“Originally, I’m not from this world.” My dad begins. “I’m from the other world, Kalilain.” I furrow my brow at the unfamiliar word. It made sense it would have a name, I just hadn’t heard it yet. “I was born there… a while ago.” He rubs at the back of his neck, looking a bit awkward at talking about himself.“How long ago?” I interject. I wanted to know everything about him I’d been left out of for the past nineteen years and now seemed like as good a time as any. “Uh…” He thinks. “Three hundred years, I think, give or take a few.” I blink, trying to process this information. My dad was three hundred years old. “I’m still quite young, one of the few new generations of my kind.”“And your kind is…?” I ask hesitantly, already knowing the answer but wanting to make sure. “I am a Gud.” He says rather grimly, nodding his head. “But I’m not like the others. There are a few of us who were able to see the error in the barbaric traditions of the Gud species, and broke away. That is why I ca
“...I will see you later, my flower.” I hear a whisper in my ear from my dreams, a breath of air on my neck. I stir a little, reaching out but finding no one.My eyes flutter open after a moment. I sit up, squinting against the sunlight coming in through the window. I look around, feeling a bit confused. I hadn’t even remembered falling asleep last night. Erik and I had talked, mostly about my dad. About why he could have left, what he might’ve been doing this entire time. I had been laying on him while we talked; I must have gotten too comfortable and nodded off.Erik was nowhere in sight now, much to my disappointment. I sigh, moving to get out of bed. I wonder how long it would be this time before I got to see him. As I dragged myself to the dresser to get ready for the day, I began feeling a sudden hot flash. I fanned at myself a little, shaking my head as I opened a drawer. I grabbed my clothes and slammed the dresser shut, taking a deep breath. Why was I so hot all of a sudde
“My flower… I hear you’ve had a hard day.” I remain laid on my side that evening in me and Erik’s bed, on my side, facing away from him even as I heard him coming into our room.The day had passed in a blur. I’d spent it with Chepi and the other servants, talking to them and helping them to distract myself. By the time dinner had come and gone, I had begun to realize I hadn’t seen Erik since yesterday, and now, I was feeling pouty about that. I had needed him today, and he hadn’t been around. I may not have realized it until the very end, but not it was bothering me. Where had he been? What had he been doing that was so much more important?“Delilah, are you sleeping?” I roll my eyes as I feel the bed shifting as Erik crawls up to me. “Why are you ignoring me?” He asks once he’s over me, brushing my hair away from my eyes. I roll away, huffing and burying my face in a pillow. “I could ask you the same thing.” Comes my muffled response. I knew I was being petty, but I couldn’t stop m
After Larkin dropped the bomb on me he suspected my dad to be of the Gud species, he went off to talk to someone and I was left alone, trying my best to process. He’d said he needed to talk to this someone right away and had offered to bring me along, but I could tell he was in a hurry. And I was in no mood to be rushed. I didn’t even have the energy to try and pry and find out who it was he needed to talk to. Though, now I was a bit curious as to which person would know anything about this situation. So I’d told him to go ahead, and now I was just wandering around the halls. There were plenty of other Alva and servants around, doing their own thing, unaware of the fresh set of trauma I’d just been delivered. I smiled politely at any that passed but made care not to hesitate. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk right now either.I couldn’t stop asking myself, was it true? Was my dad from this place? I mean, it had to be one of my parents, right? I got my powers from somewhere and thi
“....Deeeelilah. Hey. Heeey!” All at once I’m aware of everything. I sit up, sucking in air desperately like I’d been underwater. Sunlight was assaulting my eyes, making me squint and bring my hand up to shield them from the harsh light. “You okay?” I blink a little as I realize I’m looking into Larkin’s eyes, his much too close eyes. His blue eyes looked worried and a bit tired.“Oh. Yeah… yeah.” I shake my head a little, sitting up and scooting back against the headboard. I rubbed at my eyes, trying to focus a little. “How long was I asleep?” Larkin moves back from me, standing at the edge of the bed again now that I’m awake.“Uh.” He rubs at the back of his neck a little. “I mean the whole night. Eight hours maybe?”“Huh.” I furrow my brow, looking around the room a little. “Erik never came?” I had only planned on being asleep for a few hours originally. I had expected to be sleeping in the same bed as Erik afterwards so it was a little concerning he never came. Maybe it was a g
This made no sense. I stayed hidden in the shadows, mouth agape as I stared at the man who was supposed to be dead. He looked exactly the same. How was that possible? It had been years, he should have aged. Even my mother had gained some smile lines and gray hairs here and there over the years. He was holding my mother’s hands, comforting her as she looked down at the table. “How long has she been gone now?” My dad asks in a low voice. My mom lets out a shaky breath before speaking, “Six months maybe?” I blink, thinking. It definitely had not been six months. A month tops, maybe. My dad nods a little. “Time passes differently there. She will have only felt like she’s been gone for a month or so at most.” Seriously? Time was passing faster in this world than in the new one I was living in?“What if she’s hurt, or lost, or hungry? She doesn’t know anything about that place.” I feel a little offended at her assumption I was failing, but tried to remember she was just worried about m