El Una Vez Novels & Stories

One decision at a time. One thread at a time. The direction clear.

An inexpressible one. ***

We have a guest we can’t leave waiting,’ she told him. ‘A guest? No one has been announced,’ he said. ‘It’s Selene; she won’t be coming through the gates,’ Adina told him, and he could hear the amusement in her voice. Colin shot up from his chair, and Mateo gave him a strange look. Colin still wasn’t used to the fact that the gods were a real thing. He had grown up with the tales, as any pup. But Adina talked about them as being physical beings. “I need to take care of something,” he said to Mateo.

Nicole looked at the clock in the room and said, “I’m kind of in a hurry so I’ll make my story brief and comprehensive. After breaking your heart, I owe you an explanation my darling Muhammad.” Muhammad tried switching on the radio on his belt, in hope that anyone on the other end could listen to the conversation if the signal was restored. If Maryam and he were going to die tonight, their death might as well not be in vain. The most important thing was revealing the real identity of The First One.

On the speaker, the first syllable unfolded — a single word — and Elena’s world narrowed to that second. “I—”

"And I am the mountain." "And we are one," Elara panted.

I exclaimed, surprised. She shrugged, mouthing "I know" at me. Mom spoke from the driver's seat without taking her eyes off the road. "Why don't you try speaking it, Jade? I've heard you speak Tagalog before." "No, no, no, no, no... I'm not doing it for you guys. I don't even remember which word is which..." I protested, shaking my head. "Oh, come on. You were better at it than me when we were young," Lizzy interjected, insisting that I give it a try.

I call frantically but she only repeats the word. Mate.

Just once. “Let the world burn.”

One moment at a time. ***