Page 85 of Dark Prince's Mate

At “leave,” my mom lowers her phone with a shaky hand.Her lips tremble as she looks between me and Aruan.“Elsie?Is it really you?”

“In the flesh.”I smile at Aruan.“And this is Aruan, my… boyfriend.”

Dad’s face is a mask of confusion.“You ran away?”

“No.”I edge closer.“It’s a lot more complicated than that.”

“I don’t understand,” Mom says, her voice close to breaking.She looks me up and down.“You look so… healthy.”

Dad takes in my shirt, pants, and boots before turning a gaze on Aruan’s tunic.“Why are you dressed like that?”

“I’d like to explain,” I say, “but I think you need to sit down.”

Dad gives in first, overcoming his disbelief to rush forward and wrap me up in a fierce hug.He sets me free and holds me at arm’s length.“Elsie?Is itreallyyou?”

“Yes,” I whisper, blinking away my tears.

Mom lets out a sob and clamps a hand over her mouth.

“It’s okay, Mom.I’m okay.Everything is going to be okay.”

She crosses the floor like a sleepwalker and stops in front of me.Emotions wash over her features as she tilts her face and studies me.She shakes her head in disbelief, and then she pulls me in for a hug too, sobs racking her frail shoulders.

We hold each other for a long moment as I try to soothe her.Aruan looks on from a distance, considerately giving us space.

Mom pulls away first, wiping her eyes and sniffing as she says again, “I don’t understand.”

I take her hand and lead her to the sofa.She sits down with her phone clutched in her lap.Dad comes over and plops down next to her, not taking his eyes off of me.I take the sofa facing theirs and pat the seat next to me.

When Aruan has taken a seat, I tell them more or less everything, minus the fact that I’m still Aruan’s captive of sorts.I start at the beginning and end with how we got here.They listen quietly, letting me tell my incredible tale without interrupting me once.All the while, they stare at me as if I’m an apparition.It’s only when I’m done that they look at each other.

“I’m sorry.”Dad faces me slowly again.“The story you told is hard to believe.”

“Ask me anything,” I say.“I’ll do my best to clarify it for you.”

They have a ton of questions, which I answer as honestly as I can.Mom wants to know where Zerra is because the concept of a parallel world sounds too fantastical to her.Dad wants to know how the so-called Alit powers work, so I tell him about my theories about AI and the advanced ancient civilization on Zerra.

When Mom starts wondering out loud if I could be an alien clone of her daughter, I remind them of childhood incidents that only I can know about, such as the time during that camping trip when Mom doused me in mosquito repellent to which I developed an allergic reaction.

By the time the clock on the wall says we’ve spoken for over an hour and they’re still frightened and confused, Aruan cups my nape to draw my attention.“I think your parents need a demonstration.”

Mom and Dad watch him with tense shoulders and pale faces.

He turns his gaze on the curtains.They dissolve and reassemble in a snazzy coat on Mom’s body.She jumps to her feet, dropping her phone in the process.Dad stares open-mouthed at the floral curtains she’s wearing.

“I-I don’t know—” She presses her fingertips on her mouth, trembling as she looks down at herself.“How?—?”

“Good heavens,” Dad mutters.

I go to the window and open it.A white-throated sparrow sits in the tree on the front lawn.“Do you see that bird over there?”I point in that direction.“What would you like it to do?”

Dad bounces his leg.He thinks for a moment before saying, “I want it to bring two leaves to me.”

“Two, huh?”I laugh.“You’ve always been a stickler for leaving absolutely no cause for doubt.”

The bird does what I command it to do, bringing first one leaf and then a second one that it drops on Dad’s lap.

“Do you need more proof?”I ask gently.

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