Their mother was back in time for dinner. Nevera was practically bouncing in her seat, and when Rouge sat down she exclaimed,
“I did it! She said yes!”
Everyone at the table stared for a second and then broke out into cheers. I giggled and shot Nevera a smile, which she accepted happily.
"That’s amazing, dear,” Mrs Crossfire said. “You’re going out with her tomorrow then, I presume?”
She nodded and started to pile her plate high with some kind of meat. I looked over the table awkwardly. Kirex gave me a questioning look and I explained,
"I don’t eat meat. It upsets me since I can hear animals...”
His eyes widened and he choked on whatever it was he was eating. I automatically raised my hands and dropped them when he recovered.
“Sorry. I hadn’t even thought of that...”
He looked quite troubled, so I added,
"It doesn’t bother me when other people eat it. Just me personally... I’m okay with anything else though. Minus fish.”
Vegetables and fruits are weird. They never get upset at the thought of being eaten. I suppose they know it’s inevitable and got used to it? Kirex coughed once more and then helped me pick out food that I could actually eat. Aime then piped up,
“Salazar had a new friend over today. Such a sweet girl! What was her name again?”
He looked up from his food with a blank expression, then his face lit up after a few seconds. He swallowed what he was eating and said,
“Her name’s Crya. She’s from that city up north that was crushed by an avalanche, so I’m helping her get settled here.”
Aime smiled widely, and his wife had a proud look on her face. Salazar grinned and went back to eating. You would think he was starving...
After a while of odd conversations, Mrs Crossfire stood up. She cleared her throat, took a deep breath and spoke.
"The meeting today was very successful. The Regal listened to my points and has had a change of heart. I have sent letters to our city families to tell them – from tomorrow morning, Naturals and Unnaturals will be allowed to mix with no risk of death or harm. We will all be allowed in each other’s cities. Tomorrow night, the Regal will be coming here for a celebration party. I expect you all to treat the humans with respect.”
No one spoke a word. We had all been harmed by Naturals. I grew up with them, I knew how they were... But Mrs Crossfire was clever. I trusted her. Once dinner was over, Nevera led me to my room and I finally memorized the route. Kirex stayed behind with Salazar to talk to their parents.
When I got to my room I collapsed onto my bed. I lay awake for a while, listening to the conversation my room grass was having. Eventually, I fell asleep.
The next morning I got up earlier and made my way to the dining hall. My grass wished me a good day as I exited.
When I sat down, Salazar passed me an opened newspaper. He pointed to a certain story and told me to read it.
‘Shock to the world as only peace and happiness bloom in both Natural and Unnatural cities. This morning, there was a welcome party by a human city's gates. The Naturals had signs that said things such as, “Welcome!” and “We’re all people!” Such behaviour was not expected, considering our past troubles. There is nothing that can be done right now except waiting for what happens.’
I looked up at Salazar with my eyes wide and jaw on the floor. He spat out his cereal and started to laugh. The sound filled the hall. When he stopped, he said,
YOU ARE READING
Crossfire
Fantasy"A long, long time ago, the world was not split in two. Naturals and Unnaturals did not exist. Some people were blessed by gods and awarded a Gift - these people are known now as Unnaturals. Eventually, the Naturals grew jealous. They were jealous...
