Rise and Shine
1093 Words
-
*
Feeling a lingering hurt in her chest, Mila stares at Leo's door. “He's changed,” she says in her thoughts. Then she feels letting go of him but then remembers his friend, Halona.
She flies across the field and goes near the coast to find that girl. It is already dusk when she knocked on her door. She can sense a whole family is gathering for dinner—a big one, for today's catch is bountiful.
“Coming!” answers Halona from behind the door. She opens it, saying, “How may I-” and stops, realizing that a goddess is before her. “Lady Mila,” she bows.
Her family stopped eating to kneel on the ground to welcome her. “I guess I could come again next time,” says Mila. “Please enjoy your dinner.” She smiles at her before turning.
“No, it's fine, my lady!” Halona insists, grabbing her arm. Realizing that her hands might stain the goddess's flawless skin, she lets go. “It's cold out here, my lady. Let us serve you inside.” She gestures for Mila to go inside.
“Alright then,” she nods. “Thank you.”
She comes in and feels the air warm and welcoming. Halona's family cleans the whole living room. She has her mother and father cleaning the used dishes and bringing in fresh food on the table. She has five siblings and apparently, she is the third child. Two of them after her, are little girls and are staring at Mila as she sits on the chair before the table. This makes her uncomfortable.
“Hey,” whispers Halona. “both of you get back to work!” She pulls the away from her while saying, “I'm sorry about that, my lady.”
“Oh, it's alright.” She smiles.
After minutes of preparation, all of them put up nervous smiles around the table. The two older siblings of Halona are boys and constantly stealing glances at Mila. They are worried about how they look in front of the elegant goddess.
“So,” says Halona. “Let's eat.”
Mila nods, and they begin serving food properly that which puts an awkward air inside the house. The boys are quietly fighting over who should serve food to her until one of them drops the fish from a plate. With her powers, Mila catches the fish. She puts it back on the table.
The two girls clap very loud. “Do it again!” they cheer.
“No, we're eating,” says their mother.
“Aw...,” they complain.
Mila could not help but smile. The brothers did not miss this for a second. Then they look at the food when Mila looks at them. Then they proceed to eat quietly. Halona sits beside her at her left. At her right, are the girls—who are curious about her. Their mother, father, and brothers are on the other side of the table.
“So,” says Halona. “You've known Leo for a long time, my lady?”
“Oh,” she says while chewing. After swallowing, she says, “I've known him for years. He's one of Olympus's greatest warriors.”
“What?” they all exclaim.
“Warrior?” asks Halona.
“Yes, he is. He might be a human but he's stronger than me.”
“It makes sense because I've seen him pulling a dead whale out of the shore by himself.”
“He's the God of Gravity, actually.”
“He's a god?”
“No, but a bit of both human and a god.”
“Okay...,” Halona nods and sulks a little. “He never takes that far to tell us that, my lady.”
“Why?”
“I don't know. He's like the type of guy that you have to ask before saying something. All we know is that the travelers often address him as ‘Lord Leonide’ but he tells them to not call him that.”
“He's like that?”
“Yes, my lady.”
Wondering, Mila thinks Halona might know Leo more so she asks, “If you could describe him, what's he like?”
“Dreamy,” says her eldest brother.
“Handsome,” teases the other.
“Good choice for a husband!” said the girls.
“All of you, stay quiet!” Halona scolds them. “Oh, I'm sorry about that, my lady.”
“It's fine, just tell me what you think.” Deep inside, Mila knows the vibe in this house right now.
“Well, overall, he's a very helping guy. When we need help, we always go to him and he helps us. He might go too far if you're not careful about what you ask.” She laughs. “He's just too generous.”
“Yeah, he's always been like that.” Mila remembers what she has been through with him.
“But he likes to play being a cold guy, my lady. If you ask him once, he will not help you. You have to ask him until he gives up. Deep inside, he's a good guy even if he doesn't want to admit it. He also couldn't handle teasing very well.”
“Wow,” says Mila. “you know him pretty well.”
“Well, my lady,” says her brother. “she has to know her future husband after all.”
“One more word and shove a whole fish down your throat!” Halona threatens.
Then Mila felt like it was worth laughing for. Nothing is holding her from doing so, knowing that the Leo she knows is still there but hidden. Her chest feels lighter than ever and able to enjoy the food in front of her.
*
-
My eyeballs are about to jump from my eyelids when it suddenly went bright. I see the bright morning sky above me. Where the hell is my roof? Then I hear a crashing sound in the distance. I sit up, wear my glasses, and Mila's there where my doorstep is supposed to be.
“Rise and shine, Leo,” she says, smirking. Halona is with her.
“What have you done?” I ask, sighing. I lie back, scratching my head. “I worked hard on this house.”
“Well, you won't be needing it anymore because you're coming with me even if you like it or not!”
Oh, man...
- Writer
