The Oddities of Grand Marquis - Book 3: Elegant Armageddon 🪼✔️

Nineteenth

DAWAEN

I opened my eyes and realized that I wasn't somewhere I remember. I felt a cool rag touching my forehead but my body felt heavy. I moved to see who was there, finding Max Taylor at my bedside.

"This is awkward..." I mumbled.

"Only because you make it that way. I'm only trying to help... What happened to you?"

I thought for a moment but I didn't really want to explain my situation to Max of all people. He looked like hell though, worse than when I saw him three months ago. It felt like a lifetime since I'd seen anyone anyway...

"Let's just say I got into a confrontation."

Max frowned. "I know about your dad, Dawaen."

I frowned. "Who told you?"

"You practically revealed it when we came back on the ship, remember?"

"Oh... it's been a long three months so that seems like so long ago."

"Yeah..."

"Why are you still here? Your parents never came for you?"

Max smiled sadly. "My parents don't even believe I'm me. From the feeling I got, my mom wanted to try but couldn't and my dad doesn't even know she came. I'm a fleeting memory to her. I'm just trying to keep myself under control." He laughed a little. "Ironically, Zylith and Kasai were supposed to slow down the Elbaskins from coming to Earth but all they are doing is making it impossible for me to survive. Until they get closer to Earth, I'm fucked up with all the bloody stuff." He moved his eyes away from me and to my stomach. "You want to talk about it?"

I looked down at myself and felt my face lose color. I had been trying to forget about it, but after what just happened to me, how could I? After looking at it, how could anyone forget? I felt myself tremble and I turned to look away from him.

"Poetic justice, yeah?" I said, trying to keep my nausea at bay.

"I wouldn't have wished it on anyone, not even Kole." Max said softly. "It was hard enough with just Kasai, but I can't imagine how it feels in your situation."

"Stop being so fucking nice about." I growled. "You can gloat; I deserve it. I beat you up and caused you problems because of your pregnancy. No need to sugarcoat anything."

"I think you have the wrong person." I turned back to him as he stared at me with a tired expression. "Dawaen, this isn't pleasant and it's not fun. It's fucking scary and humiliating and you feel like you're a freak. I understand what you're going through. Why would I want to gloat? Because I only had one? Ooh, that's a great accomplishment; the emo kid got to be abducted and impregnated with one alien baby. I win! Is that what you want?"

"No..."

"Then what does it matter?"

"Because I'm not used to anyone actually giving a damn about me and I'm definitely not used to someone I bullied having sympathy for me."'

"Well that's the difference: it's not sympathy, it's empathy."

"Whatever."

"I know I'm not exactly the person you thought would be on your side, but I know what you're going through. You're not alone in this."

I couldn't even keep the tears from coming as I turned and curled up on myself. This is why I hated him... He got it from his perfect little parents. He was nice to someone like me, the guy who beat the shit out of him... No one had ever been that nice to me before...