“Erica Saunders, Darling!” Mitzie heard Marva yelling across the room as she strolled away to her next victim. Alford knew how Marva annoyed Mitzie, and instantly placed his hand on the small of her back to sooth her.
Mitzie watched Marva as she made her way to Erica and repeated the 2-cheeck air kiss with her. For a woman who Mitzie guessed was maybe in her late sixties, Marva did not let age overtake her. Mitzie knew that Marva worked with a personal trainer at least 5 times a week, and instead of going full grey-haired, she kept her bob-cut hair dyed a vibrant silver color. She was not a bad looking woman.
“I swear that woman annoys me” Mitzie whispered leaning into Alford.
“I know. I was wondering how long you were going to entertain her touching your stomach” Alford chuckled. “Surely she’s no worse to you than your best friend Zara?”
If Mitzie admitted it, Zara could be annoying at times, but she chose to overlook that side of her.
They seemed to be from two different worlds, but somehow they meshed well, and their personalities complemented each other. Mitzie wasn’t quiet, but Zara could be loud. Whereas Mitzie would oftentimes play a passive aggressive role, Zara was straight forward and didn’t take shit from anyone. Mitzie was into boys, but Zara paid them no mind. Lots of guys tried to date Zara, but she always said she’d rather have a V8.
Her biggest peeve with Zara was that she talked a lot. And talked. And talked. There was only so long Mitzie could entertain Zara’s constant rambling, then she would either tune her out, place her hand over Zara’s mouth, or tell her to shut up when it got to be too much. Sometimes Mitzie had to do all three.
Once Zara aged out of foster care, she and Mitzie rented a 1-bedroom apartment together for college, until Mitzie met Alford in the middle of their freshman year. Zara moved into the on-campus dorms for their sophomore year to give Mitzie and Alford their own space. Zara had remained the best friend Mitzie could ever hope for, and she wouldn't trade her for all the stars in the universe.
“I mean, she’s not that bad, for an old coot. The difference between her and Zara is I can shut Zara up when necessary,” Mitzie joked and rolled her eyes as they made their way to find the table setting with their names.
Mitzie rolled her eyes as they made their way to find the table setting with their names.
Alford let out a small laugh and shook his head in agreement. “Well, Mrs. Damos, let’s hope you don’t jinx our child for your annoyance of Marva or Zara,” he said winking at Mitzie.
Mitzie sighed in agreement as she took her seat when Alford pulled the chair out for her.
The dinner went well and raised millions of dollars for the Veterans’ cause. Mitzie and Alford were both impressed with the total donations amount Mr. Slater announced at the end of the night.
Unbeknownst to Alford's colleagues, during the auction portion of the dinners, Alford would always be the first person to bid on an item just to drive up the price.
No matter how small or invaluable an item might be, Alford never started his bids below half a million dollars. He would continue driving the bidding until either the others gave up, or he could tell that they really wanted the item.
If the latter were the case, he would gracefully bow out of the bidding war. He wasn't trying to bid a business into bankruptcy, he just knew the limits each colleague had potential for spending.
It surprised Mitzie that after 4 years of the same dinners and auctions Alford's method of getting more money out of the executives for the benefits had never been discovered.
As they were leaving the dinner, Mitzie felt a slight stab in her womb that caused her to pause.
“Are you all right? Is the baby okay?” Alford’s anxious voice came from Mitzie’s side. He made sure he had a good enough grip on her back and arm to support her.
Mitzie stood still for a moment, waiting to see what was going to happen. Just as quickly as the pain came, it left. Mitzie shook her head, as if she had been in a daze.
“I’m fine. Seems our child may not have agreed with some of the foods I ate” she brushed off and proceeded towards the hotel exit.
“Honey, if this continues, I really think you should consider going to see Dr. Spandau. He might be able to give you something to help with the discomfort.” The concerned tone in Alford’s voice almost made Mitzie tell him of her worries, but she quickly decided against it. Instead, she shook her head and continued walking.
“No, I’ll be fine. I will say earlier at the cliff I felt the same pain, but I think it just might be part of being pregnant. I’ll be fine. We’ll be fine,” Mitzie tried to assure him smiling and giving his hand a squeeze.
Alford wasn’t easy to give up when it came to ensuring the safety of his wife and baby, but he digressed and continued forward with her.
Once they arrived home, Mitzie changed out of her fancy wear, slipped into her knee-length silk camisole night gown, and began her nightly skin care routine. As she sat at the vanity applying lotion to her arms, suddenly a blinding light pierced her vision, causing her to tumble from the small stool.
She could hear Alford’s stressed voice calling her name, but she laid there with her eyes closed and unable to respond.
“So, it seems the daughter of Samael has found her way home.” Mitzie’s eyes shot open with a gasp at the sound of a strange woman’s voice. She looked around, finding herself not in her bedroom. Mitzie had no idea where she was, and all she could see was white for as far as her vision would let her.
“Who’s there? Where am I?” Mitzie asked panicking as she struggled to sit up. Instantly her hand went to her stomach in a protective manner. Her bump was still there, and she could feel the slight flutter of the baby, so that helped her to relax a little.
When there was no response, Mitzie slowly made her way to stand. She felt a little light-headed and tried to maintain her balance. Once she was steady, she rubbed her eyes, and looked around again. Still nothing but what appeared to be an oversized white room. Mitzie could barely see from one end of it to the other and thought herself to be standing somewhere in the middle of it. There was no furniture, no windows, just a huge, empty white room.
Looking in both directions, Mitzie yelled hoping someone would hear her “Hello? Where am I? What’s going on?”
“Daughter of Samael, I bring you greetings” the sound of the woman’s voice caused Mitzie to jump in fear as she looked around trying to place where the voice was coming from. It seemed to come from all around her, like digital surround sound.
“What the hell is going on? Where am I? Who are you?” Mitzie screamed placing her hand on her stomach again in a protective stance. As she did it this time, the slight flutters that Mitzie would normally feel became full strong kicks. Mitzie looked down at her stomach with a gasp, as her eyes widened at this sudden change.
Just as she was getting lost in what was happening with her baby, an ethereal angelic figure materialized in front of her, causing her to stumble and fall backwards to her butt. Mitzie was gasping and trying to scoot backwards away from the figure that stayed in the same spot. “Daughter of Samael, do not be afraid. I pose no harm to you” the strange voice said as the figure materialized into what Mitzie thought to be a woman. “Who the hell are you and where am I? What the hell is going on?” Mitzie choked out, trying not to cry as she stopped scooting and sat with her legs spread in front of her while holding her stomach. The woman had floor-length wavy jet-black hair with caramel colored skin, sharp emerald-green eyes, and was wearing an enchanting lipstick color that Mitzie had never seen before. She smiled at Mitzie and stood with her fingers intertwined in front of her. She wore a floor-sweeping royal purple goddess style dress, complete with silver belt and arm bracelets. The b
“What…what did you just call me?” Mitzie gulped. “I know I believe I’m dreaming, but I’ve never had a dream about my twin sister that died in my mother’s womb.” Etheria gave a slight chuckle “that’s because, as hard as it may be for you to believe, this isn’t a dream, and I didn’t die.” Mitzie thought she would faint from the information. I mean, dreams shouldn’t cause this kind of effect on someone, as far as she knew, right? Yet, something about Etheria made Mitzie want to believe what was being said to her. And something about Etheria, resembled Mitzie’s features. This couldn’t be possible. There was absolutely no way this wasn’t a dream! Just as Mitzie was about to speak, she felt a strong kick from her baby. The kick could be seen by Etheria. Her stomach also seemed to go from being 5 months pregnant to where she looked almost 8 months pregnant. “May I?” Etheria giggled as she arched an eyebrow at Mitzie asking permission to rub her stomach. “Y… yeah” Mitzie stuttered out st
“With the queen being in her weakened state, Milvan had to bring one of us back. One of his visions had seen you being the one to carry the next King of Etherios, so I was chosen to return, and you were left on earth to fulfil the vision,” She explained. “Time between galaxies differs. Even though I was yet in Cynthia’s womb on Earth, by the time I returned to Etheron, I was the age of what would be 16 earth years,” Etheria continued to describe. Mitzie was at a loss for words as she stared at Etheria like she had two heads. “So, let me see if I understand all of this,” she tried to reason, “in this dream, I mean, this reality of yours, you and I are both Princesses of a deceased King who were sent to Earth as embryos to be hidden from a psychopathic tyrant who wants to destroy other kings and take over other galaxies, am I right so far?” she asked arching an eyebrow at Etheria. “You’ve got the basics so far, dear sister” Etheria entwined her fingers, and relaxed against the back o
Sleep came easy for her at that moment, and she did not recognize when Alford laid in bed with her, nor when he left the bed the next day. Mitzie quickly sat up as if she were jolted awake. Her stomach was growling, and the flutters coming from it were not as gentle as they’d been before. “Honey!” she called for Alford. “In the shower, my love. Be out in a moment,” he responded. Mitzie propped her legs under her, rested her elbows on her knees, and put her face in her hands. She had a dreamless sleep through the night but couldn’t get the dream that she’d had while she was unconscious out of her head. Her stomach made a louder growl, which Alford heard as he was exiting the bathroom. “Someone’s hungry, are they?” he chuckled as he dried his hair with the towel in his hand. “Ugh! I’m going to be careful with what I eat today, because I think last night’s meal was too rich for our son,” she said slightly taking her face out of her hands. “Our son, you say?” Alford asked cocking hi
“Nelacos? Sister? Are you there?” Mitzie squinted to open her eyes. The voice sounded familiar, like the woman Etheria from her dream the previous night. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. This is not the same place she’d been in her previous dream. This place was dark, very dark, and Mitzie could feel an evil that drenched the very fibers of the darkness. The only light was the brief flickers of what could have been candles. Mitzie realized she was sitting on a cold hard cobblestoned ground. Wherever she was looked to be some sort of medieval prison, as it was frosty and smelled of death. The thought that she could be in an actual dungeon somewhere sent chills down her spine and caused her to wrap her arms around herself. She tried to take a deep breath but wound-up choking due to the putrid odor. The smell was so bad she threw up a little of her breakfast at the repulsive scent. Who cares if she puked on this wretched floor in this forsaken chamber. She needed to figure out where sh
Mitzie felt like her feet were made of lead. She couldn’t move, barely felt like she could breathe, and was now scared out of her mind. Her breaths were extremely labored, and she knew this wasn’t good for her baby. “Don’t stress yourself or Darius. I am now activated to protect my wife and the next king of Etherios. Please have a seat so I can explain to you what is going on, and what we will need to do at this point,” he calmly encouraged. As hard as Mitzie tried, she could not move. She thought she was doing good to get the small breaths in that she was getting. She knew there was no way she could talk at this moment, yet her mind was moving at a rate faster than she could keep up. “Please, my love. Come, sit. There is much that I need to tell you so that we can protect our child and king,” he said in a soothing voice while patting the cushion on the seat next to him. “What in the entire fuck is going on, Alford?!” she somehow managed glare at him and yell. “Or is that even yo
“Who…who are the others?” Mitzie stuttered adjusting to where her ham and cracker snack sat on her legs that were elevated on the couch. “Our two honorary shareholders with Damos Corporation. Stanley and Maria, also known as Elshazar and Malshavez” he began. “That does not surprise me,” she responded. “I’d never met a driver that is as dedicated as Stanley, or…Elshazar… nor had I ever met someone as fiercely protective of children as Maria, or rather, Malshavez,” she spoke tapping her lips with her index finger. “Elshazar and Malshavez served alongside my parents when they were both killed in battle. I was a child at that time, so the story of me being an orphan is true,” Zara recounted with tears glistening in her eyes. “Fucking Japheth had taken over the Sulari kingdom and thought merging with their army would help him conquer Etherios,” she exclaimed, her countenance changing from mournful to murderous at mentioning Japheth. Her voice softened as she spoke again. “Elshazar and
Just then, Emma entered the office with a rolling tray of what smelled like pure deliciousness. As good as the aroma was coming from the cart, Mitzie’s appetite was not meeting the same enthusiasm as her nose. “Well, that explains why you’re always bowing to us, now,” Mitzie chuckled at Emma. Emma gasped while shooting a stunned glare at Alford. “She knows, Emma. You can relax,” Alford giggled. “Please see that the princess and the king eat, as we will be gone for a while. Trouble has brewed, and we’ve not much time,” he said with his face changing from playful to serious. He gave Mitzie one final glance as he and Zara departed the office. Mitzie sat staring at the empty doorway. What the hell is really going on with her? She knew she was awake, but she still felt as if she were in a dream that she was unable to wake up from. “Your Highness,” Emma spoke softly. “I can imagine that you are in shock right now, and you may not have much of an appetite, however, I would like to keep