Closed Revealing Secrets

[Elsie Baros]

Finding time in her day to practice was becoming increasingly more difficult. From dodging Rowan who seemed to want to do everything together these days, to finding time to study, to actually attending classes, to doing the other things that she liked, it was becoming harder and harder to find the time to do this was well. She didn't even really like dancing all that much, she'd just decided to get into it because her Dad couldn't anymore and she wanted someone in the family to take after him a little bit. So all of that combined, Elsie was a little more than slightly annoyed when she'd received some urgent note telling her she absolutely had to meet him down by the lakefront and not even any lakefront, for some reason it was specifically a memorial place for some Slytherin boy who'd died in the lake ages ago, probably before she was born. She didn't know him at all, so why she was supposed to come to this incredibly depressing place was completely beyond her.​

She found Zennon sitting in the grass... was he hissing? She coughed to let her know she'd arrived and flung herself down and into his lap. "Hey, Bro. What's the go. Why are we down here? Were you hissing at the ground or was that just me?" Though she was tired she didn't really have any qualms talking to her brother, since he was her brother.​

 

[Zennon Baros]

Zennon was nervous, he couldn’t help it, he was just... he needed to tell his sisters the truth and he just wasn’t sure how he was going to do that. Elsie never really bothered to ask him questions but... Rowan? She knew he was hiding something and he knew she hated him for it. Their relationship had deteriorated somewhat and he wished he could have stopped it somehow but he knew there was only one way to do that, and certainly lying was not exactly the best way.​

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Sitting by Avie’s Rock memorial, a place he thought fitting for a truth reveal, Zennon was getting some last minute courage from one of his snake buddies when he heard Elsie clearing her throat. He whirled around, expecting to see both Elsie and Rowan, but seeing only one. Elsie quickly dropped herself into his lap and he almost smiled at the familiarity of it. “Hi, Noni, is Ro dropping by?” He really hoped so, he knew this would be easier in the long run to have them both.​

 

[Elsie Baros]

Zennon seemed nervous and she wasn’t sure why. He wasn’t usually nervous around her so she wasn’t really sure why he would be nervous around her especially since she was his sister! She had to love him no matter what! “Last I saw she was playing with her stupid Divination set, honestly she’s been so weird lately I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know when she’ll be here.” ​

 

[Zennon Baros]

Zennon nodded at Elsie, he too had seen Rowan was acting strange but hadn't been able to corner her yet to ask how she was. They'd all suffered their dad's loss and so it wasn't unimaginable to think that maybe Rowan was still going through something, as well as normal teenaged girl things that Zennon didn't really want to think about at all. He frowned though as Elsie stubbornly insulted Rowan's passion for Divination. "Now that's not fair, is it. You like certain classes that she doesn't you shouldn't be insulting Divination." Even if it was a stupid class and he was never going to take it ever. "If she's not coming, I suppose I should just tell you then, and maybe catch up with her later..." He started, not sure if he was really ready to go through with this after all.​

 

[Elsie Baros]

Elsie frowned. She didn’t like it when her brother tried to be Dad. Still, he was her older brother she supposed to ought to listen to him, except she knew for a fact that Rowan probably complained about her and the classes she didn’t want to take to anyone who would listen. She knew her sister better than that! “But!” But she didn’t have time to protest because Zennon kept talking and suddenly Elsie was filled with dread. She didn’t like the tone of his voice. It was like he was trying to pick up the courage to tell her their dog had died! Oh she hoped that wasn’t the case! “Zen, what’s wrong? You’re not usually so shy about things. Please let me help!” She hoped that she could help, she wasn’t sure what the problem was but she wanted to offer him her shoulder or her hair if he needed her!​

 

[Zennon Baros]

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. You can do this Zennon, she’s your sister. She’ll understand. Zennon tried to calm his nerves. It had taken him a very long time to get to this point and though he had hoped to travel this to both of them, he couldn’t wait or he was afraid he’d chicken out again. Elsie looked really concerned and Zennon latched into that, taking another deep breath to prepare himself. “Els, um, there’s something I gotta tell you and.. it might be quite shocking to you. But I just gotta tell you that I didn’t mean it, okay?” He started, watching as Elsie’s concerned face turned into a deep frown. “Honestly, everything I said wasn’t always a lie, but-”​

 

[Elsie Baros]

Elsie cut Zennon off before he could continue. “What do you mean, lie? You lied to me?” She asked, a deep frown marring her usually happy face. She previously had been tired, but all of a sudden she was at her full attention, staring at Zennon as he bowed his head to her. She had no idea what he was trying to say, but he wasn’t exactly going about it in the right way. “What did you lie about?” Elsie couldn’t really explain why, but she was angry, almost livid. She wasn’t sure where it had come from, but just the way he was speaking and talking about lying to her? No, no she wasn’t going to accept that at all. “ZENNON! Who starts a conversation like that!?” She yelled, jumping to her feet hastily.​

 

[Zennon Baros]

Zennon hitched a breath as Elsie began to get angry. He hadn’t even gotten to tell her what he needed to tell her yet and she was screaming at him. Zennon’s face adopted a nervous smile. “Hey, hey calm down, I didn’t mean that...” he started, trying to back track a little. “I just meant that there are things about me you don’t know and, sometimes when you were asking me things I didn’t tell you the truth, and...” but it was no use, because Elsie had raised her hand and slapped him in the face.​

 

[Elsie Baros]

Elsie couldn’t believe this, the more he spoke, the more her face went red and her eyes started to tear up. How could he be so calm about telling her he was a disgusting liar! “What are you trying to say?" She couldn't understand why he was saying this to her. She didn't know her own brother? Is that what he was saying?! Elsie was overtired, she hadn't been sleeping well and she was stressed out from everything going on in her life and now here her brother was, for some reason, trying to upset her. "Why would you say that to me?" She asked, her voice raising in octave to let him know how upset she was. "Zennon, I am your sister! What do you mean you lied to me? How can you say I don't know you, of course I know you, I'm your sister!"​

Zennon tried to explain himself, but he was only making it worse. "WHY WOULD YOU LIE TO ME LIKE THAT!?" Why did everyone seem to think she needed to be sheltered so much?! Even when their dad had got injured, everyone had waited until he was better to even tell her he’d been hurt! It’s like they thought she was weak! Well, she wasn’t weak, Elsie was strong and she was going to show him that! Elsie brought her hand up and slapped her brother in the face. She barely even registered the sting. “HOW COULD YOU DO THAT! AFTER YOU PROMISED ME, YOU PROMISED ME YOU WOULD TELL ME THE TRUTH ALWAYS! AND NOW YOU SAY YOU’VE BEEN LYING TO ME?!” She couldn’t understand why he would say these things? "I've always wanted to be just like you, Zennon! You were my strong and brave big brother who never lied! You alway stood up for me no matter what? Was all of that a lie?!" She couldn't hang around to find out.​

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He knew she wanted to be just like him. But he was a disgusting liar and didn’t want anything to do with him anymore! “I HATE YOU, YOU’RE HORRIBLE AND I DON’T WANT TO EVER SEE YOU EVER AGAIN.” He made to reach out to her, maybe to apologise to her. She could see the tears in his eyes and his mouth was bleeding from where she had hit him, but she was tired, she was emotional and she couldn’t be in his presence any longer. Elsie turned and ran in the opposite direction. “I don’t want to be your sister anymore!”​

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She didn't even notice that Zennon hadn't been able to explain what he wanted to say. She was too angry to care.​

 

[Zennon Baros]

Zennon was stunned. There had been a moment there where he actually thought he might have made the right decision, but it was clear now that no one would ever forgive him for lying this whole time. He should have known not to say anything, it would have been easier than this. He moved his hand to touch him mouth, which came away with blood and he realised he must have bit his lip when she slapped him. He'd obviously deserved that. He'd hurt her and he should have known that. He let the tears fall, knowing that Elsie would be true to her word, she wouldn't come back to let him apologise and that was what hurt the most. Zennon and Elsie loved each other dearly, but he'd always known, even from the beginning, that she would never forgive him for lying. He'd promised her ever since she was small that he would always tell her the truth and telling her now that she really didn't know him at all had obviously been the wrong choice. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to live with that, knowing he'd intentionally hurt his sister. He just hoped that one day, some where in the future, she could learn to forgive him.​