Chapter 31: Belonging To Another

DANICA

The journey back home felt longer and more draining than usual. As the car pulled into my driveway, Hugo broke the silence. “I need to retrieve some items from the previous ruler,” he announced.

“Is it a long way off?” I inquired.

“Should be back in roughly three hours,” he estimated.

“You look exhausted, you should rest,” I suggested, noting the redness in his eyes.

He let out a hearty chuckle. “Worried about me, are you? Don’t be. I’ll be fine,” he reassured me with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“How can I not?”

“Please, don’t,” he interjected. He didn’t want my concern. I knew that. But I couldn’t help it.

I responded with a smile as hollow as his.

Stepping out of the car, I watched Hugo drive off. The house was dark, indicating Celeste was already asleep. I made my way to the backyard deck. It was chilly, but a blanket was draped over a small couch.

Exhausted but not ready for sleep, I lit a small lantern on the table in front of me. Its light was dim and yellowish. Eventually, I drifted into a restless sleep, wrapped in the blanket.

It didn’t feel like I’d been asleep long when I felt hands around me. Startled, I nearly jumped. “Hugo,” I called out, recognizing him even before I saw him.

“You seemed to be in a deep sleep,” he whispered. “I was going to carry you to bed,” he explained, removing his hands from me and preparing to leave.

“Are you heading to bed?” I asked.

He glanced back at me. “Unless you have a better idea?” he countered.

“Sit with me?” I suggested, gesturing to the seat next to me.

He smirked but complied, circling the couch to sit beside me. “Actually, I’ll be right back,” he amended, standing up and heading inside.

He returned shortly, the sound of glass clinking together announcing his arrival. He held a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. “Fancy a drink?” he offered, settling back down next to me.

I didn’t respond, simply watching as he poured the whiskey and handed me a glass.

“Why are you out here?” he asked.

I shrugged. “It’s peaceful. Thought I’d enjoy it while I can,” I replied, my tone laced with sarcasm.

He raised his glass and I mirrored his action. I wasn’t much of a drinker, but I didn’t mind the company.

He cleared his throat. “I managed to retrieve some of the previous celestial ruler’s belongings, but there wasn’t much,” he admitted.

“Let’s not talk about that now…,” I requested. “We can discuss it tomorrow,” I suggested, noticing his smile and nod of agreement.

We sat in comfortable silence, sipping our drinks.

“Hugo…can I ask you something?” He turned his head toward me. “Don’t you ever miss your family?” I asked.

He stared into the distance, swallowing hard. “Yes,” he admitted, his voice strained.

“Do you have someone you can turn to? Someone you can call when you’re down, when you’re in trouble, or just to talk when everything seems to be falling apart?” I asked, noticing the flicker in his eyes and his quickened breathing.

“All I need is myself, that’s all I should need. But lately, I’ve been longing for something more…,” he confessed, struggling to meet my gaze.

“Do you miss your family? Do you miss the sisterly love you now know you have?” he asked in return.

I shrugged. “It’s hard to miss something I never had. But… I do dream about a life with my real family. I’m sure it would be nice,” I admitted.

“It’s hard to miss something you never had…,” he echoed, sighing.

He looked at me, placing his cold hand over mine. I allowed our fingers to intertwine. He leaned back, resting his head.

“I don’t want to lose you, Danica,” he confessed. “The mere thought of it is painful, and I’ve forgotten what it’s like not to worry…” He lifted my hand to his lips, cradling it with both of his.

“I just hope you make it through, then I can leave.”

“What…what if you stayed?” I asked. “After you’re done protecting me…if I survive, would you stay?” I asked, but he just chuckled.

He suddenly reached up, his fingers tenderly brushing my cheek. His thumb traced a gentle path over my lower lip, causing my breath to hitch. When I tried to exhale, it came out more as a stutter.

His other hand tightened around mine, and my gaze was drawn to his lips. Would he lean in? Did he want me to?

But then, as if snapping out of a trance, he withdrew his hand from my face. Instead, he wrapped his arm around me, and I found myself resting my head on his shoulder.

“Why do you make sense when no one else does?” I murmured, my words barely audible. I wrapped my arms around him without hesitation, and he reciprocated.

“Even if it’s against all odds, I belong to you.” The words hurt to say, but a wave of relief washed over me.

Hugo rested his head on top of mine. “I belong to you, Danica,” he said, his voice shaky. “I’ve never belonged to anyone, but with you, I always do, Danica…this is all it can be.” His voice seemed to fade into the darkness.

I didn’t want this to be the end. My throat ached from holding back tears, but I forced my voice to steady. “That’s all right.”

“But I have these dreams,” I confessed. “For the past three years, I’ve dreamt of us. I never knew who the mystery person was. But then I met you, and my dreams became more vivid. I could see your face. I don’t know why I see you every time I sleep. These moments that I’ve seen over and over again. Us meeting at a park. Your hand cut up. Us feeling something. I don’t know what it means.”

He abruptly let go of me and stared ahead. “I’m sorry…,” I stammered. I shouldn’t have said that. He had made it clear countless times that we were nothing, but I had pushed it.

He shook his head, but his eyes betrayed him. “It’s fine, completely okay.” But it wasn’t fine. He cleared his throat. “Go to sleep,” he said quickly, and then he was gone.

I had hoped for a nice moment with him. But I had ruined it.

We were under the same roof, but we couldn’t have been further apart. I longed for him. I dreamt of being tangled in the sheets with him, talking about everything until dawn, feeling every emotion possible.

The realization that we couldn’t be more was devastating.

I knew he needed me as much as I needed him, but some things are simply forbidden.

I woke up later than usual and made my way downstairs to the empty kitchen for breakfast. The house was eerily quiet. After eating, I stepped outside for some fresh air and noticed an unfamiliar car.

I quickly retreated inside and headed to Celeste’s study, where she usually entertained important guests. I remembered her having conversations with my mother there. As a curious child, I would sometimes try to eavesdrop, but the room was soundproof.

The doors were open, so I walked in to find Hugo, Celeste, and Daisy huddled around a table, engrossed in something.

“Hi,” I said awkwardly.

“Hey,” Daisy greeted me with a smile.

“Honey, come here,” Celeste beckoned, and I joined them at the table, which was covered in old papers. These must have been the documents Hugo and Daisy had found.

I picked up a small, creased piece of paper.

“That’s the letter Elena left me. I found it a week after she was found dead in her bed. All the evidence pointed to suicide…and for a week I thought it was murder, but…,” Daisy trailed off, shaking her head in grief as I examined the letter.

~“I am so sorry to leave you like this, but I have to. If I had any other choice, I would stay. There are far more powerful things I need to stand by. Even if you never believed a word I said, I need to stand for all those things. I am meant for that world. I am doing my part so our world can stay intact. I am doing this with honor.”~

I read through the letter several times. I couldn’t blame Daisy for thinking Elena was crazy. If I didn’t know any better, I would think the same.

Hugo handed me an item. “Take a look at this,” he suggested, passing me a slim, aged book. “It’s not the original, but it’s a faithful reproduction. Every word is the same as the original. I’ve checked it myself. The stories were passed down orally by a woman named Eudora, until someone finally wrote them down. I’m sure some details were lost in the process.”

The book felt old and rough in my hands. I flipped it open to the first page, where the name “Eudora Atlas” was inscribed in faded letters.

I began to read, and the narrative was from a unique perspective. “She was the bearer of the sky. The sky rested on her shoulder. She gave her life so the sky could exist peacefully where it belongs,” I read aloud.

I glanced at Elena’s letter and noticed her name at the bottom of the page, ‘Elena Atlas.’

“Atlas… Is that significant?” I questioned.

Hugo clarified, “In Greek mythology, Atlas was condemned to carry the heavens on his shoulders for all eternity.”

“Why would they both use it as their last name?” I wondered.

“I’m not certain, but it seems fitting if you’re a celestial ruler,” Hugo reasoned. Yet, something still nagged at me.

I turned to another page. ‘Eudora shared her experiences as a warning to future generations. So they might know better.’

“How long did Eudora live?” I inquired.

Celeste was the one to respond. “It’s not explicitly stated, but all indications suggest she didn’t live long. Some even believe she ended her own life,” she revealed.

I noticed a mischievous grin on her face, and Hugo caught me staring.

“What’s so funny?” Hugo asked, and Celeste snapped out of her reverie.

“It’s not funny, per se. I’m just pondering if there’s more to it,” she mused.

Hugo looked puzzled, but I understood her implication.

“What if celestial rulers are destined to die for the sky?” I proposed, looking at Celeste. Her smile vanished.

“What if our transformation is simply…to keep the sky intact, and to do that, we need to be in the sky?”

“The celestial ruler is clearly defined as the one who lives to support the sky,” Hugo interjected.

“But who said the celestial ruler has to live on earth?” I countered, but he had no response.

“What if those who died during the transition died for the same reason celestial rulers are supposed to live?” I chuckled. “Don’t you see? Eudora died young…she underwent the transition and still died.”

Hugo pursed his lips, skeptical but considering my words. “Others have researched this and concluded that the transition is too difficult for many, leading to their deaths. That’s why most choose to end their own lives. Powerful beings have investigated this, but they have no answers.”

“What if they didn’t end their lives because it was too hard, but because they were sacrificing themselves to the sky?” I suggested, but Hugo was growing frustrated.

“What if, what if…don’t you think others have considered that? There was a theory, but it was disproven and had too many inconsistencies,” Hugo retorted.

“Sweetheart…” Celeste approached me, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “I highly doubt there’s more to it, but…if there is…you’re the only one who could uncover it,” she said, and I looked at her in surprise.

“How?” I asked, meeting her smug gaze.

“Death has the ability to communicate with the dead…”