No Turning Back
Page 8
Chapter 5
"Here you go, Sylenn!" Twanne opened the door with a flourish. The small apartment was well-furnished with upholstered furniture, rich drapes, and a thick, soft carpet that stretched from wall to wall. Large windows overlooked the lush garden tucked inside the Temple complex, reserved exclusively for the Descendants' use. The sitting room boasted soft yellows and oranges, which gave the room a warm afternoon glow despite the late hour. The ceiling towered overhead; while the furnishings were meant for humans, the structure was obviously meant for Descendants.
"You have your own kitchen right here should you want to cook or keep snacks. We can bring you meals, if you'd prefer, or you can go down to the dining room and eat with the others. It's up to you! This is your bedroom here, and it has another sitting area by the fireplace that's simply cozy at night. And this is your bathing chamber, with all the latest plumbing and fancies. Oh, and here's where the towels are, and here are some toiletries for you ..."
Sylenn drifted after Twanne through the flat located in the west side of the Temple. This area of the third floor of the building was the private retreat of the Descendants. There were many more quarters than Descendants, which Twanne noted were "just in case". This one was designed for a single occupant, though many of the rest were family-sized. Lyshunda, Quiana, and Niel had their families with them in the Temple; Hae's children had moved out several years before, to their own homes in the town, though she kept the quarters she'd shared with her husband until his death. Niel's twin sons had nearly bowled Sylenn over when she'd come upstairs. Apparently they needed to practice being jungle fighters who had somehow found their way into the big city.
Mosin followed behind Sylenn, never taking his eyes off her and eagerly asked her opinion of everything she saw.
"Isn't this swell, Sylenn? Have you ever seen anything like this before? Oh, you have to come out here when it's nighttime; the stars go on forever! We'll go out to the farms later, and I'll show you everything. Oh, and look at this ..."
Twanne opened an intricately carved wardrobe, revealing clothing on hangers and in drawers. "Lots of Descendants don't have much when they come, so we always keep a goodly store of clothes on hand. You get a hankering for anything in particular, you just let me know, alright? Over here is the hamper; just put all your dirties in there. Any special instructions, just slip a note in with it. I'll be in charge of your household, so you just tell me what you want, and I'll find a way to get it for you! Now, it's dinner time in a tick, so do you know where you want to eat?"
"Come eat with us, Sylenn," Mosin begged. "They want to get to know you, and you've been alone so long! Please?"
Sylenn nodded, staring at the floor.
"That's just fine!" Twanne beamed. "Now, tonight's menu is fresh fish caught right here off the Island, a lovely roast haunch, some grilled fowl--"
"No meat," Sylenn interrupted quietly. "I-- I don't want any meat."
Concern washed over Twanne's face. "Oh! Of course not; how thoughtless of me! Well, I'll make sure the cooks know to keep a goodly supply of vegetable dishes for you. I'll just go do that right now, if that's alright. Dinner's in fifteen; Mosin, could you show her down? Good, good; I'm off!"
"Silly? Do you want to wash up or change before dinner? We usually don't go very fancy, so you don't have to, if you don't want to."
Sylenn sat down on an armchair without speaking. Mosin promptly claimed the chair next to her and leaned over to take her hand.
"I want you to promise me something, Momo," she said after a moment.
"Of course!"
"You-- they all think I'm dead, don't they? Mummy and Poppa a-and all of them?"
"Yes!" Mosin exclaimed. "Of course; we all did. We hoped that you were just missing, but after a few years, well, we had to accept that you were gone. We had a service for you, and there's a plaque for you--"
"You can't tell them, Mosin. I don't want them to know that I'm not dead." Sylenn looked into her brother's widened eyes.
"What? Why? Why not? We have you back, back from the dead!"
"Because I am dead, Mosin. I died that day when the beast stole my life. It killed me, Mosin, even if my body is still alive. I'm no better than a Drone. I can't hear everything It says or thinks, but I've caught enough to know that It won't leave me unless I'm dead. When It takes someone else, I'll really be as dead as I feel. And-- and I can't tolerate the idea of them seeing me like this! Of knowing what a daemon I am!"
"No, Sylenn! You're not a daemon! Listen to me! Yes, it was an awful-- a terrible time, but it's alright! We don't care; you're still our Sylenn. You're still my baby sister, you're still Mummy and Poppa's little girl. It doesn't matter what happened; none of that was your fault. It was the Hunter, trying to serve the Ancients and free Humanity. No government will prosecute you, now that you're a Descendant. And if you think that being the Hunter's host and doing what It forced you to makes you unforgivable, well, that's foolishness! I know you, Sylenn. I know that you're not a wicked person."
Sylenn shook her head, eyes closed. "Mosin, I've changed. It's been eight years; I'm not the little girl you knew."
Mosin lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. "The little girl I knew could not have changed that much."
"Mosin, I did change that much." She stood and turned away from him. "I should get ready for dinner."