Underwater

Chapter 29: The Fool

After using the gem, a pink diamond infused with teleportation magic, Reina found herself in an abandoned alley near her parents' home. She breathed deeply of the fresh air, then regretted it slightly as she realized she was located next to a dumpster.

Sea water still dripped from her. She quickly cast a spell to dry herself off, then made her way out of the alley. She was dressed in one of her dresses from Aquina. It was an unusual dress to wear on the surface and she didn't have any shoes, but it was only until she got to her parents' house, so Reina didn't think too much about it. If someone saw her, they would dismiss her for being quirky in her fashion choices but otherwise wouldn't think much about it.

Reina looked up at the sky – it was late in the evening, about dinnertime. Her family should be home... she hoped.

Even if they weren't, Reina didn't think it a big deal. She had all the time in the world now.

The organ within her chest throbbed as she thought of her son. She'd left her ex-husband a note telling him that she would be back on Cadeyrn's birthday... but could she really last until then? Already she was assaulted with the violent need to run back to her son and be by his side.

Reina walked up the cobbled pathway leading to her parent's house. The lawn was cleanly mown and the scent of grass wafted in the air as she made her way to the entrance. She rapped on the wooden slabs twice – the sound of her knocking was so different from the type of reverberations she heard underwater that for a moment she was stunned.

And then the door opened.

Her mother stared at her in shock. "...Reina?" she asked, lifting a shaking hand to her daughter's face.

Reina felt a soft smile spread across her face. "It's me, mother."

The middle-aged woman threw herself on her daughter, sobbing the entire time. She hugged the girl with a grip that took the breath right out of Reina. Before Reina could ask her mother to release her, the woman held the girl at arm's length, appraising her carefully.

"Where have you been?!" she demanded. "We've been so worried – we even wanted to get the police in on it, but of course your grandfather said no."

"Erika, who-" Reina's father, Alan, froze in the spot with wide eyes. "Reina...?" He looked like he could scarcely breathe.

"Come in, come in. Gosh, why are you dressed so thinly? It's freezing out here," Erika, Reina's mother, scolded.

Reina hadn't really thought much about outer clothing. She was too used to the magic in Virtrie, which kept the temperature at a constant, comfortable level no matter the season.

Alan seemed to recover, pulling his large, woolen coat from the coatrack by the door and placing it over Reina's shoulders.

"Thank you, father," Reina said gratefully. The cold outside had started to sink into her bones.

"Reina, we were so worried about you," he told her, giving his eldest daughter a hug that could rival his wife's in strength.

"Come in, have you eaten? We're in the middle of dinner. I'll get you a serving."

Reina nodded as she was guided to the living room. All her siblings were there and they stared at her with wide eyes.

"Reina." Alice blinked, then pulled out the chair next to her.

"Thank you, Alice," Reina told her sister and sat in the chair. Her mother handed her a clean plate and she took a serving of the grilled fish and salad on the table. More fish... it was rather ironic, she thought.