CHAPTER 6

Hannah's P.O.V

The pounding music filled the lavish hall, making me warm like a blanket, but inside, I was far from comfortable. It was some sort of celebration, a reunion, but the bright lights and laughter only forced the swirling confusion that marred my mind further. After all those lost years, I had at last been found, but happiness that everyone expected made me feel that it was hiding in a distant corner of my dreams. I could not even remember their names. Neither could I recall my name.

I stood there, with what looked like a gown draped over my body. I could feel the pride coming from Maxine, who stood beside me.

"Everyone, this is Hannah!" Maxine declared brightly and in control. My heart was running because of the attention; it was anxiety and excitement all over my senses. She said she is my mother. Can't lie, she is kind and a goddess.

And then, out of the blue, there was Hadzen. He stepped into the room with an air of ice in every step; his gaze cut across to me and stopped. The nice warmth of the celebration seemed like an utter lie. Hadzen stood tall but sharp, reminding one of all that lurked beneath the surface. Arrogance formed stark lines on his face and underpinning that knowing smile, he had the truth of being in the palm of his hand, and found that amusing.

“Ain't she lovely?" Maxine beamed, nudging me forward in the manner of some eager lion-tamer, as if I were mere moments away from throwing myself into the lion's den. All I could view was Hadzen's look: distaste mixed with curiosity, as though he was intensely keen to unravel a puzzle but surely didn't want to admit to it.

"Yeah," he mumbled, his voice silky yet laced with ice. I could feel all his attention on me and was pounding in my chest, kind of a weird mix of fear and curiosity. I really did not know what to make of him at all. He's supposed to be part of my family, after all, yet simultaneously there was such disconnection. Especially 'Mom,' who told me that we're twins. I couldn't deny that we had a lot in common, but up to now, I couldn't even make myself believe that these things are really true.

The room was filled with whispers as people went nearer, shooting their gazes at both of us. "You look just like him," someone whispered, but I couldn't place the name—Alph, my father? The word felt heavy on my tongue.

Before I even had a chance to think about that for a moment, there came a cousin of Hadzen. His grin sliced through the chill: "Hannah," he said, bowing a little as he reached to extend a hand. "May I have this dance?

I took a step back, my shoulder rolling over as I glanced over it at Hadzen. His eyes grew darker at the motion. But Dylan's sincerity pulled me. I nodded and stepped after him onto the dance floor. The song changed, its tone softer, as he turned me, gentle.

"You're doing good," he said. "It is a lot, I know. Just breathe."

"I… I don't remember anything," I confessed, my voice quivering. "I don't know who I am supposed to be and I-I don't know you neither sorry."

"Just be yourself," he urged, guiding me through the procedures with a grace that made me feel a little lighter. "You'll figure it out. Everyone is just happy to have you back."

I dance with a view of Hadzen standing at the edge of the floor, watching us. His face is impassive. My stomach twists at the thought of longing mixed in with frustration. Does he care that I would come back? Or was this all part of the game he was playing at?

The tension was crackling in the air as I tried to keep thoughts from spiraling out of control. I knew that Hadzen held secrets that could untangle everything that I once knew about myself. The more I danced with Dylan, the weight felt crushing on me, as it pressed down, and breathing was difficult. Does this feel like a twin?

As the song ended, Dylan let me go bowing with a grin. "You did fantastically, Hannah. I'd like to see you more often. I miss you. Especially when we play at the three houses we would make together with Hadzen.".

"Thank you," I whispered, feeling warmth in my chest. But as I turned to look for Mom, I caught Hadzen's eye. He crept toward me, each step purposeful, a predator stalking its prey.

"Enjoy yourself?" he asked, his voice cold but questioning, as if he was measuring my response.

“It was…Different," I managed, pushing steady breaths into my voice. The room seemed smaller under his gaze, and every detail assaulted me: the way his dark hair fell forward on his forehead, the sharp lines of his jaw, the cool confidence radiating from him.

"Good," he said, though his eyes betrayed no warmth. "You'll need to learn how to navigate this world, especially now that you're back.".

"T-t-thank you but H-h-hadzen are you happy to see me again?" I challenged myself, my pulse going into high gear. "You act like you barely want me here."

His lips curled into a smirk that sent goose bumps down my spine. "You're my blood, Hannah. Whether I like it or not, you're part of this family now and whether it's true or not you're my twin."

The frigidity of what he was saying reached my mind; I tried in my thoughts to understand what it was he was saying. Part of this family? And what family, might I ask, was that? Built on secrets and shadows?

Caught between Hadzen's icy reserve and Dylan's warmth, I felt some stirs of war rising up in me. Who was I, really? The lost daughter, returning to a world that never really was mine, or just the pawn in some game of danger? And what part was Hadzen playing in my life?

The questions just hung there like an unsolved mystery, leaving me standing at the precipice of discovery and aching to unravel what has been hidden in the shadows of my past .

I need to remember everything sooner.