Cobalt and Curls, A Courtyard Reunion

"Stop being so dumb," Bloom reprimanded herself, her voice a low whisper in her cottage's silence. "They’re your family; they don’t care what you look like!"

Even still, later that afternoon, when her mother had left, she was standing in front of her bedroom mirror, rummaging through her closet with agitated hands. She usually didn't give much thought to what she was wearing, but tonight she felt a flutter of anxiety dance in her chest. Making a good first impression was important to her. She would meet her family tomorrow morning, or rather, get to know them again before they left together. But for the time being, Bloom wished she could say goodbye quietly to her home, her haven, if only briefly.

She finally decided on a cobalt-blue flexible cotton garment that had been lovingly sewn by her grandma. She wore it with thick boots and black leggings, longing for the cozy feel of home in the midst of her whirling discomfort.

She couldn't sleep that night. Hours passed while she tossed and turned, her thoughts wrapped in knots of anxiety over the next dawn and the reunion with her biological family. What if she wasn't liked by them? What if they had more sinister plans and wanted to take her back for some evil reason rather than out of love? She was just a commoner dressed in regal accoutrements, but they were born and raised nobles with a wealth of privilege.

She finally succumbed to fatigue after midnight, but her dreams were erratic and tinged with uncertainty. With the burden of the day bearing down on her, she woke up at her typical early hour. Everything was planned: she would travel to the Hurlstone homestead after seeing her family at Hartfield Manor. She locked the door behind her, took a reassuring breath, and left the cottage, having nothing left to care for except her favorite plants. Her feet took her along the road even though she thought, "I'm not ready for this."

The sticky cobwebs of last night's nightmares were swept away by the cool morning air as it brushed over her skin. She took a deep breath, and a plume of mist hung in front of her face, a momentary wonder. To Bloom, genuine enchantment shimmered everywhere—in the light, in the air, and in the plants she knew so well—but others referred to her as magic.

She paused as Hartfield Manor came into sight, relishing the momentary tranquility of her solo stroll. However, it was short-lived. She entered the courtyard too soon, a stranger in a place that seemed both familiar and alien.

There were several faces like hers in the yard. A little girl with wide eyes, startlingly similar to her younger self, looked up. A small boy stood close by, flanked by two identical twin females. A woman with long, straight black hair, different from the others with her light brown curls, grabbed the hand of a young man who was only marginally older than her. Then her mother—mother—came rushing forward, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears, and she embraced Bloom warmly. She took a step back and pointed to the family that had gathered.

With a voice full of emotion, she said, "This is Liliana, your sister, everyone." "Annelise, Aaron, Aurelia, Diana, Henrik, and his wife, Charlene," said Lilian.

Bloom was taken aback when Charlene, the attractive woman with black hair, came up first and gave him a soft peck on the cheek. She said, "I guess you're experiencing something similar to how I felt when I first joined this family." "Don't worry, they're all really kind folks. They made it easy for me to blend in.

Bloom smiled nervously back. She thought, "But you weren't raised common," and then scolded herself for the cruel assumption. Charlene was merely attempting to show kindness.

The oldest, Henrik, came forward next. Since he had heard of her and remembered her, this reunion didn't feel so odd to him. He kissed her cheek and drew her into an embrace. "I'm your big brother, but I doubt you remember me." Tears that he struggled to contain glistened in his blue eyes.

She gave a quiet smile. "To get me to bounce, you used to jump on my bed and pull me around on a blanket. I recall.

His determination faltered at that point, and he pulled her into a violent hug. She let him to hold her until his tears stopped, feeling their dampness against her neck. He muttered, "You don't know how much I missed being there." "I sincerely apologize."

She said softly, "There was nothing you could do." "You were four years old."

"However, I wish it had been."

Her smile softened, became sincere. "Don't I? She hushed the perilous murmur of doubt in her head, saying, "I'm alive and well, and there's no sense in regretting what you couldn't change."

She scolded it firmly, "Shut it."

When he let her go, the young child jumped forward and put her arms around Bloom's waist while grinning tooth and nail. Bloom hesitated for a second, taken aback by this reflection of herself, but she knelt and gave the hug back. "Nice to meet you," she replied quietly.

"You resemble me!" Annelise cried out. Does that imply that as I become older, we will be identical? similar to Aurelia and Diana?

Bloom laughed. "I don't think so. I suppose I'll be wrinkled and ancient by then.

The little kid, Aaron, rushed in behind Annelise and embraced them both. He said plainly, "I didn't even know we had another sister."

Bloom's heart lightened at the sound of her laughter. "I had no idea that I had parents, much less siblings." Although a thread of tightness persisted, her tension gradually decreased. Instead of acting as though they had intended to throw her away, they each told her how much they had missed her.

Next came the twin daughters. Everything about them, from their small frames to their blue eyes, was the same, so Bloom couldn't tell them apart except for their gowns. The person in green said, "My name is Aurelia." "But everyone calls me Ari."

Wearing tropical yellow, the other person added, "And I'm Diana." "My purpose in calling Aurelia Ella is to irritate her."

Aurelia frowned. It's frustrating that she does. Someone who knows everything about you ages quickly, therefore you're happy Annelise isn't your genuine twin.

Diana said, "We can feel what the other feels." I guess it's a twin thing. Nobody else I know is capable of doing it.

Bloom grinned and gave them each a hug. "It's good to meet you at last."