Ella was an impressionable child, and it was important that her formative years had some sort of foundation for her to take off from. Veronica did her best, but there was only so much she could do at this point, because, at the end of the day, she was an employee to the family. She didn’t answer to the kids; she answered to the parents, as they were the recognized authority of the household.
That night, Veronica decided to talk to the parents about the situation, hoping in her heart that it would go well. It was normal to get emotionally attached to the kids, especially when you have been taking care of them for years, but this wasn’t the case. The meeting got little to no response from the parents, who dismissed Veronica’s concerns and realized that she wasn’t a good fit for the position. Veronica lost her job that night, and in a way, Ella lost her ‘mother’—the only woman who cared enough to go out of her way to see if she was okay. And she lost her overnight. Ella blamed herself for this, thinking it was because she cried all the time, so Veronica had to speak on her behalf, which ultimately cost her the job.
It took less than 24 hours for her parents to find a replacement for Veronica. It was a job in high demand. Unfortunately for Ella, this new caretaker wasn’t as compassionate as Veronica. If anything, she didn’t establish any emotional connection to the children. She also preferred Cleopatra to Ella, making Ella feel even more isolated. She didn’t do anything when Cleopatra verbally abused Ella, simply typing away at her phone without a care in the world.
This was the beginning of Ella’s spiral, as she resorted to other means to get attention, ultimately causing a divide. Cleopatra didn’t care much about her sister, but that was due to mirroring how their parents treated her.
–
Kyle listened intently. He knew the rest of the story from Jane, but hearing Ella’s side made Jane’s version make even more sense. Kyle understood why Jane met that version of Ella. It all connected, but Kyle didn’t feel any hate coming from her when she spoke about her parents. She didn’t hate them, so that made it even stranger as to why she didn’t attend their funeral.
Experience more on empire
“I heard about your parents passing…” Kyle said, and he could see the sadness in her eyes.
“You know, I never got along with them, but they loved me the best they could…” Ella confessed, pausing for a second as she couldn’t believe she let this information slip. However, Kyle didn’t say a word, giving her the platform to continue.
“You know, love isn’t so linear. Maybe they loved me the way their parents loved them. Even when they sent me to a boarding school, I realized that they were showing me what kind of life awaited me if I continued with my lifestyle…” Ella was making excuses for them, trying to rationalize why they did what they did. But there was some sense in what she said. The parents knew the lifestyle she chose, and there was no way that it would be accepted because they were from old money.
“Do you know what’s funny?” Ella asked, but Kyle knew this was rhetorical.
“What?” Kyle asked, once again not only showing he was listening but giving her permission to continue.
“I did all of that because I always thought my sister’s skin was beautiful. I wanted to be like her so bad, and then I stumbled upon rock,” Ella revealed.
It was no secret that rock artists tend to paint their skin, so in a sense, they looked like Cleopatra. This was what drew her to that kind of music in the first place.
“God, I’m so stupid,” Ella muttered, knowing that all of this might have been a mistake.
“I didn’t attend my parents’ funeral. I actually didn’t attend it…” Ella repeated, as if she just came to a realization. Tears welled up in her eyes. “I was a disappointment to them in life and in death,” Ella’s sobs became more intense.
Kyle knew she sought comfort and not advice. All he needed to do was be present. Words wouldn’t do any good. Ella told him this because she needed to get it off her chest. In the end, people weren’t as strong as they present themselves.
Kyle simply pulled her into a hug, and Ella sobbed profusely into his chest. Not a single word left his lips, and this was the right choice.
Ella proposed that the car drop Kyle off first, but Kyle objected, insisting that Ella should be the one to get home first so he would know that she arrived safely. He couldn’t risk her going home in this emotional state, so it was his duty to accompany her.
Ella didn’t cry all the way there and was able to regain control of her emotions. She hadn’t told Jane this yet, but found herself sharing this part of herself with Kyle. Kyle tried to joke with her to lighten the mood, and fortunately, this worked.
They arrived at her house shortly after, and Kyle knew at that moment that this place would be a constant reminder of the event that happened a few weeks back. He didn’t want to come here and be reminded of that each time—it was something he was trying his hardest to forget after all.
“Ella, before you go, there’s something I want to say,” Kyle said, sounding serious.
“You don’t have to, Kyle…” Ella knew what he was about to say, or at least thought she did.
“I’m not in your shoes. I can’t say I understand what you went through, but I know the present you… And I’m certain there is not a single person on this planet who wouldn’t be proud to have you as their daughter, even if you were a little emo devil when you were younger…” Kyle said, only interrupted by Ella’s laughter through her sobs that had reemerged.
“So, how about it?” Kyle asked, prompting a confused Ella, who was busy wiping the tears from her eyes, to reply.
“How about what?” Ella asked.
“Let’s all go together to the place that made your heart ache. Let’s go to where it all began,” Kyle said, and Ella’s eyes lit up in shock, but a smile soon followed.
“I would love that very much,”