A KINGDOM OF DEAD HEARTS [COMPLETED]

CHAPTER 13: "I AM A TEACHER"

There was something about Xander that Airin could not decide, not yet at least, whether it was bothering her, or it was comforting her.

He had told a lot about what had happened to him, to Halgard, but there was more than what he had told. Untold parts of a grand story that may be important.

She just could not get Xander to willingly tell her those parts. She held her breath as another realization dawned upon her: But how about if she was wrong? If it was just her overstimulated anxiety that made her feel like there was still more that Xander had not told her? How about if Xander had told everything indeed?

Airin took a long, deep, breath, tried to withstand the invisible arms that pulled Airin closer, floating against gravity, all the way to the foreigner in her living room. She wanted to know more about him, she just could not yet figure out how to even begin to ask the questions.

She was relieved however, that every strand of her being now seemed to have come to an agreement: Xander was not a killer, or a robber, or anyone who would make her regret her decision of bringing him and Lyanna here, into her home. She was just being helpful, she was doing the right thing. A rush of relief made her smile finally. A smile that did not escape Xander's notice.

Those mesmerizing light blue eyes relaxed, though his expression just became slightly less grim.

Xander took a deep breath, his lips quivered as if more sentences that were about to flow out were suppressed again. He wants to tell me more, Airin whispered inside her head. Her gut feeling was too stubborn to be calmed. There was more to Xander, much more, than what he was willing to tell.

"Go rest, Airin. It is late. I will guard you and Lyanna," Xander finally said.

"There is no need to guard here, Xander. There is no enemy here. It is my universe, my home. Maybe sometimes some drunkards pass by down there on the street, shouting some profanities, throwing empty beer bottles to the pavement. No big deal."

Xander thought for a bit, then nodded. "At least have a rest, sleep in your room, with Lyanna. I do not think she will mind at all. She seems to like you a lot. I will be out here."

Airin did not want to sleep. Not yet. Her right hand clutched her engraved skillet, brought it close to her chest. Slowly her left index finger traced the engraving Xander made on it. The realization became more and more intense, more unavoidable, for her. "You are really, really, not from here, from my universe, are you ... Xander?" she whispered.

Xander shook his head. "I am not, Airin. I will not be an inconvenience to you. Do go about your life as if Lyanna and I are not here. I will take care of her."

"Have you had any experience taking care of a young child?" she inquired out of curiosity.

Xander shook his head. "No, not at all. May the gods help me."

<<<>>>

Airin spent the rest of the night on her airbed, single-sized small airbed that she took on her camping trip to the mountains with some friends in the summer a couple years ago. She opened up the futon couch for Xander, but he was too tall to be perfectly comfortable on what Airin realized now too, that she had a tiny futon couch.

Lyanna slept restlessly. It would seem like she was having some dreams as she groaned and tossing and turning on the bed. But she continued sleeping anyway, and Airin would sit up and check on her from time to time.

Airin did not really fall asleep. She could not. She finally checked her phone. No message, nothing from Dad. She did shed a couple tears as what had happened streaming back to her consciousness now. Dad and May. Two years. Two long years.