Chapter 3

My Dearest Sweet Alexi,

Oh, how I hope you never have to see this letter. I hope we grow as a family and all of this will be explained to you fully someday, but your father tells me that things are getting bad amongst the councils, that there are power plays of the worst kind about to be enacted and with your father on the council there is a possibility that we will be caught in the crossfire. I do hope that he is over-reacting, but I cannot take the chance that you will never know of the things that one day we must tell you.

I have arranged for your safety, if the worst should happen, if our family is torn apart by this war then at least I will be able to rest easy knowing that my sweet girl is being taken care of. Peter has my instructions; he is a friend of many years and someone you can trust wholeheartedly.

I have been staring at this paper for what feels like hours, wondering where to start, wondering which bits of information could be important, which may save your life, and which may condemn it, so I’m going to start by telling you that I love you, so much. We both do. You are without a doubt the light of our lives and I hope that no matter where you are now you truly know that.

Peters’ instructions are to have you placed with the humans, it is not the upbringing we ever really wanted for you, but you will be away from the influences of the council there, free to grow into the person you were meant to be and not who they shape you to be.

The downside to living in that world is that you will not fully understand who you are, the feelings you have growing up, the instincts and the sickness, none of that will make sense to you when you are surrounded by humans that do not feel this, and cannot possibly understand your gifts, and I am so sorry that you have had to go through this alone, finding your own path in life, but more so than that, I am so sorry that I am about to turn your entire world upside down.

Alexi, the world you live in isn't what you believe it to be, and you aren't who you think you are, a different world exists beyond the boundary of what the natural eye can see. A world that until now you will have been ignorant of, except for any memories you may have from your early life here with us.

Primogentius is our city, a wonderous place that cannot be seen by anyone who does not belong here, we are the firstborn races, the creators of the human race, everything stems from us. Peter would explain this better than I ever could, and I do hope that you get the chance to meet him.

Our city is ruled by the royal council, four members, one from each of the original families, your father sits on that council and one day that seat will become yours, you are the last in the line of the Drovnic’s Alexi, you are royalty in our world and more importantly you were born into a position of power, you were born to lead us all.

The council need a full panel of four in order to enact a lot of the laws that could protect us from the dangers that are currently threatening our world. The other three families are rather large, there is no worry where they are concerned but you and your father are the last in your line, if something were to happen to your father, the council would be a seat short for a long time until you are able to take your seat. If something were to happen to you also, the council would be forever unable to take action.

I don’t mean to lay the weight of our world on your shoulders, but I do hope you understand the importance of your birth right.

So you now have a decision to make Alexi. I would never presume that this is the life you want when you have no recollection of it, I would also never try to take away your right to do what is best for you. I hope with all my heart that you have a family, friends, a life that you love, one that you are proud of, and asking you to give that up would be very unfair. But I do hope that you at least give us a chance, if for no other reason than to satisfy your curiosity.

I have noted the address for Peter on the reverse of this letter, he is the keeper of the gateway into our city, he knows that you are being left this letter in the event that something terrible should happen and he will await your visit in the event that you decide to give our world a try, he will protect you and teach you all you need to know should you choose to stay.

I’m sorry I can’t be there for you as you make this decision my sweet girl but I am always in your heart, and no matter your decision I will always love you, you are my sunshine, just remember Alexi, never tell.

I love you always,

Mum xxx.

“Lex, you okay? You’re white as a sheet.” Jess asked and I nodded. Having no idea what to say as my eyes roamed over the letter again. “Okay, I’m going to order food, do you want your usual? She asked and I nodded muttering a quiet ‘yes please’.

“Won’t be a minute.” I muttered heading into my room with the letters clutched in my hand. In the privacy of my room, I paced the floor reading over my mums letter once again trying to process what she was telling me, I turned it over to see an address scribbled on the reverse before flipping back to the body of the text.

She spoke about humans and races as though there was more than one, as though she herself was not a human, as though I am not human.

She mentioned the sickness, and I furrowed my brow as my mind flashed over all the time I myself had felt the dreaded feeling. None of this made sense, well some of it did but at the same time it was like a sci-fi novel. What the hell was she on about, different worlds and races.

I looked at the end again ‘Never tell.’ A memory niggled at the edge of my mind, my Mum lay bleeding, pain in her eyes and whispering the words so softly that only I could hear them. The memory morphed into one I had seen before, the old man on his knees his voice fierce as he told me to never tell.

I dropped the letter on my dresser and paced the room to work out some of the frustration that had instantly built up in me. I stopped by the door as I heard Jess yell. How I was supposed to face her now, what I was supposed to say to her. ‘Never tell’. The words echoed in my head like they were being spoken aloud and I shoved them back, taking a deep breath I made an instant decision to keep this to myself for now. I plastered a tired smile on my face and headed back into the living room where Jess stood wiggling two movie cases at me to make a decision. I pointed at one without even looking at it, if we were watching a film I didn’t need to speak which could only be a good thing at the minute. I settled down and tried to focus on the tv screen to little avail, the same words kept echoing through my mind.

‘The world you live in isn't what you believe it to be, and you aren't who you think you are, a different world exists beyond the boundary of what the natural eye can see.’

I couldn’t shake it, but no matter how many times I ran the words through my head I couldn’t puzzle out what she meant. It was going to be a long night.

The weeks that followed were some of the most difficult of my life, which was saying something. No matter how hard I tried to hide it, Jess knew that something was wrong, she badgered me for information, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her. Not just because my parents had asked me not to but because I didn't want her to think that my parents had been insane.

I was torn, between wanting to know what they were referring to and scared that it was all some mistake. I barely remembered them, and like most orphans I had built up an idolised image in my mind of the perfect family, of the family that I had longed for, and suddenly that image was being challenged by information that I couldn't force myself to believe.

The letter had been short of explaining anything in full, referring to a world that no one knew about and talking about human beings as though they were a different species, and I was terrified that I was about to find out my birth parents had deluded themselves into thinking they were aliens.

The thoughts and worries took over every part of my life and I soon found myself unable to focus on anything else. I knew my friends were worried, I could see it on their faces but still I couldn't make myself tell them, feeling somehow that it was important for me to figure it all out on my own.

Eventually my course work started to suffer too as I just couldn't bring myself to focus on the work. I couldn't stop myself from worrying.

Worrying that I was missing out on something wonderful because I had ignored their letter and worrying that if I followed their directions, I would end up regretting it.

It took me almost a month before I decided that sane or not, this was the last thing I had of my parents, and I did as they instructed.