Page 46 of Shattered Illusion

“The deed has been in my father’s name since your parents passed, and it was passed to me when I took over for him at the law office. And all the other houses in the bend have been purchased by other supers, so there’s no longer a connection to the curiomancers.” He pulls to a stop out front of the bright red doors and shuts off the engine. “Over the past twenty years, we’ve visited the house numerous times to stake our claim on the land in preparation for now.”

I nibble my bottom lip as I gaze back at the house that now belongs to me. What would I even do with something of this size? It’s not like I can pull my parents from the human sector and move them in. And the place is too big for just me. “Can I sell it?”

“What?” I may not be able to see him, but I can feel his incredulous stare as he processes my question. “Why would you want to sell it?”

My shoulders lift in a shrug. I’m not really sure why I asked the question, even though I’m dying for an answer.

“Cor meum, this was your family’s home. There are so many memories inside. Things you have yet to discover.” He grips my chin, replacing my view of the mansion with the concern in his blood red eyes. “It’s overwhelming. I get that. But before you make any rash decisions, how about we go inside. Get a feel for the place. Then you can decide what you want to do with it another time.”

“Okay,” I murmur, knowing it’s the only answer he’ll accept right now.

Axel leans forward, softly brushing his lips across mine before releasing me and climbing out the vehicle. It takes another moment for me to get my thoughts in order before I slip out after him, finding him waiting for me right outside my door.

He folds my hand in his and takes the lead, directing us up the stairs to the red doors awaiting to reveal all the secrets it contains. Axel produces a set of keys from his pocket and holds them out for me to take. To give me the honor of opening the door. But I shake my head. That’s not something I’m ready for. He’s going to have to drag me inside as it is, so there’s no way I can open them myself.

The keys jingle as he unlocks the door and pushes it open, waiting for me to take the first step into my birth family’s home. My feet move, but in the opposite direction, and only Axel’s hold on my hand keeps me from fleeing completely back to the safety of the car.

“Here.” Axel repockets the keys. “We’ll take the first step inside together.”

I can do this. Walking inside doesn’t mean I have to keep the place. It just means that I want to look around. Maybe get a feel for the type of people my parents were. It’s not like there are any memories that will come to me by merely waltzing around.

A nod from me is all Axel needs before he releases my hand and wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his side. For every step Axel propels me, I take a deep breath, trying to remove myself from the complication of what this house means. Maybe I can think of this as my handsome boyfriend and I wanting to move in together, and we’re looking at houses to make our home.

The moment we pass over the threshold, I release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. No memories assault me, and no one jumps out of a hiding spot to scare us. Nothing happens. Nothing at all. It’s just an empty house save for the furniture and other personal touches left behind.

It’s crazy to think that at one point in time, my birth parents fluttered around inside these walls, creating memories. Theneverything went to shit, and they were killed for what they are—what I am.

I shake those negative thoughts away and continue on further in the house, Axel holding me steady at his side. My Vans squeak across the marble flooring, drowning out the soft taps Axel makes with every step. He bypasses the foyer right inside the door. There's nothing fancy to see there—just a tall black table in the center with an empty vase perched on top.

The floor under our feet shifts from marble to carpet, muffling our footsteps. Axel continues to guide me through what looks like a simple sitting room, something that might have been used at one time to welcome guests. But even I can tell it wasn’t the heart of the home. Even though the place has sat empty—minus the few times Axel and his dad have been here—this room doesn’t look lived in.

But then, everything magically changes when we enter another area just past the sitting room. It almost feels like the whole ambiance shifts into something different. Something new. Something dare I say, happy.

Everywhere I look, personal touches remain untouched with time. Is this what one would call a living time capsule? There are things that look outdated and like they were used more than other pieces.

Broken-in couches set in a semi-circle frame the room, all directed toward the flat-screen TV hanging on the wall. Underneath sits a large fireplace, something I could see myself sitting by while reading a book. Floor-to-ceiling windows line the back wall, giving a view of the backyard and the forest the house butts up to. Off to the left opens up into a massive kitchen, outdated appliances in place of where something newer should reside. A hum comes from that direction telling me the electricity is on, even though we have no need for it right now.

“So, what do you think?” Axel breaks the silence, finally dropping his arm from around me and stepping away. I want to claw and fight and tuck myself back into the safety of his arms, but there’s nothing here that can hurt me. Not unless other people’s memories count.

“It’s…” I trail off, not really sure how to word it. “Nice?” I state it as a question, shrugging my shoulders. If he wanted me to feel closer to the people who birthed me and see them in a different light, I’m not sure this is the way to do it.

“It’s alright,cor meum. I know this is a lot, and there’s no wrong answer here. Come, let me show you to the library.”

My whole demeanor perks up at the thought of finally getting my hands on something that could possibly—hopefully—help me figure out how to harness my magic better, learn more about the runes adorning my body, and just about what I am in general.

Axel takes my hand in his once more and leads me down a hall toward the one place I may finally get some answers.

A pile of books is stacked up near the front door, ready to be transported from where they’ve sat on a dusty shelf for twenty years into my dorm room so I can go through them when I’m not in class. And with the way I’ve been skipping classes already, I may need to come back next week to get more.

But I’m feeling pretty confident that I’ll know more about myself as a whole by the time I make it through the daunting stack.

Axel and I broke for lunch around midday, and now, with the night sky filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows backin the main lived-in room of the mansion where we are sitting, just basking in the silence of the house, my stomach grumbles, breaking the tension that still has yet to snap between us. One of these days, it will. But until then, I’ll relish in the quiet moments we spend together. Even though there are other, much more productive, things we could be doing.

Axel chuckles, a light-hearted sound. “Let me go put those books in the car, and then we’ll head out and stop for some dinner on the way back.” He doesn’t wait for me to reply, getting to his feet and moving toward the foyer.

While he does that, I take a chance to explore a little on my own. There’s pictures adorning the walls that I’ve avoided looking at, but this time, I step up to the first one, finding the same exact picture Axel showed me back in his office. Once again, I trace the features of the birth parents, noting just how similar I am to both of them. Then my finger circles over the big belly my mother is sporting, knowing that’s me in there.

My eyes snag on the next picture down, and I move to stand in front of it, my breath knocking out of my lungs as I stare face-to-face at me. As an infant. The one right beside it makes tears gather in my eyes. It’s a photograph of all three of us again, only this time I’m not in my mother’s stomach. My parents are both holding me, looking down at me with unconditional love in their eyes.

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