Otherworld

The Truth

"Where's dad?"

She exploded.

She was a tornado of tears, cuss words, and ranting. I ran to stop her, but I couldn't get near her. Through her sobs, I could hear only bits of what she was saying.

Why did he have to... we should have adopted... stupid... why... she's just a freak...

"Mom," I yelled. "Mom calm down!"

"I'M NOT YOUR MOTHER!"

Things got pretty silent. Then she began sobbing. When I could recover from that comment as much as I possibly could, I spoke. "Why would you say that?" My voice sounded like a child's; weak and vunerable and confused and everything I'm usually not.

"You're not my baby," she sobbed quietly. "You're not my baby you're not my baby you're not my baby..." She kept saying the same words as if it'd make me go away. I got up and went to Daniel's room. Daniel is my big brother. He's always got a plan, an idea, some kind of order. and he always knows what's going on.

"Daniel," I called. "cuál es incorrecto con mamá?"

"Ray," he called. "venir aquí. We need to talk."

I walked in his room, unsure what to do. "Why is mom like that?" I gave him a humorless smirk. "What, is she having a midlife crisis or something?" Trying to play it off with humor is pretty cliche, but it's all I've got.

"Raven, do you know why mamá gave you such a name?"

"No," I said. "But it doesn't matter. Right?"

Mi hermano shook his head solemnly. He stood up, towering over my five feet three inches with six feet four inches. He walked over to me, and gave me a hug. "Mi hermanita," he said with tears in his voice. "This will be my last hug for you as your big brother. "Te quiero my little sister."

"Daniel? Where's Papa?" I had tears in my voice now. Why did Daniel have to be so dramatic? "Why is mama acting so hateful towards me?" I'd started speaking in full Spanish now, nervous and scared and sad and, and... alone. "Brother, why are you hurting? Why? Where is Papa? Daniel I'm... scared." I whispered the last word. I was afraid if I'd said it louder I wouldn't wake up from this bad dream.

Daniel stroked my hair, and I calmed down a little. "Baby sister, I'm sorry but-" Daniel paused. He cleared his throat. "You're not my little sister." He pulled away, regardless of my protests.

"What?" My voice broke. "Why do you people keep saying that? Am I... am I..." I swallowed. Breathed. Cleared my throat. "Adopted?"

"No," he said. "Yes. Kind of. Sit down."

I walked numbly to the bed, and let my knees buckle. Why are they telling me I'm adopted now? Where's dad? Why the drama? Why couldn't they leave me clueless?

"After I was born, mamá kept having miscarriages. One after the other, it was either she had an accident, she was sick, or there was something wrong with the baby." He paced back and forth, glad to be moving, doing something. "Then, one day a stranger came by our house. He was very tall, and very handsome. He came here with three conditions for mamá and Papa in order to have another baby. Dad, he-" Daniel stopped and swallowed. "He didn't want to adopt or care for a baby unless it was his." Daniel's voice cracked.

I said quietly, "What were the conditions?"

"The first condition was something precious from both of them. The second condition was that they could never give the child away." Silence.

"The third?"

Daniel forced his gaze on me. "A deal." For some reason, the weight of that word made me slouch, and my ears perked up. "Mom and dad had to make a deal. I don't remember what it was, but a year later you were born. But when you came out, you... were strange. Pointed ears and discolored skin.Papa said something about your skin pigment to mamá, but she still looked worried."

"What happened? I mean, for mom... to say... you know."

He looked like he heard. "The man came today, about an hour ago." After a long pause, he said, "He killed him. He killed dad." Daniel's voice cracked.

It wasn't like what the books always told me it was like. I was never far away. It didn't take time to sink in, or register. I didn't doubt what Daniel said, because I know what he said is true. Daniel never lies. I wasn't going to sob, or wail, or morn. But I wanted to find out for sure. I'm a triple checker; I make sure what's what.

I got up and walked over to the hallway where mom was still sobbing. I searched for blood, broken glass, anything. I looked all over the apartment. Nothing except for when mom flipped out. Daniel followed me, asking why and what I was doing. "Did you see it," I asked.

He looked at me like I was crazy. "What?

"Did you see it. Did you see dad die?"

"No," he said. "But mamá said the man killed him."

"Where?"

"I don't know." As Daniel spoke, he started to realize how stupid he was being. Mom, who was not in the sanest of her moments, said that a stranger who made a deal with mom and dad kill dad. Yeah, right. something's up.

I sighed, dropped my bag, and dashed towards the door, not bothering to explain what I'm doing. I burst through the door, bounded down the steps, and ran. I don't know where I'm going, where I'm planning to go, and what I'm going to do. But I couldn't just stand there and listen to a heap of bull crap coming from mu brother's mouth.

I made turns, jumped over trash strewn out on the street by lazy, stinky supers, and ran through an alley way, which is rare in New York City nowadays. I probably looked like I knew where I was going. Maybe I did, but I wasn't completely aware of it. I didn't care for some reason. I just concentrated on the raw burning in my lungs, the muscle pains of running without stretching, the bounce of my long, thick dark brown hair in my face, on my shoulders, barely touching the small of my back.

All thing considering, running felt good. Sometimes. I don't remember when exactly the apartment buildings gave way to houses with garages and cars and tricycles on the green lawns, but even so, I kept running. One foot in front of the other. That's all I needed to do. Breath in, breath out. Pace yourself.

Then I ran into something. Again. I gasped for air, my chest quickly rising and falling, greedy for oxygen. I struggled getting up. Then I heard a cry of exasperation.

"Twice in the same day. Twice!" The girl from my dreams stalked out of the tree. I nearly crapped my pants. I could be asleep again. She looked down at me holding my nose. "You've got to be kidding me."

"You," I said. "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing." She  rested her hands on her hips. "Bumping into me. Twice."

"Okay, I think this is the only dream I've ever had twice. Ow." I pinched my nose hoping no blood would come out. "I seriously hope I'm not back in that nasty locker."

 "You're not dreaming. There's no way I'd appear in your dreams, Blade Elf."

"What?"

 "You know," she said, slightly annoyed. "Blade Elf. I haven't seen one for a century, but... yeah, you're a Blade Elf. Could your kind be hiding? I wouldn't blame you. I mean, with the Summer Court the way it was and all."

"Wait, I have no idea what you're talking about. Clarity would be nice. With an Asprin on the side."

She loked thoughtful. "Fine," she desided. "Come on in."