Dad opened the door slowly. Grandmother gave my dad a long warm hug as she entered our home.
"Oh, my handsome son. You look horrible. Michelle, aren't you feeding my son properly?" Grandmother asked looking at my mother.
My grandmother's eyes and mouth opened wide. She then glanced back at my father before taking another look at my mother. She walked further into the home to give grandfather room to enter as well.
"My boy! Good to see you son, wish it was on better terms." Grandfather said as he shook Dad's hand and pat him on the back in passing.
"Eliira, please don't stare at Michelle, both of them look like they haven't eaten in days. Are you fasting?" he asked.
Her eyes then softened as she gained her composure and immediately went to hug Mom. "Don't worry, it will be well soon," she said.
"Oh my, I almost forgot to bring the desserts in. Peter, would you be a dear and bring the bags in please," she said sweetly.
"Alright." He replied and was out the door in a matter of seconds and returned a few more seconds later with four bags in his hands.
For an old man, he sure can move fast. I can see why he was Dad's protector all these years. He was swift, wise and strong. He hadn't changed much from that era to now when I saw him in my vision.
"Can we discuss the phone conversation now," Father asked.
"No serious talk until after lunch. Children set the table," Grandmother ordered.
"You heard your mother. Let's eat and then talk, son," Grandfather replied.
Everyone helped with placing the lunch items on the table. It seems fried ripe plantain, jerk chicken, wheat bread, ketchup sauce mixed with onion and butter, baked mashed potatoes with miniatured corncobs was lunch and everything else was dinner that was prepared earlier.
"Don't worry, pot roast Pork, you'll soon be mine," I whispered.
"Did you say something my sweets?" Grandma asked eyeing me.
'No, I was just looking forward to dinner, " I replied.
"But, sweetheart, you're just eating lunch. Your plate is still stacked," she laughed.
I smiled sheepishly and dug into my plate of food.
Moments later, lunch went by smoothly almost without questions of school.
Grandma then asked, "How was school Keli?"
"Hmm. It's going great. I am in the Second year now. So it's okay." I replied not sure if Mom wanted me to tell her about the demons that were there.
"Okay. So you are adjusting nicely. How about friends?" she asked.
My mind immediately flashed to the two girls that saved me. Which reminds me, I don't think I got their number. Hopefully, I will see them again.
"Yeah, I met some nice girls. They really care about me. So yeah I have friends." I replied.
"That's great. I would like to meet them someday?" she smiled. "What about a boyfriend?"
I looked at her shocked, before I could respond Dad facial expression was fierce. "She is too young to have a boyfriend. Please don't fill my daughter's head with nonsense Mother," he fumed.
"She is almost of age. You weren't much older than her when you met your wife."
"Mother, that was a different time and dimension. Things are different here. As such I will raise her how I see fit and she will not date or have a boyfriend until she is thirty."
"Thirty? Isn't that old? You can't keep her caged darling. She is like a bird that should be set free to explore and experience life on her own. You should guide her on her path son, not suffocate her," Grandmother rebutted.
As they continued talking like I wasn't there, I quietly went through a few things in my mind. I can't believe Dad wanted me to stay single till thirty. That's a bit much. Khalisa dated when she was sixteen and even before that, she had lots of male friends. At the moment none of this mattered to me. I was a warrior before and lived hunting demons. Now a whole new world of opportunities arrived. I was a princess and weren't princesses married very young? Hmmm, I would need to do some research on this.
45 minutes later
Lunch was over, the table cleared and the dishes washed, we gathered in the living room and waited for the inevitable serious talk.
"Dad..." My father began. "How did my mother die? I know you said my father and siblings were burnt in the fire. You never mentioned how my mother died."
"In all honesty son. I don't know. Once she gave me you and her signet ring along with the royal seal, I never saw her again. After a year of waiting to see if she somehow made it, I made it my duty for my wife and me to raise you as our own. Before you were given to us, we never thought of having a child," he said as he held grandmother's hand and gently kissed it.
"Yes son, we were both so caught up in travelling to different realms and ensuring peace we didn't even think of a family," Grandmother expressed. "But once Peter told me he found you in the field. I knew he was lying, but I never prodded him. I believed he would tell me the truth eventually."
"I see... so was it you that named me?" Father timidly asked.
"No. The queen named you after her father. He was a kind, strong man and beloved king in his time, before his untimely death." Grandfather replied.
Father nodded his head. He was trying his best to absorb the information.
Grandmother went to get one of the four bags Grandfather brought in earlier for dessert and gave her husband.
"Son, these are a few of your family's heirlooms," he said handing a blue bag to Dad.
Father took it numbly and scanned through the bag. His eyes seem to linger on something.
"What is it, Dad?" I asked.
Taking the item slowly out of the bag, he revealed a family portrait.
I gasp as I remembered seeing the same portrait in the former king and queen bedroom.
"Who are these people besides the king and queen?" Dad asked trembling. "They look so young... they were just kids. Who is the monster that destroyed such a beautiful family?"
Grandfather standing beside Father pointed to the tall figure at the far end of the portrait. "That's the queen's half-brother, Mondola," he said.
For the first time, I saw my father's eyes turned golden red. He was shaking. "Honey, this happened a long time ago. There is nothing you or anyone could do. Please calm down," my mother said trying to calm him down.
The temperature in the room seems to change. Suddenly my ankle started to pulse fast.
Was Dad triggering my demon handprint or was it something else? I scanned the room to see if we had other visitors.
I touched Cayden and leaned my head for him to follow me. He looked at me with an annoyed expression. "What?" he mouthed to me. I looked down at my ankle and he noticed it was glowing. We stepped away from the rest of the family, Jayden seeing us moved decided to follow behind. I waited till we turned in the corridor leading upstairs and said. "Something or some high-order demon is..."
Crash!
At that moment our heads turned to look upstairs. We silently made our way to the top of the stairs. As the pulse on my ankle got stronger the closer we got, it seemed to be the strongest at my room door. My brothers made a sign for me to wait before entering as they pointed to their room making a sword signal. I waited for a few seconds before they were at my side again.
I slowly opened the door and peeped inside. I didn't see anything strange at first and opened the door wider. As we went inside I flipped on the light switch by the door. The darkness seemed to recede but something still felt off and my ankle was beating faster than a human's heartbeat.
The door suddenly closed and strong hands grabbed my hand. I turned to see who grabbed me and screamed in horror as I saw him.
Dark red eyes stared back at me. Was this really happening? Maybe somehow I travelled back to his world. I scanned my bedroom and ruled that out.
"Take your filthy hands off my sister if you want to use it again," Jayden said pointing his sword at the intruder.
"Tsk, tsk", he said.
Touching the tip of my brothers' sword, he glided his finger along its sharp edges and blood spilt from his finger. At least I think it was blood. It looked like dirty gold mixed with black. He brought his finger to his lips and sucked it clean.
"If I wanted you dead, you all would be wiped out already," He drawled. He released my hand and walked towards my bed where he picked up a piece of the crystal that I was cocooned in.
"Who are you? Cayden asked.
"Your sister knows who I am, after all, we have met before... haven't we Keliana?"
I stood speechless as his dark aura seem to keep me paralyzed.