As she hurries out of the room, my eyes keep following her every movement. As numb as I feel inside, every single second that she’s near me elicits unknown emotions from me.
She returns juggling a plate full of food, a bowl of soup and a few slices of bread.
“This is all that was left, I hope it’s enough.”
“It’s more than enough, thank you,” I tell her sincerely.
I haven’t had real food in days, and just the sight and smell of the delicacies she brought is enough to make my stomach rumble.
She places them in front of me and invites me to eat.
Too hungry to refuse, I dig in, first eating the soup and then wolfing down all the meat and bread. When I’m done, I take a deep, satisfied breath.
On the other side of the table, she watches me with a pleasant smile, and I instantly feel guilty at my greed—I ate so fast without even saying one word.
“Thank you,” I say as I clear my throat. “You did not have to do this.”
“No, but I wanted to.” Another smile.
I gulp down uneasily.
“You don’t look well, are you sure you’re fine?”
I’m about to tell her that of course I am fine, but as I open my mouth, I end up saying, “No, I am not.”
She furrows her brows and moves her chair closer. “What happened?”
She notices my hesitation and adds, “If you can tell me, of course.”
“I…” I blink, not knowing exactly what to tell her or where to begin. “I’m not mortal.”
Her eyes widen in shock. Her hand flies to her mouth as she stares at me with different eyes.
Damn it!
Mortals and Immortals have had a strained relationship for eons; mostly because the former are used as servants and…sources of food. So I don’t blame her for her reaction. Instead, I’m scold myself for saying that aloud, for not hiding it a while longer so I can enjoy her friendship for a bit more time.
Even if she assumes I’m another one of the races in Tartareia capable of shapeshifting, the situation is likely as dire: all races have had a history of enslaving and exploiting humans.
Why did I have to be such an idiot?
“I’m sorry. If you’d like me to leave, I will.” I suddenly get up, realizing my blunder.
“No, no.” She gets up at the same time and stops me. “Please don’t. I…” She swallows uncomfortably. “I’ve just never met someone outside of my species so I was a bit taken aback.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“Please, sit. I’d like to hear your story.” She gives me a tremulous smile.
I end up sitting back down, but I can see that her body language has changed. She’s a little tense now, more guarded. But the curtain has already been lifted. It’s not like I could have fooled her forever.
I nod and take a deep breath. “I work for the Central Administration. I’m a public servant.” I smile awkwardly.
“Oh.” She bites her lip. “Would you mind me asking how old you are?”
“I recently turned three thousand.”
“Three thousand…” she echoes. “That’s… a lot. I’ve heard of other races living a long time but I did not realize it would be this much.”
