Chapter Two

We sat around the table in near silence. The only sounds that of our spoons clinking against wooden bowls. My sisters didn’t even take the time to complain about the fact that we were having venison stew again. It was one of the few things I knew how to cook.
​            Every once in a while, I would sneak a glance at the man situated awkwardly at the corner of the table. He bent over his bowl like he was trying to hide, but he was very tall and rather bulky compared to my brother. His size didn’t help him in his attempt.
​            Poor human.​
​            When it got to be too much and my curiosity started gnawing at my gut, I asked the same question Gale did earlier, “Why are you here, Alexon?”
​            His head snapped up at the end of my question, his eyes meeting mine and widening. Instead of answering me, he asked a question of his own, “How do you see without pupils?” Freezing in place, I looked at him like he was crazy. What was a pupil and why didn’t I have any of them? Did everyone have them? “Your eyes are just like mirrors.” Pupils and mirrors. What exactly were they?
​            Opening my mouth, I started to speak, but Ambrosia interrupted. “I’m retiring,” she announced. Yet another word that I didn’t understand. Looking right in my eyes, she elaborated, “I am leaving and Alexon is taking my place as your guardian.”
​            Biting my lip, I could already feel the tears pooling in my eyes and let me just say, crying when you were essentially nothing but water; it was really quite unpleasant. On either side of me, I could see my siblings moving away from me, especially Blaze who always got sick after so much as a drop of water splashed on her.
​            Standing up abruptly, I hurried over to Ambrosia and threw my arms around her, kneeling on my knees in front of her chair as I apologized. “I am sorry. I am so sorry I didn’t come when you called, but don’t leave. I’ll be good, I promise.”
​            Her fingers sifted through my hair as she let out a soft sigh. “Darling, I’m not leaving because of you.” I didn’t look up, I could feel my face melting, literally. “I want to see my husband again. I think I’ve forgiven him.”
​            “You said he’s dead,” Terra interjected, sounding as confused as I was sad.
​            “He is,” Ambrosia hedged, her fingers still stroking the back of my head soothingly. “And so am I.” My head snapped up and I stared into her eyes, feeling how thin my cheeks were becoming but not finding it in me to care about such a thing at the moment. “All your human guardians have been.”
​            Whimpering, I asked, “Does that mean we’re dead?”
​            Shaking her head roughly, she offered me her glass of water. I swallowed a little of it, feeling better once my face filled back out again. “No, sweetie,” she cooed, letting out a sigh. “You aren’t dead…technically you’ve never really been alive.” There was something in her eyes I couldn’t understand, like she was hedging around telling us something that could have been important.
​            We all held our breath, looking at her with wide, fearful eyes. What did it mean that we weren’t ever alive but we weren’t dead either? What would she say to that to calm us again? I knew we all looked terrified by her words. It was even worse than when she told us she was leaving. She promised she wouldn’t leave once…a long time ago…
​Her husband cheated on her…whatever that means.
​            “She’s just saying you were created, not born,” Alexon jumped in quickly. I turned to look at him. My siblings probably did too, but I couldn’t see them from where I was. Alexon’s chocolate brown eyes met with mine again. He looked taken aback all over again as he mouthed, no pupils.
​            A frown worked its way across my face as I stared at him. I couldn’t decide if I should be angry with him or more understanding because I did look different from any human I’d ever come into contact with.
​            “What exactly is a pupil?” Gale asked, jumping in when he saw my discomfort.
​            Alexon shifted, his eyes darting around the room. A frown made its way onto his face as well. “None of you have them,” he said aloud. Somehow it sounded like a realization of some kind. “Pupils are the black part in the center of a person’s eye.” ​Leaning in close, I saw what he was talking about. On the inside of the brown was a black circle that seemed to grow and shrink depending on the light and how close something was to him. His eyes were such a dark color that his pupils were hardly visible from a distance.
​            Swinging my head around, I looked at Ambrosia, taking in her pupils. They were easier to spot in her light blue eyes. Strange that they never drew my attention the way they did now. There was nothing like them anywhere else in our lives, but I still didn’t ask questions about them, taking them for granted completely. Of course, her eyes were hidden behind those spectacles all the time.
​            “So,” Terra suddenly drawled, pulling our attention away from the conversation at hand. “When do you leave?” She picked up a spoonful of broth and let it dribble back down into the bowl, her eyes glued to the sloppy movement, meaning she was just as upset as I was, she just didn’t want to show it and look weak.
​            Letting out a heavy sigh, Ambrosia replied, “Tomorrow morning. They’ve been training Alexon to take my place for quite a while now.” My eyes moved to him again, hovering over the strange markings covering his arms.
​            “We’ve never had a marked guardian before,” I commented, wondering what kind of human he was to be born with such things burned into his skin.
​            He laughed at my comment quietly. In a gruff voice, he explained, “They’re tattoos. I got them because I wanted them. I wasn’t born with them.” He really was a strange human.
​            Tracing one of the shockingly smooth, thick black lines, I asked curiously, “How do they get there?” His arm was tensed under my finger, the hairs standing on end and little bumps coming up over his skin. I had never paid attention to the reaction in people when I touched them before, but I knew Ambrosia always went to get a coat after I hugged her.
​            “You’re freezing,” he muttered.
​            I really wish he hadn’t mentioned it.
​            A scolding hot hand ran up my spine. The silvery dress I wore exposed my back completely, giving my sister easy access to her target. Letting out a little hiss of shock and annoyance, I felt my flesh change consistency and start roiling and bubbling. Steam rose from behind me as I started evaporating only to condense on the ceiling. A scowl crossed my face as my usually straight hair rolled in waves like an angry ocean, my eyes darkening to a dangerous onyx; a warning that I wasn’t pleased and might attack.
​            Alexon pulled back like he was the one who was just scalded, his chair tipping back, spilling him to the floor. He let out a pained groan, drawing my attention away from Blaze’s practical joke and the fact that part of me was still dripping from the ceiling. He pushed up onto his elbows and let out another groan. His odd, clipped tone filtered to my ears as he mumbled unintelligibly to himself.
​            “What part of the world are you from?” Spectra asked, at the same time as I let out a panicked, “Are you alright?”
​            He chuckled a little, looking back and forth between us. I could feel how wide my eyes were as worry coursed through me. Was he alright or had he done serious damage to himself? Ambrosia had warned us about how breakable humans were. I wondered if their spirits were just as fragile. That had to be what he was if he was here…right? Dead people were spirits.
​            “I’m fine,” he promised, standing up and brushing himself off. I looked him over, making sure he wasn’t bleeding or anything. I had seen blood a few times. It always turned my stomach so I stopped going hunting with Gale and stayed by my waterways instead. No need for me to upset myself.

            Turning to Spectra, he ran a hand through his wavy hair and replied, “Brooklyn.” My brows scrunched. Never in my life had I heard of a place called Brooklyn. Gale wouldn’t have either. He knew the same amount about the human world as I did. “It’s in New York,” he added, seeing the confused look on my face. “Which is in America.”
​            “Oooh.” America I knew. Ambrosia was from a place called South America. She told us all about big countries and continents. She said there were some even she didn’t know the names of, that’s how big the human world was. Sneaking closer to Alexon while Ambrosia was busy picking up his chair, I whispered conspiratorially, “Will you take me to the human world some time?”
​            He shifted uncomfortably. Looking up at him -he was very tall - I gave him my best puppy face. It never worked on anyone other than Gale, but since Gale was a boy and Alexon was a boy, maybe I would get lucky. He had this strange look on his face like Ambrosia always got when she had indigestion, but I didn’t want to be rude and ask if he needed some medicine. It always made Ambrosia blush when I asked her that. Apparently it was impolite even though I was only trying to be helpful.
​            Letting out a gust of breath, he replied just as quietly, “I’ll see what I can do.” With a grin, I threw my arms around him in a hug. Had it been anyone else, my family would have found it strange, but they always told me I was overly affectionate. It was hard to say why other than it just felt like there was something missing in my life and having another person close to me always dulled that feeling.
​            Alexon was warm against my coolness, but not like Blaze, who couldn’t touch me without forcing my body to steam. It was a comfortable kind of warmth, like the autumn sun shining down on me just enough to raise the temperature a few degrees without evaporating me. His chest was broader than my brother’s and harder too, but I found that to be comfortable as well. Or maybe it was just because he was going to take me to the human world…
​            Hopefully.
​            When I let go, he looked a little shocked and I noticed his arms were still by his sides instead of hugging me back. Giving him a puzzled look, I stepped back and took my seat at the table. My siblings gave me fond smiles that I returned with just as much love.
​            “What that meant,” Spectra began, tossing an amused look in Alexon’s direction as I pulled out my chair again and settled back down, “is welcome to the family, I hope you enjoy being our guardian. We’re a bit of a handful �"” I didn’t miss the pointed look she shot in my direction as the words left her lips “�" but we will try and be as civil�"” another sharp look, this time aimed at Blaze “�"and helpful to you as possible while you adjust to your new position.”
​            Raising my glass, I clinked it with Blaze’s since we were the ones being scolded. Spectra frowned, but it was obvious she was glad that all was forgiven between the two of us…
            At least for now.