Chapter 6 - Gen 7 - Cello

~ Lyric ~

I can hear Cello and Mom shouting at each other, here we go.  I'm actually surprised its taken this long for someone to blow their top with my Mother and I certainly didn't think that Cello would be the first one, I always expected it to be me.

Amber:  "Did you hear how he spoke to me??!!"  she shouted at me as I watched Cello storm inside slamming the patio door, I flinched half expecting the glass to shatter, he'd slammed it so hard.
Lyric:  "Well It didn't take him long did it, to see your true colours!!"  she just sat glaring at me  "Stuck up your own arse and cold hearted bitch sums you up quite nicely!!"
Amber:  "Don't you start!!!   You need to have a word with that boy of yours .... he has no right to speak to me like he just did ... and I won't have it!!"
Lyric:  "He's an adult now, he has his own mind, no doubt you deserved what he said to you!!  You just can't help yourself, can you Mother, I swear you get pleasure out of rubbing everyone up the wrong way!!!!"  I looked up at her disapproving face  "Cello is quite placid, it takes a lot to make him crack - I dread to think what you said to make him lose it!!!"
Amber:  "I hardly said a thing!!"  she slammed her hand on the table quite hard  "You are not going to do anything about it are you - you are just going to sit there defending him aren't you like you always defended ........"
Lyric:  "Piper ..... go on say it Mother, your famous Rockstar son who is happily married with three great kids, quite the contrast the the gail bate you always made him out to be - Piper who you still don't see you got TOTALLY wrong - because you couldn't be arsed to give him a minute of your time, you don't know him - Well I do know my son, inside out and I'm telling you now, you are NOT going to start treating my son the same way you treated yours - you just lay off Cello!!"
Amber:  "Cello was disrespectful!!" she said not being dragged into our normal Piper argument
Lyric:  "I'm not surprised, you don't exactly treat people in a way to earn their respect do you!!"  I snapped at her  "I'm telling you this ONCE ONLY ... get on his back like you got on Piper's and I will bounce you down the path quicker than you can pack your bags - you'll be out and on the other side of the island, we don't have to put up with your rubbish - I only do it for Dad - if it wasn't for him I wouldn't even speak to you!!!"
Amber:  "FINE!!"

Lyric:  "Cello is struggling to adjust to this move, he's not his normal self at the moment and you getting on his back all the time is not going to help him!!"  she tuts but doesn't say anything and just stares at me.  "So is it true?? We have family on this Island? Is this something else you've neglected to tell anyone because it doesn't quite suit you!?"
Amber:  "Yes, If you want to call them family .. but they are only family when it suits them!!"
Lyric:  "Maybe you should explain Mother, because it's news to me that they even exist!!"
Amber:  "There is nothing to explain!"  She starts fidgeting like she's about to get up and walk off.
Lyric:  "Too right there is and don't you get walking off ... Cello is right ... they ARE family ... whether you like it or not - but you've never really been big on family have you!!!"  She just sits looking at me I can already tell this is going to be hard work, getting anything out of her is like getting blood from a stone.  "What is it Mother are they beneath you ... like your Grandson pointed out, you are a little stuck up your own arse - are they not good enough for you - is that why you've neglected to even mention them?"
Amber:  "I have my reasons!!"
Lyric:  "So tell me ... or am I going to have to go and search them out for myself?!"
Amber:  "Just do yourself a favour Lyric, forget about them!!"
Lyric:  "No I won't ... what are they - criminals? - drug dealers? - what is your problem with them?! she still sits staring at me blankly saying nothing, im getting annoyed  "Besides did you not even think for one minute, this is a very small island there are not masses of people living here .... your Grandson when he gets his head together - if his past form is anything to go by - he is going to be running around this island jumping into bed with all sorts - if he doesn't know who he is related to .......  think about it and the devastation it could cause."
Amber:  "Oh ..... shit!!" 
Lyric:  "Exactly .... so now you see why you need to start talking .... we seriously need to know who they are before it too late and Cello ends up crawling out of someone's bed that he's related to!!"  she sits pulling faces for a moment
Amber:  "You need to teach that boy some morals!!"
Lyric:  "Like you need to start talking"  I'm beginning to lose my temper with her "Just how many of these Peeled's are there likely to be?"
Amber:  "My Mother had four brothers and sisters, so there are probably quite a lot of them by now."  She looked down into her lap and I can tell she's wringing her hands  "They turned there back on us okay, when my Mother was dying, none of them wanted to take me and my brothers in because we were different, that's the only reason why she had to bring us back to my Dad."  I stay silent waiting for her to continue  "Look, its complicated all you need to know is that they turned their back on us so I've turned my back on them, I've washed my hands of them ... they are no longer my family."
Lyric:  "So here is where you grew up .. on this island ... how do we not know that?!"
Amber:  "I've never felt the need to tell anyone that I was born and grew up here - why should I?!."
Lyric:  "How can you just sit here every day ... and not say anything or give us any clue ... does Dad know?"
Amber:  "No, he doesn't know either - nobody does - only Adam and Alex, my brothers."
Lyric:  "I seriously don't get you sometimes - why do you keep everything inside - why do you never let anyone get near you.  Ice Queen - do you know that's what ALL your Grandchildren call you!!"  She didn't respond, like I didn't think she would, she just sits there like the brick wall we hit all the time.

Lyric:  "So why did they turn their back on you? ... you said you were different ... how?  Was it because you were ugly's and not normal berries?"
Amber:  "No it was not because of our Ugliness ... Lyric I don't want to talk about it!!"
Lyric:  "TELL ME Mother - or I'm going right now to ask them myself .... you see, luckily, I already know one of them .... never imagined I'd be related to him though ... Aaron Peeled who is he?"  She looked down and I thought she wasn't going to say anything, but I think she also knows now she has no choice but to tell me - luckily me and Forrest have been to that Dive bar a few times where I've met this Peeled guy.
Amber:   "How do you know him?"
Lyric:  "He's the guy who owns the dive bar ..... actually I'm wandering if he knows who I am already because now I come to think about it, he did ask after you, but I didn't think much of it at the time because it happens.  He was acting a little weird around me, he kept bringing me and Forrest drinks, he wouldn't leave us alone - I just thought he might have been a little star struck."
Amber:  "The Dive bar."  she laughed  "That figures he's always been a bit of a drunk .... as for knowing who you are ... he might do, I really don't know without asking him."
Lyric:  "So, who is he?" she looked at me for a moment before she looked down
Amber:  "He's my ...... Grandfather." she mumbled like she didn't want me to hear it
Lyric:  "WHAT!?  That's impossible!!"  I must have misheard her
Amber:  "No, seriously, Aaron Peeled is your Great Grandfather!!"
Lyric:  "Mom, your Grandfather ... my Great Grandfather would be long dead by now!!"
Amber:   "If you know him, surely you must have noticed what he is ...."  shit, yes I did
Lyric:  "He's a ..... fairy."
Amber:  "Yes and Fairy's live a lot longer than humans, so yes, my Grandfather should still be kicking .... Me, Alex and Adam were not fairy's like the rest of the family and that was their problem with us ... that is how we were different."
Lyric:  "Your family are ALL fairy's!?"  I'm shocked
Amber:  "Yes."

Lyric:  "Granddad Never mentioned that Cherry was a fairy!!"
Amber:  "She wasn't ... well not when your Granddad met her, he never knew ... she was born a fairy, but she lost her wings."
Lyric:  "What, they just dropped off?"  I start sniggering the picture of a fairy's wings falling off amused me.
Amber:  "No silly, fairy wings don't just drop off!!  I don't know the full details of why she lost her wings or even how, it was one of those things that was hidden from us as children, I suppose now if I went and asked my Grandfather he might tell me.  My Mother .... she had quite a bad reputation, she did something, I've never known what exactly .... and fairy's keep their secrets in house .  After she lost her wings, she left this island, she was sent away in shame - that's how she met your Granddad and I think you know about their affair, and that he chose Apricot over my mother.  She was pregnant with us and she didn't know what to do so she came back here to her family.  I'm not sure they ever welcomed her back with open arms and I know they were never too happy about our existence and especially with us not being fairys.  I heard my Grandmother say once 'They should have drown us at birth!' just like we were dogs or something, not her Grandchildren!"  I watched her look away and she actually looked really upset.
Lyric:  "You were treated badly as a child weren't you!!"
Amber:  "Yes, very badly ...... by the whole family and our Mother, she wasn't a good Mom either, I lost count of the men she had and she never showed us that she loved us, I don't remember her ever hugging or kissing us .... she went totally off the rails, my Aunt told me she never got over your Granddad ... but I don't know, I hardly knew my Mom, she ....... held us at arms length ... she treated us like we were a burden."
Lyric:  "That sounds familiar!!"  I said sarcastically and regretted it the second the words left my tongue, I should never have said it!!  She's almost in tears and I suddenly realise for the first time ever she's dropped her guard and she's opened up ... I am beginning to understand her a little, she's been such an awful Mother to us because of how she was treated as a child  "If I'm honest ... I was always too scared to get close to any of you because I didn't know how to .... I'd never been loved ... I grew up only knowing anger rejection and hatred  ... I struggle ... you asked me why I don't let anyone in, it's because I can't - I shut myself off a long time ago, I built a wall  ... the rejection ... it hurt less that way, and now I ...... I just don't know how to. Your Dad and Granddad are the only two people who have ever got past that."

Hell!! She starts to really cry.  Now what do I say to her, she's just opened up to me, she's crying and obviously very upset - and because of the way she has made me - I can't even bring myself to put my arms around her.  We sat with an uncomfortable silence for ages, I can't help thinking she did to us what her Mother did to her, she treated us in exactly the same way she was treated, I could have said a lot to her but I didn't dare it would just set of another argument - all I can do is try and change the conversation a little.

Lyric:  "So if your Mom had not lost her wings - you would have been a fairy too?"
Amber:   "Yes."  she said still looking down.  The image of my mother with wings, being a fairy with her bad attitude ..... this made me laugh again.  "Lyric, it's not funny!!!!!"  she snapped wiping the tears off her face.
Lyric:  "I'm not sure you would have made a very good fairy - an evil fairy maybe!!"  I started laughing quite loudly again
Amber:  "You are not funny Lyric!!"
Lyric:  "Seriously though - have you never sat and thought about it from another angle - that we wouldn't be here if those things hadn't happened because your Mother, she would never have met Granddad if she hadn't lost her wings!!"
Forrest:  "Who's lost her wings?"  he said as he sat down to eat, so engrossed in our conversation I hadn't even seen him coming.
Amber:  "Do you mind, we are talking, family stuff!!"  she snapped  "Do you two never leave each other alone for more than five minutes?!"
Forrest:  "Oh yeah, sorry I forgot I'm not family in your book am I!!"  he snapped as he made it perfectly clear he was going no where and started shoveling spaghetti into his mouth.  "Even though I've been married to your son for over 20 years, I'll never be good enough for you will I!"  he started waving his fork about in front of my mothers face while he's trying to chew down the pasta he has in his mouth  "And what did you do to my stepson, he's in a right fowl mood?!"  I covered my face with my hands waiting for the explosion, it's not like Forrest to bite back at her, he usually makes a joke of whatever she throws at him - she's upset, she's likely to flip her lid, surprisingly she didn't.  "You know you are really starting to grate on every ones nerves, especially mine!!  I'm sick of you upsetting our two boys!!"

I'm sat cringing thinking Forrest shut up!!  There is silence for a moment, Forrest carries on eating while I sit watching my Mothers face who is just staring out at the sea.
Amber:  "I'll go and talk to Cello in a minute ... I'm sorry Forrest!"  she said quite calmly  "I promise I'll start treating you better from now on!!"
Forrest:  "What!?"  I heard his fork hit the table, he's sat there frozen in shock.
Amber:  "Where is he ... Cello?"
Forrest:  "In the basement destroying the drum kit!!"

She got up and left the table without another word.

Forrest:  "Tell me, did I hear it right, did Lady Muck actually just apologize to me??!!"
Lyric:  "Yes, I think she did!!"  I'm still a little gob smacked just sat staring after my Mother, my brain is whirring from what she's told me ... she's just opened herself up a little and understanding her a little better makes me see her in a different light.
Forrest:  "You know I'm not sure it's wise her going to talk to Cello, he's cracking up down there - there is something seriously wrong with that boy and here ....."  he started emptying his pocket out on the table.  "Its not Jake's, I've checked, so this has to be Cello's."  he's putting a smashed up phone on the table.
Lyric:  "Where was that?"
Forrest:  "I found it this afternoon all over the music room floor - I think he's thrown it up the wall."
Lyric:  "I best had go talk to him."
Forrest:  "Yeah and I'd make it quick before your Mother ends up like that phone!!"

I got up and ran after her, I had to stop her before she got to Cello.

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After convincing my Mother it was best she left Cello alone I went looking for him but he'd already taken himself off to bed.  I tackled him the next morning over breakfast.

Lyric:  "Where is your phone Cello?"
Cello:  "I broke it."
Lyric:  "I'd say you've broken it - you smashed it up the wall more like!!"
Cello:  "Why ask stupid questions then if you already know!!" he didn't look at me he just carried on eating.
Lyric:  "Stop being cocky, it doesn't suit you ... it's about time we talked about your problem don't you think, before it gets out of hand!!"
Cello:  "I don't have a problem!"
Lyric:  "Cello - I'm not stupid you haven't been yourself since you got here ....it's Chad isn't it!!"  he just looked up at me quickly then back at his food  "I thought so, I know your Granddad spoke to you and I am guessing if it was Jessie you'd have done something about it by now, because if it was Jessie there wouldn't actually be a problem would there!!"  he didn't say anything he just carried on eating  "So .... do you love him?"

Cello mumbled something that I didn't catch - why does everyone have to be such hard work to talk to around here?!
Lyric:  "Stop eating and look at me I just asked you a question!!"  he threw his fork down
Cello:  "YES ... OKAY ... I love him ... but you can keep your shirt on because its OVER - he's a million miles away and I'll get over it - I'm doing your heir thing so you don't need to worry your head over it for one second longer!!"  he went to get up
Lyric:  "You can stay right there - this conversation is not finished with yet!!" he hesitated for a moment, I thought he was still going to walk off but he didn't, he sat back down picked up his fork and started eating again.  "Why are you so angry with me ... I am not forcing you to do this heir thing."
Cello:  "I never said you was ... and I'm not angry with you, I'm actually angry with myself!!"
Lyric:  "If you love him and want to be with him, I'm not going to stop you - if it's what makes you happy then I'd rather you go back to him!"
Cello:  "And what about this heir thing."
Lyric:  "There are three of you - you were my first choice but if you can't do it, that's fine, I can pick up the phone and get your brother out here tomorrow - I'm not sure he's happy at Uni anyway."
Cello:  "Why not Melody?  I thought Jazz would have been your last choice."
Lyric:  "Melody ... she has her own ideas, she knows what she wants to do with her life, and children are not part of her plans for a very long time, she's focused on a career which she needs to go to uni for and it wouldn't be fair to drag her away from that, yes she would have been second choice but when I asked her she didn't want to do it, but she will if I'm left with no other choice."
Cello:  "Will Jazz even do it?"
Lyric:  "Yes he will, he'll jump at the chance - he wanted to do it, he was very miffed that I chose you over him.  I spoken to all three of you, not just you ... Jazz is there waiting on standby just in case, because I thought something like this might happen with you, although I didn't expect you to fall this quickly!!"  he looked up at me in surprise  "I guess it's my own fault for taking the risk on you and not thinking to ask you how you felt about Jessie or Chad.  This was doomed before we even left home wasn't it."
Cello:  "I suppose."
Lyric:  "So I'll phone Jazz then shall I?!"

He didn't say anything he just kept his head down so I took it as a yes and turned on my phone and started to dial Jazz's number.

Cello:  "NO .... Wait!!"  he sat there looking at me blankly
Lyric:  "What?"
Cello:  "See I have a problem! ..... and while I am very very tempted to let Jazz do it ... I can't"  he started scratching his head like he is nervous  "I love Chad and want to be with him, its driving me crazy being away from him, but there are two reasons why I think I should be.  The main one being I really do want my own children."
Lyric:  "Then you have a problem because you can't have both!!"
Cello:  "I know and that's what's killing me - but you did!!"
Lyric:  "Yeah and look at the headache it's caused!!! I wasn't given a choice and only found a way for my Granddads sake Cello please, I seriously don't advise you even think about going down that road!!"
Cello:  "Actually I wasn't, Chad isn't like Forrest, I don't think he could take it, he's over emotion, possessive and paranoid, the thing with Jessie caused trust issues - If he was here now he would be constantly kicking off -  he's already getting shirty wanting to know if I've got a girlfriend yet!! that's why my phone went up the wall - he'll totally lose it when I do get one. "
Lyric:  "You said there were two reasons."  he pulled a face
Cello:  "I really shouldn't have to be telling you this but I need you to understand  .... I'm not sure Chad's meant to be gay or bisexual it didn't come naturally to him, he .... he was very embarrassed about us to start with, that's why I think he clung onto Mel so he could hide it, he .... he had issues and struggled to start with ... anything past kissing ..."  I can see how uncomfortable he's getting.
Lyric:  "It's okay, I get it ..."
Cello:  "He got there eventually but I'm not sure he's ever been completely comfortable with it, he says he is now, but I'm not so sure because he had the issues in the first place.   So I'm partly carrying on with this heir thing for him, I know he loves me but I think he's naturally straight and I doubt he'll ever have another gay relationship and I'm scared one day, when I'm in too deep, he will wake up, realize and leave me because he's playing a game he shouldn't be - and I'd rather it happens now.  So Regardless of all the shit with Mom, I did chose to move here to actually get away from Chad for those two reasons - I just didn't realize it would hit me like it did or make me feel like this and I need some more time to get over him."
Lyric:  "Well It's your decision, I'm not making you do this, I'll give you more time to think about it - like I said Jazz will be out here in a flash any time you feel you can't carry on - just tell me.."
Cello:  "Don't worry - I'll do it - I want to do it, I want my own children - you just need to give me a bit more time to get Chad out of my head."

I can't help but think about my Granddad and how he moped over Apricot after she died for the rest of his life, and I'm talking about a lot of years.  He never got over it.  When you love someone, I don't suppose you can ever get over losing them.  I think about how I'd feel if I lost Forrest, I'd never cope.  I'm not sure that Cello is doing the right thing or even know's what he's doing!!  His reasons for doing it make sense, I'm just not sure he can carry it through.  If he really does love Chad - he definately isn't getting over this in a hurry like he thinks he will.

This is all going to go pear shaped ..... I can just see it coming!!!!

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I'm really not happy with this chapter and nearly deleted it - I've realised what I'm doing - I've totally changed the way I'm writing this wishacy - I've just transfered my "rainbow legacy" writing over to here!!  Im letting my imagination run riot and I'm going too deep :/  But its written now so I may as well publish it.  There will be another chapter out tomorrow so I can forget about this one :)

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