At some point, I must have drifted to sleep, because when I woke up, it was morning. I squinted at the sun shining brightly in through my window. What time was it? By the way the sun seemed to be up and in full force, I would have guessed it was about noon.
Oh shit. I was really late for school. Why hadn’t anyone woken me up? I jumped out of bed and rushed out of my room. And nearly collided with Nelly.
She giggled. “Morning, sleepy head.”
I rubbed my eyes. “What time is it?”
Nelly checked her watch. “Oh, almost noon.” I gaped at her, and she continued, “Don’t worry, Mom said it was cool. We needed a day off.”
I stared at her, trying pick my jaw up from the floor. “What?”
She laughed again and continued down the hall, calling back over her shoulder, “Get dressed. Lunch is ready downstairs.”
I stumbled back into my room, showered, brushed my teeth and got dressed. Our Mother didn’t give us “days off”. Something was up, and I was going to find out what.
Before I left my room, I stopped to look at myself in the mirror. My black eye was getting better. Today it was just a yellowish color and the swelling was almost completely gone. It always amazed me how quickly I seemed to heal from my injuries. I shrugged this off, preparing myself to go find out what was going on here. Even if I had to demand answers, which was never easy with my Mother.
I walked into the kitchen to find Nelly and my Mother sitting at the table, eating sandwiches. Nelly smiled and handed me a plate loaded with sandwiches and fresh fruit. My mother glanced up and then turned her attention back to her food. I sat down at the table.
We ate in silence for a few moments, with me chewing with just a little too much vigor, before I decided I couldn’t wait any longer. “Does someone want to explain to me what’s going on?” I asked, clenching and unclenching my teeth.
The two exchanged a look that once again gave me the feeling that they were hiding something from me. Understandably, my irritation grew.
Nelly spoke first. “I just had a feeling we should stay home today.” When I just stared at her, she added, “I just… I just felt like it was important for us to stay home today.”
I struggled to maintain my cool. “Okay…”
This got no response from either of them. I hated being left out, and I felt my mood growing darker and darker. Clenching my jaws, I forcibly brought my attention back to my food. Then, rather abruptly, I decided I couldn’t take it anymore. They were going to start explaining. I was going to see to it. Consequences be damned. Anger surged through me, and I swear I could feel the strength of it in my bones.
“Alright,” I said, as calmly as I could manage. “What the hell is going on? What aren’t you telling me?” I switched my gaze slowly back and forth between them. They flinched every time I met their eyes. I didn’t blame them. I was starting to scare myself.
Seeing them cringe diffused my temper a little, though. I didn’t ever want them to be afraid of me. Especially not Nelly, though I doubted my Mother was afraid, I’d probably just surprised her.
I looked down to see that my fists were clenched. What was wrong with me? Why was I so angry lately? I lowered my voice and looked at Nelly. “Look, I’m sorry. I… I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. But I do know that there’s something you’re not telling me. What is such a big secret that you can’t trust me with it?”
Again, Nelly and my Mother exchanged a look that seemed to speak legions. And, again, I got no response.
I threw my hands up, all that anger rushing back into me. “Fine,” I said, shoving my chair back and standing to leave the kitchen. I had to get away from them before I really lost it.
I took two steps before my Mother stopped me. “Alexa,” she said.
I turned back to face her, not caring that I was openly scowling. Like I said, consequences be damned.
“It’s for the best, I promise you,” my Mother continued. Her voice was surprisingly gentle, and when I opened my mouth to protest, she held up a hand. “No, I know you don’t believe me, but I swear to you that it’s better this way. Even if you don’t trust me, I know you trust her.” She nodded toward Nelly. “Please, sit down. I have something for you.”
I hesitated before moving. This had to be some kind of trick. My Mother never “had something for me”. Unless you counted a punch to the face.
Noticing my delay, my Mother stood up. Subconsciously, I shifted my right leg back, so that I was standing in a fighting position. My Mother chuckled. “Fine. Just stay there. I’ll be right back.”
She left the kitchen, and I looked over at Nelly. She was staring down at her hands, avoiding my gaze. I sighed and relaxed my stance. “Nell, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m just frustrated, and I can’t help but feel like there’s something-“
“Here.” My Mother walked back into the kitchen and held out something wrapped in cloth.
Wary, I took the gift and ran my fingers over the velvet encasing it. It was a deep crimson, and it held something heavy. “What is it?”
“Open it.”
I slowly unwrapped the cloth, revealing a silver, oval, handle-thingy. It looked like the grip of a sword. It was brilliantly shiny and had some sort of floral design wrapping all the way around it. It was beautiful. I ran my fingers along the design, all earlier thoughts of anger forgotten.
“Um, thank you.”
My Mother just nodded. I looked back over at Nelly to see that she was staring wide-eyed at my strange gift. I gripped it in my hand and felt a strange peace wash over me. The vines and flowers carved into it seemed to wrap around my fingers in an embrace, leaving a smooth cool surface for a grip. I wasn’t sure what the thing was, but I felt as though I had just been handed something very important.
Wrapping it back up in the velvet cloth, I took my seat at the table. Suddenly, I felt like everything was going to be okay. I decided to put off my questions for later. Everything was going to be okay.
Or so I’d thought.
Chapter Nine: Blood Warrior