Eternity Glass

III: Sweet Dreams

Fallon yawned as she waited for her coffee to brew. After the events that unfurled the night before, she deserved a reward for being able to squeeze in a few hours of shut eye. Even then, it felt as if she hadn't, as she woke up even more exhausted than before she had fallen asleep.

The sun barely peaked through the horizon, tainting the lake with a scarlet glisten. It resembled the fire in her dream, the passionate flames that encapsulated a shadow that couldn't be burned. She had stared at that shadow, at the fire that wanted to devour it, until her eyes screamed for her to look away. Until they begged her to wake up.

The feeling of the shadow staring back stayed with her, even after she did.

"Morning," Jeremy greeted with a yawn.

Fallon snorted at his shirtless figure, but blushed nonetheless. She wasn't about to lie and say he hadn't changed since middle school, because he had gained definition in his arms and legs. Natural for the son of a fisherman. "Sleep well?" she asked sarcastically, taking a sip of her coffee.

Her friend chuckled. "I don't think you should be asking that." He began to make his own cup of coffee along with eggs and rice.

"I don't know; I think I slept pretty well considering the events of last night." She took a seat on the other side of the kitchen island.

"I mean, finding about your father being some martyr of a fairy realm sounds like your everyday late-night conversation."

"Right. It definitely was the part about it being my responsibility that was weird."

Jeremy gave her a knowing smile as well as her breakfast plate. Scrambled eggs; of course he remembered she liked it that way.

"It's not a 'fairy realm,' Mr. Herrera." The two teenagers turned to look at Kamalita, who had looked like she had woken up with a full face of makeup and designer clothing. A rose in a desert. "It's the Underworld. Though, I'm sure the fairy world wouldn't be any different."

Fallon sighed into her mug. "Good morning to you, too. Where's the other one?"

The woman's eyes sharpened. "Morgant," she replied with a hiss, "is putting up protection spell around the house."

"A... protection spell?"

"Blood magic, dearie. No one that is not the blood of this house can come in without our consent."

The teenagers exchanged looks that mixed between disbelief and exhaustion, as if trying to convince themselves that these things weren't possible was an exercise in itself.

Jeremy just shrugged and picked up an uncooked egg. "Care for breakfast?" he offered.

Kamalita tensed, placing her chin on her fingers and looking away. "No, thanks. We don't really care for mortal foods as much as you lot think... but, coffee is always nice."

The latter nodded and prepared a cup.

"Who's 'we'? What exactly are you and Morgant?" Fallon asked.

"I believe the word you guys like to use is 'deities.'"

"Deities? Like... gods and goddesses?"

The woman cringed. "That's a... derogatory term."

"Oh. I'm sorry; I didn't know." Fallon picked at her scrambled eggs, which were now unsatisfyingly at room temperature.

Kamalita took a sip of her drink before saying, "It looks like you still have something to say."

Fallon huffed a laugh. "I have a lot to say."

"I'm no mind-reader."

"Then, first off, my father." Fallon finally turned her body towards the deity. "What did he do that's so... important... that you had to seek out the daughter he never met?"