After Rena was done showering, she found Darien seated on the bed, various sets of her pajamas placed neatly beside him.
"I wasn't sure what you'd like to wear, so I brought what I could." He told her.
A gratifyingly blushful smile shone on her face.
"Thank you."
Rena then stood completely still, peeping expectantly at him.
"Is something wrong?" He asked curiously.
"Well, I'd like to get dressed please."
"You can change in the bathroom, or the closet." His nonchalant reply made her frown a bit.
Rena shook her head.
"I'd... Rather not."
Darien's deviant smirk made her cheeks turn red.
"So you want privacy now, huh?"
"Yes." Sarcasm was evidently laced in that one word.
He chuckled briefly, then stood and walked to the door.
"Call me when you're done—"
"Wait!" She called out right when he touched the doorknob.
"I didn't want you to leave." She deciphered.
"Just... Please look away."
Surprisingly, she heard him laugh pleasantly, and her heart fluttered, her gaze on him lingering lovingly.
"As you wish." He turned his back to her.
As she changed, her face flushed unexplainably. He was looking away, so why was she feeling so exposed?
As she stared at his back, the temptation to walk up to him was indescribable. Dark and salacious thoughts clouded her mind continuously.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all... The temptation to expose herself to him was just too great at that moment.
Rena grudgingly shrugged the thoughts away, reminding herself that there was a lot they needed to discuss that night.
After getting dressed, she folded all the other clothes he'd brought, and made space for them in his closet.
♦
A minute or two later, the two lay comfortably on the bed, holding each other like there was no tomorrow, like all their worries had somehow disintegrated.
"I don't know what Xander's playing at," Darien said.
"But I trust him."
Rena suddenly thought of something and asked,
"I don't think you've ever told me about the origin of your friendship."
"Believe it or not, it's just like yours and Sandra's." His smile was reminiscent.
"Elaborate, please?"
"Xander and I met right after your kidnapping. He helped keep an eye on you, just in case Zeniss reached you. He helped me a great deal in terms of researching Valum, trying to find its weaknesses..."
He ran his fingers around the area of her bracelet.
"And it looks like the efforts paid off."
Rena shivered pleasantly, relishing in his enticing touch.
"After keeping tabs on you for a while, he discovered that Sandra was also a demon. He sort of interrogated her, and she said she was just one of the demons who resided on Earth, put here to tempt and ruin human lives." He paused.
Right then, Rena soon realized why Sandra's 'family' was always in some kind of clutter. She was the cause all along.
"She said she'd found herself becoming close to you, and you ended up being good friends. After you went missing, we asked for her help and she hastily agreed." Darien's hold on her tightened upon feeling her affliction.
"You okay?"
"Yes... It's just hard to take in that's all." She replied, but decided to change the subject.
"So how come you and dad didn't join us for dinner last night?"
"Well, we'd gone to arrange for another safer location in case things spiral out of control."
"Meaning...?"
"Meaning in case... We're attacked."
"Mmh, I see."
Comfortable silence took over for a minute or two.
"Darien?" Rena called, her voice flattering restlessly.
"Mh?"
"Why do you think I haven't gotten my memories back yet?"
His hold on her tightened as a silent reassurance.
"Even though you can control it, the dark power is still in you. Holding onto your memories for some reason. Maybe there are bigger things you're not supposed to know yet."
"You're talking in riddles again."
She heard him chuckle, but then he asked;
"Do those memories matter that much to you?"
"Of course, they matter to some extent... I mean, those aren't just memories Darien. They're part of me. Part of my story. Our story."
"Everything will work out just fine, I promise." He laid a kiss on her forehead.
"Now get some rest."
♦
After breakfast, the next day, Rena and her father sat in the garden.
"You knew?" Inquired Rena.
"Of course. You're my daughter, I have to know."
Rena stared disbelievingly at him.
"Since when?"
"Around the time you got kidnapped. They had to reveal everything so I'd keep a closer eye on you for the years that followed."
"And you... Just accepted it?"
It had been quite a while since she learned everything, but she still hadn't expected her new surreal reality.
Ethan shook his head, smiling empathetically.
"Not immediately of course. Things like that take time to fully get used to. To this day, I sometimes feel like it's a reality I'll soon wake up from."
Rena was silent, then ultimately asked,
"Did you know about Sandra too?"
"No, not until yesterday actually."
Rena was somewhat relieved. At least she wasn't the only one in the dark about one of her best friend's identity.
Rena glanced inquiringly at her father.
"Do you... Know what really happened to mom?"
Something told her that her mother most definitely didn't have a heart attack.
"As far as I know, she was abroad the entire time, while that thing pretending to be her was here."
"So she was still alive?"
"No... According to Angel, once it took her form, it killed her right away."
"Does... Grace know about all this?"
"No dear. I can't bear to involve her in all this." Ethan explained, the seemed to recall something.
"Oh, and I forgot to tell you. We've decided that it'd be best for Grace and Eve to stay with a friend of mine, at least for now."
"I think that's for the best."
Rena was relieved. Her dad was right. There was no need to involve her younger sister in such a mess.
As Eve and her sister would soon be leaving, Rena decided to go say goodbye.
...
