Page 13 of The Umbra King

“I’ve missed you, too,” he replied, and pecked her cheek.

“I like your hair,” Rory said as she set everyone’s plates on the kitchen table. It was shorter than yesterday, Kordie’s doing, she assumed.

Dume took his seat at the table and ran a hand between his horns. “It was getting too long.”

Rory chuckled and stood to grab drinks from the fridge but froze when she saw her mother’s eyes glass over. “No,” she whispered as she hurried to the doorway between the living room and kitchen. She placed her hands on her mother’s shoulders. “Mom?”

Dume touched Rory’s shoulder lightly. He’d seen this happen before, and they both knew what it meant. The good day was over.

Lenora’s eyes went clear for an instant, and she locked her hands onto Rory’s upper arms. “Two were one, and one is yours.”

Rory’s eyes burned. “Mom, it’s okay. Let’s get you to bed.”

“No,” her mother insisted and snatched her hands away. “Listen to me Aurora, do not let him fool you; his darkness is poison. Only the golden child can save you.”

A tear slipped down Rory’s cheek as her mother’s eyes glassed over again. Dume pulled Rory back and led Lenora to her room at the end of the hall.

When he returned, Rory looked at him with tear-stained cheeks. “She didn’t even get the entire day. It’s getting worse.”

Dume guided Rory to a kitchen chair and laid a fork on her plate before taking his place across from her. “I know. Let’s finish these pancakes and watch a movie on the couch. Your choice.”

Rory was grateful for her friend, but her heart still sank. If her mother’s days were getting shorter, then pretty soon, they wouldn’t exist at all.

5

Rory sat in a chair,watching her mother on the couch as the morning sun shone through the front windows of their apartment. Her eyes burned as memories of the day Lenora’s abilities manifested swirled around her.

“Hey, Mom!”ten-year-old Rory called from the door as she ran in with her backpack bouncing against her body. “Guess what!”

Her father poked his head around the hallway, and dark eyebrows shot to his hairline. “What?”

She reached into her bag and pulled out her math test. “I got the highest score in class today,” she beamed.

Her mother clapped excitedly, and Rory’s smile widened. Lenora always made a big production of her children’s accomplishments and encouraged them when they failed.

Patrick crossed the room and took the paper from her. “This is going on the refrigerator,” he announced as he made his way to the kitchen. “We’re proud of you, squirt.”

Rory planted her small hands on her hips. “Don’t call me that, Dad.I’m practically a teenager.”

Her mother chuckled and walked into the kitchen. “What do you want for dinner? I’ll make your favorite.”

Dume and Cora walked in the front door, chattering back and forth. “Rory, did you tell them?” Dume asked eagerly, as if he’d made the grade himself. Cora’s lips were curled into a small smile. Her twin hadn’t done as well, and Rory felt a pang of guilt for celebrating her own win.

“She did,” Patrick said as he ruffled Dume’s hair between his horns and placed a kiss on Cora’s head.

“I want pizza,” Rory decided. Her mother was the best cook in the entire realm.

“Yes,” Dume and Cora said, high fiving.

“Pizza it is,” Lenora announced, shuffling around the kitchen to gather ingredients.

Cora smiled brightly. “She’s the smart one. I’m the pretty one.”

Rory shoved her sister lightly. “We look the same, dork.”Cora shrugged. They weren’t identical, but the similarities were uncanny.

Rory’s mother dropped the jar of tomato sauce and stood still. Her gaze was on the wall in front of her as Patrick rushed over.

“Did you cut yourself?” He checked her bare feet covered in glass, but she didn’t answer.

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