When I got up this morning, I noticed two things. Okay, scratch that. Not when I woke up, more like when I wanted to have my bath. The first thing I detected was how big my stomach looked to have gotten. It seemed it added more than an inch. With how big it was at the moment, I couldn’t see my toes. Then the second was the mark on my stomach. It was a moon-shaped orange mark that hadn’t been there before. It looked to have materialized overnight.
“Arkyn, Tyrell!” I screamed their names. A few seconds was all it took for them to barge into the bathroom, looking around as if seeking an intruder that might be hiding in the shadows.
“What’s wrong?” Blue asked, giving me a once-over, his eyes lingering on my chest. “Why did you call us by those names? Is everything okay?”
“Not at all.” I pointed at the mark. “What is this?”
Puzzled, my mates walked over to me and leaned down to study the mark. They stayed that way for a few minutes before they lifted their gaze to me, shaking their head.
“I don’t know what it is.” Fred furrowed his brows, as if thinking of the mark would make him realize how it somehow materialized on my stomach. “We didn’t see it yesterday, which means it appeared this morning?”
“Is it only me, or has your stomach gotten bigger?” Blue tilted his head, looking to be in deep thought as he stared at my belly. “It got better, didn’t it?” He reached out to stroke it. “It wasn’t this big when we slept last night.”
“Exactly my thoughts.”
“Then what should we do?” I asked, glancing from Blue to Fred. “Should we call Da Ankora over? He alone can tell what the mark is about.”
“I believe that’s the right thing to do.” Fred nodded. “I will have to send a message to him after you have your bath. He will be the one in an excellent position to tell us what’s going on.”
With the plans made, my mates helped me have my bath. They were extremely gentle with me, treating me like a porcelain doll that might break they handled it carelessly…
After my bath, they helped me dress. To avoid any discomfort, they chose the biggest and lightest gown in my wardrobe. It was as if they knew how heavy my body felt to me. The bigger my stomach got, the heavier my body seemed to have become.
Dressed, I left the room with them, to the dining. While Fred went to ask the maids to get my breakfast, Blue left to send a message to Da Ankora.
My mates looked scared, but they tried to conceal that expression. I didn’t bother to do that, though. I was hungry to think of the mark. Blue returned after the maids dished the food. Sitting next to Fred, he smiled.
“Something smells wonderful,” Chris said in a singsong voice as she walked into the dining room with Chrys in her arms.
“Mummy!” Chrys made a grabbing motion the moment she saw me, eager to get to my side. Her enthusiasm caused Chris to roll her eyes. She had always wondered why Chrys liked me more than her when she was the one who took care of the little darling.
“Baby girl!” Fred grinned, getting up from the chair. He intercepted Chris before she could place Chrys on my thighs. “Come on now, darling, don’t tell me you didn’t miss Dad?”! He made a face at that, acting hurt. “My baby girl seemed to have forgotten me. She doesn’t like me anymore!”
“No. I love you, dad!” Chrys placed a kiss on his left cheek. Hugging him tight as he carried her over to his chair, ignoring a fuming Blue.
The way Chrys bonded with us in the short time we had been together made my heart soar. I thought she would miss her friends and family, but it seemed like she either had a memory blockage or lost her memories. I’d heard stories of people’s minds blocking something traumatizing, so they wouldn’t remember it anymore.
“Hello, dear, Queen Bella.” Smirking, Chris sat next to me. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Are you blind? Can’t you tell?” Blue snapped at her, obviously looking for an outlet for his anger. It seemed like he was waiting all along to do this.
“I get it now, my king.” Pursing her lips, she rubbed her palms together as her eyes glinted. “Let’s begin then. What are we waiting for?”
“Chrys of course.” Rolling my eyes, I lifted my cutleries, urging my mates to do the same. They glared daggers at a nonchalant Chris before they began to eat.
Unlike before, when we converse while eating, we are now done in silence. I suggested this, so we can set a good example for Chrys.
After breakfast, Chris took Chrys to the learning centre, leaving me with my mates. Da Ankora sent a message a few minutes ago telling us in detail how not available he was because of an issue he needed to take care of in his house. He promised to come over before the sun set, to check on me.
Obviously, Blue didn’t tell him why he was summoned, else Da Ankora would have left whatever he was doing, just to check on me, to see the mark.
My mates left shortly after, for a meeting. I would have left with them, but I felt oddly tired. Walking was a feat on its own. I couldn’t even take more than three steps before I received sharp pains in my lower abdomen.
With my mates gone and Chris not yet back from where she went, I decided to read a book. Aside from the projector and solar-powered TELEVISION and DVD Fred brought back when he went to the human world, no other gadget could work.
There was no option to charge it as they didn’t use electricity. At first, I believed a source powered those bulbs but was told they were inventions of the witches before their demise.
To make life easier for the entire kingdom, the witches made a light that will stay on for eternity. Most of the things running in the kingdom were made by the witches who were later murdered.
Most of the time, I always had this intense desire to get revenge on all those who killed the witches. They were the worst scum and deserved the hottest place in hell. That was if their kingdom even believed in hell and heaven like I do.
“My queen.” Startled, I looked up from the story I was reading, to meet Devon’s eyes. His silver eyes stared into mine, trying to suck me in. I had to tear my gaze away from him before he could do that.
His hair was blue at the moment, making me raise a brow. “Why’s it blue?”
“Oh. This?” He touched his hair. “This is my happy colour. My hair turns blue whenever I’m overjoyed.” He grinned, sitting on the couch opposite me. “It turns yellow when I’m sad. Grey when I’m confused.”
“What of black?”
“When I’m mad.” He smiled. “It also turns white when I’m happy. It all depends on the type of happiness.”
“What’s the neutral colour? Like the one you have when you are not feeling anything?”
“I will say it’s red. That one stays longer than the others, so it’s definitely my neutral colour.”
“Oh, I get it.” Nodding, I closed the book I was reading and placed it beside me. “So, what are you up to today? Going somewhere?” I inquired as I gave him an appraisal, noting how he dressed up.
Devon would always look hot despite what he wore, but at the moment, he seemed like he was particularly dressed up.
“Nowhere. I just wanted to visit you. You know, discuss your powers and how I can help you unleash them.”