He slipped his hands inside and took something out before closing it.
I blinked at the object he held, watching him begin to spin it on his finger.
"Is that a fidget spinner?" I asked in disbelief.
Odion took a few seconds to respond, almost as if he was struggling to stop staring at the spinning motion of the rainbow-like spinner that continued its fast pace circle motion on his finger.
"Yes," he mumbled and looked away. "I don't like sitting still for too long."
"You don't need to stay though. I mean… I don't want to bother you," I whispered.
"No. I want to stay. Drink your coffee before it gets cold." He gestured to my cup of coffee with his free hand.
I stared into his eyes for a few seconds, wanting to make sure he was really okay with staying with me, but they showed no annoyance or displeasure. He lowered his gaze back to the spinner, looking completely content.
That gave me enough reassurance to begin drinking the hazelnut coffee.
So good.
We sat peacefully, and I took the time to try to take in the intriguing environment.
One either side of me, dark purple vertical stripes cut through the black paint on the walls.
The walls behind and in front of me were black as well, but purple polka dots with a slight glow to them cut through the dark color., almost like glow in the dark features.
The ceiling was painted completely black while the floor was blackwood. The black bed frame held hints of purple, and all the pieces of furniture were similar in the very distinct black and purple color theme going on in here.
Black drapes covered the lone window, making it impossible for me to see outside or determine what time it was.
Returning to my coffee, I continued to work on drinking it, hoping it would wake me up and help me think straight. I felt a bit frazzled with everything and like I needed to be somewhere or do something.
Tiredness still clung to me, but my mind was as alert as ever. I just wished my body would hurry and finish playing catch up. I glanced at Odion whose focus was on the rainbow spinner.
It looked like it was helping him stay completely still, his concentration really zeroed in on just the spinner and nothing else. I didn't know if it helped him zone out, but as I continued to stare at him, I noticed he appeared worn out.
Even if I couldn't remember exactly how we got here, I remembered how he looked when he was at Theo's place. He definitely had seemed more 'present' and less sleep deprived.
"Odion? Why do you look utterly exhausted? Don't you sleep?" I inquired.
"Sometimes. Wasn't feeling sleepy lately," he replied, his attention still transfixed on the spinner.
"But you need sleep to function," I pointed out.
"Not really."
"Yes, you do," I argued.
"No."
"Yes."
"...No."
"We can go at this all day… or err… night? I don't know where we are. Oh wait, didn't you say the Dark World? What's that? Actually, don't answer that yet. I have to win the previous argument first." I rambled on, and he glanced up to give me a smirk.
"No, and to answer your question, yes. This is the Dark World. It's the land for dark souls who are pinned to this world due to their impure actions," he elaborated, the words sounding way too familiar.
"Yes," I replied, referring to our argument, and continued. "You've said that before, haven't you?"
"No," he stated, and I frowned.
He shook his head. "I meant no, I don't need sleep. Yes, I said it to you seconds before you passed out. We missed Old Darkness' attack by a second."
"Yes… Old Darkness? This lack of memory isn't helping right now."
"No, and that's why I said don't worry about it. The more you try to remember, the harder it is. Don't know if that's some weird curse put on this side of the world, but that's one of the few problems you'll experience when you survive. I forgot about Orion for a while until the memories returned."
"Wait… this is where you stay?" I asked and finished the last bits of my coffee.
"You're supposed to say yes," he mumbled.
"Oh, right… uh… let's continue our argument later." I brushed it off, wanting to know more about this Dark World.
"What do you mean by survive? What happens when you come here? How can you live here? It's kinda dark, no offense. It's pretty… in a dark way? Uh… that doesn't sound nice. I should reword that."
He blinked and stared at me, but another thought popped into my mind.
"Who was that uh… doll? She's a doll, right? The one that made me coffee. She was super cute. How did she know how I like my coffee?"
"You're asking a lot of questions," Odion said quietly. "It's hard to track it all at once."
"Oh… sorry." I grimaced. "I feel a bit frazzled."
"Side effect of this place," Odion replied. "How about I leave the explanations about the Dark World when you're better rested? I can talk about Momo."
"Momo?"
"Bi...Bo."
We both turned our heads toward the door and my eyes widened at the tall woman standing at the door frame with a small smile on her purple-cloaked lips.
"Momo, you gave us away." The woman spoke in a delicate voice.
"BiBo?" I lowered my gaze to see the doll look-alike lean out from behind the woman's legs.
Her swirling eyes met mine and she moved back to hide from my sight, making the woman chuckle quietly.
"Momo thinks you'll hate her. Is the coffee helping you think a bit clearer?"
"Uh… slowly, yes. I just finished it, thank you. I still feel a bit frazzled with everything," I replied earnestly.
The woman nodded and entered the room, the little doll called Momo following closely behind her. It was kind of cute watching them since the woman was faster and it took Momo double the steps to follow at her speed.
The woman walked over to stand near the curtains of the window, and Momo waddled until she bumped into the woman's left leg.
"BiBo?"
The woman giggled and knelt down to stroke the doll’s head. "Sorry, Momo."
"BiBo!" Momo replied, lifting her hands up in excitement.
I glanced at the woman, noticing how full and thick her long dark purple-black locks were. Her eyes were purple, but when I focused, I could tell they were outlined with silver.
Her skin was really pale, making me think of a vampire's complexion in the movies and she stood at 6'8" height.
She had a slim build, and she wasn't very curvy, but it suited her really well. She wore a long black dress, and though I couldn't see them, I assumed she wore heels of some sort due to the noise they made when she walked across the room.
Though her appearance was a little spooky and reminded me of Halloween, she looked extremely kind and gave me a motherly vibe.
I didn't think there would be people in this Dark World place, which was a silly thought when I spent more time on it. Odion was here, so there must be more people.
Momo turned and waddled over to where Odion sat. He paused the spinner and glanced her way, those little hands of hers were still raised. "BI!"
Odion pouted his lips. "Why?"
"BiBo..." Momo replied.
I had no idea what she was saying, but from her extended hands, it looked like she wanted him to pick her up.
Odion mumbled something but reached out to pick her up, the doll-like creature wiggled her toes in joy as he lowered her to sit in his lap.
Her head reached the middle section of his chest and she really did look like an upgraded version of a typical rag doll.
"Is she a familiar?" I inquired, and Momo looked at me.
Two seconds passed and she slowly got into standing position on Odion's lap, who was currently arching an eyebrow at her. Momo turned around to face Odion before placing her head against his chest, like she was hiding.
"She is," the woman answered as she walked towards Odion. He quietly stared at Momo who was trembl
ing.
The woman picked Momo up from Odion's lap. "Bi?"
The woman didn't reply and took two steps to stand at my side. She dropped Momo on my lap, and Momo froze in shock.
"She doesn't bite. Stop hiding," the woman coached.
I looked down at Momo and she slowly turned her head to meet my curious gaze, her spiraling eyes staring at me like I was about to eat her.
Why is she so afraid?
Deciding to go with my instinct and dying urge to hold her, I reached out and picked her up from my lap, lifting her to get a better look at her.
"BI-BI-BIBIBIBI," she stuttered. Momo’s trembling seemed to double, showing her increased nervousness, and little buds of black water began to pool at the outer corners of her eyes, almost like a cute chibi on the verge of crying.
This familiar is based on someone's imagination… must be for her to look between a cartoon or anime and a ragdoll.
To me, she looked absolutely adorable, and though I was trying to hide it, I couldn't stop the broad smile that formed on my lips as I lowered and cradled her into a warm hug.
"You're so cute, Momo. Hello. My name is Celestia."
There was something about her that reminded me of Arielle.
Maybe because she, too, was a familiar, but her apprehensiveness and trembling reminded me of the night I'd met Arielle in the rain and how she seemed so vulnerable.
I didn't want Momo being afraid of my judgment. She was super cute, even if it was in an eerie way that not many people would easily accept.
"Bi...Bo?"
I lifted her back up to look in her eyes, her tears rolling down her cheeks as she blinked a few times to stare at me.
"What did she say?" I asked as I glanced toward Odion and the woman. Both of them wore loving smiles, which left me a little clueless.
"And why are you guys looking at me like that? What did I do?"
Odion chuckled. "Momo is my familiar. She was nervous you wouldn't like her because she's 'scary' looking to a majority of people. Aside from us, you're the first to call her cute."
"Momo's very sensitive. The few shifters that have interacted with her by chance have always been afraid or rejected her. She didn't want to be rejected by Odion's Queen, so she wanted to hide away, but she also wanted to help out. She asked if you meant what you said." The woman explained.
"Meant what I said? That's she's cute?" I furrowed my brows and looked at Momo.
She nodded her head slightly. "Bi!"
"I meant it. You are cute, Momo. Very cute. Your dress is pretty, and your pigtails are nice. Hmm. Now that I think about it, we should get you cute bows. Anyways, no one should have been mean to you like that. I'm sorry they hurt your feelings. Don't listen to them. I like you." After I explained, I gave her a teeth-glimmering smile.
"Bi… Bi… Bo..." Her lip began to tremble and more of her black tears fell. "Booooooo."
"AH! I… uh… what did I do? I didn't mean to make her cry. Don't cry, Momo." I freaked out and lowered her to rest against my chest, her head on my shoulder as I rubbed her back while she continued to cry.
"The last two weeks she's been all scared you wouldn't like her. She's never had anyone instantly like her since Odion. That was years ago when he'd first arrived here." The woman smiled softly.
"She's crying because she's really happy, my Queen." Odion grinned. "Looks like she's going to be attached to you."
"Hmm." I continued to rub her back soothingly.
"That's fine. She's adorable. Reminds me of Arielle. Where is she? Actually, where is everyone? Or does that fall into the 'make sure the fuzzy mind is gone' category?"
"Somewhere along there," Odion replied.
"It's going to take a while to explain but sleeping will help the fogginess go away, " the woman encouraged.
I turned to look up at her. "May I ask who you are?"
"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. We haven't seen shifters in many years, so I didn't deem it as a priority. My name is Esmeralda. You can call me Esme for short."
"Hmm," I mused."Why is your name familiar to me? Like… hmmm… from a… history lesson or something. I don't know. I guess more than one shifter has the name Esmeralda, but I remember someone in the past had the same name...just not coming up," I mumbled.
"Bi." Momo lifted her head and I gave her a smile as she stared at me.
I used my free hand to pet her head and that seemed to calm her down, her tears coming to a stop before she yawned.
Laying her head back down to my chest, she fell right to sleep. "And… she's asleep."
Odion smiled and Esme giggled quietly. I returned my gaze to Esme as she crossed her arms and gave a slight shrug.
"I'm surprised they would risk exposing the truth with mentioning my name in history books they teach you shifters."
"Huh? Exposing the truth? Of what?" I asked.
She gave me a sympathetic smile and I pouted my lips. "Fuzzy mind category?"
"Sadly, yes," she replied.
"I'm going to sleep," I mumbled and on cue, I yawned, suddenly feeling sleepy.
Right on time.
Odion stood and switched places with Esme.
"I'll help you." He ushered me to hand over Momo and I gently passed her to him.
Once I lay down, I lifted my hands. "I can sleep with her next to me, right?"
Odion looked confused for a moment but nodded. "Sure."
He handed Momo back to me, her little body pressed against mine as I cuddled with her, and I yawned again.
I wondered if the others were okay and I wanted to figure out where Arielle was. I couldn't sense a connection between us, which was beginning to make me uneasy.
"Odion? What about Arielle? Can't she come here and cuddle?" I requested, fighting to keep my eyelids open.
"She's safe with the others. I'll explain when you’re well rested," Odion assured me, his hand brushing against my cheek and moving a few strands of my hair.
I wanted to argue, but another yawn escaped me, and I snuggled into the soft black pillow.
"How about Esme? Where's her name from? I'll forget if I don't ask now," I mumbled, allowing my eyes to close.
Something warm drape on top of me, and I almost fell right to sleep.
I heard Esme giggle and felt something rest on my forehead. I could tell from the slim fingers that it wasn't Odion but Esme, and I suddenly experienced a cool sensation run through my body. It brought a wave of peace, and all my previous worries and fears melted away.
"My name is Esmeralda Rainbow, or Esmeralda Rain in your history books, Celestia. I was once the ruler of these lands centuries ago and was a part of the High Council when my ruling was transferred down to my daughter… the you from the past. Sleep well, child, for there is a lot to reveal to you. We will make sure the truth is revealed and you understand the role you play in this game the High Council is playing."
My mind fell into the dark abyss.
"He will only do wrong, my Queen!"
"Darkness has always caused trouble. We are representing the people. They speak poorly of your relations with Prince of Darkness. All the other Princes are okay. Just not him. His people are scary looking and only cause trouble. We must revoke them from our lands, or no good will come here."
I closed my eyes and pinched my nose with my fingers, wishing I could be sleeping at this ungodly hour rather than wasting time listening to these men bicker for the last five hours.
"Gentlemen. I understand your concern, I really do. I will take this into consideration, but Mother Nature has the final say in all of this. Your displeasure is human based. She didn't create the element of Darkness for no reason. Prince of Darkness has a purpose, just like the other Princes that Mother Nature has chosen. We are all aware that peace can only be maintained when ALL the elements live in harmony. This legend has been passed down for generations. My mother, Esmeralda, did the same and held the peace for many centuries and has passed her torch to me. I'm not dismissing your concerns but remi
nding you of this is principle."
"You are too kind, my Queen."
"So I've heard. I understand many of the people are displeased that a woman is ruling and allowing this to transpire, but gender means nothing to me and it has had no negative impact in the past when previous Queens have ruled. Why don't we continue this discussion in the morning? It is far too late to be talking about such serious topics," I suggested, trying my best to keep my calm appearance when deep down, my emotions were boiling with anger.
"Yes, your Majesty." The two men bowed. "Get some rest."
I nodded in agreement, watching them exit my throne room.
The guards looked over to me and I gave them a weak smile and gestured for them to wait outside.
At this point, I'd rather just sleep in the throne room, seeing as we'd be up at the crack of dawn to discuss the multiple concerns about the Darkness.
They both nodded in understanding and moved out to stand in the hall, closing the doors behind them. With a tired sigh, I lowered my head and removed my crown. I was glad it could be moved by my simple touch and not with magic.
I was far too drained to use any, but I did wish I could teleport to my bedroom to sleep.
Not happening.
"You love coming by during the night," I mumbled, deciding to acknowledge the familiar presence to my far left where the bookshelf stood.
"Even after hours of them talking poorly about me, you still acknowledge me?"
The hurt in the low voice made me open my eyes and look to my left; a pair of sad pure black eyes met mine as the Prince of Darkness revealed himself from the shadows and walked my way.
"Lucian, don't look so sad. It hurts my heart. They are confused," I comforted.
He reached the platform and climbed the stairs to face me. With a soft smile, I wrapped my arms around him.
I could feel the tension in his body, but I ignored it and continued to hug him.
It took him a minute before he finally hugged me back, and from how he squeezed me tight, I could tell all this unnecessary fighting and rumor-talking was getting to him.
The Prince of Darkness, or his true name, Lucian, was always calm and he tried not to show much emotion to the public. Except for the small circle of Princes and myself, who loved him just the way he was.
CELESTIA (Unicorn Blessed Chronicles Book 4) Page 3
