AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Dovlecel, you’re home,” Dad said and rushed to hug me. “You look tired. Do you need any help? Let me take Athena. Your arms must be tired.”
Finally, someone who knew how to parent.
“Since when you’re the better grandparent?” Mom asked.
“You can be the better parent, and I’ll be the better grandparent. Take care of Petra,” Dad said. He put Athena in the crib and began changing her diaper.
Mom didn’t enjoy being wrong, but since Dad had a reasonable point, she didn’t complain. “Since you’re in my hands now, then we’re going out,” Mom said and flung her bag over her shoulder.
“I just arrived. I need to take a shower.”
“There’s time for that later. You need a manicure, pedicure, and a good massage.”
One thing I knew for sure, I wasn’t in the mood for any beautifying procedures, but there was no negotiating with Mom, so I placed the luggage in the middle of the living room, and out the door I went.
During our mani-pedi, Mom didn’t utter a word. Of course, she knew something wasn’t right. There was a good reason why I returned to their house without Gabriel while looking like the ghost of Christmas past. But Mom decided not to delve deeper and wait till I was ready to talk. So, for the most part, we enjoyed ourselves silently while someone else took care of us.
What good did a castle full of staff do if Gabriel wasn’t there? I never yearned for power unless it was for a good reason. My reason wasn’t in this time period anymore. I didn’t want to lead anyone, especially since I wasn’t even a vampire. Troy was indeed the best choice out there, and with Mei by his side, he, at least, won’t be lonely. No one in the world can be lonely with Mei. Not even Mei.
After the last glossy layer was painted on our nails, we were ready for the next point in our itinerary: the spa.
“Petra, you seemed preoccupied with your thoughts at the nail salon,” Mom said as we entered the women’s locker rooms. “There’s a new rule at this spa. You are not allowed to overthink in this facility. It brings a bad aura, and they have to work extra time to clean it.”
“That’s the biggest bogus I ever heard.”
“You say bogus. I say we need to hurry.” Mom pulled my hand toward a hallway with many doors. Two massage therapists waited for us and showed us to their respective rooms.
In my mind, a massage was just what I needed. Except for getting rid of pesky witches in the time continuum, I didn’t move much, and my sore muscles deserved a treat. For the first ten minutes, I focused on the lady’s movements. Then sleep decided to whisk me away. The dream revolved around Gabriel. He sat in his study reading a book when a five-year-old Athena entered the room. She jumped in his lap and snuggled close to him. Gabriel wrapped a hand around her and smiled in return. Then his eyes turned silver, fangs appeared, and he became the beast he always fought to destroy. He loomed over Athena, ready to shred her to pieces. Terrified, she ran away. He walked slowly until he noticed me. The beast turned toward me and lunged at me. I bore my dagger into him, releasing an extreme amount of blood. The gory scene didn’t stop me from continuing to jab deeper into his flesh. Again and again and again.
I opened my eyes immediately. More so, I couldn’t stay on the massage table anymore. I struggled to breathe. I needed fresh air. The massage therapist noticed something bothered me and asked if everything was okay.
I couldn’t answer. My vocal cords lost their ability to produce sound. And who cared about sound when I yearned to breathe? I put on my clothes, ran out through the hallway, and out the door of the spa. Stunned faces followed my escape, but I didn’t care. I needed to get out.
After several minutes, Mom sat next to me on the pavement and wrapped an arm around me. “What’s wrong, honey?”
I shook my head, trying to explain to her I couldn’t speak.
“Here. Drink some water,” she handed me a plastic cup brought by one of the receptionists.
I took the water and down it. But it went through the wrong pipe, and I choked and coughed profusely. After I recovered, Mom said, “I think it’s time for lunch. I’m sure you must be hungry.”
Mom helped me get up and led me to the car. She drove in silence to our favorite Chinese Buffet called Happy Family. In the light of recent events, the name seemed ironic. Truth be told, I didn’t want to eat. The gap in my stomach couldn’t be filled unless I returned to him. But after the nightmare, I feared his transformation without Vedoma’s spell could end in disaster. Even with the Eye of the Dragon stone, things could go awry.
“What are you going to eat at the buffet?” Mom asked, trying to keep me away from my thoughts.
“I’m not hungry, Mom,” I said.
“That’s the first time I heard you say that. I still remember my voracious toddler who went to the neighbor’s house for pancakes one morning because I was too tired to make a few.”
“That was a long time ago. And don’t remind me. I had to run away because their labradoodle looked like the scariest thing in my life.”
“Yeah, you yelled so loud the dog peed on himself. We still have a good laugh deciding who was scared more, you or the dog.”
“Afterward, though, we became best friends, Winnie the Pooch and me,” I said, reminiscing fondly about those times.
“But do you know what I cherish the most during those times?”
“What?”
