Book 1: Youth of Delarn

Chapter 20: A Joke

A few days had passed since she had seen Hyde. She worried for the others now, wondering about James and Margaret. She couldn't imagine seeing James again, but wondered if things weren't as bad as she remembered them. She definitely remembered losing her temper, but couldn't remember why she had reacted so badly to what he said.

She laid in bed and stared at the ceiling, her hands under her head. She let out a heavy sigh.

"Hey, you've been really off lately," Solene said from his bed on the other side of the room.

She turned on her side and looked at him. She said, "Do you think about Margaret, Hyde and—and James much?" "I realized we haven't seen Margaret and James since that day, remember?"

"Yeah, of course I remember," Solene said. "He tried to kill you, and he was really rubbing his wealth in our face. Do you remember that?"

"Well, yeah, but maybe he didn't know better. His dad just died. It was probably a weird day for him," she said.

"So what?" Solene said, and Delarn sat up. He added, "I mean, it's not a big deal for me, but what about you? You wouldn't have tried to stab one of us just because we made you mad, would you? He was bragging about his dad dying. You would never do that. I get things were different for him and all, but I don't think it was something he should have done. Some of us don't even—"

Solene grew quiet. He knew he was trending where he shouldn't, and if he was too loud, he might wake his parents.

"Hey, Solene," she said.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Remember when we were younger, and we sometimes spent all night in the same bed, just talking? Would you mind coming over here?" She asked.

"Oh," he replied, and she wished it wasn't so dark. She couldn't make out anything about his expression. It was unnerving even though she read people by their tone of voice and body movements. Even that was hard to read with just that word. He said, "Sure, Delarn. Anything for you."

He got up carefully and made his way over to her bed on light steps. She scooted over so he could sit on the bed beside her, her legs crossing. He did the same, looking at her.

"So what do you want to talk about?" He asked, twitching as he looked at her, his head tilting.

She paused and suddenly didn't know what to say. "What were we talking about again?"

"I don't—oh, we were talking about James and how he—"

"I remember now," she said. She leaned in, and he squirmed, but she said, "I wanted to ask you about the man your mom calls your father. I always wanted to ask you what you thought about him." Her question was a breath in his ear.

He didn't move, appearing uncertain of what he wanted to say, or perhaps like he didn't hear her at all. Her faced heated. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything.

He said once he figured it out, "I never know what to think about him. He's terrifying. I remember when he was summoned. I was really little. It was in the basement after my actual father died. My mom made me come down to watch because if I wasn't there, she said he might eat me. I was so scared for you for so long because I knew you didn't have the same protections. I asked him once about it, and he said he only eats human children. I don't even know what that means, Delarn."

"Wait," she said. "You talk to him? He actually talks? I've heard him speak, but usually it's when he's throwing a fit and tossing things and threatening to kill us," she whispered. She felt afraid, worried he would wake up and hear them.

"Tell me what he means, Delarn. Tell me first," he answered, suddenly appearing desperate. It took her a moment to realize what he was talking about.