hit Blair. She didn't know…

"Marion, I'm really sorry. I thought you knew–"

"Shut. Up. Just shut up! I don't believe you," screamed the blonde girl as she stood up and shoved Blair angrily before running away. Blair wanted to call out, but the guilt she felt for causing her friend pain felt like a choke-hold on her neck.

Blair came home sobbing like never before. Her parents reprimanded her about her horrible timing about outing her abilities to her friend, but also assured her that Marion had a good head on her shoulders and that she would understand some day.

That "some day" came sooner than expected. Marion called up a week after their fight.

They met up by the swings again at sunset. Blair's heart thundered in her chest as her friend approached. She didn't know what else to say other than apologize again and again. She was about to speak when Marion suddenly ran up to her and hugged her tight.

"I believe you," she said, tightening her hug as she burrowed her face in Blair's shoulder. Blair could feel Marion's tears through her shirt. She hugged back even tighter.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you like that. Please forgive me," said Blair through her sobs.

They kept their arms locked around each other until their crying stopped. Marion broke it off as she sighed in relief. "I know the truth now," she said shakily.

Ms. Mardling, the matron of the orphanage, had called her to her office a day after their fight. Apparently, the police had called to inform them that her mother died in a car crash a couple of weeks after she left Marion in the orphanage's care, but were only able to discover her identity much later because the wreck destroyed her body beyond recognition. They also had a hard time tracking down Marion since the documents pertaining to her adoption by the orphanage were part of the wreck as well.

"Can you tell my mum something for me?"

"You can tell her anything now. She's listening."

Marion looked up into the pink-orange sky and said, "I love you, Mum. Rest in peace now, and don't worry about me anymore. I'll be okay."

A flash of warmth enveloped the two girls then disappeared as quickly as it came. Marion broke down in tears again and Blair consoled her friend as she watched the vision of young woman slowly disappear as she walked towards the setting sun.