Present Day.
"No please, he doesn't like sweets. Get rid of the cake and cupcakes, and bring-I don't
know....lettuce?" Genesis said in an unsure tone. The servants looked at her as if she was asking instead of demanding them and she rubbed her temples. This was sad. How wasn't I aware of the food my son liked to eat? She wondered. As a mother. That should've been basic knowledge next to knowing his favorite color or song….yet she knew nothing.
He never talked to me. She thought.
"Good-morning, mother." Felix wrapped his hand around Genesis shoulders and kissed her cheek, making her relax a bit and look back at the chaotic dining room.
"Felix. Are you're aware your brother is coming today?"
"I'm aware," he grumbled as he dropped his arm. "Although, you nor father have told me the reason. He's been just fine in Hell so why is he coming back to jeradua?"
"How do you know he's doing just fine? Has he told you that himself?"
"Come on." He looked at her over his shoulder, heading to the long table in front of the window that held the food. She followed behind him to listen to his words, already knowing the Answer, but still curious. "I haven't spoken to that man in years."
"That man is your brother."
"He is not."
"How not? I am your mother, and therefore he is your brother."
"But you are not truly my mother though, remember?"
"By blood or not, I am your mother, Felix. Tara is gone."
"And whose fault is that?"
Mine, of course. she thought, everything seemed to be Genesis fault when it came to Felix, even when it wasn't. The therapy classes every month did little to mend both of them deep seated issues, in fact, it may have opened old wounds.
A short while after getting pregnant with her own son and using his father to gain power over Julius, getting rid of Tara was the first thing Genesis did. Tara was an annoyance and a great stress on Genesis mental health during her pregnancy….or at least that was what she told Julius. Therefore making him more inclined to let her go.
Genesis was always transparent with the events that Transpired between Tara and her, yet sometimes she wish she never told him. She can't Stand the way he looks at her somedays. At least I was honest with him, is what she tell herself so she could feel better. But honestly when one of the people you love most, look at you like you're the monster in his nightmares?
"I thought we moved past this," she said to him, stepping out of his way as he waved his fingers over the fruits, unsure of what to eat.
"We are past it. Ah!" He exclaimed in thought as he peered over her shoulder. She stepped aside, and instead of reaching out for food as she thought he would, he grimaced at a nearby servant and held his hand out for hers. "May I?" She nodded quickly, nervously giving the prince a half bow before placing her hand into his. He raised the sleeve is her shirt, exposing her wrist, before sinking his fangs into her flesh.
Genesis cringed as the droplets of blood landed onto the marble floor that the servants had cleaned so well that she could see her reflection on it. All their hard work had been reduced to a small puddle of blood staining the floor because her son, couldn't take his meal outside. "Must you do that here?"
"What is wrong?" He questioned, dropping the young girl's arm from his hold; the open wound gushing blood still spilling onto the floor.
Genesis groaned, snatching a rag from her pocket, and wrapping it around her wrist. "Please go get cleaned up, dear. Next time, say no to my son." She nodded, staring down at the floor before holding her wrist and scurrying away. "And please, have someone bring a mop!"
She turned back to Felix whose lips were now bright red colored, his chin and the collar of his white button-up were also red. "Go get cleaned up as well. The rulers of Eden will be here in an hour."
"There are going to be here as well?" He questioned loudly, shock prominent in his voice. "With…."
"With your brother, yes. This meeting requires him, King Jonathan and Xyla," She muttered lowly, allowing the disgust to seep through her words.
"How do you expect to have breakfast with God's people and-... evil reincarnate?"
"He is not an evil reincarnate?"
"Find me one person in all the realms who would disagree." He scoffed.
"They just don't understand." She sighed. "You know how syn is…..he just- he doesn't understand, Felix. You know this. Before your strange dislike of him, he was your little brother. You above all people should understand."
"He kills people. That is what I now understand," he said. "Haven't you heard the worries and terrified whispers of our people? No one wants him here, and if you were honest with yourself, you don't want him here either. You're the one who sent him to Hell in the first place."
"So that he can bond with his father."
"You and I both know there's more to it than that," he whispered.
"What's going on in here?" A voice boom through the room. Genesis spun around to see Julius at the large double door, a black flowery centerpiece in his hands, and marching into the space. "Why are you all getting rid of the cakes? Do you know how many hours I spent creating this menu?!"
"Ask mother," Felix rattled me out, letting out a huff of laughter before crossing his arms.
"What happened to the floor?!" Julius screeched, pointing at the blood puddle beside them.
"Ask your son," Genesis retorted, earning a scowl from Felix as if his father wouldn't have deduced it form the blood on his face and clothes.
"Someone clean this shit up!" He ordered, a group of servants quaking at his tone and rushing to the spot. "And you, get out and clean yourself up. We have an image to maintain. We don't need Angels to think we are heathens, do we?" Julius added.
"Well." Felix clasped his hands together, not paying attention to his father's words or tone. "I'm going to go get ready. I'll see you both in a bit." He walked away and left the room before either of them could say anything else, and Genesis watched him disappear into the long hall.
"Are you ready for today, Genesis?"
"Not at all," she admitted. "I can't imagine you're feeling confident either."
"Why not?"
"You and my syn have a lot of history, Julius. I've forgiven you for what you for what you've done to him and me in the past, but we don't know how he will react to seeing you again."
"I am not afraid of him." Julius said. "I am almost one thousand years old, Genesis. He's a child compared to me. Not to mention he's tiny. I won't let myself fall coward to a puny child."
"Tiny? Puny? Surely you've heard the rumors, haven't you?" She questioned, lowering her voice and stepping towards him. "I haven't seen him in a while either, but the recounts of the people in the kingdom say otherwise, Julius."
"I've heard the rumors and I won't trust hearsay over my own eyes. People are only afraid of him because his father happens to be Satan," he spat. Genesis smiled and bit her lip at the mention of syn father and Julius scoffed as he looked at her. "Control yourself, woman. You've shamed this kingdom enough with that affair of yours."
"As if you didn't shame the kingdom with yours?" She countered. "It's the twenty first century, Julius. Your head may remain in those thousand years you grew up in, but my infidelity is not worse than yours because I happen to be a woman. Get over yourself."
"You know." He began. "I am still your king. Respect would be nice."
"Same to you." She stood with her held high, not giving way to the anger raging in his eyes, challenging him to hurt her as he obviously wanted to. In the past, he may have if she stepped up to him in any way, but now, if he dared to lay a single hand on her, Lucifer, along with his arsenal of demons wouldn't hesitate to show him true evil. "Now if you'll excuse me. I need to get ready."
Before walking away, Genesis curtsied. Looking straight into his eyes, not giving him the satisfaction of lowering her head to him in a proper bow. Her eyes caught his hands ball up into a fist as his anger grew and she laughed in his face, knowing there was nothing he could do. Oh how the tables have turned.
///////////——————-////////////—————-//////////———-
"Welcome." Genesis bowed half-heartedly as king Jonathan gallantly strode into the room, his wife and daughter following close behind him. A permanent diamond crown that seemed to always be seated on their heads sat comfortably, oddly contrasting with their modern clothing. The king wore a white suit, matching with a long white robe, the faux fur looking like it could make you sneeze if you were close enough. His wife wore a matching suit tailored to her body, her hair tied into a high ponytail exposing her pointed fairy ears.
They walked together in unison to a couple of empty chairs at the table and took a seat, silently looking around and judging. They were discreet about it, but she learned over the years that followers of God judged people more than any other group of people, even though their "lord and savior " strictly prohibited it.
"Is your son here?" Jonathan questioned .
"He will be here momentarily," Genesis said.
"So he is late?" Xyla asked, pulling a seat out next to her friend Mia. A girl just as infuriating as Xyla , yet lived with Julius and his Family as her father, a good friend of Julius, maintained Jeradua's army.
"It would appear so," Genesis answered, keeping a plastered smile on her face so rigid that her cheeks began to pain. "But Felix and Julius are here, so that should keep your annoyance at bay, hmm?" Xyla froze and her smile dropped at Genesis words, but Xyla parents must've taken Genesis words as directed at them because they spoke up.
"Ha, yes!" Queen Zara smiled. "King Julius's presence at this moment perhaps would calm us. We'd like to make this meeting as quick and proactive as we can as we have other matters to attend to."
"I wouldn't think that peace between our kingdom is just one of those matters to attend to," Genesis said in a questioning voice, perturbed by their belittling of this meeting."
"I am sure they know the gravity of our situation." Julius spoke as he walked into the room, his voice attempting to ease the tease air in the room. "Let us all sit."
Julius gently grabbed Genesis arms and guided her to the head of the table where two chairs were placed, a stack of paper laying on the table in front of them. He sensed Genesis irritation and gave her a knowing look before pulling out a chair for her to sit, and letting go of her arm.
Genesis sat down on the chair, glancing down at the papers in confusion. She turned to Julius, her mind filled with questions and he side eyed her. Shaking his head slightly as if telling her to wait.
"I'm here. No need to wait any longer." Felix held his hands out grandly as he walked into the room gathering the attention of everyone at the table. He skipped the traditional greeting to everyone in the room and walked directly over to Xyla, taking a seat beside her.
"Where is the son we're truly waiting for?" Jonathan asked.
"Ouch, I'm wounded." Felix held a dramatic hand over his chest, laying his head back against the seat.
"He'll be here soon," Julius answered them, the uncertainty that should've been detectable in his strong voice hidden to their ears.
"He's over two hours late," the queen spoke in irritation.
"Thank God we arrived later or we would've been subjected to wait all this time as well," Xyla said, making Genesis skin itch. She took a deep breath to calm herself down and relaxed into the wooden chair. Good for my son to make these people wait…..they sucked.
To pass the time, they all engaged in an uneventful conversation about border security within all the realms. Genesis almost fell asleep but became alert whenever Hell was somehow mentioned. She noticed their disgusted gazes directed towards her whenever Lucifer was mentioned, but she just winked at them.
As she looked across the room, her eyes landed at the doorway where her best friend Jess was lurking. Genesis snuck a funny face in her friend direction and her eyes widened, making Genesis laugh at her friend expression. Genesis waited for her friend to make one back but instead she tilted her head in the direction of the hallway, a certain urgency filling her friend eyes. 'He's here', Jess mouthed.
Genesis mouthed his name in question and Jess nodded, Jess pink hair flying in every which way at the sudden movement. "My son is here," Genesis announced, standing up from her seat. The conversation ceased as she did so and she lingered in her spot, not being sure whether to wait for them to acknowledge her words, or leave.
"Well, are you going to get him?" Julius interjected.
"Oh yes, of course. I was just going to do that." She stalled, nervousness beginning to grasp onto her. Moments ago, when his arrival wasn't yet reality, she was just fine. But now, a mix fear and worry reclined in the pit of her stomach, making her legs beg to remain planted to the spot she was in. She slowly walked out of the door and took a deep breath as Jess took her hand in hers, walking beside her at a leisure pace to the entrance.
"You will be okay," Jess said.
I doubt it. Genesis thought.