Descendant Of The Sun

O N E

"If I got locked away
And we lost it all today
Tell me honestly would you still love me the same?"

Sounds of cutlery clinking against plates filled my ears, an eerie silence surrounding us at dinner time that day in the Pinehurst household. Of course I wasn't biologically a Pinehurst, because I was adopted. My biological records may show something different, I was still part for the family. Along with my little brother Max.

We were an average, middle class family living in suburbia.

I guess I always knew something was different about me, but I could never put my finger on it. I would always process problem questions differently, and would take things into account that nobody really knew about. Sometimes even I didn't know what I was talking about, it just made sense.

I guess now it made sense, why I was different.

Mum cut up her roast pork steak delicately, while my Dad was basically shovelling mashed potatoes in his mouth. The smell of gravy and stuffing usually had my mouth salivating, but I wasn't hungry. An unasked question filled my mouth instead, unable to come out.

A lyric from a song I used to listen to filled my head. 'Tell me honestly. Would you still love me the same?'

The room was a bit cold and I felt a shiver creep up my spine, in only a short sleeved tee shirt and joggers. One of my bare feet was tucked under me and as I sat. I shifted from that uncomfortable position because the circulation to my foot was being cut off.

When dinner was almost over and I had eaten as much as I could with butterflies in my stomach, I ask my mum, "How was your day, Mum?" She looked up at me and gave me a gentle smile.

"It was good. Yours?" She asked in return, "I heard you got some mail this morning. A little birdie told me it was from a boy."

Dad looked up at me with mirth in his eyes.

Max giggled from behind his hand from his seat at my side. I looked at Dad, but he just winked at me and went back to cutting his meat into chewable sizes.

"Actually, I got a letter from the 'School of Mortal Descendants,' whatever that is... Not a boy, Mum." I said.

My dad swallowed thickly and looked up from his food. His eyes met mine across the table and with that one look, I swear I could've frozen lava with my blood.

I was so confused. "Dad? It's just a joke— The guys at school play pranks all the time, what's wro—" I tried to explain.

"Aspen. I will explain everything to you. Later, pet," Dad wiggles his eyebrows suggestively in Max's direction. I nodded at him.

"That reminds me of something I was goin' to tell you..." I was so nervous. I could barely breath. My fingers went numb.

"What is it?" My mum's soft and prim voice was encouragement enough for me to spill it, "I would like it if you could... Please stop making jokes about you know 'getting me a man' because the thing is, I don't want one."

"Ever?" My mother's astonished voice replied. "Well, you're far too young to know what you want," She reprimanded me as if I had stolen a cookie before eating my dinner.

"Mum!" I replied in shock.

"You're being foolish, Aspenthon! What's the matter with you?!" Mum's temper was getting out of hand. Mum never used to say my full name.

"I don't know!" I cried out. It was getting to be too much for me.

Bang!

We looked over to Dad who had banged his fist onto the table abruptly, all the while scaring my little brother into next year.

"Aspen, We love you no matter what." The conviction in his voice was strong, "Now, how about a little stroll to let off some steam," He smiled at me and I knew it was okay, "I'll even buy you an ice cream from John's."

John's was a corner shop that opened when my dad was young. John Darryl didn't work there anymore, and instead preferred to sit outside with a good newspaper while his son Junior worked the counter.

"Sure, Dad."

The air was even thicker now. It felt like something had been lifted off my shoulders, but I was quickly regretting mentioning it at all.