C13- Pieces and parts

Vynessa's POV

"Your parents stole from us," Klaus starts, his gaze fixed on me. I'm not sure if it's pity or sympathy I see in his eyes but whatever it is, I ignore it, deciding instead to focus on what he's saying.

It's strange, anytime he touches me there's this strange calm I feel. Almost like an unspoken deception into believing I'm safe.

And although I'm well aware that he might be lying to me I find myself way too eager to care. I'd take anything other than this severe ignorance.

My eyes search his when he continues. "We discovered four years ago that one of our banks had been raided by a young couple…” Klaus says, “We trailed them. Agent Black, she was the shooter on that mission.”

With a sniff I shake my head. I know where this is going but I find it hard now that it's finally registering in my head that my mother, truly, is not who I thought she was.

Agent Black? The title echoes in my head. What sort of organization is this?

“Your parents clearly weren't about to back down and surrender. And so Alpha Elijah ordered Black to shoot.”

“He told her to kill them.” I mutter lowly, wondering once again if I should believe anything he's saying - if I can believe him at all.

Then Klaus' voice changes a bit, inviting a pinch of stiffness to his tone. And he's words flow out, just as defensive as his tone. “You must understand that to us they were nothing but thieves who stole millions of dollars from our purse. At least that's what we thought.” His voice drops and his shoulders slump.

I draw nearer to him. “So you just killed them for stealing? What do you mean by ‘what you thought’?” I ask, looking up at him once more as the ache in my heart pushes me to seek some sort of explanation.

“Look it was the first time we ever made such a mistake, Vynessa. The guilt ate at us for weeks. At that time you were hospitalized.”

“Stop, I've heard enough. Leave me please.” I say, pulling away from his touch, breathing in once his hand drops from my shoulder.

“You don't believe me.” Klaus states with a sullen countenance. “I knew you might not.” He mutters.

My curiosity peaks when he reaches into his suit, pulling out a tiny photograph.

I reach out my hand, collecting the single picture from Klaus' hand. “Oh my go…” My words get choked under the heavy emotion that suddenly consumes me.

The picture in my hand shakes as I focus on the image of a woman who looks exactly like me but with blond hair instead of brunette, holding a baby girl in her arms, with a bright smile– one I could never muster– on her face.

“Who is this?” I ask, surprisingly sounding composed.

“Your mother.” Klaus answers.

My gaze zeros in on her face. Parents and their children don't have to look alike. The fact that I and Ma look nothing alike meant nothing to me. But, looking at the woman in the photo, it feels like it were me photoshopped with a blonde wig.

Everything is happening too fast. I feel like my world is spinning. What is going on?

“You will need more than a picture to convince me that the woman I've spent most of my life with isn't my mother.” I whisper but Klaus clearly hears me as he responds.

“I do have a video and some other data.” Klaus pulls out a tablet from his suit. I chew on my lip, my body covered in cold sweat.

The first clip of Ma looking about twenty years younger comes up. I blink noticing that the man standing beside her, dressed in purple suit, is the boss. He doesn't look to have aged a day since then.

He scrolls and my face pulls into a frown as my hands form into fists beside me when I recognize the child in the boss' arms. Ma smiles at the camera while Elijah looks at her with affection. Like a protective older brother carrying his sister.

If the boss has always been there and Ma…

“Why? Why are you showing me this?” I whisper, watching the ugly truth stare me in the face.

“Alpha’s order. Today I must convince you of the truth, no matter what it takes. Even if it means showing you the footage of your late parents last moments with you.” Klaus states.

Even before he hands me the tablet my body shakes in a sob. God please…

The same lady I had seen in the previous picture appears to be sitted in the passenger seat of a car with a smile on her face. Her blonde hair is tied up in a ponytail, just how I like mine to be. She leans to the side, planting a tender kiss on the cheeks of the man driving.

My heart beats faster as I take in his appearance. The curly brunette hair on his head looks way too familiar. His brown eyes also carry equal warmth to mine. My father?

“I'm scared Aliyah.” The man mutters as the woman's hand runs through his hair.

“Relax Jay, nothing is going to happen to us.”

Another tear slides down my cheek. Did they know they were going to get killed that day?

“There she is.” Aliyah says, glancing outside the glass with a bright smile like she'd seen an angel. “Hi baby.” She says, visibly greeting someone I can't see.

Jay chuckles at the person outside the car as if they're doing something funny, something that eliminates his negative thoughts every time.

I stagger a bit, suddenly feeling a bad headache. Klaus reaches for the tablet but I shift aside, turning away from him, unable to look away from the girl who gets into the back of the car.

My heartbeat gets louder in my head, my eyes furiously blinking to expell the fast building tears.

That's…that's me!

But how, what was I doing there? When was this? How could I forget my own parents, people who loved me so boldly?

“So tell me Narla, how was the school?” Jay asks and just then the video stops but the voices don't. Far back in my head I hear the conversation, getting louder with every passing second-

“You hungry?

…Don't mind your Dad, nothing's wrong

…So tomorrow's your birthday. Where're we going mom?”

It all suddenly floods in, pieces and parts, shouts and screams. I'm barely aware of the sharp cry of pain that escapes my lips as a tormenting pain strikes through my head.

“Vynessa!” I faintly hear Klaus' panicked voice but It's impossible to focus on him. Not with the loud sound of a gunshot. Not with the terrifying screeching of car tyres.

“Vynessa?” A different yet familiar voice calls. I'm faintly aware when cold hands wraps around me. Who it is, or why it is, evades me as I succumb to the darkness.