As they both looked at Genesis longer, the room became tense and her lies seemed to catch in her throat. "I'm going to die." She thought. He was going to find out tomorrow that she wasn't pregnant, and she was going to die. There was no way around that. She swallowed to ease the dryness in her throat and stood up from the seat.
"The baby needs air." Genesis said.
"Seriously, Gen?" She thought.
She rushed out of the room and didn't bother to look at either of them. Waves of nausea began to flow through her and for a moment she wondered if God somehow blessed her in the right moment with a child, but reality hit her and she realized that the only pregnant thing about her was a lie.
She kept on walking through the dark palace, confused, and hearing nothing but the click of her heels echoing through the halls. She passed multiple paintings of her husband standing triumphantly over his victim and rolled her eyes.
"God did the man love himself." She thought to herself, sighing.
The castle was decorated with accents of white and gold, with Romanesque arches that encapsulated every entrance of the court. The halls were lined with white round columns and the gold swirls on the walls. The windows that lined the walls from top to bottom were covered with thick red curtains that blocked out any form of light. Chandeliers with candles adorned almost every common room in the palace which is made for great public attractions and gatherings, but truly living here was lonely.
She thought of the lie she had told to her husband, and she mentally slapped herself for being Stupid. How could she pretend to be pregnant if she was infertile? He'd find out eventually and kill her.
Julius always said that was her problem: speaking without thinking...She never believed him until today.
She walked outside the palace to the garden to get some fresh air and hopefully to find a way out of this mess she got herself into. Sliding the patio door open, she stepped onto the stone floor of the garden, a cool and crispy gust of wind slapped her and making her shiver. She clutched her robe tighter around her, and shut the door before walking deeper into the garden.
Despite the palace within the large gates being a place of her nightmares, this was the only place where she felt free. Even if it was short-lived. Letting her decorate this place to her liking was perhaps one of the only thing Julius had ever done right when it came to her.
The golden glow lantern hung on the barren tree branches, lighting the pathway into the forest, making it look more alluring than it used to be. Wooden benches sat on either side of the cracked stone with fields of grass behind them. She preferred to stay in this area as she didn't know what lurked beyond the forested border. The lanterns could only do so much to calm her fears of the unknown.
A buzzing beside her ear reminded her that she wasn't alone and she grumbled, crossing her arms. Now was not the time. Dazzling fairies dancing in the night sky, filling it with hues of blue, yellow and pink; almost like colorful fireflies, were giggling around Genesis. The beautiful creatures would have been worshiped by her for their vibrancy if it weren't for how evil and cruel they were.
One fairy came down to her, making her put on her guard back up with a vicious quickness. She was about the size of her pinkie, colored with purple skin and gleaming sapphire wings. Getting used to being able to hear fairies now was a struggle she had yet to overcome. She didn't have to worry about falling into their traps when she was human and couldn't hear them yet now, she could be miles away and hear their tiny voices in the shadows.
"What wrong?" The little purple fairy questioned Genesis, a sympathetic frown painted on the fairy small face. Genesis was wary of whether or not to tell her because everyone knew that fairies were snake in disguise. They were tricksters in their own rights and you have to be very careful with the things you say to them. Especially in these times where everyone didn't know whether they belonged to Hell or Heaven.
Genesis would've sent the creature away to find another victim to prey on, but as she thought about being alone here, a sense of sadness began to overwhelm her. What's the true harm in baring my soul out here tonight when I'm going to die tomorrow? She wondered. My life is already over. She added.
With this disparaging thought inside her mind, she sighed and walked to the grassy field, sitting in the sharp grass and ignoring the tiny scratches against her bare legs. The fairy flew over to her, bringing along a couple of her other small friends who occupied Genesis shoulders and lap. The purple fairy hovered in front of Genesis until she held her hand out for the fairy, and she took a seat on Genesis palm. With Genesis small audience alert and focused, She told them everything from the beginning to the end.
"How rude of him!" A sparkling orange fairy yelled from Genesis lap in anger, her teeny voice coming out in a high-pitched squeak, making Genesis smile.
"Lower your voice," her green fairy friend ordered, covering her pointy ears
"No, you!" An argument broke out in front of Genesis, first starting with the two fairies and then spreading to the rest of them until everyone was gathered in a small bunch on Genesis lap, throwing punches. Genesis giggled as their tiny feet tickled her, but she remained in her spot so they wouldn't fall down.
"How uncivilized," the purple fairy still perched on Genesis hand said as she crossed her legs and looked down at the crowd with obvious disappointment.
"Aren't they friends of yours?"
The fairy head snapped to Genesis as if she as offended, and Genesis raised a brow. "I don't know this people. They just followed us because they're nosy."
"Ah, I see." Genesis turned her focus back to her lap to see one fairy sliding off her thigh from the push of someone in the fight, and she caught it with her hand, earning an appreciative grin from the fairy that was about to fall.
"What if there is someone who could help you have baby?"
"Excuse me?" Genesis questioned, turning back to the purple fairy in her palm.
"You said you lied about being able to conceive," the fairy reiterated. "What if there was a way you could?"
"Then that will be nice, but I'm not hopeful. I've been trying for years."
"There is a magical man you can summon, and he can grant you any wish you can dream of," the purple fairy said in a hushed tone, her tiny hand making a small microphone as if she was whispering something into Genesis ear. "I can call him if you'd like…..?"
"Are you toying with me fairy?" Genesis said while squinting her eyes, skeptical of her intentions.
She crossed her arms and pouted.
"I'm offended that you would accuse me of such a thing." The fairy began to stand up and fly away, but Genesis caught the fairy little leg between her index finger and thumb.
"Wait! I'm sorry. I'm desperate at this point. I'm meet the man."
The fairy stood on Genesis hand and flashed her a mischievous smile, her indigo brows scrunched together. "He's coming." What? She flew away and disappeared into the dark sky before i could ask her another question. Genesis thought and she frowned, turning back to the beings on her lap who were still fighting.
"Miss?" A blue pixie on Genesis shoulder spoke.
"Yes?"
"Why were you talking to that lady?"
"Lady?" Genesis looked around in confusion. "The fairy?"
The blue pixie nodded in a rush movement.
"My mom told me she's one of the bad one ones."
"Bad?"
The blue pixie looked around in fear and Genesis frowned. A slow fog began to fill the floor around them from the roots of the grass, and she suddenly noticed the stillness of the small feet on her lap. Looking down, she was the small fight that broke out earlier had ceased. Instead, they were hugging one another and looking towards the dark part of the forest.
"What going on?"
"We need to Leave!" Someone yelled, causing chaos within the bunch. One by one they darted into the sky. Small screams filling the air, and her frown deepened .
"Mommy!" The small blue pixie fairy one her shoulder screamed, tears falling down his small cheek as he flew off, being sure not to fly too far away from her as she was the only person around now .
"Can You tell me what's happening, please?"
"The bad man is coming!"
"What bad man?" Genesis asked in a desperate tone, urgency beginning to fill her voice. A dark blue fairy darted down to where she was and the little blue pixie wrapped his arms around her.
"We need to go now," she said, wrapping her arms around him.
"Wait! Can you please—" Genesis shoulders slumped as they too flew away and she was alone again. The calm that had surrounded the garden with their departure, made an eerie feeling set in. A slight urgency to get back inside slowly crept into her, And she stood up from the grass, wiping the back of her legs with her hands. She squinted her eyes , trying to make her way back to the stone trail, using the lanterns as guidelines.
"Are you leaving?" A deep voice questioned from somewhere in the garden. She looked around the dark area, unable to see anybody. She chalked it up to her imagination and began walking back to the palace, hearing nothing but the howling wind and her footsteps; the dry leaves making a crunching sound as she stepped on them.
Her footsteps were the only sound audible to her, until she she heard a second set of footsteps behind her, doing a poor job of imitating her's. She decided to stop abruptly to catch them off guard, and when she did , she felt a hard body bump into her back.
"Oof!"
She whipped around, shocked by her sudden company, and found a man looming over her. Her mouth dropped at the otherworldly beauty of the man, and she could hear her heart beating as if it was in her eardrums.
His pitch-black hair were gelled back on top of this head, not a strand out of place and his dark eyes stared down at her, gluing her to her spot.
Like the environment around them. His attire was gloomy. A neat black button-up decorated his broad chest and matching dress pants accompanied with it. She leaned in as she saw a tattoo peeking from the collar of his shirt to his neck, and she tilted her head to see it more clearly.
The clearing of this throat startled her out of her trance and she snapped back to reality, stepping away from him and stumbling backward over her heels. She caught herself before she could completely embarrass herself in front of him. And she planted her hands on her hips , taking a few steps around as is she meant to do it all.
Great fucking job. She thought.
"Did you call me here to stare or….,?" His smooth voice muttered.
"Excuse me?"
"You are excused."
"What?" Genesis replied, confused.
"Is that not what I am supposed to reply to that?" He said, eyeing her unsure of what she was doing and with her carefully thought out movements.
"No I-umm….I don't believe so."
"So you want a baby," he said flatly, changing the topic with harsh abruptness.
"How did you…."
"I know a lot of things…..Genesis." He said in a bored tone while teasing her name, letting it roll off his tongue in an accent that seemed unique to him. As she she was about to as him something he interrupted and said, "Don't ask me how I know your name, please."
"Who are you?"
"A man who is going to help you get what you want."